̶H̶o̶m̶e̶l̶e̶s̶s̶ ̶C̶h̶r̶o̶n̶i̶c̶l̶e̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶T̶a̶m̶p̶a̶ Lost in the Carolinas

Blogger, realist, clarifier, if there is such a term. Truth teller, who's not afraid to admit I'm wrong. Hellacious, renegade violist and "computer whisperer"; was once accused of practicing the Dark Arts with systems. I'm tougher than most and survived things that would have killed most women. I still love life. I was homeless, now I'm not. No longer in the 'hood. Now, somewhere in the Carolinas. The stories are priceless and endless.

Showing posts with label comedians. Show all posts

Thursday, April 17, 2014

#A-TO-Z CHALLENGE – LETTER “M” – MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS

MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS

Monty Python's Flying Circus was a British sketch comedy troupe and their show aired originally on the BBC from 1969 to 1974 and in the USA, the first segments of the show were aired during NBC's summer replacement series, Dean Martin's Comedyworld. The shows were made up of surreal sight-gags, risqué or innuendo-laden humor and observational sketches with no punchlines. The show also features animations by it's one American comedian, Terry Gilliam, and these were often sequenced or mixed with live action. The Flying Circus flew from 5 October 1969 on BBC One, with 45 episodes airing from 1969 to 1974, plus two episodes for German Tee Vee.

Monty Python's Flying Circus Logo; I can never play the "Liberty Bell March" by John Philip Souza without seeing that damned foot!

Again, with the grounding of Gilbert & Sullivan and with a heaping helping of Spike Milligan's style based upon his ground-breaking series Q5 (which became Q6, Q7, Q8. . .Q10, and then just There's A Lot of It About), the Pythons' show was not in the traditional sketch format and often targeted the idiosyncrasies of British life, especially that of professionals, and is at times politically charged. The member of Monty Python were highly educated; Terry Jones and Michael Palin were Oxford University graduates; Eric Idle, John Cleese, and Graham Chapman attended Cambridge University; and American-born member Terry Gilliam graduated from Occidental College. The team intended their humor to be nigh impossible to categorize and were so successful, that the adjective, “Pythonesque,” was invented to define it, and later, similar material.

Jones as Mandy, Brian's mother in The Life of Brian. Just hearing "her" talk prompts hysteria!

The Pythons play the majority of the characters themselves, including the majority of female characters (Terry Jones is undeniably the best and screechiest, at this) but would occasionally cast an extra actor. Regular supporting cast member include Carol Cleveland (referred to by the team as the unofficial “Seventh Python”), Connie Booth (Cleese's first wife, and regular on the amazing Fawlty Towers) series Producer Ian MacNaughton, Ian Davidson, Neil Innes and the Fred Tomlinson Singers for the musical numbers.

The John Philip Souza March, The Liberty Bell was used as the opening music, because it was in the public domain and could be used for free. I've played this many a time, and I can never play the thing without seeing giant feet coming down and squashing things.

Monty Python's Flying Circus Opening Montage

The title Monty Python's Flying Circus was partly the result of the group's reputation at the BBC. Michael Mills, the BBC's Head of Comedy, wanted their name to include the word “circus” because the BBC referred to the six members wandering around the building as a circus, in particular “Baron von Took's Flying Circus”, after Barry Took, who had brought them to the BBC. The group added “flying” to make it sound less like an ACTUAL circus and more like something from World War I. They were coming up with their name at a time when the 1966 Royal Guardsmen song Snoopy vs. The Red Baron had been at a peak. Manfred von Richtofen, the WWI German flying ace known as the Red Baron commanded a squadron of planes known as “The Flying Circus.” The words “Monty Python” were added because the group clamed it sounded like a really bad theatrical agent; the sort of person who would have brought them together. They chose “Monty” because the name “Monty” made them laugh, as in “Lord Montgomery” the great general of Second World War.

Each of the Python members had recurring characters that they specialized and honed. Among the afore-mentioned Jones' screechy, loud and disheveled “Rat-Bag woman”, the best in the business, were Terry Gilliam's “Cardinal Fang” as a member of the Spanish Inquisition, which would pop up from time to time in some completely unrelated sketch. John Cleese, played ridiculous authority figures (a role he was to re-create in Fawlty Towers) and intimidating maniacs. Terry Gilliam claims that Cleese was one of the funniest Pythons in drag (a staple of their humor) as he barely needed to be dressed up to look hilarious, with his square chin, 6' 5'' frame and one of Cleese's most memorable, Mr. Praline, the put-upon consumer, is featured in some of the most famous sketches, most notable “Dead Parrot” (voted by TV Guide as the second-funniest sketch of all time).

