Archive-name: seinfeld-faq Last-modified: 1993/03/30 Version: 1.1
"Seinfeld" Information File and Frequently Asked Questions List
===============================================================[FAQ Version 1.1 -- Updated: March 30th, 1993]
This file is intended to provide a general information base and answer some frequently asked questions posted on alt.tv.seinfeld and mailed to the "Vandelay Industries" mailing list. It is hoped this file is found useful to newcomers to the group as well as fill in the information gaps in the minds of experienced newshounds. Additions and corrections to this file should be directed to the FAQ administrator, noted in section 1.1. This FAQ list is posted monthly to both alt.tv.seinfeld and the "Vandelay Industries" mailing list. It normally comes out around the 13th of each month.
Changes from, and additions to, the last version noted with a | in column 1.
Table Of Contents
================= 1) Administrivia
1.1) Seinfeld Discussion Groups
1.2) Information File & FAQ List
1.3) Episode Guide2.3) Regular Co-Stars
2.4) Notable Guest Star Appearances
2.4.1) ...As Themselves 2.4.3) ...Mentioned But Not Seen
2.5) Behind-The-Scenes-Type People2.5.2) Tom Cherones
3) Regular Show Aspects
3.1) The Diner 4) Frequently Asked Questions (And Other Things You Should Know)
4.1) What is Kramer's full name? 4.3) What's Jerry and Elaine's relationship?
4.4) What's the whole "New York Thing"?
4.6) Is Pez the official fifth food group of alt.tv.seinfeld?
4.5) Snapple: Discuss4.8) "Seinfeld" vs. "Home Improvement"
Episode Of "Seinfeld" To Watch, Which One Would It Be?
(debating the validity of the question is left as an
assignment for the reader)4.12) Does Jerry Read alt.tv.seinfeld?
4.14) "Is George Jewish? Is he Italian? Can he drive a three-inch
nail through a board with his...?"
4.15) George's SAT Scores
4.16) What's a "Chucker"?
4.17) A Couple Tidbits On Character Name Selection
4.18) The Ballad Of Kramer's Coat---
- Administrivia
1.1) "Seinfeld" Discussion Groups
There are two major ways of discussing "Seinfeld" on the Internet.
One is to subscribe to the alt.tv.seinfeld group with your local news
reader, the other is to subscribe to "Vandelay Industries", the
"Seinfeld" mailing list (detailed below). For simplicity's sake,
these two entities are referred to below as Seinfeld Discussion Groups
(SDGs).1.2) Information File and FAQ List
This file is maintained by Scott Simpson ([email]). It is
posted monthly to both SDGs. Any additions or corrections to this
list should be sent to the aforementioned email address or posted to
the SDGs.1.3) Episode Guide
The official SDG episode guide is maintained by Bob Warznak
([email]). It is posted periodically to the SDGs.1.4) Episode Capsules
The "Seinfeld" episode capsules are compiled by Scott Simpson,
([email]). A new one is posted pretty much weekly to the SDGs.1.5) Other Files Available
Bob Warznak has also compiled a complete list of "Seinfeld" ``Olympic
1.6) Files By Anonymous FTP
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1.7) "Seinfeld" Mailing List
The "Seinfeld" mailing list, "Vandelay Industries" has been up and
running longer than alt.tv.seinfeld. To join, send a message with
a subject line "Subscribe" to:[email]
It's available in both a reflector format, and a digest format.
- The Show and It's Characters
2.1) Introduction to "Seinfeld"
``It's a show about nothing'' -- "The Ticket"
"Seinfeld" began life as "The Seinfeld Chronicles" July 5, 1989,
around stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and his everyday routine. Most
episodes simply revolve around Jerry and his three closest friends (his
best friend George, his ex-girlfriend Elaine and his neighbour Kramer),
making everyday situations, well, extraordinary.2.2) The Main Players
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2.2.1) Jerry Seinfeld
``A guy who's about five foot eleven, he's got uh, a big head and
flared nostrils.'' -- Kramer on Jerry, "The Movie"
``Like, a horse face, big teeth, and a pointed nose.'' -- George on
Jerry, "The Movie"2.2.2) George Costanza
``A short guy with glasses, looked like Humpty Dumpty with a melon
head.'' -- The Ticket Lady on George, "The Movie" Played by Jason Alexander (born Jay Greenspan in New Jersey).
