Larry David was born July 2, 1947 and grew up in Brooklyn. He didn't discover that he had the ability to be funny and make people laugh until he attended college and one of his friends mentioned that he should go into comedy. David realized that comedy was something he had never considered and realized he should give it a shot. While watching improv at a comedy club, David came to the conclusion that he should try comedy as a career and even tried to go on stage that very night before the club owner said that he must audition first. From there, David went into stand-up where he met some of the people who he would work with later in his career. One of these people was Susie Essman, who plays Susie Greene on David's show "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Essman said that David is a comedian's comedian. This means that other comedians greatly respected Larry David and his brand of comedy, but that at times the audience might not have been very in tune to what David was saying. Essman has supported this concept with an anecdote about one of Larry David's sets in which he got up on stage, took one look at the crowd, then said "I don't think so." This goes to show that for at least part of his career, other comedians were more supportive of him than certain audiences. While working as a stand-up, David also held down jobs as a store clerk, limo driver (a job he makes several references to on Curb), and historian. During this time he also lived in Hell's Kitchen next to another comedian, from which he drew inspiration for the Kramer character on Seinfeld. David went on to write and perform on ABC's Fridays from 1980 to 1982 and then to write for Saturday Night Live from 1984 to 1985. It was in this stage of his career that David met actors he would later work with on Seinfeld, like Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards. David also quit his writing job on SNL only to show up 2 days later, acting like the event didn't happen, which inspired an episode of Seinfeld years later. All of these early career experiences go to show the way that David drew from his life for comedic inspirations and used his connections when casting his shows.
In 1989, David collaborated with Jerry Seinfeld to create the pilot for what would become Seinfeld. The show would go on to become one of the most popular. David used elements from his own life while writing episodes of the show and even went so far as to as to base the character of George Costanza on himself. The show garnered a great amount of critical acclaim and David even won an Emmy for the episode "The Contest," which TV Guide ranked as number 1 on its list of "Top 100 Episodes of All Time." David wrote 62 episodes of Seinfeld before leaving the show in the 7th season, then returning for the series finale. In total the show received 19 Emmy nominations and won 2 times: once for writing and once for comedy.
David then went on to release "Curb Your Enthusiasm" with HBO in October of 2000. The show focuses on a depiction of a fictionalized, post-Seinfeld Larry David that Larry David says he would be if he lacked the social conventions that he has. The writing style for this show is centered around improvisation that is based mainly on a story outline, direction, and creativity of the actor. This allows for more of an individual's comedic style to play out. The show follows Larry David, his wife (played by Cheryl Hines), his best friend/manager (played by Jeff Garlin), and Jeff's wife (played by Susie Essman). The show also features recurring appearances by the likes of Ted Danson, Wanda Sykes, and other comedy and acting figures. The show also features cameos from the cast of Seinfeld as themselves. The reception for "Curb" was also very good, receiving 30 Emmy nods, 1 Emmy win, and 1 Golden Globe win. The show has also entrenched itself in American pop culture with the concept of a Larry David moment in which one finds oneself in a socially awkward situation of inadvertent creation.
Larry David has found great amounts of success in the television industry, creating 2 television giants in the process (including what is likely the most successful show of all time, certainly for a comedy). David has found his success through collecting throughout his life and finding the humor around him. None of his success would have been possible had it not been for the way he viewed the world around him and his determination in sticking to his comedic styling. David has created two great testaments to what television is capable of doing as a medium, specifically with respect to comedy. Not bad for someone who started out at just a comic's comic.
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This blog post pretty pretty pretty good (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_05qJTeNNI). I love Larry David, Curb, and Seinfeld. I think it's really interesting how he collects from his own personal experiences and transforms those moments into comedic gold. I also find it interesting how he was not received well by audiences when he did stand up but he was embraced by his fellow comedians.
ReplyDeleteIt was interesting to find out that he didn't think he could be a comedian until he went to college. It seems like the majority of the creatives we read about knew from a young age what they wanted to do and be. It makes me wonder if creative capabilities can develop later in life, or if people like Larry David always had the capability but just didn't realize their potential until later.
ReplyDeleteIt seems as though every comedian draws from their own life to a certain extent, and I find it both interesting and telling that Larry David does this so literally. Seinfeld was more loosely based on his experiences while Curb Your Enthusiasm seems like a more literal depiction of his life. I wasn't fully aware how critically acclaimed his work is, and that was interesting to find out. Great post!
ReplyDeleteI love Curb Your Enthusiasm. Honestly, it kind of shocks me that I never considered Larry David as a "Creative", but reflecting on how much Seinfield has changed sitcoms it blows my mind that we do not consider Larry David more when we discuss comedy. He really changed the frontier. I also think Curb Your Enthusiasm is such an interesting and creative show. The intellect a person needs to reflect on their personality and accurately portray it is amazing on his part!
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