One of the many reasons why Seinfeld was and remains such a great show is that Jerry and his cohort of main characters were supported by a seemingly endless and memorable lineup of peripheral characters. From recurring figures like Newman to one-off characters like the Soup Nazi, the iconic show was unquestionably buoyed by a tremendous supporting cast.
Recently, many of the show’s supporting cast members came together for an incredibly heartwarming cause; to help put a smile on the face of Jim Calder, a 67-year-old Seinfeld superfan who was dying of cancer.
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Ahead of what would sadly be his last birthday, Calder’s son James – and James’ wife – came up with a sweet idea to help cheer his father up: a string of videos from family and friends recording “Happy Birthday” messages. Before long, the already great idea became more ambitious.
“We immediately thought of his favorite TV show, Seinfeld,” Calder writes for The Huffington Post. “We started planning how to pitch this to the Seinfeld characters and started to reach out through published articles about the project, social media outreach and word of mouth.”
As word of the initiative spread, the videos from Seinfeld cast members began rolling in, with each actor recording a message – in character – wishing Jim a happy birthday.
“Some of the cast members not only made videos with great birthday messages but they were creative, thoughtful and sincere,” Calder added. “These wonderful people helped to honor and celebrate my father’s birthday and provided a much needed distraction during an extremely difficult time for my family. Their kindness and compassion has humbled us to our core.”
A wide sampling of the videos that came in can be seen below.
Julie Louis-Dreyfus
Here, we have John O’Hurley reprising his role as J Peterman
Next, we have the Soup Nazi
David Puddy
Newman
Kenny Bania
Lloyd Braun
Walter Peterman
Mickey Abbot
Ping the bike delivery man
As for how everything played out, Calder (the son) writes:
My father’s condition worsened as the Seinfeld birthday project continued to develop. He received detrimental news which resulted in more Chemo treatments and then being admitted into the hospital. The day before he passed, my mom and I decided to start showing him the videos to lift his spirits. He was shocked and mystified about how we were able to reach the Seinfeld cast members. He really felt the love and support.
Make sure to hit the source link below for even more videos from Seinfeld characters.
