Seinfeld Secrets: 1500 Fun Facts About the Show

By Dennis Bjorklund

Seinfeld Secrets: 1500 Fun Facts About the Show is written by an authoritative expert who penned the most comprehensive reference book ever written on the series—Seinfeld Reference: The Complete Encyclopedia. The follow-up effort, Seinfeld Secrets, is the best source for insider facts and never-before-revealed tidbits about the sitcom once voted the Greatest TV Series of All-Time by TV Guide. This type of thoroughness cannot be found anywhere else in the entire Seinfeld Universe.

 

The first section provides insider information about the creators, cast regulars, supporting actors, and guest actors as well as cast stand-ins, crew members, show extras, and even famous actors who auditioned for roles in the immensely popular show. The second section discusses little known facts about the series, including behind-the-scenes activities, casting, directing, writing, and so much more.

 

The final section recounts numerous secrets behind the making of Seinfeld. Every episode has a history and many contain a few skeletons in the closet. The little known facts encompass an episode summary, plot creation, when personal experience influenced a show, ad-libbed lines, how scenes developed and evolved, when actors impacted the creative process, and even the "lost" episode that was written and rehearsed but never filmed. There are over 1500 fun facts about the show that are sure to amaze and mystify the most inquisitive Seinfeld fan.

 

Seinfeld Secrets is an essential book for every fan of the show. It is a great conversation starter and readers are sure to impress friends and family with nuggets of insider information that most Seinfeld fans do not know. Photos included, 186 pages paperback.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Praetorian Publishing
• Release date: Nov 24, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223530732

Book preview

Seinfeld Secrets

1500 Fun Facts About the Show

Author

Dennis Bjorklund

Published by Praetorian Publishing

Copyright 2023 Dennis Bjorklund

Last Revised and Updated November 2023

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Draft2Digital.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

First published in the United States of America in 1998

Discover all the amazing television sitcom print and ebook publications by Dennis Bjorkund:

eBooks

Seinfeld

Seinfeld Reference: The Complete Encyclopedia, 30th Anniversary Edition

Seinfeld Secrets: 1500 Fun Facts About the Show

Seinfeld Secrets: An Insider Scoop About the Show

Seinfeld Trivia: Everything About Nothing

Seinfeld Trivia: Everything About Nothing, Challenging

Seinfeld Trivia: Everything About Nothing, Multiple Choice

Seinfeld Ultimate Episode Guide

Friends

Friends Behind the Scenes: Backstage Pass to the Series, A Comprehensive History

Friends Secrets: 236 Episodes, Thousands of Facts

Friends Exposed: 1500 Fun Facts About the Show

Friends TV Show Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts: Channel Your Inner Unagi Fan

Cheers

Cheers TV Show: A Comprehensive Reference

Cheers Trivia: It’s a Little Known Fact…

Big Bang Theory

The Big Bang Theory TV Show Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts, Casual Fan

The Big Bang Theory TV Show Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts, Challenging

Modern Family

Modern Family TV Show Trivia Quiz & Fun Facts: Early Years

All the digital books listed above will be available in paperback in 2024.

* * * * *

Table of Contents

The Cast

Jerry

George

Kramer

Elaine

Stand-Ins

Recurring Regulars

Other Real-Life Inspirations

The Series

The Seinfeld Chronicles

Script Ideas

The Lost Episode

Pregnancy Issues

Sets and Promos

Seinfeld-Themed Businesses

Seinfeld-Themed Promotions

Series Facts

The Episodes

The Seinfeld Chronicles: Pilot (1989)

1. "Good News, Bad News (7.5.89)

Season 1 (1989-90)

2. The Stake Out (5.31.90)

3. The Robbery (6.7.90)

4. Male Unbonding (6.14.90)

5. The Stock Tip (6.21.90)

Season 2 (1990-91)

