#11 The One With Mr. Heckles (with Larry Hankin)

Announcer 0:00

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Larry Hankin 0:20

All right, Joey, thank you for that amazing introduction. I'm so excited to be here with you on episode 11 of the Jeff Dwoskin show. Glad to have you back. special episode today special guest, Larry hanken. You may know him as Mr. Heckles from friends and a million other things that he's done over his 50 year career. So it should be to know and surprise that today's sponsor is brooms, brooms when you need to let the upstairs neighbor know they're being too loud brooms, we're here for you. And now without further ado, enjoy my chat with Larry Hankin. Alright, ladies and gentlemen, I have a very special guest with me, Larry hanken. You know him from friends Breaking Bad Seinfeld escape from Alcatraz and like 100 other TV shows and movies. Larry, welcome to the show.

Well, thank you for having me. Thank you very much. Well, Mike, Welcome to my humble TV abode.

It's so great. So great to talk to you. I did want to there's a million questions and a million things I want to get into at some point. But I did want to kind of start with you your roots what your start was in stand up comedy.

Is that correct? Stand up. I was a stand. Well, I did puppet shows around 14 or 11. But but can stand up comedy. Yeah, right. But it was late in life because I I graduated as an industrial designer. I mean, that was just too insane. So I just had to go into comedy. Or go go go go insane. I mean, it was that that was the choice.

What was the club scene like, at the time? Who were some of the other polls, right? And, you know,

back then you it was just youth, it was just Hey, we're just hanging. But now that the out of that can i mean i was there when everybody who's famous now was was there? I mean, Peter, Paul and Mary and Bob Dylan, and well, those I guess, like Bill Cosby started there. And Richard Pryor was there and George Carlin was there. And I mean, Sam Shepard was there. And I just everybody. Yeah, Jimi Hendrix was there. I saw Jimi Hendrix throw up. So trivia in one of the one of the, you know, Monday night, open mics. I mean, I was like, way back way, way back. So everybody, everybody was there. I mean, it were there wasn't Peter, Paul and Mary. There was you know, Noel Stookey. He was a comedian. He was a stand up comedian, who then became a, Paul, I guess, yeah. Paul.

On a big Peter Palmer. I met Mary once. She was actually in my house. What do we have that in common?

Yes. You know, she has that. Oh, she always that energetic. I mean, back in the day, she was just totally always a lot of energy. Now. I don't care about what drugs or anything like that. It just was even though and in person. She was wishy like that. All the time.

She was great. She, she, she spoke at my temple. And wow, yeah. So we're gonna we are gonna have to poke at our temple. And then my mom was like, in charge of, sort of, you know, managing her in the speaker, you know, all that kind of thing. So she was actually my house, and I ever autograph on my wall. And we actually went to a concert. We watched a concert of theirs. And we sat backstage and they sang Happy Birthday to my grandpa. I think I'm like his 70th birthday or something like that. was really cool.

That's what I got to get some social grace. You know?

I'm not there yet. But you know, I'm working.

You got time. Yeah. So how long did you do stand up comedy for?

Until I couldn't do it anymore. I mean, I just get

well, at the best.

Going back to Greenwich Village, which is where we were living. I my roommate was Carl Gottlieb. I like to talk about that. I mean, he later wrote George, you know, I think three of them, among other things, you work with Richard Pryor and Steven. I just a lot of comedians, but he was my roommate then and we were just hanging out So the best part of the stand up was a Monday night night. Open Mic nights Monday night open mic nights, which are also open mic Tuesday nights open mic Wednesday nights you know those slow nights but because you only got you only got like three to five minutes. And it was hit or miss and and the audience was so cool. I've never met audiences that cool is that because they knew what they were in for. They knew Hey, it's open mic night. What are you expecting? You know, Jimi Hendrix? No, but yeah, sometimes he comes in. But so they they're very kind if you if you're like a comedian, and you're bombing quote, you know, not getting any left. They just sit there and wait for you to get finished. You know, no booing, no, get off. Nothing. They'll just stick quietly, very nicely, politely until you get off, you know, because they know it's five minutes, and I got five minutes, you know, we're gonna I'm gonna we're gonna be here for a couple of acts like this. But we're here. So that was kind of really great. And I got to work out really some terrible material. I mean, boring, stupid, unfunny material, silly material. But I started, there was a learning curve, there is a learning curve. I mean, when somebody who gets a laugh when you get a laugh, even if it's one person, I mean, if you got that streak in you that DNA that anger, you hear it, you hear it, even though it isn't. So I was opening in six months, then I was opening for Woody Allen, which is kind of cool, you know. So then from there, and I did that, but I started to get into Richard Pryor territory and, and George Carlin and we were all getting booed off the stage because I didn't like it. So you know, I'd say hey, so I called my manager and they say, Hey, man, there, boom, you upstage them when the cops took me off the stage. That was when I drew the line, like, Okay, I'm a nice middle class Jewish kid at the time. I didn't know what was going on, and I wasn't into drugs yet. So I took umbrage at being pulled off the stage for cursing and talking about private parts to a Kingston Trio audience who worried my audience. guys come at me with beer bottles in their hand upside down, you know, get them off the stage. Whoa, you know, Hey, man, I can't This is not I thought it was fun. This is like it's becoming a job now. You know? So I was trying to pick my, you know, trying to see you out in in sobia. Yeah, cool. You know, Miles Davis. Cool. Yeah, man. But then Kingston, Trina. And then when they hit St. Louis, they had cops come to had a phalanx of cops 10 policemen come down, you know, in this auditorium and pull me off the stage. Come on. I mean, this is just talk, we just hear tumbling. You know, this is not a big deal. What do you What are you doing, man?

So I call them I say, hey, I want to get off the ad. I don't like this. I mean, this I was born to be an expert at you know, dodging beer bottles in cops. So he said, cool. He said join Second City because they're doing the same stuff. But they own the theater. So that's what I did. So I got off of that train after about two years. But you know, if I wanted to do it, I could have you know, but I just the middle part, that part about the cops. And it was just mind blowing. I couldn't get my head around it. I was just a middle class Jewish kid, talking about what everybody else was talking about. But not really, actually understanding the power of what a comedian can do if he's kind of angry. And I was. Yeah, I still am. But I still didn't understand. I really didn't understand why the police took me offstage. It was a college audience and they were booing. They were pulling the arm rests the wooden armrests of these old auditorium, auditorium seats, and they were throwing them at the stage man. And then the people in the back only the guys were doing this by the way, guys, just a heads up only the guy. The guys in the back. were pulling their armrests off and passing them down for ammunition to the guys in the first two rows. We ran out of ammunition. So I mean, it was crazy man and the Levin spoonfull who are opening with no say no, say more, say more. They wanted a riot. They wanted a riot. And I was just trying to talk to him. But now he comes the cops and boom. So I called him So I joined Second City. You know I didn't and I joined Second City. And that's how I got to kind of acting and then a couple of us, you know bolted away and went to San Francisco opened a committee and then I was an actor

he did but you just kind of set the committee real fast. But then you did that for like 10 years. Yes.

