The Cheever Letters - Seinfeld

Susan's family cabin goes up in flames, but a mysterious box containing gay love letters addressed to her father is the only thing that survived the fire. In this scene, the letters are delivered to the family's apartment and read out loud.
Originally aired 10/28/1992

[@jakep1979]

The scene afterwards when Jerry tells Elaine that nothing was left from the cabin except letters from the author John Cheever. Elain asks Jerry if he ever read anything by him and Jerry replied " I am familiar with some of his work" lol

[@yuri2604]

I don’t think that was the context. When Elaine was in jerry’a apartment she sees george reading a John Cheever’s book and then she asks jerry if he has read any of his books. She had to go away quickly because in that episode George and jerry were “trying” to write the pilot.

[@fromthehaven94]

@@yuri2604 A love letter written to Susan's father, it counts just as much as all the published works in the specific context.

[@Peace1dy]

😂

[@Dr.TJ_Eckleburg]

Yeah this is actually all so much better when you actually know Cheever and his work -- which I most certainly did not when the show aired lol. But now I find it even more hilarious.

[@richardromero5452]

@@Dr.TJ_Eckleburg How come?

[@sedeyus]

I love how Jerry and George are almost like guest stars in a drama about a screw-up rich family.

[@michaelwainscott2633]

The irony of course is when George's parents and Susan's parents had dinner together, the Constanzas appeared to be the messed up family. Every family has its skeletons in the closet. The Constanzas were just more outwardly f-ed up.

[@MintJellyfish-te3bt]

@@michaelwainscott2633im pretty sure even then the rosses were insulting each other. They only knew peace until George killed their daughter

[@8214Matriarch]

I love the Aunt saying, "I knew it!" Like she questioned for so long.

[@grgeliz]

I couldn't stop laughing. Even now. "i knew it".

[@backpackdude1]

Touché.

[@Bisonzilla]

That aunt is supposed to be the dad's sister too

[@titoreyna3799]

I absolutely love that part. The look of joy and satisfaction... it kills me everytime.

[@Moneyg73]

There's always an aunt saying she knew someone was gay beforehand. Lol

[@54FLEX45]

"TIME..... is what he's indicating there ah, anyway.. onward and upward" - Classic.

[@szqsk8]

"In a way you could never understand!" Lol the way he says that.

[@user-un5iz6th1n]

Because he pulls it off: his disdain is so powerful it salvages his dignity from his angry wife the moment after she finds out about his gay love affair. It's hilarious.

[@maxten]

that box he's holding- "my precious"

[@zufgh]

@@maxten EXACTLY! Gollum's exactly what I thought of when I first saw it. The actor's delivery of that line deserved such a bigger laugh.

[@johnnyzuidema3795]

"Time is what he's indicating there" George and Jerry had awesome chemistry here

[@slytown]

"Its just a common courtesy. Ya come in the house ya wipe your wheels." I love that line.

[@ahmadfarrall2097]

It’s the best, who could come up with this stuff? No one else and no one will this show is unique.

[@jenniferwebb5954]

My daughter's bring their electric scooters in the house, so this line gets repeated often. They're too young to appreciate Seinfeld yet 😅

[@giantmetfan06]

susprised George didn't tell the brother to consider Architecture.

[@curtisjarrell2312]

Brian Kalinka Maybe marine biology?

[@markfryer9880]

@@curtisjarrell2312 Nah, they are a dime for a dozen! You go to the beach for a swim and they are all over you! What with them and their camera crews it ruins the whole day.

[@WavyFBaby]

Well that’s because the brother isn’t Penske material lol.

[@joshuamusicante4841]

I'd recommend he become a detective in Santa Barbara; perhaps working with a "psychic".

[@ryanmatthew05]

nah George is too spiteful to suggest for anyone else to live out his dream. Except for that one kid.

[@serialthrilla21]

"You come in the house you wipe your wheels" is one of my all time favorite lines from Seinfeld...and a creed I live by.

[@giraffesareselfish9563]

Well, they're filthy

[@ZippyZepeda]

And in the trip part 2 episode George ask some guy where are we he says earth

[@JabberCT]

"Time, is what he's indicating there."

[@Fit0ver40]

JabberCT best line of the entire series

[@danish6192]

cracks me up

[@leafyutube]

Poor Susan. After she met George, her entire world came crumbling down. haha

[@SV67943]

+leafyutube It's okay. She can't feel anything anymore.

