Search - Rodney Dangerfield - The Ultimate No Respect Collection on DVD

A Little Disappointed In This Package

K. Palmer | Illinois | 01/11/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Rodney Dangerfield was the King of Comedy. When he was on, there wasn't anybody funnier on the planet. So I was looking forward to the release of this 3 DVD set that would chronicle Rodney through the years.

The discs contain 3 shows that ran on network TV in the early 1980s along with 4 HBO specials where Rodney was the host, but the main focus was on the young comedians of the day (you see Tim Allen, Roseanne Barr, Jerry Seinfeld, Robert Townshend all before they hit the big time along with others who you never saw again). Also included was Rodney's appearance on ONE Tonight Show episode (Rodney appeared on the show over 70 times according to the disc). In addition, a 45 minute standup routine taped in 1995 is included as well as a segment of "This is Your Life".

The network TV shows are disappointing because they primarily contain fairly lame skits and lame musical numbers (although I did get a kick out of "Rappin' Rodney") and because they were network shows, they were not very risque. The HBO shows also disappoint because the focus is not on Rodney, but the other comedians. He does do an opening monologue in each along with skits in between performers, but these also don't generate a lot of laughs (except for the skits Rodney did with Roseanne, she actually was pretty funny). Sam Kinison also does a funny bit at a piano in a skit with Rodney.

The "This Is Your Life" segment was interesting as they trotted out people from Rodney's life, but having read his recent autobiography, I knew most of the information anyway.

The 1995 standup routine was disappointing because most of the jokes were the same ones he told 15 to 20 years earlier on the "No Respect" album. It doesn't appear like he added much new material. And I believe the audience must have heard the jokes many times before because they don't seem to be laughing much. Rodney also seems very cranky as well and it looks and sounds like he just wanted to get off the stage. In addition, the video quality of this is very poor for something done in 1995.

The best part of the disc is his appearance on the Tonight Show (I would guess in the late 70s or early 80s). It was Rodney at his very best. After a funny monologue, he went to sit next to Carson and just started rifling off one liners in rapid fire motion. All were fairly fresh and the timing was perfect. Carson knew when to interject to set Rodney up. The only disappointing thing about this is that it is only about 8 minutes long, but its the best thing on the set.

I'm glad to see something come out for this late, great comedian. I just wish it would have better showcased his talents. I would love to see a disc of his best moments on Carson's show. That would be great."

Great Tribute to a Great Comedian

Tim Janson | Michigan | 11/04/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The world lost one of its greatest stand-up comedians when Rodney passed away recently but he will always live on thanks to this great 3 disc set.

Like many, I first saw Rodney on one of his many tonight Show performances where he appeared some 70 times. But it was on the Ed Sullivan show where Rodney first made his TV debut. The disc provides some of those great tonight show appearances. I only wish some of those Sullivan appearances were there too.

Then we have in full some of Rodney's great TV and cable specials. his self-deprecating humor and classic "I tell ya I get no respect" are some of the most well-known bits in comedy history.

His special "It's not Easy Bein Me" from 1986 presents Rodney at perhaps the pinnacle of his popularity. Fresh from hit movies like Caddyshack and EasyMoney, Rodney would do what he does best..a great stand=up act as well as introducing the world to some of the hot young comedians like Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff Altman, and the immortal Sam Kinnison.

A wonderful tribute to one of the all-time greats!"

