Dangerfield — Beware

Press, 5 December 1986, Page 16

Dangerfield — Beware

Before this summer is over, many New Zealanders will have had their first encounter with the New York comedian, Rodney Dangerfield, who stars in the zany comedy, “Back to School,” which will start at the Westend next Friday.

“Back to ' School” has already grossed more than $B5 million in the United States alone.

Dangerfield plays Thornton Melon, a self-

made millionaire dissatisfied with the fruits of his labour.

When he decides to go back to school, he soon discovers a whole new set of problems. After all, how many college kids are millionaires, with a chauffeur-driven limousine, have a jacuzzi and wet bar in their dormitory, and experts from N.A.S.A. doing their astronomy homework? Although little known in New Zealand, Dangerfield is a household word in the U.S. Despite his age —

over 50 — his stage shows are like rock concerts; he holds cult status with the youth of America and has helped launch some of the biggest “younger” names in the business today through his own club, Dangerfields, in New York. He is considered a contemporary of Richard Pryor and Robin Williams, but you will not find him performing to family audiences or on prime-time TV — Rodney Dangerfield is “tough.”