The late legend Jerry Stiller is famous for playing George's perpetually angry father, Frank, on Seinfeld, and it is arguably his greatest role.
18. Silver Dollar Collection
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This was our first glimpse into the baffling and eccentric enigma that is Stiller's Frank Costanza. When the Costanzas go out for dinner, while Estelle tries to get George to take a civil service test, Frank rambles on about his silver dollar collection. He's essentially in his own little world in this scene, blissfully unaware of how much he's annoying his son.
17. Kasha?
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If you thought it was bad for George when he moved back in his parents, it was just as bad when his father moved in with him. At the end of "The Doorman" episode, we see Frank getting in bed with George and offering him a taste of his kasha. Fun fact: They had to shoot this scene multiple times because Jason Alexander kept laughing when Stiller asked if he wanted the kasha.
16. Dinner With the Rosses
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When George takes his parents to have dinner with Susan and her parents, naturally, the evening goes horribly wrong. Frank spends the night asking about Cornish game hen and, for some reason, who's having sex with the hen. While Susan's parents aren't so well adjusted, we can agree with them that Frank is out of his mind, especially when he took back his rye bread because he didn't get any coffee.
15. George Is Frank's Butler
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In this reshot scene from "The Handicap Spot," we see George working as Frank's butler after he got him arrested for parking in the titular parking space. The way Frank speaks in this scene is a vast improvement over the original version, from how he screams in George's face to how he asks him to deliver a TV to the woman he put in the hospital.
14. Frank Grounds George
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After George moves back in with his parents in Season 5, we see him struggle to live with them and their insanity. This is best exemplified in "The Cigar Door Indian" episode after George's parents return home. When they do, they are shocked to discover that their son had sex in their bed while they were gone. As Estelle freaks out about it, Frank responds by grounding George like he's 10 years old, and all with a straight face.
13. Frank Teaches George About Bras
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When Frank scores George an interview with a bra manufacturer, he decides to break down the nuts and bolts about bras to get his son ready. Frank insists Estelle get a bra for their son to look at, and he hilariously annoys him by listing all the different cup sizes. It's always good when your parents help you find a job, but you probably don't want to get career advice from Frank Costanza.
12. Frank's War Story
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When Kramer tries to get Frank to help cook for a Jewish Singles' Night, the latter recounts a traumatic event he had when he was a cook in the Korean War. In a parody of Platoon, Frank remembers how he accidentally gave his men food poisoning with bad meat. Somehow, Seinfeld made a topic as touchy as war trauma into a hilarious moment that is only elevated by the incomparable Frank Costanza.
11. Frank Cooks Again
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Though he spent years too traumatized to cook, Frank finally gets the nerve to do it again after a bad breakfast. Having become too fed up with his wife's cooking, he bluntly declares how much it sucks, and with the crack of an egg, he announces his return like the boss that he is.
10. Frank Ruins Singles' Night
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When Frank decides to take up cooking again, he joins Kramer in making food for Jewish singles' night. While that line about Arizona alone was noteworthy enough, it's what follows that really steals the show. At the event, when Elaine's fatigues-wearing protégé starts coughing, Frank has a war flashback that throws him into a panic. He breaks people dinner's plates, pushes Kramer to the ground, and even flips over the buffet table, ending the episode on a high note.
9. Jerry and Elaine Don't Say Hello
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Frank is like Pai Mei from Kill Bill. If you don't say "hello" to him, he will destroy your world, or at least annoy the crap out of you. That's what he does when he learns Jerry and Elaine saw him in the city and didn't say "hello."
8. Why Did You Put the Bananas in There?
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As George prepares himself for his new hand modeling gig, he has trouble focusing with his parents yelling every few seconds for the smallest of things. One example is when Estelle offers George some jello and Frank starts screaming about the bananas she put in it. We've all had to deal with our parents arguing over food, and Frank pretty much embodies every loud dad in that situation.
7. The Bro
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When George and Kramer discover Frank has grown breasts, Kramer comes up with a bra designed specifically for men. He has Frank try on the prototype, but when George and Estelle walk in on him dancing with it, they understandably have a WTF moment. And the fact that Frank keeps dancing like he just don't care makes us love him even more.
6. Frank Fights Elaine
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After George is arrested for bootlegging, Frank arrives at the police station, furious at his son. As he tries to defend George in front of Elaine, she insults both Costanzas, and Frank gets even angrier. This hilariously leads to a fistfight behind him and Elaine, capping off the episode with a frame of each of them throwing the first punch.
5. This Is Frank Costanza
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After he decides to move to Del Boca Vista to spite Morty Seinfeld, Frank calls him to announce his plans and brag at his enemy. From the way he introduces himself to the way he changes his voice throughout the call, Frank proves that he is an unstoppable force of nature.
4. Frank Gets Fusilli-ed
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When Frank thinks Kramer made a pass at Estelle by stealing his move, his suspicions are supported when he sees Kramer's new "ASSMAN" car plates. He goes to Jerry's apartment and gets into a fight with Kramer. But when Frank falls to the ground, everyone is shocked to see Jerry's fusilli sculpture in a place where the sun don't shine. Talk about a million to one shot.
3. George "Dies"
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After Steinbrenner suspects George of dying, he visits his parents in Queens to break the bad news. Though Estelle is heartbroken over her son's death, Frank asks Steinbrenner why he traded away Jay Buhner. I think we can agree with the guy cracking up in the studio audience that Frank's reaction is drop-dead hilarious.
2. Serenity Now!
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Here, Frank begins to shout "Serenity Now" after listening to an instructional tape to control his blood pressure (though it was unclear if he was supposed to shout it). Though this mantra doesn't really help him, it has become a phrase forever associated with both Jerry Stiller and his character on the show. That and "hoochie mama."
1. Festivus
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After the group learns about how Frank invented Festivus, Kramer is intrigued and decides to revive the holiday with George's father. To celebrate, Frank unearths the aluminum pole he puts up in lieu of a Christmas tree and airs his grievances to those in attendance. The evening comes to a head when Frank engages with George in the Feats of Strength, happily invoking his son's childhood trauma and creating a Festivus for the rest of us.
Do you agree with this list? Were there any other Frank Costanza moments that I missed? Please let me know in the comments section below, and here's a blooper reel of Frank to send you off.
