kaufman had a moment. one of those moments where you freeze, between the girls laughter and the other girl saying you can't play stoned, "great". after that he was unsure how to proceed. then when richards dicked him by walking over to the cue cards, then dropping them in andy's lap basically, that was a dick move. the sketch wasn't horrible or anything, it just wasn't very good either. andy got back at richards with the water, the rest was pure spontaneity. no premeditation.
(continued) with rage? Take a good hard look at the whole segment. You can tell when sub-par actors are "acting". No matter how hard they try it seems forced and contrived. Either Chartoff and Richards have better acting skills than Streep and Olivier or they weren't in on it from the beginning.
@Y2Jin99 lol we all know everything on Wikipedia is completely true! Of course i was there when it happened and you have to remember Fridays was a LIVE show. Much like SNL when John Belushi cut a guys head with a samurai sword or Ashley Simpson's singing debacle, Fridays couldn't do any re-takes when disasters happened. Just carefully watch the whole thing again with this perspective in mind- are Melanie Chartoff and Micheal Richards really THAT good at acting that you could feel them bristle w
@Machiminimo agreed. this sketch was most definately not planned. tv was different back then, there were no delays. it's things like this that made them institute delays into live tv and radio. other comments indicate people are just a hare too young to remember this and are looking at it thru the eyes of the present, instead of when it happened.
@wrathofgrunge What are you talking about? Michael Richards said it himself that this was a skit. Even the co-producer Jack Burns (the guy with the club jacket) knew about it.
The thing that get's me about seeing this now wasn't so much Andy's conduct when he broke character but the way everyone was acting before that. All of them, not just Michael Richards, managed to convey the snotty arrogance of the average Reagan era Yuppie. I was working at a restaurant at the time and used to watch these people treat their friends(not to mention the hired help) like crap all the time and I was amazed that fist fights didn't break out.
Part of me can't believe that an ABC-TV late-night network show would be so dangerously spontaneous. As enticing as it would be to believe, I have to think the whole routine was pre-meditated.
Clearly looks fake to me, especially the little brawl in the end. It was something new back then, so I can imagine people thought this was real. I doubt it was.
@Nostrum84 no andy kaufman always fucked with peoples heads only him n the producer knew about it, everybody else thought it was real. kaufmans a genious
@Nostrum84 It is real, this is what Kaufman was like. This was because he disagreed with promoting drugs, although he pulled many similar stunts just to fuck with people's heads,
I hate how serious Michael Richards all the time. Watching the extras on the Seinfeld DVDs just makes me hate him more. Jerry and Julia and even Jason can cut up and laugh when a scene is messed up and Michael is always yelling and getting upset about it. Jesus man, get over yourself. You're a slapstick comedian, we don't take you seriously, so don't take yourself seriously.
@Reint25 Says Richards after Kaufman's death, just to make it seem like he wasn't played by Andy like everyone else. "Oh, no no. I was in on it. I'm just as funny as Kaufman and I am down with many shenanigans and tomfoolery." I don't buy it, I think he made it up to cover his ass.
I think it was performance art. I also think that Kaufman was a supreme asshole with raging issues with...well, rage. And a misogynist. Dislike intensely.
@BettinaBalser it was a prank that these days would give people a heart attack and most likely get the show pulled. also how is kaufman a misogynist? because he threatend to throw food in the female cast members face? does her dumping bread onto his head constitute misandry?
@dw053408 I think BettinaBalser is reffering to the fact that Andy Kaufman would only wrestle women, back in his wrestling days. I could be way wrong though. One thing's for sure, he was a nut.
andy decided to go off script not knowing how to play a stoned character, and how richards is getting pissed and the cast in the sketch knowing somethng wasnt right and richards decides to bring him the scirpt to read the lines
A big part of Fridays' appeal was the lovely ladies in their cast, especially Melanie Chartoff (the woman to Andy Kaufman's left in this sketch). Maryedith Burrell (the other woman) was quite attractive as well, and they also had a sexy redhead named Brandis Kemp, who had a hellacious body. This show was basically a lot of unrealized potential. They could have been great, but they were usually infantile.
I think Andy knew exactly what got everyone's attention. He would create uncomfortable and suprising moments sometimes with fights and those things get people's attention. I mean let's face it, in general people love moments like this.
I mean when you think about it he had some genius ideas.
@thejobloshow Fridays was kind of lame at times, but it was better than SNL was during that time period. If SNL had had any competition for their time slot during that season, they would have gotten cancelled. In most areas, SNL was up against stuff like late movies, "Madame's Place" and "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous". Likewise, Fridays' competition was Johnny Carson reruns and late movies.
