Top 20 Small Details You Never Noticed in Seinfeld
#20: Call for Cartright...or Is That Costanza?
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“The Chinese Restaurant” No episode was arguably more quintessential to the “show about nothing” setup than “The Chinese Restaurant.” The sharp and witty humor was so brilliant that we didn’t even mind that the entire premise involved the gang minus Kramer just waiting for a table. During their lengthy wait, George hopes for a call back from an angry lover called Tatiana. But when she calls, the maître d’ mistakenly calls out for “Cartwright.” “Seinfeld” writer Spike Feresten eventually revealed this was no random name. The host was evidently a fan of the Western series “Bonanza,” featuring a protagonist called Ben Cartwright. That title coincidentally rhymes with Costanza. It's so simple yet so brilliant.
#19: Ruthie the Cashier
Various After numerous rewatches, you probably started paying more attention to the details of the gang’s favorite hangout spots. For instance, you might’ve spotted Monk’s Cafe’s typically silent eponymously named cashier, Ruthie Cohen. She’s practically the fifth group member! Ruthie appears in more “Seinfeld” episodes than any other character outside the core four. She can also be seen outside the diner in episodes like “The Doll”. In “The Gum,” we finally hear her speak! After George repeatedly accuses her of short-changing him, she politely informs him that his car’s on fire and adds a cheery season’s greetings for good measure. Next time you rewatch this classic comedy, you’ll probably find your eyes wandering over to Ruthie more often.
#18: No Applause, Please
Top 10 Small Details You Never Noticed in Seinfeld
Various Many sitcoms are known for their canned laughter and well-timed applause. However, Seinfeld typically wasn't one of them. A large portion of the show was filmed in front of a live audience. That of course, came with its challenges. Originally, when Kramer entered a scene, he’d be met with such a raucous round of applause that it would throw off the flow of filming. Audiences were instructed to tone down their enthusiasm for a while. Eventually, Kramer’s long ovations all but disappeared. Hearing applause during our umpteenth rewatch of the earlier seasons now feels a bit odd.
#17: The Son of Sam Gag
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“The Engagement” In the 1970s, America was gripped by the horrifying story of New York’s infamous serial killer, David Berkowitz, also known as “Son of Sam.” The notorious criminal said that he’d been following the instructions of his neighbor’s dog. We guess the “Seinfeld” writers saw the potential for comedy in such an obscure case and drew several parallels in the season seven premiere. Firstly, Elaine, Kramer, and Newman plan on kidnaping a neighbor’s incessantly barking dog. There’s also the moment where George mistakenly hears “Son of Sam” instead of “Jerry’s van.” However, the eeriest comparison happens when the cops knock on Newman’s door, and he echoes the exact words Berkowitz uttered when he was arrested.
#16: Riffing on the Iconic Theme Song
Various Whether you’ve watched the series once or 100 times, “Seinfeld’s” theme music is instantly recognizable. However, did you know that multiple variations of this iconic tune exist? Theme composer Jonathan Wolff revealed why this disparity exists. Since the length of Jerry’s stand-up monologues varied, the music had to be altered accordingly. He divulged the brilliant simplicity of the melody and how he created its unique sound using his mouth and fingers as percussion. Wolff also shared that Seinfeld’s lyrical comedic delivery inspired the tune. Apparently, NBC execs didn’t warm up to it immediately, but Larry David fought to keep it. We’re glad he did because we can’t imagine a more fitting theme tune.
#15: Kálmán Signfeld
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Various Unless you’re an eagle-eyed Jerry Seinfeld superfan who spent many hours reading up on the comedian’s life, you might’ve missed this homage to his real father. The comedian has often spoken about his dad’s comedic talents and ever-growing collection of jokes. While it might’ve been fun to see the older Seinfeld crack a few gags in an episode or two, Jerry honored his father in a different way. In the background of several scenes, detail-orientated viewers might’ve noticed an ad reading “Kal’s Signs.” This is a sweet nod to the actor’s dad, who actually created signs for a living. This easter egg is rather heartwarming for a show that famously avoided warmth and sentimentality.
#14: The Skip Barber Racing School Magnet
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Various Jerry Seinfeld is a major car enthusiast. But his love for vehicles goes far beyond his extensive Porche collection. If you’re a race car fan with a keen eye for detail, you may have noticed a Skip Barber Racing School magnet on Jerry’s fridge. It turns out that this is another reference to the actor’s real life. In celebration of his 40th birthday, Seinfeld traded in the comedy circuit for the race track and completed a race-driver course. According to his instructor Randy Buck, “He started slowly ‘but by the third day was the most aggressive student of the bunch and was clearly the fastest.’” Well, as in comedy, it’s all about the timing.
