The Shoes
Encyclopedia
The Shoes is the fifty-sixth episode of the sitcom Seinfeld
. It is the 16th episode for the fourth season, and first aired on February 4, 1993.
and George
struggle to keep NBC
still interested in their show. Elaine
is coming down with the flu and also is wearing a pair of shoes from Botticelli. Gail Cunningham (Anita Barone; whom Jerry was never allowed to kiss, was earlier snubbed and is later to be kissed by Kramer) comes into Monk's
and admires Elaine's shoes. Later, Elaine becomes paranoid and goes to confront Gail at her restaurant kitchen, where Elaine sneezes on a plate of Pasta Primavera
which is then unwittingly served to Russell Dalrymple. After Jerry and George finish writing their script they give it to Russell. Just as they try to present the script to Russell he becomes violently ill with the stomach flu and is unable to evaluate the script. Then Russell's daughter enters the picture and George stares at his 15-year-old daughter's (played by Denise Richards
who was 22 at the time) cleavage. Russell catches George and angrily sends them off without any input.
Having finished their script for the pilot, Jerry and George reflect upon the fact that they did not give Elaine any lines, commenting that they can't "write for a woman." This references the fact that Elaine does not appear in the pilot episode of Seinfeld.
Later, at Jerry's apartment, George and Jerry discuss how they got into trouble and what to do to get the script approved. Elaine is also present. Jerry mentions how Russell probably would have stared at cleavage if he were in that situation and if "Elaine came by with a low-cut dress, he'd do the same thing."
Jerry and George devise an elaborate plan to meet Russell at Gail's restaurant, on the condition of giving to Gail Elaine's 'Botticelli' shoes. Once there, they approach Russell to talk, and Elaine shows up in a low-cut dress. The show ends with Jerry, George, and Elaine eating, and Elaine convincing Jerry and George to write her into the 'Jerry' scripts.
, which was in its last season. Seinfeld would take over Cheers spot the following fall and remain there for the rest of the series. The four main characters apprised their viewers of this change in a short segment that ran during the Super Bowl
. It's revealed in the DVD
Inside Look that many on the show were worried that people would be viewing Seinfeld for the first time in this new spot and therefore would know nothing about the story arc of Jerry and George's NBC pilot. The show's popularity sky-rocketed through the rest of the season, however, starting its successful run.
.
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...
. It is the 16th episode for the fourth season, and first aired on February 4, 1993.
Plot
JerryJerry 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...
and George
George 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"...
struggle to keep NBC
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...
still interested in their show. 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...
is coming down with the flu and also is wearing a pair of shoes from Botticelli. Gail Cunningham (Anita Barone; whom Jerry was never allowed to kiss, was earlier snubbed and is later to be kissed by Kramer) comes into Monk's
Monk's Cafe
Monk's Café is a fictional coffee shop from the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. The exterior of Tom's Restaurant on the corner of West 112th Street and Broadway, near Columbia University, is often shown on the show as the exterior of Monk's, though the interiors were shot on a sound stage. The coffee shop is...
and admires Elaine's shoes. Later, Elaine becomes paranoid and goes to confront Gail at her restaurant kitchen, where Elaine sneezes on a plate of Pasta Primavera
Pasta primavera
Pasta primavera is an Italian-American dish that consists of pasta and fresh vegetables. A meat such as chicken, sausage or shrimp is sometimes added, but the focus of primavera is the vegetables themselves. The dish may contain almost any kind of vegetable, but cooks tend to stick to firm, crisp...
which is then unwittingly served to Russell Dalrymple. After Jerry and George finish writing their script they give it to Russell. Just as they try to present the script to Russell he becomes violently ill with the stomach flu and is unable to evaluate the script. Then Russell's daughter enters the picture and George stares at his 15-year-old daughter's (played by Denise Richards
Denise Richards
Denise Lee Richards is an American actress and former fashion model of Croatian and Welsh descent. She has appeared in films including Starship Troopers, Wild Things, and The World Is Not Enough...
who was 22 at the time) cleavage. Russell catches George and angrily sends them off without any input.
Having finished their script for the pilot, Jerry and George reflect upon the fact that they did not give Elaine any lines, commenting that they can't "write for a woman." This references the fact that Elaine does not appear in the pilot episode of Seinfeld.
Later, at Jerry's apartment, George and Jerry discuss how they got into trouble and what to do to get the script approved. Elaine is also present. Jerry mentions how Russell probably would have stared at cleavage if he were in that situation and if "Elaine came by with a low-cut dress, he'd do the same thing."
Jerry and George devise an elaborate plan to meet Russell at Gail's restaurant, on the condition of giving to Gail Elaine's 'Botticelli' shoes. Once there, they approach Russell to talk, and Elaine shows up in a low-cut dress. The show ends with Jerry, George, and Elaine eating, and Elaine convincing Jerry and George to write her into the 'Jerry' scripts.
Production
This was the first episode of Season 4 in which Seinfeld was moved from its Wednesday time slot to Thursday at 9:30 right after CheersCheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
, which was in its last season. Seinfeld would take over Cheers spot the following fall and remain there for the rest of the series. The four main characters apprised their viewers of this change in a short segment that ran during the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
. It's revealed in the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
Inside Look that many on the show were worried that people would be viewing Seinfeld for the first time in this new spot and therefore would know nothing about the story arc of Jerry and George's NBC pilot. The show's popularity sky-rocketed through the rest of the season, however, starting its successful run.
Cultural references
Elaine has her Botticelli shoes, and both George and Russell eat Pasta Primavera at the restaurant. This is reference to Sandro Botticelli's painting PrimaveraPrimavera (painting)
Primavera, also known as Allegory of Spring, is a tempera panel painting by Italian Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli. Painted ca. 1482, the painting is described in Culture & Values as "[o]ne of the most popular paintings in Western art"...
.