"The Chaperone" is the first episode of the sixth season of Seinfeld, and the 87th episode overall. This episode was written by Larry David, Bill Masters and Bob Shaw and it was directed by Andy Ackerman. It first aired on September 22, 1994.
Plot
Jerry meets Karen, Miss Rhode Island (Marguerite MacIntyre), who is competing in the Miss America pageant and consequently must be chaperoned on her date with Jerry; Kramer fills the role and quickly becomes her personal coach. Elaine seeks to follow in the footsteps of Jackie Kennedy Onassis in securing a position with Doubleday, where she unsuccessfully interviews with Ms. Landis (Gail Strickland). Elaine meets Mr. Pitt (Ian Abercrombie) as the interview ends and agrees to become his personal assistant. She soon finds her job as personal assistant to Mr. Pitt to be unfulfilling. George replaces polyester with cotton as the material for the Yankees' uniforms, with alarming results.
Notes About Nothing
- This is the first episode where Jerry uses his famous catch-phrase: "That's a shame." Although Jerry continues to use it as his own through the rest of the series, George is the one who first says it at the end of this episode. Jerry then copies it just seconds later.
- Elaine mentions that they are looking for someone to replace Jackie Onassis at Doubleday. That would be a timely reference since Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis died on the same day as the season 5 finale aired, in May 1994, and this episode aired in September of the same year. Jackie Onassis had worked as an editor for Doubleday since her husband's death (Aristotle Onassis) in 1975.
- This episode aired the same day as the series premiere of Friends. Courteney Cox, one of the stars of that show, played Jerry’s girlfriend for one episode in the previous season.
- This is the first episode to be directed by Andy Ackerman, who took over as the series' primary director from Tom Cherones.
- At one point in the episode while sharing a hotel room, Jerry says to George, "Good night, Ollie." George responds, "Good night, Stan." This is a reference to old-time comedy duo Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Although Jerry Seinfeld has drawn some of his material from Laurel and Hardy, he said Abbott and Costello were the biggest old-time influence on him, and hosted a documentary dedicated to their act.