The Cheever Letters
Encyclopedia
"The Cheever Letters" is the forty-eighth episode of the American
sitcom Seinfeld
, the 8th episode of season four. Written by Larry David
, Elaine Pope
& Tom Leopold
and directed by Tom Cherones
, it premiered on October 28, 1992.
is to meet Susan's parents (played by Warren Frost
and Grace Zabriskie
) and is not looking forward to telling her father that his cabin had been burned down (by Kramer
with the Cuban cigars Susan's father had given to George as a gift). Jerry
suggests that the Rosses are likely to see the irony of the situation.
The two of them try to settle down to get some work on their pilot script done. They struggle to get some work done, and Jerry decides to phone Elaine
. He gets through to her chatty secretary Sandra (Lisa Malkiewicz). Jerry complains to Elaine about Sandra, and after getting off the phone she asks her secretary to not talk to Jerry so much. Sandra is not happy, and quits. Meanwhile, back at the apartment Kramer enters, and asks George if he has any more Cuban cigars as he needs them to play golf
in a private club. George does not, so he leaves with a mission to find some.
That night, George has an awkward dinner with Susan and her parents. Susan eventually tells her father that the cabin was burnt down, and he is devastated to discover that there was nothing recovered. Meanwhile, Jerry is asked by Elaine to apologize to Sandra in the hope that she might return to work. Jerry does so, and is persuaded to arrange a date with her that night. They end up back at the apartment later that night but she storms off after they had been talking dirty and Jerry had crossed the line.
Jerry meets George the next day in the café and explains what had happened the previous night. Jerry explains how he said, "You mean the panties your mother laid out for you?", and this led to Sandra storming out. George tells Jerry about dinner the night before, and they return to the apartment to work on the pilot. They doze off but are awoken by Elaine who thanks Jerry for getting Sandra back to work there. Jerry says she should relocate her quickly, and is relieved she had not mentioned the previous night.
Kramer heads to the Cuban Diplomatic Mission at the United Nations
to get hold of some cigars and meets three Cuban diplomats who, although they have some, tell him that they are illegal in the United States. However, the chief diplomat, played by Miguel Perez
, likes Kramer's jacket, and they come to an agreement to swap.
Jerry and George go to Susan's house to return her sunglasses. While they are there a doorman comes round with a metal box from the insurance company, the only thing to survive from the fire. Susan opens it, and discovers inside some letters written to her father from the novelist John Cheever
. She reads a letter, detailing Susan's father's affair with Cheever. After a brief pause, Jerry and George attempt to leave but Susan's father enters the room. He notices the box, and the reaction of the people in the room makes him fear the worst. He is found out to be bisexual and describes Cheever as "the most wonderful person" he'd ever known and that he "loved him deeply" in a way they "would never understand." Jerry and George finally leave the shocked family.
Back home, they attempt to do some more work on the pilot. They manage one more sentence (Jerry: "I could say, 'How's it going?'!") before they get interrupted by Elaine. She is not happy. Having gotten Sandra transferred to another department, her ex-secretary had told everybody that Elaine had been using company funds to phone a friend in Europe. The company has charged her $429, which Jerry pays for her. Hearing some commotion outside, Jerry opens the door to his apartment to reveal Kramer and the three Cuban diplomats, who go off to play golf. One of them is wearing Kramer's jacket. Inside, George is reading Falconer
by John Cheever, and Jerry tells Elaine that he is "familiar with some of his writings". Jerry sends Elaine away so they can get some work done. As she leaves, she reveals that Sandra had told her about her night with Jerry, saying, "Maybe I should go visit my mother. She just bought me some new panties and they’re all laid out for me!"
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
sitcom Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
, the 8th episode of season four. Written by Larry David
Larry David
Lawrence Gene "Larry" David is an American actor, writer, comedian and producer. He is best known as the co-creator , head writer, and executive producer of the television series Seinfeld from 1989 to 1996, and for creating the 1999 HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, a partially improvised sitcom in...
, Elaine Pope
Elaine Pope
Elaine Pope is a writer and film producer. She began her career writing TV specials for Lily Tomlin and the HBO series Not Necessarily the News. She won an Emmy Award for co-writing the episode "The Fix-Up" of the TV series Seinfeld and was the producer and co-writer for the 2004 remake of Alfie...
& Tom Leopold
Tom Leopold
Tom Leopold is an American comedy writer, performer and novelist. He has written episodes of Seinfeld and Cheers and several books. He has often been associated with Chevy Chase, Harry Shearer and Paul Shaffer in various projects...
and directed by Tom Cherones
Tom Cherones
Tom Cherones is an American director and producer of several TV series.-Early life:He grew up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where his father operated a radio and TV repair shop. His grandfather was a Greek immigrant. From 1961 to 1965, he was a lieutenant in the United States Navy...
, it premiered on October 28, 1992.
Plot
GeorgeGeorge Costanza
George Louis Costanza is a character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Jason Alexander. He has variously been described as a "short, stocky, slow-witted, bald man" , "Lord of the Idiots" , and as "the greatest sitcom character of all time"...
is to meet Susan's parents (played by Warren Frost
Warren Frost
Warren Frost is an American actor. His work has mainly been in the theatre, but has worked in movie and television sporadically since 1958. He is known for roles in Twin Peaks, Matlock, The Larry Sanders Show, and Seinfeld. He is the father of novelist, television screenwriter, and producer Mark...
and Grace Zabriskie
Grace Zabriskie
Grace Zabriskie is an American actress. She has appeared in many popular American films but, she is best known for her work in television. She is perhaps best known for her roles in the television series Twin Peaks, Seinfeld, and Big Love.-Early life:Zabriskie was born in New Orleans, Louisiana...
) and is not looking forward to telling her father that his cabin had been burned down (by Kramer
Cosmo Kramer
Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to as simply "Kramer", is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Michael Richards...
with the Cuban cigars Susan's father had given to George as a gift). Jerry
Jerry Seinfeld
Jerome Allen "Jerry" Seinfeld is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and television and film producer, known for playing a semi-fictional version of himself in the situation comedy Seinfeld , which he co-created and co-wrote with Larry David, and, in the show's final two seasons,...
suggests that the Rosses are likely to see the irony of the situation.
The two of them try to settle down to get some work on their pilot script done. They struggle to get some work done, and Jerry decides to phone Elaine
Elaine Benes
Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld , played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld; she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer...
. He gets through to her chatty secretary Sandra (Lisa Malkiewicz). Jerry complains to Elaine about Sandra, and after getting off the phone she asks her secretary to not talk to Jerry so much. Sandra is not happy, and quits. Meanwhile, back at the apartment Kramer enters, and asks George if he has any more Cuban cigars as he needs them to play golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
in a private club. George does not, so he leaves with a mission to find some.
That night, George has an awkward dinner with Susan and her parents. Susan eventually tells her father that the cabin was burnt down, and he is devastated to discover that there was nothing recovered. Meanwhile, Jerry is asked by Elaine to apologize to Sandra in the hope that she might return to work. Jerry does so, and is persuaded to arrange a date with her that night. They end up back at the apartment later that night but she storms off after they had been talking dirty and Jerry had crossed the line.
Jerry meets George the next day in the café and explains what had happened the previous night. Jerry explains how he said, "You mean the panties your mother laid out for you?", and this led to Sandra storming out. George tells Jerry about dinner the night before, and they return to the apartment to work on the pilot. They doze off but are awoken by Elaine who thanks Jerry for getting Sandra back to work there. Jerry says she should relocate her quickly, and is relieved she had not mentioned the previous night.
Kramer heads to the Cuban Diplomatic Mission at the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
to get hold of some cigars and meets three Cuban diplomats who, although they have some, tell him that they are illegal in the United States. However, the chief diplomat, played by Miguel Perez
Miguel Pérez (actor)
Miguel Perez is an American actor known for his work in various television appearances.-Personal life:Pérez was born Arnoldo Cruz Perez in San Jose, California, the son of a telephone repairman and a housewife. Growing up, he was a lonely child who was teased by his peers for being obese...
, likes Kramer's jacket, and they come to an agreement to swap.
Jerry and George go to Susan's house to return her sunglasses. While they are there a doorman comes round with a metal box from the insurance company, the only thing to survive from the fire. Susan opens it, and discovers inside some letters written to her father from the novelist John Cheever
John Cheever
John William Cheever was an American novelist and short story writer. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs." His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Westchester suburbs, old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy,...
. She reads a letter, detailing Susan's father's affair with Cheever. After a brief pause, Jerry and George attempt to leave but Susan's father enters the room. He notices the box, and the reaction of the people in the room makes him fear the worst. He is found out to be bisexual and describes Cheever as "the most wonderful person" he'd ever known and that he "loved him deeply" in a way they "would never understand." Jerry and George finally leave the shocked family.
Back home, they attempt to do some more work on the pilot. They manage one more sentence (Jerry: "I could say, 'How's it going?'!") before they get interrupted by Elaine. She is not happy. Having gotten Sandra transferred to another department, her ex-secretary had told everybody that Elaine had been using company funds to phone a friend in Europe. The company has charged her $429, which Jerry pays for her. Hearing some commotion outside, Jerry opens the door to his apartment to reveal Kramer and the three Cuban diplomats, who go off to play golf. One of them is wearing Kramer's jacket. Inside, George is reading Falconer
Falconer (novel)
Falconer is a 1977 novel by American short-story writer and novelist John Cheever. It tells the story of Ezekiel Farragut, a university professor and drug addict who is serving time in Falconer State Prison for the murder of his brother...
by John Cheever, and Jerry tells Elaine that he is "familiar with some of his writings". Jerry sends Elaine away so they can get some work done. As she leaves, she reveals that Sandra had told her about her night with Jerry, saying, "Maybe I should go visit my mother. She just bought me some new panties and they’re all laid out for me!"