A funny article about "Seinfeld" appeared in this past Sunday's New York Times Arts and Leisure section. It was written by Jeff MacGregor, who has written other witty pieces previously for the Times. The article is a few hundred words, accompanied by a Hirschfeld caricature of the the main characters.
I will not reproduce the text here because the Times has more lawyers than I do. Devoted fans might seek it out at the local library, check the local newsstand, or contact the nearest dealer in out-of-town newspapers. This last choice is for the most rabid fans among you who live outside the New York area.
The premise of the article is that, since marketing "tie-in's" have superseded the entertainment value of shows, "Seinfeld" should capitalize on this trend by opening an amusement park called "Six Flags Jerry". The article has many references to character traits as well as events in past episodes ("Junior Mints", etc.).
The remainder of this post consists of a few explanations for those of you who live outside the New York area, or even outside the US. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Al Roker is an outgoing, rotund TV weatherman in the New York area who also appears on national TV.
"Tom's/Monk's Restaurant" is a reference to the actual restaurant that's used for the exterior shot (the one with the neon sign that says "RESTAURANT"). It's Tom's Restaurant, located at 112th Street and Broadway in Manhattan.
The Upper West Side refers to a section of Manhattan that's west of Central Park, running almost the length of the park (59th to about 100th street, where it starts to blend into Harlem). To those of us who live in New York, it's immediately obvious that the show is set on the Upper West Side. It's home to people of all economic classes, but much of it became gentrified in the 1980's. As a result, many professionals moved to the high-rises, while those with less prestigious jobs or who work in the arts live in old, low-rise buildings, often on less-than-prime blocks. (These are the types of buildings that Seinfeld and the other characters of similar age live in.) There are also many elderly residents who have lived there since before the gentrification. A high percentage of the population, young and old, is Jewish. There are some old ethnic bakeries and stores along with yuppie boutiques. (I've included these details to help the non-New Yorkers better understand the setting for "Seinfeld").
For those of you who live outside the USA and obtain the article somehow:
Orlando (Florida) is the home of Disney World and other theme parks. Disney World features a monorail transportation system that connects places with names such as Tomorrowland and Frontierland, and has popular rides named "The Matterhorn" and "Pirates of the Caribbean".
"Six Flags" is a chain of amusement parks. Many of the parks have names "Six Flags name-of-city".
"Pride of the Yankees" was a Hollywood biography of New York Yankees' star Lou Gehrig, who died of a debilitating illness. "Damn Yankees" was a Broadway musical in which a deal with the Devil is made to guarantee that the Yankees have a winning season.
---Alvin H. Nichter