The Mom & Pop Store
Encyclopedia
"The Mom & Pop Store" is the 94th episode of the NBC
sitcom Seinfeld
. This was the 8th episode for the 6th season. It aired on November 17, 1994.
is set to buy a 1989 Volvo 240 Sedan, but instead the car salesman talks him into buying a 1989 LeBaron
convertible, said to be previously owned by Jon Voight
, as George liked the idea of driving a car he thought was formerly owned by Jon Voight.
Elaine
wants to date Jerry's
dentist, Tim Whatley. Kramer
tells that a "Mom and Pop" shoe repair store is about to close, and convinces Jerry to lend him his sneakers to take them to the store, commenting that he has a Peter Pan complex on account of his persistence on wearing sneakers as casual footwear. While there Kramer's nose starts to bleed, leading him to notice the wires hanging out of the ceiling and suggest calling an electrician.
At Mr. Pitt's office Elaine is taking the salt off his pretzels while listening the radio. Mr. Pitt wants Elaine to guess an oldie song so he can win a ticket to hold the Woody Woodpecker
balloon in the Thanksgiving Parade
. The songs mentioned by Elaine, such as "Honeysuckle Jump by Artie Shaw
," and "Next Stop Pottersville," are fictional and the titles and music were made up for the episode.
Jerry discovers that Kramer took all of his sneakers and left him with only a pair of cowboy boots. Elaine, George, and Kramer all get invitations to Whatley's Thanksgiving
party but Jerry is uncertain whether he was invited or not.
While riding in formerly "Jon Voight's" car, Jerry notices a chewed pencil and the owner's booklet. The previous owner was actually John Voight, not Jon Voight. Jerry makes fun of George and gets kicked out the car; he then tries to run from some guys but slips because of the boots, causing him to hurt his teeth. Jerry decides to crash the party where many dentists may be present.
Mom and Pop can't afford to bring the electrical installation up to the building code so they close the store and disappear with all of Jerry's sneakers. Elaine goes to pick up the ticket for Mr. Pitt but must sit through a loud performance by a live dixieland band before receiving it. While walking down the street Kramer sees Jon Voight and tries to ask him about George's car, but gets bitten by him instead.
At the party Elaine still can't hear a thing because of the loud dixieland music, and inadvertently turns down a date from Whatley because she thought that he was just offering her nuts. Meanwhile, George and Kramer seek a dentist to match the bite marks on Kramer's arm with those on the chewed pencil. As it turns out, the previous owner of the car was not Jon Voight, the actor, but Dr. John Voight, a periodontist friend of Dr. Whatley. While trying to show his teeth to a dentist, Jerry accidentally pushes a small statue of the Empire State Building out the window and pierces the Woody Woodpecker balloon with Mr. Pitt under it.
Later, Jerry receives a call that Mom and Pop are selling his sneakers in a garage sale in Parsippany, New Jersey. Jerry and Kramer decide to head out there and confront Mom and Pop, but as Jerry's car is in the shop they take the bus instead. On their way to New Jersey, Kramer's nose starts bleeding again, in a scene parodying Midnight Cowboy
(the film is also referenced earlier when George tries to croon Harry Nilsson
's "Everybody's Talkin'
"):
"Everybody's talkin' at me
Can't hear a word they're sayin'
[George improvises] Just drivin' around in Jon Voight's car..."
, only to find out later that he had been lied to. He kept the car, however, and it was used as George's car in both this episode and Season 7's "The Gum
." In an interview for the film National Treasure
, Jon Voight admitted that the car Gamill purchased was purported to have been owned by his mother, and not himself.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
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...
. This was the 8th episode for the 6th season. It aired on November 17, 1994.
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 set to buy a 1989 Volvo 240 Sedan, but instead the car salesman talks him into buying a 1989 LeBaron
Chrysler LeBaron
The Chrysler LeBaron was originally a classic luxury car of 1930s manufactured by Chrysler which competed with other luxury cars of the era such as Lincoln and Packard....
convertible, said to be previously owned by Jon Voight
Jon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
, as George liked the idea of driving a car he thought was formerly owned by Jon Voight.
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...
wants to date Jerry's
Jerry Seinfeld (character)
Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld . The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, based on, and played by Seinfeld himself.The series revolves around...
dentist, Tim Whatley. 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...
tells that a "Mom and Pop" shoe repair store is about to close, and convinces Jerry to lend him his sneakers to take them to the store, commenting that he has a Peter Pan complex on account of his persistence on wearing sneakers as casual footwear. While there Kramer's nose starts to bleed, leading him to notice the wires hanging out of the ceiling and suggest calling an electrician.
At Mr. Pitt's office Elaine is taking the salt off his pretzels while listening the radio. Mr. Pitt wants Elaine to guess an oldie song so he can win a ticket to hold the Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
balloon in the Thanksgiving Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...
. The songs mentioned by Elaine, such as "Honeysuckle Jump by Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
," and "Next Stop Pottersville," are fictional and the titles and music were made up for the episode.
Jerry discovers that Kramer took all of his sneakers and left him with only a pair of cowboy boots. Elaine, George, and Kramer all get invitations to Whatley's Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving (United States)
Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...
party but Jerry is uncertain whether he was invited or not.
While riding in formerly "Jon Voight's" car, Jerry notices a chewed pencil and the owner's booklet. The previous owner was actually John Voight, not Jon Voight. Jerry makes fun of George and gets kicked out the car; he then tries to run from some guys but slips because of the boots, causing him to hurt his teeth. Jerry decides to crash the party where many dentists may be present.
