# What seinfeld stories are based on things Larry David did in real life **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 28, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407 "2013-10-28T02:08:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/1 "2013-10-28T02:08:07Z")
The episode where George tells off his boss, then realizes later that he can’t find another job so he goes back to work and pretends nothing happened is something that actually happened to Larry David at SNL. He quit in protest, then showed up 3 days later like nothing had happened. What other stories from the show are based on David’s real life experiences? I read once that Jason Alexander was reading some dialogue from Seinfeld and said ‘there is no way a person would say that in real life’, then David said ‘what do you mean, I did that once’. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/2 "2013-10-28T14:13:11Z")
The Contest, inarguably the most famous Seinfeld episode ever, comes to mind. ---
**Author:** ![oft\_wears\_hats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7993a0/32.png) [@oft\_wears\_hats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oft_wears_hats)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/3 "2013-10-28T16:07:48Z")
I heard that Kramer’s “Peterman Reality Tour” was a poke at a real person (Kenny Kramer) who came out of the woodwork and claimed that the character of Kramer was based on them. Supposedly, [he was right](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmo_Kramer#Development). I guess that’s more of a meta joke and not as much of a “thing Larry David did,” though. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/4 "2013-10-28T17:16:10Z")
> [@oft\_wears\_hats](#): > > I heard that Kramer’s “Peterman Reality Tour” was a poke at a real person (Kenny Kramer) who came out of the woodwork and claimed that the character of Kramer was based on them. Supposedly, [he was right](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmo_Kramer#Development). I guess that’s more of a meta joke and not as much of a “thing Larry David did,” though. You’ve got your cause and effect backwards. Kramer was in fact based on Kenny Kramer, who started a bus tour of Seinfeld-related locations in New York City. The (real) bus tour was parodied when (TV) Kramer then created the J. Peterman tour. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/5 "2013-10-28T17:26:13Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > You’ve got your cause and effect backwards. Kramer was in fact based on Kenny Kramer, who started a bus tour of Seinfeld-related locations in New York City. The (real) bus tour was parodied when (TV) Kramer then created the J. Peterman tour. It appears to me that you two are saying the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/6 "2013-10-28T17:34:01Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > It appears to me that you two are saying the same thing. No, I think they’re both wrong and the bus tour was based on Kenny Kramer who started a bus tour of Seinfeld locations in New York, not based on the guy who started a bus tour of Seinfeld locations in New York whose name is Kenny Kramer. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/7 "2013-10-28T18:00:11Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > No, I think they’re both wrong and the bus tour was based on Kenny Kramer who started a bus tour of Seinfeld locations in New York, not based on the guy who started a bus tour of Seinfeld locations in New York whose name is Kenny Kramer. There was an episode about that. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/8 "2013-10-28T18:36:46Z")
[The Jacket](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jacket_%28Seinfeld%29) where Lawrence Tierney plays Elaine’s father was directly based on Larry’s experience while dating the daughter of author [Richard Yates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Yates_%28novelist%29). Yates was as intimidating as Mr. Benes and an actual suede jacket was ruined by snow. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/9 "2013-10-28T21:41:18Z")
I’ve read that Alton Benes was supposed to be a recurring character, except that Lawrence Tierney stole a knife from the knife block from Jerry’s apartment set and was terrorizing cast members with it, and nobody wanted him back! ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/10 "2013-10-28T22:34:34Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > I read once that Jason Alexander was reading some dialogue from Seinfeld and said ‘there is no way a person would say that in real life’, then David said ‘what do you mean, I did that once’. They have riffed on this joke on Curb a few times when Alexander was on playing himself. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/11 "2013-10-28T23:20:45Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > [The Jacket](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jacket_%28Seinfeld%29) where Lawrence Tierney plays Elaine’s father was directly based on Larry’s experience while dating the daughter of author [Richard Yates](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Yates_%28novelist%29). Yates was as intimidating as Mr. Benes and an actual suede jacket was ruined by snow. Nobody is, was, or will ever be as intimidating as Lawrence Tierney, whether in movies or in life. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/12 "2013-10-28T23:43:31Z")
George Steinnbrenner, owner of the Yankees, often would say how remarkably his TV version copied his actual life. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/13 "2013-10-28T23:56:30Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Nobody is, was, or will ever be as intimidating as Lawrence Tierney, whether in movies or in life. 😛 I agree. He may have created the stereotypical tough guy on film. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/14 "2013-10-29T01:50:04Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > I agree. He may have created the stereotypical tough guy on film. I loved the description of his character in **Reservoir Dogs** by Mr. Orange: “The Thing; motherfucker looks like The Thing.” ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/15 "2013-10-29T01:55:11Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > I’ve read that Alton Benes was supposed to be a recurring character, except that Lawrence Tierney stole a knife from the knife block from Jerry’s apartment set and was terrorizing cast members with it, and nobody wanted him back! Yeah, the Wikipedia entry for The Jacket episode mentions it: [QUOTE=Wikipedia] Larry David would jokingly threaten to have Tierney back on the show if [Director Tom] Cherones did his work badly. [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-seinfeld-stories-are-based-on-things-larry-david-did-in-real-life/672407/16 "2013-10-29T02:02:01Z")
I’ve read that at least one edition of the game “Trivial Pursuit” actually had a misprinted answer card that read “the Moops” rather than “the Moors.” And of course, the season-long story arc about the pilot episode was based on Jerry & David’s attempts to launch the pilot for “Seinfeld.”