The Soup Nazi

Last updated
"The Soup Nazi"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 6
Directed by Andy Ackerman
Written by Spike Feresten
Production code706
Original air dateNovember 2, 1995 (1995-11-02)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"The Hot Tub"		Next →
"The Secret Code"
Seinfeld season 7
List of episodes

"The Soup Nazi" is the 116th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld , which was the sixth episode of the seventh season. [1] It first aired in the United States on November 2, 1995. [1]

Contents

The Soup Nazi is also the nickname of the eponymous character, Yev Kassem, played by Larry Thomas. The term "Nazi" is used as an exaggeration of the strict regimentation he demands of his patrons (cf. grammar Nazi ). Elaine in particular comes into conflict with Kassem, while Jerry and George spar with each other over Jerry's affectionate behavior with his girlfriend.

Plot

Jerry, George and Elaine visit a new soup stand. Jerry explains that the owner, Yev Kassem, is known as the "Soup Nazi" due to his insistence on a strict manner of behavior while placing an order, but his soups are so outstandingly delicious that the stand is constantly busy. En route, Elaine notices a man on the sidewalk with an armoire for sale. She forgoes the soup in favor of buying it. However, her building superintendent informs her that furniture move-ins are not allowed on Sundays, so she asks Kramer to watch the armoire and promises to get soup from Kassem for him in return. While she is away, Bob and Cedric bully Kramer and steal the armoire.

At the soup stand, George complains about not receiving bread with his meal. When he presses the issue after being expected to pay for it, George's order is taken away ("No soup for you!"), and his money returned. On a subsequent visit, George buys soup, but Elaine, having scoffed at Jerry's advice on how to order, draws Kassem's ire and is banned for a year.

Jerry and his girlfriend Sheila visit the soup stand. Kassem is repulsed by their kissing, so Jerry disavows Sheila to stay on Kassem's good side. Jerry talks about the breakup with George, who expresses disgust at Jerry and Sheila's baby talk and public displays of affection. Undeterred, Jerry makes up with Sheila at Monk's. George tries to teach him a lesson by behaving similarly with Susan, but this only leads to escalating affection between the couples as Jerry and George struggle to out-disgust each other. Susan is charmed by George's public show of affection and continues to mirror this behavior. Sensing George's discomfort at this, Jerry gloats by informing him that he and Sheila have broken up again.

Kramer, who has befriended Kassem, tells him about the armoire theft. Kassem offers him an armoire he has in storage as a replacement. Elaine is elated and goes to Kassem to thank him. When Kassem learns the armoire was for Elaine, he says he would rather have destroyed it than give it to her. Vowing revenge, Elaine returns to her apartment with Jerry, where they discover Kassem's soup recipes in the armoire. Elaine returns to the soup stand and confronts Kassem with the recipes, stating her intent to publicize them.

Jerry encounters Newman, who is running to get a pot from his apartment. Newman tells him that because of what Elaine said to Kassem, he is giving away whatever soup he has left, closing down his stand, and moving to Argentina. Jerry runs towards the soup stand.

Production

"The Soup Nazi" was Spike Feresten's first credited Seinfeld episode as a writer. The idea for the episode arose when Feresten told Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David about New York soup vendor Al Yeganeh, who was nicknamed "The Soup Nazi". Seinfeld and David laughed and said, "That's a show. Do that as your first show". Feresten's inspiration for the armoire subplot was a New York apartment building where he had lived, which forbade moving furniture on certain days. The armoire thieves were written as homosexual because Larry David decided that "Only gay guys would steal an armoire". [2] At the time Feresten wrote the episode, both he and Seinfeld were dating women who would use affectionate baby talk with them, which led to the Jerry/Sheila story. [3]

The first cast table reading for "The Soup Nazi" was held on September 28, 1995, and it was filmed before a studio audience on October 3. [4] In the episode, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) references Scent of a Woman . Louis-Dreyfus had never seen the film, but Seinfeld suggested she do an impersonation of Al Pacino's character and showed her how. [5]

The character

Actor Larry Thomas polished his portrayal of the Soup Nazi by studying Omar Sharif's accent in Lawrence of Arabia, and received an Emmy Award nomination for his performance. 10.1.10LarryThomasByLuigiNovi.jpg
Actor Larry Thomas polished his portrayal of the Soup Nazi by studying Omar Sharif's accent in Lawrence of Arabia , and received an Emmy Award nomination for his performance.

