The Un-PC

Think Bill Maher is politically incorrect? Get a load of Don Rickles, a man who never met an ethnic stereotype he didn't plug ito his act.
Rickles is the focus of a new HBO documentary dubbed "Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project." Directed by John Landis ("Animal House"), the doc bows at 8 p.m. EST this Sunday.
It's a brilliant hour stretched into a 90-minute affair, but it delivers comic gold as well as a tender portrait of an aging icon. Rickles still performs, witness clips from a recent Stardust Hotel performance. His 81-year-old mind remains supple enough to fire one-liners at will.
In today's world, comics rarely tread on sensitive topics like race and religion without a hall pass. Chris Rock is an exception. He's smart enough to tip toe through the minefield of racial humor without getting blown to bits. But Rickles' shtick was apparently grandfathered in, letting him riff on all comers without limit. I confess to feeling a bit guilty laughing at some of his punch lines, as if someone was lurking behind me, tut-tutting me for finding these comments humorous.
Lisa Lampanelli is the closest heir to Rickles' insult comic throne, but her profile is far lower than Rickles. In his heyday, the craggy faced comic could be seen killing audiences on "The Tonight Show," in movies as well as at the biggest Vegas haunts.
Watch the master in action this weekend and wonder how far Rickles would have gotten had he been born in the 70s.