Biographer Michael Starr named his book about the life of comic Don Rickles, The Merchant of Venom— one of Don's nicknames. And Michael reveals the story behind it.
"Don had several nicknames during his career. Milton Burrow had dubbed him the 'Merchant of Venom' early on. And then, when Don started doing 'The Tonight Show,'' which originally was in New York with Johnny Carson, Johnny started calling him Mr. Warmth. So, the Merchant of Venom' and 'Mr. Warmth,' those were the two he was known by," says Michael.