The Gum

"**The Gum**"
"The Gum"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 7; Episode 10
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Written by	Tom Gammill & Max Pross
Production code	710
Original air date	December 14, 1995
Guest appearances
	Matt McCoy as Lloyd Braun; Mary Jo Keenen as Deena Lazzari; Sandy Ward as Pop Lazzari; Eric Christmas as Haarwood; Ruth Cohen as Cashier; Lionel Mark Smith as Florist; Vito D'Ambrosio as Cop; Alan Watt as Attendant; Larry David as Man in Window (uncredited);
Episode chronology
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	Seinfeld season 7
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"The Gum" is the 120th episode of NBC sitcom Seinfeld. This was the tenth episode for the seventh season.^[1] It aired on December 14, 1995.^[1] The episode follows Kramer and Lloyd Braun's efforts to reopen the Alex Theatre, while an overprotective Kramer tries to keep Lloyd, recently recovered from a mental breakdown, from doubting his own sanity. Wardrobe mishaps make it seem like Lloyd's ex-girlfriend Elaine is coming on to him, Kramer forces Jerry to wear glasses for Lloyd's sake, and an old friend suspects George is going through a mental breakdown himself when she witnesses his apparent obsession with Lloyd and a cashier he claims shortchanged him.

Plot[edit]

Kramer is active in the renovation and reopening of the Alex movie theater. Lloyd Braun is using his connections in the mayor's office to try to give the theater landmark status. Kramer insists that his friends "treat Lloyd like he's one of the gang", because he had a nervous breakdown after derailing the David Dinkins reelection campaign (in "The Non-Fat Yogurt"). This includes voicing enthusiasm for Chinese chewing gum that Lloyd brought. Because Lloyd is her ex-boyfriend, Elaine does not want to sit near him at the Alex, so she says she and Jerry have to sit up front because he forgot his glasses. The seats are so close that they have to lie horizontal to watch the movie, causing popcorn to spill onto Elaine's chest. While retrieving popcorn she inadvertently plucks off her ivory button, and unknowingly exposes her cleavage to Lloyd and Kramer. She complains to a policeman that a florist washing the sidewalk with a hose is wasting water. Her open blouse convinces the policeman to order the florist to disconnect the hose.

George encounters an old friend Deena, and her father, "Pop," who had suffered a mental breakdown. Pop tinkers with George's car. The cashier at Monk's, Ruthie Cohen, gives George change for $10, when he believes he gave her a $20 bill that he doodled on. George's car catches fire due to Pop's tinkering. The florist cannot extinguish the fire because his hose was disconnected.

Kramer insists Jerry wear glasses while around Lloyd so that Lloyd will not realize he and Elaine were avoiding him. Kramer changes the glasses when he finds out that the ones he got from the theatre's lost and found belong to Geoffrey Haarwood, who runs the Institute for the Preservation of Motion Picture Costumes and Wardrobes. The new glasses blur Jerry's vision, so he inadvertently gives Lloyd a $100 bill for the Chinese gum. When Lloyd tries to purchase a hot dog, the theatre vendor asks Lloyd if he is insane, because the hot dog is clearly stale. Kramer insists on eating it to show that Lloyd is not insane, which makes him vomit on the sidewalk. The florist brings his hose back out to clean it up. Elaine confronts him about it, but he accidentally sprays her with water. When she comes to the Alex in her wet shirt, Lloyd again believes she is trying to get his attention.

Deena tells George he is showing signs of mental illness, specifically his gloating over Lloyd's mental breakdown and his dogged insistence that Cohen shortchanged him. He tries to get Jerry to vouch for him, but Jerry fails to recognize George due to the glasses. George wears a Henry VIII costume borrowed from Haarwood for Kramer's premiere at the Alex, and discovers he still has the $20 bill. Deena sees George in the costume and runs in terror as he chases her, yelling that he "got it from the Institute". Elaine sees her ivory button on Haarwood's ascot and tries to undo it, making Lloyd and Kramer think she is flirting with him.

