dianavan, what I objected to in your remark is the dismissive, sneering mindset of "some down and outer, coked-up, ex-actor". Do you have any knowledge that any part of that statement is true?

I am not a big fan of "Kramer's" (for pete's sake. The man is Michael Richards.) I have seen reruns of Seinfeld but I never saw any during their original run.

I have, however, read comments and references to Richards' kind of physical comedy; it was compared favorably with Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett. I have no idea of what kind of standup routine Michael Richards does.

As for being funny on the Seinfeld show, they learned lines, primarily given them by the writers of the show, writers who thought they were coming up with lines that would make people laugh.