Why did Jerry call Kramer Kessler in the pilot episode?
At the time the pilot was taped, Jerry and Larry were still not sure if Kenny Kramer (the inspiration for Cosmo Kramer) was going to let them use his name. The original name for the character (if Kenny had nixed the deal) was “Hoffman”. Jerry called him Kessler in the episode, and shortly after that Kenny gave his blessing so Hoffman/Kessler became Kramer. I also heard from Kenny that “Bender” was another possible name that Larry David considered.
