Rodney Dangerfield was one of a kind. He was a comedian who didn’t have to yell, scream or pick on anyone in the audience to get laughs. He was pretty much the anti-Don Rickles, though Rickles did have a rep for being nice to those audience members after the show, often buying them champagne for being such good sports. Dangerfield was in fine form in this clip from his early days.
We see Dangerfield doing his usual nervous, self-deprecating act on “The Ed Sullivan Show’ in 1970. He was the only comedian who seemed to need to have someone hand him deodorant during his set, he seemed to sweat so much. That was part of his neurotic charm, though. He was always putting himself down. What seems normal now – a stand-up coming complaining about dating was very new then.
Dangerfield was such a success as a comedian that he had his own comedy club in Manhattan, appropriately named “Dangerfierld’s”. That was probably because the “I Don’t Get No Respect Comedy Club” would have been too large of a marquee. He even did a music video for “No Respect” where he did his stand-up routine to music. Hey, it was the 1980’s. Anything was worth a shot then.
There are some who will remember Dangerfield for his role in the 1980’s movie “Back To School”, where some people will remember his competition-winning dive off three boards. A stunt double or two may have helped create that illusion, though. He also did the kids’ movie, “Ladybugs”, and did a darker turn in the Oliver Stone classic, “Natural Born Killers”. Most of the time, he was lighter fare, though.
What was your favorite Dangerfield moment? We’d love to hear any of his jokes – just leave them in the comments section. Please “Like” us on Facebook – that’d make us feel respected.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9lzez1WoX8
SHARE this amazing video with your friends and family on Facebook. This story is just too amazing to keep to yourself. Share it!