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COLUMBIA TRISTAR

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Various
Cast:
Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Michael Richards, Jason Alexander
Writing Credits:
Various

Tagline:
A show about nothing.

Synopsis:
Jerry and crew return for a sixth season of America's beloved "show about nothing," which revolutionized television comedy while becoming a part of the pop cultural consciousness of the nation. Based on the real-life experiences of Jerry Seinfeld and the show's co-creator, Larry David (Curb Your Enthusiasm), the series revolved around the mundanities and small obsessions that drive everyday existence. Jobs, affairs, food, and phobias assume a quirky hilarity through the foibles of an eccentric cast. The main players include Jerry's opinionated ex-girlfriend, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss); his neurotic bald friend, George (Jason Alexander); and his wacky next-door neighbor, Kramer (Michael Richards). The middle of this season sees the show meeting its hundred-episode mark, with a double-episode showcase of highlights. Also, Elaine tries to convert a gay man, Jerry's apartment has a flea infestation when his parents come to town, Kramer has a kidney stone and vows a healthier lifestyle, and George gets a toupee.

MPAA:
Rated NR

DVD DETAILS
Presentation:
Fullscreen 1.33:1
Audio:
English Dolby 2.0
Spanish Dolby 2.0
French Dolby 2.0
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French
Portuguese
Closed-captioned

Runtime: 552 min.
Price: $49.95
Release Date: 11/22/2005

Bonus:
Disc One
• Commentary for “The Gymnast”
• “Running With the Egg: Making a Seinfeld” Documentary
• “Inside Look” Featurettes for Four Episodes
• Deleted Scenes for Six Episodes
• “Notes About Nothing” Text Commentary for All Episodes
Disc Two
• Commentaries for “The Mom and Pop Store”, “The Secretary” and “The Switch”
• “Sein-Imation: The Big Race”
•”Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That” Bloopers
•“Inside Look” Featurettes for Five Episodes
•Deleted Scenes for Five Episodes
•“Notes About Nothing” Text Commentary for All Episodes
Disc Three
•Commentaries for “The Beard” and “The Doorman”
•“Sein-Imation: Seinfeld Noir”
•Exclusive Stand-Up Material
•“Inside Look” Featurettes for Two Episodes
•Deleted Scenes for Three Episodes
•“Notes About Nothing” Text Commentary for All Episodes
Disc Four
• Commentaries for and “The Fusilli Jerry” and “The Diplomat’s Club”
•“Sein-Imation: Kramer Vs. the Monkey”
•Jerry Seinfeld Special Introduction to “The Highlights of 100”
•“Inside Look” Featurettes for Five Episodes
•Deleted Scenes for Five Episodes
•“Notes About Nothing” Text Commentary for All Episodes


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Seinfeld: Season 6 (1995)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (January 13, 2006)

With this Season Six package, we’re officially two-thirds of the way through Seinfeld. Rather than belabor that point or any other, I’ll leap right into my discussion of this year. The plot synopses come from the DVD’s packaging. They’re short but good.

DVD ONE:

The Chaperone: “When Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) lands a date with a Miss America contestant (Marguerite MacIntyre), Kramer (Michael Richards) volunteers to chaperone. Mr. Pitt (Ian Abercrombie) hires Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) to be his personal assistant. George (Jason Alexander) encourages Yankee management to make the team jerseys from cotton.”

Season Six launches with a decent episode but not one of the more memorable ones. I like Kramer’s knowledge of Miss America strategies, and Mr. Pitt will prove to be an important character. That said, the show lacks a certain zing that would make it stronger.

The Big Salad: “George has issues when his girlfriend (Michelle Forbes) takes credit for buying Elaine a big salad. Jerry is disturbed to discover that his girlfriend (Marita Geraghty) was dumped by Newman (Wayne Knight). Kramer gets involved in a slow-speed car chase with a suspected murderer (Dean Hallo).”

Matters improve with the solid “Salad”. This one comes chock full of catchphrases and showcases the ways in which the characters sabotage themselves in relationships. (Though I’m with George: snooty Julie was wrong for acting like she bought the big salad.) Kramer’s subplot is dated and not so funny anymore, but the rest of the show works.