The Soup Nazi was portrayed by Larry Thomas. Thomas, who did not realize that the character was based on a real person, received the inspiration for his portrayal from watching Lawrence of Arabia and studying Omar Sharif's accent. [6] [7] [8]

The Soup Nazi has a cameo in the Seinfeld series finale, in which his true name is revealed. He is a witness in the case against Seinfeld, Elaine, George and Kramer. He tells Hoyt about how he banned Elaine from his shop, only for her to return and ruin his business, forcing him to move to Argentina (paralleling the Ratlines used by the real Nazis). Elaine angers him by smugly claiming, "His soup wasn't all that good anyway."

Inspiration

The restaurant Soup Kitchen International was the inspiration for this episode of Seinfeld. The restaurant closed in 2004, but has since reopened. Soup-kitchen1.jpg
The restaurant Soup Kitchen International was the inspiration for this episode of Seinfeld. The restaurant closed in 2004, but has since reopened.

The character was inspired by Ali "Al" Yeganeh (Persian : علی یگانه), an Iranian American soup vendor who ran Soup Kitchen International in New York City, eventually turning it into the chain The Original Soup Man. [9] Yeganeh was offended by the portrayal. [10]

According to writer Spike Feresten, Jerry Seinfeld and several members of the production team went to Soup Kitchen International for lunch weeks after "The Soup Nazi" aired. Upon recognizing Seinfeld, Yeganeh "did a triple take" and went into a profanity-filled rant about how the show had "ruined" his business, demanding an apology. Seinfeld allegedly gave what Feresten describes as "the most sarcastic apology I've ever seen anyone give." [11] Feresten has also said that some of the episode's encounters in the soup line, such as Elaine slapping her hands on the counter and telling the Soup Nazi he looks like Al Pacino, were based on scenes he witnessed at Yeganeh's real-life soup outlet. [3]

According to Nora Ephron's DVD commentary, the first pop culture reference to Yeganeh (though not by name) seems to have come years before the Seinfeld episode, in the 1993 movie Sleepless in Seattle . In the film, a character playing a writer [13] pitches a story for the lifestyle section of The Baltimore Sun to their editor: "This man sells the greatest soup you have ever eaten, and he is the meanest man in America. I feel very strongly about this, Becky; it's not just about the soup." [12]

Legacy

Thomas's portrayal of the Soup Nazi earned him a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 1996. [14]

Advertising

An Eat'n Park sign featuring the Soup Nazi's catchphrase as a joke in 2016. EatNParkSoupNazi.jpg
An Eat'n Park sign featuring the Soup Nazi's catchphrase as a joke in 2016.

Like Jackie Chiles, the Soup Nazi character (played by Thomas) has appeared in commercials after the end of the series.

In-person promotions

Other

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine Benes</span> Major character on the TV show Seinfeld

Elaine Marie Benes is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Seinfeld, played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Elaine's best friend in the sitcom is her ex-boyfriend Jerry Seinfeld, and she is also good friends with George Costanza and Cosmo Kramer. Louis-Dreyfus received critical acclaim for her performance as Elaine, winning an Emmy, a Golden Globe and five SAG Awards. She reprised the role during season 41 of Saturday Night Live in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cosmo Kramer</span> Fictional character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld

Cosmo Kramer, usually referred to simply by his surname, is a fictional character in the American television sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998) played by Michael Richards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Original Soupman</span> Chain of soup restaurants

The Original Soupman was a chain of soup restaurants originally run by Iranian-American soup vendor Ali "Al" Yeganeh, modeled after Yeganeh's original restaurant Soup Kitchen International, which was a well-known soup restaurant at 259-A West 55th Street, in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The restaurant was known for its strict rules amongst its customers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Thomas (actor)</span> American actor)

Laurence Tomashoff, known professionally as Larry Thomas, is an American actor, best known for his guest role as Yev Kassem/the Soup Nazi on Seinfeld, for which he was nominated for an Emmy Award. In addition to making personal appearances as the Soup Nazi, Thomas has appeared in a number of films, TV shows, and commercials, and appears at autograph-signing shows across the country.

"The Robbery" is the third episode of the first season of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld.

