The King of Comedy (film) The King of Comedy (film) The King of Comedy is a 1982 American satirical black comedy film directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Robert De Niro, Jerry Lewis, and Sandra Bernhard. Written by Paul D. Zimmerman, the film focuses on themes including celebrity worship and American media culture. 20th Century Fox released the film on February 18, 1983, in the United States, though the film was released two months earlier in Iceland. Production began in New York on June 1, 1981, to avoid clashing with a forthcoming writers' strike, and opened the Cannes Film Festival in 1983. Rupert Pupkin (Robert
Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro Director-actor duo Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro have frequently collaborated throughout their careers, making a grand total of nine feature films together since 1973, along with one short film. Most of the pair's films were in the crime genre. Some of the pair's films are often ranked among the greatest films of all time. In 1967, Scorsese made his first feature-length film, the black and white "I Call First", which was later retitled "Who's That Knocking at My Door", with fledgling actor Harvey Keitel. The film was intended to be the first of