Every time Jerry Stiller opened his mouth on “Seinfeld,” it made me laugh.
Partly, it was the shock of what came out. Stiller, who died Monday at the age of 92, didn’t speak so much as erupt. His bristling bass instantly changed the energy in the scene, adding ludicrous tension and unmuffled anger that came off as deliriously silly. Then there was his masterly comic rhythm, an old school rat-a-tat that got right to the point. But what really resonated was more personal.
As a kid watching this classic sitcom, I knew nothing about a New York stand-up like Jerry Seinfeld, a goofy copy editor like Elaine Baines, or Hell Cosmo Kramer. But Stiller's Frank Costanza was keenly familiar with an energy and fashion sense immediately recognized by his family's Florida crew. They did not remind me of a specific relative, as they all scream at each other at the same time over severed liver.
Stiller, it must be said, had an expanding career that included helping to invent improvisational comedy with Compass Players in Chicago; A hit double act with his wife Anne Meara; And everything from the film "hairspray" to the sitcom "The King of Queens" is memorable. But as is often the case in memories, journalists focus on their most famous role. As it bothered me, headlines about Brian Denhy's death focused on "Tommy Boy" and "First Blood", as opposed to his historical appearances in plays by Arthur Miller and Eugene O'Neill , You may be irritated that this essay celebrates a supporting role towards the end of his career. If so, let me ask you one thing: Kevat about it, loudly. If there's anything to be learned from Jerry Stiller on "Sinfield", this is it: Volume matters.
"Peace now!" As a tool for relaxation at the behest of your doctor, there is not a spoonful of Zen about it. Stiller was not a tactician, either. He could also laugh in soft accents, even benefiting from rasgulla. Repeat to her "You want me a piece?" Julia Louis-Dreyfus, making her break character, in one of the great Outcomes in comedy history. His calm intensity is what first startles, roars.
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