@ozzymotorhead Yeah I think you're right. It really sucks either way. Thank God Michael Richards had good lines on Seinfeld. He can't improvise to save his ass. And that's one reason why he f*cked up that fabled night.
@ozzymotorhead You are correct. If you want to know greatness, May I suggest you type in "Scenes From An Idiot's Marriage" from SCTV. You will laugh yourself silly.
sounds to me like the audience are mainly stoned out of their minds. I remember this show vaguely from back in the day. Hard to believe they actually paid people to write that lame-ass crap. did lauch a few careers, though.
at first i did not understand this guy's way to act, how he likes to disturbs and do silly, but now I understand he's a fuckin genius, he got balls and he was really two or three steps away from audience and tv world.
Already angry at Andy when their "pot" skit began in the first place. This skit happened right after the sword swallower bit went to commercial. I remember being worried if the sword swallower died or not during commercials. Andy- set up Melanie and Richards to extreme agitation by his "unprofessionalism". He lit the fuse. Oh, the reason the audience whoops and hollers back then is because Fridays was a stoners show back then, nobody did pot jokes. One character on Fridays would smoke ganja and
This was definitely NOT staged!! At least, not as everybody thinks it was. The secret to Andy was that the "high" actress was in on it but Melanie and Richards WERE NOT. That's why she was laughing so hysterically- she was in on the prank, along with the producer and director.
I saw this live as a kid. Nobody ever ever mentions earlier in the show Andy Kaufman walking in on a sword swallowing bit, causing the swallower to "jump" and spit up blood. THIS was the reason Melanie and Richards were
@Machiminimo You kinda got it right but are off on a few key points. Melanie Chartoff and Michael Richards were both in on it and were well aware of what was going to happen. They were the only 2 cast members who were in on it. As for the rest of the people involved on the show producers John Moffitt and Jack Burns who was also the announcer were the only others.
@Machiminimo you are wrong. The only staff members aware of the plan were Richards, Melanie Chartoff, producer John Moffitt and producer/announcer Jack Burns according to wikipedia. Either way the segment was just not funny.
I wasn't a andy kaufman fan, but to be fair he did take a sketch that would have gone nowhere anyway and nobody would have ever remembered this show so he took a nothing skit and made it interesting.
If it wasnt for andy Kaufman being Andy Kaufman and totally weirding everybody out this show would have been lost to history. It looks like a terrible show. Where are the jokes?
I loved this show, may have been 10 or so when it aired. I would stay up late friday nights and watch the young micheal richards, i thought he was bizzare
you know when I think about it Cannabis would be the ideal recreational drug - it isn't physically habit forming, there's no danger of overdose, it's never the same twice which contributes to a gradual lessening of use over one's life, it helps people work out problems by giving them a new perspective & for artists it can be just the catalyst for profound growth. The Beatles "Rubber Soul" comes to mind. ... with all of that potential it's a shame pot makes people so violent
The thing with Andy was that you never knew if it was fake or not..He didn't tell jokes.Most of the time the audience was the punch line because they'd fall for it,like they did with him wrestling women..
oh my god the AUDIENCE IS SO ANNOYING! they're all awful except for Kramer and Andy... soooo the ladies. the ladies just annoy me. "Gee restaurants are amazing?" idiot.
Ah.. but after the scuffle at the end, the guy who has ahold of Andy just lets loose and they both walk away non-shalantly. I think it was mostly staged, but there was a lot of improv involved. Who writes a script like that? Maybe the Producer wanted a chance to get on camera... or maybe the writer wanted to get the Producer on camera, check out those shades! lol
No, because the first time Andy says a full sentence after he comes back from the bathroom is "I can't play YOU. I can't play stoned. I feel stupid." ..like Andy was supposed to follow her lead, but she wasn't saying anything. Then the actress next to him says "You feel stupid?" implying that the other actress should feel even more stupid because he's throwing her under the bus. Maybe it's that the 2nd actress was really stoned... or maybe she wasn't, but Andy just couldn't follow her lead.
I've seen this clip many times throughout my teen & adult years and I just had an epiphany.. What if Andy Kaufman was the 1 actor out of the 4 who really did smoke dope? ..and I think they all knew that, but wouldn't mention it on live TV because it would be defamation. Then while playing the part of someone who is stoned when he really was, the guilt got to him and he thought it would be clever to throw the audience off by saying that he doesn't know how to act stoned.