TerryGilliam was responsible for the off-the-wall animation that would go off on bizarre, imaginative tangents. Some running gags culled from these animations were a giant hedgehog named Spiny Norman, who appeared over the tops of buildings showing, “Dinsdale!” The foot is appropriated from the figure of Cupid in Agnolo Bronzino's “Venus,Cupid, Folly and Time”. Gilliam was hired mainly as animator, and didn't even think of himself as an on-screen performer at first, but the others felt they owed him something, so he occasionally appeared before camera, usually in skits that no one else wanted to play, generally because they involved a lot of make-up or uncomfortable costumes. His most recurrent character was The-Knight-Who-Hits-People-With-A-Chicken, a knight in armour who would walk on-set and hit another character on the head with a plucked chicken when they said something really corny.

Graham Chapman often portrayed the straight man, of any age or class, frequently a military officer, policeman, or doctor. He could, at any moment, though, break character, launch in “Pythonesque” maniacal behavior and then just as quickly, revert back to his former calm self.

Eric Idle was most known for his roles as a cheeky, suggestive playboy “Nudge, Nudge,” or as a crafty, slick salesman (“Door-to-Door Joke Salesman”) and the merchant who loves to haggle in Monty Python's Life of Brian, and the master of the one-liner. He was also the best singer/songwriter of the of the group; for example, he wrote and performed “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life” from The Life of Brian.

Camelot (Knights of the Round Table) "Monty Python and the Holy Grail

This was prior to "Life of Brian" which faced charges of being

sacrilegious to Christians! I'm a Catholic and we find this hilarious, because Catholicism isn't for wimps. If you've ever seen an ex-communication, you'll understand; that's how we roll. Look at the Spanish Inquisition. Ain't nothin' Christian about that!

Michael Palin was regarded by the other members of the troupe as the one with the widest range, equally adept as a straight man or wildly over the top character. He portrayed many working-class characters and in contrast, also played, weak-willed, put-upon men, such as the husband in the “Marriage Counsellor” sketch, or the boring accountant in the “Vocational Guidance Counsellor”. He was equally good as the indefatigable Cardinal Ximinez of Spain the “The Spanish Inquisition”. One of his best and most famous creations was the shopkeeper who attempted to sell useless goods by very weak and ineffectual attempts at being sly and crafty, which are always spotted by the customer (often played by John Cleese), as in the “Dead Parrot”. Palin is also well known for his leading role in “The Lumberjack Song”.

The Lumberjack Song

For a short-lived troupe and show, their influence on comedy has been monumental. At the end of their BBC run, the show earned enough money and interest to allow it to be picked up in its entirety by PBS, although bits and pieces of it had run on American television for years. The Flying Circus went one to create and produce, “Monty Python's Meaning of Life”, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail”, and “Monty Python's Life of Brian” among others. There have been stage shows and SNL's Lorne Michaels counts the show as a major influence on Saturday Night Live sketches. In computing, the terms spam and the Python programming language are both derived from the series. None other than Douglas Adams, the writer of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and a sometimes writer on the show, wished to audition for the part of John Cleese, and was saddened when he found the "part was already taken". Probably the highest accolade however is this: as of 2013, questions concerning the Pythons' most famous sketches have been incorporated into the examinations required of those seeking to become British citizens. Quite an honor, for a surrealistic comedy troupe!

BOOK RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT AND RAFFLE-COPTER!!!

Title: Golden Dawn

Author: Aldrea Alien

Genre: Paranormal

Release date: April 18^th, 2014

From now until April 18th, I will be show-casing Aldrea Alien's newest release, Golden Dawn. This will include an raffle-copter (be sure and enter!) and well. . . I'll let her take it from here!

Family and blood.

After 1100 years, these simple words mean everything to Herald. His life has been ruled by keeping his siblings safe, keeping them from becoming prey whilst feeding on the weaker. His failures have been many and measured by those he has lost. People like his twin brother.

There has always been an enemy to push back or defeat.

Just who the enemy is comes into question when Herald meets the dangerous, angelic creature he is to guard. Wondering where his true loyalties lie is a dangerous thought. No matter whether he chooses family over the heart, it will mean death.

