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'1979's Funniest Late Night Moment: Rodney Dangerfield on 'Carson'

Two men in suits sit at a desk, one laughing, the other serious, with a microphone and papers in front of them.

Rodney Dangerfield made an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson,’ in 1979. Rodney walks out and says, “What a crowd, what a crowd,” he smiles and winks at Johnny.

A man in a patterned suit and tie speaks into a microphone, with a scenic background.

He starts by saying, “You know me. I love crowds. My house was always crowded, always people around.” He says he lived with a big working family as he nervously bounces in front of the microphone.

He says it’s such a dumb family, “I looked up my family tree and found out I’m the sap. My old man was dumb too. He worked in a bank, and they caught him stealing pens.”

Rodney Dangerfield and Johnny Carson

Rodney goes on to say everything is messed up because his doctor said to him and his wife that they should enjoy sex every night, “Now we’ll never see each other.”

He says the only time his wife comes to him for romance is when she needs something. Rodney tells the audience, “Last time she used me to time an egg.”

Rodney Dangerfield and Johnny Carson

Rodney says she’s expensive too. It cost him 2,000 dollars for a nose job, “I’m sorry I punched her.” He says there’s always a lot going on around his house. The other day he saw a guy jogging naked, and he asked, “How come?” The man responds, “Because you came home early.”

Rodney was always a hit on ‘The Tonight Show.’ His self-deprecating humor was hysterical, eventually leading to his catchphrase, ‘I don’t get no respect.’ Johnny loved having Rodney on his show and cracked up during his stand-up routine.

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