Ben Stiller Asks To Use A “Late Night” Clip For His New Documentary | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

I heard you were working on a. documentary about your parents. I grew. up watching your parents, the great Ann. Mera, Jerry Stiller, and I remember they. were kind of ubiquitous when I was a. kid. I thought they were really funny. I'd see them on like Love American Style. or they'd be these different they'd be. in ads and I just knew, oh, these are. these really funny people, but I didn't. know exactly who they were. And then. later on, they came on the show in their. own right. Of course, your dad was on. Seinfeld, got very well known that way. And yeah, I mean they had Yeah, they.

were a comedy team and you know they. started in the late 50s early 60s and. were two young actors who met and fell. in love got married really quickly and. then were became starving actors in New. York and after five or six years tried. to figure out a way that they could make. some money and my dad was the guy who. always wanted to be a comedian grew up. during the depression idolized Eddie. Caner and people like that and my mom. wanted to. just wanted to be a serious actress, but.

she was really funny and really. talented. And my dad had this idea that. they should do an act, so he pulled her. into it. Interesting. Yeah. And um Did. they do like Sullivan and all those. shows? They did. Yeah. They did Ed. Sullivan. I think it's 30 I I always get. it wrong. It's like 36 or 37 times. Wow. And it kind it kind of made their. career. Yes. And that's a big I had a. memory I have a sense memory of them. because there was that era um where you. know a comedy team could come into.

people and and talk about like half the. country would be watching Yeah. them do. a routine. I mean it was Yeah. That's. part of the the story is that you know. the pressure that was on them as live. performers which you know a pressure you. know as you know doing what you do it's. but but for them not like every time. they went out they had to get reinvited. back by Sullivan and they had to do well. so you know that was and they had to do. like f it wasn't like 2 minutes it was. it was like six or seven minutes you. know it's hard for people to know now. because there's 75 there's an infinite.

number of outlets so there's no such. thing is well I I came on Conan or I. came on one of you know Conan's late. night show a couple years ago and he. wasn't pleased so we're through in the. business. Well no there's a billion. other places to go. There's no such. thing as you're you're through kid. You. displeased me. But this was a different. era where if Sullivan didn't like. you and you there was a problem that was.

it. That could be it. Yeah. And and. luckily he liked them. Uh they did a. number of different, you know, sketches. every time they come out. But then they. finally hit on this one sketch where. basically they played off the fact my. dad was Jewish, my mom was Irish. Catholic, and they had, you know, it was. these two characters meeting off of a. computer dating. And it was Hershey. Harowitz and Mary Elizabeth Doyle. It's funny now. Still funny. And it was. controversial at the time because, you.

know, they they didn't know if people. would go for it. But Ed Sullivan's wife, he was Catholic, but his wife was. Jewish. Oh, wow. Okay. And he loved it. And that was sort of, you know, he he. kept on inviting them back. And uh. that's Yeah. But you know, you're in the. documentary because there so many, you. know, these talk show appearances, you. know, I'm kind of also looking at it. through the lens of, you know, for me. over the years being asked about them. Yeah. You know, and so many times and. really trying to figure out like, well, what is it like? What was it like being.

their their son? you know, what who were. they? What what was it, you know, what's. the core of of what my experience was. with them as parents? And stuff I never. really questioned until you start doing. something like this and you start. looking into it. But, um, we went on. with you once and there was a bit that I. was sick and my mom was taking care of. me and my mom and dad came out with me. on the show. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And. it's so funny. And then I have to tell. you another thing, too. Yeah, I I so.

I've been working on this thing for like. four years and as as a documentary. develops, you start to I've never made a. documentary before. And what I'm. learning is that as it goes along, you. start to figure out really what it's. about through the process of editing. Yeah. And then you think it's one thing. for like a year or two and then you. realize, oh no, I got to have more of. this story or, you know, I have to have. more. For me, it's been more of like, oh, personally, like really like getting. into like what is was my experience with. them because, you know, that's I'm the. one making the movie. And um we we.

figured out this part of it that I I've. always felt which was my dad on Seinfeld. was um you know, he was so angry, right? And that was what was so funny was to. see him blow up and scream and so funny. shouting. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Amazing. And. I always felt it was because he had all. this suppressed inner rage in him that. he kind of kept down. You know, he loved. my mom. They were like, you know, he was. the most loving, generous guy. But he. had like a he had to sublimate a lot.

And over the years doing their act. together, the the the sort of the. dynamic between them was that she would. kind of like, you know, shut him up a. lot, you know, like Jerry, Jerry, stop. talking, stop talking. And I have all. these clips, you know, from the 70s of. them on all these talk shows doing that. And I thought, you know, when he finally. hit it with on on Seinfeld, it was. because he was able to let out all of. that inner, you know, all that inner. makes sense. Yeah. And I was trying to. find a sound bite uh to to sort of, you. know, explain that where he talked about.

it. And I couldn't find one. And I was. driving home. This was like literally. like a month ago. I'm driving home and I. put on, you know, your Sirius XM station. and it's literally it's my it's a clip. of my dad on the show on your show and. you're asking him about, you know, Castanza and why is he so funny and my. dad said this was like literally he he. says as I turned it on he says it's. because I had all this inner rage. Yeah. And I literally like pulled the.

car over and like you know texted my. editor and Yeah. Isn't that insane? That's fantastic. and we pull the clip. out and it's in the movie along with the. other thing. Well, I don't give you. permission to use it. That's actually. why I'm here and I'm editing this part. out of the podcast. Let's come up with a number, gang. Um, I. need that is that is uh I I felt like it. was my dad and the ether or something. just like this moment was happening.

Well, first of all, I I love that. I. love that. And uh I do think that it was. so nice that your dad got to have that. that role and then uh he's in King of. Queens after that and so he has this. whole Yeah. changed and there's a whole. generation that knows him from that. stuff, you know what I mean? Which is. sweet. He always wanted that. You know, he had he had so much success with my. mom. But then there was a period of time. after, you know, when being a comedy. team was not something that was as.

viable in show business. You know, as as. you go into the 80s and the '9s, it's. not like there are shows that are, you. know, like the Mer Griffin Show or Ed. Sullivan show. It's just so they were. having to figure out their their careers. separately. Uh, and then, you know, Seinfeld happened for him in his 70s and. it changed, you know, it just fulfilled. everything that he had wanted. Um, and. my mom did wasn't as important to her. cuz she was, I think, happier to kind of. stay at home and write and, you know, read biographies, do the Sunday Times.

crossword puzzle. Um, and but my dad, that's what was it was, you know, if he. was so connected to the audience, to. being recognized, it meant so much to. him cuz he was so deprived as a kid. He. he his parents he had such a tough. child. His dad was a cab driver. You. know, they lived they moved 13 different. times when he was a kid over the course. of a few years. And you know, so he he. was just like both loving and needy, but. like in the in the most generous way. And you know, he my they would like.

someone come up to him on the street and. you know, recognize him. He'd be with my. mom and he'd talk to them for like 15. minutes and my mom would be like, "Jerry, let's get the out of here. Come on. This guy knows me." You know, exactly. I'll do a dance for you. Whatever you. want. Boy, do I relate to that. Yeah. I. didn't I didn't get any of that, by the. way.