4 Rodney Dangerfield Birthday Jokes as Chosen by His Widow for his 104th Birthday
Rodney Dangerfield may have died back in 2004 at age 82, but the comedy legend is as beloved as ever for his movies and especially his near-endless library of jokes on every subject imaginable, up to and including Viagra.
November 22nd marks what would have been his 104th birthday, so we asked his widow, Joan Dangerfield, to share her four favorite birthday-themed jokes from the Dangerfield treasure trove. She was happy to oblige and even offered up a story about Rodney’s especially memorable 80th Birthday.
Walking Into The Bank
The Insurance Company
Two Girls
Time To Mow The Lawn
The last joke strikes a personal note with Joan Dangerfield, who shared this story to go with it:
“Rodney told the last joke on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno when celebrating his 80th birthday in 2001. Before leaving for the taping, Rodney lingered at home hoping to get a birthday call from Jim Carrey, but maybe this year he forgot. What he didn’t know is, Jim was making a visit to The Tonight Show to say happy birthday in person. It turned out to be Rodney’s most memorable birthday ever.”
She continued, saying Rodney “was planning to end his spot on the testicles joke, but Jay surprised him with a video tribute of special birthday wishes from John Travolta, Rob Schneider, Tim Allen, and Adam Sandler, which Rodney loved. Moments later, Jim Carrey cannonballed onto the stage! Rodney got emotional and was thrilled to see him. However, an even bigger surprise came shortly after the show. Jay noticed something about Rodney was off and intuitively suspected he may have had a stroke or cardiac event. He had his producer Debbie Vickers call the paramedics who ran a few tests. Rodney said he felt fine, but they took us directly to the hospital because it turned out Jay’s instinct was right. Rodney had a heart attack and he was able to get the quick medical treatment he needed thanks to Jay.”
Joan Dangerfield even shared a picture of Rodney’s hospital bracelet from that night, noting that “his date of birth and date of surgery, exactly 80 years apart.” And, she concluded by adding, “Comedians keenly observe the world in ways others don’t. This was extreme proof of that and we were profoundly grateful.”