Rodney Dangerfield entertained audiences for years with his self-deprecating brand of humor, before his death on Tuesday. Dangerfield's stand-up shows were often sold-out and he was in several hit comedies, including "Caddyshack" and "Ladybugs." • University of Washington

 

Rodney still looking for respect from beyond

By Trent Loomis
Daily Forty-Niner
Managing Editor

America took a shot to the funny bone Tuesday. The blow came when comedian/actor Rodney Dangerfield succumbed to a small stroke after a heart valve operation and developed infectious and abdominal complications. He was 82. Dangerfield, who coined the phrase "I don't get no respect," was the star of several movies such as "Caddyshack," "Back to School" and "Ladybugs."

Born Jacob Cohen on Nov. 22, 1921, in Babylon on New York's Long Island, Dangerfield started writing jokes when he was 15. His first gigs were on the local stand up circuit and as a singing waiter.

His trademark black suit, red tie and bug-eyed disheveled look made audiences around the world fidget with laughter. It was refreshing to see someone make fun of themselves with so much verve and energy for once.

Every joke and every punch-line either started or ended with the phrase "I don't get no respect." In a 1986 interview, he explained the origin of his "respect" trademark: "I had this joke: ‘I played hide and seek; they wouldn't even look for me.' To make it work better, you look for something to put in front of it: I was so poor, I was so dumb, so this, so that. I thought, ‘Now what fits that joke?' Well, ‘No one liked me' was all right. But then I thought, a more profound thing would be, ‘I get no respect.' "

The joke happened to be on all of us. Dangerfield went on to be one of the most successful comedians of the eighties. The golf farce "Caddyshack" instantly became a blockbuster earning Dangerfield his first silver screen hit.

Dangerfield had a strange career in show business. At 19 he started as a standup comedian. He made only a fair living, traveling a great deal and appearing in rundown joints. Married at 27, he decided he couldn't support a family on his meager earnings.

He returned to comedy at 42 and began to attract notice. He appeared on the Ed Sullivan show seven times and on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson more than 70 times.

Many comedians admired Dangerfield, including such big names as Jack Benny, Penn and Teller, Adam Sandler, Andrew "Dice" Clay, and Billy Murray. He was the man, and he will always be the man.

Some of his funniest jokes are: "When I was born, I was so ugly that the doctor slapped my mother" and "Every time I get in an elevator, the operator says the same thing to me: ‘Basement?' "

Just a few weeks ago, my sister and I were channel surfing and we came to a station that was showing and old Dangerfield stand-up clip. At first my sister insisted that I change the channel, but when she came to the realization that I wasn't going to she gave Dangerfield the benefit of the doubt. The show ended 40 minutes later with my sister rolling in her seat gasping for air, proving that he did get some respect in one of the least likely places. We're gonna miss you Rodney.