The Pledge Drive: “Elaine’s friend’s (Kelly Coffield) high-talking boyfriend (Brian Reddy) confuses everyone over the phone. Elaine witnesses Mr. Pitt eating a Snickers bar with a knife and fork and the trend catches on. George thinks everyone’s giving him the finger. Jerry hosts a PBS pledge drive.”

Perhaps it’s a bad sign that I just watched this episode 25 minutes ago but no particular highs or lows stand out to me. That makes me consider it a decent show but not anything better than that. It contains a mix of good elements that don’t congeal into anything special.

The Chinese Woman: “George’s phone lines get crossed with Donna Chang’s (Angela Dohrmann) and Jerry winds up dating her. Estelle Costanza (Estelle Harris) gets relationship advice from her. It turns out she’s not Chinese.”

I’d love to know if sales of Jockeys were affected by the Kramer plot here in which he’s told not to wear them anymore. The Donna Chang plot works well given its one-joke nature. Unusually, it leaves her relationship with Jerry up in the air. Normally a rift like this would cause a breakup, but we don’t see that. It’s a clever part of a good show.

The Couch: “Elaine dates a hunky moving man (David James Elliott). Kramer and Poppie (Reni Santoni) go into the make-your-own-pizza business together. George tries to rent Breakfast at Tiffany’s rather than reading it to impress his girlfriend. Poppie pees on Jerry’s new couch.”

Of all the series’ catchphrases, I must admit I’m especially fond of Poppie’s “on this subject, there can be no debate”. Actually, I don’t even know if this qualifies as a catchphrase; unlike “master of my domain” and others, it didn’t exactly sweep the nation. But it works well in many situations, and I find it amusing. This episode works well, and I particularly like how Jerry works to dismantle Elaine’s new relationship.

The Gymnast: “Jerry dates a Romanian gymnast (Elina Lowensohn). Elaine tries to tear Mr. Pitt away from the entrancing powers of a 3-D art poster. George’s girlfriend’s (Jessica Hecht) mother (Lois Nettleton) catches him eating from the trash. Kramer suffers from kidney stones at the circus.”

I once went out with a kind of nutty woman who had been a gymnast. Damn if I didn’t want to see her again to find out if she was… flexible. Things never went far enough for me to discover this, but I guess this episode teaches us I didn’t miss much. The show itself is quite good, especially when we watch George’s bizarre misfortunes.

DVD TWO:

The Mom and Pop Store: “George thinks he bought Jon Voight’s car. Kramer tries to save a ‘mom and pop’ store. Jerry crashes Dr. Tim Whatley’s (Bryan Cranston) party to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade”

How often do you find a show with a guest star who plays himself and then bites a series regular? That’s what we find when Voight encounters Kramer, and it’s a hoot. Plenty of other excellent moments show up as well, and I love Elaine’s dissection of the plan Jerry and Kramer think Mom and Pop enact. The show’s a little disjointed but strong overall. I gotta love a program with a clever Midnight Cowboy allusion at the end.

The Soup: “Kenny Bania (Steve Hytner) offers Jerry an Armani suit in exchange for a meal, but insists that soup doesn’t count.”

One of the series’ most irritating recurring guests, we get our first look at Bania here. He feels like a rehash of an earlier annoying comic, Pat Buckles from Season Four’s “The Movie”, but he manages to become his own jerk. It’s amusing to see how much he gets to Jerry, and he proves to be a worthwhile foil.

We see some other rehashing via Elaine’s British boyfriend; he echoes her brief fling with a guy who wouldn’t leave in Season Two’s “The Busboy”. Again, this one manages to stand on his own. Add to that George’s bizarre dissection of the word “manure” along with Kramer’s gluttonous girlfriend and we find a good program.

The Secretary: “Jerry spots his dry cleaner wearing his jacket. George’s unattractive secretary out-earns him. Kramer gets Uma Thurman’s phone number. Elaine discovers that Barney’s uses skinny mirrors to hook their customers.”

Ada turns into one of the funniest girlfriends seen on the show, mainly because she’s so damned efficient. This episode also makes me tempted to shout “I’m giving you a raise!” during sex. That’s the best of this show’s storylines, though Elaine’s issue also works well.

