“Less Is More”: Seinfeld, 1990s Comedy, and Hitting That Sweet Spot for Laughs
Warning: The following article contains potential spoilers.
When it comes to comedy, I’m quite picky! I wouldn’t say my sense of humor is pretentious, per se, but it isn’t very broad either. That’s the thing about humor, though- it’s a very strange and sometimes unexplainable phenomenon. It’s also a balancing act of sorts. What elicits laughs? Wild gesticulations and funny faces, ironic deliveries, or incongruent situations? It all depends. A little while back I wrote an article on Chris Rock and his most recent Netflix special (“Selective Outrage”). Today, let’s look at one of his good friends and contemporaries- Jerry Seinfeld.
Who is Jerry Seinfeld? You may know the name from “Coffee in Cars with Comedians” or The Bee Movie (2007). But he is best known for the 1990s sitcom (“Seinfeld”) that bears his name (the one in which he plays a semi-fictionalized version of himself). Jerry Seinfeld was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Massapequa, New York.1, 2, 3. He attended the State University of New York at Oswego and later Queens College, and he graduated in 1976 with a degree in communications and theater.4,5.
Some of the biggest juggernauts of his time- Richard Pryor, George Carlin, Bill Cosby, and Don Rickles- influenced Seinfeld. He has also cited Jerry Lewis, Abbott and Costello, and the Monty Python troupe as inspirations, as well as albums by Lenny Bruce, Steve Martin, Mel Brooks, and Carl Reiner.6, 7, 8, 9.
Jerry’s father, Alman, served in World War II, and he collected jokes during his military stint.10 Jerry’s mother, Betty, and her own parents, emigrated from Syria in 1917 (Syria was still under the Ottoman Empire at that time).11, 12. In the late 1980s, NBC offered him and fellow comedian/”Seinfeld” executive producer Larry David an opportunity for a sitcom. West-Shapiro Productions and Castle Rock Entertainment produced the series and Columbia Pictures Television distributed it. Besides Seinfeld and David, many talented scriptwriters worked on the show over its nine seasons as well, including (but certainly not limited to) Larry Charles, Alec Berg, Carol Leifer, Charlie Rubin, Elaine Pope, and Marjorie Gross. On July 5, 1989, its first episode- “The Seinfeld Chronicles”- premiered.
The premise of the show was simple. Four Manhattanites- Jerry Seinfeld, Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards), George Costanza (Jason Alexander), and Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)- hang out, work, and enjoy life in 1990s New York City. Jerry is the “voice of reason.” Kramer is Jerry’s convulsive, idiosyncratic next-door neighbor. He sports a Pompadour hairstyle, dresses in vintage apparel, and always pursues random moneymaking schemes. George is the archetypal “loser”- mendacious, insecure, lazy, stingy, and conniving. He’s frequently unemployed, and he often strikes out with women. Elaine Benes is Jerry’s sophisticated but shallow ex-girlfriend who always “hangs with the boys.”
What separates these four from other sitcom characters at the time was that they weren’t written seriously. They don’t learn lessons, develop as individuals, huge, kiss, or care about anyone outside themselves. So why watch the show? Because that’s the point. The show is explicitly “about nothing” …nothing except comedy, that is…breezy, nihilistic, postmodern comedy! The characters are practically sociopathic; clothes, coffee, cereal, and casual sex are the only things that drive them.
“Seinfeld” is an integral part of American pop culture, and the show canonized many catchphrases and ideas: “soup nazi,” “puffy shirt,” “re-gifter,” “sponge-worthy,” “yada-yada-yada,” “double-dipping,” and being “master of one’s domain.” The writers sampled through numerous “everyday” dilemmas and quandaries…the types of minutiae that usually fly right under our noses. They then implemented them, twisted them up, and creatively intertwined them.
Know someone who talks “too closely”? What about someone who talks “too low” or “too high”? Ever tried to save a seat in a crowded movie theater? Bought a car at a dealership? Waited a long time for a table or forgot where you parked in a multi-level garage? Had difficulty asking someone out and/or breaking up? Tried to end a tiresome phone call? Know people who can’t shake hands very well or have trouble greeting people? How about quitting a job or meeting the future in-laws? Catching a cab (pre-Uber/Lyft)? Getting rid of a car’s funky odor? Traveling first-class vs. coach on an airplane? “Seinfeld” covers it all and more, and the characters approach each scenario with politeness, maturity, and decency….no I’m just kidding. They’re awful. They know that they are awful, and that’s what drives the humor!
In “The Fire,” George attends a birthday party for his girlfriend’s son. During the party, George squabbles with a clown (played by a young Jon Favreau) before sauntering into the kitchen. Spotting a small cloud of smoke, he hightails it out of the house, pushing over children and old ladies in the process. The partygoers then attack him for his cowardliness. He pathetically defends himself before one of the firefighters asks him: “How do you live with yourself.” George meekly replies: “It’s not easy!”
The rest of the four are no better. They park in a spot for disabled persons, and when that causes disaster, Kramer and George buy the paraplegic woman a used wheelchair. Jerry calls in a fake bomb threat and digs up a dead parakeet to retrieve a key. Elaine dumps one man after he suffers a stroke and another after he falls while mountain climbing (marring his face). Both George and Jerry urinate in a parking garage. George poisons one of his bosses and purchases cheap wedding envelopes that (accidentally) kill his fiancée.
In the penultimate episode, the four videotape a man getting robbed while they crack jokes. The writers are smart though. They know that making the main four characters sincerely terrible would drive away viewers, but playing with that angle would draw them in. Not unlike William Shakespeare’s Comedy of Errors, most of the conflicts arise from unfortunate coincidences and misunderstandings.
