FILM 1139: THE KING OF COMEDY
TRIVIA: In the scene where Robert De Niro and Sandra Bernhard argue in
the street, three of the "street scum" that mock Bernhard are Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, and Paul Simonon, members of
the British punk rock band, The Clash.
Robert De Niro used
anti-Semitic remarks to anger Jerry Lewis
while filming the scene where Rupert Pupkin crashes Jerry Langford's country
home. Lewis, who had never worked with method actors, was shocked and appalled,
but delivered an extremely credible performance.
Robert De Niro and Diahnne Abbott were
married in real-life at the time.
Martin Scorsese said later
that making this film was an "unsettling" experience, in part because
of the embarrassing, bitter material of the script. Scorsese said that he and Robert De Niro may have
not worked together again for seven years because making The King of Comedy (1982)
was so emotionally grueling.
When Jerry Langford is walking down
the street, he is stopped by a woman talking on the telephone. When Jerry
refuses to talk to someone on the phone, the lady says I hope you get cancer.
This incident actually happened to Jerry Lewis.
According to Scorsese, Lewis directed this segment himself.
Johnny Carson, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop, and Orson Welles were
considered before Jerry Lewis.
Carson was the one only that was actually offered the role before Lewis but he
turned it down.
The talk show segments were filmed
on videotape (like a real talk show) and later transferred to film. An unedited
version of Jerry's monologue in its original video format can be seen as part
of the DVD's special features.
Director Cameo: Martin Scorsese: a
TV executive.
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