Andy Kaufman Plays Carnegie Hall (1980) (V)

Writers:

Andy Kaufman (writer)
Bob Zmuda (writer)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Cast

Grant Bowman	...	Himself
Eleanor Cody Gould	...	Herself
Andy Kaufman	...	Himself / Tony Clifton
Michael Kaufman	...	Himself / Tony Clifton
Greg Sutton	...	Orchestra Conductor
Jay S. York	...	Himself
Bob Zmuda	...	Himself / Referee

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Trivia:

Grant Bowman was a genuine street person discovered by Andy Kaufman in Times Square singing his "Happy New Year" song. When he was approached to reprise his song for the special for which he would be paid one hundred dollars, Bowman refused to listen until he asked to be paid with an uncorked bottle of port.If you look closely,you can see the bottle protruding from his back pocket.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Man on the Moon (1999)

Tony Clifton is dead!

The idea of Andy Kaufman is more entertaining that Andy Kaufman. The same goes for the creation of the character: Tony Clifton. This cable / stage presentation was considered both Kaufman's final contribution to his work as well as the final nail in his coffin.A few good laughs doesn't make up for minutes and minutes of dead silence. Yes, Elvis is good, his foreign character is even better, but everything else is nothing more than leftovers. Bob Zmuda may be a brilliant comedian / producer, but he has marketed himself as Andy Kaufman's shadow. 25 years since Kaufman's death, Zmuda still is known for his friendship with Kaufman and nothing else. It was a nice surprise to see Robin Williams portray Kaufman's grandmother. This is one of very few 'great' moments in this show.