Triple Lindy

Rodney Dangerfield has been in a coma for a month, his wife confirmed today. I can't say I'm surprised, as Rodney wasn't looking so hot last time I saw him on TV.

I still hope it's too early to be looking back with finality on the 82-year-old comedian's career, and I know many of you don't think market failures can ever occur, but looking back over his filmography raises an old question: Why wasn't Hollywood able to keep coming up with great Rodney vehicles throughout the 1990s? It's not brain surgery: You write a part for Rodney as a rich guy, work out some scenario where he has to muscle in on a group of stuffy establishmentarians, throw in some nymphettes, and the rest writes itself. Maybe there are some hidden classics in that post-Back To School period (I'm hopeful that Meet Wally Sparks might be an undiscovered gem), but really: Ladybugs? The Natural Born Killers cameo? How long can a man be expected to live without an agent?

Scott Hamrah sang the praises of Caddyshack back in the year Double-X.