#13: All of the Cars
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Various Have we mentioned that Jerry Seinfeld is a car aficionado? While cars weren't often at the forefront of this show about nothing, some notable models made cameos every now and again. For instance, the "Assman" car in "Fusilli Jerry” is a 1973 Chevrolet Impala. The ride Jerry buys his dad a Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham in "The Cadillac." There's a 1969 Buick LeSabre in "The Parking Space," and you can spot the Saab 900 NG convertible behind Jerry in "The Dealership.” Also, George channels his inner bad boy with a 1967 Pontiac GTO, although he says it's a '68 GTO. We can't believe a car buff like Jerry let that slide. In any case, these were cool shoutouts for Jerry's fellow motor enthusiasts.
#12: Jerry’s Cereal Box Collection
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Various Did you ever notice that Jerry has a considerable collection of cereals in his apartment? Even if you did, have you ever tried to count how many or take a closer look at their names? Author Josh Levine believes he has the answers. In his book, “Jerry Seinfeld: Much Ado About Nothing” he recalled counting “no less than 17 boxes of cereal” . He noted that they’re all relatively popular brands. Apparently, these boxes all nod to Seinfeld’s genuine love of the breakfast food. Small quirks like these made the show more relatable and helped it defy the test of time. However, some fans believe his impressive selection was just to maintain Kramer’s insatiable appetite.
#11: Does Jerry Ever Ride That Bicycle?
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Various One of the most defining features of Jerry’s apartment is the bicycle hanging on the wall. But can you recall what type of bike it was? If you said a green Klein mountain bike, you’d be right. But if you said Cannondale Super Killer V, you’d also be correct. Though seemingly always in the same place, the bicycle changed a few times throughout the show’s nine-season run. Supposedly, the Klein belonged to Michael Richards, a cyclist in real life. Anyway, we could endlessly debate over what color or brand we remember hanging up next to Jerry’s bathroom. But the real question is since we never actually saw him cycle, why did Jerry have a bicycle on his wall at all?
#10: O. J., a Name That Will Never Be Infamous
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“The Masseuse” Like the rest of the country at the time, the “Seinfeld” writers were obsessed with the O. J. Simpson trial. Jackie Chiles is actually a direct parody of Johnnie Cochran. Even before the Simpson murder case, “Seinfeld” unintentionally foreshadowed the famed athlete’s fall from grace. In “The Masseuse” episode, Elaine dates a man named Joel Rifkin. Since he shares the same name as a notorious serial killer, Elaine suggests several alternatives while reading from a magazine, including O. J. If Joel did change his name to O. J., he’d probably would’ve changed it again almost seven months later when Simpson was arrested. Ironically, not everyone knows who Joel Rifkin is nowadays, but O. J. Simpson remains a household name for all the wrong reasons.
#9: Bizarro Jerry Statue
“The Bizarro Jerry” Jerry has made it no secret that he’s a huge Superman fan. We’re kind of surprised that he didn’t notice the resemblance between Becky Gelke and Supergirl, seeing how they share actress Helen Slater in common. Jerry’s Superman statue is one of his apartment’s most recognizable decorations. So, it only makes sense that Jerry’s Bizarro counterpart would possess the opposite. Elaine develops a friendship with her kindly ex-boyfriend Kevin, who’s deemed the “Bizarro Jerry.” Elaine comes to see what Jerry is talking about when she arrives at Kevin’s Fortress of Solitude. It’s a backwards version of Jerry’s apartment with a unicycle hanging on the wall instead of a bike and, most notably, a Bizarro Superman statue. What’s next? David Puddy as the Man of Steel?
#8: Green 22
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“The Parking Garage” Unable to shut down an actual parking garage for this classic episode, the crew constructed a replica and dismantled the show’s set in the process. Using mirrors and camera tricks, they made the garage look bigger than it was. Michael Richards went the extra mile, insisting on carrying a box with a real air conditioner inside. Speaking of Kramer, he says early on that they parked in Green 22, but Jerry says it was the orange section. When they do finally find the car, it’s in the green section around the 20s. So, if the gang just listened to Kramer, they could’ve avoided a series of misadventures. Of course, even if they did, the car still wouldn’t have started, which wasn’t originally in the script.
#7: Jerry’s Apartment Number
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Various If you’re a “Seinfeld” superfan, you’ll know that Jerry lives in apartment 5A. If you’re a next-level fan, you likely noticed that Jerry’s apartment number has changed a couple of times. During the show’s infancy, Jerry lives in Apartment 411. In the Season 2 episode, “The Phone Message,” the number changes to 3A. One episode later, the apartment number appears as 5A for the first time, remaining that way for the rest of the series. What could this all mean? Well, Season 4 Episode 11 is “The Contest,” arguably the show’s best episode. Jerry hangs out with 3 friends and 5 is the number of episodes in the first season. So, this all amounts to… absolutely nothing, which we guess is fitting for this show.
