 |
Web Hosting by Netfirms | Free Domain Names by Netfirms |
|
|
|
Andy Essays/Papers/Articles/Letters, Page 4
If you have an essay, paper, article, or letter you'd like to contribute,
please email me. Here's the latest:
---------------------
Tom Izzo Term Paper....continued from Page 3
It was inconceivable that a man as healthy as Kaufman, who had never smoked in his life, could contract lung cancer.
Many argue that it was impossible for him to have it, and he was just playing us all yet again for media attention.
"Despite the fact that he was only 35 years old and took extremely good care of himself, despite the fact
that he told several people years before he wanted to fake his death, despite the fact that he idolized Elvis Presley
(who is as steeped in falsified-death lore as anyone in history), despite all of these things..." (Vernon,
1). A few examples of Andy's fan generated legend are: that Andy died of a broken neck during a wrestling match,
his bizarre behavior and death was due to a brain tumor, and that he despised women. All of these are untrue. The
lore of Kaufman goes on for pages and pages. It was Andrew G. Kaufman's nature to deceive. "Why not? It would
be the ultimate joke, the greatest swindle in entertainment history: to fake his own death, and come back 10 years
later only to bask in and profit from his fame and notoriety. Andy Kaufman would have the last laugh." (Vernon,
1). If anyone were capable of pulling of such a stunt, it would have been Andy. Just knowing that Andy could do
such a thing is what inspires people to believe he is alive.
"Fifteen years after his death, the jury is still out over the questionable genius of late Comedian Andy Kaufman.
And, just to add to the debate, some jurors are probably still not convinced Kaufman - a master of facades and
hoaxes - actually carked it." (Te Koha, 1). Ten years later the subject of Andy is still lingering within
the medium. In 1999 the Universal Film "Man on the MoonÓ" was released which further raised the
Kaufman question. He was a very interesting and odd man. Many of these Hollywood celebrities now days are so predictable.
Most stars of today drive expensive cars, live in vast mansions, and have plastic surgery done to remove any blemishes
they might have. Andy was the exact opposite of this. When he was working at Jerry's Deli someone asked Andy why
he was bussing tables at a restaurant, when he was a famous television star. Andy only replied that he was just
a normal person, and was trying to earn a living. This enigmatic and happy go lucky quality to him was what left
America wanting more. He was somehow unlike the rest. "If he was crazy as the word is usually used, he was
able to channel that craziness into not just entertainment but art." (Shales, 2)
Andrew G. Kaufman had 100 different personas inside one body. When you went to a show you never knew who would
be performing on stage. Sometimes, you would get the foreign man, which was the character based on Latka on Taxi.
Other times, one would see a dead on impersonation of Elvis Presley himself. However, probably the most disliked,
and hate drawing persona that he played was that of Las Vegas lounge singer Tony Clifton. Clifton was a pompous,
overweight, arrogant guy who would insult the audience to the point of uproar. Sometimes Andy would play the role
of Clifton, and other times his partner Bob Zmuda would. He persisted that Tony Clifton was an individual, and
that he in no way was a part of him. He even went to the extent to demand in his television contract that Clifton
be guaranteed appearances on Taxi. "The only thing that is odd is page 112 of The Tony Clifton Story, a screenplay
that Andy and I wrote, that was never made. On page 112, Tony dies of lung cancer at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. Andy
Kaufman would die of lung cancer at Cedars-Sinai eight years later. Pretty odd stuff." (Null, 2)
On May 18th over 300 close friends and family gathered for Andy's funeral. Even while present at the man's own
funeral, no one would believe, or want to believe that their great friend had actually died. "Some mourners
discreetly poked his body, hoping beyond hope that this was Andy's strangest, sickest, and wildest put-on of them
all." (Momchilov, 5: Last) Co-star Danny Devito remarked that he expected Andy to come running out laughing,
marveling at his latest joke. Andy constantly wore a mask, to the extent that over time even his friends and family
became confused of his true identity. "His years of infamous characterizations totally transfixed audiences
to the point that they believed he had no other off-camera reality. They were convinced the dying thing was just
another cleverly-crafted Kaufman performance piece." (Momchilov, 3: Last) Who knows, maybe the dying thing
was just that. If Andy is indeed alive somewhere I have to give him credit.
"Asked by Playboy Magazine to list the 10 most significant moments in show business, Zehme rates Kaufman's
death in the top 10. "Because people laughed when he died, that hasn't happened before or since. That, in
a nutshell, is why his legend has grown." (Brownfield, 3) If he could make us laugh at death just think about
how much he was capable of. He could tell you to eat an apple and convince you it was an orange. I would describe
him as the Houdini of Hollywood. Several times Andy said he wanted to fake his death, but eventually dismissed
the topic. "On the day John Belushi was found dead of a drug overdose, Andy Kaufman went to see George Shapiro,
his manager. As Shapiro recalls it, Kaufman came bounding into his office and said, as apparently serious as he
would about anything: "John Belushi faked his death! I can't believe it. I can't believe he's stealing my
bit!" (Brownfield, 1) Separating the line between fact and fiction was impossible with him. Unless one day
Andy reappears there will always be speculation. "Some even thought he would make a surprise visit to Letterman's
Late Show when Dave moved to CBS." (Momchilov, 2: Frequently) People enjoy mysteries, and want to believe
in the unknown. "We went along with it because it was Andy's illusion, in its most innocent terms, that drew
us out to our own limit of possible belief - our own inner attraction to the "What if…?" "(Hirsch,
60)
Some obsessed fans, and gullible persons truly believe that Andy is still alive. But the fact of the matter is
that he died on May 16, 1984. Andy's grave is located in Beth David Cemetery. "The visitor wonders if sometimes,
late on a Saturday night, the cemetery fills with the sound of Andy Kaufman doing his Elvis Presley imitation."
(Fenton, 2) The fact that he was one of a kind, and that he jerked the media around a lot makes it easy to believe
that he is living. I would like to believe he is alive, but the truth is he died a tragic death. When he discovered
he had the illness he wanted no one to know about it. " Word of Andy's illness spread slowly. In fact, Andy
insisted on keeping it a secret for as long as possible." (Momchilov, 3: Last) If he was indeed plotting an
in depth stunt, why would he want it kept secret? Wouldn't the more attention he got make it a bigger joke? The
truth lies that he was terminally ill, and the public responded to him with sarcasm. He became a victim of his
own methods because the public never was exposed to the serious Andy, if there even was a serious Andy. "Kaufman
on some identified TV show, looking distraught, tries to explain how bad things are (his wife has left him and
his job at Taxi is shaky), while members of the audience titter, assuming that he's kidding. "It's not funny",
he mutters, "why are you laughing?" (Gelmis, 1)
"But did Andy Kaufman pull one last stunt on his deathbed at age 35? No, says close friend Bob Zmuda. "Andy
Kaufman is dead He's not in some truck stop with Elvis." While Kaufman tinkered with the idea, tells Zmuda,
he never brought it up again. Andy's humor was twisted but not that twisted. One draws the line at mocking death,
especially a horrible disease such as Cancer. If I had lung cancer I would want people to treat me with compassion
not with mockery, regardless of my past. His weakness was that he just couldn't stop acting out his fantasy and
along the way his fantasy world merged with reality. He didn't realize this until he was diagnosed. "Andy
Kaufman had lung cancer and it was already in advanced stages. Diagnosed with a rare large-cell carcinoma, Andy's
ailment was inoperable and incurable. The doctors expected him to live less than three months." (Momchilov,
2:Last) If he didn't believe it, it wouldn't happen to him. "When a favorite grandfather died, his parents
told him Gramps was away on a trip. It broke the kid's heart, Mr Zmuda believes. He learned a lesson: That reality
could be changed if you said it was…He understood the power of the lie." (Mendoza, 2)
At first, Andy did not believe the diagnosis, and ignored it. He continued on as normal for about a month until
his health began to worsen. "Thanksgiving, 1983 - Holiday dinner at the Kaufmna home in Long Island was no
different than any other celebration, except for one thing…Andy's nagging cough caused everyone to express concern
about his health." (Momchilov, 1: Last) When Andy's hair began to fall out due to the Chemotherapy he simply
put his hair up into a crazy mo-hawk. The public just figured this to be another "thing" that Andy was
up to this time, little did they know he was dieing. "Kaufman never makes it known whether he's engaging in
