Seinfeld Reference: The Complete Encyclopedia (8 page)

Carol Leifer.
  A former stand-up comedian, Carol Leifer (b. 1956) is the ex-girlfriend of Jerry Seinfeld and friends with Larry David.  Prior to joining the male-dominated "Seinfeld" staff in 1993, Leifer was touring the comedy club circuit.  Ironically, over 15 years earlier, Jerry Seinfeld refused to allow her to perform onstage; in 1977 he was master of ceremonies at New York's Comic Strip Live, an Upper East Side club, and after watching Leifer's audition, excluded her from the show.  Upon joining the hit series, Leifer concocted some of Elaine's tribulations, such as skinny mirrors and fiendish Korean manicurists, and became the opening act for Seinfeld's 1994 mini-tour.  One real-life experience that became an episode is "The Beard"--Leifer actually feigned being the girlfriend to conceal a man's homosexuality.  Two story lines that were nixed involve Kramer suing a bar over Ladies Night, or becoming a medical lab guinea pig.

Despite becoming a co-producer, she left the show after three years.  After gaining the necessary experience, Leifer began penning scripts for "The Naked Truth," "The Larry Sanders Show" and "Saturday Night Live."  In 1997, she signed with WBN (Warner Bros. Network) to write, produce and star in the series "Alright Already."  Her favorite episode is "The Rye" because it tackles oral sex issues without censorship.  The story line was based on her friendship with saxophonist Dave Koz; Leifer often wondered about the importance of a musician's mouth when performing.

Larry Charles.
  Larry Charles (b. 1957) began writing for "The Arsenio Hall Show" and "Fridays," and became a "Seinfeld" staff writer from 1990-93.  He penned some of the darkest comedy about sensitive subjects--"The Library" (homeless), "The Limo" (neo-Nazi rally), and "The Trip" (serial killer).  He loved writing for "Seinfeld" because the creators encouraged the unspeakable, and did not amalgamate or homogenize ideas to make them palatable to the populace.  He relates to Kramer--they have a similar mind-set and belief in conspiracy theories, psychic connections, and cosmic thinking.  NBC only censored two of Charles' scripts: Elaine purchasing a gun, and George making a stereotypical racist remark about black men not ordering salads.  In utilizing his personal life as a source of fertile creative soil, Charles once approached Richard Dreyfuss about a movie, began hyperventilating, and told him not to be afraid ("The Trip, Part 1"); and purchased a golden retriever puppy that became the dog from hell ("The Dog").  Charles left "Seinfeld" to become an executive producer of "Mad About You," cowrote the CBS pilot "Better Days," and in early 1999 becomes the executive producer/writer of the animated UPN show "Dilbert."

Gregg Kavet & Andy Robin.
  Harvard alumnus Gregg Kavet (b. 1969) & Andy Robin (b. 1969) united as cowriters and eventual co-executive producers of "Seinfeld."  After graduation, Kavet spent one year working for a Boston consulting firm, while Robin headed to New York to write for "Saturday Night Live" and "The Martin Short Show."  The pair joined the "Seinfeld" staff in 1995, earning a 1997 Writers Guild of America Award for "The Fatigues."  Their greatest challenge was creating subplots that converge with the primary story line without seeming too contrived, and their forte was writing George Costanza dialogue.  They each brought real-life experiences into the sitcom foray: observing a woman at the beach wearing undergarments as an outfit ("The Caddy"); Robin's dilemma over switching to a younger barber who worked in the same shop ("The Barber"); and uncertainty about receiving a writing assignment from Larry David ("The Barber").  They signed a developmental deal with Castle Rock Entertainment to create future sitcoms.  Their favorite episode is "The Jimmy."

Jennifer Crittenden.
  A graduate of Wesleyan College, Jennifer Crittenden (b. 1970) wrote jokes for David Letterman ($100 per punch line), and became the writing specialist for Marge, an animated character on "The Simpsons."  She joined "Seinfeld" in 1996 as a writer and co-producer, and related best to George because she shares his paranoia, insecurity and cynicism.  Crittenden's personal experience became script ideas for "The Burning" after her husband switched the car radio to all Christian-rock stations, and "The Millennium" after a florist refused to sell her a ribbon--she fathomed revenge comparable to Elaine's retaliation on the Putumayo salesperson.  One notable plot rejection involved Kramer running incessantly.  Crittenden's favorite episode is "The Burning."  Her future plans include joining "The Drew Carey Show" as a writer/producer.

