TV SPECIALS EPISODE GUIDE
This 1975 Roast honored Lucille Ball by a dais that included Henry Fonda, Milton Berle, Totie Fields, Rich Little, Vivian Vance and Don Rickles. This is the last public appearance of Jack Benny, as this show aired six weeks after his death from stomach cancer. Dean Martin shoots a special introduction for the program honoring Jack's memory.
Special Notes: The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts evolved from the 1970's variety series in which Dean Martin negotiated one of the largest contracts for that time between a network and a star. Several of these shows were "roasts," set at a banquet table, in which the guest of honor was showered with insults by other celebrities. It was eventually spun off into a series in 1975 with Martin acting as "Roast-Master" and continued until 1984 where it was a fixture on the NBC Thursday night lineup.