The King of Comedy (1982)

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.

Director:

Martin Scorsese

Writer:

Paul D. Zimmerman

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

Rupert Pupkin is obsessed with becoming a comedy great. However, when he confronts his idol, talk show host Jerry Langford, with a plea to perform on the Jerry's show, he is only given the run-around. He does not give up, however, but persists in stalking Jerry until he gets what he wants. Eventually he must team up with his psychotic Langford-obsessed friend Masha to kidnap the talk show host in hopes of finally getting to perform his stand-up routine.

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Plot Keywords:

kidnap | reference to robin williams | living with mother | tied to chair | white shoes | 

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Taglines:

Nobody knows Rupert Pupkin, but by 11:30 tonight, the whole world will know he's . . . THE KING OF COMEDY

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 December 1982 (Iceland)

Also Known As:

King of Comedy

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,500,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Embassy International Pictures, Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Martin Scorsese has said that he thought Robert De Niro's best performance under his direction was in this film.

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Goofs

Camera/cameraman reflected in the closing glass door when the security guard escorts Pupkin out of the office.

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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!

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Connections

Spoofs The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson (1962)

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Soundtracks

"Rupert's Theme"
Written by Bob James

User Reviews

The world that we live in...

I hate the celebrity culture. I hate the fact that people become famous, just for the sake of being famous. I hate the fact that just because a celebrity gets married or has a child, that's front page news. I hate reality TV. I hate shows like "Pop Idol" (or "American Idol"), where normal people seem to think they are destined for A-list status. The fact that this film (The King of Comedy) is as old as I am, is either an all too worrying statement on society, or proves that it was way ahead of its time. Maybe that's why I love it so much.

De Niro has always amazed me, but the fact that he seems to understand this character so well is a little overwhelming. Whether he is delivering cringeworthy gags to a cardboard audience, or embarrassing himself, obliviously, in front of Jerry Lewis, his consistency is amazing. His motives are understandable to anyone who's ever had a dream. Perhaps it's De Niro's early ambition as an actor, that fuelled this shamefully overlooked performance.

Jerry Lewis is perfect as the disgruntled TV host. A man who lives a double-life of hilarious TV personality, with a bitter persona off-screen. You can certainly relate to this man's motivations, his love for his work, but his resistance to allow it run his personal life.

The only character I can't totally emphasize with is Sandra Bernhard's Masha (her actions aren't justified as well as De Niro's Rupert). But maybe that just goes with my aforementioned hatred for celebrity culture. The scary thing is, I know that people like this exist, and I didn't for a second, question the feasibility of her performance.

As usual, Scorsese shows brilliant control, despite this being one of his most modest works.

"The King of Comedy" should be looked upon, now more than ever, as a very important film, that has a lot to say about the world we live in and the obsessions that we consume. 9/10