The Handicap Spot

I've heard that the "Handicap Spot" was originally broadcast with a different actor (John Randolph) playing Frank Costanza. By the time the show went into syndication, Jerry Stiller had taken over the role so they reshot several scenes in the "Handicap Spot" using Stiller, and that's the version that's now shown in the US.

Has anyone actually seen the original version of the "Handicap Spot"? Is there a tape of that episode available? I've heard the original version is still shown overseas...

Rick Marshall

Rick Marshall wrote:

If this is true, why did they leave alone the episode with another guy playing Jerry's dad? The one where Jerry stakes out that lawyer lady's building hoping to run into her, and George invents the name Art Vandelay so they can use it for the excuse.

-DK

I don't know why the old dad of Jerry's wasn't replaced when the show went into syndication; maybe they wanted to preserve the integrity of those early episodes.

As for the switching of Georges dad in "The Handicap Spot," it did happen. I have the tape of the original NBC broadcast of it, and the guy is different. Surprised the hell out of me the first time I saw it in syndication; I had to run and get my tape to prove I wasn't remembering wrong. Well, that's my $.02

					Odelay,
					Josh

Josh, the immortal Phil Bruns originally played George's father. Bruns got his "big" payday when he was the father of Mary Hartman, in the great late nite soap, "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" who was played by Louise Lasser. The place where Woody used to place his pecker.

got his

nite

place

Correction. Phil Bruns played Jerry's father in "The Stakeout". George's father was originally played by John Randolph.

DK wrote in article ...

playing

hoping

it

Probably because too much time had elapsed for them to reshoot the scenes and have the actors still look more or less the same. The "Handicap Spot" was made in 1993 and the reshot scenes were done just two years later. None of the actors in the remade scenes (mainly Jason Alexander) had changed that much in two years, so it wasn't noticeable. "The Stakeout" was made in 1990, and after 5 years, Jason, Jerry and the others had aged enough that reshooting the scenes would have been too noticeable.

Also, Jerry's dad has only an incidental role in "The Stakeout", and they probably figured it wasn't worth reshooting. George's father has a major part in "The Handicap Spot".