Alec Berg & Jeff Schaffer.
  Harvard graduates, Alec Berg (b. 1970) and Jeff Schaffer (b. 1970), were writers for the school newspaper,
The Lampoon
, and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien."  They joined "Seinfeld" in 1994, and became executive producers two years later.  "The Chicken Roaster" was inspired by Schaffer's brother living near a hotel with a sleep-depriving neon sign.  Their favorite episode is "The Secret Code," and one nixed plot involved Kramer renovating a bargain skeleton and selling it for a profit.  Their future, like most other "Seinfeld" alumnus, is developing sitcoms for Dreamworks SKG.

As for a couple other "Seinfeld" alumni, Bruce Eric Kaplan continues his affiliation with Castle Rock developing the pilot "Washed Up in Studio City."  Castle Rock has also signed a developmental deal with former "Seinfeld" writer Spike Ferestein.  Disney's Touchstone Television signed producer David Mandel to develop future television projects, and Dreamworks SKG landed consulting producers Tom Gammill and Max Pross to create new sitcoms.

Unused Scripts

Despite the show's nine-year run, there remained several uncultivated ideas that were heading for the airwaves.  Much like the MTV event pitching Jerry Seinfeld versus Tim Allen, Seinfeld considered an all-claymation episode.  There was also discussion of a musical number (Jason Alexander's idea, of course), and a cameo from long-time fan Paul McCartney (who was supposed to be hiding in Newman's apartment for no apparent reason).

Directors

Although Art Wolff directed the pilot episode, "The Seinfeld Chronicles," thereafter the directorial duties became the exclusive province of Tom Cherones, for the first five seasons, and Andy Ackerman for the duration of the series.  After 180 episodes, only six episodes were directed by someone other than Cherones or Ackerman.  Cherones relinquished the helm four times in the first full season to David Steinberg ("The Truth" and "The Tape"), Joshua White ("The Library"), and Jason Alexander ("The Good Samaritan"), and never again until leaving the series in the sixth season.  Cherones moved on to other projects, such as directing episodes for the quasi-successful shows "NewsRadio" and "Ellen."

When Ackerman assumed the position, he only abdicated the throne twice, each time to David Owen Trainor ("The Secretary" and "The Comeback"), during his four-year tenure.  Prior to "Seinfeld," Ackerman's prolific directorial résumé included "Cheers," "Frasier" and "Wings" during the apex of each show's ratings prosperity.  He particularly enjoyed the "Seinfeld" position because it resembled a movie by having numerous location shoots, a multitude of scenes, and very few close-ups.  Ackerman would spend extra time making a shot just right or trying something unusual.  For instance, he spent four hours mounting a camera to resemble the view from inside a toilet bowl as Jerry retrieves a befallen toothbrush.  Ackerman's future includes directing various pilots, such as "It's Like, You Know...," with fellow "Seinfeld" alumni Peter Mehlman.

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RECURRING REGULARS

It is fair to say that nearly every recurring regular on "Seinfeld" has earned a special place in the hearts of Americans.  Everyone has a favorite character, and each is appreciated for the unique comedic dimension they add to the series.  One of the most popular additions to the series came in the third season, with the bedeviled postal worker Newman.  As "Seinfeld" expanded in popularity and incorporated broader scripts, other idiosyncratic characters were added--parents, relatives, and significant others--not to mention the comedic cornucopia of supporting actors--friends, neighbors, coworkers, supervisors, and acquaintances.

The fictional parents of Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza are the most memorable for the recurring regular roles on "Seinfeld."  They epitomize the idiosyncrasies and eccentricities of elderly parents.  Although not originally included as an intricate aspect of the show, the characters became more frequent and regular as their popularity increased.  In fact, few of the recurring regulars were envisioned as long-term additions to the story lines, but they earned continued employment through their deft portrayal of their respective character.