Production[edit]

The inspiration for "The Gum" came from assistant director Randy Carter, who was heavily involved with the reopening of the Alex Theatre and would often promote the theatre to the Seinfeld cast and crew in a manner similar to Kramer in the episode.^[2] In the initial draft of the script, Elaine thinks she has eaten her button and it is ultimately discovered in the Alex Theatre's plumbing system.^[3] Co-writer Tom Gammill's car, previously featured in "The Mom & Pop Store", was wrecked when its engine caught fire on the highway, which was worked into the episode's story.^[2]

Gammill and his writing partner Max Pross wanted to give Ruth Cohen, an extra in numerous Seinfeld episodes, a role in the story. They had first taken notice of her before they joined the writing staff, when they were just fans of the show.^[3] Cohen had never acted before and performed poorly at her audition for "The Gum", but Jerry Seinfeld petitioned on her behalf.^[4] The actor who had previously played Lloyd Braun, Peter Keleghan, had moved to Canada, so the part was reassigned to Matt McCoy.^[2]

References[edit]

^ ^a ^b "Seinfeld Season 7 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c Seinfeld Season 7: Notes about Nothing - "The Gum" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2006.
^ ^a ^b Gammill, Tom; Pross, Max (2006). Seinfeld Season 7: Audio Commentary - "The Gum" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.
^ Seinfeld Season 7: Inside Look - "The Gum" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2006.

External links[edit]

"The Gum" at IMDb

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 7 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2021.

[NaN-2] Seinfeld Season 7: Notes about Nothing - "The Gum" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2006.

[AudioCom-3] Gammill, Tom; Pross, Max (2006). Seinfeld Season 7: Audio Commentary - "The Gum" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

[4] Seinfeld Season 7: Inside Look - "The Gum" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2006.

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v t e Seinfeld episodes
Season 1	"The Seinfeld Chronicles" "The Stake Out" "The Robbery" "Male Unbonding" "The Stock Tip"
Season 2	"The Ex-Girlfriend" "The Pony Remark" "The Jacket" "The Phone Message" "The Apartment" "The Statue" "The Revenge" "The Heart Attack" "The Deal" "The Baby Shower" "The Chinese Restaurant" "The Busboy"
Season 3	"The Note" "The Truth" "The Pen" "The Dog" "The Library" "The Parking Garage" "The Cafe" "The Tape" "The Nose Job" "The Stranded" "The Alternate Side" "The Red Dot" "The Subway" "The Pez Dispenser" "The Suicide" "The Fix-Up" "The Boyfriend"† "The Limo" "The Good Samaritan" "The Letter" "The Parking Space" "The Keys"
Season 4	"The Trip"† "The Pitch" "The Ticket" "The Wallet" "The Watch" "The Bubble Boy" "The Cheever Letters" "The Opera" "The Virgin" "The Contest" "The Airport" "The Pick" "The Movie" "The Visa" "The Shoes" "The Outing" "The Old Man" "The Implant" "The Junior Mint" "The Smelly Car" "The Handicap Spot" "The Pilot"†
Season 5	"The Mango" "The Puffy Shirt" "The Glasses" "The Sniffing Accountant" "The Bris" "The Lip Reader" "The Non-Fat Yogurt" "The Barber" "The Masseuse" "The Cigar Store Indian" "The Conversion" "The Stall" "The Dinner Party" "The Marine Biologist" "The Pie" "The Stand In" "The Wife" "The Raincoats"† "The Fire" "The Hamptons" "The Opposite"
Season 6	"The Chaperone" "The Big Salad" "The Pledge Drive" "The Chinese Woman" "The Couch" "The Gymnast" "The Soup" "The Mom & Pop Store" "The Secretary" "The Race" "The Switch" "The Label Maker" "The Scofflaw" "The Highlights of 100"† "The Beard" "The Kiss Hello" "The Doorman" "The Jimmy" "The Doodle" "The Fusilli Jerry" "The Diplomat's Club" "The Face Painter" "The Understudy"
Season 7	"The Engagement" "The Postponement" "The Maestro" "The Wink" "The Hot Tub" "The Soup Nazi" "The Secret Code" "The Pool Guy" "The Sponge" "The Gum" "The Rye" "The Caddy" "The Seven" "The Cadillac"† "The Shower Head" "The Doll" "The Friar's Club" "The Wig Master" "The Calzone" "The Bottle Deposit"† "The Wait Out" "The Invitations"
Season 8	"The Foundation" "The Soul Mate" "The Bizarro Jerry" "The Little Kicks" "The Package" "The Fatigues" "The Checks" "The Chicken Roaster" "The Abstinence" "The Andrea Doria" "The Little Jerry" "The Money" "The Comeback" "The Van Buren Boys" "The Susie" "The Pothole" "The English Patient" "The Nap" "The Yada Yada" "The Millennium" "The Muffin Tops" "The Summer of George"
Season 9	"The Butter Shave" "The Voice" "The Serenity Now" "The Blood" "The Junk Mail" "The Merv Griffin Show" "The Slicer" "The Betrayal" "The Apology" "The Strike" "The Dealership" "The Reverse Peephole" "The Cartoon" "The Strongbox" "The Wizard" "The Burning" "The Bookstore" "The Frogger" "The Maid" "The Puerto Rican Day" "The Chronicle"† "The Finale"†
† Indicates two-part episode