The Pool Guy

Infobox Television episode
Title = The Pool Guy
Series = Seinfeld


Caption = Kramer talking to Jerry.
Season = 7
Episode = 118
Airdate = November 16, 1995
Production =
Writer = David Mandel
Director = Andy Ackerman
Guests = Carlos Jacott
Episode list = List of "Seinfeld" episodes
Season list = Infobox Seinfeld season 7 episode list
Prev =
Next =

"The Pool Guy" is the one-hundred and eighteenth episode of NBC sitcom "Seinfeld". This was the 8th episode for the 7th season. It aired on November 16, 1995. The end credit states "In Memory of our Friend Rick Bolden" (Rick Bolden was one of the musicians working out the Seinfeld Theme).

Plot

Elaine befriends Susan. Jerry meets his pool guy outside a movie, and then he can't get rid of him. George is worried by Elaine wanting to get to know Susan ("The two worlds collide!"). Kramer's new phone number is similar to a film information line. When Kramer keeps receiving wrong numbers, he begins giving out the information for movie show times à la Moviefone. The real-life Moviefone man, Russ Leatherman, provides his own voice during the final scene of this episode. He is only seen on screen from behind, however, and a body double is used.

Interestingly, when Kramer is acting like Moviefone, you can see several pasta sculptures (similar to Fusilli Jerry) in the background.

Controversy

Playwright/performing artist Danny Hoch was originally cast as the Pool Guy in this episode. According to Hoch he was replaced after objecting to what he felt was ethnic stereotyping in the way his character was written: a stereotype of a "crazy Hispanic named Ramon." He told this story on a 2005 television documentary "Race Is the Place" and in his one-man-show "Jails, Hospitals & Hip Hop".

Quotes

02:09 min

Jerry: Hey, why don't cha ask Susan?
Elaine: George's Susan?
Jerry: Yeah.
Elaine: Yeah. Why not Susan. I should be friends with Susan. (smacks her forehead with hand) Of course! Susan! Oh! OK, I’ll see you guys. Huh. (rushes out the door.)
Kramer: That's gunna be trouble.
Jerry: Why?
Kramer: Jerry, don't you see? This world here, this is George's sanctuary. If Susan comes into contact with this world, his world's collide. You know what happens then? (Kramer raises his hands into the air and slowly brings them together in an explosion.)

06:01 min

Kramer: (Answering his phone.): Cosmo, go. No, no, na, na. (he pushes the end button and pushes the antenna down) Boy this new telephone number's driving me crazy -- wrong numbers, every five minutes.
Jerry: What is it?
Kramer: Well it's 555-3455
Jerry(picks up the phone on the coffee table): “555-3455.” Well wait a second, don't you see that's 555-FILK.
Kramer: What's a Filk?
Jerry: Filk’s nothing, but 555-FILM is Movie Phone.
Kramer: Oh Movie Phone.
Jerry: Yes, so people are just dialing it by mistake and getting you.
Kramer: So I'm Filk?
Jerry: You're Filk.
Kramer: Oh mama.

10:58 min

George: Ah, you have no idea of the magnitude of this thing. If she [Susan] is allowed to infiltrate this world, then George Costanza as you know him, ceases to exist! You see, right now, I have Relationship George, but there is also Independent George. That's the George you know, the George you grew up with -- Movie George, Coffee Shop George, Liar George, Bawdy George!
Jerry: I love that George.
George: Me too! And he's dying, Jerry! If Relationship George walks through this door, he will "kill" Independent George! A George, divided against itself, cannot stand!*

*A reference to the House Divided Speech of Abraham Lincoln.