My parents sent me the following article from The Star Ledger, a newspaper in central N.J. (July 9, 1992):
"Attitude adjustment for comical Mr. Fix-it gets 'Seinfeld' character working for actor", by Jerry Buck.
Los Angeles (AP) - It took Michael Richards more than a dozen shows before he felt comfortable playing the good-natured galoot Kramer in NBC's hip comedy, "Seinfeld".
The Wednesday night comedy series stars Jerry Seinfeld, who plays himself, Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Seinfeld's ex-girlfriend, Elaine Benes, Jason Alexander as his best friend, George Costanza, and Richards as the eccentric next-door neighbor, Kramer. Kramer, like private-eye Spenser, has no other name.
"I didn't know what the comedic point was for Kramer," Richards says. "Jerry, Julia and Jason more or less play themselves. They're very natural. I don't know about Kramer - it's more how I feel him."
"It's working to create an interesting comedic attitude. There aren't a lot of funny things that are said. It's attitude."
George and Kramer are usually the catalysts for the stories. George because he has every neurosis known to man, and then some, and Kramer because he walks in where even a fool would fear to tread.
Kramer lives across the hall in the New York apartment house, and to Kramer a closed door is an open invitation. Once inside Seinfeld's apartment Mr. Fix-it can spot a problem instantly, and if it's not a problem he'll make it into one.
"He'll walk into a situation and say the wrong thing - or maybe do the right thing," Richards says.
"Seinfeld" is a show that's bounced around at NBC. It first appeared as a special in 1989 called "The Seinfeld Chronicles." It returned in May 1990 for a brief run. It came back permanently in January 1991, except for a brief interruption, and has gone from Thursday to Wednesday to Thursday and back to Wednesday.
It hasn't broken through as a major hit yet, but it seems destined to climb steadily the way "Cheers" did. Although "Seinfeld" avoids the usual sitcom joke formula and relies principally on character development, it is an exceptionally funny show.
"Seinfeld" originally was created as a platform for comedian Jerry Seinfeld's stand-up comedy routines, with a sitcom about his homelife merely a backdrop. But the sitcom turned out to be so funny, so true to life, that is pushed the stand-up routines into the background.
The series returns early next season, immediately afte NBC's presentation of the Summer Olympics.
It will pick up where the show ended in May, with Kramer moving to Los Angeles to become an actor.
Unlike Kramer, Richards is a native Californian who grew up in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles. He and Ed Begley Jr. [Dr. Erlich on "St. Elsewhere" - me] went to college together and performed stand-up comedy together. Richards later got a theater degree from the California Institute of Arts.
After graduation he went to the San Diego Repertory Co.
"When I came back here I had a wife, $600 to my name and an old VW," he says. "Ed Begley Jr. was a friend and I got invited to a dinner with Cindy Williams at Chasen's. The bill for dinner came to $1500. I couldn't believe it - that was more money than I had."
Richards performed at the Comedy Store and the Improvisation, appeared on "The Billy Crystal Special" and starred for 2.5 years on ABC's "Fridays." He had a recurring role on "St. Elsewhere" and played heavies on such shows as "Miami Vice," "Hill Street Blues" and "Scarecrow and Mrs. King." He also appeared on such comedy shows as "Cheers," "Night Court," "It's a Living" and "What a Country."