[@stolasgoetia93]

lol Yeah because she's fucking dead, thanks to George and his cheap envelopes.

[@palabrajot505]

leafyutube Poor Lilly.

[@festus569]

You are right.

[@Puckanm]

On georges defense he did say they could pick up some elmers glue :)

[@flake11372]

Love how Jerry just pulls George out the door.

[@michaelwainscott2633]

George, after Jerry points at his watch. "Time is what he's indicating there." lol

[@ravenID429]

I never noticed that before lmao

[@jackgrimaldi8685]

😂. George was taking too long to leave; just get the hell out of there!

[@mobus1603]

Jerry & George's synchronized reaction after Susan is done reading Cheever's letter is gold 🤣 They simply can't get out of there fast enough, but are trying so hard to be polite

[@GHC3]

I like how at the end George tries to leave with uplifting last words "Onward and Upward." To a family's crushing discovery. I always remembered the dad's short but amazing performance with his delivery.

[@worsethanhitlerpt.2539]

So the Dad had a gay love affair with some dude. Like thats a BAD thing.

[@yellowblanka6058]

@@worsethanhitlerpt.2539 Well, infidelity is infidelity, doesn't matter who it's with, and of course if he was really gay it makes the children wonder if he really loved their mother or just married her to try and live a "normal" life etc.

[@Rm1000YrsWide]

"The Cheever Letters" is a very underrated episode. I think it gets overshadowed by the preceding episode, "The Bubble Boy," but it really is comedic genius...just like just about every "Seinfeld" episode. Thanks for posting the clip.

[@bigdog1002]

Not by me.. one of my favorite episodes

[@ruicorreia7882]

The Moops.

[@Joe-pb3bm]

That's a definite "wooooops!"😲

[@fromthehaven94]

It's among the five episodes on the same DVD of the Season 4 set. Preceded by The Bubble Boy, and followed by The Opera, The Virgin, and The Contest. They happened to be the best five episodes in a row. Anyone who thinks otherwise can grab that disc from my cold dead hands. Even though I can watch anytime on Netflix.

[@perrymehta6438]

@rm I like this episode more than bubble boy. That episode is lame. This is one of my fav episodes

[@Walbrook48]

One of the greatest moments in all of "Seinfeld."

[@harmonicajay91]

"PS, love the cabin". That's my favorite line. I don't know why.

[@Edkeyz]

its a genius phrase

[@jestes100]

My fav has always been.. Jerry : Because of the ... George : the time is what he is indicating there..well onward and upward!

[@stregadisalem732]

Because its so random😆

[@daniellee1722]

The cherry on top

[@aramfingal5180]

@@stregadisalem732 It wasn't really random, rather a running joke from the previous episode where Susan's dad was talking about how much he cherished the cabin, while George was trying to tell him it burned down.

[@mbwhly]

The body language of Jerry and George when they find out is seriously brilliant.

[@patriciogonzaga3101]

Later: "Uh, yeah, I'm familiar with some of his writing." :-D

[@beatle11]

- WHO'S JOHN? WHO'S JOHN? - I KNEW IT! LMAO!

[@grgeliz]

me too, still

[@karltonlimeback6183]

I WANNA KNOW WHO JOHN IS!😂😂

[@zara4793]

So hilarious how he says "he was the most wonderful person I've ever known!" 😂😂😂

[@judgemodollar]

jerry's and george's facial expressions are priceless "P.S. loved the cabin

[@pinz2022]

One of the all-time hilarious Seinfeld moments. I effing peed myself. This was around the time when John Cheever's multi-volume collected letters and journals were published.

[@BassForever44]

“I knew it!” HAHAHAHA omg that lady saying that always gets me

[@kooj22]

Jason's delivery on every line is pure gold

[@beatle11]

- Who's John? Who's John? - I KNEW IT!!!

[@bizophone]

First time I saw this on TV as a teen I damn near flipped my shit laughing. Has the same effect today.

[@tdurden8747]

Yeah I remember watching this in my teens like 13 or maybe 15 and I was this episode and was so confused but I knew there were talking about something gay lol I remember it being so weird hehe

[@RobThompson-de2db]

I laughed and laughed over this!

[@eboooo]

The way he looks at his wife in a way you could never understand was by far my favorite line of his. Among plenty of gems too

[@jackedkerouac4414]

The Cheever Letters is a work of art.

