Seinfeld Reference: The Complete Encyclopedia (2 page)

Character Development

Another unique aspect of "Seinfeld" is its reliance upon real-life people when devising the principal characters.  Besides Jerry Seinfeld portraying himself, the other three costars were based upon real-life contacts.  Kramer was Larry David's neighbor, George mirrored David's life, and Elaine was Seinfeld's ex-girlfriend.

Kramer

The inspiration for Cosmo Kramer is Larry David's former mid-town Manhattan neighbor Kenny Kramer (b. 1943).  Many of the idiosyncrasies of Cosmo Kramer were devised from Kenny Kramer's real-life existence.  The most envied characteristic was Kramer's brutal honesty and complete tactlessness--a foundational attribute of Cosmo Kramer.  In one instance, as in the series, Kramer brazenly informed David that he should wear a toupee.  Ironically, some of the signature characteristics of Kramer--the pop-ins and foraging through a neighbor's refrigerator--were behaviors attributable to David.

Kramer was known for accepting numerous odd-jobs, such as karate coach, manager of a British reggae band, talent agent for bra models, and publicist for substance abuse coloring books.  In the 1970s and early-1980s, Kramer was a Rock 'n Roll comic, providing lewd monologues for rowdy audiences as the opening act for major bands, such as Kiss, ZZ Top, Three Dog Night, Average White Band, and others.  Unfortunately, he left the comedy circuit before it became popular in the 1980s, to pursue numerous business ventures.  Kramer was notorious for his schemes, inventions, and scams to make a buck, which include pitching the denim tuxedo fashion to Calvin Klein, "Proud to be on Prozac" T-shirts, and disco strobe light jewelry.

Kenny Kramer is a Bronx native who was raised by a single mother because his father died in World War II.  Kramer was married and divorced twice (the second marriage lasted ten days), which produced one daughter, Melanie (b. 1971), a graduate of Hunter College in New York.  As a joke, Kramer ran for mayor of New York City in 1997, but his efforts resulted in a small claims suit by his campaign manager alleging nonpayment for collecting signatures to get Kramer's name on the ballot.

In 1989 the golf-playing, occasional stogie-smoking, sex-addicted real-life Kramer was paid $1,000 by NBC for the right to use his life as a model for a fictional character.  However, when NBC began casting for the "Seinfeld" pilot, David ignored the pleas of his quirky neighbor who wanted to play his television namesake.  When the series was in its developmental stage, Jerry Seinfeld's neighbor was originally named "Hoffman," and then renamed "Kessler" for the pilot.  After the sitcom was renewed, the character's name was permanently changed to "Kramer" to sound less Jewish.

Although Kenny Kramer was not able to directly capitalize on the immense popularity and profitability of "Seinfeld," he used the series to create other avenues of financial success.  In 1996 he and partner Bobby Allen Brooks, also an ex-comic, devised Kramer's Reality Tour, which offers a three-hour multi-media bus and video tour for $37.50.  The tour covers New York City landmarks that have become popular because of "Seinfeld," such as Al's Soup Kitchen International, Tom's Restaurant; Jerry's old apartment building on West 81st Street, and Joe's Fruit Market.  In 1998 the tour sold 1,400 advance tickets for the twice-a-day weekend tour.

In 1997 Kramer toured Australia to
perform The World of "Seinfeld" According to Kramer
, a 90-minute two-man show that he wrote, and then used his "Seinfeld" name recognition to enter the New York City mayoral election.  His current machinations include selling campus tours, peddling autographed books and T-shirts, and pitching his autobiography to publishers (he still retains the rights to sell his life story).  One tome he refuses to write, however, is a coffee table book about coffee tables.

George

The character George Louis Costanza earns his television surname from Mike Costanza, a former college friend of Jerry Seinfeld, his middle name from comedian Lou Costello (a Seinfeld tribute), and persona from Larry David (possessing his misanthropy, neuroses, and insecurities).  George even has the same physical appearance--short, stocky, and bald--the only difference is that George actually articulates and acts upon his most primal thoughts.  Many of David's idiosyncrasies and neurotic tendencies--his inability to speak to women, needing a list of conversation topics before calling a prospective date, and using a Chinese baldness cure after seeing a news report on CNN--have become inherent characteristics of George.

David's life also became the basis for numerous story lines.  He knew a low-talker; felt guilty about switching barbers; partook in a masturbation abstinence contest (and won the self-love temperance award); was banned from a fruit market and had his neighbor do the shopping; and became a bra salesman.  The character Justin Pitt is based on a woman he once chauffeured in his New York salad days; "The Stock Tip" is based on personal experience of losing a small fortune on a sure thing; and "The Pilot" mirrors a meeting with NBC executives when they pitched the show about "nothing."

Elaine

The character Elaine Benes was added to the story line after the series pilot received negative reviews from test audiences.  NBC executives wanted to incorporate a woman's perspective to expand their ratings among females, and incorporate a show with greater sex appeal to intrigue male viewers.  Elaine was specifically written as an ex-girlfriend and current friend because the creators wanted to avoid the issue of sexual tension between the principal characters.

When devising the appropriate female character persona, Jerry Seinfeld reflected upon his brief romantic liaison with comedienne Carol Leifer.  Since they were former lovers who remained good friends, and she was like one of the guys who could hold her own with Larry David, Seinfeld based the female role on their prior association.  Although Leifer provides the inspiration for Elaine's persona, unlike Kenny Kramer, the role was not tailored around her life--Elaine dresses in vintage clothing, is not a comic, and has numerous personality divergences.

The series' design intended to maximize relationship possibilities by infusing constant instability so the story lines could remain fresh and diverse.  The creators wanted to avoid the typical sitcom where the series descends into endless bickering between lovers because it inevitably results in script stagnation.  In the natural evolution of successful sitcoms, the primary characters usually unite in a romantic relationship.  Sexual tension is introduced, which is resolved with romance, and then resurrected through relationship spats.  "Cheers" had Sam and Diane, "Friends" had Ross and Rachel, and "Wings" had Joe and Helen.  In contrast, "Seinfeld" never wanted, nor delved into, stable relationships.  Each character found trivial, superficial reasons to terminate a relationship every week.

Furthermore, Elaine's relationship with Jerry was a seemingly awkward friendship and a veritable rarity in any previous sitcom.  Since "Cheers" popularized the concept of sexual tension between costars, every sitcom attempted to replicate their formula for success.  According to the creators, if Elaine and Jerry had no past romantic relationship, there would always remain the possibility that intimacy issues could evolve.  However, by viewing their relationship in a post-breakup perspective, it was highly unlikely the couple would reunite.  (Although Elaine and Jerry reunited for one episode, the story line was quickly abandoned and the unseen and unmentioned breakup was never addressed.)

Casting

The regulars were literally hand-picked by the creators with little indecision regarding the costars.  Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David strived to construct a cast that may not have been the best actors, but ones with whom they personally connected so the chemistry would come across on-screen.  In other words, they selected castmates like they would pick friends.  The same philosophy was used with staff writers and technical support.  The creators wanted to have fun, rather than surround themselves with only the best and the brightest.  Nevertheless, they also were receptive to input from external sources, primarily the casting director.

Marc Hirschfeld (b. 1957) was the sole casting director for "Seinfeld" and had a strong track record performing this position on "Married...With Children," "The Larry Sander's Show," and the less popular "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd."  His formula for success was finding actors with unique traits, unusual appearances and distinguishing characteristics, e.g., Len Lesser as Uncle Leo.  Hirschfeld also sought dramatic actors who were committed to the part, like Peter Crombie who was a convincing psychotic as Crazy Joe Davola, and John Michael Higgins who was willing to shave his head to add realism to the story line ("The Little Jerry").

Besides casting the supporting actors and guest appearances, Hirschfeld was an integral part in hiring the costars.  Although NBC balked at the chosen ensemble because executives heralded name recognition, Hirschfeld won the battle.  Julia Louis-Dreyfus was chosen over Rosie O'Donnell for her stunning beauty, honesty and straightforwardness.  Jason Alexander made the cut over comedian Larry Miller (who guest starred in "The Doorman" episode) by accentuating George Costanza's neurosis.  Finally, Michael Richards was the main choice for producers and Hirschfeld because of his powerful audition as Al Bundy on "Married...With Children."  Hirschfeld believes his greatest casting success was finding Wayne Knight to portray Newman.

Wardrobe

One of the most intriguing aspects of "Seinfeld" is the peculiar attire of two principal characters: Elaine Benes and Cosmo Kramer.  When the series premiered, Elaine donned a 1940s hairstyle and vintage 1950s clothing (dresses drooping to her ankles, anklet socks, and flats for shoes).  As the series evolved so did her appearance.  The last couple years she became more sensual and provocative.  Her hairstyle incorporated a myriad of looks--wavy, straight, twisted and greased locks, even a short wig--with refined business suits, body-forming outfits, and low-cut tops.

Similarly, Kramer wears retro fashions from the 1950s and 1960s that rarely match in color or style.  Michael Richards offered assistance in formulating the character's attire and encouraged a quirky appearance to comport with Kramer's eccentric personality.  In the pilot, Kramer dressed like an apartment hermit.  The idea to change Kramer's wardrobe struck Richards while perusing a second-hand clothing shop.  He saw vintage two-toned Shirt Jacs and rayon shirts, which commenced an obsession to collect bizarre apparel by searching thrift shops, custom shops and swap meets.  Costume supervisor Charmaine Simmons also coordinates the attire with the script.  If Kramer is bent on papayas, he wears Polynesian-type clothing; on a bad day, he sports darker garments.  The popularity of his character actually created a fashion trend toward unconventional clothing.

Theme Song

When searching for the perfect theme song, Jerry Seinfeld wanted a snappy accompaniment to his monologue.  A mutual friend, George Wallace, introduced him to television theme song veteran Jonathan Wolff, of the Music Consultants Group in Burbank, California, whose television scoring credentials include "Knots Landing," "21 Jump Street," "Who's the Boss?" and "Married...With Children."  Wolff thought the appropriate match would be a montage of alternative sounds, rather than conventional music and an infectious melody.

After watching various episodes and comedy club clips, Wolff decided to accentuate Seinfeld's comedic style with a syncopated leitmotif using jazzy bass-riffs and horns.  Each week he incorporated up to 500 sounds, such as lip-popping, snapping fingers, gasps, sighs and tongue noises that are self-originating and recorded in a sound booth.  Wolff then used computers to synthesize the sounds with conventional music to form melodies that match the inflection and rhythm of Seinfeld's voice during each monologue.  Amazingly enough, each half-hour episode usually consumed up to six hours to score the music.

Inevitably, NBC executives balked at the peculiar ditty, but "Seinfeld" producers insisted on leaving the instrumental dulcet intact.  Even after the monologues disappeared, the theme song remained, and became progressively eccentric as the years passed.  In addition to "Seinfeld," Wolff generally provides the musical accompaniment for 8-10 television series per year.

Figure 1 Cast and creators of "Seinfeld" (from left: Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld, Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Jason Alexander).

Four-Episode Commitment

After viewing the pilot, NBC president Brandon Tartikoff thought the show was "too Jewish, too New York" and passed on the series.  At the time, the network was reeling from the failed sitcom "The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd," and the "Seinfeld" pilot was perceived as a male version of "Molly Dodd."  The series was perceived as a yuppie show about New York problems.  The story lines were considered inapplicable to the masses because few people could relate to their peeves, such as arguing over parking spaces, agonizing over a misplaced car, or moving a car to opposite sides of the street.