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
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro was not released until 1969. The two reunited for the 1968 film "Greetings", which was De Niro's official film debut. In 1973, De Niro had been praised for his role in "Bang the Drum Slowly" while Scorsese had been working as an editor on the movie "Woodstock". The same year, Scorsese and De Niro collaborated for the first time on the gangster film "Mean Streets". Scorsese had been taught that entertaining films can be shot with little money by Roger Corman, who had helped prepare Scorsese for the difficulties of making "Mean Streets". The film, about a small-time gangster living