Los Angeles City College to Launch the Rodney Dangerfield Institute

It appears that, in death, Rodney Dangerfield can finally get some respect. In addition to a mural in Queens, the legendary comic is now being honored with another fitting memorial: A new comedy institute based out of Los Angeles City College.

The L.A. City College announced Wednesday that they will be launching the Rodney Dangerfield Institute in order to honor one of comedy’s most recognizable faces. The RDI is the first comedy institute to be based out of a community college, and will offer classes in improv, stand-up, joke writing and comedy film. Keeping with Dangerfield’s motif of being an “everyman,” the RDI’s classes will make comedy training available even to those on a tight budget.

“Rodney’s comedy personified the down-on-his-luck everyman,” said Rodney’s widow and honorary RDI chairman, Joan Dangerfield. “Los Angeles City College is the perfect choice to house this innovative institute. Now students will have the opportunity to study comedy at an affordable cost in the heart of Hollywood.”

Dangerfield is joined on the RDI advisory board by former opener and Laugh Factory manager Harry Basil. One of the institute’s first public events will be a September 7th staged reading of the hit Dangerfield film Back to School, which will feature Everybody Loves Raymond co-star Brad Garrett reprising Dangerfield’s role of Thornton Melon, as well as a Q&A with the film’s original stars.

For more information on what the Rodney Dangerfield Institute has to offer, follow this link.

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Bill Tressler

Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.
Bill Tressler
Bill Tressler
Bill is a writer and comedy enthusiast from New York. An avid gamer and podcast fan, he strives to always toe the line between charming irreverence and grating honesty.