Answers to Questions about Latka

Here are some answers to often-asked questions about Andy/Latka:

Where did Latka come from?

The name of the country is never mentioned, though from the accent it was presumably in eastern Europe. Latka is based on Foreign Man, a character Andy used in his standup routines.

Were Andy Kaufman and Tony Clifton the same person?

Yes. Andy had it in his TAXI contract that Vegas lounge singer Tony Clifton (a character Andy made up) would appear in a couple of episodes. Clifton's first appearance was to have been as Louie's brother in episode 10, "A Full House For Christmas." The cast and crew found him so obnoxious, however, that it soon became apparent that Clifton had to go. Andy agreed, but only if they would have Clifton publicly fired and removed from the studio lot by security guards, which is exactly what happened. Frank Lovece describes the incident in "The Official Fan's Guide to TAXI," and you can also read about it on the Andy Kaufman Homepage (scroll down to "Who was Tony Clifton").
My theory is that Clifton (or maybe his brother?) did eventually make it on the show in the character of Vic Ferrari.

What was the language Latka spoke?

It was a language Andy made up, and which he taught to Carol Kane (Simka).

My vote for the strangest camera shot on TAXI? It would have to be in A Paper Marriage (episode 9). Just before the wedding in the garage (I think it is the first shot coming out of a commerical break), the camera starts on the far wall of the garage, does some crazy movements (I can't remember them exactly, probably a slow zoom out and pans left and right), and finally ends up on the actors. My guess is that no one realized that they didn't have another shot to use until they were editing the show, and--rather than reshoot--someone made the decision to use that shot. Anyone connected with the show want to chime in here with some details of what actually happened?

The Classic TV Database has a generic page about the show with some incorrect data. They list the show as having 115 episodes; I wonder which episode they consider #115? I emailed them a while back about this, and never received a reply.

The site also lists Zena as having been played by "Rita Perlman." C'mon guys, get a clue...

The TAXI site search feature (at left) is up and running, though it has some limitations. If you search for a term like "hospital" one of the search results will be the Episode List Page (episode.htm). Clicking on this link will take you to this page, and automatically scroll down to the first episode with the term "hospital". Ideally, searching for a term willl list _all_ episodes which contain this term, and allow you to select whichever one of these you want to see. Give the search engine a try, and know that I'm working on a better solution. If you have a suggestion, or are having trouble finding a particular episode, email me or leave me a comment.

I have had a Trivia section on the site before, and am toying with the idea of creating another one. Let me know what you think, and if you have any suggestions for trivia questions, please send them this way (with the answers).