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Dangerfield widow sues over video


Dangerfield was famed for his self-deprecating one-liners

The widow of legendary US comedian Rodney Dangerfield is suing over a videotape of the star's later years.

Joan Dangerfield filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court to stop the airing of the videotape that she says was never intended for the public.

Papers claim David Permut, a former friend, has 200 hours of footage, which he intends to edit and show at next year's Sundance Film Festival.

Dangerfield died in October 2004 at the age of 82.

Ill health

The lawsuit claims the footage of Dangerfield, which was shot in his home, is "highly private, extremely sensitive and very personal."

Much of it shows the comedian in ill health and "was never intended to be made available for viewing by the public."

A call to Permut's company, Permut Presentations of Beverly Hills, was not immediately returned, the Associated Press news agency said.

The suit also claims that Mr Permut has shown some of the material to a writer and a newspaper reporter and is editing the material into a documentary.

The action also claims Mr Permut violated an agreement he had with Mrs Dangerfield giving her joint control of the material.

It seeks court orders barring Mr Permut from showing the footage until the dispute can be settled through arbitration.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7009327.stm