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With All Due Respect
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8 October 2004
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Rodney Dangerfield Left Legacy Bigger Than His Act
Rodney Dangerfield left ‘em laughing at the age of 82 earlier this week. He was the last practitioner of joke-telling stand-up comedy – “I tell ya’, I don’t get no respect.” A successor to Henny Youngman (“take my wife, please”), Mr. Dangerfield’s twist was the target – unlike Don Rickles, the butt of the jokes were the first person singular. This made his humor wear better than many of his generation, but his cultural legacy will be his nightclub and his discoveries.
If ever there was a lesson in persistence, Mr. Dangerfield (born Jacob Cohen) was it. He began in comedy at 19, and at 27, he quit because he couldn’t support his young family on his earnings. He sold paint and siding in Englewood, New Jersey. His marriage broke up, and at 42, he went back to the business. Success is easily measured after that – he did the “Ed Sullivan Show” seven times and Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” more than 70 times.
After that, the man who got no respect made a pretty good career. His role in “Caddyshack” was the apogee of his film work, and it was just Mr. Dangerfield working a room for laughs with the camera going. In 1995, he was turned down for membership in the Academy of Motion Pictures despite over a dozen film roles. In turning him down, Roddy MacDowell wrote in explanation that Mr. Dangerfield had not done "enough of the kinds of roles that allow a performer to demonstrate the mastery of his craft." The outrage was so intense, the Academy reversed itself. Mr. Dangerfield declined the ensuing membership offer.
He was no Jerry Lewis, nor a Charlie Chaplin. His work was that of a journeyman, and often, his act felt dated. However, he founded “Dangerfield’s” nightclub, on First Avenue and 61st Street in Manhattan. With that, he launched more young comedians that one can recall. The list of comedians who have worked there includes a kid named Jerry Seinfeld, a woman by the name of Roseanne Barr to say nothing of Jim Carrey, Tim Allen, Chris Rock and Jay Leno.
The best tributes always come from those in the same field. Adam Sandler said, “"when you saw him on TV or in the movies was doubled when you had the pleasure to meet him. He was a hero who lived up to the hype." Teller, of Penn and Teller fame, said Mr. Dangerfield was “intrinsically funny.” And the great Jack Benny told Mr. Dangerfield, “Me, I get laughs because I'm cheap and 39. Your image goes into the soul of everyone." Amen.
© Copyright 2004 by
The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without
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