Seinfeld co-creator David gets HBO special April 9, 1999 2:20 AM EDT
By Cynthia Littleton
HOLLYWOOD (Variety) - Who really has more freedom: a married man in America or a single man in communist China?
If that sounds like one of those ephemeral ``Seinfeld'' topics that Jerry and the gang on used to kick around in the coffee shop, it should. The quirky query comes from a bit that marks the return of ``Seinfeld'' co-creator Larry David to the standup scene via an upcoming HBO comedy special.
The show will be part ``making of'' documentary and part standup sequences from such famed comedy venues as Carolines in Gotham, said Bob Weide, an old pal of David's who is directing and producing.
``Thirteen years ago, I'd watch Larry go on stage at these clubs at 1 in the morning. His stuff was brilliant, but the audiences could be unruly. He was not the happiest person in the world,'' Weide recalled. ``So I was shocked when all these years later he called me to say, 'I'm going to do standup again.'''
The special promises to have some fun with David's reputation for pulling out of standup gigs at the 11th hour -- and even later. Weide, who earned an Oscar nomination this year for his upcoming HBO documentary ``Lenny Bruce: Swear to Tell the Truth,'' has been gathering evidence through interviews with David associates such as Jerry Seinfeld, Jason Alexander, Carol Leifer, Larry Charles and Richard Lewis.
The special should also cheer ``Seinfeld'' devotees, who have been subsisting on reruns since the NBC sitcom bowed out with much fanfare last May.
``People who don't know the history behind the show will learn that Larry is the guy who came up with a lot of those concepts,'' Weide said.
The special is set to air some time next year.
Reuters/Variety