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Rodney Dangerfield

Jack Roy (born Jacob Rodney Cohen; November 22, 1921 – October 5, 2004), better known by the pseudonym Rodney Dangerfield, was an American stand-up comedian, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He was known for his self-deprecating one-liner humor, his catchphrase "I don't get no respect!" and his monologues on that theme.

He began his career working as a stand-up comic at the Fantasy Lounge in New York City. His act grew in popularity as he became a mainstay on late-night talk shows throughout the 1960s and 1970s, eventually developing into a headlining act on the Las Vegas casino circuit. His catchphrase "I don't get any respect!" came from an attempt to improve one of his stand-up jokes. "I played hide and seek; they wouldn't even look for me." He thought the joke would be stronger if it used the format: "I was so ..." beginning ("I was so poor," "He was so ugly," "She was so stupid," etc.). He tried "I don't get no respect," and the jokes that followed got a much better response from the audience; it became a permanent feature of his act and comedic persona.

He appeared in a few bit parts in films, such as The Projectionist, throughout the 1970s, but his breakout film role came in 1980 as a boorish nouveau riche golfer in the ensemble comedy Caddyshack, which was followed by two additional successful films in which he starred: 1983's Easy Money and 1986's Back to School. Additional film work kept him busy through the rest of his life, mostly in comedies, but with a rare dramatic role in 1994's Natural Born Killers as an abusive father. Health troubles curtailed his output through the early 2000s before his death in 2004, following a month in a coma due to complications from heart valve surgery.

Birth and Death Data: Born November 22, 1921 (Babylon), Died October 5, 2004 (Westwood)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1966

Roles Represented in DAHR: speaker

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 117471 5/23/1966 What's in a name Rodney Dangerfield speaker  
Decca 117472 5/23/1966 Someone's gonna get hurt Rodney Dangerfield speaker  
Decca 117473 5/23/1966 Get a horse Rodney Dangerfield speaker  
Decca 117474 5/23/1966 Lost Rodney Dangerfield speaker  
Decca 117475 5/23/1966 Flying southern comfort Rodney Dangerfield speaker  
Decca 117476 5/23/1966 The gourmet Rodney Dangerfield speaker  
Decca 117477 5/23/1966 Home sweet home Rodney Dangerfield speaker  
Decca 117478 5/23/1966 My neighborhood/The hold up Rodney Dangerfield speaker  
Decca 117479 5/23/1966 Unhandy husbands Rodney Dangerfield speaker  
Decca 117480 5/23/1966 That's show biz Rodney Dangerfield speaker  

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Dangerfield, Rodney," accessed November 4, 2024, https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/310827.

Dangerfield, Rodney. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved November 4, 2024, from https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/310827.

"Dangerfield, Rodney." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 4 November 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adpprod2.library.ucsb.edu/names/310827

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