Monday, December 27, 2004

From "Seinfeld"

The Race

(In order to convince his girlfriend Lois and her boss Duncan that he beat Duncan fairly in the big race in ninth grade (though he got a head start), George is pretending he hasn't seen Jerry in years to support his side of the story. The script alone doesn't do justice to the scene.)

[George enters]
DUNCAN: That's what I've always wondered about.
JERRY: Well, I . . . [sees George]
GEORGE: Oh, my God, No, oh my God, . . . Jerry!
JERRY: I'm sorry, uh,
GEORGE: George, George Costanza!
JERRY: Oh, George Costanza , Kennedy High.
GEORGE: Yes yes yes This is unbelievable.
DUNCAN: Hi, George
GEORGE: Oh, wait a minute, wait a minute, don't tell me, don't tell me. It starts with a . . . Duncan Meyers. Oh, wow, this is something. I haven't seen you guys in what, twenty years?
JERRY: This is Lois.
LOIS: Hello.
GEORGE: So what have you been doing with yourself?
JERRY: I'm I'm a comedian.
GEORGE: Ah ha, well, I really wouldn't know about that. I don't watch much TV. I like to read. So what do you do, a lot of that "did you ever notice?" this kind of stuff.
JERRY: Yeah, yeah
GEORGE: It strikes me a lot of guys are doing that kind of humor now.
JERRY: Yeah, yeah. Well, you really got bald there, didn't you?
GEORGE: Yeah, yeah.
JERRY: You really used to have a think full head of hair.
GEORGE: Yeah, yeah. Well, I guess I started losing it when I was about twenty-eight right around the time I made my first million. You know what they say. The first million is the hardest one.
JERRY: yeah, yeah.
LOIS: What do you do?
GEORGE: I'm an architect.
LOIS: Have you designed any buildings in New York?
GEORGE: Have you seen the new addition to the Guggenheim?
LOIS: You did that?
GEORGE: Yep. And it didn't take very long either.
JERRY: Well you've really built yourself up into something.
GEORGE: Well, well, I had a dream, Jerry.
JERRY: Well, one cannot help[ but wonder what brings you into a crummy little coffee shop like this.
GEORGE: Well, I like to stay in touch with the people.
JERRY: Ah, you know you have a hole in your sneaker there. What is that canvas?
GEORGE: You know my driver's waiting, I really should get running. Good to see you guys again.
JERRY: George, George, hang on. I haven't seen you in so long.
GEORGE: Ha, uh,
JERRY: I thought we might reminisce a little more. You know Duncan and I were just taking about the big race.
GEORGE: Oh, the big race.
JERRY: Yeah.
GEORGE: Yes, yes,.
LOIS: You were there?
GEORGE: Yes, sure, surely was. Yeah, I'll remember that day. Well I'll never forget it because that was the day that I uh, lost my virginity to Miss. Stafford, the uh, voluptuous home room teacher.
DUNCAN: Miss Stafford?
GEORGE: Yes, yes, you know I was in detention and she came up behind me while I was erasing the blackboard . . .
JERRY: George!
GEORGE: But I digress. Let me see, now. You were standing at one end of the line and I was right next to you. And I remember we were even for like, the first five yards and then , BOOM,...You were gone.
JERRY: Did I get a head start?
GEORGE: Head start, oh no absolutely not.
JERRY: You satisfied? So you see?
DUNCAN: No, I'm still not convinced and I never will be.
LOIS:Why don't the two of you just race again?
DUNCAN: That's a good idea.
JERRY: No, no, no, another race - out of the question.
DUNCAN: I know, you've been saying that for twenty years because you know you can't beat me. You couldn't beat me then and you can't beat me now.
LOIS: Race him Jerry. Race him.
JERRY: All right! I'll do it. The race is on.

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