The King of Comedy

The King of Comedy is a 1982 American satirical black comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro (in his fifth collaboration with Scorsese), Jerry Lewis and Sandra Bernhard. Written by Paul D. Zimmerman, the film focuses on themes such as celebrity worship and American media culture. 20th Century Fox released the film on February 18, 1983, in the United States, though the film was released two months earlier in Iceland. In the film, an aspiring stand-up comedian is increasingly obsessed with a successful comedian who he met by chance. He dreams of being the veteran comedian's colleague and friend, while the other man intentionally avoids his stalker. The younger comedian has the idea of kidnapping his idol, and blackmailing the television network which employs said idol. The kidnapping earns him the fame which he wanted, which he uses to publish a successful memoir and to film a television special. Production began in New York on June 1, 1981, to avoid clashing with a forthcoming writers' strike, and opened at the Cannes Film Festival in 1983. The film received mostly positive reviews from critics but was a flop at the box office, grossing only $2.5 million against its $19 million budget. It is the first production of Embassy International Pictures, later Regency Enterprises, and is also Jerry Lewis's final film for 20th Century Fox. Plot Rupert Pupkin is an aspiring yet delusional stand-up comedian trying to launch his career. After meeting Jerry Langford, a successful comedian and talk-show host, Rupert believes his "big break" has finally come. He attempts to book a spot on Langford's show, but is continually rebuffed by his staff, particularly Cathy Long, and finally by Langford himself. Along the way, Rupert indulges in elaborate and obsessive fantasies in which he and Langford are colleagues and friends.