I was 16 and remember seeing this live. It definitely didn't look staged and I had the impression at the time that Andy Kaufman was near sighted or something and couldn't read the cue cards (through the whole show he seemed to be having this problem). I had a crush on Melanie Chartoff back then. So fine!
The curly haired lady is laughing and lights up a cigarette like she knew it was a joke, but when they start pushing each other at the end, she doesn't look so sure anymore!
Fans even say he really did fake his own death but that's just preposterous. ANDY IF YOU'RE READING THIS WHILE YOU'RE IN HEAVEN or HELL or EARTH (IF THEY HAVE YOUTUBE IN HEAVEN or HELL) THEN GIVE ME SOME ANSWERS. YOU'RE THE STRANGEST PERSON I'VE EVER SEEN AND HEARD AND IF YOU COULD CLARIFY YOUR DEATH AND MAKE ME UNDERSTAND YOU...then please message me.
This was staged but why did Kaufman do it?...it's just plain stupid. I guess he liked making scenes and pretending to be the bad guy. Andy Kaufman is a real character that's for sure, he liked being other while everyone else thought he was looking for a laugh. He's a very confusing at some times funny man. I'm so confused with Andy Kaufman...he wants people to hate him. If he were still alive I wish I could interview him on wanting to fake his own death and his antics.
What I found the most annoying about "Fridays" was the audience. I don't know if any of you noticed, but the "Fridays" audience had a tendency to constantly make animal noises or go "yeeaagggg!" or "owwww!" And the show wasn't really that funny. At least the audience on "Saturday Night Live" knew when to laugh at the right moments.
@azzonie The SNL audience laughs at the right times b/c the show is funny. Fridays was a train wreck. Why do you think it only lasted two seasons? Do a search on You Tube for the Larry David sketch as a doctor who does plastic surgery to make people look like celebrities. There is 45 seconds to a minute of no laughter b/c there are no jokes...or funny ones at least.
@gsizzles thats because Larry David is a Woody Allen wannabe. Most of his deadpan obnoxious humor falls flat. I agree about the audience noises...irritating to the hilt.
thats not entertaining thats stupid.
filmftw3 2 days ago
is that Michael Richards from Seinfeld?
TheDocumentarySite 1 week ago
@TheDocumentarySite
Nah that's Norm Macdonald from SCREWED X)
it really is dude. Kramer...that is ....watch man in the moon to get the Norm macdonald bit.
thSubliminalCriminal 2 days ago
WOOOO YEOWWW
apathist04 2 weeks ago
Comic genius
theoffdutyninja21 2 weeks ago
He just made a relatively bland sketch 10x funnier
willscomix 2 weeks ago
Andy Kaufman was not a comedian, he was a entertainer
LeastLikedCritic75 3 weeks ago
What a crap and unfunny sketch that was meant to be, Kaufman showed them for the frauds they were.
artois69 3 weeks ago
If this wasn't a fake, they would have cut to a commercial a lot earlier. That's why they have people in the booth.
38ddkelly 3 weeks ago
what a jew sounding jew kaufman was
lemonpop4u 4 weeks ago
LOVE IT!
MyFunnyBrianShow 1 month ago
YEA RIGHHTT WAS THIS PLANNED. Kaufmans just weird as fuck
jabroneyguy 1 month ago
all the guys who got mad at andy can go eat it!!!!!
HAPP1NESS777 1 month ago
So if this skit was faked. Then whats up with Jim Carrey's Man On the Moon scene that it wasn't.
agonizethis 1 month ago
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@agonizethis Stop believing biopics are accurate dumbass.
MrAtishraja 1 month ago
thats Kramer on the right !
lpgft 2 months ago
kaufman had a moment. one of those moments where you freeze, between the girls laughter and the other girl saying you can't play stoned, "great". after that he was unsure how to proceed. then when richards dicked him by walking over to the cue cards, then dropping them in andy's lap basically, that was a dick move. the sketch wasn't horrible or anything, it just wasn't very good either. andy got back at richards with the water, the rest was pure spontaneity. no premeditation.
wrathofgrunge 2 months ago
....to be honest, this was a really dumb fucking sketch. i dont blame andy for going off the way he did.......it's embarrassingly bad.
clemenza1234 2 months ago
look at andy..he knows he what he will do right from the start...genuis
Nimbus487 2 months ago
Michael Richards is fucking awesome with those cue cards! xD
Scweeb64 2 months ago
Jim Carrey looks very old
ultraviolator85 2 months ago
John belushi chops
MisterBamBam89 2 months ago
What is Kaufman was black?
MrSturgeonGeneral 2 months ago
Wow Michael Richards wasn't funny then either
brklynsown 3 months ago
I was waaaaaaay young when this was on television. Was SCTV on the sametime as Fridays?
thegreatbungholio21 3 months ago
This is not the way to treat Kramer
jsilva450 3 months ago
slightest hint of kramer at 4:32
feltchman 3 months ago
what an obnoxious crowd. yeeeeow! every few seconds.
marty7044 3 months ago 6
You would think that the audience is a bunch of 13 year old kids who just had their first joint or something.
casestudyification 3 months ago 3
I love how the one girl is still trying to act stoned throughout the sketch
nutjob76 3 months ago
@nutjob76 she showed guts, and guts is enough.
wrathofgrunge 2 months ago
(continued) with rage? Take a good hard look at the whole segment. You can tell when sub-par actors are "acting". No matter how hard they try it seems forced and contrived. Either Chartoff and Richards have better acting skills than Streep and Olivier or they weren't in on it from the beginning.
Machiminimo 3 months ago
@Y2Jin99 lol we all know everything on Wikipedia is completely true! Of course i was there when it happened and you have to remember Fridays was a LIVE show. Much like SNL when John Belushi cut a guys head with a samurai sword or Ashley Simpson's singing debacle, Fridays couldn't do any re-takes when disasters happened. Just carefully watch the whole thing again with this perspective in mind- are Melanie Chartoff and Micheal Richards really THAT good at acting that you could feel them bristle w
Machiminimo 3 months ago
@Machiminimo agreed. this sketch was most definately not planned. tv was different back then, there were no delays. it's things like this that made them institute delays into live tv and radio. other comments indicate people are just a hare too young to remember this and are looking at it thru the eyes of the present, instead of when it happened.
wrathofgrunge 2 months ago
@wrathofgrunge Actually you're wrong. This was a 100 percent planned out sketch.
TheMastersplinter1 1 month ago
@wrathofgrunge What are you talking about? Michael Richards said it himself that this was a skit. Even the co-producer Jack Burns (the guy with the club jacket) knew about it.
Kals33 1 month ago
Fucking audience shut up!
KeithWasHere1 3 months ago 3
The Crowd Is So annoying
shadowloks2292 4 months ago
Clearly staged as many of Kaufman's later 'impromptu' stunts were.
aldiboronti 4 months ago
The thing that get's me about seeing this now wasn't so much Andy's conduct when he broke character but the way everyone was acting before that. All of them, not just Michael Richards, managed to convey the snotty arrogance of the average Reagan era Yuppie. I was working at a restaurant at the time and used to watch these people treat their friends(not to mention the hired help) like crap all the time and I was amazed that fist fights didn't break out.
airdriver 4 months ago
@airdriver They seemed perfectly normal to me.
Sadakogirl 4 months ago
And the only reason Fridays is even remembered...
cmitch419 4 months ago
it's so obvious it's fake
prunepurple 5 months ago
Just like to say, the lady at 0:55 has terrible manners leaving her napkin on the table instead of her seat. Just sayin.
tekproxy 6 months ago
THE FINAL EPISODE OF MASH... WHO SHOT JR?... ANDY KAUFMAN ON FRIDAYS.... WHEN TV WAS TV.
stardeau28 6 months ago
this guy is a real life troll!!!! i love him!
makinbacon855 6 months ago
How weird is it that the first thing I thought was "Smoking in a resturant!?"
stgm 6 months ago 4
Part of me can't believe that an ABC-TV late-night network show would be so dangerously spontaneous. As enticing as it would be to believe, I have to think the whole routine was pre-meditated.
noahf67 6 months ago
I think members of the audience have been going to the bathroom to smoke a joint...they are fucking annoying!
flyingwombatperson 7 months ago 16
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This falls into the same category as pro wrestling in the 80's. I have no fucking clue how people could think this was real.
rupbe 7 months ago
Where the hell did misogynist come from!??? Get the fuck out of my car!!!!
cstanton87 7 months ago
Clearly looks fake to me, especially the little brawl in the end. It was something new back then, so I can imagine people thought this was real. I doubt it was.
Nostrum84 7 months ago
@Nostrum84 no andy kaufman always fucked with peoples heads only him n the producer knew about it, everybody else thought it was real. kaufmans a genious
wiltvideos 7 months ago
@Nostrum84 It is real, this is what Kaufman was like. This was because he disagreed with promoting drugs, although he pulled many similar stunts just to fuck with people's heads,
MrChimei 6 months ago
I remember seeing this live. We didn't know what the hell was going on.
navyboydjray 7 months ago 2
@navyboydjray
So you were 13 when you saw this?
DyingMaus36 6 months ago
@DyingMaus36 13 or 14. I just remember thinking what the hell was he doing.
I'm in my mid 40's now.
navyboydjray 6 months ago
@navyboydjray
I thought exactly the same thing when I saw this on live tv.
And I'm in my mid 20's LOL.
airdriver 4 months ago
kramer.
BJCobbledick 7 months ago
I hate how serious Michael Richards all the time. Watching the extras on the Seinfeld DVDs just makes me hate him more. Jerry and Julia and even Jason can cut up and laugh when a scene is messed up and Michael is always yelling and getting upset about it. Jesus man, get over yourself. You're a slapstick comedian, we don't take you seriously, so don't take yourself seriously.
vaibanez17 8 months ago
@vaibanez17 Michael Richards knew about the plan on forehand. He was acting.
Reint25 3 months ago
@Reint25 Says Richards after Kaufman's death, just to make it seem like he wasn't played by Andy like everyone else. "Oh, no no. I was in on it. I'm just as funny as Kaufman and I am down with many shenanigans and tomfoolery." I don't buy it, I think he made it up to cover his ass.
RyderRocks73 2 months ago
@RyderRocks73 Could be, I only got my information from wikipedia, so there you go.
Reint25 5 days ago
I think it was performance art. I also think that Kaufman was a supreme asshole with raging issues with...well, rage. And a misogynist. Dislike intensely.
BettinaBalser 8 months ago
@BettinaBalser it was a prank that these days would give people a heart attack and most likely get the show pulled. also how is kaufman a misogynist? because he threatend to throw food in the female cast members face? does her dumping bread onto his head constitute misandry?
dw053408 8 months ago
@dw053408 I think BettinaBalser is reffering to the fact that Andy Kaufman would only wrestle women, back in his wrestling days. I could be way wrong though. One thing's for sure, he was a nut.
drewper73 6 months ago
@drewper73 Yes. That is exactly what I am referring to.
BettinaBalser 5 months ago
@BettinaBalser He didnt have any rage problems. The whole thing was a joke, he pretty much was always in character even in the real world.
chuppedup 5 months ago 2
i just can't believe this was set up....if there's one thing TV sucks at doing, it's real, and this was way to good to be fake.
reptarDISCO 8 months ago
andy decided to go off script not knowing how to play a stoned character, and how richards is getting pissed and the cast in the sketch knowing somethng wasnt right and richards decides to bring him the scirpt to read the lines
squall600 8 months ago
MICHAEL RICHARDS, ( Kramer... ) is the other husband.....SWEET !!!
0150Conn 8 months ago
boring
coolaman420 8 months ago
I was there!!!!! Who knew it would become this legendary thing?
AngelaCaroleBrown 8 months ago
genius setup
rssfeedslive 8 months ago
man I hate the typical way people pretend to be high, that bitch sucked.
superdude13666 9 months ago
I've always hated him...he was an asshole.
jerry01aterols 9 months ago
Oh, I see. Michael Richards was in on it, too. The angry crew and Melanie Chartoff didn't know what was going on.
AudioVisualMatter 9 months ago
This guy was the master troll. rip
FullMetalllll 9 months ago 2
Andy Kaufman ruled. period.
JediCandice 10 months ago 2
Is the waiter Hank Azaria?
Towncrier123 10 months ago
Racist
AgentGordonCole 10 months ago
Kramer....
120970able1 10 months ago
I can't play stoned. Ha Ha. Andy Kaufmann f'ing everything up for everybody else. RIP
amybanksjazz 10 months ago 13
A big part of Fridays' appeal was the lovely ladies in their cast, especially Melanie Chartoff (the woman to Andy Kaufman's left in this sketch). Maryedith Burrell (the other woman) was quite attractive as well, and they also had a sexy redhead named Brandis Kemp, who had a hellacious body. This show was basically a lot of unrealized potential. They could have been great, but they were usually infantile.
elc1960 10 months ago
damn, that was a really fucking good setup. I never would have known it was staged...
ViralCultureMusic 10 months ago 3
wow... is that the guy from seinfeld? almost didnt recognise him.
hcvang 10 months ago
I think Andy knew exactly what got everyone's attention. He would create uncomfortable and suprising moments sometimes with fights and those things get people's attention. I mean let's face it, in general people love moments like this.
I mean when you think about it he had some genius ideas.
AbbeyRoad52 11 months ago 4
I can't believe it! Genius!
KMLVIDEOS 11 months ago
Fridays was a terrible show. This is the best moment.
thejobloshow 11 months ago
@thejobloshow also the jamaican chef was kinda funny but ur right. it sucked
ozzymotorhead 11 months ago
@thejobloshow Fridays was kind of lame at times, but it was better than SNL was during that time period. If SNL had had any competition for their time slot during that season, they would have gotten cancelled. In most areas, SNL was up against stuff like late movies, "Madame's Place" and "Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous". Likewise, Fridays' competition was Johnny Carson reruns and late movies.
elc1960 10 months ago
too bad it was all staged
ozzymotorhead 11 months ago
@ozzymotorhead Yeah I think you're right. It really sucks either way. Thank God Michael Richards had good lines on Seinfeld. He can't improvise to save his ass. And that's one reason why he f*cked up that fabled night.
peterzang 11 months ago
@peterzang fridays was always resorting to drug humor. pretty immature if u ask me. SNL had already moved on from drug humor after belushi left
ozzymotorhead 11 months ago
@ozzymotorhead You are correct. If you want to know greatness, May I suggest you type in "Scenes From An Idiot's Marriage" from SCTV. You will laugh yourself silly.
peterzang 11 months ago
andy was the father of trolls...some get it, some dont.
msannethr0pe 11 months ago
kramer and kaufman lol
joshgearey 11 months ago
my hero
bluestate69 11 months ago
one word to describe Andy GENIUS
dav4art 11 months ago
I can't understand why anyone ever thought Andy Kaufman was funny or a genius he was an unfunny idiot.
rrtodd95 11 months ago
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OMFG its the nigger guy!!!
stephaniebh2010 11 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
OMFG its the nigger guy!!!
stephaniebh2010 11 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
OMFG its the nigger guy!!!
stephaniebh2010 11 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
OMFG its the nigger guy!!!
stephaniebh2010 11 months ago
at the 3:33 there begins an STUPID Laugh that freakin me out!
pagliaccinodlemantra 11 months ago
Kaufman would have made a better Kramer... Hands down
srw5042 11 months ago
sounds to me like the audience are mainly stoned out of their minds. I remember this show vaguely from back in the day. Hard to believe they actually paid people to write that lame-ass crap. did lauch a few careers, though.
GretaGargoyle 1 year ago
KRAMER GOT OWNED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
lookinggood8 1 year ago
at first i did not understand this guy's way to act, how he likes to disturbs and do silly, but now I understand he's a fuckin genius, he got balls and he was really two or three steps away from audience and tv world.
tarek404 1 year ago
OHHHHH YEAHHH!!! WOOOOH!!!
tigahwood 1 year ago
Already angry at Andy when their "pot" skit began in the first place. This skit happened right after the sword swallower bit went to commercial. I remember being worried if the sword swallower died or not during commercials. Andy- set up Melanie and Richards to extreme agitation by his "unprofessionalism". He lit the fuse. Oh, the reason the audience whoops and hollers back then is because Fridays was a stoners show back then, nobody did pot jokes. One character on Fridays would smoke ganja and
Machiminimo 1 year ago
This was definitely NOT staged!! At least, not as everybody thinks it was. The secret to Andy was that the "high" actress was in on it but Melanie and Richards WERE NOT. That's why she was laughing so hysterically- she was in on the prank, along with the producer and director.
I saw this live as a kid. Nobody ever ever mentions earlier in the show Andy Kaufman walking in on a sword swallowing bit, causing the swallower to "jump" and spit up blood. THIS was the reason Melanie and Richards were
Machiminimo 1 year ago
@Machiminimo You kinda got it right but are off on a few key points. Melanie Chartoff and Michael Richards were both in on it and were well aware of what was going to happen. They were the only 2 cast members who were in on it. As for the rest of the people involved on the show producers John Moffitt and Jack Burns who was also the announcer were the only others.
TheYetiLee 1 year ago
@Machiminimo you are wrong. The only staff members aware of the plan were Richards, Melanie Chartoff, producer John Moffitt and producer/announcer Jack Burns according to wikipedia. Either way the segment was just not funny.
Y2Jin99 3 months ago
The whole thing was staged by Kaufman and Richards. The audience sounds like they were taping an episode of "Married with Children"
yerkeskid 1 year ago 2
@yerkeskid yeah seriously
TheoHuxtable07 9 months ago
What the fuck is wrong with the audience? They keep shouting "aaaawooo" "eaaaaa". I mean what the fuck?!?!?
HecklerBoy7 1 year ago
@HecklerBoy7 Just a bunch of morons who want their voices to be heard on television.
NotIkeman 1 year ago
la audiences can't compare with those in ny
MrStones64 1 year ago
This show is dumb and I'm glad that Andy brought a great aspect to this ill faded, gawker audience crap hole!
choney303 1 year ago
I wasn't a andy kaufman fan, but to be fair he did take a sketch that would have gone nowhere anyway and nobody would have ever remembered this show so he took a nothing skit and made it interesting.
nativewizard 1 year ago
If it wasnt for andy Kaufman being Andy Kaufman and totally weirding everybody out this show would have been lost to history. It looks like a terrible show. Where are the jokes?
livedinbars 1 year ago
I loved this show, may have been 10 or so when it aired. I would stay up late friday nights and watch the young micheal richards, i thought he was bizzare
1968yoshi 1 year ago
you know when I think about it Cannabis would be the ideal recreational drug - it isn't physically habit forming, there's no danger of overdose, it's never the same twice which contributes to a gradual lessening of use over one's life, it helps people work out problems by giving them a new perspective & for artists it can be just the catalyst for profound growth. The Beatles "Rubber Soul" comes to mind. ... with all of that potential it's a shame pot makes people so violent
atrios28 1 year ago
@atrios28
What? Nonsense.
femmefatalep3 1 year ago
@femmefatalep3 haha x-) =-p ;-)
atrios28 1 year ago
"I cant.... I cant play stoned." xD
MrOboema 1 year ago 2
so wait... Michael Richards' character didn't know his own wife smoked pot... and vice versa...
ksteve99 1 year ago
We miss you Andy!
xaviervonrottie 1 year ago 2
this show sucks dick
rocklobsta1415 1 year ago 2
un cazzo di genio
AngeloFravajo 1 year ago
Melanie Chartoff sure was sexy.
mcduffiesteven 1 year ago
Andy completely saved that painfully lame sketch.
GiganticAsses 1 year ago
I hear several Michael Jackson impersonaters are in the audience.
Trail717 1 year ago 30
Fridays was one of the funniest shows of it's time. I can't believe they never played any reruns anywhere. It's fuckin hilarious!
shawnpm35 1 year ago
Fridays was one of the funniest shows of it's time. I can't believe they never played any reruns anywhere. It's fucking hilarious!
shawnpm35 1 year ago
The thing with Andy was that you never knew if it was fake or not..He didn't tell jokes.Most of the time the audience was the punch line because they'd fall for it,like they did with him wrestling women..
mrgb46 1 year ago
I was watching that night...God I can't believe it's been 30 fuckin years. Anyway never for a moment did I doubt this wasn't part of the skit.
FishStone168 1 year ago
melanie charthoff is beautiful
AmericanBandanaStand 1 year ago
Thank God I wasn't raised watching improvized shit like this.
angels77100 1 year ago
Why do I get the feeling that woman has never been stoned in her life?
BrewNik 1 year ago 2
andy kaufman is not funny....
sellwill 1 year ago
What's with the audience and their constant annoying sounds? They sound like the "Married With Children" audience if it had gone retarded.
jpd782 1 year ago 4
oh my god the AUDIENCE IS SO ANNOYING! they're all awful except for Kramer and Andy... soooo the ladies. the ladies just annoy me. "Gee restaurants are amazing?" idiot.
cutieclark0788 1 year ago 4
@cutieclark0788 Never notice that until you pointed it out! It`s like they were all told to do it or something. woot woot!
xvoy2002 1 year ago
KRAMER!
diskochimp 1 year ago
I've only seen a few clips of Fridays, but any show where someone has to "set up" the scene is ridiculous. No wonder it was so short-lived.
theraptorfan100 1 year ago 21
@theraptorfan100 You are an idiot. Didn't they teach you anything in Comedy 101 at your local community college?
digsgoingdown 8 months ago
On Wikipedia it states that it was later revealed that this incident was a practical joke.
mykcheck1212 1 year ago
Ah.. but after the scuffle at the end, the guy who has ahold of Andy just lets loose and they both walk away non-shalantly. I think it was mostly staged, but there was a lot of improv involved. Who writes a script like that? Maybe the Producer wanted a chance to get on camera... or maybe the writer wanted to get the Producer on camera, check out those shades! lol
MrWickedWonders 1 year ago
This is one thing that has boggled my mind for over a decade and may still for decades to come.
