“Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” creator Larry David has been upfront about how a lot of his writing is impressed by his life. For example, when he was working at “Saturday Night time Dwell,” David as soon as angrily give up the present, solely to point out up the subsequent day and maintain working as if nothing occurred. George Costanza (Jason Alexander), who was Larry’s stand-in character on “Seinfeld,” did the identical factor years later.
When it got here to inventing Kramer (Michael Richards), Jerry’s zany, intrusive next-door neighbor, Larry as soon as once more turned to actual life for inspiration. “The character of Kramer was based mostly on my actual next-door neighbor, Kenny Kramer,” David as soon as defined in a featurette in regards to the making of the collection. “My neighbor was a man who would are available in, take a variety of my meals, and he was a man who did not work, actually, or if he did no person actually knew what he did. However what I knew is that he was in that condominium 22 out of the 24 hours of the day.”
As the true Kenny Kramer defined, “Folks requested me if Michael [Richards] met with me to check me. The reply isn’t any, he didn’t need to have something to do with figuring out about me […] Larry wrote the phrases and he interpreted it himself.”
How Kenny Kramer tried to capitalize on his Cosmo Kramer fame
As The New York Instances reported in 1996, “Mr. Kramer, who nonetheless lives in the identical midtown condominium, is beginning up Kramer’s Actuality Tour, which he cheerfully calls ‘a shameless try to capitalize on my illustrious identify and branded identification.’ Starting on Jan. 27 on the John Houseman Theater on West 42d Road, Mr. Kramer will present video clips, serve pizza and conduct bus excursions of spots sacred to the legions of ‘Seinfeld’ followers.”
Kramer’s Actuality Tour appears to have been profitable; though it seems to have closed down (presumably for good) in 2020, it was nonetheless getting optimistic evaluations on TripAdviser all the best way up till late 2019. That is not unhealthy contemplating the web site itself appears to be like prefer it’s been trapped within the early 2000s. As of 2013, Kramer additionally began promoting his reliable marriage ceremony providers. As his web site reads:
“The Actual Kramer, Kenny Kramer, who for 17 years has led ‘Seinfeld’ followers on his well-liked ‘Kramer Actuality Tour’, can now marry loving {couples} in a reliable marriage ceremony ceremony that’s certain to beat something an ‘Elvis Impersonator’ can serve up in Las Vegas, or wherever worldwide. A Kramer idea that might simply have been an episode of ‘Seinfeld,’ Kenny Kramer has change into ordained by the Common Life Church — a non-denominational Ministry […] and is now legally empowered to be a marriage officiant.”
Kenny Kramer lives on in Curb Your Enthusiasm
Because the “Seinfeld” finale will get additional away, it seems that Kenny Kramer’s skill to monetize his connection to the present has tragically dwindled. Nonetheless, he can all the time take solace in how a lot of an affect he is appeared to have on Larry David’s psyche; not solely is Kramer a standout character on the largest sitcom of the ’90s, however David used the identical archetype once more in “Curb Your Enthusiasm” season 6, when he launched Leon (J.B. Smoove) as an everyday character. (It is no shock that /Movie ranked seasons 6 and seven because the present’s greatest seasons.)
Very similar to how Kramer inserts himself into Jerry’s life, Leon inserts himself into Larry’s by means of sheer drive of will. Leon invitations himself into Larry’s residence after which spends the subsequent six seasons (or subsequent 17 years) dwelling in Larry’s varied properties. Like Jerry, Larry is bewildered and irritated by this habits, however he vibes properly sufficient with Leon that he does not make a fuss about it. To no less than a sure extent, Larry respects the hustle.
The Kramer/Leon connections had been made specific within the collection finale of “Curb,” the place Leon binges all 9 seasons of “Seinfeld” and his primary takeaway is that Kramer’s a complete bum. “Man, this goddamn Kramer, man. He is an excessive amount of, man,” Leon tells Larry. “Strolling in your f***ing home unannounced and s***. You would possibly as properly take off the f***ing door and put a f***ing saloon door. These motherf***ers simply strolling in after they need to.” His rant demonstrates a really humorous lack of self-awareness, however the joke is healthful total; it reminds us that even 26 years after “Seinfeld” ended, Kenny Kramer’s spirit nonetheless lives on by means of Leon.