;DI too laughed soo hard. I thought I'd bust a gut.. Johnny was the greatest. My wife and I loved Dom so much we named my so 8)n Dominic after him... You can't teach what these old guys had..
Probably my favorite all time spur-of-the-moment gag came from TV of that era. I think it was one of the Dean Martin roasts but wouldn't swear to it. Dean is standing on stage and his buddy Sammy Davis Jr. walks out next to him. This was one of those it's-only-this-funny-when-they're-shooting-live kind of things.
Davis grins and you know he's up to something. Then he just hops up in the air and Dean Martin has to catch him; cradled like a baby. Sammy Davis is grinning ear to ear apparently thinking he'd just "got" his good friend live on national TV. Not so though; Dean got the best of the gag when, without missing a beat and while still holding Davis in his arms, stands up straight and says "I'd like to thank the NAACP for this wonderful award."
It was a line that wouldn't fly on TV today. It wouldn't have been funny if it was two guys that weren't who they were. But it was hilarious.