The Little Kicks
Encyclopedia
"The Little Kicks" is the 138th episode
of the American
television
sitcom Seinfeld
. This was the 4th episode for the 8th season. It was originally broadcast on the NBC
network on October 10, 1996.
reluctantly allows George
to attend a company party. George attempts to hit on Anna (Rebecca McFarland), one of Elaine's employees, but she doesn't seem interested. George is then horrified when he sees Elaine dancing at the party, a dance which causes her staff to lose all respect for her. Elaine mistakenly attributes this lack of respect to George's presence at the party after talking to Jerry. She advises Anna to keep away from George, which causes Anna to think of George as a "bad boy", making George desirable to her. George goes on to describe the dance as "a full body dry heave set to music".
Jerry
has gotten tickets to a sneak peek showing of Death Blow for himself and Kramer
. However, Kramer quickly invites a friend, Brody, forcing Jerry to get another ticket. In the theater, Brody starts videotaping the film to make a bootleg
version to sell on the streets. While taping, Brody becomes sick and has Kramer take him home, leaving Jerry to finish making the tape. Jerry says he won't do it, but agrees when Brody threatens him with a gun. Jerry worries about the possible consequences of the illegal act, and whether or not Brody will like his taping. However, when he sees the finished product, Brody says it's the most beautiful taping he's ever seen, and asks Jerry to do another film called Cry, Cry Again. Jerry becomes a bootlegging legend on the streets, and demands better equipment for his next film. When Brody won't agree with Jerry's demands, Jerry becomes angry and leaves.
Kramer, seeing Elaine dancing, quickly informs her that "she stinks." Jerry reluctantly confirms this, but Elaine is still not convinced. She videotapes herself over the ending of the bootleg master copy of Cry, Cry Again. Elaine apologizes to Anna and George, explaining that George really is a good person, which makes him undesirable to Anna. But after hearing Jerry has quit bootlegging, George then decides to take up the job instead, in an effort to restore his "bad boy" image, but gets arrested in the process.
When Brody comes to pick up Cry, Cry Again that Jerry was going to shoot, all they have was the bad copy Kramer did, which Elaine has recorded her dancing over. Frank comes to bail him out but instead comes into a physical confrontation with Elaine over George's incident.
Jerry and Elaine walk down the street where it's revealed that Elaine beat Frank. When Jerry and Elaine go to Elaine's apartment, everyone dances behind Elaine's back, mocking her dance that they all saw at the end of the Cry, Cry Again bootleg.
in the classic film Sunset Boulevard
.
The song that Elaine dances to at the beginning of the episode is "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind and Fire.
In the "Inside Look (The Little Kicks)", "The Chronicles (The Clip Show)" and "Not that there's anything wrong with that (Season 8)", it features Julia Louis Dreyfus and Jerry Stiller experiencing the longest outtakes or laughs ever recorded on Seinfeld.
"Death Blow" and "Cry, Cry Again" are made up movies, as with many other movies in the fictional world of Seinfeld.
In a conversation with Jerry, George incorrectly identifies his father's borrowed car as a 1968 GTO when it is a 1967.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
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 4th episode for the 8th season. It was originally broadcast on the 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...
network on October 10, 1996.
Plot
ElaineElaine 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...
reluctantly allows 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"...
to attend a company party. George attempts to hit on Anna (Rebecca McFarland), one of Elaine's employees, but she doesn't seem interested. George is then horrified when he sees Elaine dancing at the party, a dance which causes her staff to lose all respect for her. Elaine mistakenly attributes this lack of respect to George's presence at the party after talking to Jerry. She advises Anna to keep away from George, which causes Anna to think of George as a "bad boy", making George desirable to her. George goes on to describe the dance as "a full body dry heave set to music".
Jerry
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...
has gotten tickets to a sneak peek showing of Death Blow for himself and 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...
. However, Kramer quickly invites a friend, Brody, forcing Jerry to get another ticket. In the theater, Brody starts videotaping the film to make a bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
version to sell on the streets. While taping, Brody becomes sick and has Kramer take him home, leaving Jerry to finish making the tape. Jerry says he won't do it, but agrees when Brody threatens him with a gun. Jerry worries about the possible consequences of the illegal act, and whether or not Brody will like his taping. However, when he sees the finished product, Brody says it's the most beautiful taping he's ever seen, and asks Jerry to do another film called Cry, Cry Again. Jerry becomes a bootlegging legend on the streets, and demands better equipment for his next film. When Brody won't agree with Jerry's demands, Jerry becomes angry and leaves.