In an interview on "Fresh Air," a National Public Radio show out of
Philadelphia, Jason Alexander admitted that George is loosely based
on the show's producer, Larry David. Also, he admitted that in both
his audition and the first few shows he was doing an unabashedOther work: _My Fair Lady_ (Broadway)
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2.2.3) Elaine Marie Benes
``A pretty woman, you know, kinda short, big wall of hair, face
like a frying pan.'' -- George on Elaine, "The Movie" Played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. J.L.-D. is married to fellow "SNL"
alumnus Brad Hall. They have one child together, born in between
"Seinfeld" seasons last year (which is why she is absent from the
season premiere this year and is only seen from the shoulders-up
in "The Keys"). Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Soul Man (1986)
Troll (1986)National Lampoon's
2.2.4) Kramer (Just Kramer)
``Ah, a tall, lanky dufus with, with a bird face and hair like the
bride of Frankenstein.'' -- Elaine on Kramer, "The Movie"|
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Other work: "Marblehead Manor" (1977)
Ratings Game, The (1984) (TV Movie)
Transylvania 6-5000 (1985)Problem Child (1990)
He has also guest starred as:
o A sleazy guy trying to make Sam cash in on a bet, in one episode
of "Cheers"
o A defendant who thought he was invisible to everyone, in an
episode of "Night Court"
o A TV producer (?) on "St. Elsewhere", looking for a doctor to
host a local health segment on a news broadcast.
o He supposedly has played heavies in several shows, including
"Miami Vice"2.3) Regular Co-Stars
2.3.1) Newman
Played by Wayne Knight. Many SDG'ers loathe the man, since most of
2.3.2) Morty and Helen Seinfeld (Jerry's parents)
Mrs. Seinfeld is played by Liz Sheridan, Mr. Seinfeld was played by
Phil Bruns in the Pilot episode, and by Barney Martin in all
subsequent appearances.Other work:
2.3.3) Estelle Costanza
2.3.4) Uncle Leo
2.4) Notable Guest Star Appearances
Many "big name" stars have appeared on "Seinfeld" (most often as
themselves), and many others have played other characters, or have
been "integral" parts of the show without being seen.2.4.1) ...As Themselves
Candice Bergen, "The Keys"
Corbin Bernsen, "The Trip, Part II"
Keith Hernandez, "The Boyfriend, Parts I & II"
Roger McDowell, "The Boyfriend, Part II"
Keith Morrison, "The Trip, Part II"
Fred Savage, "The Trip, Part I"
George Wendt, "The Trip, Part II"2.4.2) ...Playing Others
Michael Chiklis ........... Steve ("The Stranded")
Modern Problems (1981)
Legal Eagles (1986)
Scrooged (1988)
Ghostbusters II (1989)
"Get a Life" (1990)
JFK (1991) Other work: "Saturday Night Live" (1990) [sketch actress]
Clint Howard .............. Tobias ("The Trip")
Other work: "Gentle Ben" (1967) Huckleberry Finn (1975) (TV Movie)
Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979)
Night Shift (1982)
Splash (1984)
Cocoon (1985)
Gung Ho (1986)
"Gung Ho" (1986)
Parenthood (1989)
Tango & Cash (1989)
Backdraft (1991)
Rocketeer, The (1991)
Far and Away (1992)
"Space Rangers" (1993)
Tawny Kitaen .............. Isabel ("The Nose Job")
Other work: "Capitol" (1982)
"Santa Barbara" (1984)Perils of Gwendoline in the
Witchboard (1985)
[Ex-wife of that Whitesnake guy (David Coverdale); she appeared in
many of their videos]Planes, Trains And
Lawrence Tierney .......... Alton Benes (Elaine's Dad) ("The Jacket")
Other work: Greatest Show on Earth, The (1952)
Prizzi's Honor (1985)
Silver Bullet (1985)
Naked Gun: From the Files
of Police Squad!, The (1988)
City of Hope (1991) Casualties of Love: The
Long Island Lolita Story (1993) (TV Movie)2.4.3) ...Mentioned But Not Seen
Woody Allen, "The Alternate Side"
John Cheever, "The Cheever Letters" Mickey Mantle, "The Visa"
...2.5) Behind-The-Scenes-Type People
2.5.1) Larry David
Co-creator, writer and producer of the show, Larry David is also
the basis of the George character.Like Michael Richards, he was also a cast member of "Fridays".
