Love is in the air - Making News

Rodney Dangerfield finally got some respect.

When the famously cantankerous comedian ordered a hot tub sent by helicopter to the 21st story of his luxury Los Angeles condominium as a surprise Valentine's Day gift to his wife last month, the special delivery arrived without a hitch.

Why would the 81-year-old Dangerfield go to such extremes? "Have you seen my wife?" he asked playfully, referring to 49-year-old Joan, his spouse of nearly 10 years. "She's some dish, huh?"

Meanwhile, it was no small feat to get the spa to its final destination. To accomplish the acrobatic airlift, more than a dozen officers from the Los Angeles Police Department closed down Wilshire Boulevard, the commuter-saturated street where the Dangerfields live, and instituted an operational zone set up by the Federal Aviation Administration to keep the area's airspace clear, according to Reggie Sully, airlift operations representative at Airlift Construction Services in Long Beach.

"It's about the 10th hot tub we've set up in a high-rise," Sully said. "But it's the first one in this building."

The high-flying hot tub, which was decorated with hearts and red velvet ribbons for the occasion, is a four-person capacity, low-profile unit with redwood cabinets, three pumps and fiberoptic lighting.

"He was looking for a hot tub with very strong jets," said Roger Kale, factory representative at Cal Spas of Northridge in Northridge, Calif., where the unit was purchased. "He has a sunken jetted bathtub in one of his bathrooms, but he didn't think it was powerful enough or soothed him in the right places."

In fact, the determined Dangerfield refused to relent when Kale informed him of all the complications involved in delivering the hot tub.

"I told him I had bad news," Kale said. "The only way he was going to get the spa in his condominium was with a helicopter. To most people, they would have forgotten about it at that point. Instead, he said, `Ooh, can we film it?'"

Relaxation and proper blood circulation take top priority for the octogenarian whose act made low self-esteem hip. "I'm trying to stay healthy," Dangerfield said. "In fact, I asked my doctor if I was strong enough for sex. He told me not if I join in."

Although the hot tub is now safely secured in his exercise room, Dangerfield hasn't been allowed to soak up any spa time with his wife. It seems regulations have won out over romance.

"The homeowners' association wants the hot tub hooked up to a drain line with an overfill in the event the couple fills it with water and someone forgets to turn off the hose," Kale said. "It can do quite a bit of damage going down 21 floors."

For now, it looks like any rekindling of romance with his wife will have to wait. Quipped Dangerfield about his love life, "We have Olympic sex--once every four years."

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