Volume III. No. 08
 10-07-04
 No Respect
 { Rodney Dangerfield - One Of A Kind }
 author: Vance Cureton
 © Copyright 2004
 

 Another one is gone. In the week that saw the passing of Alfred Hitchcock's
 "shower girl," Janet Leigh. Rodney Dangerfield also succumed to the infirmities 
 caused by a hard luck life. The official reason is that he never recovered from 
 an operation to replace a defective heart valve. Never made it out of the hospital. 
 Strangely, it was an operation he publically joked about before undergoing 
 the surgical procedure.

 Maybe he was just worn out. He'd had enough of life. Rodney Dangerfield 
 was only 82 and by the time of his death every one of those years had left 
 their mark upon his sagging, weary-eyed face. He would have joked that he 
 was not beautiful. --- Indeed.

 Rodney Dangerfield was a different manner of comedian. Even for a man who 
 refined his trade in the softer comedic years of the 60's and 70's. Rodney's 
 humor was the self-deprecating kind. Unlike some of his contemporaries he
 didn't earn his living at the expense of other people's dignity. Or by tossing 
 out shocking vulgarities one after another. He was always the "butt" of his 
 own jokes. And the "I tell ya' I don't get no respect line" is now a classic. 
 No one can say that particular line like Rodney. They wouldn't even dare to 
 try.

 Rodney Dangerfield was the rare comedian who held an appeal for all. As he
 aged from his early successful years where he appeared numerious times on 
 talks shows such as NBC's "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson," Dangerfield
 became the favorite of a new generation of teens, college kids, and young 
 adults. The movie "Caddyshack" of 1980 is a beloved cult hit. Dangerfield 
 was the comedic force that made the film an unforgettable experience for 
 those who prefer that type of simple-minded comedy.

 This is the age of complicated humor and unrepentant narcissism. Situation 
 comedy tykes routinely get away with lines that the premier comedic actors 
 of television and stage from years ago, couldn't even have imagined. Rodney 
 Dangerfield, you didn't have to figure him out. He was there in your face 
 - but hardly in a pushy sort of way. And you couldn't help but laugh when 
 you saw his heavy, sad mug, and heard his routines.

 But, if the truth be told, you laughed more with him. Than you did at him. 
 Because in so many respects Rodney's life experiences were your own 
 experiences. It was easy to relate.

 And so another face from a simpler place and time has been removed forever.
 But who says an affable old dud can't get no respect? 

 Well, Rodney Dangerfield said that. But he was wrong. He got plenty.
 

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