Kramer, seeing Elaine dancing, quickly informs her that "she stinks." Jerry reluctantly confirms this, but Elaine is still not convinced. She videotapes herself over the ending of the bootleg master copy of Cry, Cry Again. Elaine apologizes to Anna and George, explaining that George really is a good person, which makes him undesirable to Anna. But after hearing Jerry has quit bootlegging, George then decides to take up the job instead, in an effort to restore his "bad boy" image, but gets arrested in the process.
When Brody comes to pick up Cry, Cry Again that Jerry was going to shoot, all they have was the bad copy Kramer did, which Elaine has recorded her dancing over. Frank comes to bail him out but instead comes into a physical confrontation with Elaine over George's incident.
Jerry and Elaine walk down the street where it's revealed that Elaine beat Frank. When Jerry and Elaine go to Elaine's apartment, everyone dances behind Elaine's back, mocking her dance that they all saw at the end of the Cry, Cry Again bootleg.
Production
At the end of the episode, when Jerry replies (to Elaine) that he has remained big, and that it was the bootlegs that got small, he is referencing a famous line uttered by Gloria SwansonGloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
in the classic film Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard (film)
Sunset Boulevard is a 1950 American film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett...
.
The song that Elaine dances to at the beginning of the episode is "Shining Star" by Earth, Wind and Fire.
In the "Inside Look (The Little Kicks)", "The Chronicles (The Clip Show)" and "Not that there's anything wrong with that (Season 8)", it features Julia Louis Dreyfus and Jerry Stiller experiencing the longest outtakes or laughs ever recorded on Seinfeld.
"Death Blow" and "Cry, Cry Again" are made up movies, as with many other movies in the fictional world of Seinfeld.
In a conversation with Jerry, George incorrectly identifies his father's borrowed car as a 1968 GTO when it is a 1967.
Continuity
- Elaine's characteristic dance is played again in a short sequence in "The SlicerThe Slicer"The Slicer" is the 163rd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 7th episode of the 9th and final season. It first aired on November 13, 1997.-Plot:...
". - Almost the same scenario with the same song "Shining Star" in "The BookstoreThe Bookstore"The Bookstore" is the 173rd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 17th episode for the 9th and final season. It aired on April 16, 1998.-Plot:...
" except with J.Peterman doing the toast instead. - Elaine's description of George as a "short, stocky, slow witted bald man" would be used once more in "The Andrea DoriaThe Andrea Doria"The Andrea Doria" is the 144th episode of American television sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 10th episode for the 8th season. It aired on NBC on December 19, 1996.-Plot:George is excited about the new apartment he is going to move into...
" in which George himself tells his own stories to the tenant's of a new apartment that he wants to buy. - In a flashback, Elaine's early hairstyle and dress is seen most prominently "The Deal", setting up "the dance".
Relations to Other Media
- In the film ShrekShrekShrek is a 2001 American computer-animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, featuring the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow. Loosely based on William Steig's 1990 fairy tale picture book Shrek!...
(2001), one of the background characters is doing the "Little Kicks Dance" at the karaoke party. - Disney's animated feature film Home on the Range (2004) features a dance sequence of barn animals dancing to the song "Little Patch of Heaven", in which a male duck is seen dancing the "Little Kicks".
- In the videogame Guild WarsGuild WarsGuild Wars is an episodic series of online 3D fantasy role-playing games developed by ArenaNet and published by NCsoft. Although often defined as an MMORPG the developers define it as a CORPG due to significant differences from the MMORPG genre. It provides two main modes of gameplay—a cooperative...
(2005-2007), the male elementalist "/dance" emote culminates in the "Little Kicks Dance". - In the short-lived video game 1 vs. 100 (Xbox 360)1 vs. 100 (Xbox 360)1 vs. 100 was a massively multiplayer online Xbox Live adaptation of the trivia game show of the same name.-Summary:There were two versions of the game, referred to as 1 vs. 100 Live and 1 vs. 100 Extended Play...
(released in 2009), Avatars could do the "Little Kicks Dance".