Jim Treacher's Blog That Is on the Internet

"Getcha Hands Off Me!"

I've been reading Lost in the Funhouse, Bill Zehme's biography of Andy Kaufman. One of the tidbits of Kaufman trivia I hadn't heard before is that he and his co-conspirator Bob Zmuda wrote a script for a movie called The Tony Clifton Story. Clifton was one of Kaufman's characters/identities, an astonishingly obnoxious wannabe lounge singer in a peach-colored tuxedo and $1.95 toupee. Kaufman vehemently denied being Clifton, and vice versa. Eventually Zmuda took over the character, just to freak people out when Kaufman and Clifton showed up at the same place at the same time.

Anyway. Type "The Tony Clifton Story" into Google and you're a couple clicks away from reading the script at the Subterranean Cinema site. It's kind of amazing, especially if you know anything about Kaufman's life and work. Full of classic Kaufman mindfucks. And the baby seal scene alone is worth it. (Note to comedy nerds: In this script, Clifton is the hero. Kaufman, playing himself, is the villain. And this was before he became a wrestling heel! (Wait, no, he started wrestling women in the '70s, didn't he? Before the Jerry Lawler stuff, I meant.))

The movie never got made, of course. Kaufman did the disastrous Heartbeeps, The Tony Clifton Story was shelved, and then he/they died(?). Does anybody have one of those alternate-universe machines like on Sliders? I want to go to the video store on Earth-Clifton.

P.S. Subterranean Cinema also has the script for... The Day the Clown Cried!!! I'm almost afraid to read it.