Wayne Knight

Wayne Knight first appeared on-screen in episode 32 ("The Suicide"), though his character had a voice part in a prior show, which was performed by Larry David (Knight's voice was subsequently dubbed for syndication).  Originally Newman was supposed to be the landlord's son, but the creators did not feel comfortable with that arrangement, so they made him a postal worker.  Moreover, he was originally devised as a goofball friend of Kramer and Jerry's nemesis, but they expanded his role to become a Solomon-type wise man and dog-snatcher.  Knight's favorite episode is "The Ticket" where he goes to court to defend against a speeding ticket and uses Kramer as his legal justification (Newman was speeding to prevent Kramer from committing suicide for never becoming a banker).

Born August 7, 1955 in New York City, Wayne Eliot was an only child and raised in Cartersville, Georgia after his father was reassigned to work in women's apparel.  Knight always had a weight problem, and was savagely teased as a child.  After acquiring acting experience in high school, he attended the University of Georgia, majoring in theater but dropped out one credit shy of a degree.  Knight moved to New York City and quickly appeared on Broadway in
Gemini
(1979) and the movie
The Wanderer
(1979).  In the early 1980s, Knight appeared in the British sitcom "Assaulted Nuts," starring future friend and Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson.  While building his acting career, Knight spent five years working as a private investigator.  He was eventually fired when acting jobs began interfering with his night surveillance.

After appearing in
Mastergate
(1989), the following year Knight had his big break while crossing Fifth Avenue in New York.  Actor Jack Weston asked Knight to replace him in Shakespeare’s
Measure for Measure
at the Lincoln Center.  Thereafter Knight received increased feature film exposure in
JFK
(1991) and
Dead Again
(1991), and became a cast member in FOX's short-lived series "The Edge" (1992-93).  Although rejected for the role of George Costanza, it was the “Seinfeld” gig as Newman that opened the door as a regular on "The Second Half" (1993-94) and the pilot for "Against the Grain" (1993) with then unknown Ben Affleck.

Knight became more adept as a recurring regular and had his biggest success on"3rd Rock From the Sun" (1996-2001).  On the silver screen he earned many roles, including the mega-hits
Basic Instinct
(1992) and
Jurassic Park
(1993), as well as the animated features
Space Jam
(1996),
Tarzan
(1999), and
Toy Story 2
(1999).

Although his 1995 developmental deal with Warner Bros. never reached fruition, Knight recently inked a similar deal with Carsey-Werner.  The cumulative effect of genuine talent, great comedic timing, and vast public exposure made Knight a hot commodity in the advertising world.  In 1996 he signed a deal with AT&T as their product spokesperson.

Since the death of his father in 1992, Knight began taking a healthier approach to his weight problem, and lost 117 pounds of his bulging 327-pound frame, though he currently weighs around 280.  As a hobby, he enjoys working with computers, watching baseball (especially the New York Yankees and Atlanta Braves), and is earning a pilot license to fly a fixed-wing aircraft.

On May 26, 1996 Knight married makeup artist Paula Sutor (b. 1952), in a first-time marriage for both.  They met on the set of NBC's sitcom "The Second Half," and when the 17-episode series ended, Knight grabbed and kissed her.  They spent the wrap party making out in the corner, which commenced a three-year courtship.  The ceremony was held at Michael Richards' Pacific Palisades home.

Jerry Stiller

Best remembered for his five-year stint on "Seinfeld" in a recurring regular role, Jerry Stiller (b. 1928) is a veteran actor with a long history of stage performances.  His notoriety first came when he revamped the role of George's father, but he nearly declined the offer.  After an unimpressive performance by John Randolph, in "The Handicap Spot," Stiller was asked to audition for the part, but declined because he made a career decision to focus on the theater, and was appearing in the Broadway production of
Three Men on a Horse
, starring Tony Randall.  When the play closed three months later, the "Seinfeld" creators re-extended the offer, and this time Stiller accepted.

When Stiller was cast as George Costanza's father, Frank, the character was supposed to be meek, soft-spoken and Milquetoast.  However, Stiller single-handedly transformed the scripted character by ad-libbing lines.  Upon realizing that his television wife was supposed to scream vociferously, Stiller knew his character would pale in comparison and was destined to become nothing more than an indistinguishable background prop.  In response, he decided to wail at his wife during an argument, but withheld the improvisation until the taping segment to monitor audience reaction.  When the viewers exhibited overwhelming approval for the cantankerous confrontation, the character known as Frank Costanza changed overnight to become new and improved.