6. The Ex-Girlfriend (1.23.91)

7. The Pony Remark (1.30.91)

8. The Jacket (2.6.91)

9. The Phone Message (2.13.91)

10. The Apartment (4.4.91)

11. The Statue (4.11.91)

12. The Revenge (4.18.91)

13. The Heart Attack (4.25.91)

14. The Deal (5.2.91)

15. The Baby Shower (5.16.91)

16. The Chinese Restaurant (5.23.91)

17. The Busboy (6.26.91)

Season 3 (1991-92)

18. The Note (9.18.91)

19. The Truth (9.25.91)

20. The Pen (10.2.91)

21. The Dog (10.9.91)

22. The Library (10.16.91)

23. The Parking Garage (10.30.91)

24. The Cafe (11.6.91)

25. The Tape (11.13.91)

26. The Nose Job (11.20.91)

27. The Stranded (11.27.91)

28. The Alternate Side (12.4.91)

29. The Red Dot (12.11.91)

30. The Subway (1.8.92)

31. The Pez Dispenser (1.15.92)

32. The Suicide (1.29.92)

33. The Fix-Up (2.5.92)

34. The Boyfriend, Part 1 aka The New Friend (2.12.92)

35. The Boyfriend, Part 2 aka The New Friend (2.12.92)

36. The Limo (2.26.92)

37. The Good Samaritan (3.4.92)

38. The Letter (3.25.92)

39. The Parking Space (4.22.92)

40. The Keys (5.6.92)

Season 4 (1992-93)

41. The Trip, Part 1 (8.12.92)

42. The Trip, Part 2 (8.12.92)

43. The Pitch (9.16.92)

44. The Ticket (9.16.92)

45. The Wallet (9.23.92)

46. The Watch (9.30.92)

47. The Bubble Boy (10.7.92)

48. The Cheever Letters (10.28.92)

49. The Opera (11.4.92)

50. The Virgin (11.11.92)

51. The Contest (11.18.92)

52. The Airport (11.25.92)

53. The Pick (12.16.92)

54. The Movie (1.6.93)

55. The Visa (1.27.93)

56. The Shoes (2.4.93)

57. The Outing (2.11.93)

58. The Old Man (2.18.93)

59. The Implant (2.25.93)

60. The Junior Mint (3.18.93)

61. The Smelly Car (4.15.93)

62. The Handicap Spot (5.13.93)

63. The Pilot, Part 1 (5.20.93)

64. The Pilot, Part 2 (5.20.93)

Season 5 (1993-94)

65. The Mango (9.16.93)

66. The Puffy Shirt (9.23.93)

67. The Glasses (9.30.93)

68. The Sniffing Accountant (10.7.93)

69. The Bris (10.14.93)

70. The Lip Reader (10.28.93)

71. The Non-Fat Yogurt (11.4.93)

72. The Barber (11.11.93)

73. The Masseuse (11.18.93)

74. The Cigar Store Indian (12.9.93)

75. The Conversion (12.16.93)

76. The Stall (1.6.94)

77. The Dinner Party (2.3.94)

78. The Marine Biologist (2.10.94)

79. The Pie (2.17.94)

80. The Stand-In (2.24.94)

81. The Wife (3.17.94)

82. The Raincoats, Part 1 (4.28.94)

83. The Raincoats, Part 2 (4.28.94)

84. The Fire (5.5.94)

85. The Hamptons (5.12.94)

86. The Opposite (5.19.94)

Season 6 (1994-95)

87. The Chaperone (9.22.94)

88. The Big Salad (9.29.94)

89. The Pledge Drive (10.6.94)

90. The Chinese Woman (10.13.94)

91. The Couch (10.27.94)

92. The Gymnast (11.3.94)

93. The Soup (11.10.94)

94. The Mom & Pop Store (11.17.94)

95. The Secretary (12.8.94)

96. The Race (12.15.94)

97. The Switch (1.5.95)

98. The Label Maker (1.19.95)

99. The Scofflaw (1.26.95)

100. The Highlights of a Hundred, Part 1 (2.2.95)

101. The Highlights of a Hundred, Part 2 (2.2.95)

102. The Beard (2.9.95)

103. The Kiss Hello (2.16.95)

104. The Doorman (2.23.95)

105. The Jimmy (3.16.95)

106. The Doodle (4.6.95)

107. The Fusilli Jerry (4.27.95)

108. The Diplomat’s Club (5.4.95)

109. The Face Painter (5.11.95)

110. The Understudy (5.18.95)

Season 7 (1995-96)