2.5.2) Tom Cherones
Director and Supervising producer of the show... <blah blah blah>
- Regular Show Aspects
3.1) The Diner
The diner that the gang frequents on the show is called "Monk's".
The exterior shots are of "Tom's Diner" in New York City (located
on Broadway at 112th St.) Tom's is the subject of the song "Tom's
Diner" by Suzanne Vega on the album "Solitude Standing".3.2) The Apartment
o The bike is a Klein (though he seemingly never uses it)
o The Computer is a Mac (though he seemingly never uses it)
Incidentally, the Mac was taken from the old "Moonlighting" set--
it was on Maddie's desk in her office. And Jerry doesn't use
computers to write with in real life-- his most comfortable writing
tools are Bic pens and large yellow legal pads.3.3) Character Occupations:
Jerry: Stand-up comedian
Proof-Reader ("The Red Dot")
Presently co-writer of Jerry's show for NBC Kramer: "Falls ass-backwards into money"
(Has also had a couple of acting jobs:
o One line in a Woody Allen film: "These pretzels are
making me thirsty" ("The Alternate Side")
o Murphy's secretary on an episode of "Murphy Brown"
("The Keys") Newman: United States Postal Worker ("The Old Man")
Mr. S: Sells raincoats ("The Wallet")- Frequently Asked Questions (And Other Things You Should Know...)
4.1) What is Kramer's full name?
Likely the most asked (or should I say "debated") questions is
what is Kramer's full name on the show. Simply stated, Michael
Richards plays "Kramer". "Gee, Scott... Is that his first name
or his last name?" Well, it's never been mentioned, but it is
likely safe to assume it's his last name (from such clues as a
torn cover page from Kramer's treatment (in this year's season
premiere) shows only text where a last name would be, and it says
"Kramer")). Jerry has joked to interviewers that Kramer's full
name is "Kramer Versus Kramer", and one article has stated it as
"Mr. Bent Kramer" (although that has since been refuted since
another version of the article prints it as "Mr. Bent, Kramer").But remember, it's just "Kramer" until the show tells us otherwise.
4.2) What's up with Jerry's money?
Many episodes of "Seinfeld" deal with Jerry losing mass quantities
of money in one way or another, such as:
o Paying Uncle Leo $350 to get his watch back ("The Wallet") o Paying Elaine's $200 phone bill ("")
o Paying hit and run damages ("The Good Samaritan")o ...
4.3) What's Jerry and Elaine's relationship?
In the premiere episode "The Stakeout", we find out that Elaine and
Jerry used to be "together" but are now "just friends". In a later
episode ("The Deal") they try to have a friendship plus "the other
thing" and they end up agreeing that it's good to have "this, that
and the other thing", although no episode after "The Deal" addresses
this issue again-- they have been "just friends" ever since.4.4) What's the whole "New York Thing"?