All that's "Ultimate" about this collection is the price tag

JOHN DAGOSTINO | San Diego, CA | 04/14/2005

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I'd wished for years that someone would release a compilation of Rodney's best standup work, and when he died I assumed that we'd finally get the goods. When I heard that there was an "Ultimate" collection I couldn't wait to bring it home. Sadly, this is a very disappointing effort that is more quick-buck "product" than true collection.
Dooming this release from the start is the predominance of Rodney's aggressively unfunny variety-show crud (e.g. "It's Not Easy Being Me"). Once you get a masterful standup like Dangerfield into a situation where people (even talented people like Harold Ramis) are writing him into lame sketches, the thrill is gone in a hurry. If I'd wanted to see an older man mugging in a wig and tights as he pretends to be one of Aretha Franklin's backup singers, I would've looked for an old Bob Hope special, and if I'd wanted to see dated routines by a number of (mostly) talented young comics I'd buy THEIR CDs. I wanted 3 CDs of the sweaty, I'll-tell-ya-last-week-was-rough Rodney with the dark suit and red necktie, at the peak of his powers.
After watching more than my fill of the variety-show stuff---fast-forwarding through hopelessly unfunny people like Robert Urich (when you think "comedy", you think Bob Urich!) and Valerie Perrine (???)---I switched to the 3rd DVD, which has this box set's only Rodney spot on Carson (out of 69 or so appearances), and a late-period Vegas show in which Rodney looks bloated and dyspeptic.
The Carson bit is good in that it captures the special zing that Rodney had on his TV guest spots, but it's probably not among even the 10 best spots he did on that show. I would've paid $40 just for a compilation of all his Carson appearances, but perhaps the Carson estate and/or NBC would've wanted Fort Knox for the rights. It's still great fun, though, and when he finishes his sit-down bit, you can tell that he kinda runs outta schtick and he and Carson exchange "It's great to have you here"/ "It's nice to be here" niceties until the energy palpably dissipates; after an awkward pause, Rodney says something like, "And thanks for ending this on a high note, Johnny!" and Carson busts out laughing in his inimitable way.
The Vegas show is kind of odd; Rodney is older, fatter, and jaded, and he seems a little miffed that his material isn't going over as well as it usually does. One disadvantage is that it's badly mic'd and you can't really hear the audience that well, so more than half the time it sounds like no one's laughing. This is the routine in which he uses "blue" language, and one wonders if he was trying to keep pace with Sam Kinison and other younger, hard-core comics who were pushing the envelope at the time, and whom Rodney welcomed into his nightclub.
Bottom line: if you absolutely have to have a Rodney fix, there's material in this collection that will have you laughing out loud. But if money is a consideration, you can buy an earlier CD or wait for a compilation worth this kind of money."

A Treasure Trove Of Rodney Dangerfield

Mike King | Taunton, MA United States | 01/29/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's great to finally have so many TV specials and rare concert footage of Rodney Dangerfield available on DVD, but it's a shame that it wasn't released until after he died. Disc 1 contains three ABC TV specials: "It's Not Easy Bein' Me (1981), "I Can't Take It No More" (1983), and "Exposed" (1984). Rodney's skits are very funny, although some of the musical numbers have not aged well. The 1983 special is outstanding, especially the skits "Flashpants" (a spoof of the movie Flashdance), where Rodney plays a male stripper who dreams of being a welder, and "The Party Saver," where Rodney changes from a mild-mannered party pooper to the hilarious life of the party.

Disc 2 contains three HBO specials: "It's Not Easy Bein' Me" (1986), "Nothin' Goes Right" (1987), and "The Really Big Show" (1991). Basically, Rodney acts as host and does some skits in-between standup routines of other comedians. Since the specials aired on cable TV, the language and subject matter are more adult than on the first disc. In the 1986 special, Roseanne plays Rodney's blushing bride and later pregnant wife with hilarious results. Sam Kinison and Jerry Seinfeld turn in outstanding performances. The 1987 special features great sets by Lenny Clarke, Dom Irrera and Andrew Dice Clay. The first two specials were filmed at Dangerfield's nightclub in New York City. The 1991 special was filmed at various comedy clubs and concert halls in California, such as the Improv. None of the featured comedians are famous, and the way Rodney is treated by everyone is not just disrespectful but downright mean. "The Really Big Show" is the weakest special in the boxed set.

Disc 3 could be subtitled the Vegas disc. It starts off with "Opening Night At Rodney's Place" (1989), which was filmed at the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. Tim Allen and Jeff Foxworthy are in top form doing their standup routines. The best skit finds Rodney auditioning for a role in a porno movie, and meeting adult film star Ron Jeremy, which prompts Rodney to declare that all men are not created equal! This is followed by the TV special "This Is Your Life," which was filmed after Rodney's act at the Alladin Hotel in Las Vegas. We finally get to see Rodney's son and daughter from his first marriage. The only non-Vegas segment is an outstanding performance by Rodney on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. After a brilliant routine, Rodney takes a seat next to Johnny. Instead of having a conversation, Rodney keeps firing off jokes, while Johnny can barely get a word in edgewise. The final section is a 1988 concert performance of Rodney's entire act, filmed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, which is incorrectly noted as being recorded at Bally's Hotel. The video quality is that of a good bootleg, and the crowd is somewhat unresponsive. Still, it's great to be able to see the master at work in Las Vegas."