[@snuggletiger]

time is what he's indicating. Onward and Upward. too funny

[@Bdhacker101]

You know this show is really old when George greets Detective Carlon Lassiter with "Hey there young fella!"

[@paullambert3836]

not that theres anything wrong with that

[@robmiljus]

Did you just double-dip that chip.

[@shoqwavebeats8745]

from now on just dip once and end it

[@robmiljus]

denwhatt lol. "Look Timmy, you dip the way you want to dip and I'll dip the way I want to dip." Excellent episode that one.

[@panographic]

jambalaya!

[@robmiljus]

panographic . Shh! I gotta focus. I'm shifting into soup mode

[@gdbaradit]

This whole skit is a master piece

[@edwardalexander9486]

Sharp exit left... I knew it!!! One of the funniest mise-en-scene skits of the entire series. Susan's expression is priceless at the end.

[@LeoWhalen1933]

Season 4 of Seinfeld is the most solid, humorous, and engaging television to ever grace this planet. Tell me I'm wrong.

[@fromthehaven94]

Disc 2 of season four will have to be pried from my dead cold hands.

[@kendallrivers1119]

Seasons 4, 5 and 7 may be the seasons with the most consistent hot streak of one hilarious and strong episode after another.

[@BL-mf3jp]

Season 4 is the clear winner, with not a single bad episode. Seasons 6 and 7 aren't far behind.

[@Antonio_Serdar]

@@BL-mf3jp In my opinion 1-6 were hilarious, they started losing it a bit during 7, and 8-9 are not to my liking. Way too mainstream and the characters didn't feel real any more, George was very exaggerated, the plots were a bit over the top.

[@KOSMICKEN09]

It's all great Just different levels of Funny

[@Slade347]

"P.S., love the cabin." That might be favorite part. Such a great scene.

[@DC-ih8bv]

Jerry’s arm swing at 1:50 checking the time is classic Seinfeld. Watch it over and over.

[@lancedavis9710]

Absolutely hilarious 🤣

[@bannedheretic2971]

There's a lot of truth in this scene. A lot of married men have had affairs with men and keep it a secret. I love it when the woman in the wheelchair says, "I KNEW IT!"

[@shoqwavebeats8745]

Priceless reaction from Jerry

[@joshlight6892]

Scenes like this were what made Seinfeld hilarious. The funny bombshell was obviously the homosexual affair reveal and everyone's reaction to it. But even the build up had totally unrelated things going on that were also hilarious.

[@calbears02]

"The Cheever Letters" was probably one of the most underrated epsiodes from "Seinfeld". George and Jerry bolting out of there after Susans dad comes out is classic. If anyone has the ending to this episode, I would greatly appreciate it if you can upload it. It is one of the best ever. Thanks in advance!

[@MC-vh7go]

10 years later, ya get your first reply and a like

[@jerrymylove1754]

Gotta reply just because. I don’t think it was an underrated episode either. It’s just buried in a season that was stacked with great episodes.

[@demogog3449]

One of my favorite Seinfeld scenes

[@mascos69]

One of the best scenes in television history!

[@GypsyKiller20]

lol the last thing George says, “onwards and upwards!” lolol

[@theruggednorth]

It's a crime that this doesn't have a million views.

[@usargentina6192]

“He doesn’t look like me”. That probably stuck with George for a while.

[@MegaKalso]

The head nods from Jerry and George at the ps. love the cabin bit is perfect comedic timing.

[@chronoslv3]

I like how Jerry is really uncomfortable and points to the door like "let's get the fuck outta here"

[@grgeliz]

"I knew it" I couldn't step laughing omg hilarious

[@skipreinhard]

I was today years old when I realized that there was actually a writer called John Cheever who was gay and had a daughter named Susan

[@hellenicspirit9849]

Great resolution....thanks for the 3 pixels.

[@manhattan85]

"I fear my orgasm has left me a cripple" ROTFLMFAO

[@nimaside]

It's been on tv every day since the nighties. I still watch the reruns everyday.

[@WaBashirAlSabereen]

"I KNEW IT!"

[@marktully9090]

Time is what he's indicating there..

[@valeria-militiamessalina5672]

Anyway, ONWARD and UPWARD, best exit possible 😂

[@lobelia2]

this is the funniest scene in the entire series

[@ED-le1pr]

2:21 lmao the way Jerry signals to get the hell out of there.

