"The Stand In"

Seinfeld episode

Episode no.

Season 5
Episode 16

Directed by

Tom Cherones

Written by

Larry David

Production code

516

Original air date

February 24, 1994

Guest appearances

Danny Woodburn as Mickey
Mark Tymchyshyn as Phil
Karla Tamburrelli as Daphne
Debbie Lee Carrington as Tammy
W. Earl Brown as Al
Michael Rivkin as Fulton
Joe Gieb as Johnny
Layne Beamer as Father
Thomas Dekker as Son
Jerome Betler as Director

Episode chronology

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"The Pie"

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Seinfeld (season 5)

List of episodes

"The Stand In" is the 80th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 16th episode of the fifth season.^[1] It aired on February 24, 1994.^[1] In this episode, Jerry struggles to get a hospitalized friend to laugh, George persists in dating a woman he doesn't like to avoid being perceived as unable to commit, and Kramer encourages his friend Mickey Abbott to wear lifts in order to keep his job as a stand-in.

Plot

Riding on a bus, Jerry and George meet a friend, Al Netche, who tells them another friend, Fulton, is in the hospital, and has asked Jerry to visit him as he "needs a good laugh." Jerry visits Fulton and tells a story about a guy named "Pachyderm" juggling hot pizza slices, but Fulton never laughs.

George has nothing to talk about with his girlfriend, Daphne, and wants to break up. Daphne tells George that Al advised her to end the relationship as George does not commit and will end up hurting her. George postpones the breakup in order to prove Al wrong.

Kramer has a job as a stand-in in the series All My Children, along with his friend Mickey Abbott, a little person. Mickey is worried about keeping his job as the child actor he stands in for is going through a growth spurt. Kramer suggests Mickey use lifts to increase his height. Mickey reluctantly agrees.

Jerry sets up a date for Elaine with his friend, Phil Totola. The date is ruined when Phil abruptly flashes his genitals. When he bumps into Phil at the hospital, Jerry drops hints that such exposure is offensive, but they seemingly go over Phil's head.

Mickey plans to date Tammy, a little woman. Johnny Bigiano, another little person stand-in who envies Mickey, breaks into Mickey's locker and finds the lifts. Mickey is ostracized by the other little people. As Tammy leaves with Johnny, Mickey angrily attacks Kramer.

Jerry feels added pressure to be funny after his visit to the hospital coincides with a deterioration in Fulton's condition. He offers to do his act with new material, saying "it killed" when he tested it. Jerry is so funny that Fulton dies from laughter. To George's relief, Daphne says that she met another person: Jerry Persach, nicknamed "Pachyderm.”

Production

Larry David got the idea for the Mickey Abbott plot when he noticed how many little people worked as stand-ins for child actors (little people are preferred over children as stand-ins because children cannot legally work as many hours a day as adults).^[2] Michael Richards recalled being immediately excited by his work with Danny Woodburn, the actor who plays Mickey, due to the chemistry between their two characters.^[2] In the scene where Mickey attacks a seated Kramer, Richards wore a back brace and padding so that he could take a full fall without injury.^[2] The scene where Mickey corrects George over him using the word "midget" instead of "little people" was added by Woodburn who insisted that a moment like that be added. He further believes that his toughened reaction is what earned him the chance to reappear in the series.^[3]

A man exposing his penis on a date was drawn from a real date staff writer Carol Leifer had.^[2]

Reception

David Sims of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B grade saying: "[The episode] is not a great episode, especially considering Larry David wrote it, but it's got some very impressive touches, and Phil Totola's dick move (pardon the pun) is one of them."^[4]

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