The Switch: “Jerry tries the impossible: to pull the roommate switch. George dates a bulimic. Elaine agonizes over Mr. Pitt’s busted tennis racket. Kramer’s first name is revealed and we meet his mother (Sheree North).”

Few TV moments have been quite as anticlimactic as the reveal of Kramer’s first name. All that build up and… “Cosmo”? I wish they’d just kept it a secret. Maybe anything would have come as a disappointment, but “Cosmo” remains a dud.

At least the rest of the show works fine. The “Switch” theme is awfully good, especially when Jerry confronts the concept of Orgy Guy. This leaves us with an inconsistent show.

The Race: “Superman superfan Jerry finally dates a woman named Lois (Renee Props), whose boss turns out to be his high school nemesis (Don R. McManus). Elaine dates a communist (Todd Grant Kimsey) and George hopes to as well. Kramer works as a department store Santa with Mickey (Danny Woodburn) as his elf. Jerry races Duncan Meyer once more to settle their teenage score.”

Not only does “Race” give Jerry the chance to date a Lois, but also it turns him into something of a superhero due to his alleged speed. Those parts succeed, and the whole commie thread infiltrates the show in a fun way. What could be better than Santa Kramer’s attempts to spew propaganda to tykes? His fake Swedish is also a hilarious nod to Miracle on 34th Street. The program manages to be quirky and believable all at once.

The Label Maker: “Elaine and Jerry discover that Tim Whatley ‘re-gifted’ a label maker. Kramer and Newman engage in a ferocious game of Risk. George feels threatened by his girlfriend’s (Jessica Tuck) male roommate (Cleto Augusto). Everyone’s got Super Bowl fever and Jerry’s sickened by who ultimately joins him at the game.”

Another enduring catchphrase: “regifting”. I don’t think that term existed before this episode, but now it’s in common usage. How did newspaper writers deal with the concept before 1995?

“Maker” also features one of Jerry’s most frequently quoted monologues; he discusses how sports fans root for clothes. All I know is that I’d love to own a Label Baby Jr. I don’t actually want a label maker per se, but I’d love a LBJ. Add to that another bit I love to quote – “Oh – tube socks!’ – and you have a winner.

DISC THREE:

The Scofflaw: “George learns the truth about a friend’s (Jon Lovitz) illness. Kramer helps bring in a notorious scofflaw.”

I must admit I’ve never been a huge Kramer fan, but occasionally the character stands out as particularly good. That occurs here, as Kramer gets most of the show’s best moments. I like his attempts at a new look, and his connection to the scofflaw is also funny. Toss in a great cameo from Lovitz and we find another solid show.

The Highlights of 100 (Parts 1 and 2): “An hour-long look back at highlights from the first 100 episodes.”

I hate clip shows, and I hate double-length clip shows twice as much. At least some of them – like those on The Simpsons - include some interesting new footage. Other than a brief intro from Jerry, this one provides nothing like that. It’s wall-to-wall clips, which makes it a total waste of time/

The Beard: “Elaine poses as a beard for a gay male friend (Robert Mailhouse) and then attempts to convert him to heterosexuality. George wears a toupee and turns down a woman because she’s bald. Kramer makes money by posing in police lineups. Jerry must take a lie detector test to prove he’s not a fan of Melrose Place.”

We don’t get a lot of moments between George and Elaine, but “Beard” offers one of the best. Their confrontation when she rips off his rug stands as a classic. I also like Elaine’s attempts to heterosexualize her friend Robert, and Jerry’s Melrose Place-related humiliation entertains. With George’s rejection at the hands of a bald woman, this one finishes up as a strong show.

The Kiss Hello: “Elaine’s physical therapist friend (Wendie Malick) loves to ‘kiss hello’ but Jerry despises the practice. Kramer decides to adorn the apartment lobby with resident photos to encourage tenants to know their neighbors.”

I’m with Jerry on this one. I don’t want to put my picture up in an apartment lobby and I don’t particularly want to see those of my neighbors either. If that makes me a bitter curmudgeon, then so be it.

I’m also with Jerry in his opposition to kissing hello. I’ll smooch a girlfriend, but someone else? This makes no sense. A hug, a pat, sure, but not a kiss. It doesn’t help that a lot of ugly women live in Jerry’s building – I wouldn’t want to kiss those cows either.

All these elements of irritation aside, “Hello” is a good show. I love George’s attempts to bill the therapist for her absence – makes sense to me! It’s also great how Elaine’s plan to get Kramer to slam Wendy’s hairdo backfires. Factor in George’s rants about “delicate genius” and Jerry’s atrocious lobby picture and we wind up with a fine program.

The Doorman: “Mr. Pitt’s doorman (Larry Miller) intimidates Jerry. Elaine and Jerry concoct a plan to cover themselves when a couch is stolen from the lobby. Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller) moves into George’s apartment. Kramer and Frank develop a bra for men but argue over what to name it.”

“Doorman” gets more than a little absurd, but in a humorous way. I don’t really buy the methods the titular character uses to taunt Jerry, but Miller tosses out such a great performance I can forgive those issues. At least Jerry’s attempts to avoid the doorman ring true, as I can understand his extreme efforts to stay away from a situation that makes him uncomfortable.

The show’s names for male bras turned into some of the series’ more enduring catchphrases; I’m not all that wild about them, but I think that’s mainly due to their repetition over the years. Maybe it’s also because the thought of Frank Costanza’s big knockers makes me a little nauseous. I prefer Kramer’s pretend robbery of George and the great Marathon Man reference it engenders.

DVD FOUR:

The Jimmy: “George goes into business with a basketball buddy (Anthony Starke) who refers to himself in the third person. Jerry discovers that Tim Whatley keeps Penthouse in his dentist office waiting room. Kramer comes off as mentally challenged at a charity benefit featuring Mel Torme.”

“The Jimmy” walks a fine line in its treatment of the mentally handicapped here. However, unlike a Farrelly brothers movie, it provokes laughs since it uses the Kramer-related confusion as a springboard. Jimmy himself turns out to be one of the series’ more annoying characters, but in a funny way. This isn’t a classic, but it’s a good show nonetheless.

The Doodle: “George is upset by his girlfriend’s drawing of him. Jerry’s flea-infested apartment forces his parents into Elaine’s luxury hotel suite.”

This episode presents an interesting question. Would you rather have a woman think you’re good-looking but unlikable, or would you rather she want to be with you but not find you attractive? I might be with George on this one; as shown by the thoroughly detestable Tony back in Season Five, you can be a total jerk but still score with the babes.

Philosophical issues aside, “Doodle” offers a mediocre episode. Of course, mediocre for Seinfeld is still pretty darned good. The show presents little that seems particularly memorable other than the discrepancy between the woman dated by George and Jerry. Usually Jerry gets the hotter of the pair, but George lands the true babe here; Jerry’s girlfriend isn’t all that attractive.

The Fusilli Jerry: “Elaine’s new boyfriend Puddy (Patrick Warburton) uses one of Jerry’s sexual moves. Kramer mistakenly receives vanity license plates that read ‘Assman’.”

Here comes our first glimpse of Puddy! Warburton owes his career to this role, as he’s played somewhat similar characters ever since – and done quite well for himself. I like his take on the moderately dense Puddy; he’s a good-looking guy without much intellect, but he’s got a certain something that allows us to understand his appeal to Elaine.

Stretch of reality: I don’t think there’s any way a state would issue plates that read “Assman”. It’s a funny concept, though, and it leads to some fun material. The title statuette is also quite good; it seems like a throwaway reason to title the show, but it’s so amusing that I can’t complain.

The Diplomat’s Club: “Jerry’s plans to meet a gorgeous model (Berta Waagfjord) for an airport rendezvous are derailed. Kramer bets on flight arrivals with a rich Texan (O’Neal Compton). George attempts to prove to his boss (Tom Wright) that he’s not racist. Elaine plans on quitting her job with Mr. Pitt – until she realizes that she’s in his will.”

