In an early episode of HBO’s The Larry Sanders Show, Sanders’ dim-witted talk-show sidekick, Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor), explained the origin of his tag line, ”Hey now!” ”When I was a kid, I used to say ‘hey,’ and then later I said ‘now,’ but I never put it together until later.”
It didn’t take quite that long for star-executive producer Garry Shandling and cocreator Dennis Klein to think up ”Hey now!,” a knockoff of Ed McMahon’s ”Hi-O!” Little did they know it would become a real catchphrase. ”I get a lot of ‘Hey now!”’ Tambor says. ”Sometimes I hear it yelled from cars.”
Larry’s monologue-closing mantra, ”Don’t flip around” (or ”No flipping”), accompanied by a mimed remote control akin to Johnny Carson’s golf swing, doesn’t get quoted to Shandling on the street, but that doesn’t bother him. ”I’m thrilled that no one says my name followed by any version of the word flip,” he jokes. ”There’s a double entendre in there somewhere.”
But ”Hey now!” and ”Don’t flip around” are only two of the memorable phrases heard on Sanders. Here are 64 more:
Andropolis Greek luxury liner on which Hank served as cruise director prior to his Larry Sanders gig
applesauce bad pun Hank uses to warm up the audience (”That sign says ‘Applesauce.’ No, no, no, I’m kidding. It says ‘Applause.”’)
Roseanne and Tom Arnold couple who scold Larry for censoring gay performance artist Tim Miller and sometimes park in Hank’s space
Elizabeth Ashley Evening Shade star who has a steamy encounter with Larry’s executive producer, Artie (Rip Torn), in the wardrobe room
blower Hank-ese for the telephone (”Get Ray Combs on the blower.”)
Dana Carvey ex-SNLer who guest-hosts for Larry, then gets offered a late-night talk show on another network
Dick Cavett CNBC chatterbox who Hank falsely claims has offered him a cohost job during his contract talks
Chicken in a Minute poultry chain Hank wants to mention on the show to get picked as its national spokesman
Come here! phrase that Larry’s second wife, Jeannie (Megan Gallagher), suggests as an alternate to ”Hey now!”
David Copperfield illusionist whom Hank’s spacey secretary, Darlene (Linda Doucett), once a magician’s assistant, supposedly dated
crap column Hank’s term for the work of an L.A. Times reporter who printed a Montana woman’s bogus paternity claim against Larry
crapper Artie-speak for restroom; not to be confused with ”clapper,” the sound-activated device Hank uses to turn out his office lights
Denny’s downscale restaurant where Larry has a manual encounter with the Montana woman in the parking lot
Elaine Artie’s unseen fifth wife, who’s often away on safari (”Elaine’s in Kenya… for three months to photograph zebras humping.”)
Entertainment Weekly magazine that prints Arsenio Hall’s threat to ”kick [Larry’s] ass” and later uncovers chaos at Sanders (Artie: ”It’s not exciting enough for them, so they make up this s—.”)
Excedrin and artichoke hearts items Larry is buying when he knocks into a woman in a supermarket, setting off a media frenzy
Garden-Weasel weeding implement the network forces Larry to do live commercials for on the show
Ghost tearjerker that Jeannie tells Larry’s coworkers is his favorite film; movie-studio execs later suggest that the ending of a screenplay Larry has written should resemble Ghost‘s finale
girdle restrictive garment sported by Hank (”I wear this girdle for medical reasons. I am performing with pain.”)
the glance subtle look Larry gives Hank when he needs his help during an interview; Hank worries that guest-host Carvey won’t use it (”If he doesn’t give me the glance, I’m going to leave him standing there with his tallywhacker right in his hand.”)
Bobcat Goldthwait screeching comic Larry tries to convince the network to sign as host of its 12:30 a.m. show
Merv Griffin unctuous talk-show host who gave Larry his big break and whom Larry later betrayed by going on Carson
guest #1 cups specially marked mugs given to the first celeb interviewed on each show and fought over by Bruno Kirby and Steven Wright when both were booked for the same spot
Cindy Halloran demented Pensacola, Fla., woman who once stalked Hank across seven states
hand-on-hand flirtatious move made on Larry by guest Mimi Rogers, whom he later dates
Hankerciser 200 doorknob-attached fitness gizmo Hank hawks on a home-shopping channel and Larry’s journalist ex-wife, Francine (Kathryn Harrold), nearly exposes as dangerous
Hankmobile personalized golf cart Hank requests during his contract talks and ends up having to pay for himself
Hank’s for the Memories fanzine Hank personally writes and distributes
Hank’s Kerchief racehorse Hank once owned, known for jumping the rails at Santa Anita three races in a row
Hank’s Look Around Cafe revolving bistro (”Where you and your food go on an adventure”) into which Hank sinks vast sums of money
Hank’s Thoughts ”Larry King’s People”-like column in Hank’s for the Memories (”Maybe it’s me, but I think Sharon Gless should be on TV every night.”)
Hollywood Madame escort-service operator Hank patronized during the mid-’80s (”I was carrying some excess weight and I had a persistent skin rash it was hard for me to get dates.”)
I’m Larry, He’s Stan comedy album Larry cut with alcoholic ex-partner Stan Paxton (Eric Bogosian) in the mid-’70s, which features the track ”The Man on the Street Meets the Man on the Moon”
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