"The Statue" is the sixth episode of the second season of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and the show's 11th episode overall. In the episode, protagonist Jerry Seinfeld inherits some of his grandfather's old possessions. One of these is a statue, resembling one that his friend George Costanza broke when he was ten years old. When Jerry sees the statue in the house of Ray, the man who cleaned his apartment, he believes Ray stole the statue. Jerry struggles to get back at Ray, as his friend Elaine Benes is editing a book written by Ray's girlfriend.

"The Revenge" is the seventh episode of the second season of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and the show's 12th episode overall. The story revolves around George Costanza's plot to exact revenge on his boss, with his friend Elaine Benes' help, after he quits his job at Rick Barr Properties and is refused re-employment. Meanwhile, Jerry and his neighbor Kramer get even with a laundromat owner—who they believe has stolen money from Jerry—by pouring cement into one of his washing machines.

"The Baby Shower" is the tenth episode of the second season of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and the show's 15th episode overall. In the episode, Elaine Benes throws a baby shower for her friend Leslie at Jerry's apartment, while he is out of town. Jerry's friend George Costanza once had a terrible date with Leslie and confronts her at the shower. Meanwhile, Jerry is convinced by his neighbour Kramer to install illegal cable television.

"The Little Kicks" is the 138th episode of the American television sitcom Seinfeld. This was the fourth episode for the eighth season, originally broadcast on the NBC network on October 10, 1996. In this episode, Jerry inadvertently becomes a renowned maker of bootleg films when he takes Kramer to a sneak preview of an unreleased film. The episode is best known for its scenes exhibiting Elaine's bad dancing.

"The Package" is the 139th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the fifth episode for the eighth season, originally airing on October 17, 1996.

"The Muffin Tops" is the 155th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 21st episode of the eighth season. It aired on May 8, 1997, on NBC. In this episode, George dates a woman while pretending to be a tourist from Arkansas, Kramer starts running a "Peterman Reality Tour" after finding out he is the basis for most of the stories in J. Peterman's autobiography, and Elaine and Mr. Lippman run a business selling only the tops of muffins.

"The Voice" is the 158th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the second episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on October 2, 1997. The episode's title refers to a joke Jerry and his friends share about his girlfriend's stomach having a voice, which ends up coming between Jerry and his girlfriend. Meanwhile, a chance encounter with David Puddy leads to Elaine renewing their relationship, George sticks with a job where his co-workers all hate him because he has a one-year contract with the company, and Kramer hires an intern and works with him on creating an oil bladder system.

"The Junk Mail" is the 161st episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It was the fifth episode of the ninth and final season. The episode aired on October 30, 1997. In this episode, Jerry is gifted a van by a childhood friend and cannot turn it down for fear of hurting his feelings, Elaine mistakenly thinks she has fallen in love when the sight of a man triggers memories of an old commercial he appeared in, and Kramer, tired of getting swamped with junk mail, tries to stop all delivery of his mail, only to uncover a conspiracy by the United States Postal Service to keep the public from realizing that mail is pointless. Produced when e-mail was becoming a mainstream form of communication, the episode reflected the popular prediction of the time that postal service would soon become obsolete.

"The Doorman" is the 104th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the 18th episode for the sixth season. It aired on February 23, 1995. In this episode, Jerry and Elaine contend with a creepy doorman, George fears he is developing male breasts, and Kramer and Frank Costanza try to go into business with a bra for men.

"The Diplomat's Club" is the 108th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the 22nd episode for the sixth season. It aired on May 4, 1995. The episode was the final appearance of Mr. Pitt as a recurring character, as he comes to suspect Elaine of plotting to kill him in order to receive the benefits from his will. In the episode's other plotlines, Jerry takes an ill-fated trip to Ithaca with an overly pampering assistant, Kramer returns to his gambling habit by betting on flight arrivals, and George tries to prove he is not racist by getting a black friend.

"The Secret Code" is the 117th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the seventh episode of the seventh season. It aired on November 9, 1995. In this episode, George is unwilling to share his ATM code with his fiancée Susan, and finds himself entrapped in awkward social situations after he loses his talent for lying. Meanwhile, Elaine finds herself infatuated with a man because he cannot recall their first meeting, Jerry's plans to appear in a television commercial are repeatedly frustrated by his foot falling asleep, and Kramer tries to help out the local fire department.

"The Wig Master" is the 129th episode of the NBC situation comedy Seinfeld. This is the 19th episode for the seventh season, originally airing on April 4, 1996. The episode follows the mishaps which befall George and Kramer as a result of their parking at a discount parking lot, while Jerry feels emasculated by Elaine's new boyfriend, who holds out the promise of a discount on a designer dress in order to keep her going out with him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monk's Café</span> Fictional coffee shop in Seinfeld

Monk's Café is a fictional coffee shop from the NBC sitcom Seinfeld.

"The Reverse Peephole" is the 12th episode of the ninth season(the 168th overall) of the television comedy series Seinfeld. It was written by Spike Feresten and directed by Andy Ackerman. In this episode, Jerry gets rid of his wallet and ultimately replaces it with a European carry-all, Kramer and Newman face possible eviction after they reverse the peepholes on their doors and Newman begins an affair with the super's wife, and Elaine has to recover a friend's fur coat which she mistakenly threw out a window.

References

  1. 1 2 "Seinfeld Season 7 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Seinfeld – Season 7" DVD bonus material, in which, during the episode's "Inside Look" featurette, Feresten recounts this story.
  3. 1 2 Feresten, Spike; Ackerman, Andy; Seinfeld, Jerry (2006). Seinfeld Season 7: Audio Commentary – 'The Soup Nazi' (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
  4. ↑ "Seinfeld – Season 7" DVD bonus material, "Notes About Nothing" subtitles
  5. ↑ "Seinfeld – Season 7" DVD bonus material, in which during the episode's "Inside Look" featurette, Louis-Dreyfus recounts this story.
  6. ↑ Schwartz, Lance (May 30, 2012). "Lance's Journal: The Soup Nazi Visits Lincoln, May 30" Archived 2016-01-16 at the Wayback Machine . 10 11.
  7. ↑ Jeffery, Morgan (January 20, 2012). "'Seinfeld': The greatest ever moments". Digital Spy.
  8. ↑ "Hulk, Soup Nazi to greet Wheaton flea market visitors". Daily Herald . August 18, 2011.
  9. ↑ See a profile of Yeganeh in "The Soup Man of 55th Street." New York Cookbook. ed. Molly O'Neill. Workman Publishing, 1992. pp. 70–71. ISBN   1-56305-337-3; See one of his recipes on p. 78. of the same work.
  10. ↑ "Original "Soup Nazi" Store Back in Business". CBS News . July 21, 2010. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  11. ↑ See the Season 7 DVD extras, in which during the episode's Inside Look, Feresten recounts this story.
  12. 1 2 Jennifer Keishin Armstrong (2016). Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything. Simon and Schuster. p. 130. ISBN   978-1476756127.
  13. ↑ One source says the character was Annie, [12] but the script-transcript indicates the character was Keith.
  14. ↑ Walker, Dave (September 6, 1996). "'Soup Nazi' role gives struggling actor taste of fame, shot at Emmy". The Arizona Republic .
  15. ↑ "WATCH: Seinfeld 'Soup Nazi' won over by Israeli street food". The Times of Israel .
  16. ↑ Berman, Jillian (April 3, 2013). "Larry Thomas, 'Soup Nazi' Actor, Pushes Serbu Firearms To Pull Pro-Gun T-Shirt Featuring His Face". The Huffington Post . Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  17. ↑ Higginbotham, David (April 9, 2013). "No Serbu For You, Soup Nazi Wants His Image Back". guns.com. Retrieved April 25, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Seinfeld star makes sure there is soup for Boise homeless | KTVB.COM Boise". Ktvb.com. October 5, 2010. Archived from the original on March 30, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  19. ↑ Bain, Zoe (July 26, 2012). "Seinfeld "No Soup for You!" Food Truck Tours the Country, Serves Up Nostalgic Snacks". Delish . Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  20. ↑ Soupman, Inc. (July 22, 2015). "The Original Soupman Announces Seinfeld Actor Larry Thomas Famous for "No Soup for You" Episode to Jump Into the Soup Fulltime". GlobeNewswire. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  21. ↑ In This Corner, Soup Nutsy, Anthony Ramirez, The New York Times , August 4, 1996
  22. ↑ Soup Nutsy on the Move, David Chen, The New York Times , June 4, 1997
  23. ↑ "Soup Nutsy". Toronto ON. Retrieved 10 July 2022.
  24. ↑ "Ex-informant charged with even bigger data theft this time". Los Angeles Times . August 18, 2009. Retrieved June 7, 2013.
  25. ↑ Keaper, Brian (2014). "Seinfeld: A XXX Parody". AskMen . Retrieved May 6, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.