The Kiss Hello

Last updated
"The Kiss Hello"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 17
Directed by Andy Ackerman
Written by Larry David & Jerry Seinfeld
Production code614
Original air dateFebruary 16, 1995 (1995-02-16)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"The Beard"
Next 
"The Doorman"
List of episodes

"The Kiss Hello" is the 103rd episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld . This is the 17th episode for the sixth season. [1] It aired on February 16, 1995. [1] Although this was the 102nd episode to air, the cast and crew of the series credit this as the 100th episode because it is the 100th episode created. In this episode, Kramer posts the names and photos of all the tenants in his apartment building on a board in the lobby so that everyone will know each other. Jerry is uncomfortable with such pervasive socialization, bringing him to conflict with his neighbors at the same time as he investigates his Nana's story that his Uncle Leo owes his mother Helen $50.

Contents

Plot

Walking down the street, Jerry and George meet Elaine and her friend Wendy, a physical therapist. Jerry regrets once kissing Wendy on the cheek because now he has to kiss hello every time. George asks Wendy for treatment for a sore arm. Later, they discuss Wendy's 1960s-style hairdo that Elaine wishes she would change. Because only the bluntly frank Kramer would dare comment on it to her directly, they introduce him to her. However, Kramer loves the haircut, and tells her so. Flattered, Wendy starts dating him.

At Wendy's clinic, George is angry at her because he gets charged for an appointment he missed due to a family emergency, because of her 24-hour cancellation policy.

Kramer plans to put each tenant's picture and name up in the building's lobby so everybody will know each other. Jerry doesn't like the idea, so Kramer takes a surprise photo of Jerry for the wall. Jerry is unhappy when he finds himself obligated to engage everyone in the building in conversation and getting kissed hello by several of his neighbors. He finally tells them he is uncomfortable with being kissed. As a result, he is ostracized, the superintendent refuses to fix his shower, and his picture is defaced.

Jerry's Nana calls him to open up a bottle of ketchup. When Jerry goes to her apartment, Uncle Leo is also there. Nana reminds Leo to give $50 to Jerry's mother, Helen. Nana, who has been confusing past and present, is referring to an incident from Leo and Helen's childhood. Jerry asks his father, Morty, if Leo ever gave Helen the $50. An angry Morty calculates what the interest would be on $50 after 50 years, but Leo refuses to pay, saying they have no proof Nana's story is true. Leo puts Nana in a nursing home, presumably to stop her from talking about the $50. While visiting Nana at the home, he learns her old friend Buddy is also there. Buddy confirms the exact details of Nana's story, and Jerry declares Leo busted.

Wendy cancels her appointments to go skiing with Elaine. George points out the irony that she gave only a few hours notice. Upon returning from skiing, Wendy won't drive Elaine all the way back to her apartment due to one-way streets. Elaine is forced to carry her ski equipment the remaining three blocks home and injures her arm. She is infuriated when Wendy tries to charge her for treating the arm, so she and George both ridicule Wendy about her hairdo.

Kramer has a party in his apartment with the other tenants. When Jerry stops by to use his shower, Kramer tells him that he broke up with Wendy because she changed her hairstyle. He won't allow Jerry in because of the visiting tenants ostracizing him.

Production

Because "The Kiss Hello" was the 100th episode of Seinfeld to be produced, the cast and crew were all given commemorative "100th" jackets at the table-read for the episode. [2]

Wendy's receptionist is played by Carol Leifer, a Seinfeld writer who was to some degree the real-life inspiration for the Elaine character. [3] During table-reads, Leifer would often read the parts of minor characters who had not yet been cast; she was asked to play the part of the receptionist after reading it at the table-read. [2]

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">Jerry Seinfeld (character)</span> Main character on the TV show Seinfeld

Jerome "Jerry" Seinfeld is the title character and the main protagonist of the American television sitcom Seinfeld (1989–1998). The straight man among his group of friends, this semi-fictionalized version of comedian Jerry Seinfeld was named after, co-created by, and played by Seinfeld himself. The series revolves around Jerry's misadventures with his best friend George Costanza, neighbor Cosmo Kramer, and ex-girlfriend Elaine Benes. He is usually the voice of reason amid his friends' antics and the focal point of the relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uncle Leo</span> Fictional character on the TV show Seinfeld

Uncle Leo is a fictional character portrayed by Len Lesser in the American sitcom Seinfeld. Leo is the character Jerry Seinfeld's uncle. Uncle Leo made his debut in the second-season episode "The Pony Remark" and appeared in at least one episode in each of the subsequent seasons through the show's nine-season run.

"The Stake Out" is the second episode of the first season of the NBC comedy Seinfeld.

"The Raincoats" is a two-part episode of the American sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 82nd and 83rd episode of the show, and the 18th and 19th episodes of the fifth season. The episode was first shown on NBC on April 28, 1994, and garnered an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series for Judge Reinhold.

"The Pen" is the 20th episode of Seinfeld, the third episode of the third season which first aired on October 2, 1991.

"The Pony Remark" is the second episode of the second season of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld, and the seventh episode overall. The episode was written by series co-creators Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, based on a remark David once made.

"The Wallet" is the 45th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the series, and first aired on September 23, 1992. In this episode Morty's wallet goes missing from his trousers while at a back specialist's office, Jerry tries to conceal his having thrown away the watch Morty gave him, and George turns down his and Jerry's deal for a television pilot.

"The Watch" is the 46th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. It is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the series, and first aired on September 30, 1992. In a direct continuation of the previous episode, "The Wallet", George learns that his efforts at negotiation have cost him and Jerry the deal with NBC for a television pilot, and he makes a desperate bid to get it back, while Jerry tries to keep his parents from discovering that the watch Uncle Leo found in a garbage can is the one they gave Jerry as a gift, and Elaine's plan for Kramer to pose as her new boyfriend does not prove as effective as hoped.

"The Andrea Doria" is the 144th episode of American television sitcom Seinfeld. This was the tenth episode for the eighth season, originally airing on NBC on December 19, 1996. In this episode, Jerry helps Newman with getting a transfer by filling in for him on his mail route, Kramer's preference for veterinarians over doctors leads to him exhibiting dog-like behavior, Elaine dates a "bad breaker-upper", and George tries to win the pity of a tenant association so he can get a new apartment.

"The Money" is the 146th episode of the sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 12th episode for the eighth season, originally airing on NBC on January 16, 1997. In a follow-up to the episode "The Cadillac", the story has Jerry traveling to Florida to buy his parents' Cadillac back from Jack Klompus. Meanwhile, Jerry's father Morty Seinfeld gets a job at The J. Peterman Company and Kramer and his girlfriend have problems sleeping together.

"The Wizard" is the 171st episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the 15th episode for the ninth and final season. It aired on February 26, 1998. In this episode, Kramer retires and moves into the same condo as Morty and Helen Seinfeld, Elaine tries to find out if her pale-skinned boyfriend is actually black, and George gets upset that the Rosses will not call him a liar after they catch him lying about buying a house in the Hamptons.

"The Pledge Drive" is the 89th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the third episode of the sixth season. It aired on October 6, 1994. The episode revolves around Jerry, George, and Kramer's volunteer efforts with a PBS pledge drive. Subplots include Jerry's grandmother going on a perilous adventure through the city to deal with bounced birthday checks, Elaine committing a series of misunderstandings stemming from the high-pitched voice of her friend Noreen's boyfriend, and the start of a new trend in eating finger foods with utensils.

"The Highlights of 100" is an hour-long, two-part episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the 14th and 15th episodes for the sixth season, and the 100th and 101st overall episode. It aired on February 2, 1995. It is a clip show to celebrate the series' 100th episode with no new content apart from a 50 second long intro by Jerry Seinfeld. In syndication, it airs as two separate episodes of 30 minutes each, with a second intro at the beginning of the second episode. This is the first episode in the series not to open with a stand-up routine.

"The Beard" is the 102nd episode of the NBC situation comedy Seinfeld. This is the 16th episode for the sixth season. It aired on February 9, 1995. In this episode, Elaine falls in love with a gay friend while serving as a beard for him, Jerry is subjected to a polygraph test to determine whether or not he has ever seen Melrose Place, and George goes on a blind date with a woman who turns out to be bald.

"The Doodle" is the 106th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the 20th episode for the sixth season and aired on April 6, 1995. In this episode, Jerry's apartment is infested with fleas, George struggles over his girlfriend's opinion of his physical appearance, Kramer indulges his love for Mackinaw peaches, and Elaine loses a literary manuscript that she is expected to review for a job interview.

"The Cadillac" is an hour-long, two-part episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It was the 124th and 125th episode and 14th and 15th episode for the seventh season. It aired on February 8, 1996. This was the last episode to be co-written by Jerry Seinfeld.

"The Shower Head" is the 126th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This is the sixteenth episode for the seventh season. It aired on February 15, 1996. It had 32.3 million US viewers. This episode focuses on Jerry and George's struggles to get their respective parents to move out of New York. Meanwhile, the tenants of Jerry's apartment building are made miserable by the new low-flow showerheads, and Elaine takes a drug test for work which comes back positive for opium.

References

  1. 1 2 "Seinfeld Season 6 Episodes". TV Guide . Retrieved December 10, 2021.
  2. 1 2 Seinfeld Season 6: Notes about Nothing - "The Kiss Hello" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.
  3. Lyman, Rick (1997-09-07). "Touching moments with Leifer? Get real!". The New York Times. Retrieved Apr 29, 2009.