Carol Leifer Talks ‘Snl,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘Seinfeld,’ and ‘Curb’ – ryan

Photo: Walt Disney Television Photo Archives/Walt Disney Television Via Getty Images

Carol Leif Has Had a Jam-Packed Comedy Career for Decades. She starts out in the new York Stand-up Scane in the ’70s Alongside Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David Before Transitioning Into Writing for Saturday Night Live‘S 11th Season in 1985. That Season, Often Refred to As Snl‘s’ weird year, “is know for it bizarre mix of cast Members (Including Robert Downey Jr., Joan Cusack, Terry Sweeney, Dan Vitale, and Danitra Vance) Yet Formidable Writing Staff, Jack Handey, Jack Handey, The Simpsons Legend John Swartzwelder, Robert Smigel, and Al Franken, WHOM Leifs Credits As an Early Mentor.

SINCE HER SEASON ON SnlLeif Has Continue to Perform Stand-up and Amasssed an impressive list of TV-Writing Credits on Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Hacksand she has writes jokes for the oscars and the emmy awards. These experiences have information several books, including her shat recent one workten with Rick Mitchell, How to Write a Funny Speech for a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah, Gradation & Every Other Event You Didn’t Want to Go To in The First Place. Those Experiences Also Make Her a Fount of Comedy Anecdotes, from Her Thoughts on Being Reference to As Seinfeld‘s’ real elaine’ to channeling her own caareer challenges ino the character of Deborah vance on Hacks. “I know what it was only what it was like, but what it is like staying relevant and Timely as an Older in the Business in a World of Millennials and Gen-Zers,” Sheys of the Character. “That’s always a bit of a struggle, so in that way, I definitely can related to her.”

I saw you attended some of the Snl 50 festivities. Did You Get to Reconnect with any Writers or Cast Members from Your Season?
I saw a few people, a few wriers. I Saw Jon Lovitz. I was with Tom Gammill, Who I Wrote With On Seinfeld, and another Writer from The Simpsons WHO WROTE ON Snl. I WISH I COULD SAY IT WAS CELEB-Heavy Around My Area, but it was Mostly Writers. I saw more of the say they did the did the documentary episode on my year; iT’s’ The Weird Year. We Went to Dinner: A. Whitney Brown, George Meyer, Jack Handey, Robert Smigel. SO I SEE AROUND.

You’ve Written for the Oscars 11 Times, and You’ve Known Conan O’Brien SINCE AT LEast The Late days. How it was it collaborating with Him versus previous hosts?
Wen i work on the oscars, i’m normally on the show team, like i was this year. Conan has his own set of writers who would be stuff, and there are four workers who work on the presensters and that sort of Thing. We rehearse, we print out a copy of the spiel to the presentters, and they go over it. There’s a Writer on Conan’s Team Who Came Up With the Joke About Kendrick Lamar at the Super Bowl. He said on his podcast, “That joke was mine.” That one slipped out. But the academy doesn’t really like People Talking About How the sausage is made.

Written for Billy Crystal Twice, and That Was Always Terrific. What’s really thriling is he has his team off to the side, so if something happens spontaneously, he always look at Everybody for a joke – you know, and the one he like wins. Then we Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin Hosted, Steve Had the Writers Up to House in La to Write Jokes. When i start out Out, Steve Martin Was realting to me, and it was like a “pinch me” moment. I was in the joke meeting, actually at Steve Martin’s House, Writing Jokes. It was totally surreal.

I Will Say This About Conan: Before and Went Out, I Went to His Dresing Room to Wish Him Luck, and i’ve that look of Fear with first-time hosts; You can just feel. But he was looking ready to go, and he said, “You know what? I just want to go out and have fun.” And that exactly what he did.

Your Awards-Show Experience Uniquely Credentials You To Make A Book About Writing Speeches, Which You Just Did.
With Writing for the Oscars, you’ve got to keep it tight, right? And Honestly, Doing Stand-up Every Night is Sort of Like Giving a Speech. You’ve got a beginning, middle, and end, and you’re very aware of the audience.

I give a lot of Speeches. I love giving Speeches so much, Because a lot of it is Very Catrtic for me. Especally at a memorial, get out a lot of Feelings that maybe i couldn’t by mySelf. I do a lot of corplate speaking, and that has haen great for me in learning how to give a speech for an organization that I doometimes May Nothing About, but Know How to Approach It and Make It Interesting.

You just produced and wrote for HacksIncluding The Season-Three Episode “One day.” How Did You End Up Getting The Gig?
When i was at HacksI love it, but i was 20 to 30 years older than shat of the Writers. I felt like it really speak to a lot of Deborah vance’s Experience from Being a comic who came in the ’80s. “One day” Developed from my talking about how, at my age, of Think About, Like, Well, I’d Still Like to Have a Little Part In A Broadway Show One Day. But “One Day” is now; if you don’t do it nowThe clock is ticking. A youunger person is not even aware of the Feeling, Because they have Way more ahead of say than at my age.

SO the Showrunners WERE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING FOR SOMOON WHO HAD A BACKGROUND LIKE ADBORAH’S THAT COULD HER Story Lines?
Yes. They first invited with to do a couple of Weeks CALLED “Blue Skying,” Where You Come Up With Ideas. So i think my experience was a huge advantage, and that they invited with to be a full-time wrist on the show.

