"... and in the 1990s with a memorable recurring role on “Seinfeld” — has died. He was 92... The team of Stiller and Meara was for many years a familiar presence in nightclubs, on television variety and talk shows, and in radio and television commercials, most memorably for Blue Nun wine and Amalgamated Bank. Years after the act broke up, Mr. Stiller captured a new generation of fans as Frank Costanza, the short-tempered and not entirely sane father of Jason Alexander’s George, on the NBC series 'Seinfeld'.... Frank Costanza was a classic sitcom eccentric whose many dubious accomplishments included marketing a brassiere for men and creating Festivus, a winter holiday 'for the rest of us' celebrated with tests of strength and other bizarre rituals. His most noteworthy characteristic was his explosive, often irrational anger, and most of the episodes on which he was featured found him, sooner or later, yelling.... Growing up in Brooklyn and on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, young Jerry was inspired to perform by seeing Eddie Cantor and Jimmy Durante in person... After serving in the Army during and immediately after World War II, he studied theater at Syracuse University under the G.I. Bill, learning about Greek tragedy and Shakespearean drama...."
From the NYT obituary for the great Jerry Stiller.
May 11, 2020
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Years after the act broke up, Mr. Stiller captured a new generation of fans as Frank Costanza, the short-tempered and not entirely sane father of Jason Alexander’s George, on the NBC series 'Seinfeld'
True, and now the first thing mentioned on TV is Frank Costanza, not the Stiller and Meara comedy act that my parents loved back in the Sixties. Print remembers, since it's marketed to people who still read newspapers. Not mentioned on either is his role in King of Queens, basically a reprise of Frank.
1970s variety shows were awash in great comedy acts. Stiller and Meara, Jonathon Winters, Bob Newhart, and a ton more. Great times!
Jason Alexander talked about working with Stiller on Seinfeld on the Gottfried podcast recently. Stiller and Meara were one of his comedy heroes, and working with Stiller was a joy. Part of the comedy was unintentional. Stiller had a hard time memorizing lines and getting them out, and the frustration he expressed on screen was real. It worked.
Serenity Now!
RIP
Okay, the extended print and TV obituaries do mention his role on Kevin James's show. I should have just said that I remember how much my parents loved the 60s comedy duo, but I was grasping for some kind of larger point and foundering/floundering.
Great is right. RIP.
...the great Jerry...
Uh, reporters are supposed to be neutral. Besides, if you have to tell us he's great, that means he really isn't, doesn't it?
I thought his work on King of Queens was more impressive, because it's harder to do it every week. I liked Stiller and Meara better separately than together. Their sketches turn up on satelliite radio sometimes. They're kind of like old Saturday Night Live sketches, with a very funny concept that goes on and on and on and on and....
I remember seeing Stiller and Meara on TV as a kid. I liked them but wondered why she was taller than him - that was unusual for a public couple at the time.
I wonder why comedy duos died out. There used to be many of them and now I can't think of any now.
Great comedian. Apparently a great husband, I think he me must have been a very, very good father.
It probably recreated today in a way that I don't see, but they come from a era with really funny couples.
Elaine May and Mike Nichols
Paula Prentis and Richard Benjamin.
RIP - a good long life
Comedic genius.
It's interesting to hear how Stiller transformed the Costanza character from a meek one who swallowed his rage into one who vomited it out.
Had television, in the years since Ralph Cramden and Archie Bunker, entered a less controversial rut portraying the unfulfilled male as demasculinized?
Is that why audiences embraced Frank Costanza, in all his outrageousness, as a breath of cathartic fresh air?
The cruise/cabana wear clothing can now be taken to Goodwill.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFf9GifEHhg
Does this mean there won't be any more feats of strength?
You want a piece of me?
the real story
Yes...serenity now. RIP.
King of Queens gets no love.
IRC, Stiller's wife was the funny one and he was more of the straight man. Like Burns and Allen. Seinfeld was great at taking actors and giving them great material to work with. The actress who played Mrs. Castanaza was pretty good too. After seeing Mr. and Mrs. Castnaza you could understand why George was so screwed up.
He was the best part of King of Queens.
Anne Meara...criminally underrated comedian, writer and actress due to living under Stiller's shadow.
There's a NY Friar's Club roast of Jerry Stiller on YouTube. Aside from all the standard crass jokes, one of the most interesting parts is where Ben Stiller, Jerry's son, gets up to talk about/to his dad. Class act, and apparently, a great father and family man.