Only the right choice will ensure the life taken is not his.

Buy Links:

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/411514

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/golden-dawn/id828141989

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/golden-dawn-aldrea-alien/1118739415

MuseitUpPublishing: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/coming-soon/april-2014/golden-dawn-detail

Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/golden-dawn

Omnilit: https://www.omnilit.com/product-goldendawn-1429463-234.html

CoffeetimeRomance: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookStore/pubs_product_book_info/museitup-publishing-c-98/golden-dawn-p-11898

Andrea Alien

Author Bio:

Born and raised in New Zealand, Aldrea Alien lives on a small farm with her family, including a menagerie of animals. Since discovering a love of writing at the age of twelve, she hasn't found an ounce of peace from the characters plaguing her mind.

Website: http://www.aldreaalien.com

Blog: http://thardrandia.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aldrea-Alien/262519090516776

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@AldreaAlien

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7328363.Aldrea_Alien

a Rafflecopter giveaway!!

Saturday, April 12, 2014

#A-TO-Z CHALLENGE – LETTER “J” – JACK BENNY, AMERICAN COMEDIAN

JACK BENNY

Every classically-trained string player in the history of the world has played this. We're still playing it; after 47 years and counting, I'M STILL playing these bitches. Kreutzer Etudes. No wonder Jack Benny hated to practice, but the first 2 measures of the Allegro Moderato were his signature "practice piece" on his show, when interrupted by Rochester, or others. He played them at a very slow tempo, and in a particularly screechy, raucous style. It takes a really good player, to play that badly!

Benny, with his violin, as part of the Waukegon High School Band (the violin technically makes it an orchestra, but I nit-pick. I once was the only "string" in a summer-school band in Los Angeles, at age 12) in 1909.

JackBenny. Born Benjamin Kubelsky, February 14, 1894. Died December 26, 1974. An American comedian, vaudevillian, radio, television and film actor and violinist.

He was recognized as a leading American entertainer of the 20^th century. Jack's hallmark deadpan reactions to the characters around him, included his stingy, miserly ways, playing his violin badly, and relying on his comic timing, to create laughter with a pregnant pause, or a single expression, such as his exasperated “Well!” His radio and television programs, popular from the 1930s to the 1960s, exerted a tremendous influence on the sitcom genre.

I have played in some ridiculous outfits and some ridiculous music, but nothing quite like this. It looks kind of like "Baroque meets Barney Flinstone".

This is another case of “I knew I would write about him, when I picked this theme” solely due to his musical career. When I was a kid, and my folks were suffering through long bouts of Kreutzer Etudes (see above) and my bad playing along, with the stereo cranked up, before banishment to the garage finally, I had only known Benny as what I assumed was a pretty horrible violinist from the few times I had seen his television show.

I had no freakin' idea this was floating around. Here, Benny plays the Bach Double (Violin Concerto) with Isaac Stern, who was one of the giants of the 20^th

century, as a violinist. I, of course, doubled up with laughter, because there are so many musicians' "in-jokes" here, it's uncanny, but it's a fun ride, even if you haven't played in a good orchestra with people who love to communicate via "hairy eye-ball".

I discovered later on, that he was a very, very good violinist when he performed with the San Jose Symphony, playing Felix Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto in E minor. This was a few years before he died, in 1974. I was still in high school, and I had some other obligation, because I would have been there. I went to see Victor Borge once, and he was hilarious, as well as a wonderful musician, and I will have a later post on P. D. Q. Bach, who is iconic for his hilarious musical send-ups.

courtesy: maggin1

A couple of things here. That poor Strad, ha ha, and the cost of Stradivari violins has increased considerably since Benny's heyday. They range in price from several hundred thousands of dollars to millions. Stradivarius made violas as well, but they are not remarkable and there are only 12 in existence. My viola is worth considerably more than what Benny's Strad was worth then, but his estate donated the instrument to the L. A. Philharmonic and I know it's worth much more than my viola. The prices for non-fretted string instruments are astronomical, particularly Italian fiddles, whether Cremonese, or Bolognese or from another school of violin, viola and cello-making. Factoid: String basses are made by cabinet-makers.

Again, rather than rely on a c. v. of everything Benny did throughout his life, including having to change his name twice due to the fact that he did not want to confuse better known violinist, Jan Kubelik, and a play-and-patter violinist, named Ben Bernie, when Benny was “Ben K. Bennie: Fiddle Funologist” at the start of his career and finally landed on Jack Benny, I decided that I would focus on his musical side, which is lesser known.

