>>> IT'S BEEN MORE THAN 20 YEARS
NOW SINCE "SEINFELD" LEFT THE
AIR AS THE NUMBER ONE SHOW ON
TELEVISION.
ON MAY 14th, 1998, 76 MILLION
AMERICANS WATCHED THE SERIES
FINALE AND SAID GOOD-BYE TO
JERRY, ELAINE, GEORGE AND
CRAMER.
SINCE THEN JERRY SEINFELD HAS
CONTINUED THE CAREER OF A
STANDUP COMEDIAN THAT STARTED
WHEN HE WAS JUST A 20-YEAR-OLD
FROM MASSAPEQUA ON NEW YORK'S
LONG ISLAND.
NOW 64, SEINFELD STILL SPENDS
HIS DAYS STUDYING THE
ABSURDITIES OF OUR LIVES AND
TRANSLATING THEM INTO COMEDY,
PERHAPS BETTER THAN ANYONE EVER
HAS.
JERRY'S LATEST GIG IS A RUN OF
STANDUP SHOWS BEGINNING NEXT
MONTH AT NEW YORK'S FAMED BEACON
THEATER.
HE AND I ALONG WITH A RASPY
VOICE GOT ON THE BEACON STAGE
FOR AN INTERVIEW IN OUR SUNDAY
SITDOWN.
>> I DON'T LIKE ANYTHING WHERE
PEOPLE GO WOO.
>> SO THIS PLACE HAS KIND OF
BECOME YOUR HOME FOR STANDUP IN
NEW YORK CITY?
>> YES.
>> YOU'VE DONE THE RESIDENCY
BEFORE.
COMING BACK TO DO IT AGAIN.
>> UH-HUH.
>> WHAT BRINGS YOU BACK HERE
AGAIN AND AGAIN?
>> IT'S THAT BASEBALL GLOVE THAT
JUST -- YOU CAN'T BEAT IT, YOU
KNOW?
YOU HAVE -- YOU HAVE A FEW
GLOVES IN YOUR LIFE BUT THERE'S
THAT ONE THAT'S JUST THE PERFECT
FIT AND THE SOUND WHEN THE BALL
HITS THE GLOVE AND THAT'S YOUR
GLOVE.
THIS HOUSE IS MY BASEBALL GLOVE.
>> SO WHAT DO YOU DO TO PREPARE
FOR A RESIDENCY DIFFERENT THAN
ONE-OFF STANDUP GIGS?
IS THERE SOMETHING YOU DO
DIFFERENTLY?
>> I DON'T REALLY DO ANYTHING
DIFFERENT EXCEPT THAT I JUST
FEEL DIFFERENT AND, YOU KNOW, I
KNOW WHO I'M TALKING TO.
>> RIGHT.
>> I'M TALKING TO NEW YORKERS.
>> SO WHEN I TALK TO HOW
ANNOYING IS IT TO BE CONSTANTLY
PEOPLE AND HOW THEY PUSH YOU,
YOU HAVE TO GO.
>> RIGHT.
>> TO THIS RESTAURANT.
IT'S LIKE, OKAY, YOU KNOW FOR
THE STREET CLEANER, WHAT IS THAT
GUY DOING?
ARE THEY CLEANING?
ARE THEY REALLY CLEANING THE
STREET?
>> JUST KIND OF MOVING THE TRASH
AROUND FROM WHAT I CAN TELL.
>> SPINNING IT.
>> WITH THE TRAIL OF WATER OUT
THE BACK.
ARE THEY JUST LAUGHING IN THERE?
WATCH OUT!
WE'RE CLEANING UP.
>> YOU'RE DRIVING OR YOU'RE
WALKING DOWN BROADWAY, YOU SEE
THE STREET SWEEPER.
YOU HAVE THAT INSTINCT THAT
THERE'S SOMETHING WEIRD ABOUT
THAT STREET SWEEPER.
>> YEAH.
>> YOU SAY THAT'S STUPID?
WHAT DO YOU DO, WRITE IT DOWN?
>> I LIKE TO PLAY WITH IT ON A
PAD.
>> THE YELLOW PAD.
>> YEAH.