an elaborate prank or indulging a dangerous psychosis." (Phipps, 1) As Andy's condition became worse, he was
confined to a wheel chair. People would pass by him laughing or saying that this dyeing bit was too much. Perhaps
at this time Andy realized the damage of a lie, rather than its power. "Andy was alternately amused and amazed
by the fact that many thought his illness was another put-on." (Momchilov, 4:Last)
"Jay Leno observed, "Most of us thought he was very funny, but we worried that no one else would get
him. We even felt sort of sorry for him….He just behaved strangely, in order to get a reaction of any kind, even
hostile. There were nights at Catch a Rising Star when he would lie onstage in a sleeping bag." (Zeheme, 1)
Sometimes when a heckling crowd provoked him, he would take out a copy of the Great Gatsby and in a British accent
read it cover to cover. The dissatisfied audience usually left. Andy was the most misunderstood person in entertainment
of our time. Even in his own death he was misunderstood. "Who was lying in the casket?", many people
wondered. Inside that casket contained Andy and all of his personalities. When he died, they died. "On May
23 (2:00 AM), he had begun to diagram on five-by-eight index cards many strange and ambitious new ideas for the
act, first inventorying the plethora of people who lived within him-BRITISH MAN, TONY CLIFTON, LAUGHING MAN, FOREIGN
MAN, BLISS NINNY, DUMB MAN, PRESIDENT, SLEEPING MAN, BORED ANGRY MAN, NEBBISH MAN, PARANOID COMEDIAN, SOUTHERN
MAN, DRUNK, WRESTLERS, CRYING MAN, NERVOUS MAN." (Zeheme, 11) As you can see it was quite confusing to put
a finger on what personality he would be using on any particular day. At times he had the onstage presence of a
ten-year-old kid. But, after ten minutes of incessant babble or boring the audience he would shock you with his
Elvis routine, or lip-synching to the theme of Mighty Mouse. It was this trait of surprise and shock value that
keeps his name in households today. He was the innovator of outrageous comedy, which many like Jim Carey, Michael
Richards, and Tom Green try to emulate today.
"Since his early death, Andy's entire life has grown into one large Urban Legend. Rumors, inaccuracies, myths
and misconceptions abound when the subject of Andy Kaufman arises." (Momchilov, 5: Last). He died, and some
people just can't conceive that or don't want to accept it. Internet web pages, and newsgroups are littered with
false topics such as "Andy is coming back tomorrow", or "Kaufman spotted on tropical island".
I find it to be a great dishonor to the life and career of Mr. Kaufman to still be speaking of this foolishness
over a decade and a half since the man's death. "I'm going to go on record, Andy is dead, "Bob Zmuda,
Kaufman's best friend and collaborator, says. "But if he had lived, he would have faked his own death."
(Te Koha, 1). His act was similar to that of the industry of professional wrestling(ironically Andy's favorite
recreation) in that everything was scripted, and nothing was real. Sometimes in wrestling, fans will throw trash
in the ring to express their anger towards "bad guy" wrestlers, when in reality the "bad guy"
isn't really bad, he is just trying making a living. This was the same exact case scenario with Andy, and if he
were alive today he would probably be doing appearances on WWF television. "Nor did it bother him when nearly
the whole industry turned on him, not realizing that his running feud with wrestler Jerry Lawler (current WWF commentator),
which turned vulgar, violent and oh-so realistic on the David Letterman show, was just an elaborately contrived
sketch." (McKay, 2) He enjoyed the negative reactions he received, until the joke became a fatal reality.
"Nobody played with the medium more." (Mendoza, 1). "Andy admits, Whenever I play a role, whether
its good or bad, an evil person or nice person, I believe in being a purist and going all the way with the role.
If I'm going to be a villainous wrestler, I believe in going all the way with it and not breaking character and
not giving away to the audience that I'm playing a role. I believe in playing straight to the hilt." (Momchilov,
3: Frequently). He was so good at what he did that even in death he was still physically alive to his fans. The
cruel irony to this twist of fate was not lost on Andy. He knew the consequences for his antics and insurrections,
and didn't fully realize them until people were laughing at him in a wheel chair. His life can be summed up in
the definition of comedy. Comedy- a ludicrous or farcical event or series of events, a drama of light and amusing
character and typically with a happy ending. In this comedic tragedy, the ending was far from happy.
