Aired Wednesday, February 13, 1991 · 30 min
George regrets not going upstairs for "coffee" after a date, and proceeds to leave his girlfriend a series of increasingly embarrassing phone messages. Meanwhile, Jerry and his girlfriend argue over the comedic value of a TV commercial.
No live reaction survived for this episode — the archive begins in June 1992.
Fans identify that George's answering machine message in this episode borrowed from the theme song "Believe It Or Not" from the TV series The Greatest American Hero, written by Joey Scarbury.
Fans discuss how to obtain audio clips of George from 'The Phone Message' episode to use in custom answering machine greetings, with suggestions for workarounds if the specific audio is unavailable.
Viewers ask for help identifying episodes, with one seeking the episode featuring George's singing phone message and another asking about the episode about nothing.
Fans discuss whether Jerry's apartment number changed from 3A to 5A between early and later episodes, with some confirming the change and comparing it to the Ricardos in I Love Lucy.
Fans identify the song from George's answering machine message in "The Phone Message" as "Believe It or Not" by Joey Scarbury from The Greatest American Hero TV series theme.
Fans discuss clever answering machine messages, referencing Kramer's "Giddyup" and Jerry's "You know what to do" from the show.
Posters share a Salon.com article about Seinfeld and discuss "The Phone Message" episode, particularly George's rambling answering machine monologue.
Fans discuss "The Phone Message" episode and clarify plot details about George's neurotic messages versus a similar episode where Elaine leaves a sexy message on a recorder.
Fans praise The Phone Message as an underrated episode, particularly George's performance and comedic timing, wondering why it's overlooked in top ten lists.
Fans discuss a plot hole in The Phone Message episode where George's girlfriend doesn't notice that his earlier answering machine messages have been erased from the tape.
Fans discuss their favorite moment from "The Phone Message" episode, particularly George's awkward signal to Jerry and the humorous line about his father wearing sneakers in the pool.
Fans reconstruct the exact wording of George's answering machine message from the episode, which is sung to the tune of 'Believe It or Not' from The Greatest American Hero.
Fans quote and discuss George's answering machine greeting from "The Phone Message," debating whether there were additional lines and confirming the greeting repeats when the phone rings again.
Fans identify an episode where George tries to erase messages from his girlfriend's answering machine while Jerry switches cassette tapes in another room, with George yelling a warning signal.
Fans identify the episode where a girl likes the cotton Dockers ad, confirming it as "The Phone Message."
Fans discuss finding Seinfeld scripts online, with one offering to send a copy via mail for copying costs.
Fans discuss where to find a recording of George's answering machine message from the episode, with posters directing others to a fan website hosting a .wav file.