I LOVE MY YELLOW PAD AND I FIND
THAT TO BE -- THAT'S MY --
THAT'S KIND OF LIKE MY STEAM
ROOM, YOU KNOW?
I JUST LIKE TO JUST THINK OF
WHAT'S FUNNY ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW?
>> RIGHT.
>> MOST COMEDIANS DO NOT DO THAT
IN MY EXPERIENCE OF TALKING TO
THEM.
THEY LIKE TO WORK IT OUT ON
STAGE.
I LIKE TO HAVE BOTH.
I LIKE TO HAVE A LITTLE
ARCHITECTURE AND THEN I LIKE TO
PLAY WITH IT ON STAGE AND THEN
HERE'S THE OTHER BIG SECRET OF
COMEDY, THE AUDIENCE WRITES MOST
OF IT.
YOU KIND OF GIVE THEM WHAT YOU
THINK IS FUNNY AND THEY GRADE
YOUR WORK SECOND TO SECOND.
>> WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WHERE YOU
TEST DRIVE YOUR MATERIAL.
>> UH-HUH.
>> YOU'VE TALKED ABOUT YOUR
AUDIENCE AT HOME BEING PRETTY
BRUTAL.
>> UH-HUH.
>> BECAUSE THEY'RE FUNNY, YOUR
KIDS ARE FUNNY.
I KNOW YOUR WIFE IS FUNNY.
>> YES.
>> DO YOU TEST DRIVE SOME OF
THAT AROUND THE APARTMENT,
MATERIAL WISE?
>> SOMETIMES.
I DO SOMETIMES.
>> YEAH.
>> BUT THEY ARE SO BRUTAL THAT I
HAVE TO SAY, DO YOU THINK THIS
IS FUNNY?
IF I DO IT, LIKE WITH NORMAL
PEOPLE YOU WILL JUST KIND OF
DROP IT IN A CONVERSATION AND
SEE IF IT GETS ANYTHING.
>> RIGHT.
>> BUT WITH MY FAMILY YOU'VE GOT
TO ANNOUNCE, I'D LIKE TO TRY A
JOKE OUT BECAUSE IF I DON'T
YOU'RE LIABLE TO GET -- WHICH IS
FAR WORSE THAN -- IT'S BAD
ENOUGH PEOPLE DON'T LAUGH, BUT
THEY'LL GO, YOU FEEL FUNNY NOW,
DAD?
>> OH.
>> FEEL LIKE YOU'RE BEING FUNNY
NOW?
WHICH IS JUST A GUT PUNCH.
THEY REALLY WILL GUT YOU.
>> I'M BORN IN BROOKLYN.
THAT'S MY HOME BOROUGH AND THEN
MY PARENTS MOVED OUT TO
MASSAPEQUA WHICH IS AN INDIAN
NAME.
IT MEANS BY THE MALL.
>> DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST
TIME SOMEONE TOLD YOU YOU WERE
FUNNY SOMETIME IN MASSAPEQUA?
>> YEAH.
YEAH.
SURE.
>> WAS IT YOUR MOM OR DAD?
>> NO, I WAS NEVER FUNNY AROUND
THEM.
MY FRIENDS DID.
I THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST AS
FUNNY.
>> THE FIRST TIME I GOT UP IN A
LITTLE CLUB IN MID TOWN
MANHATTAN AT A PLACE CALLED THE
GOLDEN LION PUB AND THEY
LAUGHED, THAT WAS --
>> I NEVER THOUGHT I COULD MAKE
A NON-FRIEND LAUGH.
>> RIGHT.
NO TURNING BACK FROM THERE FOR
YOU?
>> NO.
NO.
>> HOW OLD WERE YOU AT THAT
POINT?
>> 20.
>> SO HOW OLD ARE YOU THAT NIGHT
ON CARSON?
>> 26.
YOU PULL UP TO THE LIGHT AND IT
SAYS LEFT TURN, OKAY.
DIDN'T YOU LIKE THAT ONE
NON-PERSONAL TOUCH?
IT'S LIKE LEFT TURN, OKAY.
>> HOW BIG WAS THAT NIGHT FOR
YOU?
