The Cigar Store Indian
Encyclopedia
"The Cigar Store Indian" is the seventy-fourth episode of the NBC
sitcom Seinfeld
. It is the tenth episode of the fifth season, and first aired on December 9, 1993.
helps George
with a coffee table stain, Elaine
must take the subway home; she takes Frank Costanza's TV Guide
as reading material. George meets a woman at a furniture refinishing store and takes her to his parents' home, pretending that it is his. Jerry is interested in a Native American
woman named Winona (Kimberly Norris-Guerrero), but she is offended when Jerry, unaware of her ethnicity, presents Elaine with a cigar store Indian
as a peace offering. Jerry further offends her by using inappropriate language which could pass for racial epithets in a note and rocking it back and forth, mimicking Native American chants in front of her. Jerry tries to make amends with Winona by going out on a date with her where he also obtains her copy of the TV Guide with Al Roker
on the cover to give to Frank.
Jerry offers to take her out for supper where after an argument with an Asian postal worker, she becomes offended at Jerry's behavior and becomes even more infuratied with Jerry after Kramer, in a taxi with the cigar store Indian screams at Jerry by mimicking native sounds. Elaine and Kramer are on the subway
when Kramer stops to get a gyro
, but when his arm gets stuck in the door, a patron steals it. While on the subway, Elaine forgets the TV Guide and it is obtained by a creepy patron who cuts it up to make a flower bouquet for her. George, having had sex with his furniture store quarry, leaves a condom wrapper in his parents' bed; his parents discover not only the wrapper but also the absence of Frank's TV Guide (he is a collector) and punish him by grounding him.
Jerry tries again to make amends with Winona by going on another date, but tries avoiding words like reservation
and scalper, which later backfires on him when she asks for the TV Guide and they get into an argument after she accuses Jerry of trying to refer to her as an Indian giver
. Elaine shows up at the Costanzas' house with Winona's copy of the TV Guide much to her surprise, she sees the creepy guy at the house (he obtained the Costanzas' address by reading the postal address). Elaine gives Frank the copy of the TV Guide, only to find the cover was ruined by the tzatziki
sauce from the gyros she was eating which dripped onto it. When Frank yells at Elaine about taking the TV Guide, the creepy guy comes to her defense and inadvertently knocks the refinished coffee table over. While trying to sell the cigar store Indian to a dealer of another cigar shop, Kramer
meets Elaine's boss and pitches his idea for a coffee table book about coffee tables in exchange for the cigar store Indian, much to Elaine's dismay. Estelle takes the coffee table to the same furniture store George took it into, where she runs into the same woman George had sex with and reveals the truth about George. Elaine and Jerry are on the subway going to Queens
to give Frank the same TV Guide (which they had to order) when Jerry runs to get a gyro during a brief stop, he attempts to get back on the subway in time, but gets his arm stuck in the door and has his gyro taken by none other than Al Roker
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...
. It is the tenth episode of the fifth season, and first aired on December 9, 1993.
Plot
While 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...
helps 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"...
with a coffee table stain, 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...
must take the subway home; she takes Frank Costanza's TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
as reading material. George meets a woman at a furniture refinishing store and takes her to his parents' home, pretending that it is his. Jerry is interested in a Native American
Indigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
woman named Winona (Kimberly Norris-Guerrero), but she is offended when Jerry, unaware of her ethnicity, presents Elaine with a cigar store Indian
Cigar store Indian
The cigar store Indian or wooden Indian is an advertisement figure, in the likeness of an American Indian, made to represent tobacconists, much like: barber poles advertise barber shops; Show globe for an apothecary; or the three gold balls of the pawn shop. The figures are often three-dimensional...
as a peace offering. Jerry further offends her by using inappropriate language which could pass for racial epithets in a note and rocking it back and forth, mimicking Native American chants in front of her. Jerry tries to make amends with Winona by going out on a date with her where he also obtains her copy of the TV Guide with Al Roker
Al Roker
Albert Lincoln "Al" Roker, Jr. is an American television meteorologist as well as an actor and book author. He is best known as being the weather anchor on NBC's Today. On Monday, July 20, 2009, he began co-hosting his new morning show, Wake Up with Al, on The Weather Channel, which airs weekdays...
on the cover to give to Frank.
Jerry offers to take her out for supper where after an argument with an Asian postal worker, she becomes offended at Jerry's behavior and becomes even more infuratied with Jerry after Kramer, in a taxi with the cigar store Indian screams at Jerry by mimicking native sounds. Elaine and Kramer are on the subway
Queensboro Plaza (New York City Subway)
Queensboro Plaza is an elevated New York City Subway station over Queens Plaza in Long Island City, at the east end of the Queensboro Bridge, with Queens Boulevard running east from the plaza. It stands over the south side of the roadway, but formerly spanned the whole plaza...
when Kramer stops to get a gyro
Gyro
- Science and technology :* An abbreviation for gyroscope, an orientation-stabilizing device* An abbreviation for autogyro, a type of rotary-wing aircraft* The casually used brand name of a detangler mechanism, part of a stunt-adapted BMX bicycle...
, but when his arm gets stuck in the door, a patron steals it. While on the subway, Elaine forgets the TV Guide and it is obtained by a creepy patron who cuts it up to make a flower bouquet for her. George, having had sex with his furniture store quarry, leaves a condom wrapper in his parents' bed; his parents discover not only the wrapper but also the absence of Frank's TV Guide (he is a collector) and punish him by grounding him.
Jerry tries again to make amends with Winona by going on another date, but tries avoiding words like reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
and scalper, which later backfires on him when she asks for the TV Guide and they get into an argument after she accuses Jerry of trying to refer to her as an Indian giver
Indian giver
Indian giver is an expression used mostly by European Americans to describe a person who gives a gift and later wants it back, or something equivalent in return...
. Elaine shows up at the Costanzas' house with Winona's copy of the TV Guide much to her surprise, she sees the creepy guy at the house (he obtained the Costanzas' address by reading the postal address). Elaine gives Frank the copy of the TV Guide, only to find the cover was ruined by the tzatziki
Tzatziki
Tzatziki, tzadziki, or tsatsiki is a Greek meze or appetizer, also used as a sauce for souvlaki and gyros. Tzatziki is made of strained yoghurt mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, usually olive oil, pepper, sometimes lemon juice, and parsley. Tzatziki is always served cold...
sauce from the gyros she was eating which dripped onto it. When Frank yells at Elaine about taking the TV Guide, the creepy guy comes to her defense and inadvertently knocks the refinished coffee table over. While trying to sell the cigar store Indian to a dealer of another cigar shop, 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...
meets Elaine's boss and pitches his idea for a coffee table book about coffee tables in exchange for the cigar store Indian, much to Elaine's dismay. Estelle takes the coffee table to the same furniture store George took it into, where she runs into the same woman George had sex with and reveals the truth about George. Elaine and Jerry are on the subway going to Queens
Queens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
to give Frank the same TV Guide (which they had to order) when Jerry runs to get a gyro during a brief stop, he attempts to get back on the subway in time, but gets his arm stuck in the door and has his gyro taken by none other than Al Roker
Al Roker
Albert Lincoln "Al" Roker, Jr. is an American television meteorologist as well as an actor and book author. He is best known as being the weather anchor on NBC's Today. On Monday, July 20, 2009, he began co-hosting his new morning show, Wake Up with Al, on The Weather Channel, which airs weekdays...
himself.
External links
- "The Cigar Store Indian" episode at IMDB