[@pixiebubz]

Ahahaha... I adore Jerry's facial expressions and gestures in this scene!

[@JDugald221]

it's doc hayward and sarah palmer!

[@spacepirate1449]

Time is what he is indicating.. so uh...

[@ygtcbee23]

Yes, time is what he's indicating there...

[@lfkk4640]

"Onward and upward!" 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@pinkranger2373]

"Yeah! Time is what he's indicating there" could quite literally be the birthplace of Seth MacFarlane's Peter Griffin

[@uberpwner48]

"Fork in lung." "Time's a factor, Lois."

[@pathendlem]

For some reason the pissed off look on ricky’s face and the way he angrily says “YEEEES!” cracks me up

[@CowboyBebop262]

This is one of my all time favorite Seinfeld moments. I'm still wondering how Susan's parents stayed together into the seventh season.

[@MmCelliste]

Money.

[@maysic]

Onward and Upward. ~* Gets grabbed out *~

[@annedwyer797]

Someone left a comment previously that Susan and her family always reminded them of "Twin Peaks". I knew for many yrs that Grace Zabriskie, who played Susan's mother was Laura's mother in Twin Peaks, but Warren Frost, who played Susan's father WAS ALSO in Twin Peaks as a minor character! I'M TOTALLY FREAKING OUT OVER THAT CASTING, THAT BOTH ACTOR WOULD BE IN BOTH SERIES!!

[@sam21skin]

George’s outro was gold.

[@bishopaz]

One of my favorite scenes. Well written

[@spectormaze5740]

You come in the house you wipe your wheel 🤣🤣

[@wel8266]

Hey, it's Lassie from Psych. so this is where u came from

[@MrBmick79]

Literally scrolled down the comments looking for this reaction

[@Alaska-Jack]

What a nice doorman. He didn’t give Jerry crap or anything.

[@David171985]

If podiatry doesn't work out, Ricky should think about police work.

[@KOSMICKEN09]

He was the most wonderful person I've ever known!

[@chathuranuwan126]

'Time is what he is indicating there' LOL

[@BrightOranje]

LMAO! This episode almost had me crying with laughter...

[@43nostromo]

It's just a matter of common courtesy. You come in the house, you wipe your wheels.

[@2MossBag]

All I had to do was type in “onward and upward” and this was exactly what I was looking for

[@Harambae613]

For some reason, Susan's mother's look at 2:16 always cracks me up.

[@JW-do2wc]

It's like Death at a Funeral except the mans alive.

[@cs512tr]

the video quality is amazing!!!!

[@hariharanvenkataramani7311]

I love 1:43 when Jerry and George shrug affirmatively for the cabin shoutout and also 2:31 from George: time is what he’s indicating there!

[@sanbi221]

"Not that there's anything wrong with that."

[@tylerhills5737]

Me and my dad watch Seinfeld all the time .... and I am twelve

[@themashugana9440]

jerry yanking George out of the doorway at the end, LMAO!!!

[@maryjohnson4189nnkb]

You Come In The House You Wipe Your Wheels 😂

[@JudasAngel666]

I LOVED HIM IN A WAY YOU'D NEVER UNDERSTAND LMAO XD

[@Archedgar]

Yeah because of the uhh... Time is what... he is indicating there. Lol ! Brilliant.

[@Georgieastra]

Norman Mailer was a real good sport doing this cameo.

[@jms1963]

Their looks when he says love the cabin lol classic

[@THEdjpluto]

It’s just a matter of common courtesy... *You come in the house, you wipe your wheels* 🤣🤣🤣

[@lancerz23]

0:41 Newpaper front page reads "GUILTY OF LOVE" haha

[@Monchi2006]

i love how susan reads "...has left me a cripple."

[@llamasarus1]

My dad used to be strict on what we can't watch on TV, so now that I'm an adult it's nice that both of us can laugh at this scene together and refer to it when something uncomfortable happens haha

[@grainnegowen5758]

Time is what he's indicating there

[@ddespair]

Ironically, John Cheever’s actual daughter was named Susan.

[@LoneLee2022]

Now that's ironic!

[@rubyfirefly2582]

"I knew it!" LOL

[@cs512tr]

i love the way jerry yanks george the hell out of there at the end

[@deeperpurposelive]

time... time is what he's indicating there.