He started playing at the age of 6, and although his parents had high hopes of him becoming a professional violinist, he “hated to practice”. *Guffaw, snort* His teacher was Otto Graham Sr., a neighbor and father of Otto Graham of NFL fame. At age 14, Benny was playing in dance bands and his high school orchestra. But like other musicians I know, he was a dreamer and received poor grades and was ultimately expelled from high school. He did poorly in business school later and attempts to join his father's business, were likewise unsuccessful.

Benny, rehearsing with the California Junior All-State Orchestra, 1959. I played in this orchestra in 1971, and then moved up to the Senior Orchestra in 1972-1974.

At age 17, he began playing the violin in local vaudeville theaters for $7.50 a week and shortly thereafter, he found himself playing in the same theater as the young Marx Brothers. Minnie, their mother, liked his playing and invited him to come along on the road as part of the act, but Benny's parents refused to let him go at the age of 17. It was however, the beginning of his long friendship with the Marx Brothers, especially Zeppo.

U.S. President Harry S. Truman, played piano and played it quite well. He and Benny were friends and got together for jam sessions.

The violin was a life-long love for Benny, and one I understand well, as much as I joke about playing the violin. (See “Playing the Violinand How To Avoid It") My love is truly for the viola, as it covers both the soprano and tenor range well and has a much more throaty, robust sound. I don't want to get started on violas, because I can rhapsodize for æons over them, and in particular, my own. This is about Jack Benny and the crazy stuff he did on the violin. In researching this article, I found that Benny owned several violins, a Strad, which he bequeathed to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and a fine French violin that sold at Sotheby's for $84,800.00; most likely a Pecatte.

Group photo of Jack Benny during his highly successful radio show. To the far right, is Mel Blanc, the man who voiced Bugs Bunny, Yosemite Sam, Donald Duck and many others for Warner Brothers (I played in their tour orchestra). Don Wilson, to the right of Blanc, was a character who continually exasperated Benny (to Wilson's right) but then everyone on his show did. The one woman, next to Benny, on his right, is Mary Livingstone, his wife. Phil Harris, Dennis Day, and Eddie Anderson (Rochester) round out the group.

I always have to laugh at violinists for this one thing: every violinist I know has scads of violins. I do not understand the appeal; as you'll note in one of these clips, a violin is a violin. I myself, when playing professionally had 3 or 8 of them lying around the house. They were like “The Invasion of the Body-Snatchers”; they multiplied and kept showing up in closets and under my bed. Horrifying! There are still one or two lying around here somewhere. I have one viola. I have had that viola since I was 19 and next year, will mark 40 years of happiness for us both. I have had “Wolf” (so named by “his” luthier-caretaker and appraiser) longer than any of my 3 marriages put together. But, I do share the fascination of non-fretted string instruments with Jack Benny and I hope you enjoy these clips. They are much better than anything I could write!

BOOK RELEASE ANNOUNCEMENT AND RAFFLE-COPTER!!!

Title: Golden Dawn

Author: Aldrea Alien

Genre: Paranormal

Release date: April 18^th, 2014

There has always been an enemy to push back or defeat.

Only the right choice will ensure the life taken is not his.

Buy Links:

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/411514

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/golden-dawn/id828141989

B&N: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/golden-dawn-aldrea-alien/1118739415

MuseitUp Publishing: https://museituppublishing.com/bookstore/index.php/coming-soon/april-2014/golden-dawn-detail

Bookstrand: http://www.bookstrand.com/golden-dawn

Omnilit: https://www.omnilit.com/product-goldendawn-1429463-234.html

Coffeetime Romance: http://www.coffeetimeromance.com/BookStore/pubs_product_book_info/museitup-publishing-c-98/golden-dawn-p-11898

Andrea Alien

Author Bio:

Website: http://www.aldreaalien.com

Blog: http://thardrandia.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Aldrea-Alien/262519090516776

Twitter: https://twitter.com/@AldreaAlien

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7328363.Aldrea_Alien

a Rafflecopter giveaway!!