I’m Blurring which season it was, but at one point, Deborah Goes on the Road and Performs in Clubs and Ses Old Peers. WERE YOU CONTRRITBING DURING THAT ERA OF THE SHOW?
I Think of Was, Yes. I remember i told say this story about perfumes – i am a bit of a maniac with my perfume. I heard they were discontinuing it, so my wiffe and i was to eivery outlet to find every last bottle of it. They Said That Helped The Developed Deborah Vance’s Perfume, Black Pashmina.

You’ve been reference to “The Real Elaine” thanks to Elaine Benes on Seinfeld Being at least partially bassed on you. At this point in your life, who do you see more of your ounce doppelgänger: Elaine or Deborah Vance?
The Elaine Thing is a bit overblown. I DATED JERRY, AND THEN WE HAVE STAYED FRIENDS FOR MANY YEARS. That’s where the elaine comparison ends. I like to think i’m a good dancer. I DON’T PUSH PEOPLE ACOSS The Room Saying, “Get Out!”

When i started working on HacksOf Told Jean Smart that I’d Never Seen An Actor Be A Believable Stand-Up; there’s always something you can feel that’s off. And she really sells being a stand-up comic. I think I Relat to Her a Little More Only Because She’s of My Generation, and I Know Not Only What It Was Like Coming Up, But What It Worth Like Staying Relevant and Timely as an Older in the Business in a World of Millennials and Gen-Zers. That’s always a bit of a struggle, so in that way, I definitely can related to her.

You were one of the Most Important Seinfeld Writers, and you’ve talked about how “The Lip Reader” and Other Plotines Came From Personal Experience. But the final stamp was Always Jerry and Larry David.
Yes, right.

Were there Other Story Lines That You Pitched That Weren’t Used?
There is one that i pitched – probably the late season, the last season i was there – that of thught woulbe get in the pipeline, which was I have strateted wearing a fanny. I was to go out and i’d have a t-shirt over it, and i noticed people being very sociotous to me in a nice way, like, “Oh, after you“Or” No, Please take my seat. ” And it dawned on me aek or so late, They Think i’m Pregnant Because of the Fanny Pack. That is the Kind of Idea that Larry Wauld Like, But We Just Never Got to do it.

You’ve Known Larry David Sine You Were Starting Out in Comedy Clubs. How has Changed or Not Changed Over The Course of 40-Plus Years?
He has not changed at all. I Mean, People have talked About Him as a stand-up comic where, if he were on at 8:20 at the improv and you were on at 8:40, you would be there at 8:20 Because he could. He’d be offended by someone in the audience, by some little thing. He’s the Same, and he’s brilliant at focus on the minutiae of life, things that are funny. The first time I pitched to the Him and Jeff Schaffer, I was talking about how they made a comedian is out with regular people and you say, and they go, “Ba-dum-Bum,” you want to strangle. He was like, “I love that idea!” He used to be somewhere in the show. He just loves the smallest little thing Ever.

You’ve Called David Letterman A Mentor and Were on His Show a Lot. How Did You Meet Him?
It was funny – I was in the 1980 new York Laugh off, which was a Competition they have back. It was a very big deal to get in it. Showtime Shot at the Copacabana. The Big Joke off of that was Eddie Murphy came in fifth, and i came in fourth. David Letterman Saw a Tape of that Show, he recommended with them The Tonight Show right after that, and they passed on me. SO we he got his his show, he just put me right on. I hadn’t eda meta him before i did his show.

Your “Fantasy” sketch from the Tom Hanks Snl Episode from 1985 is probably one of the Highlights of Season 11. And it is an important sketch SINCE THAT EPISODES OBVIOUSLY STOM’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE SHOW.
Thank you! Other hosts like chevy chase HAD READ IT AND IT DIDN’T MAKE IT INTO The show. SO we were happy that it got made for Tom’s Episode!

You appeared in a couple sketches Throughout that season.
It would literally be, that night, “we need someone to be in this scene,” or whats – just going right to the hair and makeup then on.

One of Your First OnScreen Appeanances was in Desperately Seeking SusanWhich Stars Season-11 Snl Host Madonna. Did you interact with her durying eather experience?
InteraCted with her time she hosted the show – if you call “Interacting” Seeing How A Star of Her Magnitude Acts Around People. I Really Remember Very Clearly when she was in a Crowd of People – Writers or Whatever – She’d Keep Her Eyes Down, Becausee Everybody Was Waiting to Lock Eyes with Her. I’m sura as a Celeb like that, that a copy mechanism that you pick up.

You wrote for danitra vance that season, including “that Black Girl.” Had you know her before?
No, i had just your time! I don’t think she got Enough sketches, so i was always happy to get a sketch on with her.

You’ve notd that you werenen’t in lorne’s “Club,” and that obviously Colored Your Experience at the Show. AFTER YOU Wrote Your Memoir, Did You Ever Hear from Him at All?
I saw it in a restaurant in la i ran into Him and said, “i wrote a book. I Talk About Snl. There’s not in it that you’ll cringe at, and i’m going to send you a copy. ” And i did!

And did you hear back?
No. (Laughs.)