Dangerfield often had Carson – and the TV audience – in stitches
If you’re of a certain age, a Rodney Dangerfield appearance on The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson in the pre-VCR era was a must-view. Fortunately, those guest slots were frequent… he is said to have performed on the show 35 times.
“When I was born, the doctor said to my father, ” I’m sorry, we did everything we could but he still pulled thru.”
He was born Jacob Rodney Cohen on November 22, 1921, in Suffolk County, Long Island, not far from New York City.
After decades of success, Dangerfield enjoyed a breakout year in 1980 when his comedy album, No Respect, earned a Grammy Award. That same year yielded his memorable appearance in the comedy classic Caddyshack alongside such stars as Chevy Chase, Bill Murray and Ted Knight.
“My wife made me join her bridge club … I jump next Tuesday.”
How great is the URL for his website?
Dangerfield died on October 5, 2004. His headstone, at the Los Angeles cemetery in which he’s buried reads: “There Goes The Neighborhood.”
“A girl phoned me and said, ‘Come on over there’s nobody home.’ I went over – nobody was home.”
Our Classic Video is one of those 35 Tonight Show appearances, from Aug. 30, 1977, in which he famously talks about his relationships with his doctor, his dentist, his wife, and more. “Ah, my sex life… my dog taught my wife to roll over and play dead…”
If you’re a new reader of ours, we’d be grateful if you would Like our Facebook page and/or bookmark our Home page.
Here’s a bonus… another appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, from Sept. 2, 1974. “The time I was lost on the beach and a cop helped me look for my parents. I said to the cop, ‘Do you think we’ll find them?’ And he said, ‘I don’t know kid. There are so many places they could hide.'”
1 Comment so far
Jump into a conversationWhat a lost art – one of the Masters of one-liners.
Rodney would never make it in the ridiculous “politically-correct” environment we are forced to endure, in this humorless society.
Laugh at ourselves, like Mr. Dangerfield, and the national temperature reading would ease a bit.
Thank you for the article; it made me go back to You Tube, and playing many of his great, and hilarious, appearances