"Seinfeld" The Jacket (1991)

User Rating:

8.4/10   

Director:

Tom Cherones

Writers:

Larry David (creator) &
Jerry Seinfeld (creator) ...

TV Series:

"Seinfeld" (1990)

Original Air Date:

6 February 1991 (Season 2, Episode 3)

Genre:

Comedy

Plot:

Jerry wears an expensive jacket when he meets Elaine's father, but an argument ensues when Jerry is reluctant to wear it outside during a snowfall. |

Plot Keywords:

Neurotic | Eccentric | Stand Up Comedian | Friendship | Neighbor

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 15

7:00 PM

TBS

The Jacket

#2.3

Cast

Jerry Seinfeld	...	Jerry Seinfeld
Julia Louis-Dreyfus	...	Elaine Benes
Michael Richards	...	Kramer
Jason Alexander	...	George
Lawrence Tierney	...	Alton Benes
Frantz Turner	...	Salesman
Suanne Spoke	...	Customer
Harry Hart-Browne	...	Manager

Runtime:

23 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Canada:PG (video rating)

Company:

Shapiro/West Productions

Trivia:

The character of Alton Benes is based on novelist Richard Yates (author of 'Revolutionary Road (2008)'), whose daughter Monica once dated Larry David.

Goofs:

Continuity: Jerry is dressing for dinner with Elaine's father. He puts on a tie as he talks to George. For a while, Jerry's collar is askew and the tie visible in back. Suddenly, the collar is fixed and the tie no longer visible.

Quotes:

[George is softly singing "Master of the House" from "Les Miserables" under his breath]
Alton Benes: Pipe down, chorus boy!

"Pipe down, chorus boy!"

Infamous for its off-set incidents, The Jacket is one of the five most memorable episodes of Seinfeld's second year (the other four are The Pony Remark, The Chinese Restaurant, The Revenge and The Deal), featuring some of the best comedic situations of all time.

Plotwise, nothing unusual: the center of attention is a jacket Jerry bought. Only it isn't a normal jacket: first of all, it was very expensive (other people's repeated attempts to figure out the price are superb); secondly, it causes a few problems when Jerry and George (who seems unable to get a certain song out of his head) go to dinner with Elaine's father, grouchy novelist Alton Benes (Lawrence Tierney, of Reservoir Dogs fame), whose volatility is close to putting the whole evening at stake.

That lots of episodes were literally stolen by the supporting characters (especially George and Kramer, the latter proving said theory towards the end of this story) shouldn't come as a surprise; That a guest star managed to hijack the entire 23-minute show with just one scene is startling, and yet such is the power of Tierney's performance. It's a shame it didn't last: Alton was supposed to be a recurring character, much like Jerry and George's parents, but the former tough guy's unstable behavior (he reportedly fooled around with a knife on the set) limited his presence to one episode only. A shame, because he showed a comic timing that's incredibly rare in "serious" actors, making this a truly unmissable Seinfeld episode.

A particularly unforgettable line: "We had a funny guy with us in Korea. A tail-gunner. They blew his brains out all over the Pacific. There's nothing funny about that!". He's certainly right, but there's something endlessly amusing about him saying that the way he does. A real treat.