,https://youtu.be/DkgnboddC5s?t=1768
I wonder why comedy duos died out. There used to be many of them and now I can't think of any now.
Seems like a survival from vaudeville. Comedians are individualistic now. Stand-up is about one person's experiences and observations. Now that stand-up rules the comedy world, it's become easier to come up with that kind of material than to write skits. As for sitcoms, it seems like they enjoy mixing up casts and finding new pairings. Plus, comic duos can get into ruts and rely on one joke over and over again. Sonny and Cher were like that. They didn't write their own material though.
Coincidentally, over the weekend, I was watching a replay of a NY Knicks v. Chicago Bulls basketball game from 2012. It was at MSG. Jerry and Ben were court side and they showed them interacting with the players and other fans. Was a come from behind Knick win in OT. Kevin James was there too.
RIP, Jerry, in Festivus Heaven. And thanks for all the laughs.
Stiller & Meara were like the Actor's Studio version of Burns & Allen. Their skit above still holds up....There's some durable about the comedy between men and women: Lucy & Desi, Carol & Harvey, Groucho & Margaret, Burns & Allen, Bill & Hillary.
"No Estelle. Only one person can hit Jason at a time."
The only comedy duo I know of now is Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim. They are...different from duos of old.
Lurker21 said... 'Seems like a survival from vaudeville. Comedians are individualistic now. "
Not that it's vaudevillian, but it seems like the ere of multiple person bands is coming to an end now too. Whenever I think about going to a music festival, it seems like very few band and lots of individuals.
I also remember Stiller and Meara from B&W TV days. Good fun- I thought Ann Meara's diphthong added to the comedy. I presume it was natural. Seems like they both had a good life. Good for them.
He hadda lot of problems with you people...
I wonder why comedy duos died out. There used to be many of them and now I can't think of any now.
It's not easy being the Straight Man in a comedy duo. That's why Bud Abbott got paid more than Lou Costello. George Burns was an exemplar of the craft, as was Johnny Carson when he had Rodney Dangerfield on.
Loved watching them on variety shows when I was a kid...seemed very sophisticated to me then. Ann was great in Sex and The City, as well.
Ann Meara's diphthong?
Personality wise, there has to be a sharing, a mutualism. One party can't get all the air. Or else it's not going to last long, of course. Maybe people aren't as good at sharing anymore. And am I mistaken or were many of these Partnerships reflective of a real life relationship, weren't Stiller and Meara married, Desi and Lucy married?
Preceded in death by his wife of 62 years. God bless both.
Mr. Stiller had a gem of a small role as Walter Matthau’s second-in-command in the original The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3, in what was one of the most New York movies ever made.
Seems like a survival from vaudeville. Comedians are individualistic now.
Perhaps comedy duos were a remnant from vaudeville, although you had some post vaudeville acts like the Smothers Brothers. The new generation of comedy acts seem to come up from the comedy clubs and perhaps they are not conducive for duos.
Another type of comedy duo that has died out are ventriloquists. But the question there is not why they died out but rather why they were popular to begin with.
I remember Arthur in King of Queens talking about going to socialist summer camp growing up. He was sort of a mix of Frank Costanza and Bernie Sanders.
Stiller and Meara were New Yorkers, but they worked in Chicago in their early years at the same club that Mike Nichols and Elaine May (and Shelley Berman) worked at (The Compass, that later became Second City). That may account for the similarities between Nichols and May and Stiller and Meara.
Saw Stiller and Meara a few times on Ed Sullivan re-runs. Funny bits they continued to perfect on The King of Queens. Actually liked his character, Arthur, better than George Costanza.
A true talent. RIP.
Frank: What the hell did you trade Jay Buhner for? He had 30 home runs, and over 100 RBIs last year. He’s got a rocket for an arm. You don’t know what the hell you’re doin’!
Steinbrenner: Well, Buhner was a good prospect, no question about it. But my baseball people loved Ken Phelps’ bat. They kept saying 'Ken Phelps, Ken Phelps.'
Are Garfunkel and Oates a comedy team? I know they sing together, but they've acted separately.
We've lost a national treasure. Damn, that man was funny!
How about a little blue nun?
--gpm
You could easily imagine that the first clip is Frank Costanza, the early years.
Probably the funniest minor character on Seinfeld, which is saying a lot. That series had some major comic talent.
Jerry was like a father to Jason Alexander - or maybe to Brian Stelter.
I have trouble telling them apart.
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