Sunday, April 6, 2014

#A-TO-Z CHALLENGE – LETTER "E" – BOB ELLIOT AND RAY GOULDING, “BOB AND RAY”

BOB ELLIOTT AND RAY GOULDING

BOB & RAY

Bob Elliott (born 1923) and Ray Goulding (1922-1990) were an American comedy team, whose career spanned five decades. In a career that saw a successful transition from radio to television, their comedy was derived from the media in which they performed. They would conduct radio or television interviews, with off-the-wall dialogue, that would be presented in a deadpan (deadpan, adjective. 1. marked by or accomplished with a careful pretense of seriousness or calm detachment; impassive or expressionless: deadpan humor.) style as though it were a serious broadcast.

"Matinee with Bob and Ray" sounded better than "Matinob with Ray and Bob," according to Ray Goulding. Just a taste of the odd-ball and off-the-wall comedy the pair would perfect.

They began their professional careers as radio announcers in Boston with separate radio programs; Elliott was a disk jockey and Goulding a news reader, but they would visit one another's shows while on-air. Their informal badinage was so appealing that the radio station, WHDH would call on them to provide entertainment, when Red Sox baseball games were rained out. The pair would improvise comedy routines throughout the afternoon, and joke around with the studio musicians. They were not yet known as “Bob and Ray”.

Elliott and Goulding's brand of humor caught on, and WHDH gave them their own weekday show in 1946. Matinee with Bob and Ray was originally a 15-minute show, but soon expanded to a ½ hour. When explaining why Bob was billed first, Goulding said it was because “Matinee with Bob and Ray” sounded better than “Matinob with Ray and Bob”, which is just a sample of some of the off-the-wall comments the two uttered over the years. Their trademark sign-off was “This is Ray Goulding reminding you to write if you get work”, and “Bob Elliott reminding you to hang by your thumbs”.

The continued on the air for over 4 decades on NBC, CBS and Mutual networks and on New York City stations WINS, WOR, and WHN. From 1973 to 1976, they were regular afternoon drive hosts on WOR, doing a 4 hour show and in their last incarnation, they were heard on NPR, National Public Radio, ending in 1987.

They served as stand-by on NBC's Monitor, often going on-air at a moment's notice if the program's planned segments developed problems, and thus were heard in a surprising variety of formats and timeslots.

Ray, Audrey Meadows and Bob in a skit on the Bob & Ray Show in 1951.

They made the move easily to television, and in the early 1950s, had their own 15-minute TV series on NBC, called simply Bob & Ray. During the second season, the title changed to Club Embassy and was joined by Cloris Leachman, who replaced series regular, Audrey Meadows who left to join the cast of The Jackie Gleason Show on CBS. The actresses took the roles of Mary Backstayge and Linda Lovely in the Soap Opera parodies, that Bob and Ray were becoming known for, along with the characters that they created:

Bob Elliott's roster of characters included:

Snappy sportscaster Biff Burns – “This is Biff Burns saying this is Biff Burns saying goodnight!”
Tex Blaisdell, a drawling cowboy singer, who also did rope tricks on the readio
Cyril Gore, a Boris Karloff sound-alike who often appeared as a butler or a doorman; his catchphrase was “Follow me down the cor-ree-dor.”
Peter Gorey, a character similar to Gore with a Peter Lorre-type voice. He would appear as a news reporter reading the same gruesome stories: “Three men were run over by a steamroller today...” each time he appeared.

Any script calling for a child's voice would usually go to Elliott.

"The Handyman," featuring Bob Elliott's "Fred Falvy, Do-It-Yourselfer"

Ray Goulding's characters included:

Webley Webster, a mumble-mouthed book reviewer and organ player, whose reviews of historical novels and cookbooks were usually dramatized as seafaring melodramas
Steve Bosco, a sportscaster (who signed off with “This is Steve Bosco rounding third and being thrown out at home,” parodying Joe Nuxhall's signature sign-off of “the old lefthander rounding third and heading home”)
Charles the Poet, who recited sappy verse (parodying the lugubrious Chicago late-night broadcaster Franklyn MacCormack and to a lesser extent, the Ernie Kovacs character Percy Dovetonsils) but could never get through a whole example of his bathetic work without breaking down in laughter

All female characters; while originally employing a falsetto, Goulding later used the same flat voice for all of his women characters, of which perhaps the best-known was Mary Margaret McGoon) satarizing home-economics expert Mary Margaret McBride), who offered bizarre recipes for such entrees as “ginger ale sale” and “mock turkey.” In 1949, Goulding, as Mary, recorded, “I'd Like to Be aCow in Switzerland”, which soon became a novelty hit and is still played by the likes of Dr. Demento.

