14 Seinfeld Behind The Scenes Facts And Recent Revelations

What would the show have looked like without Jason Alexander?
14 Seinfeld Behind The Scenes Facts And Recent Revelations

The Seinfeld news cycle is a 24/7 non-stop exchange of ideas and information. Every day new leads are confirmed and secrets unearthed from the Seinfeld vault. Here are 14 more facts about the greatest sitcom to ever star Jerry Seinfeld.

The Last Minute Script Change That Led To One Of Seinfeld's Most Iconic Moments

George’s famous marine biologist monologue is one of the best jokes ever told on Seinfeld. But did you know it was never originally in the script? Larry David was unhappy with how the audience received the original ending for the episode, so he whipped up the monologue on the spot, and Alexander memorized it just as quick.

 Alexander said, "What you see when you watch that episode is the first and only time we shot that new rewrite, and that became one of the most ... it's one of the big highlight laughs of the entire series."

The Iconic Set Props Jerry Took From The Seinfeld Set

Seinfeld Living Room

NBC

It’s not uncommon for actors from a series to keep special items or knick-knacks from the series after a show’s ending. However, it is more uncommon to take home entire pieces of furniture. In a Reddit AMA, Jerry Seinfeld answered what items he kept from the show, to which he responded, "I have the couch, I have the two blue stools, I have the table and chairs; the coolest thing I have is the door, which we never repainted in nine seasons. It has every scuff mark that Kramer put on it with all those crazy entrances.”

The Incident That Had Jason Alexander Ready To Quit

George Costanza

NBC

Jason Alexander nearly quit the show in season 3 due to not being written into the episode “The Pen.” Alexander told Larry David, "If you do that again, do it permanently. If you don't need me to be here every week, I'd just as soon go back home and do what I was doing." At this point, Alexander was still a successful theater actor and Seinfeld wasn’t the most popular sitcom in the world. It wasn’t until “The Contest” that the cast started to realize how important the show would be. 

Best Way To Watch Seinfeld, According To Seinfeld

 

When asked on a Reddit AMA, “What's the best way to watch an episode of Seinfeld? What should I be drinking, eating, and doing?" Jerry Seinfeld responded, “"Well you should always eat or drink whatever they're eating or drinking on the show,. Pause it when they get to a thing where they are eating or drinking something, and then go out and get that thing if you don't have it."

Jerry’s Two Fav Episodes

Jerry Seinfeld revealed his two favorite episodes when asked by a Redditor. His choices were “The Rye” and “The Pothole.” The reasons why Jerry liked the episodes so much had to do more with the behind-the-scenes aspects. In reference to “The Rye” Jerry talked about how expensive the set was, in contrast to their silly sitcom. “We thought 'this is where the ADULT shows are, the REAL shows like ‘Murphy Brown.’ We felt like we were a weird little orphan show. So that was a big deal for us." He said his favorite thing about “The Pothole” was setting Newman on fire.

How Jerry Felt About The Laugh Track

Seinfeld gave his opinion on laugh tracks in a Reddit AMA. He said Seinfeld would have a live audience present in the studio, but on location, there wouldn’t be a live audience so a laugh track would have to be added. He continued, “I think that one of the fun things of a sitcom is feeling like you're in an audience even though you're home, watching it by yourself. I have to say I like some sitcoms with them and some without. Depends on the show," 

When The Cast Gathered In Jerry’s Dressing Room To Agree Show Was Over

Seinfeld Gang

NBC

Seinfeld told Esquire, “I remember when I was in the ninth season, and I was thinking maybe it’s time to wrap this up, and I remember inviting Michael and Julia and Jason to my dressing room, and we all just sat there and we stared at each other. We’ve had a lot of good fortune here. Maybe we shouldn’t push our luck too far. And we all agreed that this was the right moment. And I remember it’s the only time we all got together in a dressing room, the four of us, to make that decision. That was powerful.”

The ‘Real’ Reason Superman Shows Up So Much

Jerry spoke about his love for Superman on Reddit. “Larry David and I discovered that we were both obsessed with Superman and admired him and also found him very funny at the same time, so that is why he came up a lot." Former Seinfeld writer Peter Melhem once told Parade, "Just consider: Superman was devoted to 'truth, justice, and the American way'; the Seinfeld characters were devoted to lying, cheating, and getting their own way. For his all-too-human problems, Jerry looked to someone from Krypton. In his puny narcissism, George sought inspiration from the paragon of selflessness."

Larry David Paid $1,000 To Name Kramer

Kramer

NBC

Seinfeld fans know that the character of Kramer is based on Larry David’s real-life former neighbor, Kramer, who wanted to actually play Kramer in the show. In fact, Cosmo Kramer was originally named “Kessler” in the pilot episode because the real-life Kramer didn’t want his name used unless he could play him. Larry David revealed that he paid real-life Kramer $1,000 dollars to allow his name on the show.

Two Episodes Jerry Died Laughing While Writing

Jerry recalled the hardest he had ever laughed during the writing process of Seinfeld was for the aforementioned monologue in “The Marine Biologist,” and when Newman took the stand in the episode “The Ticket.”

Why Jerry Stays Away From Movies

Seinfeld told Reddit, “I think generally the size of that content does not lend itself to great comedy; it lends itself to people saying, 'Hey, I made a movie.' To me, the funniest things are shorter, so I think TV series or comedians in cars, I think I have a better chance of making you laugh." Interestingly enough, Seinfeld’s tune has since changed as he’s set to direct a new Pop-Tarts movie for Netflix (not kidding).

Why Julia Louis-Dreyfus Laughed At Her Cancer Diagnosis

Elaine Seinfeld

NBC

The Seinfeld alum was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017 and told David Letterman why the diagnosis made her laugh hysterically. She said "It was completely out of the blue that I got this diagnosis and it happened, believe it or not… on the heels of getting an Emmy. The next morning the phone rang saying, you know, 'I've got bad news, you have cancer.’ Not that it's funny, but it is funny juxtaposition-wise. It's kind of unbelievable, and I did start sort of laughing hysterically like a crazy person, and then it morphed into something else of course."

Why Jerry Thinks Fans Love The Festivus Ep So Much

Festivus

NBC

On why Festivus is still so popular, Jerry said, "I was very surprised by Festivus catching on, but I think people just like the line rhyming Festivus with 'rest of us' is 90% of it. And no presents, and you don't have to buy decorations, it's just an aluminum pole."

Jackie Chiles's Weirdo Pretzel Ad

Jackie Chiles has come back in a big way for Snyder’s Pretzels. Who will be the next Seinfeld brand spokesman? Soup Nazi for Campbell’s? Sue Allen Mischke for Victoria’s Secret?

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