Many a.t.s.'ers claim to have special insight into the show since
a lot of the show's humour is based on living in New York City
(episodes like "The Subway" particularly accent this) and there
are numerous "Only in New York" subplots (such as Woody Allen
making a film). Anyway, the consensus seems too be that you don't
have to be a New Yorker to understand and appreciate the humour,
but it helps you empathise with the characters when they get into
situations like the above.4.5) Is Pez the official fifth food group of alt.tv.seinfeld?
Is there a need to ask?
4.6) Snapple: Discuss
If Pez is the official fifth food group of a.t.s., Snapple must be
what you wash it down with.4.7) Whither official "Seinfeld" merchandise?
Talk to Donna Tschetter ([email]). She has a veritable
varied verifiable variety of stuff, including T-shirts and mugs. Donna
provides descriptions of some of the available T-shirts (all are given
Jerry's personal stamp of approval, by the way): o The Kramer - "He is a loathsome offensive brute, yet I can't
look away!" Full color Brute on white shirt. *Awesome* artwork. o Cantstandya, cantSTANDya...! George of course-- from "The
Wedgie" episode. White shirt black and white photo. o The Clown - "That is one Angry clown...!" White clown on
black shirt. From the "Crazy Joe Devola" shows. Jerry went
absolutely *wild* for this one! It is a white clown photo on a
black shirt! Looks really neat and off the wall. o Jerry in stand-up pose with microphone in hand on black shirt.
This is a nice basic pose of our boy. How can anyone not like
this shirt? o Kramer in Sunglasses with the quote, "In my mind, I'm already
gone..." Shows the K-man in Blue shirt with smaller photos of him
in yellow shirt to the side. This was Jerry's second favorite--
neat colors and presentation. o "My Cubans" -- Kramer in big easy chair with cigar in mouth and
smoke in his face, shirt unbuttoned halfway down - big hair. All shirts include the official Seinfeld logo. Coming soon, Elaine
shirts, sweatjacket, mock turtleneck, sweatshirts, baseball shirts,
and sweatshorts with logo.|
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4.8) "Seinfeld" vs. "Home Improvement"
Sigh... Much ado about nothing, but a.t.s. has become a bit of a
soap box for people to state their views on why "Home Improvement"
sucks (or does not suck). This is only being debated since the two
shows occupied the same time slot (Wednesday, 9:00) for much of this
year. Generalising, one can see that "HI" is watched more by married
couples and children than "Seinfeld".4.9) List Of Awards Won By "Seinfeld"
This year, "Seinfeld" won several American Comedy Awards, including
best TV series, best actor (Jerry), supporting actor (Jason) and of Michael Richards, and the lack of "Seinfeld" to make the top
nominees for anything at the People's Choice Awards."Seinfeld" won two Emmys this year-- Writing ("The Fix-Up") and ...
The Directors Guild of America awarded "Seinfeld" best comedy series
honours this year also for the episode "The Contest". 4.10) If You Were On A Deserted Island And Could Only Have One Episode
Of "Seinfeld" To Watch, Which One Would It Be? (debating the
validity of the question is left as an assignment for the reader)|
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4.11) Who is Art Vandelay?
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Art Vandelay was born in the first season premiere episode ("The
Stakeout") when George invented a name for a fictitious friend he
and Jerry were going to see. George subsequently uses the name
"Vandelay Industries" as a fake company he sought work at in order
to continue his unemployment insurance ("The Boyfriend Part II").
A couple of episodes later, George cites "Art Vandelay" as one of
the authors he likes when interviewing for the proof reading job
Elaine got him, which he lost because of the, er, indiscretion he
had with the cleaning lady ("The Red Dot").4.12) Does Jerry read alt.tv.seinfeld?