Andy's dream was to perform in Carnegie Hall, and was able to put on a huge show there. After the show he treated
his audience to a surprise. "Everyone I have a very special treat for you. If you will all proceed outside
in a very orderly manner, there are twenty-five buses waiting to take you to milk and cookies." (Zmuda, 143).
"At the conclusion of this season's Taxi, Andy plans a "ninety-nine Cent" national tour so everyone
can afford to see him perform in concert." (Momchilov, 15 brief). How many artists now days do ninety-nine
cent tours? None. As distance grows between Andy's passing and the next regularly scheduled sunrise, stories of
his life grow to mythic proportions. But keep in mind that he was just a man, and as human as you and me are. Throughout
all the laughs, boos, cheers, tears, and shouts one thing remained the same; Andy managed to fool the world, and
never again will there be someone so unique as to open up our eyes to the unknown element of the game. "His
inability to quit acting out his fantasy cost Kaufman his career, concludes Zmuda. He was already a has-been when
he died of lung cancer at the age of 36." (Gelmis, 2) This inability not only cost him his career, but also
the public's trust. On his deathbed Andy had a couple requests. He begged best friend Bob Zmuda to make sure that
the people didn't remember him as Latka on Taxi, and that in some point a movie be made about his life. The movie
was released last December, while remembering the legacy of Andy is still a work in progress. "Perhaps Andy,
Elvis, and Jim Morrison will all come back together from wherever it is they've been. Alas, the odds are against
it." (Shales, 1)
"Kaufman, if you're still alive, I'll Kill you." (Zmuda, 1)
Tom Izzo
Works Cited:
Brownfield, Paul. "Comedy; Funny in Life they Kill in Death; The Current Vogue of Andy
Kaufman's work extols sensibility few appreciated in his lifetime. Did we get smarter, or is something else at
work?; Home Edition." The Los Angeles Times. 12 Dec. 1999:5.
Fenton, Patrick."Tombstones of the Rich and Famous. Sidebar: Gone but Not forgotten."
Newsday. 28 Apr. 1996:E24.
Gelmis, Joseph. "Doomed by a Fantasy." Newsday. 13 Nov. 1992:91
Hirsch, Judd. "He drew us into his world of illusion, and then made us ask
What if…?" Rolling Stone. 5 Jul. 1984: 60-63.
Hoye, Jacob. "An Interview with Bill Zehme ."1999 .
McKay, John. "Andy Kaufman Biograpghy Fills Gaps Left By Movie."The Edmonton
Sun. 6 Feb. 2000:SD13.
Mendoza, Manuel. "Remembering a playmate named Andy."The Dallas Morning News 24 Dec.
1999:3J.
Momchilov, B.K. "A brief history of significant events in the public life of Andy Kaufman." 3
Oct. 1995.
Momchilov, B.K. "Frequently Asked Questions About Mr. Andy Kaufman."
3 Oct.
1995.
Momchilov, B.K. "The Last Days of Andy Kaufman." 17 Jan. 1997.
Null, Christopher. "Ground Control to Major Bob-The Bob Zmuda
Interview." 1999.
Phipps, Keith. "Biographies a Good Taste of Comedian Andy Kaufman."Wisconsin State
Journal 15 Apr. 1999:7.
Shales, Tom. " ' Andy's Fun House': Comedy the Hard Way."Washington Post Dec 20.
1999:C01
Slotek, Jim. "Book tackles Kaufman Mystery."The London Free Press 1 Jan. 2000: C6
Speidel, Maria. "Kin: Latka's Legacy When Andy Kaufman died, he left Behind a
Daughter He Never Knew." People. 3 Apr. 1995:85+.
Te Koha, Nui. "Out of this World."
The Daily Telegraph. 17 Feb. 2000:T09
Vernon, Jack. "Andy Kaufman is Still Alive." 1999.
Werts, Diane. "Saluting the Comdey of Andy Kaufman."Newsday. 29 Mar. 1995:B68.
Zehme, Bill. "Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman."
Bantam Dell New York. 1999. 1-14.
Zmuda, Bob."Andy Kaufman Revealed!" Little, Brown and Company New York. 1999
The Latest Page 5 Page 4 Page
3 Page 2 Page 1