turned on the idea that no one could tell an irish name from a catholic name and they should never been thrown in the same dating pool. and the fact that all of us in the audience knew that stiller and mira really were that impossible couple that she was married to the jewish man she was performeding with lifted that bit into the realm of important comedy. comedy that teaches an important lesson in a way that nothing else can. and i can tell you as a little irish catholic boy growing up in boston and still a long way from dating, watching stiller and meara opened my eyes to possibilities that i never saw in my neighborhood. anne meara was a serious actress doing shake spears in the park and such things when her husband, jerry stiller, lured her into working as a comedy team with him. fame as a comedy team brought them both many many more acting