Oh, I loved it. That was that was that was my met. Yeah, that was my cup of meet as far as a poet once said, yeah, it was I wanted to stay there for the rest of the I that's I still to this day would go back in a second man if there was a company that I mean, I was so naive that they drew me in I was I was there for I was there with Second City for maybe less than a year. And then they then me and jack burns, who invented and wrote at created. Hee Ha. Which was pretty cool, man. That's cool. I mean, yeah, that's not bad for you know, graduate of Second City. So me and him were the first ones fire because we the last one hired had nine people on the stage, you can't improvise nine people, you don't get enough time. You gotta because there's no script, isn't it? Time for you to get on you get on when you can. So me and him split and I went to San Francisco he went, roadie, oh. And I went to improvise for 10 years of in San Francisco was a, it was the greatest gig ever. It's like being a comedian, only you own the stage and the audience. Because they they are there for you for the group. There. They're there because they heard about it. Because you know, you're not opening for an act, and you know who the hell you are. And it's the Kingston Trio and you think, wow, that's gonna be a big, great audience and get up off the stage. Whoa, hold it. So, yeah, and it's great. But there was a lot of money down here. There really was, I mean, people were going, because it was so close. And here's the greatest thing about it, which we didn't realize, until much, many years later when we reflect it. But here we had the Committee, which will, everybody knew we were an offshoot from Second City, so they had the reputation. So we go down there, because we think we're hot shit, you know, we go down to San Francisco, and we open in the first six months. I mean, if there was more people on the stage than in the audience, we didn't have to do a show. So I mean, it was like that. So and good. But one night, I remembered that, you know, forever. We were rehearsing one afternoon, so I hadn't been out there until an hour before the show. So I had time to run home, change my clothes and come back and do the show. So I go out an hour before the show, for the first time outside, outside. And there's a line around the pump the first time, a line around the block. So I ran back in and I got Hamilton camp, who's one of the other actors. Can you kind of see this man, you kind of see it. So it pulled him outside, he goes outside and line goes, actually around the block. It went down that way. And it came over here around this way. So we ran the whole thing that we that's repeated, we did the gauntlet, we went all the way around blocks, and hello to everybody and came around and everybody went inside. And then we were we were hit. The thing that we didn't understand about and that was the whole weirdness of it was because it was only you know, it was a flight. It was a half hour airplane flight in those days was $35 round trip for an airplane from LA to San Francisco and backward trip. So we were after about a year and a half. We were hit show so that that was cool. But now we were hit showing people in LA we're really interested with what's going on. It's too far to fly to Chicago, but I hear him pretty funny. You know, let's in their hip, you know, let's go. So everybody who if we moved down to LA, we couldn't get to see no way. They would fly up and see the show. And here we were in a hit show. We got the greatest, you know, audition piece you know that we could get to really the the heavy hitters. luverne luverne. I mean, Penny Marshall, Penny Marshall discovered me by flying up one night and going. She went back he said there's a skinny guy and he show up Danny's really funny. I want to dance with him. On the show. They had a special show where she had a prom date. So she had a dance with an actor. She let me dance with him. You know, he's funny moves funny. So I said okay, and then I started got it from that job. I got an agent and then I you know, I got jobs. But it moved me down there. I also wouldn't have gone but they offered us so much money at the time. We were starving. You know, I mean $500 a week. Well, it's good for steady that's good for actors for stage actor. That's great. You know, it really is. But you know, here, they give you big chunks, but then you're out of work for longer periods of time. So it kind of evens out you know, and then you got a mortgage and then when you're really rich, you got a mortgage and then you got to get even bigger things. So you know, it's even

Penny Marshall discovered you Yes.

He got me an agent and stuff like that.

That's awesome. So your first acting gig was dancing on Laverne and Shirley,

y'all Yes. That was really funny. Okay, yeah, there's a story about that, which I've never can I tell you that?

Jeff Dwoskin 15:05

Yeah.

Larry Hankin 15:07

Yeah, so Sue, and she was for, you know, she is a very good comedian, man. I mean, she really knows what she's doing when she directed, you know, that movie and everything. Okay? So she took this dancing, and that's where she got me from San Francisco to fly down. Because she was really kind of intrigued, she really wanted to do something funny and worthwhile. I mean, she was very serious about this dance. So she would, after the rehearsal of the show with the talking and stuff, we would stay afterwards and really work on it on the stage in that set that that's the house, you know, that's there for the apartment. So there's a couch there. And so we're really working out on it. And then she says, well, it would be funny if you if you drop me, you know, if we did it dip, and you drop me. Now. She's a physical comedian. She knows how to fall. So it's not like, oh, wow, you're gonna hit your head. And you're, you know, she, she's a clown. Also. She very physical. So we're working on that. And then I said, you know, but it's awkward. It's awkward for me. And then and then getting up and blah, blah, blah. What if I dropped you on the couch? So then I don't have to worry about you have to worry about me. Let me do that. So we move to the couch and I go dip, I drop on a couch, and then she and then I fall on top of her, which was an obvious thing, because you're going like that. And so I did boom, and I fell on top of her and I hear from this bleachers. Hey, what the fuck is going on? Well, we were rehearsing and it's her brother, the producer, writer of the show. She says, What are you? What are you doing? Oh, well, we're rehearsing the dance. You know, it's I think it's tomorrow as a matter of fact, that we're shooting it. He goes, Oh, which is touchy feely shit going on? I go. What are you talking about? we're rehearsing a dance scene. We're not touchy feeling anything. We're dancing. So you guys, yeah, yeah. But what's this with the couch stick? There's nothing going on. So I look at her. And she goes like he goes, he's my brother.

See, he went toe to toe with Gary Marshall. who at the time was like, he was like, he was ruling the roost, right? With all those shows happening.

But it was just there was so it never occurred to me that it never occurred to me. Wow. Okay. I mean, because in the committee, when you're improvising stuff, you mean you got to be she is a professional. You got to be close enough with people to do stuff because it's off the top of your head. You don't you don't really sense me that there is a censorship going on because there are rules to improvising. But you know, you just got to go with what's going on. That's that's the whole thing about teaching improv. So I you know, but yeah, it was weird. But you get that a lot. I mean, that's the whole thing showbiz. That's what my book is gonna be about those moments where you go when I thought this is showbusiness. You know, what, where? Where this come from? This strange vibe. Strange vibes. I think that's what I'm gonna call.

That's a good title. You should, then you could say we I thought of the title on the Jeff Dwoskin. Yeah, right.

I'm gonna talk about this too.

Yeah, I feel like I'm all going. I assume I'm going to be at least one chapter. Um, the, the, you mentioned earlier, your, your roommate or one of you are like Carl Gottleib . So that he wrote

Unknown Speaker 18:48

Jaws he wrote Jaws. Well, he was writing all the time. He writes all that whatsoever. But he gets a lot of money for it. Yeah. He, yeah, he got me into, out of going to designing cars and industrial design. He, I mean, in college, we were buddies in college, some adventures, and so he said, hey, let's get a room together in Greenwich Village, because he wanted to write, what do you want to start with? To review movies? Because that's an easy job in New York at the time for these neighborhood newspapers. You know, like not not, not The Village Voice and stuff like that. I'm talking about, you know, maybe 100,000 or maybe 50,000. You know, people reader readers, I like the inquiry. He had the like the inquire the local, the magnet, you know those things, but they reviewed them with the big timers. And that's what he wanted to do another. He reviewed movies with the New York time guys. So that's what he liked. So he said, Let's go there and I was gone. I don't want to go to there. I had to go to Detroit. So okay, so I was swabbing. duckboards in a bar from 2am to 6am when they let me out and he was reviewing movies that he would steal you know those that cold shrimp they serve you know little wine before you go into the movie they share with the reviewers just to fill their stomach and get them a little tipsy said I like them. So those who have cold shrimp what he would do because I was starving, I wouldn't get enough to actually chip in for the rent. I would chip in whatever I could, you know, I so he would get it and they had napkins in those days, not not paper napkins, they had linen napkins in those days. He would grab a handful of those cold shrimp, put it in a linen napkin, put it in a pocket in a suit because he wore a suit to review movies. Be three to four times a week. And that was me buy dinner. And then so you bring it home to me. And then after two months of doing that he quit he said I can't do this anymore. I thought oh wow. He got caught or he's embarrassed. Sexy. I said Why? Because my suit is thick. This smelly shrimp man. It's awful. This is the only shrimp

Larry Hankin 21:08

starving man you're Sue to me. What is it?

It's a cartel. Carl Fangio contraband,

contraband.

contraban trafe

veteran, and I saved them the what I would do just to put it in his face. I would save the napkins that would be hanging them all over got about 30 or 40 images, although I can use them for rags and stuff like that or whatever. But yeah, but I hung them all over the place. I wouldn't throw them out.

That's awesome.

Yeah, five flat welcome. You know, five, five story welcome.

It was in Howard hesseman. And part of money earlier. Oh, yeah.

The committee. Yeah. So he was a bartender. He was a bartender right around the corner from the from the committee. You audition for the committee. He wasn't with the gang of 1234 of us who went with Alan Meyerson, the director to San Francisco. No, we auditioned him. He was an actor in San Francisco, who's a San Francisco actor, funny guy. He's great guy. We were buddies for a long time, very close friends for a long time. And now you know, everybody gets to grow up and go their own ways. But during those times, we would do a lot of scenes together. Why? Well, yeah. You know, anything. Any news about him?

I know he's Dr. Johnny fever. So

Oh, yeah. He was great in that. There you go. Right.

Yeah, but what else you need?

WKRP. Exactly. But he always wanted to do that. He always there was nothing I always wanted to do. That was the difference between Carl and Howard. And me. That was the three the three of us were very close friends. It's interesting that you just brought that that up. But yeah, but I was the only one who want to do anything. Well, whatever I was doing, I was okay. You know, probably stopping for a while I was okay. Yeah. You know, I lived in my car for a year that was okay. You know, I mean, there's hard times when you're doing it, and you wish you weren't there. But you know, you get through it, you know? And then after it's over, you say Oh, yeah, no sweat, you know, but they you get great stories. That's what I was trying to burn off. The whole fact that this guy came came at me with a beer bottle upside down. Way back in the day before I was opening for Woody Allen. That guy I was trying to burn that middle class this off. So I knew why he was coming at me when it bothered me that why I just said words. I don't understand why you coming at me. I didn't do anything to you. Until it's haunted me all my life. That image of somebody? What? I don't even know you. You don't know how badass I could be? Maybe I don't I don't know myself. But it's another. It's another discussion.

