Streaming Launch To Be Supported By 24-Hour Rickles Birthday Marathon May 8 On Shout! Factory TV
One of comedy’s most famous funnymen heads to streaming for the first time ever with a premiere on Shout! Factory TV May 1. The streaming service will release the complete two-season run of C.P.O. Sharkey alongside classic hourlong comedy specials from the 1970s starring the legendary Don Rickles. Fans can soon enjoy four hilarious comedy specials – The Many Sides of Don Rickles, Don Rickles: Alive and Kicking, Mr. Warmth and The Don Rickles Special – featuring a who’s who of guest stars including Johnny Carson, Bob Newhart, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Carroll O’Connor, Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Anne Meara, Jack Klugman, and many more.
In addition to the specials, this launch includes the complete series of Rickles’ beloved series C.P.O. Sharkey. After serving in the Navy during WWII, Rickles found a perfect vehicle for his inimitable brand of comedy with C.P.O. Sharkey, a satirical look at Navy life which ran on NBC for two seasons and 37 episodes (1976-78). As a 24-year naval veteran, Otto Sharkey had pretty much seen and heard it all. The unseasoned recruits he whipped into shape received most of his wisdom, though sometimes it was served up as sharp-tongued barbs. And, though the men of Company 144 were bunglers and blockheads, they were his bunglers and blockheads -- ready, willing, and able to endure one verbal Shark attack after another. Beneath his barbed exterior, however, there was a heart of gold and Otto helped his recruits survive boot camp and life with equal measure.
“I’m so happy that my father’s comedy specials, along with C.P.O. Sharkey, will finally be available to stream,” said Mindy Rickles. “I grew up watching my father’s groundbreaking comedy; and now his genius will be accessible for new generations of viewers.”
Shout! Factory TV will also celebrate the streaming launch by hosting a birthday marathon in memory of Don Rickles from midnight-to-midnight PT on Saturday, May 8. Throughout the day, Shout! Factory TV will be streaming the Rickles comedy specials, episodes of C.P.O. Sharkey, and curated Rickles-starring episodes of The Johnny Carson Show andThe Carol Burnett Show.
For nearly seven decades, Don Rickles appeared in top showrooms and concert halls throughout the world and is regarded among the world’s top entertainers. Rickles is a star whose career spanned stand-up comedy, headlining residencies, frequent variety show and late-night talk show appearances, scripted television, and major feature films.
Rickles earned the nicknames The Merchant of Venom and Mr. Warmth (coined affectionately by Johnny Carson) for his insult style of humor, a signature that grew from his responses to hecklers in the early days of his stand-up act. Being roasted by Rickles became a measure of show business industry status and a badge of honor, which was enjoyed by almost every major celebrity from Frank Sinatra to Ryan Gosling.
The recipient of an Emmy Award, The TV Land Legend Award, The Friars Club Legend Award and the Johnny Carson Comedy Legend Award, Rickles’ status as a comedic icon has long been cemented. His very last project, an unscripted Web series entitled Dinner with Don, won both a Telly Award for Non-Scripted Web Series and an International Academy of Web Television Award for Best Comedy Series in 2018.
C.P.O. Sharkey and the Don Rickles comedy specials will be available for streaming on demand across Shout! Factory TV platforms, on ShoutFactoryTV.com; Shout! Factory TV’s Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Android apps; and on various Shout! Factory TV branded channels including Tubi, Amazon Prime Channels, and the Roku Channel.
The marathon can be viewed on ShoutFactoryTV.com; Shout! Factory TV’s Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Android apps; and the following digital streaming platforms: Twitch, Pluto TV, Samsung TV Plus, Comcast Xfinity, Xumo, Vizio, Redbox, IMDb TV, STIRR, Sling TV, THETA.tv and Local Now.