111. The Engagement (9.21.95)

112. The Postponement (9.28.95)

113. The Maestro (10.5.95)

114. The Wink (10.12.95)

115. The Hot Tub (10.19.95)

116. The Soup Nazi (11.2.95)

117. The Secret Code (11.9.95)

118. The Pool Guy (11.16.95)

119. The Sponge (12.7.95)

120. The Gum (12.14.95)

121. The Rye (1.4.96)

122. The Caddy (1.25.96)

123. The Seven (2.1.96)

124. The Cadillac, Part 1 (2.8.96)

125. The Cadillac, Part 2 (2.8.96)

126. The Shower Head (2.15.96)

127. The Doll (2.22.96)

128. The Friars Club (3.7.96)

129. The Wig Master (4.4.96)

130. The Calzone (4.25.96)

131. The Bottle Deposit, Part 1 (5.2.96)

132. The Bottle Deposit, Part 2 (5.2.96)

133. The Wait Out (5.9.96)

134. The Invitations (5.16.96)

Season 8 (1996-97)

135. The Foundation (9.19.96)

136. The Soul Mate (9.26.96)

137. The Bizarro Jerry (10.3.96)

138. The Little Kicks (10.10.96)

139. The Package (10.17.96)

140. The Fatigues (10.31.96)

141. The Checks (11.7.96)

142. The Chicken Roaster (11.14.96)

143. The Abstinence (11.21.96)

144. The Andrea Doria (12.19.96)

145. The Little Jerry (1.9.97)

146. The Money (1.16.97)

147. The Comeback (1.30.97)

148. The Van Buren Boys (2.6.97)

149. The Susie (2.13.97)

150. The Pothole (2.20.97)

151. The English Patient (3.13.97)

152. The Nap (4.10.97)

153. The Yada Yada (4.24.97)

154. The Millennium (5.1.97)

155. The Muffin Tops (5.8.97)

156. The Summer of George (5.15.97)

Season 9 (1997-98)

157. The Butter Shave (9.25.97)

158. The Voice (10.2.97)

159. The Serenity Now (10.9.97)

160. The Blood (10.16.97)

161. The Junk Mail (10.30.97)

162. The Merv Griffin Show (11.6.97)

163. The Slicer (11.13.97)

164. The Betrayal (11.20.97)

165. The Apology (12.11.97)

166. The Strike (12.18.97)

167. The Dealership (1.8.98)

168. The Reverse Peephole (1.15.98)

169. The Cartoon (1.29.98)

170. The Strong Box (2.5.98)

171. The Wizard (2.26.98)

172. The Burning (3.19.98)

173. The Bookstore (4.9.98)

174. The Frogger (4.23.98)

175. The Maid (4.30.98)

176. The Puerto Rican Day (5.7.98)

177. The Chronicle, Part 1 aka The Clip Show (5.14.98)

178. The Chronicle, Part 2 aka The Clip Show (5.14.98)

179. The Finale, Part 1 (5.14.98)

180. The Finale, Part 2 (5.14.98)

* * * * *

The Cast

Jerry

In 1989 Jerry Seinfeld was the first choice to host a unique comedy series entitled Mystery Science Theatre 3000. He turned down the opportunity to watch bad movies with Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot in order to cultivate a programming idea with NBC. Seinfeld eventually appeared on the show when it was resurrected in 2017, playing a character named Freak Masterstroke.

George

Larry David’s most striking laugh is a snort, which was perfectly depicted by Jason Alexander in many episodes as George Costanza.

George Louis Costanza’s middle name was derived from one of Jerry Seinfeld’s comedic idols, Lou Costello.

