Test Your ‘Seinfeld’ Smarts! 5 Surprising Facts About the Show
There’s almost no such thing as a casual “Seinfeld” fan. Not only do most of its viewers devour reruns like Junior Mints from a hospital vending machine, but the majority obsess over the excruciating minutiae of every moment of show.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that!
Now, 25 years after the pilot debuted on July 5, 1989, “Seinfeld” is still widely regarded as one of the best sitcoms of all time. It was the kind of show that hugged audiences with the warm, familiar embrace of a Gore-Tex coat and didn’t let go until they were filled with unbridled enthusiasm — an impressive feat for any series, let alone a show about nothing.
In honor of the show’s silver anniversary, we’ve gathered 10 little-known tidbits of “Seinfeld” trivia to internalize, ponder over, and then spew at friends like Kramer after a swig of Jerry’s spoiled milk.
Yada yada yada, here’s 5 things you might not have known about “Seinfeld”:
The premiere episode of the third season, “The Note,” is the only episode to feature lyrics over the “Seinfeld” theme. At the specific request of Jerry Seinfeld, scat-like female vocals were added by composer Jonathan Wolff, who also scored the next two episodes in the same manner. But neither Seinfeld or Wolff alerted the production company beforehand, and the bosses at Castle Rock Entertainment weren’t pleased when they heard the new song on the night of the episode’s airing. (“It was not a favorable reaction,” remembered Wolff.) Wolff was then made to edit out the jazzy lyrics in the following two episodes.
Die-hard “Seinfeld” fans know that Jerry Stiller wasn’t the first actor to portray Frank Costanza; John Randolph (below) played George’s father in the character’s first appearance (though his scenes were later re-shot with Stiller for syndication). When Stiller came on board, however, Larry David wanted him to play a more milquetoast husband (like Randolph did) to complement Estelle Harris’ boisterous portrayal of George’s mother. But fearing he’d get fired because he was contributing little more than his predecessor, he decided to start yelling right back at Estelle during the rehearsals, much to the delight of the show’s crew.
The last gag in “The Parking Garage,” in which Kramer’s car won’t start after the foursome finally finds his parking space, was completely unintentional. “The original ending was that we were driving around, and we couldn’t find the exit,” remembered Julia Louis-Dreyfus. “We were supposed to climb into the car and go. And when we did, Michael [Richards] couldn’t start the car. It actually wouldn’t start. It was like God had actually given us a better ending to the script. We were laughing so damn hard that if you watch that episode, you can see — I think it’s Jason and me in the back seat, and our heads are bobbing, trying to stop our hysterical laughter, trying to keep it under control while the camera’s running.”
John O’Hurley, who played the eccentric clothing mogul J. Peterman in seasons six through nine, became a partner in the real-life J. Peterman Company after “Seinfeld” ended. The business had already existed for years prior to “Seinfeld,” but thanks to the show’s unauthorized characterization of J. Peterman, sales skyrocketed during the late ’90s and the real-life Peterman became friends with O’Hurley. After the company went bankrupt sometime around the turn of the millennium (or “Newmannium,” if you prefer), Peterman reached out to O’Hurley for help with resurrecting the brand, and O’Hurley has been sitting on the board of directors ever since.
At the time of the finale, there were exactly one dozen cereals in Jerry’s over-the-sink cabinet: Honeycomb, Frosted Shredded Wheat, Grape-Nuts, Honey-Nut Shredded Wheat, Waffle Crisps, Shredded Wheat (Spoon Size), Honey Bunches of Oats, another box of Frosted Shredded Wheat, Bits’N’Pieces, Blueberry Morning, Golden Multi-Grain Flakes and Froot Loops.
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