RODNEY DANGERFIELD, 82 'No respect' comedian dies, but esteem for him lives on

It was said that he even made stone-faced Ed Sullivan laugh.
WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON -- Rodney Dangerfield, the nightclub, television and movie comic who made millions laugh with his ironic, rapid-fire recollections of what he claimed were his personal humiliations and inadequacies, died Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 82.
Dangerfield underwent surgery Aug. 25 to replace a heart valve. He later fell into a coma from which he emerged last week to kiss his wife and squeeze her hand, according to a statement from his publicist.
Among the keys to his comedy were constant self-deprecation, an unending barrage of often-sarcastic one-liners, and his woebegone expression, which gave credibility to his plaintive delivery.
It was all summarized in his oft-repeated catchphrase, one that became an inextricable part of his identity as an entertainer: "I don't get no respect!"
One of the jokes that embodied the theme was this:
"I told my psychiatrist that everyone hates me. He told me I was being ridiculous -- everyone hadn't met me yet."
He made them laugh
Audiences laughed and laughed. It was said that he evoked laughter from Ed Sullivan, the notably stone-faced host of one of television's earliest variety shows.
He was frequently on "Saturday Night Live." His performance in the 1980 movie "Caddyshack" was considered a classic of comedy.
In that film, he portrayed a wealthy but clueless golfer who appeared oblivious to the obnoxiousness of many of his mannerisms. His character was nevertheless good-hearted, and endearing in his willingness to challenge the country club snobbery he encountered. The part showcased Dangerfield as a form of "Everyman," a role that suited him. It led to many more.
Over the years, his long and difficult path to fame became known, along with his psychological afflictions, to say nothing of his health problems. Students of comedy came to recognize that more than a grain of truth and of personal experience underlay Dangerfield's stories of difficulties in dealing with the world.
Suffered from depression
In fact, it was revealed that the comic, who brought laughter to millions, was himself a sufferer from depression. Although the diagnosis came late in life, Dangerfield was reported to have traced the condition to his boyhood.
He was born on Long Island, in the town of Babylon. His original name was Jacob Cohen. It was at least in part to escape from the unhappiness of childhood that he took first to writing jokes, then to telling them.
He toured the low-budget comedy circuit for years in his 20s under the name Jack Roy, struggling for a foothold.
Abandoned comedy
After his 1949 marriage to Joyce Indig, with whom he had two children, he abandoned comedy, taking a variety of other jobs, and for a time trying to sell aluminum siding.
But at 40, facing problems in his marriage and unable to shake the lure of performing, he tried for a comeback.
"I was out of show business," he said, "but show business wasn't out of me." He went back to a club where he had played as Jack Roy. He decided to wipe the slate clean, and he asked to be introduced under a new name. The master of ceremonies presented "Rodney Dangerfield." To the audience, which included people who had remembered Jack Roy, he said, "Hey, if you're going to change your name, change it."
(The club owner was asked how he had chosen the new name. "I don't know," he said. "I made it up, just like that.")
Still had troubles
The career of Rodney Dangerfield took off. But according to an account by Jeff Pearlman in Newsday, that did not banish his psychological troubles. He brooded. He was a longtime marijuana user and attended regular sessions with a psychiatrist. He underwent several heart operations before his most recent one.
Divorced from his first wife, he married a second time, in 1993, to Joan Child, 30 years his junior. He credited her with improving his outlook.