Acting-wise, Jerry was always the series’ weakest link. However, he occasionally got his time to shine, and his freaking out here stood as one of those occasions. It helped that Debra Jo Rupp set up his emotional outbursts with the way she babied him. Kramer’s funny gambling subplot contributes to this one’s success as well.

The Face Painter: “Puddy prepares for a hockey game by painting his face like a devil. George tells his girlfriend (Katy Selverstone) that he loves her. Kramer gets into a fight with a monkey at the zoo.”

Happily, I’ve never experienced the “I love you” Matzoh ball suffered by George. I’ve Matzohed a girlfriend – what was she thinking? – but haven’t been Matzohed myself. Let’s hope I keep that streak intact in the future.

Personal connections aside, “Painter” is a strong show. Puddy’s face-painting antics get over the top, but Warburton makes them work. I like the thread with Kramer vs. the monkey; if there’s any character who’s on that level, he’s the one, and this plot is quite funny. It’s a very good program.

The Understudy: “Jerry and George are accused of injuring Bette Midler during a softball game so that Jerry’s girlfriend – her understudy – can take the stage in their Broadway show. Elaine convinces Frank Costanza to translate her manicurist’s (Bok Yun Chon) suspicious conversations. Depressed, Elaine meets J. Peterman (John O’Hurley) on the street and lands herself a new job.”

“Understudy” features another concept to which I can relate: the weepy girlfriend. I’ve not dated anyone quite as absurd as Gennice, but some have come close, so I understand Jerry’s experience. That truthfulness makes “Understudy” funnier, and Midler adds a great guest turn as herself. She’s got a mean streak that translates well into the character, especially when she butts heads with George. Add in “Macaroni Midler”, the introduction of J. Peterman and “Understudy” concludes Season Six on a very positive note despite its dated allusions to the Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan affair.


The DVD Grades: Picture B-/ Audio C+/ Bonus A-

Seinfeld appears in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 on these single-sided, double-layered DVDs; due to those dimensions, the image has not been enhanced for 16X9 televisions. Maybe the final three seasons of Seinfeld will offer altered visuals, but Season Six looked a lot like Seasons One through Five.

Sharpness remained fine for the most part. At times, the shows could be a little indistinct, mostly in wider shots. However, the episodes usually provided good definition, largely because they focused so strongly on close-ups. Minor examples of shimmer and jagged edges occurred, and I noticed a little light edge enhancement. Source flaws remained a small distraction. The shows displayed moderate grain, and I noticed occasional examples of specks and marks.

Colors didn’t soar, but they were consistently pretty good. Despite occasional instances of runny tones, the hues usually appeared lively and concise. Blacks seemed tight and dense, but shadows could be a little iffy. Low-light shots appeared somewhat dense, though they weren’t a real problem. I couldn’t complain much about the visuals of Seinfeld, but I didn’t find a whole lot to praise either.

I didn’t expect the Dolby Surround 2.0 soundtrack of Seinfeld’s Season Six to expand on what I heard in prior years, and I found audio that seemed virtually identical to those sets. The center channel remained the focus. Most elements were concentrated there, though music broadened to the sides and surrounds in a minor fashion. Effects occasionally opened up matters a little, especially in crowd scenes, but they stayed extremely subdued and usually appeared monaural. This was a restricted soundfield.

No real changes occurred in terms of sound quality. Speech was always intelligible and usually fairly natural, though some edginess occurred. Music was bass-heavy due to the nature of the score, and those elements were reasonably clear and distinctive. Effects could be a bit flat, but they seemed acceptably concise and accurate. As always, nothing stood out here, but the audio was perfectly fine for these shows.

The package’s supplements fall into the “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” category, as they strongly echo materials on prior sets. We find Notes About Nothing on all the programs. These text commentaries fill us with all sorts of Seinfeld-related information. They cover biographical and career notes about cast and crew plus specific details about the episodes such as shooting and rehearsal dates, air dates, ratings and reviews. We find scads of details about changes from the original scripts, deleted scenes, and other variations. The tracks go over series development and issues connected to characters and situations. Also, we get cute “counters”; these keep track of Kramer’s entrances, Jerry’s, Kramer’s and George’s girlfriends, Elaine’s boyfriends, and Jerry’s declaration of “Hello, Newman”.

