Newman (Seinfeld)

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Newman
First appearance 1991, The Revenge (off-screen)
Last appearance 1998, The Finale, Part II
Cause/reason End of Show
Created by Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David
Portrayed by Wayne Knight
Information
Aliases White Whale
Gender Male
Age 30s
Occupation Mailman
Address 129 West 81st Street, New York City
IMDb profile

Newman is a recurring character on the television show Seinfeld, played by Wayne Knight from 1991 until the show's finale in 1998.

Contents

[edit] Background

In the show,Newman is an overweight mail carrier who lives at 129 West 81st Street, New York City, the same apartment building as Jerry Seinfeld and Cosmo Kramer. Newman lives in Apartment 5E. Originally conceived to be "the son of the landlord [who] 'tells' on everyone", Newman evolved as the series progressed into a scheming mailman who related with Kramer, but nursed a grudge against Jerry. He is first mentioned (but does not appear on camera) during the original version of the episode "The Revenge". Newman was here voiced by the show's co-creator Larry David (although Knight later dubbed a new version for syndication with his own voice). In the episode, Newman is characterized by Kramer as being depressed and is constantly threatening to kill himself because he has no job and no future. It is unclear if Newman is his first or last name, but it's generally believed it is his last name, as he is referred to as 'Mr. Newman' by the Judge in The Ticket. Aside from this, only the name Newman is ever used in reference to him. In the episode "The Bottle Deposit, Part 2" a character (the farmer's daughter) shouts "Goodbye, Norman," but this was a mistake on the part of the actress (Karen Lynn Scott). It was left in because it was considered funny (and it could be taken as a joke about the stereotype of regional families having low intelligence). Newman was caught in a compromising position with Kramer's mother, Babs, after Cosmo, Elaine and George walked into his apartment at the end of the episode The Switch. Newman's large appetite is exhibited when he fantasizes about eating Kramer after he was basted in butter and seasoned with Parmesan and Oregano.

[edit] The character

Newman's role is primarily as a villain/enemy to Jerry and a collaborator in the elaborate and bizarre schemes of Kramer. Often described as Jerry's "sworn enemy" ("The Andrea Doria"), his character is cunning and occasionally acts like a weasel. Jerry refers to Newman as "Pure Evil" in more than one occasion. The two generally greet each other this way:

Jerry (sarcastic): "Hello, ...Newman".
Newman (sarcastic): "Hello, ...Jerry".

Jerry's mother also greets Newman the same way.

The origin of the Seinfeld/Newman feud is never revealed. He is first seen in person in The Suicide when Newman, after finding out Jerry has been making out with his neighbor Gina, threatens to tell Gina's boyfriend Martin once he awakes from a coma, which he does. This could be what sets off Jerry's hatred towards Newman, as Jerry refers to him as "Big Mouth Newman" at the beginning of the show.

When asked about why the character Jerry hates Newman, Jerry Seinfeld explained it in the Season 3 DVD inside look of the show:

He was the first person on the show, my own show, who was coming on to sabotage me in some way. And so why would I not hate him forever for that?

Newman's character is a frequent source of annoyance to Jerry, such as in attracting fleas to the apartment ("The Doodle"), and generally making Jerry's life more difficult. However, the depth of their enmity seems to vary between episodes -- or even within the same episode ("The Soul Mate") -- and Jerry sometimes seems to consider him merely an annoying neighbor, much like Kramer, rather than an outright enemy. At times they even work together on some scheme, though with some reluctance on Jerry's part (and usually with mutual friend Kramer as a buffer). In the final scene of "The Soup Nazi" their interaction is such that they could be taken for friends (although this is clearly based more on their shared love of the Soup Nazi's soup than on anything else). In "The Old Man" Jerry casually mentions "a couple of friends," meaning Kramer and Newman -- thus calling Newman a "friend." In any event, Newman often seems quite amused at how effectively he irritates Jerry (which of course only irritates Jerry all the more), although any battle of wits between them rarely leaves Newman the victor.

Newman is a good friend of Kramer's, and the pair are forever participating in various get-rich-quick schemes. In "The Bookstore," Newman and Kramer decided to use a rickshaw to transport people from place to place.

As Kramer puts it in the episode "The Reverse Peephole," Newman can climb trees "like a ring tailed lemur," a skill he claims to have learned in the Pacific Northwest. Despite his girth, Newman is also a terrific tennis player.

His angry rants directed against Jerry and the United States Postal Service in various episodes demonstrate Newman's impressive and dramatic command of his role. Newman also takes his job as a mailman very seriously (as long as it is not raining); he ends up impulsively protesting the idea of any mail being considered "junk." However, he is known to use his job for corrupt purposes, such as purposely withholding mail for blackmail revenge, or using the Union to get himself out of jail. In "The Label Maker", Jerry also agreed with George that, "...he is merry." Newman is also a prolific poet, once writing poetry for Kramer to use to win a woman's heart.

One of Newman's most well known speeches takes place in "The Finale", after Jerry refuses to take him to Paris:

"Alright! But hear me and hear me well, the day will come, oh yes, mark my words Seinfeld, your day of reckoning is coming, when an evil wind will blow through your little playworld and wipe that smug smile off your face. And I'll be there in all my glory, watching, watching as it all comes crumbling down!"

[edit] United States Postal Service

Newman is an employee of the United States Postal Service, which is portrayed in the series as a powerful, nefarious organization. Upon being arrested in "The Engagement," Newman assures Kramer and Elaine that they will not be prosecuted: "Don't worry about a thing. In twenty minutes, that place'll be swarming with mailmen. We'll be back on the street by lunch."

In "The Junk Mail," Kramer is abducted by Post Office security men for running an anti-mail campaign after he realizes the Postal Service has become obsolete; Newman attempted earlier to dissaude Kramer by pleading, "You don't know the half of what goes on here!" At the end of the episode, for his efforts to save Kramer, Newman is seen escorted by Postal Service employees with a bucket on his head, pleading of Kramer to "tell the world my story."

In "The Package," Newman's business card is shown. It says only "NEWMAN".

Newman claimed that he once worked the same postal route as murderer David Berkowitz ("Son of Sam"). When asked what it was like, Newman commented the route had "a lot of dogs" but joked that he only told him "to lay off the snacks." Newman retains Berkowitz's mailbag as a valuable collector's item. When the police come to arrest him in "The Engagement," his first words to them are "What took you so long?", the same words Berkowitz used upon being arrested.

Newman makes several other outlandish claims about the U.S. Postal Service including:

  • ZIP codes are meaningless
  • No mail carrier has successfully delivered more than 50% of their mail (comparing such a feat to the three-minute mile)
  • "When you control the mail, you control information!" ("The Lip Reader").
  • Post office workers go on killing sprees because the mail never stops ("The more you get out the more you get in") while talking about David Berkowitz.

[edit] Appearances

Aside from the four main characters, Newman is the character who appears in the most episodes of Seinfeld. He can be seen in 47 episodes (if two-parters are counted as two episodes), or 48 if The Revenge is included. These are:

Jerry Seinfeld has been quoted as saying that he almost feels sorry for Wayne Knight, as his portrayal of Newman has typecast him to the point that "everywhere he goes, he must be greeted with, 'Hello, Newman.'" In fact, during the Seinfeld DVD's special features, Knight recounts an occasion when he was having a particularly bad day, where after a series of unfortunate events a fan happened to yell "Hello, Newman". This resulted in Knight releasing his long day's built-up anger on the unsuspecting fan.

[edit] External Links

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