#6: Cosmo Kessler?
“The Seinfeld Chronicles” It’s surreal watching the “Seinfeld” pilot now. There’s no Elaine, Jerry and George converse at Pete’s Luncheonette rather than Monk’s Café, and Kramer is named Kessler. Jerry’s wacky neighbor is based on co-creator Larry David’s former neighbor, Kenny Kramer. David initially resisted calling the character Kramer, but the name was too perfect to pass up. Kenny Kramer thus made several demands, including that he play Kramer. When that didn’t pan out, he started “Kramer’s Reality Tour.” Both of these real-life incidents inspired storylines in Season 4 and Season 8. The writers also explained the Kessler mix-up in a Season 9 flashback when Jerry meets Kramer. By the way, the apartment number was 5A when Jerry first moved in!
#5: A Fusilli Collection
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Various Kramer spends most of his time at Jerry’s abode, but occasionally we glimpse through Apartment 5B’s reverse peephole. Even in his own apartment, Kramer likes to keep Jerry close, hanging his headshot near the entrance. That’s not the only eyebrow-raising item you might find when Kramer opens his door. Who keeps a kitchen pot on a shelf like that? But what do you expect from a guy who cooks in the shower? Whatever Kramer is cooking, fusilli isn’t on the menu. Kramer would rather use the pasta to make a little Jerry statue. While we’re all familiar with Fusilli Jerry, ever notice that in the following seasons, Kramer has other pasta figurines displayed behind his couch? Here’s hoping Frank never sat on any of them.
#4: The OG Frank Costanza
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“The Handicap Spot” Most of us saw “Seinfeld” for the first time in reruns. If you caught Season 4’s “The Handicap Spot” when it first aired, though, you might have noticed that Frank Costanza looked and sounded nothing like Jerry Stiller in his debut episode. That’s because he was originally played by John Randolph. When Stiller subsequently took over the role, Larry David insisted on reshooting Frank’s scenes in this episode for syndication. David wanted to do the same for Jerry’s father, who was played by Phil Bruns in Season One and recast with Barney Martin in Season 2. By this point, however, the actors had gotten older and there would’ve been a noticeable age difference. As for Randolph, you can still find his episode on DVD.
#3: Larry David Cameos
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Various George Costanza was largely based on Larry David. While David didn’t play George on the show, he did pop up on occasion. Throughout the series, you can spot David as Frank Costanza’s caped lawyer, the cashier who gives back George’s lipsticked $20, a sci-fi movie actor, and a background character when Kramer gets arrested in Season 4. David also made several voiceover cameos, including a beachgoer who inquires about a marine biologist, an inmate who heckles Jerry in the finale, and George Steinbrenner. He even voiced Newman offscreen in his debut episode, which was re-recorded with Wayne Knight for syndication. Even after David left the show, they worked his name into the Boca Breeze newsletter, detailing his struggles on the golf course.
#2: Hiding Elaine's Pregnancy
Various Elaine never had a baby throughout the show’s nine seasons, but Julia Louis-Dreyfus gave birth to two sons during this time. In Season 3’s second half, the creators found a few ways to hide her pregnancy. “The Subway” is a standout example where Elaine wears a heavy coat and carries around a large present. Ironically, in another episode where a woman thinks she might be pregnant with George’s baby, Louis-Dreyfus hid her own baby bump behind baggy clothes and a newspaper. When Louis-Dreyfus became pregnant again in Season 8, Seinfeld suggested a storyline where “Elaine just gets fat.” This idea made Louis-Dreyfus “burst into tears,” however. Thus, Elaine broke out her heavy wardrobe again, even going on a shopping spree to spite the Putumayo proprietor.
#1: Jerry’s Video Collection
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Various Whenever we get a glimpse of Jerry’s VHS collection, we always break out the pause button. With “Arachnophobia,” “The Crying Game,” and two copies of “True Colors,” Jerry has solid taste, but some of these movies raise questions. For starters, Jerry owns “Child’s Play 2,” starring Grace Zabriskie, who plays Susan’s mother, Mrs. Ross. In the midst of all the horror movies, Jerry has “Pretty Woman,” which features George Costanza himself, Jason Alexander. That’s not the only connection to Alexander in Jerry’s collection. He also has a couple of tapes for the sitcom “Dinosaurs,” which Alexander occasionally lent his voice to. We’re not sure how that works, but honestly, we just wanna know who Jerry thinks would win in a fight: Chucky or Baby Sinclair?