I’ve loved the prior “Notes” and I’ve found no reason to change my tune with Season Six. The text commentaries tell us a ton about the shows. They give us good production details and flesh out the shows very well. I think they’re the best parts of these DVDs.

Unfortunately, the nine running, screen-specific audio commentaries continue to be erratic, though they’re a little better than usual. Here we hear from Jerry Seinfeld, writers Alec Berg and Jeff Schaffer, and director Andy Ackerman for “The Gymnast”, while we get Seinfeld and Ackerman alone for “The Race”. Berg and Shaffer sit for “The Label Maker”, and we find writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross with “The Mom and Pop Store”, “The Doorman” and “The Diplomat’s Club”. Finally, actors Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jason Alexander chat during “The Beard” and “The Fusilli Jerry”.

Unlike prior sets, Seinfeld actually has something to say here. The commentary with Berg, Schaffer and Ackerman covers topics like the series’ idea board, pitching concepts, and influences for “Gymnast”. It proves to be pretty informative. Unfortunately, when we get just Seinfeld and Ackerman for “The Race”, the track declines. They go over some basics about the episode, but this is mostly a bland, uninformative piece.

When we get Berg and Schaffer for “The Label Maker”, they do okay for themselves. They get into various production notes and the origins of the story. It’s not a great commentary, but it adds decent details. Gammill and Pross work pretty well in their three commentaries. They fill in story-related basics as well as shooting elements to provide reasonably informative material.

The actors’ commentary loses Michael Richards from prior seasons; I guess he had conflicts since he always sat with Louis-Dreyfus and Alexander in the past. Those commentaries weren’t good, and Richards’ absence doesn’t improve matter. We get some interesting information about series rules related to facial hair and weight, but otherwise these are boring chats. Again, the commentaries for Season Six are a little better than those for the first five years, but they still seem disappointing.

We get Inside Look featurettes for 16 of the episodes. They come for “The Chaperone” (4:34), “The Big Salad” (3:58), “The Pledge Drive” (2:02), “The Couch” (2:57), “The Mom and Pop Store” (1:57), “The Soup” (1:29), “The Switch” (1:36), “The Race” (5:20), “The Label Maker” (2:12), “The Kiss Hello” (1:12), “The Doorman” (4:35), “The Jimmy” (3:13), “The Fusilli Jerry” (4:37), “The Diplomat’s Club” (2:32), “The Face Painter” (2:19), and “The Understudy” (10:27). We find notes from Ackerman, Louis-Dreyfus, Seinfeld, Alexander, Pross, Gammill, Schaffer, Berg, actors Michael Richards, Ian Abercrombie, Bryan Cranston, Heidi Swedberg, Lee Bear, Steve Hytner, Wayne Knight, Patrick Warburton, Jerry Stiller, John O’Hurley and Reni Santoni, executive producer Larry David, production designer Tom Azzari, producers Suzy Greenberg and Tim Kaiser, casting director Marc Hirschfeld, writers Andy Robin, Carol Leifer, Peter Mehlman and Fred Stoller, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and costume designer Charmaine Simmons.

Like the “Notes About Nothing”, the “Inside Looks” take on a mix of basic topics. We hear about inspirations for various lines, characters and sequences, development of some stories, character topics, casting guest actors, and general notes. In regard to more specific subjects, we learn about how Ackerman adapted to the series and the addition of the Mr. Pitt character, the new New York street set, revealing Kramer’s first name, caricaturing Steinbrenner, and Bette Midler’s guest spot.

If you saw prior “Inside Looks”, you’ll know what to expect here. They delve into a mix of useful issues in concise, entertaining ways. Inevitably, some of the details repeat from elsewhere, but there’s still a lot of good information in these solid featurettes.

