The Face Painter

"**The Face Painter**"
"The Face Painter"
Seinfeld episode
Episode no.	Season 6; Episode 23
Directed by	Andy Ackerman
Story by	Larry David and Fred Stoller
Teleplay by	Larry David
Production code	622
Original air date	May 11, 1995
Guest appearances
	Patrick Warburton as David Puddy; Katy Selverstone as Siena; Mark DeCarlo as Alec Berg; Raye Birk as Mr. Pless; Pierrino Mascarino as Father Hernandez; Joe Lala as Priest; Peggy Lane as Waitress; Dave Richardson as Fan #1; David Powledge as Fan #2; Jan Eddy as Fan #3; Lawrence LeJohn as Crowd Member;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Diplomat's Club"	Next →; "The Understudy"
	List of episodes

"The Face Painter" is the 109th episode of the NBC sitcom Seinfeld. It is the 23rd episode of the series's sixth season.^[1] It aired on May 11, 1995.^[1] The table reading for "The Face Painter" was held on March 26, 1995. In this episode, Jerry, Elaine, Kramer, and David Puddy go to two Stanley Cup playoff games, where Puddy dismays Elaine and an El Salvadoran priest with his rowdy displays of New Jersey Devils fandom. Meanwhile, Kramer holds a grudge against a chimpanzee who hit him with a banana peel, and George resolves to take the dramatic step of telling his girlfriend he loves her.

Plot

Elaine's boyfriend David Puddy, a New Jersey Devils fan, paints his face when he, Elaine, Jerry, and Kramer go to a Stanley Cup playoff game against the New York Rangers. After the game, his rowdy behavior and painted face make a priest believe that he has seen the devil. Jerry refuses to give a follow-up courtesy thank you to a friend, Alec Berg, for letting them use his season tickets. Later on at a funeral, Jerry sees Alec, but he gives an indifferent look, leading Jerry to wonder if it was because he didn't thank him and casting the possibility of their getting tickets to the next game in doubt. Elaine tells Puddy that she is breaking up with him because of his face-painting, but to her amazement, he offers to give up face-painting for her. Instead, he goes to the next game with his chest painted with the letter 'D' to spell out DEVILS with five other Devils fans.

Kramer finally persuades Jerry to call and give the courtesy thank you to Alec, but Alec has already given away the next playoff tickets to someone else. He instead passes on two tickets from a mutual friend of Puddy's who can't make it; Jerry and Kramer fill in as 'E' and 'V' with Puddy and his Devil fan friends. Elaine visits the priest to explain that it was Puddy he saw. She is wearing a white raincoat and the sun shines through a window behind her, leading the priest to believe she is the Virgin Mary come to escort him to the afterlife.^[a]

George tells his girlfriend Siena that he loves her, but she responds only "I'm hungry; let's get something to eat." He resigns himself to ending the relationship. Kramer has an altercation involving a banana peel with a chimpanzee named Barry at the zoo where Siena works. Barry becomes despondent and the zoo staff call Kramer in, asking him to apologize. He refuses since Barry incited the confrontation. When Siena ignores a remark made by Kramer, her co-worker informs Kramer that she doesn't hear well out of her left ear. Kramer passes the information on to George, who realizes that Siena may not have heard his profession of love. He tells her again in her right ear, but she says she indeed heard him the first time. Kramer at last apologizes to Barry, but the chimp responds by spitting water on him.

Production

Fred Stoller based Kramer's altercation with Barry the chimpanzee on a childhood visit to Monkey Jungle, during which he witnessed visitors throwing rocks at the monkeys.^[2] In the apology scene, a trainer was standing just off-camera to direct the chimpanzee's behavior.^[3]

In the original script, Kramer tells Jerry that if he no longer wants to be part of society, he should move to the bottle city of Kandor, continuing the series' tradition of Superman references. In the final draft Kandor was replaced by the East Side.^[3] The character Alec Berg was named after a Seinfeld writer.^[3]

George's story arc originally had a different ending: After George tells Siena he loves her the second time, she responds, "I love you too." He then asks her to marry him, and she agrees.^[3] This ending was filmed but not used, though the idea of George becoming engaged was repurposed for the next season premiere.