Before casting commenced, Jerry Seinfeld begged fellow comedian Jake Johannsen to take the part of George, but he refused. The next offer went to David Letterman’s bandleader Paul Schaffer but he never returned Seinfeld’s call so the creators resorted to casting. When open auditions were held, the list of actors included Wayne Knight, Joe Pesci, Eugene Levy, Larry Miller, Kevin Dunn and a videotaped audition from Jason Alexander.

For the pilot episode, George was originally named Bennett and his occupation was a comedian. Bennett was the name of a college friend of Larry David.

Seinfeld wardrobe supervisor Charmaine Simmons wanted to capture the essence of George Costanza through the subtle use of attire. She purposely dressed him in clothes that were one size too small to create the image of him being a loser.

Kenny%20Kramer%20closeup%201024x750

Kenny Kramer, the real-life inspiration for Cosmo Kramer

Kramer

The Kramer character did not appear in the first draft of the script. In early drafts, Kramer was named Breckman, then Hoffman, and finally Kessler by the time the pilot episode aired. The creators were worried about the naming rights to Kramer because Kenny Kramer objected to the use of his name in the show. He would only agree if he could play Kramer in the pilot. After the pilot aired, Jerry Seinfeld told Larry David that the name had to be Kramer because it sounded funnier (and less Jewish). After further negotiations, a deal was struck to pay Kenny Kramer $1,000 to use his name and model the character after him.

When Michael Richards was cast as Cosmo Kramer, the real Kenny Kramer wanted to offer advice on how to play the part but Richards was uninterested. They first met well after Richards had firmly established the character. Kenny Kramer’s proposed meeting was parodied in The Pilot, Part 2 (ep 64).

Larry David originally envisioned the character as a mirror image of his neighbor, Kenny Kramer, who walked around in a robe all day, rarely left the apartment building, entered David’s apartment unannounced, and conjured unique get-rich-quick schemes. David thought Richards was too animated for the part and resisted him being cast as Kramer.

Michael Richards did his final audition at the Century Plaza Hotel on April 18, 1989, where he did a handstand, fell over a chair, immediately jumped up, and read his lines without missing a beat. Seinfeld ultimately convinced David that Richards would be the right actor for the part.

In order to profit off the success of Seinfeld, Kenny Kramer created a bus tour where he charged tourists $37.50 to hear the real stories behind many Seinfeld episodes. This business venture was parodied in The Muffin Tops (ep 155) where Kramer created a reality tour after selling his anecdotes to J. Peterman.

Michael Richards wore one of two pairs of shoes in every episode of Seinfeld. One pair was for filming in the studio, and the other for outdoor scenes.

Jeffrey Tambor, Steve Vinovich, Larry Hankin (who played TV Kramer in the fictional Jerry pilot), Tony Shalhoub and James Cromwell auditioned for the part. Character actor Steve Vinovich took the lead position until Michael Richards surfaced. Richards brought an unmatched intensity and physicality to the role, which Jerry Seinfeld really liked.

Elaine

As a condition to picking up the pilot (and developing a series), NBC had many demands, one of which was replacing Lee Garlington. This was fine with Larry David because he did not like Garlington’s meddlesome nature—changing her lines, expressing ideas about the show, and giving advice on how to play her character. David interpreted her actions as criticism of his writing which bruised his fragile ego.

Elaine was based on a few real-life people from the lives of Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. She was partly based on Monica Yates, whom both comedians once dated. Yates and David remained good friends after they broke up, just like Jerry and Elaine. Yates is the daughter of austere author Richard Yates, which explained why Elaine’s father, Alton Benes, was depicted as a no-nonsense writer.

The Elaine character was also partially based on Susan McNabb, who was Seinfeld’s girlfriend when the series commenced. In fact, the female lead character was initially named Susan but later changed to Eileen to avoid similar legal issues that arose when using Kenny Kramer’s name for one of the characters. However, a few days before filming commenced the creators settled on the name Elaine.

