Andy Kaufman burst onto the national scene as a guest on the very first Saturday Night Live in October of 1975. Standing in the middle of a bare stage accompanied by an old record player, Kaufman put on a recording of the Mighty Mouse theme song. He stood silent until the chorus, when he broadly lip-synched "Here I am to save the day," then went mute until the chorus arrived again. This type of perplexing yet hysterical performance became Andy Kaufman's trademark and is his legacy as an original comic force. Despite his untimely death at the age of 34 from lung cancer, Kaufman's impact on popular culture was dramatic. Kaufman was a comedian who never told a joke; instead he broke the mold by creating a new comic style that was as much performance art as traditional stand-up.

Andy Kaufman as Latka Gravas on Taxi...