The King of Comedy is a 1982DVD of the Week: The King of Comedy|The New Yorker American satirical black comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul D. Zimmerman. The film stars Robert De Niro—in his fifth collaboration with Scorsese—alongside Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard. It follows an aspiring stand-up comedian whose obsessive desire for fame leads him to target a successful late-night television host, exploring themes of celebrity culture, media illusion, and the pursuit of notoriety.The Jerry Lewis Films by James L. Neibaur and Ted Okuda. Jefferson, SC: McFarland, 1994, .

Principal photography began in New York City on June 1, 1981, in part to avoid disruption from a planned Writers Guild of America strike.Thompson, David and Christie, Ian. Scorsese on Scorsese, p.87. The film was produced by Embassy International Pictures—later incorporated into Regency Enterprises—and marked Jerry Lewis's third collaboration with 20th Century-Fox. The King of Comedy premiered internationally in Iceland in December 1982 before its North American release on February 18, 1983, by 20th Century-Fox. It was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1983.

The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its performances—particularly those of De Niro and Lewis—and its unsettling tone and social commentary. Despite the critical response, it was a commercial failure, grossing approximately $2.5 million against a production budget of $19 million. In the years following its release, The King of Comedy has undergone significant critical reappraisal and is widely regarded as one of Scorsese’s most distinctive and prescient works. Its exploration of fame, media spectacle, and the blurring of fantasy and reality has been noted for its relevance to contemporary celebrity culture, and the film has since achieved cult status.

Plot Rupert Pupkin is a delusional stand-up comedian unsuccessfully trying to launch his career. After meeting Jerry Langford, a successful comedian and talk-show host, Rupert believes that his "big break" has finally come. He attempts to book a spot on the show but is continually rebuffed by Langford's staff and finally by Langford himself. Along the way, Rupert indulges in elaborate and obsessive fantasies in which he and Langford are colleagues and friends.

Hoping to impress, Rupert arrives uninvited at Langford's country home with a date, Rita. Returning to his house from playing golf, Langford finds Rupert and Rita settling in. Angered, Langford launches into a furious tirade against Rupert, telling him that his act is mediocre and that he is a lunatic who will never amount to anything. An embarrassed Rita convinces Rupert to leave.

Desperate, Rupert enlists Masha, a fellow stalker similarly obsessed with Langford. Together, they kidnap and hold Langford hostage in Masha's parents' Manhattan townhouse. As ransom, Rupert demands that he be given the opening spot on that evening's The Jerry Langford Show, and that the show be broadcast as normal (with Tony Randall as guest host). The network brass and the FBI agree to his demands, with the understanding that Langford will be released immediately after the show airs. Between the taping of the show and the broadcast, Masha has her "dream date" with Langford, who is duct-taped to a chair. Langford convinces her to untie him and escapes.

Rupert's stand-up routine is well received by the audience. In his act, he describes his troubled life while simultaneously laughing at his circumstances. Rupert closes by confessing to the studio audience that he kidnapped Jerry Langford to break into show business. The audience laughs, believing it to be part of his act. Rupert responds by saying, "Tomorrow you'll know I wasn't kidding, and you'll all think I'm crazy. But I figure it this way: better to be king for a night than a schmuck for a lifetime."

News reports of Rupert's phenomenal success at comedy, as well as his prison sentence and release, play over a montage of his performances, and of storefronts stocking his "long-awaited" autobiography King For a Night. Reports state that Rupert still considers Jerry Langford to be his mentor and friend, and that he and his agent are currently weighing several "attractive offers", including comedy tours and a film adaptation of his memoirs. In the end, Rupert takes the stage for an apparent TV special with a live audience and an announcer enthusiastically introducing, lavishly praising, and giving him extended applause.

Cast Principal cast Robert De Niro as Rupert Pupkin, a struggling stand-up comedian with mental health issues who longs to appear on Langford's show. Pupkin refers to himself as "The King of Comedy". Jerry Lewis as Jerry Langford, a famous late-night TV host. Sandra Bernhard as Masha, another mentally unstable fan of Langford. Diahnne Abbott as Rita Keene, a bartender who is Rupert's love interest.

Supporting cast Shelley Hack as Cathy Long, Langford's main secretary. Margo Winkler as a receptionist of Langford's production company. Kim Chan as Jonno, a house servant of Langford. Frederick De Cordova as Bert Thomas, a producer of Langford's show. Edgar Scherick as Wilson Crockett, a network television executive. Senator Bobby as Clarence McCabe, a man who believes he is the third guest on Pupkin's show. Ed Herlihy as himself. Tony Randall as himself. Victor Borge as himself. Joyce Brothers as herself.

Cameo appearances Catherine Scorsese as Mrs. Pupkin, Rupert's mother (voice only). Cathy Scorsese as Dolores, a fan of Pupkin in one of his daydreams. Charles Scorsese as first Man at Bar. Martin Scorsese as TV director. The Clash—members Mick Jones, Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon, their manager Kosmo Vinyl—and the musicians Ellen Foley and Don Letts appear as "street scum". Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio plays an extra in a crowd scene, and is not listed in the film's credits.

Production After Raging Bull was completed, Scorsese had thought about retiring from feature films to instead make documentaries because he felt "unsatisfied" and had not found his "inner peace" yet. However, he was keen to do a pet project of his, The Last Temptation of Christ, and wanted De Niro to play Jesus Christ. De Niro was not interested and preferred their next collaboration to be a comedy. He had purchased the rights to a script by film critic Paul D. Zimmerman.Baxter, John De Niro A Biography pp. 219/20. Michael Cimino was announced as the director for The King of Comedy on March 7, 1979, but was replaced by Martin Scorsese on November 10 due to production being stalled by Cimino's focus on the editing process of Heaven's Gate.

Scorsese pondered whether he could face shooting another film, particularly with a looming strike by the Writers Guild of America. Producer Arnon Milchan tried to keep the project away from Hollywood interference by filming entirely on-location in New York, and felt that he could deliver it on time with the involvement of a smaller film company.

After a strong critical appreciation for the way in which he had shot Raging Bull, Scorsese felt that The King of Comedy needed a rawer cinematic style that would take its cues from early silent cinema, using more static camera shots and fewer dramatic close-ups. Scorsese has noted that Edwin S. Porter's 1903 film Life of an American Fireman greatly influenced The King of Comedy's visual style. Scorsese shot scenes multiple times, spending a fortnight reshooting to perfect one scene, resulting in a large amount of footage that had to be edited.

De Niro prepared for the role of Rupert Pupkin by developing a "role reversal" technique, consisting of chasing down his own autograph hunters, stalking them, and asking them many questions. As Scorsese remembered, he even agreed to meet and talk with one of his longtime stalkers:The guy was waiting for him with his wife, a shy suburban woman who was rather embarrassed by the situation. He wanted to take him to dinner at their house, a two-hour drive from New York. After he had persuaded him to stay in Manhattan, [De Niro] asked him, "Why are you stalking me? What do you want?" He replied, "To have dinner with you, have a drink, chat. My mom asked me to say hi."De Niro also spent months watching stand-up comedians at work to get the rhythm and timing of their performances. Fully in phase with his character, he went as far as declining an invitation to dinner from Lewis because he was "supposed to be at his throat and ready to kill him for [his] chance".

In the biography/overview of his work, Scorsese on Scorsese, the director has high praise for Jerry Lewis, stating that during their first conversation before shooting, Lewis was extremely professional and assured him before shooting that there would be no ego clashes nor difficulties. Scorsese said that he felt that Lewis's performance in the film was vastly underrated and deserved more acclaim.

In an interview with People magazine, Lewis claimed that Scorsese and De Niro employed method acting tricks during the filming, such as using antisemitic epithets to "pump up Lewis's anger".People, February 7, 1983, page 44. Lewis described making the film as a pleasurable experience and noted that he got along well with both Scorsese and De Niro. Lewis said that he was invited to collaborate on certain aspects of the script dealing with celebrity life. He suggested an ending in which Rupert Pupkin kills Jerry, but it was declined. As a result, Lewis thought that the film, while good, did not have a "finish".Bogdanovich, Peter. Who The Hell's In It, p.196.

In an interview for the DVD, Scorsese stated that Lewis proposed the brief scene in which Langford, having acquiesced to an old lady's request for an autograph, refuses to speak on the phone to her relative, prompting her to scream at him, "You should only get cancer!" The scene was based on a real incident from Lewis's life, and he directed the actress playing the old lady to get the timing right.

Writing At the time he wrote his script, Paul D. Zimmerman was inspired by a David Susskind show on autograph hunters and an Esquire article on a fanatical Johnny Carson follower. Scorsese first became aware of Zimmerman's script after it was brought to him by Robert De Niro in 1974, but declined the project, citing that he felt no personal connection with it. Michael Cimino was attached to direct but his involvement with the script ended when he left the project to direct Heaven's Gate. Prompted by the alienation that he felt from his growing celebrity status, as well as De Niro's insistence that the film could be made "real fast", and that it would be a "New York movie", Scorsese's interest in the project was rekindled.

Casting Scorsese's first choice for talk-show host Jerry Langford was Johnny Carson. Carson refused the role, saying, "You know that one take is enough for me".Christie and Thompson, Ian and David. Scorsese on Scorsese, p.89. Joey Bishop, Orson Welles and Dick Cavett were also considered. The entire Rat Pack was also considered—specifically Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin—before a decision was made to select Martin's old partner, Jerry Lewis.Schoell, William. Martini Man: The Life of Dean Martin. Dallas, Texas: Taylor Publishing 1999. .

Principal photography Arnon Milchan suggested that shooting begin a month earlier than scheduled to avoid possible work stoppage from the Directors Guild of America strike. Furthermore, Scorsese was not in good health. The film was shot beginning on June 1, 1981, and lasted for a twenty-week period, with Scorsese shooting from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

Scorsese's health