The Elaine character was named after Jerry Seinfeld’s friend Elayne Boosler, a fellow comedian. She was the comedy club emcee who introduced Jerry on the inaugural night of his stand-up career in 1976.

Finally, comedian-writer Carol Leifer, a friend and ex-girlfriend of Seinfeld, was also an inspiration for the Elaine character. She was fiercely independent, became the only female allowed in Seinfeld’s group of comedian friends, matched wits with the guys, and remained friends after their breakup. When Leifer wrote for the show, she based a lot of Elaine’s storylines on her own life.

In the original conception of her character, Elaine’s occupation was an optician. However, since this subject was never addressed in any dialogue prior to The Jacket (ep 8), the creators opted for her to be a manuscript proofreader because her father was a famous author.

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Norman Brenner (Michael Richards’ stand-in) having a rare speaking role

Stand-Ins

Deck McKenzie worked as Jerry Seinfeld’s stand-in. He appeared in 13 episodes with 7 credited appearances, and had 4 credited appearances as a stand-in for Seinfeld. McKenzie has not had a role since Seinfeld went off the air.

Jeff Miller aka Jeff Kurt Miller was the actor stand-in for Jason Alexander from 1994 to 1998. He had speaking roles in three episodes: The Kiss Hello (ep 103), The English Patient (ep 151) and The Hot Tub (ep 115). Miller was a perfect stand-in since he resembled Alexander and had a similar body type. He purportedly quit the business to open a Supercuts with his brother in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Norman Brenner worked as Michael Richards’ stand-in on the show for all nine seasons. His entire acting résumé encompassed appearances in two titles: Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm (the Seinfeld episode). In Seinfeld he appeared in 29 episodes but only 6 were credited.

Peggy Lane O’Rourke aka Peggy Lane was the lead stand-in for Julia Louis-Dreyfus on Seinfeld from 1991 to 1998 and The New Adventures of Old Christine from 2006 to 2010. She had a small role in 12 Seinfeld episodes (6 aired, 5 deleted, 1 voice role, and 4 stand-in roles) and 7 small roles in The King of Queens. To date she has 11 screen performances and over 27 producing credits.

Recurring Regulars

Many recurring characters were based on real-life family, friends, acquaintances, or public figures. The most notable public figures included John Peterman (J. Peterman), George Steinbrenner (Big Stein), and attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. (Jackie Chiles).

Liz Sheridan (Helen Seinfeld) started in show business as a dancer, was engaged to James Dean in 1952, and wrote a book about their love entitled Dizzy & Jimmy: My Life with James Dean: A Love Story (2000). She was the only actor (other than the four costars) to appear in at least one episode in each season.

Philip Sterling (Sisters and St. Elsewhere) was originally cast as Jerry’s father, Morty, but was replaced with Philip Bruns. After only one episodic appearance, Bruns was replaced by Barney Martin because it was decided the character should be crankier. When the show went into syndication, Larry David wanted to reshoot Bruns’ scenes using Martin but decided against the idea because the differences in the characters’ ages would be too noticeable.

Barney Martin (Morty Seinfeld) worked as a policeman for 20 years before going into acting, and appeared in a 1970s television commercial for Post Raisin Bran.

Morty Seinfeld was named and modeled after Larry David’s father, Mortimer Julius Morty David, a comparable curmudgeon and Florida retiree. The real Morty argued with his son whenever it came to paying a check, obsessed over the rules of tipping, and had a career in the men’s clothing business.

The Estelle Costanza character was modeled after Larry David’s mother, Ruth. However, by the time her character debuted, the name Ruth was already being used by the Monk’s Cafe cashier so they used the first name of the actress chosen for the part.

George having parents that constantly screamed and bickered with one another was modeled after Larry David’s childhood experience. According to David, he grew up in Brooklyn in an apartment, with my aunt and my cousins right next door to me, with the door open, with neighbors walking in and out, with people yelling at each other all the time.

