The story behind Tom Hanks’ brilliant parody of Jerry Seinfeld
Tom Hanks has made numerous appearances on Saturday Night Live, becoming a member of the prestigious five-timers club as a host, in addition to various cameos. During his initial SNL hosting stint, Hanks participated in a sketch called ‘The Stand-Ups’, portraying comedians backstage speaking in the same voice as they did on stage.
Frequently considered among the show’s most cherished hosts, Hanks initially took on the role in 1985, swiftly earning a place among the favourites. His sketches remain remarkably memorable, highlighting his comedic adaptability and acting prowess. He’s been part of various sketches encompassing parodies, impersonations, and unique character portrayals. Praised consistently for his performances, he infused the show’s comedy with enthusiasm and charisma.
The initial ‘The Stand-Ups’ sketch featured Hanks alongside Jon Lovitz and Damon Wayans. Another rendition included Hanks, Lovitz, Dennis Miller, and Carvey. Each character adopted Jerry Seinfeld’s distinctive style of questioning with “Why do they call it…”/”What is the deal with…?” Hanks later reminisced about writer Robert Smigel proposing the joke for the sketch.
“Robert Smigel, absolutely genius, he said, ‘Listen, I wrote this thing about comedians who always [say] ‘I mean, come on, I mean, hey, why would they do that?'” Hanks said on Fly on the Wall. “He wrote in a joke that was, ‘Hey, what’s the deal with socks?'” Smigel contributed to SNL from season 11 through season 38, later returning for season 44.
However, the team ran into a slight issue with the proposed material as there were questions about potential copyright infringement. As Hanks put it: “Dennis Miller, comedian par excellence, says, ‘Hey man, that’s Jerry Seinfeld’s material. You can’t take that from him.’ He was adamant. ‘You cannot take a comic’s A grade bit and blow it out on TV. He’ll never be able to use it again.’ Smigel was like, ‘Oh, it’s old. He won’t miss it.’ He said, ‘No, man, you can’t do this.'”
Therefore, in an attempt not to plagiarise, Hanks recalled calling Seinfeld himself despite having only met him once before. However, being a part of the show’s inner circle evidently gave him a level of confidence. “So we called Jerry Seinfeld,” he said. “And I never met him, but we’re in the famous people’s club. ‘Hey, you’re famous, I’m famous, so we can talk to each other like we know each other.’ It was all a lie. I said, ‘Listen, I’m on SNL. We’re doing this thing about comedians. I’m like ‘hey, what’s the deal with socks?’ But if you’re still doing the sock bit, we’ll come up with some other joke.'”
Following Seinfeld’s approval, the sketch evolved into a bit concerning the Miami Vice stars eschewing socks and the mystery of socks disappearing in the dryer. “He said, ‘You know, I really appreciate the call. Quite frankly, that’s been retired from my act. If you guys want to do it, you can go ahead and do it’ which was very gracious,” Hanks said.
Catch the full skit below.
