REEL HOLLYWOOD REMEMBERS

THE RESPECT HE DESERVED
10.6.04
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RODNEY DANGERFIELD passed on last night, leaving behind a 60-year career as a comic and actor. He first started work as a comic in his teens, but gave up after 10 years of struggling. ED SULLIVAN gave him his big break, during his comeback effort in his 40’s. It was on the ED SULLIVAN SHOW that DANGERFIELD tested out the “no respect” routine, joking, “when I played hide and seek, they didn’t even look for me.”

It was an angle that carried him for the rest of his career. DANGERFIELD appeared with SULLIVAN 16 times, and with JOHNNY CARSON some 70 times.

RODNEY made his film debut in 1971 in THE PROJECTIONIST. He followed that in 1980 with his breakthrough role in CADDYSHACK. That led to EASY MONEY, BACK TO SCHOOL, MOVING, THE SCOUT, LADYBUGS, and MEET WALLY SPARKS. He stepped out of the comic role to play a dramatic role in NATURAL BORN KILLERS, a character he wrote for the film.

In 1981 RODNEY DANGERFIELD won a Grammy for a comedy album “I DON’T GET NO RESPECT.”

In a case of life imitating art, RODNEY got no respect from his fellow actors. THE ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURE ARTS AND SCIENCES in 1995 refused membership to DANGERFIELD, despite his numerous feature film roles, and his stellar career. The action played into the standup routine and DANGERFIELD let the ACADEMY have it whenever he could. They eventually reversed their decision, offering a card to RODNEY DANGERFIELD, but he refused to join. “They give no respect at all-pardon the pun-to comedy.”

No respect indeed.

He had his star dedicated in the Hollywood Walk of Fame on March 25, 2002, and he got no respect there either. Upon his arrival Honorary Mayor JOHNNY GRANT introduced him as “ROGER DANGERFIELD.” RODNEY obliged the assembled with a mini-standup. “As someone mentioned before, I was in show business years ago and I quit. I quit when I was 28, and to give you an idea of how well I was doing at the time I quit, I was the only one who knew I quit…You met my wife. We get along great. We’re mature people. We make our own rules. Once a week I go out with the boys. And once a week she goes out with the boys…I solve my drinking problem. I joined Alcoholics Anonymous. I still drink, I just use a different name, that’s all, you know…In my own way I help the homeless. I’m always looking for a girl who needs a room…Anyway, I want to thank all of you who came out here to listen to me tell jokes in the gutter. Just remember, behind every good man is a woman with a good behind.”

On his 81st birthday, in Los Angeles at the premiere of his film, THE 4TH TENOR, LOUIE ANDERSON paid tribute to RODNEY as follows:

“No matter how much he may project as a guy who gets no respect, he gets a tremendous amount of respect. But mostly underneath all those jokes is that wonderful humanity, and that big heart. He’s one of the biggest-hearted people I’ve ever met.”

BRAD GARRETT at the same event, doing his best RODNEY imitation, said, “He plays craps in Vegas in his bathrobe. Anybody who can gamble without pants on is my kind of guy.”

Some of our other favorite DANGERFIELD jokes include:

“It’s not easy being me, when I was born the doctor said he did all he could but he pulled through anyway.”

“I was so ugly when I was born, the doctor slapped my mother.”

“I could tell my parents hated me. My bath toys were a toaster and a radio.”

“I remember the time I was kidnapped, and my kidnappers sent a piece of my finger to my father. He said he needed more proof.”

“When I was a kid my parents moved a lot, but I always found them.”

“When my parents got a divorce there was a custody fight-no one showed up.”

“And my wife, let me tell you about my wife. She wants to have sex in the back seat of the car, but she wants me to drive.”

“My wife is a water sign, I’m an earth sign; together we make mud.”

“I mean she’s attached to a machine that keeps her alive-the refrigerator.”

“The other night I had a fight with my dog. My wife said the dog was right.”

“I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He said ‘Don’t be ridiculous, not everyone has met you yet.’”

“I told my doctor when I wake up in the morning I can’t stand looking at myself in the mirror. He said, ‘At least we know your vision is perfect’”

For more check out RODNEY.COM

MANMADE MULTIMEDIA, INC.

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