Doubtful. Extremely doubtful. Really extremely doubtful. But he
does apparently have an account on Prodigy.4.13) Apartment Props And The Real Life Jerry Seinfeld
``Do you know that this is the way people negotiate in the Bizarro
world?'' -- Jerry to George, "The Pitch" Many "subtle" props in the apartment reflect Jerry's real-life
persona. As such, we've seen Superman magnets on the fridge and in
every episode there is an exhorbinant amount of cereal in his
cupboards. There have been as many as 11(?) boxes on his shelf at
once. Some of the brands recognised: Bob Warznak also notes:
``Some articles have pointed out that he also is the Imelda Marcos of
white sneakers. He wears them until they get scuffed. This was
also shown in "The Virgin"''4.14) "Is George Jewish? Is he Italian? Can he drive a three-inch nail through a board with his...?"
So much bandwidth... So little time... As far as I can tell, it's
been decided George plays a stereotypical Jewish character who is,
in fact, Jewish (asking for the kosher meal in "The Trip", etc.),
who happens to have an Italian surname. Thus, I think we can assume
he is, in fact, a Jewish-Italian American. An article from "Palm Beach Jewish World" says, ``Even with a name
like Costanza, George is decidedly Jewish. "Sure", says the actor
who portrays him, "because he's written by Jews and played by one."''4.15) George's SAT Scores,
George said he got 1409 (which he admitted was a lie). Anyone who
remembers how SATs are scored would know this score is impossible to
get since SAT scores always end in a zero. 1400 or 1410 would have
been possible scores, but 1409 is impossible by a single individual.4.16) What's A "Chucker"?
A "chucker" is someone who takes bad shots. A "chuck" is a bad shot,
i.e., a low-percentage attempt executed with poor form. A synonym
might be a "brick". Chuck can also be used as a general synonym for
throw, e.g., "Hey, can you chuck that newspaper over here?" But,
you see, in basketball, one should not be randomly throwing the ball
at the basket, one should rather be shooting. Anyway, George was
accused of being such a beast by both Jerry and Keith Hernandez in
"The Boyfriend".4.17) A Couple Tidbits On Character Name Selection
Donna Tschetter notes:
``This may be totally off the wall, but I think Jerry incorporated
"Vandelay" as a fictitious name in the scripts because he's dating
Vendela, that model of amazing attributes as seen in this year's
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. He also used the name "Joe
Devola" for the crazed maniac who kicked Kramer in the head when
a Fox executive with that name asked him to use it in the show.''4.18) The Ballad Of Kramer's Coat
Bob Warznak explains:
``It started in "The Parking Garage" when George comments about it
being a nice jacket, and Kramer explains the whole story behind it,
and how it endows the wearer with incredible luck with women. "The
Cafe" featured the story line where "the guy" comes back to get the
jacket. "The Nose Job" features the bit about where Kramer and
Elaine going to "the guy's" apartment, after he's in prison, to get
it back. This features an extremely funny scene where the landlord
lets Kramer in and tells him the story about the horrible women that
"the guy" used to date -- Babs Kramer. The coat shows up again in
"The Cheever Letters" when Kramer trades it for some Cuban cigars.''|4.19) How does one go about getting tickets to a taping of the show? |
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- Acknowledgements
This Info file would not exist without the help of many, many people
from a.t.s and "VI", and everyone who contributed information and
corrections.Thanks skillions, guys.
=========================================================================== This Info File and FAQ List is compiled and maintained by Scott Simpson through many more life-endangering hours of laborious and grueling time at the keyboard. Distribute this file freely, but please leave in this disclaimer so that years from now when I'm visiting Malaysia some villager will approach me on the street and recognise me as the guy who finally wrote a FAQ for alt.tv.seinfeld and brought peace and harmony not only to that newsgroup, but to the world as well. Thanks. --- By day, [email], by night, rec.sport.hockey Ottawa Senators Contact TODAY'S .SIG: [Pay heed, for this quote/word/fact may alter your very being!] "(Chad) Erickson was a complete joke. He will never play for us again. The guy who drafted him should be dead." -- Cincinnati coach Dennis Derosiers )-> In case it's not obvious, BNR and I may or may not share these views. <-(