We discover deleted scenes for 19 episodes: “The Chaperone” (one scene, 0:54), “The Big Salad” (one scene, 0:37), “The Pledge Drive” (three scenes, 1:53), “The Chinese Woman” (two scenes, 1:51), “The Couch” (three scenes, 3:24), “The Gymnast” (scenes, 1:47), “The Mom and Pop Store” (one scene, 1:49), “The Soup” (three scenes, 3:11), “The Switch” (two scenes, 2:03), “The Race” (four scenes, 2:28), “The Label Maker” (one scene, 0:56), “The Scofflaw” (one scene, 0:49), “The Beard” (one scene, 0:39), “The Doorman” (two scenes, 1:45), “The Jimmy” (two scenes, 1:35), “The Doodle” (one scene, 1:09), “The Diplomat’s Club” (one scene, 0:54), “The Face Painter” (two scenes, 1:08) and “The Understudy” (four scenes, 2:47).

Most of the snippets offer minor additions to existing sequences. A few minor unique segments appear, such as a thread about whether or not Tim Whatley’s hygienist worked as a nude model. We also see what was intended to be a cameo from Sugar Ray Leonard with George at the Yankees will call window and an alternate ending to “The Face Painter”. As with prior packages, we don’t find any real hidden treasure, but we get a lot of reasonably entertaining material.

A new running feature crops up on DVDs Two, Three and Four with Sein-Imation. This offers very crude animated renditions of some Seinfeld scenes. We get clips for “The Big Race” (2:11), “The Doorman” (1:20), and “The Face Painter” (1:21).

“Sein-Imation” expands on the filmed sequences to show material not seen in the shows. For instance, we get flashbacks to young Jerry and George in the bit for “The Big Race”. They use the programs’ dialogue but depict different visuals. They’re odd but surprisingly fun.

DVD One includes a documentary called Running With the Egg: Making a Seinfeld. This 33-minute and 23-second show features notes from Seinfeld, Alexander, Louis-Dreyfus, Richards, David, Leifer, Shaffer, Berg, Gammill, Pross, Stoller, Azzari, Hirschfeld, Cranston, Warburton, O’Hurley, Knight, Ackerman, Abercrombie, Kaiser, Swedberg, Mehlman, Greenberg, executive producer George Shapiro, writers Spike Feresten, Bruce Kirschbaum, David Mandel and Tom Leopold, writers’ assistant Karen Wilkie Newman, director Tom Cherones, Castle Rock executive Glenn Padnick, NBC chairman and CEO Robert Wright, editor Skip Collector, and actors Estelle Harris, Larry Thomas, Danny Woodburn, Liz Sheridan, Barney Martin, and Keith Hernandez.

“Egg” traces the evolution of an episode. It follows how programs start with ideas and then progress through the pitch process, writing scripts, the shooting schedule and sets, casting supporting actors and the table read. From there it goes through rehearsal, acting choices and how the performers mesh, changes made to the original screenplay, censor debates. It ends with actually filming the episodes and connected challenges, the ritual aftershow social, editing, and the exhausting nature of the production.

Other elements like the featurettes and the text commentaries touch on elements seen in “Egg”. However, this program delivers a more linear, concise look at the process of making an episode. It takes us through all the steps with reasonable detail and lets us see nice footage. We find many good glimpses of the behind the scenes aspects, and those help flesh out the concepts. “Egg” creates a fine examination of what it took to film the series.

We locate some bloopers on DVD Two. This 22-minute and 23-second reel mostly includes the usual goofs and giggles. A few funny outtakes pop up but mostly this is the same old stuff.

DVD Three also gives us Master of His Domain. This six-minute and 18-second clip includes “exclusive stand-up material”. As one might expect, this consists of unused comedy routine snippets. Not all of the bits work, but I’m happy to get the chance to see them.

Still on DVD Three, “The Highlights of 100” comes with an Additional Introduction By Jerry Seinfeld. In syndication, this episode ran over two nights, and this 32-second clip was designed to lead into the show’s second part. That makes it a neat bit to see.

Arguably the most consistent long-running series of all-time, Seinfeld showed no signs of slipping during Season Six. This year featured plenty of excellent programs and rarely faltered. The DVDs present decent picture and audio that resemble what we’ve experienced with prior packages. Although the commentaries remain disappointing, the other extras continue to give us lots of great information. Season Six of Seinfeld earns yet another firm recommendation.

Viewer Film Ratings: 4.9 Stars Number of Votes: 10
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