Patrick Warburton and the New Jersey Devils

Patrick Warburton, who played David Puddy, grew up a fan of the Los Angeles Kings, but also acquired an affinity for the New Jersey Devils due to the episode.^[4] (He found himself with torn allegiances during the 2012 playoffs.^[5]) The season following "The Face Painter"'s broadcast, he was invited to drop the ceremonial first puck at a Devils game, and showed up with his face painted in the same way as Puddy's in the episode.^[3] After dropping the puck, he slipped and almost fell, but rescued the moment by regaining his balance and ripping off his shirt to reveal his chest was painted with the letter "D".^[5] This came to be regarded as an iconic moment in Devils history.^[4]^[5]

Warburton has often been invited to appear at Devils games with his face and chest painted, exhorting the crowd in a manner like that of his Seinfeld character. The Devils gave out a Puddy bobblehead doll to fans at a 2019 game.^[4]

Notes

^ The priest's dialogue, which is in Spanish and not subtitled, translates to "The Madonna...! I am not ready!"

References

^ ^a ^b "Seinfeld Season 6 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
^ Seinfeld Season 6: Inside Look - "The Face Painter" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Seinfeld Season 6: Notes about Nothing - "The Face Painter" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.
^ ^a ^b ^c Mastracco, Abbey (February 19, 2019). "'Seinfeld' Actor Patrick Warburton Reprises Role as Devils Fan David Puddy for Good Cause". Northjersey.com. Retrieved 5 December 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c Mooney, Harrison (May 18, 2012). "Patrick Warburton Is a Kings Fan; Will David Puddy Cheer Against the Devils?". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 5 December 2019.

External links

"The Face Painter" at IMDb

[2] The priest's dialogue, which is in Spanish and not subtitled, translates to "The Madonna...! I am not ready!"

[tvguide-1] "Seinfeld Season 6 Episodes". TV Guide. Retrieved December 10, 2021.

[3] Seinfeld Season 6: Inside Look - "The Face Painter" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.

[NaN-4] Seinfeld Season 6: Notes about Nothing - "The Face Painter" (DVD). Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. 2005.

[NJers-5] Mastracco, Abbey (February 19, 2019). "'Seinfeld' Actor Patrick Warburton Reprises Role as Devils Fan David Puddy for Good Cause". Northjersey.com. Retrieved 5 December 2019.

[YahooS-6] Mooney, Harrison (May 18, 2012). "Patrick Warburton Is a Kings Fan; Will David Puddy Cheer Against the Devils?". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved 5 December 2019.

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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

v t e New Jersey Devils
Formerly the Kansas City Scouts and Colorado Rockies Founded in 1974 Based in Newark, New Jersey
Franchise	Team General managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks Expansion draft Seasons Current season
History	Records Award winners Retired numbers Broadcasters
Personnel	Owner(s) David Blitzer and Josh Harris (Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment) General manager Tom Fitzgerald Head coach Sheldon Keefe Team captain Nico Hischier Current roster
Arenas	Meadowlands Arena Prudential Center
Rivalries	New York Rangers Philadelphia Flyers
Affiliates	AHL Utica Comets ECHL Adirondack Thunder
Media	TV MSG Sportsnet MSG 2 MSG Network WCBS-TV Radio WFAN WBBR
Culture and lore	The A Line The Crash Line The BMW Line John McMullen Arlette Roxburgh Don Koharski Jersey Devil A day with the Cup Mike "Doc" Emrick Hockey Night Live! "The Face Painter" (Seinfeld episode) N.J. Devil 2014 NHL Stadium Series 2024 NHL Stadium Series
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v t e New York Rangers
Founded in 1926 Based in New York, New York
Franchise	Team General managers Coaches Players Captains Draft picks Seasons Current season
History	History (Original Six) Records Award winners Retired numbers Broadcasters
Personnel	Owner(s) Madison Square Garden Sports Corp. (James Dolan, chairman) General manager Chris Drury Head coach Peter Laviolette Team captain Jacob Trouba Current roster
Arenas	Madison Square Garden III Madison Square Garden IV
Rivalries	New Jersey Devils New York Islanders Philadelphia Flyers Washington Capitals
Affiliates	AHL Hartford Wolf Pack ECHL Bloomington Bison
Media	TV MSG Network Radio WEPN-FM
Culture and lore	Curse of 1940 "It's a power play goal!" GAG line Eric Lindros trade George Kalinsky Emile Francis Award Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award Ice Hockey in Harlem Hockey Night Live! "Good Feeling" (Flo Rida song) "Hockey Sock Rock" "I Wanna Be a NY Ranger" "Slapshot" Theme from New York, New York "The Face Painter" (Seinfeld episode) Mystery, Alaska John Amirante 1991 Las Vegas outdoor game June 17th, 1994 2011 NHL Premiere 2012 NHL Winter Classic 2014 NHL Stadium Series 2018 NHL Winter Classic 2023 Big City Greens Classic 2024 NHL Stadium Series
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