Jerry Stiller was an amazing actor and comedian who spent years making us laugh. The world grew a little darker this week when he died at the age of 92. He is known for many roles, including the one of Frank Costanza on Seinfeld, aka the man who invented Festivus.
His former costar and fellow comedian Jerry Seinfeld paid tribute to him on “What a Joke with Papa & Fortune” on SiriusXM’s Netflix is a Joke Radio. Check it out below:
“You know, there was a writer on the show, Larry Charles, was the guy who came up with the idea– it was his thinking, we need, who should we get to play George’s father? And he kept saying, Jerry Stiller, Jerry Stiller. And I remember Stiller and Meara from the 60’s, but hadn’t seen Jerry in a while and I just didn’t– and I thought, well, but he’s not bald. But Larry just kept mentioning him and finally we brought him in and he was so perfect. And those packages of just Jerry Stiller bits on my show are so unbelievably funny. What I loved about him is he so completes the George story. When you meet the father, you go, “Oh, now I understand why he’s like that.” It was the perfect finishing of the painting of George Costanza was Frank Costanza. He had the most amazing comedic stuff that he– we didn’t know if he was planning it or it just came out that way, or he couldn’t remember the line, or we didn’t know what it was, but we did not want to disturb it in any way. We never gave Jerry Stiller a note. I never adjusted his performance once. Whatever he did, that’s it. We’re putting that out there. I don’t know why he did it like that. I don’t know why he screamed on that line. It doesn’t matter. It’s funny. So funny. I am such a dedicated believer in if it’s funny, don’t touch it. I don’t care why it’s funny. I don’t care what the line was supposed to be. He said it that way, we’re doing it that way.”
What A Joke with Papa and Fortune airs on SiriusXM’s Netflix is a Joke Radio channel 93 weekdays during 7:00 – 9:00 am PT / 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET.