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 offers. they have two children, amy and ben stiller. anne and jerry kept working throughout parenthood and grandparenthood. anne meara was nominated for four emmys and won a writer's guild award for the 1983 tv movie "if other women." here are anne and jerry in a movie cowritten by their son, ben stiller, how they played a trick on the "new york times" about an obituary. >> do you know that jerry ford, to get my father, eddie meara's