Comedian Carol Leifer, Las Vegas Sun, April 8, 2005

Columnist Lisa Ferguson: Leifer alone: Comedian rights online wrongs Lisa Ferguson Friday, April 8, 2005 | 8:38 a.m. It's probably best not to believe everything you read on the Internet about Carol Leifer. The comedy veteran-turned-television writer says for years she has attempted to correct much of the erroneous information about her that is floating in cyberspace. For starters, Leifer (pronounced LEE-fur) refutes reports that she retired from her decades-old stand-up career in the early 1990s. Need proof? She co-headlines Tuesday through April 17 at The Improv at Harrah's, alongside her friends Cathy Ladman and Sue Kolinsky. "It's so frustrating that on these sites they say things and ... you try to tell them, 'I'm telling you, it's not true' ... and they won't change it," Leifer explained of the "odd" rumor during a recent call from her Los Angeles home. "Like I'm 80,000 years old and I've retired my stand-up career because my hip broke." The one that really takes the cake, however, is the pervasive mistaken belief that Leifer is the inspiration for the character of Elaine on the sitcom "Seinfeld." "That's another source of frustration to me because it's not true," she insists, although Leifer says she understands why plenty of people continue to draw that conclusion seven years after the hit series concluded. She and comedian Jerry Seinfeld were a romantic item "many moons ago," she says, and have remained good friends. In the mid-'90s, well into "Seinfeld's" successful run on NBC, she joined the show's staff as a writer. Though the Elaine character -- a creation of Seinfeld and executive producer Larry David -- had already been developed and established by that time, the misconception "kind of took on a life of its own," Leifer says. "I think the similarity of having dated and us still being buddies, that was Elaine's story on the show, so people make that natural connection," she says. Still, "I'd much rather be remembered in terms of 'Seinfeld' for the 75 episodes I contributed to as a writer as opposed to this mythology." Among those installments was the 1993 episode titled "The Lip Reader," on which actress Marlee Matlin guested; 1995's "The Understudy," featuring Bette Midler; and Leifer's all-time favorite, "The Rye," from 1996. "It's really great to watch that and know the genesis of it," she says of that episode. Fans will recall it included a debate over an uneaten loaf of bread, and the Kramer character as the driver of a carriage pulled by a Beef-A Reeno-eating horse. "It cost like a million dollars to shoot, which today in sitcoms is nothing, but at the time that was like a big deal to spend that much money on an episode," Leifer said. Calling her time on the series "the greatest gig ever," Leifer insists she didn't realize the impact "Seinfeld" would have on television and pop culture. "It's become this cultural kind of institution (with) all the catchphrases from the show ... It's really rare to be able to work on a classic show like that, and I feel so lucky that I was there." Leifer continues to work with Seinfeld, these days as his opening act when he takes to the road. The two head out "every few weeks" to cities throughout the country, though she has yet to appear with him during his performances at Caesars Palace. "For some reason I seem to get (the shows in) Des Moines, Iowa; Jacksonville, Fla. I haven't had the chance to do the Vegas gig yet. I've gotta work on that one," she jokes. Locales aside, "It's a lot of fun because we're old buddies. He's a really fun hang, and we get a couple of good, quality days in there. As you know, he's a family guy now, so I don't get to see as much of him." Meanwhile, Seinfeld's audiences "are just so excited and ready to laugh. It's the kind of gig, when I was a kid and fantasized about being a comedian, opening for@these 3,000-seat theaters, it's like living that dream." A Long Island native, Leifer got her start in comedy in the late 1970s. In 1982 she was spotted by David Letterman while performing at a club in the Big Apple. "I always feel indebted and have so much gratitude to him because he essentially started my career," she says of the late-night host, on whose former NBC show she appeared 25 times. "He gave me carte blanche to, 'Whenever you have a spot ready, come back on the show' ... When you get the validation from someone who's in the business and they extend themselves that way, it's phenomenal." Leifer went on to write, produce and star in a trio of stand-up specials for Showtime. She appeared on HBO's "Young Comedians Special" and "The Rodney Dangerfield Special," and spent four seasons hosting "Caroline's Comedy Hour" on cable's A&E. Prior to taking the job on "Seinfeld," she says she spent 15 years performing on the road. "I enjoyed it for a long time, but there's a tipping point with that kind of life. I mean, on American Airlines, I have 2 1/2 million miles that I flew just because of that nomad life, and I'd really kind of had it, so I was happy to segue into writing." Besides the "Seinfeld" stint, Leifer wrote on and served as a supervising producer for HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show," starring Garry Shandling. She was co-creator and executive producer of "The Ellen Show," a sitcom starring Ellen DeGeneres, which ran on CBS from 2000 through 2001. For ABC, she co-executive produced "It's Like, You Know"; and worked as a consulting producer on "I'm With Her." In the late '90s Leifer executive produced and starred in the WB series "Alright Already." "A lot of times when you shoot a sitcom and the jokes aren't working, it's really fun because you get to write right there on the studio floor, giving actors new jokes for the next take," she explains. "I always love that part of it, and I always feel that stand-ups are great at that." Besides having contributed comedy material to the recent 2005 Academy Awards show (her fourth time writing for the broadcast), the comedian claims she recently collaborated with writer/director/producer J.J. Abrams ("Lost," "Felicity") on a sitcom to star "Saturday Night Live" alum Cheri Oteri that's set to air this fall on ABC. Leifer, who declines to reveal her age, is preparing to step back in front of the camera to star in "Thicker Than Water," a sitcom she developed and wrote for cable's Lifetime network. The series, which does not yet have an expected air date, is loosely based on her life as a writer-comedian as well as her family relations. "In the show my mother is a shrink on a sex show on cable, and my mom is a shrink in real life, but she doesn't have a TV show," Leifer explains. Coupled with three onscreen siblings, episodes will follow "the funny situations that we get into." With the television work having become her "bread-and-butter gig," Leifer concedes her stand-up career "certainly was put on the back burner." Club dates, such as those at The Improv, are a rarity for her these days. Despite the rumors, she insists, "That doesn't mean that I ever gave it up." Out for laughs An update to news we brought you in March: Comedy Central's Dave Attell will tape a stand-up concert film, also featuring Dane Cook and Greg Giraldo, at 7 p.m. July 2 at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Comic Sean Rouse is also on the bill. Tickets are $32.50 to $50. Laugh Lines friend Carla Rea, co-star of "Divas of Comedy" at Sahara, plays Riviera Comedy Club through Sunday. John Padon and Chris Kerner also perform. Spike TV (Cox cable channel 29) debuts "The Lance Krall Show," a new sketch-comedy series, on April 18. Comedian Krall is a founding member of an Atlanta comedy troupe called The Whole World Theatre, and has previously appeared on the series "Monk" and "The Joe Schmo Show." archive