Mom and Pop can't afford to bring the electrical installation up to the building code so they close the store and disappear with all of Jerry's sneakers. Elaine goes to pick up the ticket for Mr. Pitt but must sit through a loud performance by a live dixieland band before receiving it. While walking down the street Kramer sees Jon Voight and tries to ask him about George's car, but gets bitten by him instead.
At the party Elaine still can't hear a thing because of the loud dixieland music, and inadvertently turns down a date from Whatley because she thought that he was just offering her nuts. Meanwhile, George and Kramer seek a dentist to match the bite marks on Kramer's arm with those on the chewed pencil. As it turns out, the previous owner of the car was not Jon Voight, the actor, but Dr. John Voight, a periodontist friend of Dr. Whatley. While trying to show his teeth to a dentist, Jerry accidentally pushes a small statue of the Empire State Building out the window and pierces the Woody Woodpecker balloon with Mr. Pitt under it.
Later, Jerry receives a call that Mom and Pop are selling his sneakers in a garage sale in Parsippany, New Jersey. Jerry and Kramer decide to head out there and confront Mom and Pop, but as Jerry's car is in the shop they take the bus instead. On their way to New Jersey, Kramer's nose starts bleeding again, in a scene parodying Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy
Midnight Cowboy is a 1969 American drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. It was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and newcomer Jon Voight in the title role. Notable smaller roles are filled by Sylvia Miles, John...
(the film is also referenced earlier when George tries to croon Harry Nilsson
Harry Nilsson
Harry Edward Nilsson III was an American singer-songwriter who achieved the peak of his commercial success in the early 1970s. On all but his earliest recordings he is credited as Nilsson...
's "Everybody's Talkin'
Everybody's Talkin'
"Everybody's Talkin" is a folk rock song released by Fred Neil in 1966 that became a global success for Harry Nilsson in 1969, reaching #2 and #6 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and Pop Singles chart respectively and winning a Grammy after it was featured on the soundtrack for the film...
"):
"Everybody's talkin' at me
Can't hear a word they're sayin'
[George improvises] Just drivin' around in Jon Voight's car..."
Guest stars
- Jon VoightJon VoightJonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
- Himself - Bryan CranstonBryan CranstonBryan Lee Cranston is an American actor, voice actor, writer and director. He is best known for his roles as Hal the father in the Fox situation comedy Malcolm in the Middle, and Walter White in the AMC drama series Breaking Bad, for which he won three consecutive Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama...
- Tim Whatley - Ian AbercrombieIan AbercrombieIan Abercrombie is an English actor, best known for playing Alfred Pennyworth in Birds of Prey. He appeared as Elaine Benes' boss Justin Pitt during the sixth season of Seinfeld, and as a fastidious butler on Desperate Housewives.-Biography:He is the cousin of John Abercrombie, a jazz guitarist of...
- Mr. Pitt - Elsa RavenElsa RavenElsa Raven, formerly Elsa Rabinowitz is an American character actress, perhaps best known for her two years on the sitcom Amen and playing the mother of Vincent Terranova on the TV series Wiseguy....
- Mom - Tom WrightTom Wright (actor)Tom Wright is a television and theatre actor. He was born in Englewood, New Jersey and attended West Chester University in West Chester, Pennsylvania....
- Morgan - Dan FrischmanDan FrischmanDan Frischman is an American actor, noted for his many roles of playing socially inept "geeks" and "nerds". Frischman's birthdate is often listed as being 1964, as early in his career his acting agent had him practice age fabrication to seem five years younger which made him more eligible for...
- "Guy on Phone" - Rick FittsRick FittsRick Fitts is an American television and film actor.Fitts has had minor roles in almost a hundred different television shows since his acting debut in 1980, in shows such as Knight Rider, Simon & Simon, The A-Team, Hill Street Blues, Jake and the Fatman, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Seinfeld,...
- Dentist
Origin
Part of this episode was inspired by events that actually happened to writer Tom Gammill. He purchased a car purely based on the belief that it had previously been owned by Jon VoightJon Voight
Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight is an American actor. He has received an Academy Award, out of four nominations, and three Golden Globe Awards, out of nine nominations. Voight is the father of actress Angelina Jolie....
, only to find out later that he had been lied to. He kept the car, however, and it was used as George's car in both this episode and Season 7's "The Gum
The Gum
"The Gum" is the 120th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 10th episode for the 7th season. It aired on December 14, 1995.-Plot:Kramer is active in the re-opening of the Alex movie theater...
." In an interview for the film National Treasure
National Treasure (film)
National Treasure is a 2004 mystery adventure heist film from the Walt Disney Studios under Walt Disney Pictures. It was written by Jim Kouf, Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Cormac Wibberley, and Marianne Wibberley, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and directed by Jon Turteltaub...
, Jon Voight admitted that the car Gamill purchased was purported to have been owned by his mother, and not himself.
Trivia
- For the syndicated repeats, this episode is just one in a few this season to keep Jerry's opening stand-up routine intact.
- Along with the cowboy boots that Jerry wears throughout much of the episode, the last scene in which he and Kramer are riding the bus together is an allusion to the ending of Midnight CowboyMidnight CowboyMidnight Cowboy is a 1969 American drama film based on the 1965 novel of the same name by James Leo Herlihy. It was written by Waldo Salt, directed by John Schlesinger, and stars Dustin Hoffman and newcomer Jon Voight in the title role. Notable smaller roles are filled by Sylvia Miles, John...
, which stars Jon Voight.
- The John Voight car later breaks down and burns in Season 7's "The GumThe Gum"The Gum" is the 120th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 10th episode for the 7th season. It aired on December 14, 1995.-Plot:Kramer is active in the re-opening of the Alex movie theater...
".