As fans paid tribute to comedian Bob Einstein after his death Wednesday, one of the most noted moments from his career was the show-stealing cameo he had in his brother Albert Brooks’ 1981 comedy “Modern Romance.”
In the scene, Einstein plays a smarmy athletic store clerk who Brooks’ newly-single character Robert encounters after he decides take up jogging and buy some sneakers. In the clip, Einstein’s clerk aggressively upsells Robert into buying hundreds of dollars worth of gear.
Einstein’s feigned indifference manages to capture aggressive capitalism and judgmental smugness all at once.
Watch most of the clip below:
While you're mourning the loss of Bob Einstein, take a moment to savor this brilliant bit from his brother Albert Brooks' MODERN ROMANCE. pic.twitter.com/0WNoXX1Xdt
— Harry McCracken ?? (@harrymccracken) January 2, 2019
The scene was shared on Twitter multiple times, including by Brooks himself, who said that “my brother was so funny in this scene.” Brooks, of course, wasn’t the only one with fond memories. Throughout the afternoon, peers and fans paid tribute.
“Was lucky enough to work with him a couple of times and he was so goddamned funny. So unapologetically, wonderfully himself,” Andy Richter replied to Brooks’ tweet. “An absolute Jedi master at not giving a shit what anybody thought of him. I will miss him, and I’m thinking of you & your family.”