It’s both fascinating and relatively rare when Larry David plays a character that’s not himself.
Well, he’s always playing himself to some large extent, but it’s not often when he’ll appear in something that he plays a character not named Larry David.
That being said, David showed off his chops both as impersonator and comedic character in playing Bernie Sanders in a number of Saturday Night Live episodes over the years. Here’s a fun example:
And I found the movie he starred in back in 2013, Clear History, to be genuinely funny and in even charming. The logline on that one: “A disgraced former marketing executive plots revenge against his former boss, who made billions from the electric car company they had started together.” And I’d also just note that the cast is packed to the gills with heavy hitters including Bill Hader and Jon Hamm (both of whom are now partnered up with David once again).
So what’s a guy to do who was fundamental in not only the above but two of the funniest and most enduring comedy TV shows of all time?
Get in touch with his inner Mel Brooks circa History of the World, Part I, perhaps.
What do I mean by that?
In the delightfully long titled Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America, Larry delves into history, sketch comedy-style, and shows up as some form of the curmudgeonly and often ill-fated Larry David we know and love air dropped into some kind of historically significant situation.
For example, in one clip that’s been released, we find Larry in New York City on V-J Day, the day that World War II finally ended with the capitulation of Japan. Manhattan is exuberant, and we see a couple kissing in what has been depicted as one of the most famous photographs of the 20th Century.*
* Sidenote that I once worked for Getty Images, and a blown up, framed version of that image is proudly displayed in the downtown Manhattan office.
Larry’s WWII doppelganger figures that if the jubilant ladies are feeling of a kissing state of mind, that he should get in on the action. And when he takes his big swing with a young woman in a nurse’s uniform, let’s just say that things don’t quite go as planned.
This weirdly brings to mind when I worked in England, about an hour east of London, after graduating from college. My flat mate Nirav and I had heard that on New Year’s Eve, it was common practice for the celebratory ladies to hand out smooches to the gents at the appointed hour. While I had (nor have) no idea whether or not this is true, as single young ex-pat dudes abroad, we were quite excited about this prospect.
Cut to New Year’s Eve, and I was sick as a dog. Turns out the only action I got that night was a 102-degree fever.
But back to Larry and his relentless pursuit of unhappiness – he’ll be joined with quite a stellar cast of guest stars throughout the season, as Variety reports that the likes of Bill Hader and Kathryn Hahn will appear as Abe and Mary Todd Lincoln while Jon Hamm and Sean Hayes will be the Wright brothers. Curb alum Vince Vaughn will also show up, as will an actual real life president: Barack Obama.
Elite talent all around, in other words.
Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America will comprise seven episodes – each with an estimated four historical sketches packed in – and premieres on June 26th on HBO.