Seinfeld is often referred to as groundbreaking for its “no hugging, no learning” approach to comedy, but according to Jerry Seinfeld, that whole concept came from another popular sitcom. On more than one occasion, Seinfeld has cited The Abbott and Costello Show, which debuted in syndication in 1952, as the series that he patterned his show after.
In it, the famous comedy duo of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello play fictional versions of themselves, much like Seinfeld did on his similarly self-titled sitcom, and also live in an apartment building occupied by other quirky residents. And as was the case with Jerry’s stand-up routines, Abbott and Costello would do bits for the audience in between each episode’s stories.
“Everybody on the show knows I’m a fan,” Seinfeld said of The Abbott and Costello Show in 1994. “We’re always joking about how we do stuff from their show,” he continued. “George and I will often get into a riff that has the rhythm from the old Abbott and Costello shows. And sometimes I’ll hit George in the chest the way Abbott would hit Costello.”
Seinfeld went on to say that he would watch reruns of the series on New York’s WPIX when he was growing up in Long Island and that he “loved them more than anything.”
A Forgotten 1950s Sitcom Helped Shape Seinfeld, Right Down to Jerry and George’s Dynamic
For those familiar with the earlier series, there were more than a few nods to it on Seinfeld over the years. For one, you have the physical similarities Jerry and George share with Abbott and Costello, along with the fact that they’re two guys just trying to figure things out. George frequently deals with employment issues throughout the series, as Costello’s character did on his show. Then there’s Kramer’s classic “mother was a mudder” line from the 1992 Seinfeld episode “The Subway,” which was a clear reference to this iconic Abbott and Costello routine:
It doesn’t end there. In 1991’s “The Truth,” it’s revealed that George’s middle name is Louis. That, pretty obviously, was done as an homage to Lou Costello, as confirmed by Seinfeld himself. Oh, and do you remember the name of the titular old man from Season 4’s “The Old Man”? In case you forgot, the character, as played by Bill Erwin, went by the name of Sidney Fields, which happens to be the name of one of Abbott and Costello’s co-stars. You can check out one of the pair’s many memorable interactions with Fields in the clip below.
The post Jerry Seinfeld Says ‘Seinfeld’ Was Inspired by This 1950s Sitcom, and the References Were Hidden in Plain Sight appeared first on VICE.