Every generation seems to re-discover Bob and Ray. My father introduced me to them when I was about 18 and I avidly watched for their appearances on the Comedy Channel, along with repeats of "Clutch Cargo" and "Supercar" in the late 80s when I still lived in Detroit at the age of 35. They can best be summed up perhaps as zany, an old-fashioned, quaint word, but they were talented and held appeal for several generations. Ray Goulding died in 1990, but Bob is still alive and acts occasionally. He is the father of comedian Chris Elliott and the grandfather of actress/comedian Abby Elliott, who joined the cast of Saturday Night Live for the 2009-2010 season.

Friday, April 4, 2014

#A-TO-Z CHALLENGE 2014, LETTER “D” RODNEY DANGERFIELD

RODNEY DANGERFIELD

Rodney Dangerfield, American stand-up comedian, born Jacob Rodney Cohen, born November 22, 1921, died October 5, 2004.

I approached Dangerfield with some trepidation for a few reasons. The first being, that not everyone cares for stand-up comedy, and the second being that Dangerfield built his whole career around being the guy who gets no respect. Then, I read about his early life and thought, “This is perfect. This guy had a sense of humor about himself from the day he was born. Game on!” So, let me summarize his early life per Wikipedia.

"I tell ya, when I was a kid, all I knew was rejection. My yo-yo, it never came back!

Rodney was the son of Jewish parents, born in Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. His father, Phil Roy, was a vaudevillian performer and his ancestors hailed from Hungary. His father was never home and Rodney would see him only once or twice a year.

After their father abandoned the family, his mother moved him and his sister to Kew Gardens, Queens and he attended and graduated from Richmond High School in 1939. To support himself and his family he took jobs selling newspapers, for which he would receive a dollar; he was also delivering groceries and selling ice cream at the beach.

"I worked in a pet store and people kept asking how big I'd get."

When he was 15, he began to write for stand-up comedians and began to perform himself under the name of Jack Roy at the age of 20. He struggled for several years, at one point, performing as a singing waiter, until he was fired. He also worked as an acrobatic performing diver (all that's missing is the juggling – my words) before giving up show business to take a job selling aluminum siding to support his wife and family. He later said that he was so little known then, that “at the time I quit, I was the only one who knew I had quit!”

I could not keep a straight face while I wrote this; it's just too damned funny! Apparently, he understood the more ironic side of the biz and kept on going. He spoke of one night club that he worked in that was so far out in the sticks or the boondocks, that his act was reviewed in the magazine, “Field and Stream”. But along the way, he was deftly working his persona of the “guy who gets no respect” and coming up with brilliant one-liners.

"I come from a stupid family. During the Civil War, my great uncle fought for the west."

Along the way, he came up with the name Rodney Dangerfield which is also an amazing story. The name had originally been used as a name of a fake cowboy by none other than Jack Benny, another hilarious comedian (who played the violin!) on his radio program in 1941 and then was later used as a pseudonym by Ricky Nelson on The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriett. The Benny character also received little, or no respect on Benny's show, thus served as a great inspiration to Dangerfield in building his own character. Jack Benny himself, visited Dangerfield backstage after one of his performances and commended him on developing such a wonderful comedic style and character. Dangerfield, however, kept his legal name, Jack Roy. He did however, once, during a question-and-answer session during his No Respect tour, joke that his real name was Percy Sweetwater.

After working in relative obscurity for several years, Dangerfield was asked to step in as a last-minute replacement on March 5, 1967 on the Ed Sullivan show and he stole the show. Dangerfield went from there to headlining shows in Las Vegas and appearing regularly on the Dean Martin Show, as well as the Tonight Show, with Johnny Carson, where he appeared a total of 35 times. In 1969, Dangerfield went into business with longtime friend Anthoney Bevacqua to build Dangerfield's comedy club, which then became a showcase and jumping off point for hot, young talent. Dangerfield now also had a venue to perform in without having to travel and was able to help younger talent get a start.

For a guy who “got no respect” he was well-liked and admired. His comedy album, No Respect, won a Grammy. One of his TV specials featured a musical number titled “Rappin' Rodney”.

A seeming anachronism, as the one-liner seems to be pretty much passé, I found several of his jokes to be screamingly funny, as I researched this article. I think that truly funny material withstands time and culture and place, as I hope you'll see by some of the examples. There are entire websites devoted to his one-liners and jokes. I hope you'll find time to read them and “give him some respect”.