Word: latka
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Kaufman's most familiar incarnation is also his most comforting, a benign extension of Foreign Man tailored for situation comedy and appearing weekly, under the name Latka Gravas, on ABC's smash sitcom Taxi. But Latka fans who sought out Kaufman at his frequent unscheduled appearances at comedy clubs or who checked out his recent concert at Manhattan's Carnegie Hall got something of a shock. Lovable Latka is there all right, but reduced to supporting status; his cute malapropisms ("America is a tough town") are cut entirely; only his accent, and the loony-tune vocabulary, remain...
Talent with a Taint. Eddie Lewis, the narrator, is a pressagent, prey to the pressagent's stock neurosis: Shall I go on prostituting my talent for dough or shall I bravely become a Serious Writer? A nice girl, Beth, thinks Eddie should be brave, but his boss, Nick Latka, has a big thing for him to build up-a giant Argentine with a glass jaw who can be babied and ballyhooed into a heavyweight contender. This game appeals to Eddie and so does his promised cut of the proceeds, so he takes leave of Beth and swings...