"Crazy" Joe Davola

"Crazy" Joe Davola is a minor "Seinfeld" character who suffers from mental instability and aggressive behavior. He was played by Peter Crombie.

Appearances

He is noted for stalking Jerry, for whom he develops a pathological hatred. The incident started in "The Pitch" where they meet him at the NBC offices (Davola, a writer, is dropping off a script, which is rejected, which he blames on Jerry).

It continues in "The Ticket", where Jerry and George hid from him in a restaurant, waiting for a not particularly sympathetic policeman to finish eating so he could escort them out safely. Throughout the fourth season (the season which focused on Jerry's failed television pilot), Davola appears frequently, including both parts to "The Pilot, Part 1" and "The Pilot, Part 2". In the first part, both Jerry and George attempt to hide, but are seen by him when they were leaving for NBC. In the final part, he is noted for saying "Sic semper tyrannis"!" (incorrectly translated by Jerry as, "Death to tyrants") and then jumping off the stands into the set in an attempt to attack Jerry. Davola's action is reminiscent of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln.

Elaine once dated Davola's psychiatrist, who is concerned about Davola not taking his medication. She also inadvertently dated Davola while trying to break up with the doctor ("The Watch"), not knowing he was, in fact, the same "'Crazy' Joe Davola" terrorizing Jerry. She becomes a target, and in a surprisingly tense scene for a comedy series ("The Opera"), she finds herself trapped and cornered in the psychotic Davola's apartment and only escapes after spraying Binaca in his face.

Davola blames all of his problems on Jerry. He kicked Kramer in the head with a roundhouse kick for not inviting him to a party.

Davola is in exceptional shape. Tall and muscular, he keeps fit by lifting weights (sometimes while crying) and practices martial arts, which he uses (while dressed as Canio from "Pagliacci") to beat a gang of hooligans in Central Park unconscious.

=Real life Joe Davola=

"Seinfeld" sometimes assigned the names of real life people, usually producers at the NBC network to fictional, quirky characters, as an inside joke, such as Davola, Lloyd Braun and Alec Berg.

Quotes

Joe Davola: (leaving a message on Jerry Seinfeld's answering machine) Jerry, Joe Davola. *Pbt.* *Pbt.* *Pbt.* I have a hair on my tongue; I can't get it off. You know how much I hate that?'Course you do, you put it there. I know what you said about me, Seinfeld. I know you badmouthed me to the execs at NBC, put the kibosh on my deal. Now I'm going to put the kibosh on you. You know I've kiboshed before, and I will kibosh again. [http://youtube.com/watch?v=5I6CGBNODaY]

ee also

* Minor characters in "Seinfeld"
* Evil clown