Rodney Dangerfield, 1921 - 2004.

As a comic, Dangerfield - clad in a black suit, red tie and white shirt with collar that seemed too tight - convulsed audiences with lines such as: "When I was born, I was so ugly that the doctor slapped my mother"; "When I started in show business, I played one club that was so far out my act was reviewed in Field and Stream"; and "Every time I get in an elevator, the operator says the same thing to me: 'Basement?"'

The AP.

See the joke archive and clips at Rodney.com.

Posted by dwhudson at October 6, 2004 2:21 AM