The Strongbox (season 9, episode 14)

story by Dan O’Keefe & Billy Kimball, teleplay by Dan O’Keefe, directed by Andy Ackerman
original airdate: February 5, 1998

Kramer acquires a strongbox to keep his valuables. George’s girlfriend refuses to break up with him, even when he dates another woman. Jerry grows suspicious of a neighbor who may or may not live in his building. Elaine dates a homeless man.

FEATURED LOCATIONS

The Improv is not featured in this episode.

Jerry’s Apartment
Jerry refuses to let someone in the building, who turns out to be his neighbor Phil from down the hall. Phil exacts revenge by allowing his parrot, Fredo, to sit and squawk in the hallway. Kramer purchases a strongbox to hold his “irreplaceables” after a robbery in the building.

Monk’s Café
George devises a plan to date two women simultaneously, so that he will have a valid reason for his first girlfriend to dump him. They all meet at the coffee shop, but want to both continue seeing George. Elaine questions how to end her relationship with the “got-no-Green Lantern.”

Phil’s apartment
129 W. 81st St., Apt. 5E, New York, NEW YORK (map)
nearest subway: 81st Street – Museum Of Natural History (B,C)
Jerry discovers that a man he refused to let in the building earlier not only lives in the building, but next door to Kramer. As revenge, Phil leaves his pet bird Fredo in the hallway, until Kramer silences it when it swallows Kramer’s strongbox key. Phil’s apartment is shown as 5E, which contradicts Newman’s Apartment, which for most of the series was shown as being 5E, and is shown as clearly being down the hall from Jerry and Kramer.

George’s Apartment
George has difficulty dumping Maura, and later Loretta, who he ends up dating simultaneously, with both women knowing about the other.

New York Friars Club
57 E. 55th St., New York, NEW YORK (map)
nearest subway: 5th Avenue – 53rd Street (E,M)
Jerry mentions he is going to a roast here, and buys Jerry Lewis’ cufflinks in the hopes of striking up a conversation with him.

St. Marks Hotel
2 Saint Marks Pl., New York, NEW YORK (map)
nearest subway: Astor Place (6)
Glenn lives in a dumpy apartment next door to the hotel, which Elaine (a.k.a. “Lois Loan”) pays to refurbish…until she discovers he’s married AND poor.

MAINE (map)
Loretta mentions she went to Maine for a few days, when George asks about her perpetually dark complexion.

Hartsdale Pet Cemetery
100 North Washington Ave., Hartsdale, NEW YORK (map)
Jerry and Kramer head to the pet cemetery to dig up Fredo the parrot, in the hopes of finding the strongbox key. The nearest pet cemetery to Manhattan is the Hartsdale Pet Cemetery.