A lot of people live just to be triggered. I don't know. I so yeah. I did. So you mentioned trying to get or you mentioned you lived in your car. I was looking at your IMDb IMDB page. And I noticed homeless guy. Yeah, there you go about seven times at least. So it's Yeah,

I'll get there. Yeah, I'll get there. Yeah. No, I write about that. Because I did spend a year homeless. I didn't do it on purpose. I mean, it was a bit of procrastination on my part a bit of Oh, I didn't remember to mail you the thing and I know I was having such a good time where I was. And so but and and the crazy landlady, literally I'm not talking that's not what gilding the lily. Yeah, I mean, she never combed her hair. That was the dead giveaway but her Her husband actually told me that when I came back from New York, somebody had hired me to go to New York for three weeks. And I was living on a houseboat for $100 a month. There was nothing on it, it was an empty You know, there's lsts that landed on Omaha Beach whether the front goes down and these guys March out that I was living on one of those. What they did was they left the duck boards that the guys because the bottom is like this. They left duck boards there, they painted it. That whitewashed it they didn't paint it white, they whitewashed the inside. So the gunnels are up to here, Chanel, you're standing in it floating, but then what they did is they put wood up here inserted windows and they put a flat roof on it. Tar paper over that. shoved it out about 50 yards out into San Francisco Bay, you know put an anchor out put a wire from the dot one wire wire from the dock to an antenna that went down and then you could plug whatever you want it into that way if you can get a you know couple of sockets on there that would be fine. And you lived in there was a little pallet if you if you had a mattress and some bed close he could sleep on it and that was it that was it you know so and then so I went to New York for I don't know I got oh yeah it was for three weeks so I could be back I could roll in and pay the rent I was cash I had no no contract no nothing hundred dollars every month, row and row bro back out was a like a central park rowboat. You know the one terabyte roll out. And then when I came back everything in my little LST was or LSD was was gone. So I went to the little cottage that was is a very funky It was a junkyard it was off the coast of a junkyard. And this pier was part of the junkyard and on the pier was a cottage which is part of the junkyard, and it was a crazy lady who was part of the junkyard and she never combed her hair. And when I went up and knocked on the door to say where's my crap? A man answer for the first time I've ever seen him. I didn't. He was in. He was in pajamas. He had a wife beater t shirt. slippers. I go where? Where's the lady who lives here? She's Oh, you're the guy in that boat? I go. Yeah, where is she? Where is she? I got a pair. Where's my stuff? Because, Oh, well. She wrote out a couple of nights ago and threw everything overboard. What do you mean? Why? You know, I got the cashier. I was going to give you a tip. Everything says no. Well, I worry. She let me talk to it. No, she's at the doctor now. You know, she's sick lady. She's very crazy. I go Yeah, I guess so. It's overboard. Right? Yeah. So that's how I became homeless. So and that's why I write about it. Because I was out there for a year living in this VW bus that I drove around. Yeah, it's kind of exciting. So that's why I take these homeless parts because I suddenly realized I'm a funny guy, or at least that's what I think I am. And then I know I am. And I'm Charlie Chaplin who I loved when I was growing up as a little kid. He was he was homeless. Nobody ever talks about that. The common little tramp and how cute. Now people are homeless in a very ugly, I never got the jump. So I'm trying to put it back on its track. You know what I'm saying? So that's where I took those jobs,

trying to give it a good face.

resurrect an old you know, joke.

The joke man, which is kidding around.

Although what he would do to homosapiens is quite horrible. Charlie Chaplin didn't treat people that he didn't like, very well.

But sorry.

We're gonna do it. We'll do another episode on Charlie Chaplin. Yeah, the true story. The I did want to ask one is just a very personal thing, but I help you run an episode of Alf. Oh, me elf.

Oh, but nobody did something great on that. I love that because I had to dive headfirst through an open window. That was great. Did you ever see that episode?

I was I have some recollection of it. I know you're a but I watched all of it growing up and like that's I was like excited.

I broke into a bedroom that was well dressed in black and I stole something and then they woke up and I dove headfirst even even Hans first go out out the window. And was it was great that a mattress out there you know, but I love doing you know like stunts. I love that. You know, especially in my younger days in my in my silver days, I guess. In my youth, yeah. But Alf was really weird. I mean that puppet was really Really something else? Always behind the couch. I always saw when I watched that no matter what, you know, I watched it. It was a kid's kind of fun, fun kind of a funny show. I mean, I did it. But I would watch it when I would watch it at home. I mean, I always just was was watching the guy behind the couch. That's you know, I all I saw was a hand with a funny thing on it, but it's a guy crouching and doing this. And cocky, funny, cocky, cocky, funny. And that's what drove me to watching the show with was the Imagine if you imagine discomfort of the guy behind the couch.

I love it. Yeah. Just one of those. Okay, so let's see, you were in another one of my favorite was a personal question. That was if it was me personally, like, I'm sure like, when you do interviews, it's the you know, there's Mr. heckles. And you know, Tom Piper and I got let's cover elf. Yeah, just anything. I didn't think it was in the tie. Yeah, I just figured there's a few personal ones in there. Like, you know, like running scared. You were in running scared. Oh, which was one of my favorite movies ever. We used to just walk around going Oh, no, it's like imitating Billy Crystal. Gregory Hines. I mean, they were amazing.

He was Gregory Hines is amazing. We had a thing going and not a good thing or a bad thing. Go. But it was all sub Rosa. It was all passive aggressive. Because I assume a lot because I'm dyslexic. I am I'm dyslexic. I have OCD, ADHD and dyslexia. So you know, it gives me great life experiences. Let me put it that way. And so I kind of liked him. I looked up to him being in that show, and that that movie. And so I was I was a taxi driver, something like that. And it was one scene where it was me and him. And who's the other cop his partner, like crystal, the crystal Yeah, names. So me we got so he really didn't have any lines. And I give him for being a professional actor. So what we're supposed to be talking right next to attacks again. So I'm talking. And Billy Crystal is talking and he's listening. And what I'm talking about is fixing up the cab so they can drive and I'm the I'm the police in the police pool of fixing cars. So they look funky and real. So that the cops Can you know, spy on people and not be spotted. So I'm explaining to them how I you know, don't worry about the windows and I'll fog them up and I'll bend and bend defender. And don't worry about it. Don't worry. I mean, he's just listening. And at one point, he's not saying anything. He just leaves it to Crystal, he looks at me looks at Crystal and he walks away turns his back on me and the camera and the scene. And he just walks away directly away on camera the whole time walking away. He's walking Whoa, he down here and down in the garage. Okay, so I thought that was rude. He walked out on my see that that's what I thought, you know, it's my scene. And he walked out. Okay, so then there's an I cut to another movie. And that one was he was in it too. And so I assumed that we had a relationship because we did enough. Another movie. We did that scene with Billy Crystal. I assumed he knew me and we were pals. So no big deal. Okay, and it's under a bridge. And there's me and there's the guy who is in you know, pack Back to the Future. The white haired guy, Christopher Lloyd. There you go. I see. You know, well. Okay, so crystal crystal Bella was the lead. So Christopher, though he was he was in it anyway. So I'm doing a scene between me and him and Christopher Lloyd. And I have a gun and I'm threatening Christopher Lloyd, and him have a gun. I'm a crazy guy, and they're trying to calm me down. So the seniors over in the middle of the scene, it starts to rain, just very lightly. Like, right, but the director said, right, let's just hold it right here. Let's Let's finish the scene. Everybody. Let's walk back to the winnebagos which is about 50 yards away. So everybody go. So I start to walk and all of a sudden his car pulls up this limo. And somebody says Where is he? What's his name? It's his car. I'm not paying attention. This is going crazy. The guy with Christopher Lloyd and me is who we were talking about that.

Jeff Dwoskin 34:43

Hines?

Larry Hankin 34:43

Yeah. Him. It's his car.

And I go, where is he? I know what he's back there. He's talking to the director. But he's just going back to the winnebagos. He goes yeah, I think all right. Can I get in? Yes. Sure, it's a chauffeur. So I get in, and I'm sitting there waiting and waiting in wait. And then Gregory Hines gets in. And he's like, What? What are you doing in here? I go, Oh, yeah, I just want to it's raining, you know? And he goes, you're really gonna sit in my limousine? He's not necessarily thinking he's trying to keep it in here. You're really gonna. Sydney? Yeah. Well, you know, to me, it's a car and transportation and it's raining. I mean, I really don't see it any other way. It's not like I'm being rude. I'm just looking for help. He goes, You know what? He says, Let's all walk in the rain. Come on, and he gets out. And he walks in the rain with me. Now, I understand the ridiculousness of passive aggressiveness. Protect about the cake. So the limousine drives empty back to the Winnebago and me and him walking in the rain together. And I thought, Wow, man, how angry can you get and that be funny?

Jeff Dwoskin 36:15

Wow.

Larry Hankin 36:16

Okay. But that's my little Gregory Hines story. You know

that. Sorry.

I forgot your name for a second. Okay. Okay. You probably don't even know my guy. That guy was in the taxi scene with me and Billy Crystal. Well, who is he? Yeah, okay.

It I think he passed away so I think I don't know. Here this. Yeah, he was a good talk dancer. I'll give him that. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Not that if he were still alive. dancer, please. Great. Yeah, he was he was very talented,

and apparently good,

but, but I hate the way he treated you. Thank you for that for that. I've never I'm never

just gonna be funnier. That's Yeah, it's gonna make me funny.

That I cannot deal. The. So what what would you consider? Or what would you say is would be your worst experience you ever had? Or like dessert Do you regret

doing the worst was? Well, there's a several different ramifications. In other words, here's the worst experience. And that didn't turn out very well for me at all. This is the worst experience that actually ever, you know, it turned out better than I thought. And is an experience that just blew my mind. I guess the worst experience, I guess, is just being fired on the spot. Because my SAS and now it was with I can't remember the name of the movie. But Jane Fonda was this star. And Alan Meyerson from the committee directed the movie. And it was about a Catalina airplane, which I thought was a great airplane. I'm really a fan of the Second World War aircraft. And the Catalina was landed on the water. And it was really cool looking. And the movie was about that. But as Jane Fonda she was a hooker. And it was a one word something like, like Honda or something like that. It wasn't that but it was one word. And it wasn't either. But she was a hooker in it and, and she just gotten the Academy Award. I guess that's what she wanted. You know, put a twist on it. Anyway, I showed up. And I always do this. I mean, it's just a habit with me whenever I show up as a working actor, you know, regular and stuff. The first thing I do is when you get on a set, you know, you show up and then you see an ad. Where's the ad? He gives you instructions to say the assistant director, where's the ad? He's over there. Hi, I'm Larry Hankin over here. I got this part. What's going on? Okay, your dressing room is there your costume is in your resume. That's the standard procedure. If he doesn't say your customers in your dressing room, I go to the costume thing first. The reason I do that is because you can influence how you look. Only then if it's in your dressing room. Everything's cut and dry. You're nailed what they put in there you got to put on and is really a badass time trying to get a change. It's not worth it. So I go there and I asked the lady I said can I am Larry Hankin them to the I don't know what the hell I was. I was a mechanic. I'm a mechanic. Can I go? Yeah, yeah, your stuff is over there. They're all right with it. They they like the actors to kind of get involved. So I'm going through is a whole rack I'm going to and this is lady standing next to me and I go, Oh, hi. And I just ignore her. And then she goes, What are you doing here? I'm just Well, you know, looking through my stuff. This is mine. You know, I'm Larry hanken. And I'm getting the movie and I'm This is my stuff that I wear and I'm trying to pick out my thing. Can anybody give you permission to be in here? Yeah, that lady is Yeah, well, you're not supposed to be here. You're an actor. You're not supposed to be here. Oh, really? Well, I think I got permission so and I start to get an attitude because I don't know who the hell she is. And she's standing there with her arms crossed, which is an attitude to me. And she's there, blah, blah, blah, blah. And I said, Look, wait a minute, hold on a second. Who are you? And she says, I'm the producer of the movie, and you're fired. Boom, and then she walked away. That's the worst moment in my life. So I go, what I needed the money. I mean, now I'm not a star. I'm just you know, a member of the cast. That's all I'm servicing the big plane there. I'm just the guy working on thing. So I go to Alan Myerson, who's the director of the movie, who was also my director in the committee. And the reason that I'm there is they hired the committee and the director to move to direct a movie, and five of his actors in the company to be in the thing. So and I'm at a loss because there's nobody I can go to. I go to Alan, and I go, Hey, Alan, he says, You're early and actually goes to here. Be here. for another two hours, I'm shooting this scene. What do you want? You know, like, I'm bothering him. So he goes, No, no, I just been fired. What do you mean, you've been fired? You know, you're gonna shoot a scene into two hours? I can't get another actor. You got lines? What do you What are you talking about? Well, she fired me. I was in there. You know, they explained the whole thing. He's got it. Sorry. Hold it just a second. Now. He's got to leave the camera. And he's got to go find a director find producers begging, and he's big. He finally comes back. So now he's got something on me. Okay, and got you the job back. But now you can call me Larry. Get back in, you know. Okay, so that was so that's the worst time. But I do that all the time. I mean, that's the story of my life, if you really want to give, that's kind of the big picture. But I you know, but I was in it. And I'm still an actor. And I'm talking to you, you know, thank you very much. See, so, that Okay, so yeah, the whole set, man, so so you know, so it wasn't too bad.

Yeah, who knows? Had you not been fired? We may not be talking.

Yes, exactly. That's exactly. That's my point.

That's really great.

Thank you. Yeah. But

my book, I really am writing a book. And it's about, I guess, a couple of stories that I just told you in too much detail. His story that happened to me on the set, it's, it has nothing to do with the movie that I'm in. It's what I'm doing with the people involved in making the movie. That's where my concentration is because I'm still a stand up comedian. And he's still angry. So I'm paying attention to like, the best people on the entire set. I never pay attention to the stars. It's the crew. The guys, the guys who are you know, lugging the lights around and saying, Oh, my God, that just fell. What will we do and the crew solves it. The director doesn't solve it. The writer doesn't solve it. The star certainly doesn't solve it. The crews have they come in with paper clips and duct tape and they and they just cobbled together. I've seen it on show after show Oh my god, it broke. Why don't we the shark enjoys? That's the crew. Fish because you know, it's a bit famous story, right? The shark. Right. Okay, but they hadn't dove in something. So okay. The shark didn't work. You know, what do we do? Get the crew in here. You know, Jerry rig it? Yeah, it was pretty weird. I mean, Carl was my roommate. I mean, he told me all about dish. He calls it the fish story. The fish movie. What they were doing to try to get that shark to work because the crew. They never get mentioned anywhere. But that's who I pay attention to.

That crew did a great job because that's still to this day. Best movies ever.

Yeah. Oh, it's an amazing movie. I watched it the other night. Holy cow. Is that a good movie? Wow. You know, I don't know if you're serious, but I certainly

I'm dead serious. Every time I watch it. My dad could have been made now it doesn't it doesn't it doesn't feel like it was made decades ago or anything. Yeah, I mean, it follows

all the rules. And yet it's like the camera moves alone. I mean, just in a simple scene, you know, you know, because I make you know, little funny movies, you know? So I'm pay attention to this. But yeah, it is something else. No wonder he Steve Spielberg. Yeah, I get it. I get it. You know, but when I first saw it, you know, it first came out I just said Wow, what a great movie. But I didn't know why. You know, it was just I was an audience. Yo.

Yeah, it's it's fabulous. The went downhill a little bit with the Michael Caine when he got later on. I don't know if Carl wrote those later episodes. Oh,

second or third movies? Yeah. No, no, no, he doesn't even talk about them. Now. I know. I mean, I think heard him once talk about the second movie. They Why? Well, yeah, just to protect Carl. Um, they didn't want called to write the second movie, they wanted to just do it all new, just fresh, you know, just a whole new take. And in the middle of the second movie after they The script was written and they had started the movie, they I think they were like, maybe 10 days into it. They fired the director. I mean, it was just going down the tubes, man. I mean, the script was, so they called Carl in as an emergency. I mean, if 10 years, 10 days into a movie, that's crazy. The money that Okay, so anyway, they called him in. So now they're on his back now that he's the writer. And he wrote this huge, I mean, with, you know, with the writer of the book, and he had the book. But you know, so they were on his back and he was forced, so the only person that he could pay attention to was the the Roy Scheider part because you have to when you're writing a new screenplay, because the old one was just unserviceable. You have to take as a writer, you have to make backstories of all the characters, and then doing a character arc of all the characters in those kind of movies. You can't just knock them off. There's a whole creation thing that they do in big tentpole movies. And that was going to be one. So he only had time to write one part from beginning to end, you know, the star part. And yes, we just fill in so. And he said he was under, you can imagine the pressure because not only him, but he's building stuff. And so he was under a lot of pressure. And he didn't have enough time, blah, blah, blah. And then he just wouldn't do the others. I think I don't know. He just it's too crazy. But yeah, but that's how move some movies get made. I remember that there's a Roger a famous Roger Corman story where the producer came up to him and he was doing you know, really before he was became a Roger Corman where he's knocking out these two week wonders and 10 days maybe. So the producer came up to him for one of those one of those. I think it's a biker movie. And it comes up to him and says, you know, this is your, your three quarters of the way into the first day. And you're three days behind already. So Roger Corman who's a wizard director, this takes the script, he goes, he randomly goes.

three pages back on schedule.

Jeff Dwoskin 47:42

Yeah, and no one noticed no notice or at

Larry Hankin 47:45

least avoid him. The producer.

Jeff Dwoskin 47:49

jaws jaws was a big deal in the sense that it was the first blockbuster it changed pretty much everything. I mean, oh, yeah. That particular movie

Larry Hankin 47:58

was though I saw it when I was, you know, younger, when I saw it, like I'm talking about last week, I was fully impressed. I was knocked over. So you're totally right. I cannot argue. I was just amazed that I didn't see what I was seeing when I when I was a young guy. You know, it was totally different. And I was surprised that how different it was that you know, I mean, I guess I learned a lot. You know, being in movies and trying to write them or try to write a screenplay now. It's just oh, wow, man, this is just a lot of rules. And don't do this and do that. Got to be by page 25. There was one comedian guy a gold. What's his name COPPA. I like still, I still like stand up guys. But he's a writer. Now. He's a screenwriter, television writer. And he can watch a movie you saying the other day? He can with his watch. He can tell them what page they're on. By,

Jeff Dwoskin 48:55

like 10 minutes and 10 minutes. And it's like that event has to happen.

Larry Hankin 49:00

PAGE 25. Yeah.

Yeah. But he really works a lot because of that. Because he's got that. Oh, you know, he was always in his head. Now. He doesn't mean he can just say 25 minutes right here.

Right. Everything so actually formulaic. People just don't

even mention that to Carl. Oh, like, What's his name? Mickey. You know, the writer guy, Robert McKee. I mentioned it to him because you know, I want to learn to write so um, I got it. I got a webinar with him later in the week with Mickey. And so I mentioned that bragging to Carl who's written all these movies to Hey, you know him. I'm studying with Mickey. Oh him and he just totally bugaboos, you know? Oh, the the master of the the man that killed the three act drama.

whooo.

Jeff Dwoskin 49:57

Oh,

Larry Hankin 50:00

Yeah, I mean, Woody Allen studied with him, you know, come on in. Well, I'm sorry, man, you know. And then he went on a long diatribe on why McGee caused all this, this problem. Oh, Jay, you wrote Joy's man. And I argued with him saying, Look, man, what are you talking about? Yours is three x. No, it isn't. Oh, it's two x, the shore and land and the sea. Well, that's right. But then of course, and they go, Well, it could be a five aqis Well, of course, because it's little pods if they and he goes, you know, you can make as you can take your screenplay and divide it up any way you want. Man, if it's a great story, you're gonna like it, you know? But yeah, that's what they do. They Yeah. Oh, it's a it's a two. It's a two act. It's land and sea. No, it's five act. No, it's a three act. No, it's a no act. It's just a great step. And that's what I'm studying now. It's been? Yeah,

Jeff Dwoskin 51:04

it's great. kind of story that you want to do a story? I mean, like, ready to do with the script? Well,

Larry Hankin 51:11

you know, you know what I did? I just discovered sometimes you guys writing scripts, but you know, I always tell the, you know, rewrite it, put it in a drawer and go away. I mean, it's true. You know, I've always had a bugaboo of, you know, don't tell me that, you know, I like to learn it by myself. I it's a long way around. But, I mean, there's just so much crap out there that I thought, let me just learn by the mistakes. You know, I because I can I send you no errors, I sent errors. I hope to I'd like to think that. So I am reading all these things. Then I wrote the screenplay. All right, I work a long time to three months, while I made use of the COVID time, you know, he's locked in. write a screenplay here. So I got to put then you know, and I got it. I try to you know, do all the things that I've heard on the sets and Babani three x thing and the character work and blah, blah, blah, and put it together. And then I get it together. And then everybody say, Well, you know, don't hand it to anybody until you get a professional to read it, man. No, no, man, you know, I know I'm funny guy. I know. It's good. I'm intelligent. I can read. I read it, you know, several times to get rid of the woody had typos. Because that's they really get sore about that. They really do typos who them Yeah, but if it's interesting story me know it's a typos. So read it like five times get rid of typos. Which that's it. That's one thing, hire somebody, don't do it yourself. But I read it five times. So I thought, well, I read it enough to see that it's good enough to hand to somebody without handing it to a professional person, you know, trusting myself. So I do and then it's didn't get didn't get the reaction. I want it. So I waited for a while because I didn't want to read it again. Because I had read it enough. Months later, I read it, I go, Oh, I see what I wrote. My point being that you don't know what you're writing until you write it. In other words, then you see the whole thing. And I didn't know it's like, guy come at me with the beer bottle. I didn't know what was going on. I just didn't know why it was coming at me. It took me years to get all is no man he hated you. Because you were against his lifestyle. And his wife was here and we're with our mother, and you know, all that stuff. So, but when I read the screenplay that I had written and read five times, after about a month and a half, I saw this whole new thing. And then I read this stuff that, you know, they're trying to teach me and I go, Well, you know, he's got a point. So it's really interesting that looking back is not a bad thing in a way especially if your own art, you know, I mean, it's called I guess it's called the third eye. It's just another way I mean, it's it's drugs. It's sentimental, getting your mother another look at it, getting a professional to look at it, you know, just somebody it doesn't, you know, that's the other thing about getting nobody talks about getting how to receive criticism, they'll talk about well, there's this way of writing a screenplay in that way about writing a screenplay and this is the rules and this but everybody that I handed it to, you know, just four or five people they all are saying the same thing with totally different one person is just kind of angry that he had to what read this claptrap, the other person thinks it's really great just change the first scene, and and then all the stuff in between and how I'm supposed to react to that. And there's nobody to say, Well, you know, how you should react to getting criticism. First of all, if you hand it to somebody you got to expect they're going to say something, or why you handed you expecting it up to come back at you. And then if it's not the way you like it, you know, I was saying you get a twisted underpants kind of thing. Yeah, I don't know. So So that's an interesting thing I learned about that receiving criticism, you know,

Jeff Dwoskin 55:05

and something it was a great lesson.

Larry Hankin 55:06

Yeah, it really is. I mean, and then picking out the the fruit among the weeds, though the flowers are another another way there was this lady actually she was a professional. She was a paid professional work for Quentin Tarantino's company. She read it. And she gave me you know, some advice. She said, Hey, you know, why don't you do this and do this and do so yeah, it was it was. And it's no if you if you make it funny, it'll it'll, it's fine. But the way she said it was a so I saw that she was covering up for her job to none other words, she was she was only focusing on the thing that she'd been hired from Quentin Tarantino's company to look for is you know, quintino Quentin Tarantino type movies. That's what she's looking for. And they have a production company. Because quintino credit guarantee knows more money coming in, they can hope to spend so he just okay. And I noticed that she was lauding the things that were Quentin Tarantino ask and say that you should write rewrite this part we've because it wasn't like that at all. So she was picking out stuff that she had trained to look be trained to look for. So as as a as a criticism getter receiver. I learned to look out for their bias. That's what you got to look out for the bias, not not only the good and the bad things that they're saying. But the bias is why they're saying it. And so that that was something I learned. Oh, right. The site. Yeah, the judges insight. And yeah, anyway, so so like that.

You know, that's what

Jeff Dwoskin 56:52

all right. All right. So getting home if I didn't, if I hit record yet. We're about to hit an hour and I haven't been brought up Mr. Heckles. Is that a record?

Larry Hankin 57:06

Oh, wow.

Yes. Wow. And you've been holding it close to the vest all this time. That is amazing. It's very nice. Yeah, Mr. Heckles? Well, it blows my mind. It really does. Yeah, so it's a wonder. Because I can you don't know what is a hit and what's a miss, you just don't know. But I you know, I'm on I'm on cameo. I, you I send you my graduation, greetings and birthday greetings. And when he agreed, you know, hi, it isn't just Well, you know, whoever.

Old Joe or

Tom Pepper. So, but when they get when they get excited about that, I still don't understand it. Really, or the power that Mr. Heckles had, because when I did it, nobody knew about that. You know, when I did it in the beginning, I was before they were on the air. So they were just equal to me. You know, the friends. They were just, I was high. What they did was they wrote whoever wrote six episodes, six scripts. And then they shot six scripts. This is before went on the air before they advertised your show that nobody knew anything. And I asked I said Well, well, because I ultimately was on third one. But at the time, I didn't know so I wanted to know. So I said I hear they're shooting six I got Yeah. Well, I'm in one of them. Yeah. Well, we when when when when beyond so I can tell my parents, you know what we don't know what we're gonna do is shoot all of them and then watch them and then the best one will make is the first one because and then the others will put in some sort of order. So if I I didn't know.