MrWickedWonders 1 year ago
OR maybe my first theory was true, but Andy pulled a 2nd clever trick by putting the 2nd actress on the spot.
MrWickedWonders 1 year ago
No, because the first time Andy says a full sentence after he comes back from the bathroom is "I can't play YOU. I can't play stoned. I feel stupid." ..like Andy was supposed to follow her lead, but she wasn't saying anything. Then the actress next to him says "You feel stupid?" implying that the other actress should feel even more stupid because he's throwing her under the bus. Maybe it's that the 2nd actress was really stoned... or maybe she wasn't, but Andy just couldn't follow her lead.
MrWickedWonders 1 year ago
I think that's why they were all so bitterly angry rather than laughing it off.
MrWickedWonders 1 year ago
I've seen this clip many times throughout my teen & adult years and I just had an epiphany.. What if Andy Kaufman was the 1 actor out of the 4 who really did smoke dope? ..and I think they all knew that, but wouldn't mention it on live TV because it would be defamation. Then while playing the part of someone who is stoned when he really was, the guilt got to him and he thought it would be clever to throw the audience off by saying that he doesn't know how to act stoned.
MrWickedWonders 1 year ago
Kaufman was an OVERRATED ass.
7734Duke 1 year ago
Is that Rick Springfield in the background behind Andy?
wingchundragon 1 year ago
this is the first time i had seen this. i was a baby when they had this show! it's like SNL mixed with a little springer.
ladynikkie 1 year ago
wow thats Michael Richards
Greg509 1 year ago
I was 16 and remember seeing this live. It definitely didn't look staged and I had the impression at the time that Andy Kaufman was near sighted or something and couldn't read the cue cards (through the whole show he seemed to be having this problem). I had a crush on Melanie Chartoff back then. So fine!
tj3688 1 year ago
50 years ago he would have been hanging with those cue cards up his ass
gerryono 1 year ago 33
The curly haired lady is laughing and lights up a cigarette like she knew it was a joke, but when they start pushing each other at the end, she doesn't look so sure anymore!
duralaster 1 year ago
Transparent though it is in the 20-20 perspective of historical review, what a shocking trip this must have been to its live audience in 1981.
violethill 1 year ago
Fans even say he really did fake his own death but that's just preposterous. ANDY IF YOU'RE READING THIS WHILE YOU'RE IN HEAVEN or HELL or EARTH (IF THEY HAVE YOUTUBE IN HEAVEN or HELL) THEN GIVE ME SOME ANSWERS. YOU'RE THE STRANGEST PERSON I'VE EVER SEEN AND HEARD AND IF YOU COULD CLARIFY YOUR DEATH AND MAKE ME UNDERSTAND YOU...then please message me.
joetastic1000 1 year ago
This was staged but why did Kaufman do it?...it's just plain stupid. I guess he liked making scenes and pretending to be the bad guy. Andy Kaufman is a real character that's for sure, he liked being other while everyone else thought he was looking for a laugh. He's a very confusing at some times funny man. I'm so confused with Andy Kaufman...he wants people to hate him. If he were still alive I wish I could interview him on wanting to fake his own death and his antics.
joetastic1000 1 year ago
What I found the most annoying about "Fridays" was the audience. I don't know if any of you noticed, but the "Fridays" audience had a tendency to constantly make animal noises or go "yeeaagggg!" or "owwww!" And the show wasn't really that funny. At least the audience on "Saturday Night Live" knew when to laugh at the right moments.
azzonie 1 year ago 43
@azzonie I noticed that right away lol
thedaft92 1 year ago
@azzonie The SNL audience laughs at the right times b/c the show is funny. Fridays was a train wreck. Why do you think it only lasted two seasons? Do a search on You Tube for the Larry David sketch as a doctor who does plastic surgery to make people look like celebrities. There is 45 seconds to a minute of no laughter b/c there are no jokes...or funny ones at least.
gsizzles 1 year ago
@gsizzles thats because Larry David is a Woody Allen wannabe. Most of his deadpan obnoxious humor falls flat. I agree about the audience noises...irritating to the hilt.
7734Duke 1 year ago
@azzonie Yeah, sounds like a pre Married With Children audience, lol.
Freebleeper 1 year ago
@azzonie i know, right? wtf is up with all that "owww?" i could understand if it was a racey joke or something?..ahh, the 80's...
fmbighair 1 year ago
@azzonie
almost killed the clip for me, did all the lower IQ individuals wind up in the audience for this show?
HiTEqMETHOD 1 year ago