Talk:C.P.O. Sharkey

The Tonight Show cigarette box incident

It says in the section The Tonight Show cigarette box incident that Carson: "... then teased actor Harrison Page, speaking to him in an exaggerated jive accent". This is an understatement. Carson clearly says to Rickles: "Hang him" [1] @3:50 and then stereotypes him: "I hope you kept the cotton-mill down South ..." The entire "incident" should be documented if Carson is to be mentioned at all in regards to actor [Harrison Page]. Maineartists (talk) 12:52, 7 August 2018 (UTC)

@Professor2789: Before I revert your edits. Would you mind explaining why you removed the well-documented incidents within the article? You did not leave any explanation within your summary. Thank you. Maineartists (talk) 00:21, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

@Professor2789: I see that you left a response on my Talk Page here: [2] but that is not the appropriate place to answer my question. This is the Talk Page for CPO Sharkey. Please bring them here. Thank you. Maineartists (talk) 01:35, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

Maineartists, The reasons for my edits on CPO Sharkey are two:

• First, to try and cut down on excessive information, and
• Second, because Carson's dialogue to Harrison Page, though socially acceptable at that time, may be deemed by some to be too racially offensive by today's standards.

My apologies for not explaining my actions on the page. I'll try to pay more attention to that in the future. professor2789 (talk) 11:58, 11 April 2019 (UTC)

I would like to agree with your 2 lines of defense, but it would seem from the extensive edit history, that it may just come down to what you personally wished to see presented (or not) in the article; since some of what I had initially contributed to the article was cherry-picked. Regardless, WP does not shy away from "racially offensive" material, and editors should not (without supporting WP policy) deem such material (in)appropriate for readers: i.e. Michael Richards Laugh Factory Incident. The fact that this quote from Rickles was included: "I was really taken. In those days, those were bigger cameras than they are today. To schlep all that stuff into the other studio was quite an event" to expound upon the paragraph describing the incident; (excessive to the claim: "to try and cut down on excessive information") should allow the same inclusion for what Johnny said to Harrison and Rickles when this quote remains within the same section: "[Carson] also teased actor Harrison Page speaking to him in an exaggerated jive accent" to elaborate what was said by Carson.

Since November 2017 you have made over 50 edits in contrast to 17 total by other editors; most of which happen directly after another editor contributes. I do not plan to re-institute the previous content. But in the future, as I wrote in my last edit summary: please be aware of WP:OWNERSHIP. Thank you. Maineartists (talk) 14:18, 17 April 2019 (UTC)

Major inaccuracy....

Most TV shows involving the military contain inaccuracies, and "CPO Sharkey" was no exception. I don't want to be too nitpicky, but I do want to address one of its most glaring errors. On the very first episode, Sharkey was celebrating 24 years in the Navy. His friend Robinson often kidded him about being stuck in the past, such as when the Navy was segregated. The show began in 1976, and if Sharkey had been in 24 years, that means he enlisted in 1952. That was four years after the military was desegregated. 2602:FE43:0:332D:8100:C197:7194:A82C (talk) 11:57, 31 August 2021 (UTC)

Jive Accent??

I just watched the entire Cigarette Box incident in the Mr. Warmth documentary, and aside from "Good to see you" and shaking his hand, Carson says nothing Harrison Page. I don't get why this article says Carson spoke to page with a "jive" accent. 173.53.103.72 (talk) 19:17, 8 October 2022 (UTC)

My error - Jive Accent

Please disregard - and if possible remove - my prior post titled Jive Accent. I was unaware of the severe edits that the documentary made. My apologies. 173.53.103.72 (talk) 19:21, 8 October 2022 (UTC)

MERGE The Tonight Show cigarette box incident

When Rickles was a guest on The Tonight Show on December 13, 1976, he accidentally broke Johnny Carson's wooden cigarette box, an heirloom that Carson had kept on his desk since 1967. Carson was off that night and the show was guest-hosted by Bob Newhart. When Carson returned the following night, he noticed the broken box and was told by Doc Severinsen that "Rickles had a fit". Carson took a camera crew and walked across the hallway to the adjacent studio where CPO Sharkey was in the midst of taping. Carson barged into the closed studio and interrupted the taping to yell at Rickles, all to the delight of the studio audiences of both shows. Carson mocked Rickles's comedic style, calling him a "big dummy," and also teased actor Harrison Page, speaking to him in an exaggerated jive accent. As Carson prepared to exit, Rickles announced Carson to his own audience. Carson then mockingly glared at Rickles, shouted: "They know who I am!" and playfully slapped his face before leaving.

The original incident was often replayed in Tonight Show retrospectives. It was also featured in Mr. Warmth: The Don Rickles Project. In a 2005 interview with The New York Times, Rickles said that the incident was a genuine accident, but he and Carson played up the drama. "Knowing Johnny, he milked it a little bit. And I added to it." He also said he had no idea that Carson would barge in on his set that day. "I was really taken. In those days, those were bigger cameras than they are today. To schlep all that stuff into the other studio was quite an event."

In 1976–1978, he starred in C.P.O. Sharkey, which lasted two seasons. The series is remembered for the cigarette box incident when Johnny Carson made an impromptu visit during a Tonight Show taping to the adjacent TV studio during an episode's taping, feigning "incensed" ire that Rickles, an ex-smoker, broke Johnny Carson's wooden box, full of cigarettes, on the previous night, while a guest on The Tonight Show, on which Bob Newhart was the guest host. The incident was often replayed in Tonight Show retrospectives and was considered a highlight of the 1970s era of the series. Rickles retorted that he would replace the box with an X-ray of Johnny Carson's lungs. 2601:646:201:57F0:DC77:73BE:2839:1988 (talk) 15:59, 6 June 2024 (UTC)

References