The King of Comedy **** (1982, Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, Diahnne Abbott, Sandra Bernhard) – Classic Movie Review 5373

Director Martin Scorsese’s serious comedy was desperately undervalued (at least by the cinema-going public) back in 1982. However, it is one of Scorsese’s best films. Paul D Zimmerman won the 1984 BAFTA Film Award for Best Original Screenplay.

It grossed only $2.5 million at the US box office on a cost of $20 million. But it has a remarkable straight performance from Jerry Lewis as Jerry Langford, a late night TV talk-show host kidnapped by Rupert Pupkin, a crazy, aspiring would-be comic to make him put him on his talk show. Robert De Niro is at his most manically chilling as would-be comic Pupkin, who looks for show business success by stalking his idol.

Scorsese matches the high level of the performances with a tremendous grip on the bitter material, which stays utterly believable as it lurches into melodrama. Maybe the humour and sensibility are just too dark for popular taste, but the movie is also as funny as it is incisive.

Scorsese’s real-life mother Catherine plays Pupkin’s mom. Liza Minnelli, De Niro’s co-star in Scorsese’s New York, New York (1977), appears as herself. Pianist, composer, songwriter and entertainer Victor Borge appears as himself in his last film appearance.

Also in the cast are Diahnne Abbott as Rita Keane, Sandra Bernhard as Masha, Ed Herlihy as himself, Louis Brown, Tony Randall, Fred De Cordova, Shelley Hack, Richard Baratz, Doc Lawless, Marta Heflin, Leslie Levinson, Margo Winkler, Tony Boschetti, Matt Russo, Ralph Monaco and Scotty Bloch.

It is written by Paul D Zimmerman, shot by Fred Schuler, produced by Robert Greenhut, Robert F Colesberry and Arnon Milchan and scored by Robbie Robertson.

Diahnne Abbott was married to Robert De Niro (1976 – 1988, divorced). She plays a girl working at a porn theatre concession stand who rejects De Niro’s Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver (1976), marrying De Niro the same year.

RIP legendary comedian Jerry Lewis, who died on 20 August 2017, aged 91.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 5373

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com