September 12, 1978 –
The show James L. Brooks and friends created after the Mary Tylet Moore series ended, Taxi, starring Judd Hirsch, Jeff Conaway, Marilu Henner, Tony Danza, Christopher Lloyd, Danny DeVito, and Andy Kaufman premiered on this date.
Andy Kaufman had invented the persona for his character in his comedy act prior to working on the show, including the famous line “tank-you-veddy-much“. It was the show’s writers that came up with the name of Latka Gravas. Kaufman created Latka’s language, which he taught to Carol Kane for her role as Simka, by inviting her to dinner, and refusing to let her speak English.
The Haus of Dcaligari 