But from there now

I'm 99% of the messages that I get on cameo from from that from Mr. heckles. 99% I mean, I can and I get a lot of day, you know, and I do them on on this, you know, on this. Oh, I see. I showed it to you. He said, Hey, can you

Jeff Dwoskin 59:33

have a phone? Listening?

Larry Hankin 59:36

Yeah, right. So so I do it on the phone. Yes, I get it. Like I do that in the morning. And, but I am still filled with wonderment. I did that like over 10 years ago. And about not only that, it's a second generation another as I get male kids about 17 or 18 saying, Hey, could you please say happy birthday to my girlfriend? She's going to be 17 next week. I go, What is she? And then I meet some woman, this older woman on this on the street is Oh, I love your work. Oh, who? What? What work? Because Mr. Heckles and what are you doing? Watching Mr. heckles, you know? She says, Oh, I watch it with my daughter. So these two generations Yeah, because sometimes I get a guy saying you know, he my wife, she's going to be 50 today or yesterday or next week. You know wishes she's a big friends fan. They're all experts by the way. Yeah, my my girlfriend who's the best expert trivia on friends ever. I mean that everyone even my my wife who is the knows more about friends than anybody on earth. And they're all women. No guy knows anything about friends. Not one except that his girlfriend or his wife loves it.

We sleep to it.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:01:10

Yeah, my wife is obsessed with friends. There

Larry Hankin 1:01:13

you go.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:01:16

Whenever when it was on Netflix, speak truth. You've caught the gospel. The boom is on Netflix. She falls asleep. The TV's Yeah, we would. We would watch it non stop. Non Stop. We still do. I can't take any time.

Larry Hankin 1:01:33

Yeah. Yeah, I watched it. The other night. Somebody sent me a reel of Mr. Heckles. You know, spit takes and you know, punch lines. Just about, I don't know, seven minutes. And it's great. It's great, man. I mean, I did that. I mean, the timing. sakal Stein is great. Sometimes Sometimes. Sometimes it is. But yeah, I mean, I enjoy it. And but women think it's cute. They say it's y'all. He's so cute. No, man, I was acting my answer. What are you talking about? I wasn't getting along with anybody. I was arguing with the producers and you think it's cute? No way, man. No, it's it's good. I think it's good. It's not bad. Let me say that. It's not bad. But I don't understand. You know it. There's a lot of stuff that goes I mean, I guess that's why I'm I'm a stand up comedian. I'm angry and I don't get it. Man. I think that's going to be on my tombstone. I didn't get it. I don't mean new you know, we're homosapiens and we're doing stupid things. I mean, we're a species. Come on here. Let's face it. Let's get it What are you doing? What are you putting mercury in the water? Why are you doing that? Why putting children in cages? Why are you making atomic bombs? Why are you doing this? Why are you fighting don't fight? be sociable. Be nice. I don't I don't get it. I just don't get it. Why don't you take care of people? Why don't you give me first responders in a mask? Why don't you What's matter with you? Don't you understand that? Why did you vote for him? What's your Homo sapiens? Go lions Don't do this. But we're killing all that. Why are you doing that? Why are you killing all the elephants? Huh? Why are you overfishing Why are you doing that? What animals All right.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:03:17

That was not a Mr. Heckles ran out.

Larry Hankin 1:03:19

Sure. Man. That was me. No, I don't get it.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:03:23

No, there was a brilliant you were brilliant as Mr. Cool. I mean, he really was I mean, that's why like, because when I was looking up and I saw that you were only played with tackles five times. Okay. Like, I was like, no way. There

Larry Hankin 1:03:38

you go. All right. Here's the first guy who got okay. You're not a fan. Great. All right. There you go. That that's an insight, man. Yes. Five times. I am where you are. Yes. I don't get

Jeff Dwoskin 1:03:54

that. I get it.

Larry Hankin 1:03:55

Very nice. It's very nice. But I don't I can't I don't want to you know, I keep listen. You know who who George Reeves was?

Jeff Dwoskin 1:04:04

Superman.

Larry Hankin 1:04:06

did visit strike any Bell with you?

Why I said that.

Do you know what happened to him?

Yeah, I think he killed himself.

Yeah. Yeah. So I I go to sleep every night. Yeah, it's what gets me up in the morning.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:04:26

Well, yeah, I've gone to bed to you and friends. And I can't tell how many times I've gone to bed to I could have cats.

Larry Hankin 1:04:34

Oh, man, I see that all the time. I say that like, you know, 17 times a day. Yeah, right. They give me scripts. They give me scripts. Now. Look, I'm a fan of certain people. But I'm a fan of Michelangelo. of you know, Picasso. Yeah, I mean, but that's what I draw the line. I mean, come on. He's people. I mean, how can you be offended just to hechos What is that?

Jeff Dwoskin 1:04:58

Come on, you know? Just something about that character. Even my kids even my kids, they're like yeah, you're talking to Mr. Heckles.

Larry Hankin 1:05:10

I got a call from India the other day they want me on their cameo, the India cameo that I showed you at Gatwick they want me on that. And I did I signed up. Because why? Because friends are on India. And they like Mr. heckles. Okay, I mean fine. Look, I'm not against it. I just don't understand it. See that? That's the mind blow. I'm not against it. It's what it is. You know, I've gone on to other things. But I still don't understand. I guess I don't understand fan. NIS. is what I don't understand the that, that that trope, but I guess maybe because when I was a little kid, I mean, you know, who did I thought that I have any? I didn't have that. Now, maybe it was because I didn't have a family either. So there's a lot of things they didn't have. So I guess that was just one of them. Because there's a lot of there's a lot of what he called typos in my life. So you know, I need to fill in some of the spaces and you know, whiteout a couple of things. But but i don't i don't think whiteout is what they want. Now. The stuff that you're wiped out in 1985 they want to read now. It's

Jeff Dwoskin 1:06:35

all about nostalgia. Mr. heckles are probably do really well right now with the whole COVID thing. He's he would probably be like, Oh, he's probably COVID COVID stay at home superstar. That's like a good.

Larry Hankin 1:06:48

Go. Thank you very much. Okay, I'm writing a I'm writing a little way called a web webisode. Yeah.

But that would be a good.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:07:05

Throw me a credit.

Larry Hankin 1:07:11

We're getting on TikTok

Jeff Dwoskin 1:07:13

TikTok. Yeah, exactly. That would be great. The man.

Larry Hankin 1:07:18

So you ask your wife about what what is it? About? You even have to tell me but but I you know, because I'd like to get that in my next thing. Whatever that is, you know, we'll call

Jeff Dwoskin 1:07:29

her after Well, after we hang up here. We'll call her and she'll tell you

Larry Hankin 1:07:39

that I really wanted to know. And I found out I really didn't want to know, it had nothing to do with this was a war experience. I wanted to know any gun I know. And I got him drunk. And I really, you know, was in a bar. I've got an agenda. And he told me no to she brought me down for months, you know, blowing himself up and he didn't and he felt guilty. Well just said he was he was on a mission. It's suicide mission. And he didn't get the blood. The Germans caught him before he could blow himself up and he didn't. And then this is like years and years and years and years and years and later, and he was an alcoholic. And I figured you know, that guy's got a story. Let me talk to him. So I did three hours later, you know? And I really felt you know, boy, and he was kind of old. So now that he's carried that with him a whole long time. Yeah, that's but that's what that's what the people want to know the truth.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:08:35

The truth truth.

Larry Hankin 1:08:36

You can't handle the truth.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:08:42

They can't show

Larry Hankin 1:08:43

the guy with the beer bottle.

Anyway,

Jeff Dwoskin 1:08:47

So Mr. Heckles and then Old Joe Breaking Bad and you are in El Camino El Camino. Yeah,

Larry Hankin 1:08:56

yeah, that's great. That was a great character. I like oh, Joe, too. And then then that's why you know, I think you get a shot at every like, couple of carry you can't you can't hit hit it out of the ballpark every time. I mean, I have I have certain things I want to do with a character that are pertaining only to me, you know, no matter what it is, I'm trying to tell the story and help the writer and the director and hit my marks and remember my lines and all that but there's also something that I want to do because when I watch it, I want to see if I'm able to do that so I watch it. I always watch it. Actually even when I don't get the audition I watch it to see who did revenge you got it that's a casting people you hired that guy over me. What?

Jeff Dwoskin 1:09:47

Yeah. Which role which, so you were Tom Pepper in Seinfeld, which, just to recap for those. That was the Kramer character in the show when they were making the show. show about them. Yeah. Ever. So but you try it out for that role. I think I read,

Larry Hankin 1:10:06

but many times for for the Kramer Oh, no, I only I only tried out. No, wait a minute. That's an interesting question. Because they rang me, they ran me through the ringer. For one of those. I don't know whether it was for the Cramer road itself. But you see, now here's the thing I do for all the anger and judgmental and opinionated, you know, bullshit that I come out with, and I do my share of it. And I think that's okay. that everyone's wrong. I'm right on. And when, when Michael Richards got that part, and I saw it, they made the right choice. I mean, there was no question in my mind. I mean, I because he, I mean, we were we were friends at one time. But I mean, still hard. We just haven't seen each other we use went our separate ways. But when we audition, we audition together. Because we looked alike. So we were there in the waiting room. And we kind of you know, we're funny, and I had seen him on Friday, whatever that name was, for that show excited. And he had seen me on the show. So we knew we were we were both in the same kind of frame for characters. But But he goes over and I go under. And, and one time we actually acted together, we were hired to rob a restaurant together in in an episode of a sitcom, a restaurant sitcom, back in the 70s. And we were brothers. And we loved it. We love that fact. Because Oh man, they're using you know, what we were separated from by one of us getting the part. So we did it. But then they have we had a scene together when we escaped, we're driving a truck. And you know, it's just not a green screen in a cab. But we had dialogue together about you know, he was driving and I was in a in the passenger seat, back and forth. And so we were alone rehearsing it. And, you know, when actors get together, they kind of self directed, you know, hey, well, why don't you do this? Or maybe I could do that, or? Or is it? Okay? If I do this, when you do that, or you talk about you just talk to me, then you agree, but you don't change the words or anything. You got it, you got to do what it says on the script. So we did that. But we got into this weird fight man, because he wanted to go over and I wanted to go under. And it's the weirdest I would have loved to have seen that. It was two really good, funny actors, comic actors, not actors, but comic actors. Getting into a scene and pulling out all the stops to be right. And Fair enough, we wanted to do one or the other. Yeah, but both of us wouldn't give an inch. So finally, so when we got back to this set to actually film it. We showed I either we showed the way we agreed to do it, which was begrudgingly or I showed him my way he shouldn't. But the upshot was, he said, Look, let's just do it the way it's written, we're going to do it my way, you know, boom. So nobody got their way. But the conversation that we had about why? Because once you know, why don't you do this? And I'll do this, and then you say, No, I don't want to do that. So yeah, but if you don't do that, then I can't get my laugh. So I'm trying to convince you to do that. And then I won't do it if you you know, that's like childish shit. That's like, I think it was the only time that it ever happened. But it was the only time that I ever got to see what I knew about comedy, because there's the only time it was ever challenged, you know, either weren't funny, and that's fine. Okay. Or I was funny, and that's fine. But for somebody to question it happened, that, you know, how do I deal with this? You know, because I respect wasn't a director, you know? So. But that

Jeff Dwoskin 1:14:00

Yeah, having having watched Seinfeld, and having watched you in that role, I you're like one of the only people I could see like, had you gotten that role? Looking back, I think would have been just as great or Oh, yes, great in a different way. A lot of times like they talk about these people like Hank, his area was gonna be Joey and you're like, no, at all.

Larry Hankin 1:14:22

It was because Joey, the actor who played Joey brought Joey to the character that wasn't written that way. That happens a lot, man. Were you did, an agent told me that when I the first agent I ever had I still talked to him. He's still my friend. They don't have any. I got rid of them a long time ago. But he told me he said, Look, Larry, I didn't get the role. You know, it was in the very first or second thing. And he said, I said I didn't get the worldwide ID. So I thought it did really good. He said, Larry, there's only two ways that you can get a role. It's either if You walk in the door, and the role is yours and it's yours to lose. That's one way you didn't lose it. He got it. And the second way is, you come in, and they, they're not looking for you at all. And you change their mind. You go, Wow, if he would say these, and that's what Joey did what he did that, then I've had that done to me, but there's some times where, you know, you can change the role. I mean, they'll change the writing, because you come in, and john Houston told me, I hang around with the directors, maybe because they tell you some really good stuff about actors. So things for me to do or not to do, because they're right there with, it's what happens on the on camera, not what you discuss, or it's like lightning in a in a bottle man. But they tell you that they they they they tell you about the lightning in the bottle not not to getting into it in the backstory and, you know, being real data. And he said, why would you direct because the really great directors don't direct. They were they they talk with the cameraman and the cinematographer. And they got the story in their head. And they are great storytellers that they know how to tell through pictures and dialogue. over an hour, an hour and a half. But But john said that, he said, the whole thing about casting for great director, well, I just asked him about casting, he said is you that that's 80% of your movie right there. He said you and your direction is is picking the right actor for the right part, that's 80% of the job. You can do that. You you you're you're a good director. And he said, but once you get the guy. Once you get them in front of the camera, you stay away from him. All the directors say that you don't touch him, because you hired him because of the choices he's made. And the choices he makes. That's why you've seen him in a while, man, I got to get him in my movie. So you don't want to. And that's what alpa Chino said about directors, he says, I just use them as a safety net, because I like to take chances, you know, they're watching, and they won't let you be bad. But they won't tell you what to do. They just will be bad. That's, you know, that's a great director. But I you know, this is me, I missed the note of the actor. This is what he's great at. Well, I gleaned this because I talked to the directors and and talk to the actors, the actors don't know, they know about character. And then that's, that's cool. Protecting the character. And that the character is the character is always right. You know, characters never ever you playing the character, you know, you know, no character, your mind will let you do anything bad. Even if even if your mind says, to kill you to kill people, he's pointing at me toks even if even if my character has to kill you, no question, got to shoot you in the end of the scene, you're gonna die. The audience knows that. I know it, you know it. He's got a reason. They're going to kill me and they're going to torture me. And you're going to die in a second. I mean, I know there's I can make so that you got to protect your character, you know, and the script, you got to protect the script. So there's a lot a lot of stuff but but direct is you say things that you never, or they do certain things you never expect him to do. You know, like, stand up for you. Dad, there's it. There's something that you never see in life to actually have. Somebody said, no, wait a minute. No. Excuse me. Second, Larry, you know, unload on this person. Because you were you were right. Yeah. Whoa, nobody's ever done that in real life. You know, don't let it slide. Or you know, well, Everyone listen, Dan, you keep your mouth shut, right.

Keep your mouth shut. Right.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:19:08

How was it working with john Hughes.

Larry Hankin 1:19:11

JOHN, john Hughes was great, but very moody, very, very, very moody. He he didn't talk much he liked he liked he liked to watch. He was a warrior. He like to watch, which is another I guess, a great director, which which is really weird because a friend of mine, I think is a bad director because he likes to watch. In other words, he's a warrior. He's not I don't think he's thinking about the story. I think he's thinking about watching two people get naked in front of him. Not not literally naked, but visual view or emotionally naked. He just

he I don't know. He just zooms out.

But But yeah, they're there. They're really honest. Especially in front of the cameras around and then they know about people like that. JOHN Hughes, john Hughes, john Hughes, what was john? Like? Well, he liked he liked what we do and and I liked who I was acting with. So we were like, like a group and the camera was there. But when he wasn't there, like, you know, he was a multitasker, too. I remember one day when I came into a huge monkey rescue. I guess that's the great thing about a genius because maybe he was a genius. I mean, his movies is over. Was was really amazing. If you think about it, and he and then the characters he got out of the actors were really great. He was I went in for a costume fitting at Western costume in Chicago when I was speeding, she's having a baby. And he was in the costume room. He had a typewriter. You know, it's just an old typewriter. I don't even think it was internet, then. All laptops, but he was typing. And I came in, I said, Hi, john. And he goes, hi. There's a costume over there on the, on the table there, put that on, let me see that. But he kept on typing. And then his wife was there and his child was there. They were waiting for him. He was literally standing next to the table that he was typing in, waiting for him. And he was just typing. And he was answering things about the kitty. The kid was talking about a school or something about his day, either he was going to be late for school, though he's gonna or john was gonna drive them to school. I don't know. So what was that conversation and he was talking to his wife, he was typing. And then I came back with a costume on and he was judging my costume. And he was saying no, put an E and there was a costume lady there. So he's saying no, don't let him I don't want him to wear the vest. But put that hat on and see if that hat goes on. And then he typed and then right before I left, he said, Okay, fine. You go, he was still talking to his kid about the school things. Uh, yeah, yeah, in a minute, cuz I gotta just let me just finish this to the kid was bugging him about that. And his wife was talking about something for dinner. And I asked him about the screenplay. And he said, No, this is my next screen. I said to you correcting the screenplays and not as my next one. So there's my picture of john Hughes. I mean, it's like if he asked me, you know, and then on the set, he's a different person. And then when he took us to a party, he was a totally moody guy. And he fired somebody just like that. I mean, there was an ad around. He had about three and one of them just was missing one day. So what happened to john? JOHN the ad? He said, I know he was here, but you're on fire. Why? I mean, they, they're

they're there, I guess.

It's like weird. Their headspace is at a much higher level than mine. You know, they've got a big movie in their head. Plus, they're making judgments that I have no idea what what their parameters are. So when they're talking to you, they're, they're coming at you from a different level. JOHN, john Houston was like that. I mean, you can see that, or certain people, you can just see it. I mean, they're on another level. They just, wow, that's that's kind of neat. makes you want to be there. I guess. Have to read more books, you know, or see more movies. I don't know what john, john Houston was like that. He was he was cool. He, when he was done, john Houston. Sorry. You got time.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:23:25

Yeah.

Larry Hankin 1:23:27

JOHN, john Houston was really cool that way. First of all, he stuck up for me twice. Now I do I do a lot of wrong things. And I say a lot of wrong things. But and you know, and I apologize, or I just go on my life. You know, that's how I'm, that's why. So you are doing your additional is being because audition is sometimes a cattle call, and you're just being treated rudely. Not not badly, not like cattle. But you know, I mean, you could be more comfortable, they could stagger it a little more. So you don't have to wait too long or blah, blah, blah. But you go you know, because you need the money and you want the job. Well, you think you want to work with that director. So I was there. And then this lady comes in. It was for Annie and she says and she was the casting director and she's she comes out. So I guess it was an important part to her anyway. So she's Yes, Laurie, you're next. So she and Jen that she guys me she she's got her hands on me, right. So she's behind me. And she's got her hands on my shoulder. She's steering me basically. And she comes in and he's on a set somewhere. I knows I was on a movie set. So is that studio, she and she steers me towards me sitting there watching his rushes on a screen. She stares me to him. She She stares me over to him. He's looking at the screen. He says he gets me a night night right? Play. I was a hippie by at the time so my hair was down on my shoulder. So she takes her hit my hair. Gather it from the back. And by and by now he's turning around looking at and he goes, What are you doing? That was the first thing he said to I guess her. What are you doing? And she says, Oh, very places. Oh, I'm just putting his hair back. She can see because he's going to be the dog catcher. It was a 1930s movie, and he's gonna have to shave your his hair off. So I just want you to see that. And he says, number one, please don't touch my actors. Number two. I'm a director. I have imagination. Leave my actors alone. Don't touch them. And he's Larry. You're here for the dog catcher, dog catcher. Right. You know what the role is? I mean, yeah, you have the side. Yeah, ready? You want to do it? Yeah. Okay, thank you very much. Next

and she was about to

Okay, so So okay, don't touch my actor. He stood up for me. I think you're a small little thing. But hey, it's when when I my day to shoot it, it just rained the night before I come on the set. It's an outdoor set on a campus somewhere. It's Annie. I don't know. It's an outdoor set. As indoors, big thing on or maybe it says studio or something. But I go indoors. I'm looking for my costume because the assistant costume designer, who was a guy who was was was extremely anal retentive, and everything was spoken span and ship shaped. So I'm there at my rack of my costumes. And he's only one costume. I'm a dog catcher is a combat dog catcher guy. So just shirts and blah, blah, blah. And some guy comes over this guy. I'll call him. Lance. Lance comes in and he goes, What are you doing here? The same thing as that as that lady years ago. What are you doing here? I asked that lady. She said she's a designer. She said I could look at my costume. Oh, well, I have your costume. Oh, great. Where is it? Here? He's got it in his hand. She had duck catcher, right? Yeah. So he's got it in his hand. And it's you know, it's it's this color. You know, I always have a, I'm holding up a tan block of wood a two by four. That's approximately nine inches there. That color. And I always have that. It's a it's a little diet diagram diagram mystic thing. So and it's, it's starched and ironed and folded into a square about 14 by 14 inches. And it's about an inch and a half thick. It looks like very thick cardboard or several layers of cardboard about an inch and a half of cardboard layers. That's what it looks like. totally flat. And I look at it. And my father when I was a little kid, my father used to get starched white shirts, and he get the structure I need. Let me because I'd love to do it. Let me peel it open. Peel a sleeve. I remember peeling the sleeves up. And then you'd stick your hand in and try to you know, get it through it. It was all squashed and pasted there. So I looked at it, and I go I'm not gonna wear the hat. Because what do you mean? it's clean, it's pressed, it's starched. I'm a dog catcher. It's 1930. I've been carrying around dogs all day. It's 1930. But I know I'm not wearing that. And he goes, Yes, you are. That's the custom that's been chosen for you. And I go No, I'm not I'm not wearing it. No, I'm a dog catcher. I'm sorry. And he gets really, you know, uptight and antagonistic. And he says, You are going to wear this or we're going to Mr. Houston. And I go Okay, let's go to Mr. Houston. And he got, he goes fine. So he marches me out and he's got this thing like a platter. Like it's like a little tray and he's a servant. He's got this platter in his hand. And he goes okay, and he marches unfollowing me and then I don't fall behind. I know Don't worry, I'm going with you. So we go outside and his problems are already the sun is out to blue sky, but there's puddles around so we were walking into like a college campus type of thing. I don't know. So anyway, there's the camera and there's there's john Houston and he's looking at you know, is it rushes and then his little director's chair. He's looking the other way. Are we marching up and he goes, Uh huh. And john Houston turns around, he faces us both. And he looks at me He goes, Oh, hi, Larry. And hi. You know, Lance, what what's what's going on here? And land says, I look this is the costume for the dog catcher. This is the costume. This is his costume. This is the actor who's going to play the dog catcher. This is costume. He will not put this on. Larry, you don't want to put this on. Now, why is that? Well, because I'm a dog catcher. I'll be dirty and I'm carrying around dogs all the time and it's starched, and it's clean that it's pressed and I'm not wearing it.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:30:28

He goes

Larry Hankin 1:30:30

over now he's, he's not holding it. Lance's homie, say goes up, Lance. Please give me that. Vince gives him the cardboard platter. JOHN Hughes gets up out of his chair. He's a very tall man. He's at least six foot four, not five and lanky. He gets up gray hair, lanky guy, man. And he walks over to the nearest biggest puddle, and in his shoes, his regular shoes. He just walks into the middle of this big puddle. And he as he's walking he Oh. He's opening the the mechanics, you know, coveralls, he gets into the middle of the puddle. And he just drops it in. And then he walks over it in the puddle, and he stomps on him. And then he very delicately picks with his forefinger and his thumb. He picks it up dripping wet, holding it at arm's length. And he brings it back to Lance. And he says Lance, put that put this in a in a dryer, dry this off and put it on this actor. Thank you, Larry. Thank you, Lance. And he turns around, and he watches his in rushes. That's class. That's cool. That's a that's a good guy. That's a guy. That's a guy I want to watch. Yeah, he's okay. Really great story.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:31:51

You got a million great stories.

Larry Hankin 1:31:53

Well, I'm gonna make I'm writing a book and I'm gonna do my own podcast. I mean, just just just mail like a like a record album of my stories, but and a book too. So thank you for that. Because that's a I think I'm on the right track.

Jeff Dwoskin 1:32:05

Yeah, I think you're looking forward to your book. Looking forward to your manuscript. So much to look forward to.

Larry Hankin 1:32:12

Oh, I'm sorry, but can I tell you

real thereallarryhankincom. I got my paintings up there. My prints. There's going to be t shirts up there of my paintings that you can get on your T shirt. I got my films, my videos mine that I made and produced and acted in homeless guy. Emit Demas and sometimes Jones I got my stories up there. My book up there. So thereallarryhankincom. And I and it's not Larry hanken .com Larry Hankin .com that was bought by a guy when I turned my back for a second. And he's turned hold me up for a million dollars and they won't do it. So the thereallarryhankincom Okay, thereallarryhandkincom That's it. And anything else? I'm coming out with a book and other stuff, you know, but there you go.

There you go. Larry, thank you for just all you've given to everyone. So many great roles, so many great memories. Thank you. I thank you for everybody. And thanks for joining me. I'm honored. Thank you.

Jeff is funny.

Thank you. And we'll see you next time. All right. That was so much fun talking to Larry Hank and Mr. Heckles! Though, after he was so cool. He called me and I got my wife on the phone who's like the biggest friends fan. And she got such a kick. She got all fan girly. It was awesome. Yeah, so that was really cool. But check out all Larry's website, his art, his short films that he puts online. Great, amazing stuff. Also, don't forget to follow the podcast at Jeff Dwoskin on Twitter, follow us on Instagram. Follow us on Apple like subscribe, tell your friends about this great interview and all the other great episodes, and we'll see you next time.

Announcer 1:34:04

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of the Jeff Dwoskin show with your host Jeff Dwoskin. Go repeat everything you heard and sound like a genius. catch us online at the Jeff Dwoskin show.com or follow us on Twitter at Jeff Dwoskin show and we'll see you next time.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai