Comedic genius? Yes or No
One thing is for sure, he was original.
shareSort of. One of the best 'trolls' ever.
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MovieChat Forums > Andy Kaufman Discussion > Comedic genius? Yes or No
Original, yes. Funny, no!
The only time he was funny was when he was playing a role on "Taxi", acting out humor written by others. His original comedy was... not comedy. It wasn't funny, it was an eccentric form of performance art falsely labeled as comedy.
it was an eccentric form of performance art falsely labeled as comedy.
That's it right there. Kaufman repeatedly said in interviews that he wasn't a comedian & never told a joke. He called himself an Entertainer. share
A note on Kaufman's originality.
I just watched It's a Mad,Mad,Mad,Mad World (63) and became curious about the actor Dick Shawn (Hitler in The Producers) because for the longest time I thought Mr. Shawn was Harvey Korman from the Carol Burnett and Friends show.
Dick Shawn had a comic act in the 1960's that was as more performance art than comedy, and Mr. Kaufman was a fan.
A few examples (from wiki)~~ Prior to his act, when the audience would be seating themselves, they viewed a small mound of bricks on stage. After 30-45 minutes, the act started when Mr. Shawn suddenly emerges from the pile of bricks, startling the crowd. He had to remain very still because the slightest move would upset the bricks and tip off the crowd.
Another example was during a roast of Tommy Chong that was very raunchy, Mr. Shawn got up to the microphone, didn't say a word and barfed pea soup all over the mic and himself.
Mr.Shawn also had a interesting death, he died while onstage during a act in San Diego in 1987. The audience was so used to his antics that they thought it was a act and refused to leave, even when the paramedics arrived...What a way to go!
Video wasn't ubiquitous as it is today, so much of his act is lost in time.