ENGLISH LIT 344 / COMEDY & SATIRE

Who's Who in American Comedy

Though he referred to himself as a 'performance artist', Kaufman is generally regarded as a comedian, albeit of a very different sort. He did not tell jokes or comment on society or other topics popular with comedians. Instead, he often 'pushed the envelope' of humor, lip-synching one line to a recording of the "Mighty Mouse" theme ("Here I come to save the day"), perform impersonations badly, or speak in a foreign accent, pretending to be hurt when the audience would laugh at him. He died of cancer at the age of 35. One of the characters he had portrayed (Tony Clifton) still 'appears' and so maintains rumors that Andy is still alive. Finding a representative clip is difficult, as the crux of Kaufman's geniuus was in his ability do some many different things. Here's one part of a four part clip; watch all four to get a good sense of his style(s).