Steven Wilson sent along the following to WrestleZone.com:
Mr. Andy Kaufman’s Gone Wrestling!
Toronto, ON (April 22, 2009) – A full twenty five years after his death, Video Service Corp celebrates Andy Kaufman’s unique brand of comedy with the release in Canada of My Breakfast With Blassie and I’m From Hollywood on May 12, 2009, with a suggested retail price of $24.98 for the two DVD set. Both films offer insight into the state of mind of Kaufman before his fatal cancer diagnosis, which some people to this day think was a hoax. Kaufman was memorably portrayed by Jim Carrey in the Milos Forman biopic Man On the Moon, which focused on Kaufman’s career and life, including his later obsession with professional wrestling.
My Breakfast With Blassie, filmed in 1983, features Kaufman and wrestling legend Fred Blassie, self-proclaimed King of Men and coiner of the phrase “pencil-necked geek,” as they meet for breakfast and discuss wrestling, hygiene, stardom and whether to eat bacon or sausage. This classic piece of performance art from one of our greatest comedians was deemed, “often crude, but always creative,” by TV Guide and also features a heaping plate of bonus features, including lost footage of Kaufman, bonus footage, a making-of feature and more.
Kaufman’s obsession with professional wrestling was often suspected of being an act, an angry spoof of the nexus of sport and sideshow – the pro wrestling scene. The 1989 film I’m From Hollywood chronicles Kaufman’s transformation into a wrestling heel like none other, taking a wrestling match into a feud against trainer Jerry Lawler and the state of Tennessee , as only Kaufman could. This is Kaufman at his most dangerous, exposing the soft white underbelly of American culture, while sacrificing his own career to a level of performance art that has not been replicated since his death on May 16, 1984. Bonus features for this film include a hilarious photo gallery of letters Kaufman received from women ready to take him on after he publicly taunted female wrestlers, commentary from producer Lynne Marguilies, footage of Jerry Lawler at the Egyptian Theater in Hollywood and more. “Given our commitment to bringing quality comedy and classic performances to DVD, we’re thrilled to team with Johnny Legend and Lynne Marguilies to package these films together in this DVD set,” stated VSC President Jonathan Gross , “Andy Kaufman made a career creating his own theatre of the absurd that blurred the lines between comedy and public disturbance long before Tom Green, Sascha Baron Cohen and Johnny Knoxville’s crew.”
About Video Service Corp.
Since its 1993 founding by former rock critic Jonathan Gross , Video Service Corp has been a leader in releasing cult films on DVD, including Bruce McDonald’s Hard Core Logo, Kenny and Spenny’s first feature, Pitch, and the women in prison classic Chained Heat.
