"The Butter Shave"

Seinfeld episode

Episode no.

Season 9
Episode 1

Directed by

Andy Ackerman

Written by

Alec Berg & Jeff Schaffer & David Mandel

Production code

901

Original air date

September 25, 1997

Guest appearances

Wayne Knight as Newman
Steve Hytner as Kenny Bania
Patrick Warburton as David Puddy
Connie Sawyer as Old Woman
Chris Parnell as NBC Executive
Matthew Fonda as NBC Executive
Kristin Davis as Jenna
Gordon Jump as Thomassoulo
Everett Greenbaum as McMaines
Frank Van Keeken as Vegetable Lasagna / Magnus
Shannon Whirry as Cute Girl
Nancy Balbirer as Woman
Erica Y. Becoat as Stewardess
Torsten Voges as Cab Driver
George Georgiadis as Cab Driver
Brian Callaway as Passenger

Episode chronology

← Previous
"The Summer of George"

Next →
"The Voice"

Seinfeld (season 9)

List of episodes

"The Butter Shave" is the 157th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It is also the first episode of the ninth and final season.^[1] It aired on September 25, 1997.^[2] In this episode, George gets a new job and preferential treatment due to his co-workers mistakenly thinking he has a physical disability, Kramer rubs butter all over his body and accidentally burns it into his skin, and Elaine and David Puddy break up at the tail end of a European vacation, forcing them to endure an uncomfortable transatlantic flight together.

Plot

Over the summer George, Jerry, and Kramer grew mustaches; they admit it was a bad idea, and shave them off. Not fully recovered from "The Summer of George", George is using a cane to get around. He gets a job with a playground equipment company, Play Now, because they think he is disabled due to his use of the cane and are afraid of appearing prejudiced. George takes full advantage after they offer him his own disabled bathroom.

Jerry has another shot at an NBC pilot through an appearance on an NBC Showcase. He is annoyed that hack comic Kenny Bania's act is flourishing, attributing it to the fact that Bania's act always follows his, which warms up the audience. Bania also starts dating one of Jerry's ex-girlfriends.

While returning from a month-long vacation in Europe, on the long flight Elaine and David Puddy break up, get back together, and break up again. The man seated next to Elaine, Magnus, is exhausted by Elaine and Puddy's arguments. When they land in New York, there is a taxi cab shortage, so Elaine is forced to share a cab with Puddy and Magnus.

Kramer finds butter is better than shaving cream. His skin feels so good after shaving with butter, he takes to spreading it all over his body. He falls asleep as he lies out in the sun, and the butter burns into his skin. Newman finds the smell of a buttered Kramer appetizing. While trying a butter shave for himself, George slips on spilled butter and sprains his good leg. He begins favoring the other leg. Thinking he is losing the use of both legs, Play Now buys him a mobility scooter. While riding it, George bumps an old man's scooter. A mob of elderly people chase George's cart with their own. With his scooter battery dying, George picks up his scooter and runs. His boss sees him. Now concerned about what will happen to his job, George is caught by the scooter owner, who hits George with his cane.

Informed that Bania is going to follow him on the NBC showcase, Jerry sabotages his own act so that Kenny's act will also bomb. Newman meets Kramer backstage. After Kramer has oregano and Parmesan cheese spilled on him, Newman attempts to eat him. The two run onto the stage. Thinking this is part of Bania's act, impressed NBC executives offer Bania a pilot on NBC.

Production

Elaine's European vacation was written into the episode because actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus was on maternity leave and would not be back in time to shoot scenes with the rest of the regular cast.^[3] Over the summer break, multiple Seinfeld staff members had broken up with their long-term lovers during overseas vacations, inspiring the direction for the Elaine story.^[4]

The exterior shots were filmed on August 25, 1997. The majority of the episode's scenes were then filmed live before a studio audience on August 27.^[3] The scenes with Elaine were filmed on September 6.^[3]

The rooftop scene where Kramer is discovered to have butter burned into him was filmed atop the CBS Studio Center commissary building, with a cityscape background added in post-production.^[3] The shot of Kramer as a cooked turkey was accomplished by shooting actor Michael Richards lying on a table, then using a blue screen to superimpose a real turkey, with a string tied around its wing and then pulled to make it "wave".^[5]

The episode is dedicated to the memory of Brandon Tartikoff, NBC's President of Entertainment from 1981 to 1991, who died on August 27, 1997 (the same day the live audience portions of the episode were filmed) at the age of 48 after lifelong complications from Hodgkin's lymphoma. Tartikoff championed Seinfeld in the rocky early days of its run.^[3]

References

External links

Seinfeld episodes

Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend"† "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip"† "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"†
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats"† "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100"† "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac"† "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit"† "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode