The King of Comedy (1982)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writer:

Paul D. Zimmerman (written by)

Release Date:

18 February 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Crime

Tagline:

. . and when it's all over one of them won't be laughing

Plot:

Aspiring comic Rupert Pupkin wants to achieve success in showbiz, by resorting to stalking his idol, a late night talk show host who craves his own privacy.

Plot Keywords:

Black Comedy | Female Stripping | Golf Club | Broken Glass | Arrest

Awards:

Won BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Robert De Niro	...	Rupert Pupkin
Jerry Lewis	...	Jerry Langford
Diahnne Abbott	...	Rita Keane
Sandra Bernhard	...	Masha
Shelley Hack	...	Cathy Long
Ed Herlihy	...	Ed Herlihy
Lou Brown	...	Band leader
Loretta Tupper	...	Stage Door Fan
Peter Potulski	...	Stage Door Fan
Vinnie Gonzales	...	Stage Door Fan
Whitey Ryan	...	Stage Door Guard
Doc Lawless	...	Chauffeur
Marta Heflin	...	Young Girl
Katherine Wallach	...	Autograph Seeker
Charles Kaleina	...	Autograph Seeker

Runtime:

109 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Brazil:12 | South Korea:15 | Australia:PG | Canada:14A | Finland:S | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Embassy International Pictures

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Martin Scorsese]Man in van - as Jerry Langford is walking across the street and is greeted by a woman at a phone booth where she wants him to talk to her nephew Morris, Scorsese can be seen in the driver's side of a green van.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Jerry is wearing the sweater that Masha knitted him, her reflection is in the mirror behind him and she is talking but her reflection's mouth is not moving.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ed Herlihy: And now, from New York, The Jerry Langford Show! With Jerry's guests Tony Randall, Richard Dreyfuss, Rodney Dangerfield, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Lou Brown and the orchestra, and little old me Ed Herlihy. And now say hello to Jerry!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Fan (1996)

Soundtrack:

Swamp

Scorsese's forgotten masterpiece

From Jerry Lewis's subtle, deeply personal performance, to Robert DeNiro's amazing interpretation of a neurotic nerbish whose fantasy world collides with reality on late night talk TV, "The King of Comedy" is a true original that guts the glamour from showbiz and finds it cold and empty inside. Then there's the media, always ready to create another celebrity, even if he's an autograph hound and hack comic turned kidnapper who believes he's earned a shot in the spotlight. Cynical and melancholy, at times hilarious, it bombed when first released, but has been surprising video treasure hunters ever since.