>> I DESCRIBED THE OTHER NIGHT
AT THE GOLDEN LION AND THEN
THERE WAS THAT NIGHT ON THE
"TONIGHT" SHOW AND THERE WAS
PERFORMING ON THE EAST ROOM OF
THE WHITE HOUSE FOR THE
PRESIDENT AND PAUL McCARTNEY.
PERFORMING.
>> MR. PRESIDENT, FIRST LADY,
SIR PAUL McCARTNEY, OTHER
PEOPLE --
>> THOSE ARE THE NIGHTS.
>> THOSE ARE THE THREE NIGHTS.
>> AS YOU MOVED ALONG AND MOVED
INTO "SEINFELD."
>> YOU FAKED WITH ME?
>> YES.
>> NO.
>> YES.
>> YOU FAKED IT?
>> THAT WHOLE THING, THE WHOLE
PRODUCTION, IT WAS ALL AN ACT?
>> NOT BAD, HUH?
>> I INTERVIEWED JULIA LOUI
DREYFUSS FOR THE SHOW.
SHE WAS LAUGHING.
DO YOU STILL HAVE THAT FRAME?
>> SURE.
>> IN YOUR BATHROOM SOMEWHERE?
>> YES.
>> I THINK THE LINE WAS, NO
SEGMENT OF THE AUDIENCE
EXPRESSED AN INTEREST IN SEEING
THE SHOW AGAIN.
>> RIGHT.
>> HOW DID YOU GET THROUGH THAT?
HOW DID YOU POWER OVER THAT?
>> NO, I FIGURED WE WERE DEAD AT
THAT POINT.
IT WAS OVER.
HERE'S THE FUNNY PART OF THE
STORY TO ME.
YOU KNOW, THE WHOLE THING
STARTED -- THE REASON I GOT THE
SERIES IS MY MANAGER GEORGE
SHAPIRO WROTE A NOTE TO BRANDON
TARDIFF, THE PRESIDENT OF NBC.
ONE SENTENCE.
CALL ME A CRAZY GUY, BUT I THINK
SOME DAY JERRY SEINFELD IS GOING
TO BE DOING A SERIES OF NBC.
WHEN HE WROTE THAT NOTE IT WAS
1988.
I HAD BEEN ON THE "TONIGHT" SHOW
FOR SEVEN YEARS, THREE TIMES A
YEAR DESTROYING FOR SEVEN YEARS
MAKING THESE PEOPLE LAUGH AND
GEORGE STILL HAS TO SAY TO NBC,
I KNOW THIS SOUNDS CRAZY.
WHAT WAS SO CRAZY ABOUT THE
IDEA?
>> THAT WAS NETWORK TELEVISION
IN THE '80s.
THERE WAS NO COMPETITION.
THERE WAS THE ONLY GAME IN TOWN.
YOUR LIFE WOULD HAVE BEEN LIKE
IF IT HADN'T ACTUALLY BEEN DEAD?
>> I GUESS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
OKAY.
IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN AS GOOD.
I MAY HAVE BEEN IN THE SAME
CASE.
IT WAS GREAT TO MAKE THAT AND
MY WIFE AND I TOOK THE KIDS TO
DO MEALS ON WHEELS.
YOU GO AROUND AND GIVE FOOD TO
PEOPLE WHO ONLY GET THAT ONE
MEAL A DAY AND EVERY ROOM WE
WENT IN, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, AN
OLDER PERSON OR A SICK OR FRAIL
PERSON IN EVERY ONE OF THESE
ROOMS THE TV IS ON AND I
THOUGHT, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE
DOING FOR PEOPLE.
THAT TV, THEY'RE NOT GOING TO
THE BEACON.
THEY CAN'T SEE THAT.
BUT YOU CAN REACH THEM THROUGH
TV.
AND IT MADE ME REALIZE, OH, THAT
WAS REALLY WORTH IT TO MAKE IT
TV SHOW BECAUSE I NEVER WOULD
HAVE GOTTEN IN THAT ROOM.
IT WAS REALLY POWERFUL.
BY THE WAY, THAT EPIPHANY CAME
JUST A WEEK AGO, 20 YEARS AFTER
THE END OF "SEINFELD."
WE WILL HAVE