>>> YOU SEE WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? >> IT'S A COURAGEOUS STAND. I MEAN, YOU KNOW MAYBE IT'S NOT ROSA PARKS ON THE BUS, BUT, YOU KNOW, THIS IS PRETTY IMPORTANT. >> THIS IS AMAZING. >> I DON'T WANT TO GET ALL PREACHY ABOUT THIS, BUT WHAT DID JESUS SAY? I WAS THIRSTY AND YOU GAVE ME WATER. THAT'S WHAT LARRY DID HERE. I'M WONDERING, ARE REPUBLICANS LIKE REALLY GOING TO PUSH GETTING THIS GUY SENT TO JAIL? >> WOW. >> THE STORY GAINING MOMENTUM, TOO, POLITICAL FIGURES, CELEBRITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY REACTING TO LARRY DAVID'S BRAVE STAND. >> CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? >> THIS LARRY DAVID THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT SEEMS LIKE QUITE A FELLOW. HE'S REALLY SOMETHING. >> WE KNOW BETTER. >> OUR CAMEO APPEARANCE IN LAST NIGHT'S NEW EPISODE OF "CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM," EARLIER THIS MONTH WE HAD LARRY DAVID AND SUSIE ESPEN ON PREVIEW THE FINAL SEASON. BEFORE THAT, I GOT A CHANCE TO VISIT LARRY'S PRODUCTION OFFICES IN CALIFORNIA. TAKE A LOOK. ♪♪ ♪♪ >> LET'S START WITH YOUR CORPORATE JET. THAT IS NICE. >> THAT IS SO LOW. JOE. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE THEY CAME FROM. >> DIDN'T YOU FLY THAT TO COP 28? >> I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT CAME FROM. LET'S MOVE ON, OKAY. >> YOU'VE GOT HITLER BOOKS. LET'S GO FROM THE CORPORATE JETS TO THE HITLER BOOKS. >> MAUREEN SEND MESSAGE HITLER BOOKS. >> WHY DOES SHE SEND YOU HITLER BOOKS? >> SHE KNOWS I LIKE MOVIES ABOUT NAZI GERMANY. AND THAT'S ME. LOOK HOW HAPPY I AM WHEN I FIRST STARTED DOING STANDUP. >> DID YOU EVER THINK THAT YOUR DREAM OF BEING A COMEDIAN WASN'T GOING TO WORK? >> I DIDN'T EVEN START STANDUP UNTIL I WAS 27. SO THERE WAS NO DREAM OF BEING A COMEDIAN. I WAS A HOPELESS CASE IN MY 20s. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS GOING TO DO. MY PARENTS SENT ME TO A THERAPIST. I REMEMBER ONCE WHEN I WAS A PRIVATE CHAUFFEUR, I SAW A GUY FROM COLLEGE WALK BY CAR, AND HE WAS WEARING AN IMMACULATE THREE-PIECE SUIT AND SEES ME IN THIS CHAUFFEUR'S OUTFIT, AND WE LOCKED EYES. HE COULDN'T EVEN BRING HIMSELF TO NOD OR DO ANYTHING. HE JUST TURNED HIS HEAD AND CONTINUED WALKING. AND THAT'S WHEN I KNEW THAT SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE. >> I STARTED COMEDY IN LIKE '71 OR SOMETHING, AND HE WAS JUST HANGING AROUND. I DIDN'T KNOW AT THE TIME THAT HE LIVED A BLOCK AND A HALF AWAY IN A PLACE THAT DEFIES DESCRIPTION. ANYWAY, BUT THEY WAS SO FUNNY, LARRY, ON STAGE, AND HE LIKED MY WORK TOO. AND HE BECAME BEST FRIENDS SUDDENLY. I MEAN, WE JUST DID EVERYTHING FOR EACH OTHER. >> YOU GUYS WERE BOTH PRETTY SUBVERSIVE COMICS. >> YEAH. >> AND WHAT CHANGED? >> I DECIDED TO, YOU KNOW, GO ON TO BECOME A STANDUP. >> AND THAT DIDN'T GO WELL, THOUGH, EITHER, DID IT? >> I DIDN'T BOMB ALL THE TIME. I'D SAY I BOMBED FREQUENTLY. IT WAS UNPLEASANT. >> HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE WRITING? HOW DID YOU GET INTO THE SNL WRITING? >> WELL, I WAS ON THIS SHOW IN THE EARLY '80s. THEY GOT ME FROM MY STAND UP. IT WAS A SHOW LIKE "SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE." IT WAS CALLED "FRIDAYS." >> OH, "FRIDAYS," YEAH. >> YEAH. SO I WAS ON THERE. FROM THERE, THAT'S HOW I GOT THE WRITING JOB ON SNL. IT'S 1984. IT'S ABOUT SIX WEEKS INTO THE SHOW, THE SKETCHES THAT I'M WRITING ARE DOING WELL AT THE READ THROUGH. THE WRITERS LIKE THEM, THE ACTORS LIKE THEM. PRODUCER DOESN'T LIKE THEM. THEY DO A FEW IN DRESS REHEARSAL, AND THEY GET CUT BEFORE AIR. AND THEN FINALLY, MAYBE AROUND THE 7th WEEK, THEY CUT ANOTHER ONE. THIS IS FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE SHOW, AND THE PRODUCER IS SITTING IN HIS DIRECTOR'S CHAIR. AND CAN I CURSE HERE? >> YEAH. >> I WENT THIS. [ BLEEP ] SHOW STINKS. IT STINKS. I HATE IT. I'M DONE. [ BLEEP ] YOU. I QUIT. I GET HOME AND KRAMER. >> RIGHT. >> THE REAL KRAMER, THE GUY WHO THE CHARACTER IN THE SHOW WAS BASED ON, HE GOES, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WATCHING THE SHOW. I SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, I JUST HAD A FIT AND I QUIT, AND I GO, SO STUPID, I JUST COST MYSELF X AMOUNT OF DOLLARS, AND I COULD LIVE ON THAT MONEY FOR TWO YEARS. LET'S FACE IT THE STANDUP WASN'T GOING TO SUPPORT ME. AND HE SAYS, WELL, YOU SHOULD GO BACK IN ON MONDAY MORNING AND PRETEND IT NEVER HAPPENED. >> WHAT SHOULD I DO? >> MAYBE YOU CAN JUST GO BACK. >> YOU MEAN JUST WALK INTO THE STAFF MEETING ON MONDAY MORNING LIKE IT NEVER HAPPENED? >> SURE. >> I TAKE MY SEAT AT THE MEETING, HE GOES TO EACH WRITER, ASKS WHAT THEY'RE THINKING ABOUT AND WORKING ON, ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR, HE GETS TO ME, WELL, I'M THINKING ABOUT A SKETCH, AND THAT WAS IT. >> IT WORKED. >> AND IT WORKED. >> A STOOL. >> YEAH, FOR THE ELEVATOR MAN. >> COME HERE, COME HERE. >> YOU TAKE A JOB IN A NEW BUILDING. WOULD YOU WANT THERE TO BE A STOOL IN THE ELEVATOR? >> WELL, I WOULDN'T WANT TO SIT IF I WAS TAKING PEOPLE UP AND DOWN, BUT I GUESS IF I WAS WAITING IN THE LOBBY IT WOULD BE OKAY IF THERE WAS A STOOL. >> HOW COME NO CHAIR? WHAT? >> I COULDN'T HELP BUT NOTICE THAT YOU DON'T HAVE A CHAIR. HAVE THEY EVER OFFERED YOU A CHAIR? >> NO. >> WOULD YOU LIKE A CHAIR? >> I SUPPOSE IF THEY GAVE ME ONE, I'D SIT DOWN. >> LET'S TALK ABOUT "SEINFELD" BECAUSE PEOPLE SAY IT'S A SHOW ABOUT NOTHING, BUT IT WAS ACTUALLY INSPIRED BY SHOPPING IN A KOREAN GROCERY STORE, IS THAT RIGHT? >> AFTER WE PERFORMED, WE WERE GOING TO SPLIT A CAB BACK TO THE WEST SIDE. THIS IS JERRY AND I. AND WE STOPPED OFF AT A GROCERY STORE BEFORE WE SPLIT A CAB. AND WE'RE IN THE INTERESTED IN SHOW. WE BOTH SAID, THIS IS THE SHOW. >> YOU HAVE THE SALSA AFTER THE SALSA. >> WHAT? >> YEAH, RIGHT. >> AND I LOVE THIS, YOU GO ON YOUR WALL THE INITIAL REACTIONS. >> THEY RECOMMENDED A PASS ON THE SHOW BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T LIKE THE CHARACTERS. THEY DIDN'T LIKE ANYTHING ABOUT IT. >> WHO'S THE NBC EXECUTIVE WHO DESERVES CREDIT. >> THE GUY'S NAME WAS RICK