The Stand In
Encyclopedia
"The Stand In" is the 80th episode of the NBC
sitcom Seinfeld
. This was the 16th episode for the 5th season. It aired on February 24, 1994.
and George
meet a friend, Al Netche, who tells them another friend, Fulton, is in a hospital, and that Jerry may want to visit him as he might need a "good laugh."
George feels bored when he has nothing to talk about with his girlfriend, Daphne, and he wants to break up.
Later, Daphne tells George that Al encouraged her to end the relationship as George doesn't commit and may end up hurting her.
George decides to postpone the break-up and sustain the relationship just for spite, to prove Al wrong.
Kramer
has got a job as a stand-in actor
, in the series All My Children
, along with his friend Mickey Abbott (Danny Woodburn
), a "little person
" who is offended by the term "midget
".
Mickey, however, is worried to keep up his role as a rapidly-growing child.
Kramer suggests Mickey use "lifts
" to increase his height.
Jerry sets up a date for Elaine
with his friend, Phil Totola.
Jerry visits Fulton in the hospital where he tells a story about a guy "Pachyderm" and the hot pizza slices he was juggling, but Fulton doesn't laugh.
Other "little" actors notice something different on Mickey as he plans to date Tammy, a little woman.
Johnny Bigiano, another small actor, sets to find out what is going on with Mickey.
Jerry feels added pressure to be funny after his first visit to the hospital coincides with a deterioration in Fulton's condition. He offers to do his act with new material.
Elaine had a good evening with Phil, including the Pachyderm story, until Phil takes out his penis.
When Johnny discovers the lifts, Mickey is ostracized by the other dwarf actors, including Tammy, and blames it all on Kramer.
At the hospital, Jerry is being so funny that Fulton cannot stop laughing, and ends up dying from it.
Back at Monk's
, George has said to Jerry that he would marry Daphne just to prove he can commit.
However, to George's relief, Daphne says that she met another person: Jerry Pursack, who George reveals is "Pachyderm" who used the pizza trick from his earlier mentioned story to woo Daphne.
The child for whom Mickey acts as stand in was actor Thomas Dekker
, who would later play the child who Kramer visits in the hospital in the Season 7 episode "The Wink
".
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 16th episode for the 5th season. It aired on February 24, 1994.
Plot
Riding on a bus 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"...
meet a friend, Al Netche, who tells them another friend, Fulton, is in a hospital, and that Jerry may want to visit him as he might need a "good laugh."
George feels bored when he has nothing to talk about with his girlfriend, Daphne, and he wants to break up.
Later, Daphne tells George that Al encouraged her to end the relationship as George doesn't commit and may end up hurting her.
George decides to postpone the break-up and sustain the relationship just for spite, to prove Al wrong.
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...
has got a job as a stand-in actor
Stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting.Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of production. Lighting setup can be a slow and tedious process; during this time the actor will often be somewhere else...
, in the series All My Children
All My Children
All My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
, along with his friend Mickey Abbott (Danny Woodburn
Danny Woodburn
Danny Woodburn is an American dwarf film, television and stage actor best known for having played Mickey Abbott on the sitcom Seinfeld...
), a "little person
Dwarfism
Dwarfism is short stature resulting from a medical condition. It is sometimes defined as an adult height of less than 4 feet 10 inches , although this definition is problematic because short stature in itself is not a disorder....
" who is offended by the term "midget
Midget
A midget is a short person with relatively average bodily proportions in comparison with other human beings. The term is often improperly used to describe a person with the medical condition dwarfism. The two terms are often used synonymously because both terms originate as words defining small...
".
Mickey, however, is worried to keep up his role as a rapidly-growing child.
Kramer suggests Mickey use "lifts
Elevator shoe
Elevator shoes are shoes that have thickened sections of the insoles under the heels to make the wearer appear taller. An elevator shoe, like the platform shoe's heel can be made from different soles like plastic, wood, or rubber...
" to increase his height.
Jerry sets up a date for 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...
with his friend, Phil Totola.
Jerry visits Fulton in the hospital where he tells a story about a guy "Pachyderm" and the hot pizza slices he was juggling, but Fulton doesn't laugh.
Other "little" actors notice something different on Mickey as he plans to date Tammy, a little woman.
Johnny Bigiano, another small actor, sets to find out what is going on with Mickey.
Jerry feels added pressure to be funny after his first visit to the hospital coincides with a deterioration in Fulton's condition. He offers to do his act with new material.
Elaine had a good evening with Phil, including the Pachyderm story, until Phil takes out his penis.
When Johnny discovers the lifts, Mickey is ostracized by the other dwarf actors, including Tammy, and blames it all on Kramer.
At the hospital, Jerry is being so funny that Fulton cannot stop laughing, and ends up dying from it.
Back at 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...
, George has said to Jerry that he would marry Daphne just to prove he can commit.
However, to George's relief, Daphne says that she met another person: Jerry Pursack, who George reveals is "Pachyderm" who used the pizza trick from his earlier mentioned story to woo Daphne.
Future Episodes
This is the first appearance of Kramer's friend Mickey Abbott, one of Kramer's eccentric circle of friends.The child for whom Mickey acts as stand in was actor Thomas Dekker
Thomas Dekker (actor)
Thomas Alexander Dekker is an American film and television actor and a musician. He is also a singer and has written and produced two albums. He is best known for his roles as John Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Nick Szalinski on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, and Zach...
, who would later play the child who Kramer visits in the hospital in the Season 7 episode "The Wink
The Wink (Seinfeld episode)
"The Wink" is the 114th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the fourth episode in the seventh season. It aired on October 12, 1995.-Plot:...
".
Superman reference
- Jerry: ...and this whole Justice League, BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
, Green LanternGreen LanternThe Green Lantern is the shared primary alias of several fictional characters, superheroes appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The first Green Lantern was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Martin Nodell in All-American Comics #16 .Each Green Lantern possesses a power ring and...
, Wonder WomanWonder WomanWonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
. You mean to tell me SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
can't cover everything? For cryin' out loud, he's Superman!