‘Are You an Entertainer?’ Comedian Pat Cooper on TV’s ‘Seinfeld’
Remembering the Comedy Giant, Born July 31, 1929
Please do not highlight.
Pat Cooper is one of the most underrated comedians of our time. Cooper was a pioneer, one of the first standup comedians to highlight — and poke fun at — his Italian-American roots on stage.
Cooper was an outspoken critic of show business hypocrisy. In 1981 he appeared on Tom Snyder’s Tomorrow — Coast to Coast TV show and criticized headliners on the nightclub circuit who worked with comedians as their opening acts. Cooper famously continued his criticism of celebrities on radio shows that include Opie and Anthony and The Howard Stern Show.
Cooper was also quick to express his gratitude to the stars and club owners who act honorably in his 2011 memoir Pat Cooper — How Dare You Say How Dare Me! An Autobiography of a Life in Comedy. The hilarious and heartfelt stories describe the unvarnished ups and downs of the comedian’s life and career.
Cooper was born Pasquale Caputo in Brooklyn in 1929. His career as a stand up comedian began in the 1950s in small New York-area clubs often owned or frequented by wiseguys. Cooper’s big break came in 1963 with an appearance on TV’s Jackie Gleason Show.
Cooper was also an accomplished actor, appearing with Robert De Niro and Billy Crystal in the mob comedy Analyze This and its sequel, Analyze That. Perhaps Cooper’s best-known role is in a 1996 episode of TV’s Seinfeld. Titled “The Friars Club,” Cooper plays himself as Jerry Seinfeld’s sponsor for membership in the private club of comedians and celebrities.
When Jerry temporarily loses a Friars Club jacket that was loaned to him, Cooper dresses him down at the club. When Jerry’s friend George, played by Jason Alexander, interrupts to confirm Jerry’s explanation for the loss, Cooper reacts with an unscripted response.
Cooper: Excuse me, are you an entertainer? Are you in show business?
George: No, I, uh…
Cooper: Then what am I talking to you for?
“At least in my opinion, no scripted line in the world could top a well-placed ad-lib or two,” writes Cooper. “When I crushed George, Jason looked crushed, too. In a way he really was, and that came through immediately.
“Jason Alexander is a tremendous comedic actor. But for a moment, he wasn’t exactly acting. I was grateful I had the opportunity to do what I did best on the best show on television.”
Another scene of Cooper with Jerry, George and their dates was filmed but later edited from the final show.
The comedy great retired in 2013 and died June 6, 2023.
Frank Mastropolo is the author of The REAL Brooklyn of Jackie Gleason and The Honeymooners: The Early Life of the Funniest Man on Television.
