Rodney Dangerfield Honored with New Website

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- If you like to laugh so much that it hurts, there is a new website just for you being launched today by Rodney Dangerfield's widow, Joan, in honor of the enigmatic comedy legend's 92nd birthday.

Rodney was a cyberspace pioneer who became the first celebrity to have his own official website in March 1995.  He envisioned folks going to his site for a laugh break at the office.  In those days, home computers were rare and it would be another 15 years before iPads were invented and we could browse the Internet from our cell phones.

Rodney's new site (www.rodney.com) features a novel design that navigates sleekly on today's mobile devices and showcases a treasure trove of Rodney's unique brand of humor, including shareable audio of his most recognized one-liners as well as never-before-seen exclusive selections from Joan's personal archive, "The Collected Papers of Rodney Dangerfield."  

The estimated 3,000 page archive of handwritten jokes and jokes in progress were curated over many years.  When friend Tim Allen got a chance to personally view them, he said, "It feels like I'm going through Rodney's underwear drawer."  New selections from the archive will be added to the site on a regular basis.

"Known chiefly for his no-respect persona, Rodney was the Socrates of our time," states Joan Dangerfield.  "His comedy was the unveiling of the great mysteries behind the common man in the everyday world.  He was an idealist, not simply a character but a champion of the downtrodden, and his success was proof of his theory that every man believes himself to be the underdog.  Everyone laughed, because everyone identified.  Getting no respect was not only his tag line, but his hypothesis."

As the creative force behind the new site, Joan scoured the Internet to find the right website design company to work with, ultimately choosing Shine United in Wisconsin, where Rodney filmed "Back to School."  "They were delightful to work with.  I can be a bit tyrannical and had a specific vision for the site that Shine was able to bring to life."

"Being asked to work on a project that's associated with Rodney's legacy is quite an honor," says Shine Creative Director John Krull. "We've built the design to be reflective of his complex personality while at the same time being easy to navigate.  Using horizontal parallax scrolling, visitors can move along a virtual catalog of Rodney's life work, highlighting his wide portfolio and going behind the scenes with his character and the relationships he formed through show business."

"I tell ya, when I was a kid I had it rough. Once on my birthday, my old man gave me a bat.  The first day I played with it, it flew away."

Happy Birthday, Rodney, and thanks for the laughs.

CONTACTS:
DANGERFIELD: Marlan Willardson / [email protected] / 310.701.3350 
SHINE UNITED: Aleah Schroeder / [email protected] / 608.442.7373

About Rodney Dangerfield
Grammy award-winning comedy legend, Rodney Dangerfield, known for his iconic "I don't get no respect" line, appeared in 22 films, 20 lite beer commercials, and on "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" a record 70 times.  His signature getup (black suit and red tie) is part of a permanent collection at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C., and he is known for having given many renowned comedians their early breaks, including Jim Carrey, Tim Allen, Roseanne Barr, Jerry Seinfeld, Louie Anderson, Andrew Dice Clay and Sam Kinison.

About Shine United
Shine United is a $40 million advertising, design and interactive agency located in Madison, Wisconsin.  The privately held company's client experience includes national consumer brands such as Harley-Davidson, Wisconsin Cheese, Winston Fly Rods and Mizuno Running and Golf.  Shine is creatively driven, results focused and dedicated to building passion between people and brands.  Learn more at shineunited.com.  Shine on.

Video with caption: "Rodney Dangerfield's new website (www.rodney.com) features a novel design that navigates sleekly on today's mobile devices and showcases a treasure trove of Rodney's unique brand of humor, including shareable audio of his most recognized one-liners as well as never-before-seen exclusive selections from Joan Dangerfield's personal archive, "The Collected Papers of Rodney Dangerfield."  Video available at:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zTam43BOBg&feature=youtu.be

Image with caption: "Home page of comedy legend Rodney Dangerfield's new website (www.rodney.com) launched today, November 22nd, 2013 (his 92nd birthday). Rodney was a cyberspace pioneer who became the first celebrity to have his own official website in March 1995." Image available at: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131122/LA22354

SOURCE Joan Dangerfield