Growing Up Laughing_ My Story and the Story of Funny - Marlo Thomas [78]
Marlo: But you’re getting pretty big yourself. Are you going to have to change your shtick now?
Kathy: I have no worry about this at all. Two days ago I was at the airport and someone said, “Here’s your ticket, Ms. Gifford.” So just when I start to think I’m getting a little big for my britches, the world bitch-slaps me back into my place very, very quickly.
Marlo: Does that make you feel bad?
Kathy: Absolutely not. It’s the thing that amuses me most about Hollywood—that it’s never enough, you’re never famous enough. To me, that’s a bottomless pit of funny.
Chapter Two: The Seinfeld Incident
Marlo: What was that whole Seinfeld thing about?
Kathy: I had a guest role on Seinfeld and I was a nervous wreck, because it was the number one show on TV, and those four people had become such giant stars. Their characters were national treasures, Jerry in particular. So when I went to the studio, I was really nervous. I mean, I’d never been to a set like that before—you know, where every piece of scenery is famous. Like the diner set. Or the apartment. You walk in and you want to steal a pillow, you know?
Marlo: That’s so funny.
Kathy: So I’m taking pictures of myself holding a teapot from the diner set, right? Jerry was doing the warm-up for
the audience—which by the way, I think is a very smart thing to do. I’m shocked at how many TV comedians don’t do that.
Marlo: Yeah, my dad used to do it, too. It’s great for the audience. So you’re on the set . . .
Kathy: I’m on the set, and everyone is being very formal. Not that friendly. Even Jerry wasn’t being friendly, so it was tough. I remember thinking, Man, I’ve got to be on every second. I could get canned at any moment. And, you know, Larry David is . . . I mean, I love him and all, but that first day, man, that was a tough room.
Marlo: So what happened?
Kathy: Well, I was so shaken by Jerry’s behavior that after I taped the episode, I talked about it on my first HBO special. And, basically, the essence of my story was: Jerry Seinfeld is kind of a schmuck.
Marlo: Oops.
Kathy: Yup. And sure enough, he sees it.
Marlo: Oh, God.
Kathy: But here’s the thing: He thought I was a riot! He even sent me this funny letter that I have framed in my office.
Marlo: Incredible. He’s got such a great sense of humor.
Kathy: Right. So, next, they write a new episode where my character comes back and turns into a comedian who makes her living making fun of Jerry.
Marlo: Oh, that’s great.
Kathy: Yeah, I know. So I have to say that was sort of an important moment for me. For once in my career—for one second, maybe—I had captured what my dad had: the ability to give someone the business—or as my parents would call it, “giving them guff ”—and they actually took it in the spirit in which it was intended. Jerry didn’t ban me from NBC or anything. He actually thought I was funny, and wrote a whole new episode about it. It was kind of amazing. He’s amazing.
Chapter Three: The Pipeline
Marlo: You said you captured a bit of what your dad had. Tell me about that.
Kathy: My dad passed away two years ago, but he was hysterically funny. And he had the unique ability to be funny on cue. He was a natural wit. Very, very dry and sarcastic, and he never censored himself. That’s where I get that particular . . . affliction. He had a little bit of what I call “the Don Rickles license to kill.” But he was truly so likeable that he could get away with anything.
Marlo: Do you have a specific memory?
Kathy: Yeah. My dad was a pretty good fix-it guy, and he was always helping his buddies redo their bathrooms or rec rooms. One of these friends, Mr. Gillian, redid his rec room himself, and invited my father over one Sunday after church to take a look. My dad and I walk in—I was little and my father was holding my hand. And all the Gillians are there, watching, and Mr. Gillian says, “So, Johnny, what do you think?” And my dad looks around the room, takes this perfectly timed