The night Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David discovered they were comedy soulmates

IT’S the bromance which resulted in one of the most successful TV shows ever, but how did the two funny men first discover they were comedy soulmates?

IT’S the bromance which resulted in one of the most successful TV shows in sitcom history, but how did Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld first discover they were comedy soulmates?

That’s just one of the awesome facts Jennifer Keishin Armstrong has shared with news.com.au from her upcoming book, Seinfeldia: The Secret World of the Show About Nothing that Changed Everything:

The beginning of a comedy partnership:

Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld first noted their comedic affinity for each other when Seinfeld read some comedic material David had “gifted” a friend, Carol Leifer for her birthday. David — nearly broke — had given Leifer some jokes as a birthday “gift.” Too drunk to read them aloud, she handed them off to Seinfeld; he killed, which suggested some creative potential between the two men.

The people who made the show are kind-of annoyed by that whole “show about nothing” thing … even though they’re the ones who wrote it:

During the fourth season, George and Jerry pitch a sitcom to NBC, which George famously describes as “a show about nothing.” It’s obviously a meta-riff on Seinfeld itself (the resulting pilot is called Jerry and features Jerry hanging with George, Elaine, and Kramer, played by other actors).

Because the show was gaining popularity at the time, and because the phrase allowed for a handy way to describe the show, the media latched on and never let go. But writer Peter Mehlman could never stand it: “It created a kind of misnomer about the show,” he told me. “I mean, it was the only show on TV that wasn’t about nothing! Seinfeld was taking on issue after issue after issue, and not even consciously. Just because, you know, Elaine dating a guy who’s anti-abortion — it’s funny!”

Elaine was not originally supposed to be master of her domain:

Or at least creator Larry David and the writing team weren’t sure at first. They needed a specific way to challenge Elaine if she took the guys on in the famous “contest,” a bet about who could go the longest without masturbating. It wasn’t until they hit upon the idea of John F. Kennedy Jr. as the ultimate challenge to Elaine’s resolve that they were sure.

Thanks, but no thanks:

NBC originally passed on putting Seinfeld in its autumn line-up for 1990, choosing instead to run Nutt House, Sister Kate, and Baywatch.

Nutt House starred Cloris Leachman as, the NBC press release said, “the oversexed head of housekeeping at a family-owned New York City hotel”.

Sister Kate starred Stephanie Beacham as “a hard-edged, adventurous nun placed in charge of an unruly group of orphans who are surprised to discover that she is no pushover.”

Both lasted a season or less.

Baywatch, of course, became an international hit in syndication thanks to its sexy lifeguards and David Hasselhoff.

Slightly adult themes:

Seinfeld got away with much of its innovation because it was developed by the late-night and specials division of NBC. Rick Ludwin, the head of late-night and specials, advocated for the show. He even slashed a two-hour Bob Hope special from his plans so he could use the budget to produce four new episodes of Seinfeld for the summer of 1990.

Independent woman:

Elaine seemed like such a liberated female character partly because the writing staff was so heavily male, and they were encouraged to give her storylines from their own lives, just like the other characters.

On set giggles:

Actress and writer Carol Leifer played the physical therapist’s assistant in an episode called, The Kiss Hello. Jason Alexander had to keep writing checks for her in the scene, and made her laugh by writing obscene messages on them.

Jennifer Keishin Armstrong is the author of the forthcoming book book, ‘Seinfeldia: The Secret World of the Show About Nothing that Changed Everything’, which will be published by Simon & Schuster in 2016. Visit her online for updates.

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