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Video: A Delightful Tour Of Brooklyn In 1968, With Don Rickles
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 5, 2014
Modified Jan 5, 2014
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 5, 2014
Modified Jan 5, 2014
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In 1968 a short segment hosted by Don Rickles aired on NBC during the Kraft Music Hall program, and aimed to introduce the audience to Brooklyn. The whole thing seems to be filmed near the NBC Brooklyn Studios (JC Studios) at 1268 East 14th Street in Midwood, with an opening shot on the elevated Avenue M platform. There's a lot of classic rimshot-worthy Rickles humor, as he walks around the neighborhood encountering different locals, kids playing stickball, an NYPD officer, and enjoys a Brooklyn classic, the hot dog... for this was the borough before artisanal mayo was A Thing.
Rickles begins by telling viewers, "Brooklyn is more than a borough, it's a way of life. More successful actors and artists and writers have come from Brooklyn than anyplace in the world... from Jimmy Durante to Mae West and Walt Whitman... and they went to Manhattan and worked hard 24 hours a day. They were willing to do anything... just so they didn't have to take the subway home." Not quite up to the cheerleading standards of former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, but check it out:
Tagged
brooklyn
Don Rickles
flashback
history
midwood
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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