Don Rickles makes a character’s bad temper worth listening to. We value the sharpness he brings to Toy Story: he can be funny without being agreeable, and the other voices benefit from having him there.
Fi1m perspective
Mr. Potato Head sounds as though he has already had enough of the conversation. In John Lasseter’s Toy Story (1995), Don Rickles voices the character with enough irritation to make the other toys more interesting to listen to. We rate this kind of supporting work highly: a distinct voice, a useful source of friction, no need to take over the film. Rickles makes pettiness funny without asking us to find it charming.
His film work had room for more than the insult comic familiar from nightclubs and talk shows. Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) gave him his film debut in a supporting role, and Kelly’s Heroes (1970) placed him in an ensemble as Staff Sergeant Crapgame. Then Casino (1995) gave him a substantial dramatic part as Billy Sherbert, a no-nonsense casino employee, under Martin Scorsese. That same year, Toy Story brought his voice to a new generation. The two parts are a useful warning against treating his screen work as an extension of his stage act.
The screenplay by Joss Whedon, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow and Andrew Stanton is important to what Rickles achieves in Toy Story. It trusts a family audience to recognise pettiness without having it explained, leaving the voices to supply the comedy. Rickles is sharp, while Wallace Shawn’s Rex sounds worried about having joined the conversation at all. We laughed at that contrast, because the irritation and anxiety make the supporting toys feel like awkward company with concerns of their own. Tom Hanks and Tim Allen carry the main dispute; the other voices give us reasons to care about the rest of the toys.
The nightclub style is not equally persuasive in every setting. The ethnic and personal humour of his roast appearances can feel dated and too caustic, even allowing for the exaggerated delivery. We prefer him when the irritation has a character to serve and other voices to work against, as it does in Toy Story. Start there, and give the supporting toys some attention even when Woody and Buzz are doing the quarrelling.
Biography
Don Rickles was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He was born Donald Jay Rickles on 8 May 1926 in Queens, New York City, and died on 6 April 2017 in Los Angeles.
Rickles studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York. He appeared in films including Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) and Casino (1995), in which he played Billy Sherbert. He voiced Mr. Potato Head in the Toy Story series, beginning with the 1995 film, and reprised the role in subsequent entries using archival recordings after his death. He also had starring roles in television series such as C.P.O. Sharkey (1976–1978).
