Mr. T - Man of the Year 1984

Dean Martin and Mr. T. Mr. T is the one on the right.

 "Mr. T, Man of the Year" sounds like a pretty bold statement, it sounds made up. But it's real and I can explain.

The Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts started as a replacement for the Dean Martin Show. Coming out weekly, the roasted person was labeled "Man of the Week." As time went on, broadcasts became more infrequent and the roastee was "Man of the Hour", etc. By 1984, when they decided to roast Mr. T, the title had become "Man of the Year" and so it is.

Mr. T is a great sport, his giggling fits are in stark contrast to his tough guy persona. On the dais, and one of the roasters is George Peppard. The word on the street is that Mr. T and George Pepard hated each other, though Mr. T has tended to dismiss those rumors. Peppard's "roast" of Mr. T is one of the strangest "roasts" I've ever seen - he just talks about how great Mr. T is. No jokes, no humor, just earnest sainthood. To some extent this kind of praise is part of the "roast" genre but even so, it's weird.

It's a star-packed show with some oddities... On the dais are Bob Hope, Ann Jillian, Gary Coleman, Nell Carter, Gavin MacLeod, Howard Cosell and Ricky Shroder.

Some highlights from the roast (from people other than George Peppard):

Dean Martin: His mother had 11 children - he was 4 of ‘em.

Red Buttons: The doctor who delivered Mr. T said, “He slapped me!”

Don Rickles: “We’re honoring this man… WHY?!”

Don Rickles: “And Howard Cosell, I say from the bottom of my heart, you’re annoying and you should go away.”