LUDWIN. >> WHO HAD THE IDEA AT HBO TO GO, LET'S DO THIS MOCKUMENTARY AND HAD THE FORESIGHT TO SAY THIS IS GOING TO WORK? >> CHRIS ALBRECHT SAW THE SPECIAL. I HADN'T DONE STANDUP IN TEN YEARS, SO IT WAS SORT OF LIKE A MOCK DOCUMENTARY OF ME DOING STANDUP. >> IT SHOWS A NUMBER OF MOVIES RIGHT HERE. >> OKAY. FINE. WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GIVE IT TO ME. >> NO, NO. TALK TO THEM ABOUT THE PORN, PLEASE. >> MAKE A CALL RIGHT NOW ABOUT THE PORN. >> HBO WILL COVER THE PORN. >> I DON'T CARE. >> SO I INVENTED SOME SCENES, WHICH BECAME SORT OF WHAT "CURB" BECAME. CHRIS ALBRECHT WATCHED THIS AND SAID WE SHOULD DO THIS AS A SERIES. >> WHAT'S THE TOUGH PART ABOUT IT? >> IT'S LIKE THREE JOBS AND IT TAKES ABOUT 18 MONTHS. IT'S ABOUT SIX MONTHS PER JOB. THE FIRST JOB IS THE WRITING. I DO THAT WITH JEFF SHAFFER. >> IS SHOW IS WRITTEN THREE TIMES BASICALLY. WE DO AN OUTLINE AND EVERY SCENE IS A LIVE REWRITE. THEN WE WRITE IT FOR THE FINAL TIME IN THE EDIT ROOM. WE HAVE TO MAKE A CHOICE. >> WHICH ONE YOU'RE GOING TO DO? >> YEAH. >> SO THE ACTORS DO IMPROV. THEY'LL DO MAYBE FOUR OR FIVE DIFFERENT TAKES. >> THESE EDITORS ARE BRILLIANT. THERE'S TWO TAKES. THEY CHECK IT OFF. THEY ARE HOME BEFORE LUNCH. THIS, WE ARE STITCHING AND WEAVING. >> YOU HAVE TO DO FIVE OR SEVEN TAKES AND PICK OUT SORT OF THE ALL STAR TEAM. >> I'M EXHAUSTED. >> I USUALLY HAVE A DRESS CODE FOR HIM, BUT HE OBVIOUSLY DIDN'T ABIDE BY IT TODAY. >> LOOK AT THE SOCKS. >> I FEEL LIKE YOU'VE GONE WAY OVER YOUR APPETIZER ALLOTMENT. >> ALLOTMENT? >> WELL, THERE'S THREE OF US. WE EACH GET A THIRD. >> IT'S AN UNWRITTEN RULE. >> THERE'S TWO LARRY DAVIDS. HOLY [ BLEEP ]. >> PEOPLE WHO HADN'T ACTED IN YEARS, HE WOULD BRING THEM BACK AND GIVE THEM THEIR DESERVED MOMENT OF GLORY ON A GREAT CURBED EPISODE. >> SHE GOT SICKER AND WE HAD TO BRING HER BACK TO THE HOSPITAL. >> SHE'S IN THE HOSPITAL? >> WELL, NOT RIGHT NOW. >> DAD? >> SHE'S DEAD. THERE WAS A FUNERAL. >> WHY WASN'T I AT THE FUNERAL? WHY DIDN'T YOU CALL ME? >> SHE TOLD ME NOT TO BOTHER YOU. >> THIS IS SO FUNNY. SHELLY BERMAN IS SO FUNNY IN THIS SCENE. >> WHEN YOU SET THIS UP, THOUGH, IT'S NOT LINE BY LINE BY LINE. >> WE COMPLETELY WINGED IT. YEAH. >> LARRY, YOU CAN'T LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND TOAST. >> LOOK YOU IN THE EYE? >> YEAH. >> TOWARDS WHAT END? >> BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT PEOPLE DO. THEY LOOK AT EACH OTHER IN THE EYE. >> WHAT IS THIS, A SEANCE? >> WE ALL PLAY VERSIONS OF OURSELF. SUZY IS PLAYING A VERSION OF HERSELF AMPED UP. >> EVERYBODY ELSE ON THE CAST, A VERSION OF THEMSELVES TWEAKED A LITTLE BIT. JB IS NOT PLAYING HIMSELF. HE'S NOT PLAYING JB SMOOV. HE'S PLAYING A CHARACTER. >> YOU GOT TO GO? >> YES, I GOT TO GO. >> GET ON OUT OF HERE. >> EXCUSE ME. YOU JUST SPAT ON MY SHOE. STOP. >> HE'S MAKING THIS STUFF UP. >> RIGHT. >> IN A CHARACTER. THAT'S WAY HARDER THAN WHAT I'M DOING. IT'S STILL BRILLIANT. >> OH! WHAT THE [ BLEEP ]! >> YOU PUT THE FRUIT ON THE TABLE. >> ONE THING I LOVE ABOUT "CURB"
