# Kramer - why? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 11, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418 "2009-02-11T20:29:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![borschevsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/97f17d/32.png) [@borschevsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/borschevsky)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/21 "2009-02-12T02:21:41Z")
I think one thing that happens is that Kramer sort of inherits the general funnyness of the show in people’s minds. They remember the show being funny, and he’s the standout character. One thing about Seinfeld is that a lot of the humour isn’t really coming from any specific character. They’re all involved in some situation that’s funny, or there’s a buildup over an entire episode (like the golf ball in the blow hole). People think about Seinfeld, it’s a funny show, so the favourite character “must be” really funny. ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/22 "2009-02-12T02:28:55Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > He (and Elaine) were completely replaceable. Julia Louis-Dreyfus was the best actor on that show and it’s not surprising at all that she was the one to break “the Seinfeld curse” (if we don’t count Jerry Stiller’s supporting role on “King of Queens” - which we shouldn’t). Kramer was the “biggest” of the show’s regular characters so it’s not surprising that he got a big reaction right off the bat. It’s a good thing Seinfeld himself was one of the writers and later a producer, or Kramer probably would have taken over the show a la Urkel and J.J. I sometimes find myself responding less positively to him in reruns than I did originally. One of my favorite moments from the series is the button at the end of the backward episode. The main plot involved a wedding in India, with pieces of the story revealed in reverse chronological order. It ended with Jerry moving into his apartment, meeting his apparently normal neighbor, and inviting him to come over and borrow stuff any time he felt like it. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelJohnBertrand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dfb087/32.png) [@MichaelJohnBertrand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelJohnBertrand)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/23 "2009-02-12T07:07:03Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Genius? :dubious: What else has he ever done that was funny? And he was Staley Spadowsky, the janitor who became the [“YOU GET TO DRINK FROM… the FIRE HOSE”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbbNCWZ2lvA) guy in UHF. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/24 "2009-02-12T13:28:26Z")
I"M OUT was one of the best delivered lines on a sitcom ever. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/25 "2009-02-12T13:48:25Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I"M OUT was one of the best delivered lines on a sitcom ever. That, and “Well, people kept ringing the bell!!” Saw that the other day and completely lost it. ---
**Author:** ![Lunar\_Saltlick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@Lunar\_Saltlick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lunar_Saltlick)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/26 "2009-02-12T14:17:52Z")
He had dozens of great lines. Which is a tribute to Larry David and the writers, as well as to Michael Richards’ delivery. Kramer as A. G. Pennypacker, wealthy industrialist, was gut-busting. If you listen to the commentary from the other actors on the DVDs, they consistently point to Richards as being by far the funniest of the group. Jason Alexander and JLD point out scenes where they (and especially Seinfeld) had to look away from the camera and stifle their laughter while watching Richards. If those three found Kramer funny, Richards must have been doing something right. “_Look_ at me, Jerry! I’m _hideous!_” I think Seinfeld had to reshoot that scene a hundred times before he could keep a straight face. ---
**Author:** ![cgg419](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cgg419/32/2847_2.png) [@cgg419](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cgg419)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/27 "2009-02-12T14:33:09Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > That, and “Well, people kept ringing the bell!!” > > Saw that the other day and completely lost it. “You’re Batman” 😃 My all-time favorite Kramer scene for sure ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/28 "2009-02-12T14:35:17Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > :dubious: > > Yeesh. What was that supposed to be, _Mr. Bean_ remixed for the SNL mouthbreathers? Mr. Bean? No. I get a strong sense of Andy Kaufmann from that. Richards used to be able to throw himself completely into a character and walk around in its skin - from Battle Boy to Stanley Spadowsky to Kramer. However, George Costanza was the best character on _Seinfeld_, far and away. Just the most pathetic, dispicable and petty person to grace the TV screen. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/29 "2009-02-13T00:36:28Z")
I’m not saying he isn’t funny, but he’s like Newman with more lines. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/30 "2009-02-13T14:08:03Z")
