The King of Comedy (film) Reagan administration in contrast to other films made during the administration's early years (although the script was written well before Reagan's election, and shooting began less than five months after Reagan took office). "At a time when the film world piles on simple-minded sentiment in thick gooey gobs, a picture like "The King of Comedy" appears a frontal assault. The triumph of the 'little guy' is revealed to be nothing more than lumpen neo-Fascist blood lust." Pauline Kael of "The New Yorker" was one of the critics who disliked the film, describing the character of Rupert Pupkin as "Jake LaMotta
Robert De Niro Sr. Art Museum, Provincetown Art Association and Museum, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Wadsworth Atheneum, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Whitney Museum of American Art, Yale University Art Gallery, and the Yellowstone Art Museum. DC Moore Gallery represents the Estate of Robert De Niro Sr. The first exhibition of his works at the gallery was in April 2012. In June 2014, "Robert De Niro Sr. Paintings and Drawings, 1948–1989" opened at DC Moore Gallery. Robert De Niro Sr. died of cancer on the morning of May 3, 1993 (his 71st birthday) at his Manhattan home. He is interred at Kensico Cemetery in Valhalla, New