The Beginning - Part 2

Once Forman and DeVito got the idea of making a film about Kaufman, they began to put together the list of people who had been involved in the comic's life: the people who would help shape the story and the script. As they began their quest, they quickly discovered that everyone who had known or loved Andy personally, was thrilled by the idea of a movie being made about his life and his art.

One of the first people DeVito contacted was George Shapiro, who with his partner Howard West, had been Andy's manager from 1975 until his death.

"When Milos and I were still at Michael's party and talking about the project," says DeVito, "the first thing that came out of my mouth was 'you'll direct the movie, I'll produce the movie and I'll play George Shapiro.'"

"George loved Andy dearly and I knew that," continues DeVito. "He was closer to Andy than anybody I knew. When Andy was on Taxi, George would come to every show. He really cared about what was going up on the screen. And I knew he would be the same way about our movie."

It was important for the producers to be as faithful to the true Andy Kaufman as possible, so the second person DeVito contacted was Bob Zmuda, Andy's best friend who had collaborated with him since the mid-1970s.

Continues DeVito, "I called to tell George and Bob what was on my mind because I wanted this to be a family experience. I wanted everybody to come together again, no matter where they were in their lives at that moment, to embrace Andy's spirit and join in this celebration of his life."

Recalls Shapiro, "I first met Andy in 1975. I was having lunch with Carl Reiner and Dick Van Dyke, and Carl, who had just returned from New York, was telling me about the most bizarre and wonderful act that he'd ever seen at the comedy club, "Catch A Rising Star." And Carl, who has total audio recall, did Andy's entire act with all the accents and jokes and describing the conga drums and the Elvis impersonation. It was fascinating."

Shapiro continues, "Then, Budd Friedman mentioned to me that he was flying Andy out to Los Angeles to work at the Improv and suggested that I come to see him. I loved his act and I gave him my card and soon thereafter we began working together."

Bob Zmuda, who had met the comic just before Kaufman auditioned for Saturday Night Live remembers that, "Andy was already known as a hot act on the nightclub-cabaret circuit in New York when I first saw his act at the Improv. And he totally pulled one over on me."

Zmuda continues, "Even though other comics in the room told me it was all a put on, I was amazed that he kept up the 'foreign man' routine once he came off stage. He not only kept it up, but when he saw me watching him, he asked if I could help him load some of his stuff into his car because his back was hurting him. Because I was interested in talking to him, I said of course and when I went back stage he had all kinds of thing to be loaded: the conga drums, his suitcase, a 16mm projector and there I was lugging all this stuff and I clearly understood why his back was hurting. I no sooner finished loading the car then he closed the trunk, straightened up and turning to me said 'sucker' as he got in and drove away."

"I couldn't believe he'd gotten me so badly," Zmuda says. "But it was the beginning of a relationship which lasted until his death."