The original Newman character was African-American and based on a maintenance man in Larry David’s New York City apartment building. When the character was rewritten for Wayne Knight, it was modeled after Seinfeld’s portly uncle Harold, a postal carrier and lifelong bachelor.

The Newman character was named after Rick Newman, the owner of Catch a Rising Star, the comedy club where Jerry Seinfeld often performed in the late 1970s.

Ruth Cohen (Monk’s Cafe cashier) appeared in 101 Seinfeld episodes (99 uncredited), which was more than any other actor except the four costars. Her two credited roles were in The Gum (ep 120) and The Foundation (ep 135).

The Jackie Chiles character was modeled after attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr. who defended OJ Simpson in a double-murder trial. Cochran and Phil Morris, the actor portraying Jackie Chiles, both visited the same Los Angeles barbershop for years. Morris used this opportunity to pick up Cochran’s personality, habits and mannerisms.

Rabbi Kirschbaum, the gossiping spiritual leader, was originally named after Seinfeld writer Bruce Kirschbaum. When he left the show the rabbi’s last name was changed to Glickman to avoid potential legal issues with naming rights.

Elaine’s employer, Justin Pitt, was based on a woman Larry David once chauffeured during his early years as a struggling comedian in New York City.

Fictional NBC President Russell Dalrymple was the name of the assistant to Larry David’s wife at FOX.

Scott Drake aka The Drake was actually a friend of the creators.

Contrary to popular practice in sitcoms, casting director Marc Hirschfeld often cast dramatic actors for comedic roles. According to Hirschfeld, They understand it’s important to commit to the character. Crombie was funny because he was so committed to being crazy. He cast many dramatic actors for Seinfeld, such as Len Lesser (Uncle Leo), Lawrence Tierney (Alton Benes), Peter Crombie (Joe Davola), and Philip Baker Hall (Mr. Bookman).

Len Lesser will be forever remembered as Uncle Leo in Seinfeld (1991-98). When he auditioned, Lesser received a lot of laughs from the creators and casting director Marc Hirschfeld, but he never understood why because he did not think his lines were funny. Hirschfeld stated that after Lesser auditioned it was very clear he was the right actor for the part.

Other Real-Life Inspirations

Larry David’s mother was born Regina Brandes. Her maiden name was the inspiration for a couple episodic inclusions. In The Pilot, Part 2 (ep 64) the opening credits to the Jerry pilot had an executive producer named Morris Brandes, and in The Cadillac, Part 1 (ep 124) David named one of the condo members Sol Brandes.

In The Movie (ep 54), Jerry shared a taxi with an annoying comedian, Pat Buckles, who discussed moving from Bensonhurst to fish-smelling Sheepshead Bay. Larry David was born and raised in Sheepshead Bay, New York.

Elaine was raised in Maryland, which is where Larry David attended college.

Jerry Seinfeld’s parents moved to Florida and lived in a retirement community, the same as Morty and Helen on the show.

* * * * *

The Series

The Seinfeld Chronicles

When NBC initially offered a television program to Jerry Seinfeld, it was referred to as The Jerry Seinfeld Show. After he pitched his idea to do a 90-minute documentary about how a comedian gets his material, the working title was Seinfeld’s Stand-Up Diary.

Once Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David began writing the documentary, it was fairly obvious they did not have enough material for a 90-minute program so they opted for a shorter medium. As the concept developed into a sitcom, the show title was shortened to Stand-Up then evolved into The Seinfeld Chronicles. However, when the show was renewed, the title was changed to Seinfeld to avoid confusion with a new series, The Marshall Chronicles, that debuted in the fall of 1990.

Originally, the pilot featured George and Jerry as stand-up comedians with early versions of the script having George discuss his stand-up performances. However, this idea was abandoned because the creators did not want to confuse the viewers by having two comedians telling jokes so George became a real estate broker.

After The Seinfeld Chronicles aired, NBC was not interested in renewing the show so Castle Rock Entertainment offered it to FOX, which declined. Fortunately, Rick Ludwin, head of late night and special events for NBC, axed a two-hour Bob Hope special and diverted the money from his budget to order four episodes of Seinfeld. This was the smallest sitcom order in television history.