Have you ever seen anyone try to do an imitation of Kramer. Even the best impressionists in the world can’t pull it off. And I’ve seen them try. There was something almost magical about the Richards played that character. As several people here have stated he was genius when it came to slapstick. That coupled with the writing on Seinfeld equaled comedy gold. It’s shame he never found any other project to match his talents. ---
**Author:** ![Caricci](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/85f322/32.png) [@Caricci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caricci)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/31 "2009-02-13T14:26:46Z")
You know, I wanted to agree with the premise of this thread, but it just reminded me of how great the Kramer character is. Especially the “They kept ringing the bell.” line. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/32 "2009-02-13T14:33:20Z")
And there was the puffy shirt scene: Kramer: You’ll be the first pirate. Jerry: But I don’t want to be a pirate. You can tell Jerry’s high pitch response is that of a person trying very very hard not to crack up laughing. It just made the scene. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/33 "2009-02-13T19:03:39Z")
> [@joebuck20](#): > > Have you ever seen anyone try to do an imitation of Kramer. Even the best impressionists in the world can’t pull it off. And I’ve seen them try. > There was something almost magical about the Richards played that character. As several people here have stated he was genius when it came to slapstick. That coupled with the writing on Seinfeld equaled comedy gold. It’s shame he never found any other project to match his talents. Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? He’s good at one, narrow thing, and was well cast for it in Seinfeld. But he can’t do anything but that - he’s completely one note. Once you’ve seen him as Kramer, you’ve seen everything he can do. That doesn’t make him a genius, it just makes him lucky to have been at the right place at the right time to get that particular job. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/34 "2009-02-13T19:49:48Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? He’s good at one, narrow thing, and was well cast for it in Seinfeld. But he can’t do anything but that - he’s completely one note. Once you’ve seen him as Kramer, you’ve seen everything he can do. That doesn’t make him a genius, it just makes him lucky to have been at the right place at the right time to get that particular job. Well, this thread is about Kramer, not Michael Richards. And\*\* joebuck20\*\* said he was a genius when it came to slapstick specifically. I’m not convinced it was all he could do. I just think it’s very difficult for many people to see such a distinctive face and not think of Kramer. ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b3f665/32.png) [@Alan\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Bird)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/35 "2009-02-13T19:57:42Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > And there was the puffy shirt scene: > > Kramer: You’ll be the first pirate. > Jerry: But I don’t want to be a pirate. > > You can tell Jerry’s high pitch response is that of a person trying very very hard not to crack up laughing. It just made the scene. I always thought the high pitch was more due to Jerry channelling his child-self on Halloween. But YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![MichaelJohnBertrand](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dfb087/32.png) [@MichaelJohnBertrand](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelJohnBertrand)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/36 "2009-02-13T20:55:50Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Well, that’s the thing, isn’t it? He’s good at one, narrow thing, and was well cast for it in Seinfeld. But he can’t do anything but that - he’s completely one note. Once you’ve seen him as Kramer, you’ve seen everything he can do. That doesn’t make him a genius, it just makes him lucky to have been at the right place at the right time to get that particular job. Um, I really have to take umbrage at this statement. (Don’t worry, I’ll leave plenty of umbrage for the rest of you. ) If you can do something, anything, at that high a level, you’re a genius. Period. One note or not, most people will never, ever, ever do that one note as well, and therefore, you are especially talented. I mean, all Michael Phelps can do is swim fast. What a loser! ---
**Author:** ![discodancer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9c0ed/32.png) [@discodancer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/discodancer)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2009, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418/37 "2009-02-13T21:07:28Z")
> [@MichaelJohnBertrand](#): > > They take the awkwardness of a clumsy, dorky, goofy person, distill the funniest parts of that, and turn it into comedy. That’s it! He makes me laugh because I see some of my quirkiness magnified 100 times in him. Like a caricature, he’s absurdly real. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kramer-why/485418.md?page=1)