The show has some notable episodes. The one in which George and Jerry appear to be in a homosexual relationship is one (“Not that there is anything wrong with it”). Then there is the one in which Elaine hoards contraceptive sponges and Kramer refuses to wear a ribbon during an AIDS walk. In another classic, Jerry “accidentally” agrees to wear a pirate shirt on live TV. In “The Strike,” George’s eccentric father, Frank (Jerry Stiller), creates a new holiday (Festivus).
The one that takes the cake though is “The Contest,” at least as far as memorability, viewership, and controversy go. George’s mother catches him doing… “you know…” (never seen). George (who was “using” a Glamour magazine) startled his unexpected mother into collapsing and falling on her back. She was rushed to the hospital and George vows never to do “that” again. His friends laugh, skeptical. A conversation ensues and the four agree to a bet to see who can abstain the longest from “gratifying themselves.” The characters go mad with desperation, including Elaine (who attends an aerobics class with a young John F. Kennedy Jr.). Further complicating things is a conspicuous nudist across from Jerry’s apartment and Jerry’s virginal girlfriend. Why was the episode ultimately so memorable, though? They never once used the “m” word.
Their best comedy arrives at the nexus of inventive wordplay, slapstick, and absurd situations. In “The Marble Rye,” George’s highly disagreeable parents meet George’s potential future in-laws. Things don’t go well. George’s parents take back a marble rye they purchased for dinner (when it isn’t served), believing the in-laws were slighting them. George could explain the truth and settle things, but, alas, George is a coward. Unwilling to accept a lifetime of inter-familial awkwardness, he devises a new plan.
Kramer’s newest phase is driving a horse-and-buggy around town. George’s future in-laws, the Rosses, are having their anniversary. George arranges for Kramer to take them on a lovely evening stroll. Jerry agrees to purchase an identical marble rye from the same bakery while George waits back at the house. George plans to put the rye somewhere. “Oh…there it is,” he hopes things will go (just a simple misunderstanding). Alas for him, Kramer feeds his horse (Rusty) canned beef, and it develops terrible gas. Mr. and Mrs. Ross are disgusted, and they demand Kramer end his stroll. Meanwhile, Jerry fails to purchase the last marble rye from the bakery and, after some futile bargaining, steals it from the old woman who purchased it. George, cornered, has Jerry hook the bread to a fishing line, but all to no avail. George’s fiancée and her parents catch him.
In “The Ticket,” Newman (Jerry and Kramer’s enigmatic, postal employee neighbor, whom Wayne Knight portrays) gives Kramer a motorcycle helmet. An unhinged acquaintance of both Jerry and Kramer kicks Kramer in the head (while he was wearing the helmet). As a result, Kramer suffers temporary brain fog. Meanwhile, a state trooper stops Newman for speeding because the radar detector Kramer gave him was defective. Newman is angry at Kramer, but he bites the bullet and pays for the ticket. Just kidding. He lies about why he was speeding and loops Kramer into his alibi.
Newman told the police he sped because his friend was suicidal. Why was his friend suicidal? Was his friend depressed or nihilistic? No. Not really. Newman weighs whether they should tell the court that his despondent friend didn’t have an air conditioner or that he could never become a banker (they settle on the latter). The two put on a histrionic display while the impatient judge obliges. Kramer, still in his brain fog, goofs up and their scheme fails. Newman, red in the face and flailing wildly, explodes with frustration and lunges at Kramer, knocking over a flagpole (which bonks the judge on the head).
“Seinfeld” was a comedy staple of the 1990s. I am an older millennial, so perhaps I’m remembering comedy from that era with rose-colored glasses. But upon further review, I don’t think that’s the case. I don’t think it’s merely nostalgia. “Seinfeld,” not unlike many sitcoms and comedic films from that time, really did strike the perfect balance- not too noisy and unsophisticated, but not too dry and pretentious either.
SOURCES
[1] Weiner, Jonah (December 20, 2012). “Jerry Seinfeld Intends to Die Standing Up”. The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on January 21, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
[2] Kornfeld, Michael (July 23, 1989). “A Single Comedian Is Returning to His Roots”. The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 8, 2008. Retrieved March 6, 2008.
[3] Kellerman, Vivien (July 28, 1996). “If You’re Thinking of Living In/Massapequa Park, L.I.;Fine Schools, Famous Alumni”. The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
[4] Herbert, Geoff (July 20, 2013). “Jerry Seinfeld talks SUNY Oswego, Pop-Tarts, marriage, more during Syracuse performance”. The Post-Standard. Syracuse, New York. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
[5] “Jerry Seinfeld Biography” Film Actor, Screenwriter, Television Actor, Comedian, Television Producer (1954–)”. Biography.com (FYI / A&E Networks). Archived from the original on January 5, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
[6] Busis, Hillary (April 6, 2017). “Seinfeld, Stewart, Fey and more salute insult master Don Rickles: The night’s best jokes”. Yahoo.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
[7] “Here’s Jerry”. Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. Season 1. Episode 12. July 6, 2018. Netflix.
[8] Tucker, Ken (November 25, 1994). “TV Review: Abbott & Costello Meet Jerry Seinfeld”. Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 25, 2009. Retrieved November 15, 2009.
[9] “The greatest hits collection Jerry Before Seinfeld gives the people what they want”. The A.V. Club. September 19, 2017. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
[10] Weiner, Jonah (December 20, 2012). “Jerry Seinfeld Intends to Die Standing Up”. The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on January 21, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
[11] “The Paper Trail of Jerry Seinfeld Leads Back to Ellis Island and Beyond”. The New York Times. April 24, 2009. Archived from the original on January 31, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017. [12] Cowan, Alison Leigh (April 23, 2009). “Seinfeld’s Back Story, About Something”. City Room. Retrieved May 28, 2020.
