One Of Elaine's Signature Moves Actually Predates Seinfeld
"Seinfeld" had a tremendous amount of physical comedy, thanks largely in part to Michael Richards. Kramer's entrances through Jerry's (Jerry Seinfeld) apartment door were well-crafted and sometimes dangerous if another actor didn't get out of the way in time. From clearing off Jerry's table to make room for RISK to kicking the counter at Paisano's after arguing with an employee, Richards mastered the physical aspect of Kramer.
Richards might have outshone the other cast members in terms of physical comedy, but it doesn't mean they didn't have their moments. Who can forget a pantless George Costanza (Jason Alexander) running out of Jerry's bathroom and falling? Or Jerry wrestling a marble rye out of poor Mable's (Frances Bay) hands? Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) certainly had her time to shine as well, and had possibly one of the best physical comedy scenes on the show — the little kicks. While that one Season 8 moment made for Elaine's most famous scene (arguably) ever, there was another physical bit of hers that predated the character by about 10 years and was absolutely hilarious.
Elaine's shove was a Julia Louis-Dreyfus move long before Seinfeld
"GET OUT!" Where does your mind wander to upon reading that signature "Seinfeld" phrase? Is it when Elaine found out her new armoire was actually the Soup Nazi's, which results in her shoving Kramer through her swinging door? Is it when she pushes Kevin (Tim DeKay), aka Bizarro Jerry, to the floor upon learning she got tickets to the Bolshoi? Or are you reminiscing about when Jerry tells Elaine that George is getting married, and the former is hit so hard he falls to the floor? We could go on and on, as the Elaine shoving bit on "Seinfeld," thankfully, never went away.
Elaine's shoving schtick, which debuted in Season 2's "The Apartment," predates the character, as it was a movie Julia Louis-Dreyfus used to do in her college comedy show days. Paul Barrosse, a fellow student at Northwestern with Louis-Dreyfus, told The New Yorker the physical comedy from the "Seinfeld" star was always there. "The way that she would shove guys—that's the way she had to treat us," he said. "That kind of physicality was on display very early." Barrosse explained his colleague was one of the few women in their comedy group, and she stood up to all of them right out of the gate.
The shove on "Seinfeld" was Elaine's response to surprising news or her annoyance at one of the guys, and the magnitude directly related to the severity of said news. It also wasn't always accompanied with "Get out!" and was occasionally paired with "Shut up," and sometimes just typical dialogue. For instance, Elaine shoves Jerry — and subsequently Kramer — when she's told that Gail Cunningham (Anita Barone) is discussing her Botticelli shoe purchase. "Did you hear this?" she grunts as she pushes Jerry and Kramer into the refrigerator.
No matter when the move was conceived, the shove is one of the great running gags on "Seinfeld," and we have Louis-Dreyfus herself to thank for it.