The Seinfeld Chronicles featured title music written by Jep Epstein, which was never used again. The original pilot theme song was significantly different—it was a typical 1980s style sitcom opening. Thereafter Jonathon Wolff provided the trademark slap bass music.

During the stand-up comedy routines in the original pilot episode, most of the people in the studio audience were paid actors and extras. However, all the laughter was genuine.

Script Ideas

Of all the questionable material, storylines, dialogue and innuendos, there was only one reported incident where NBC nixed a line from an episode. Executives were lenient for the most part, due to the show’s success, but it balked at a line that George was supposed to utter. The offensive line was, You know, I have never seen a black person order a salad.

Some stories were inspired by headlines and rumors. For example, Kramer’s caffè latte lawsuit was inspired by the McDonald’s coffee case (The Maestro ep 113). Sue Ellen Mischke trying on a bra during a trial was a parody of the bloody glove segment in the OJ Simpson murder trial (The Caddy ep 122). Jerry being outed as gay was based mainly on rumors about Jerry Seinfeld’s sexuality (The Outing ep 57). Finally, Kramer having seizures at the sound of Mary Hart’s voice was based upon a medically document case study (The Good Samaritan ep 37).

According to Spike Feresten, when pitching episode ideas, the creators wanted to hear stories, not pitches. When he began discussing the soup nazi as an anecdote to their conversation, they interrupted and immediately said, Write that first. Feresten was not expecting it to be an episode plot. According to Peter Mehlman, each writer came up with their own storylines or they were gone. There was no writers’ room. There were no brainstorming sessions. Seinfeld was the only show to use this writing process.

Larry David had a history of writing controversial scripts. It started with Fridays when he wrote a notorious sketch about two Hasidic rabbi ninja secret agents called MATZOI (Mobile Attack Trained Zionist Operation International). These rabbis would hurl matzo at their enemies as if they were throwing ninja stars. Surprisingly, ABC never received one complaint from the 1980 sketch. If aired today, protesters would be marching outside the network building.

Many of Kenny Kramer’s traits, such as his obsessions with golf, fruit, hot tubs, raiding the refrigerator, and coming up with strange ideas and inventions, were featured in the show.

Writer Carol Leifer had two storylines nixed: one involved Kramer becoming a medical lab guinea pig, and the other had him suing a bar for discrimination over ladies’ night.

Jennifer Crittenden had one notable plot rejection which involved Kramer incessantly running.

Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer had one of their plots nixed—Kramer renovating a bargain skeleton and selling it for a profit.

Much like the MTV event pitching Jerry Seinfeld versus Tim Allen, Seinfeld also considered an all-claymation episode. There was discussion of a musical number (Jason Alexander’s idea, of course), and a cameo from longtime fan Paul McCartney (who was supposedly hiding in Newman’s apartment for no apparent reason).

The Lost Episode

Penned by Larry Charles, The Bet (aka The Gun) was the only approved script that never aired. It involved Jerry betting $100 that Elaine would not buy a handgun to protect herself. Elaine ends up buying a toy gun from Kramer’s friend because Jerry did not specify it had to be a real gun. Meanwhile Kramer returns from a vacation in Puerto Rico and claims he had sex with a flight attendant during the return flight. George bets Jerry that it never happened so they go to the airport to ask the flight attendant.

Sets for the episode were built and the guest stars were cast. Bobbi Jo Lathan was cast as a flight attendant (Lucy Merrit) and Ernie Sabella as the gun salesman (Mo Korn), who was described in the script as overweight, greasy, slow and low-key.

In one of the scenes Elaine holds a gun and says, Where do you want it, Jerry? The Kennedy? (as she holds the gun to her head), The McKinley? (as she holds the gun to her stomach). Each statement and action was a reference to the assassination of two American presidents. After reading her scene, Julia Louis-Dreyfus said, I’m not doing this.