TALK show pioneer Joe Franklin — whose campy chatfest ran for 40 consecutive years on local TV— says he might file a lawsuit against the makers of the ultra-raunchy documentary "The Aristocrats," in which comic Sarah Silverman jokes that 79-year-old Franklin raped her.
After Silverman's deadpan telling of the tall tale in the movie — which features 100 comedians including George Carlin, Robin Williams and Chris Rock telling their versions of "the world's filthiest joke" — Franklin is shown as the end credits are rolling praising Silverman.
"They told me to say, 'Keep an eye out for Sarah Silverman,' " a fuming Franklin told us. "They were setting me up to have a wisecrack at my expense. I've never heard of Sarah Silverman. I've never even met her. I was definitely duped. If I wanted to, I could file a major, major lawsuit. I still haven't decided about that."
Silverman, who dates Jimmy Kimmel, had one of the best lines at the recent Comedy Central Roast of Pam Anderson. "Some say Pam would be nobody without her breasts. That's just not true," Silverman cracked — "She'd be Paris Hilton."
Franklin told PAGE SIX that several months ago, while introducing "The Aristocrats" at a press screening, the movie's director, Paul Provenza, thanked him for "being a good sport."
"If I decide to pursue a lawsuit, he'll see what a good sport I am," Franklin said. "I didn't like the nature of that wisecrack. Even though some people tell me I should be flattered and honored to be in that film, I just didn't like the nature of that wisecrack."
But Franklin, who has dubbed himself "The King of Nostalgia" and "The Wizard of Was," also allowed that maybe the exposure in "The Aristocrats" wasn't all that bad.
"It's added to my cult status, my icon status," said Franklin, who played himself in "Ghostbusters" and the Woody Allen flicks "Manhattan" and "Broadway Danny Rose."
"It makes me more contemporary . . . When Billy Crystal used to do me on 'Saturday Night Live,' I was upset about that. He did me for four years. But it increased my club date fee. The things that annoy me now tend later on not to be all that bad."
Provenza could not be reached.
