The Doorman (Seinfeld)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"The Doorman" is the 104th episode of the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...
sitcom ''
Seinfeld ''Seinfeld'' ( ) is an American television sitcom created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, with a total of nine seasons consisting of List of Seinfeld episodes, 180 episodes. It ...
''. This is the 18th episode for the sixth season. It aired on February 23, 1995. In this episode, Jerry and Elaine contend with a creepy
doorman A doorman, also known as doorkeeper, is someone who is posted at, and often guards, a door, or by extension another entrance (specific similar terms exist, e.g. gatekeeper, hall porter). Specific uses include: Professions * Doorman (profession), ...
,
George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
fears he is developing male breasts, and Kramer and
Frank Costanza This is a list of characters who appeared on ''Seinfeld''. This list features only characters who appeared in main roles or multiple episodes; those that appeared in only one are not included here. Overview ;Overview : = Main cast (credited) : ...
try to go into business with a bra for men.


Plot

Jerry goes to pick up Elaine who is
house sitting House sitting is the practice whereby a person leaving their house for a period of time entrusts it to one or more "house sitters", who by a mutual agreement are permitted to live or stay in the property temporarily, in exchange for assuming any c ...
Mr. Pitt's apartment, and has an awkward conversation with the
doorman A doorman, also known as doorkeeper, is someone who is posted at, and often guards, a door, or by extension another entrance (specific similar terms exist, e.g. gatekeeper, hall porter). Specific uses include: Professions * Doorman (profession), ...
. Jerry insists on waiting until the doorman leaves before he and Elaine can go to the movies. However, Mr. Pitt calls and orders Elaine to stay and read the mail. Walking home, Jerry meets the doorman standing outside his own apartment building. The doorman accuses him of following him and harassing him. Walking down the street, Kramer, with the thought that it would entertain German tourists on a tour bus, simulates robbing
George George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...
. Since George's parents' separation in "
The Chinese Woman "The Chinese Woman" is the 90th episode of the NBC sitcom ''Seinfeld''. This was the fourth episode for the sixth season. It aired on October 13, 1994. In this episode Jerry dates a woman who he believes is Chinese due to her name, Donna Chan ...
",
Frank Costanza This is a list of characters who appeared on ''Seinfeld''. This list features only characters who appeared in main roles or multiple episodes; those that appeared in only one are not included here. Overview ;Overview : = Main cast (credited) : ...
has been living with George. After discovering that his father has large breasts, George fears it may be hereditary, while Kramer is inspired to invent a male undergarment for breast support. George talks with his mother Estelle to convince her to take back Frank and also inquires about his grandmother's bosom size. When George and Estelle arrive at his apartment, they catch Frank trying on the prototype for Kramer's undergarment. She leaves in horror at their “wild transvestite party.” Jerry encounters the doorman again at Mr. Pitt's building, this time on the night shift. Jerry tries to make peace with him. The doorman leaves Jerry in charge while he goes out to buy a beer. Jerry adjusts to the job, even signing for a package, but as the doorman is taking too long, Jerry leaves his post and heads to Mr. Pitt's apartment. When Jerry and Elaine head back down, the police are there because a couch was stolen from the lobby. Jerry thinks the doorman set him up. He and Elaine deny that he even spoke to the doorman. However, the doorman has the package with Jerry's signature as evidence, so Jerry and Elaine must replace the stolen couch. George suggests they take his, because then his father will have no place to sleep and will have to move back with his mother. Kramer and Frank present their male bra to bra salesman Sid Farkus; Kramer calls his invention "the Bro", although Frank prefers "the Mansiere". Kramer, Frank, and Farkus make a deal, until Farkus asks permission to date Estelle. Angered, Frank cancels the deal. When Estelle tells Frank she is going to dinner with Farkus, he refuses to move back in with her, regardless of having no place to sleep at George's. George is left with no choice but to share his bed with his father. As Kramer walks the street carrying a stereo, the German tourists see him and try to stop him. Kramer staves off their anger by introducing "the Bro" to them. Jerry and Elaine deliver the couch to Mr. Pitt's building. Poppie, the man who involuntarily peed on the couch in " The Couch", happens to be there visiting a friend. Poppie recalls how his gastrointestinal problems were because of the stress caused by Elaine. When he sees Elaine, he becomes stressed and sits again on the couch.


Production

The "Bro" versus "Mansiere" argument was based on a real argument during the episode's production. Writers Tom Gammill and
Max Pross Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) (1 ...
used "the Bro" in the script for the episode, but ''Seinfeld'' co-creator
Larry David Lawrence Gene David (born July 2, 1947) is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He is known for his dry wit, portrayals of awkward social situations, and brutally honest takes on everyday life. He has received two Prim ...
contended that "the Mansiere" would be funnier. Kramer's performance for the German tourists was also based on real life; Gammill and Pross would act out New York stereotypes for the benefit of sightseeing buses, including pretending to mug each other. The doorman was played by Larry Miller, who was
Jerry Seinfeld Jerome Allen Seinfeld ( ; born April 29, 1954) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. As a stand-up comedian, Seinfeld specializes in observational comedy. Seinfeld gained stardom playing a semi-fictionalized version ...
's best friend and one of two finalists for the part of
George Costanza George Louis Costanza is a fictional character in the American television sitcom ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), played by Jason Alexander. He is a short, stocky, balding man who struggles with numerous insecurities, often dooming his romantic rel ...
. Pross had worked as a doorman one summer, and once saw a doorman he worked with standing outside his own apartment building, which he thought "was insane", inspiring Jerry's street encounter with the doorman. The dim lighting and dialogue style in the scene where Jerry and Elaine discuss how to escape blame for the stolen couch were designed to evoke the
film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...
genre. The scene where Kramer is pursued by the German tourists was added by Larry David, and is a parody of a scene from '' Marathon Man'' where
Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...
's Nazi character is pursued by Holocaust survivors. The scene with George in bed with his father required numerous takes because actor
Jason Alexander Jay Scott Greenspan (born September 23, 1959), known professionally as Jason Alexander, is an American actor and comedian. Over the course of his career he has received an Emmy Award and a Tony Award as well as nominations for four Golden Globe ...
kept on cracking up with laughter every time
Jerry Stiller Gerald Isaac Stiller (June 8, 1927 – May 11, 2020) was an American comedian and actor. He spent many years as part of the comedy duo Stiller and Meara with his wife, Anne Meara, to whom he was married for over 60 years until her death in 20 ...
offered him the
kasha In English, kasha usually refers to the pseudocereal buckwheat or its culinary preparations. In Slavic languages, "kasha" means porridge or puree. In some varieties of Eastern European cuisine, ''kasha'' can apply to any kind of cooked grain. I ...
.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Doorman Seinfeld season 6 episodes 1995 American television episodes