With the passage of time and Robert Craig Knievel's death in 2007, the history of his daring stunts and outlandish notoriety seems to be fading from memory. But back in 1975, some months after the famous Snake River Canyon jump of August 8th, 1974, Evil Knievel was honored as Man of the Hour by Dean Martin and his Celebrity Roast panel. It was fresh on the minds of the entertainers gathered to honor Knievel, and many of the presenters got in their digs concerning his daring stunt.
I used to watch these Roasts back in the day, and remember catching this one at the time as well. The thing that really surprised me while watching the show today was the host of big name entertainers who were on hand for this one considering that Knievel wasn't a Hollywood or TV celebrity. You had stars like Ernest Borgnine, Milton Berle, Don Rickles, Gabe Kaplan, Glen Campbell and Cliff Robertson to name a few. Martin often had someone on hand as well from the political arena, and this was another of those Roasts that saw Senator Barry Goldwater on the dais. Ruth Buzzi showed up as her Laugh-In character Gladys Ormphby, handbag in tow just itching to wail in on Dino and the guest of honor, which she did before her segment was over. She even got in a lick on someone down in the audience, though that may have been arranged ahead of time.
As for Knievel, he looked none the worse for wear given his choice of occupation. Looking relaxed and casual, he bore the brunt of everyone's jabs in good humor and managed to get in a few good shots of his own when it was his turn to speak. If you were around back in the Seventies, you really couldn't miss hearing about Evil Knievel and his next great stunt, and this show is a neat reminder of his glory days as a daredevil.
I used to watch these Roasts back in the day, and remember catching this one at the time as well. The thing that really surprised me while watching the show today was the host of big name entertainers who were on hand for this one considering that Knievel wasn't a Hollywood or TV celebrity. You had stars like Ernest Borgnine, Milton Berle, Don Rickles, Gabe Kaplan, Glen Campbell and Cliff Robertson to name a few. Martin often had someone on hand as well from the political arena, and this was another of those Roasts that saw Senator Barry Goldwater on the dais. Ruth Buzzi showed up as her Laugh-In character Gladys Ormphby, handbag in tow just itching to wail in on Dino and the guest of honor, which she did before her segment was over. She even got in a lick on someone down in the audience, though that may have been arranged ahead of time.
As for Knievel, he looked none the worse for wear given his choice of occupation. Looking relaxed and casual, he bore the brunt of everyone's jabs in good humor and managed to get in a few good shots of his own when it was his turn to speak. If you were around back in the Seventies, you really couldn't miss hearing about Evil Knievel and his next great stunt, and this show is a neat reminder of his glory days as a daredevil.
