S5 Ep. 6 - “The Smoking Jacket”

You can watch the original episode we'll be discussing in every other episode of HBO's Curby Your Enthusiasm, including the new and final season, on Max. You can also watch the video version of the history of Curby Your Enthusiasm podcast on Max and YouTube as well.

Links available in the episode description. All Right, here we are. I am Susie Esmond and.

You are who Jeff Garland.

I knew that.

And this is season five, episode six, the Smoking Jacket.

I got mixed feelings about this episode.

It's a weird episode.

Yeah, there's some very funny things in it.

No, no, no, And by the way, it's not me disliking the episode. It's just a bit strange. And when we get to the different things that are strange, I'm going to ask you questions.

Yeah, okay, good.

So we start out it's Larry's birthday and he's blowing out candles, which is very nut like him. He doesn't like the happy birthday song, like the blowing out of the candles. And it's Larry, Cheryl and Jap, it's the three of you. And you say to him, what did you wish for? And he says it's personal, and you say, I know what you wish for, and you are absolutely correct on this. You wish that Louis Lewis would die.

I love that scene. He smacks you, and he's like, it's good to have a big friend.

To smack, and he starts smacking you know, and he tells Cheryl to smack you.

It's just funny.

Yeah, And then you guys fight over the wrapping because he's kind of being a little feeble trying to get it unwrapped, and you want to grab it, unwrap it. And I always feel used to feel that way with the kids. They were like such poor unwrappers. And I always wanted a Christmas just grab everything and just do it.

But it didn't.

And you got him a green sports jacket, like a bright kelly green, like the Masters.

Like the Masters, exactly right.

Not a particularly great looking color, no, but it's the Masters.

Otherwise it would be insane.

And Larry loves it. It's the best birthday he ever had. And then he says to Cheryl, I don't you don't have a gift. What's up with that?

You don't have it?

And Cheryl says, she has a gift. It's on hold. She just has to confirm it, and you're gonna love it. And doorbell rings and who's there? Cousin Andy comes in with all his luggage, came to visit.

Completely unexpected for me remembering, and then as the episode went on, I was like, oh, yeah, that's right he was, Yes.

Of course I didn't remember.

Anyway, his enthusiasm when he comes in as actually Richard being very enthusiastic. Yes, Richard's so happy to be doing the scene. He's probably waiting when the door's closed, like focusing, focusing, But he's so damn happy.

He does love doing the show. I know that.

And he comes in with luggage, Happy birthday, has your dad, and Larry establishes to him that NAT's starting to forget things and he's not what he used to be and he's having memory problems. And cousin Andy says, at least it's not the hip, which wade me laughed. At least it's not the hip, because once the hip goes, it's all downhill from there. And you tell Larry and Andy that you're invited. Hugh Hefner invited you to a party at the Playboy Mansion. Does the Playboy Mansion still exist, Yes.

But I don't know in what way. I believe it's still owned by Hugh Hefner. And by the way, as we go on with the talking about this episode, I will tell you my adventures at the Playboy.

Oh.

I can't wait to hear.

And Larry says, you said you want to go, and he says, no way, she won't let me, you know, meaning Cheryl, and Andy says, I'd love to go, and he grabs a magazine off the little phone table there, and he goes into the bathroom and it's an US magazine. And before he goes into the bathroom, Larry says to ask him if his parents ever mentioned that he was adopted, anything about the adoption, But to Andy's like, no, no, you're crazy, No, you weren't adopted.

On and on and then we.

Hear a flush and Richard comes out and he puts the magazine back on the little phone table and he says, I'm gonna go say hi to Cheryl.

You imitate him, You do a good Richard.

In the other room with charyon Yeah, and I want to go to the Playboy mansion.

And Larry is looking at the US magazine that he just brought out from the bathroom that he put back on the table, and he's completely grossed out by it. And he takes a tissue and he takes it and he picks it up with the tissue and he throws it in the garbage, and.

Then he throws the tissue in the garbage. Now this one, if you know the show, you know this is leading to something because it's not nuanced. It's really it's a piece of the scene. So you know it's going to come back later. That rarely happens, and I'm sure Larry didn't give a shit when he was writing. It's why I don't have a problem with it. But usually they're little teeny things that get bigger and bigger, or this one, it's something's going to happen. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Alarms went off.

Next Larry's at the hospital and Louis Lewis is in bed and the doctor is there, and Louis Lewis isn't a Coleman.

Who's the doctor?

The doctor is played by I wrote it down James Pickens Junior.

Which I have run into so many times. And do you know what TV show he's been on for many years? Don't?

If he's still on, I don't.

What's that hospital show?

You are?

Another shond around? He was on Great he Is, or was on Grays and Enemy for many years, and that's after this show. I like to think it's because the show, because.

He's somehow I don't think so, But that's okay. And Larry tells him. The doctor asks him who he is, and he's like, I'm friends with his cousin.

It's so lame, you know, that's a.

Thing of beauty and the doctor is kind of hesitant and he goes, oh, okay.

Well in this episode later on, if I recall, the doctor is not happy.

But in this episode, the doctor there's.

Some funny shit.

Yeah, it goes on.

Actually, one of the things that is mentioned to me most often is in I believe the next episode, I'm not positive.

I think so too, And I know what it is.

Yes, I mean people always yes.

Yes, of course, okay, And he's not doing well. It's an irreversible coma. And Larry says, how long you think it's going to be doctor says it could be days, weeks, months, could be a year.

And Larry's like, are you leading to a days or months?

I mean if you have to pick one, you know, so you have a gun to your head, you have to pick, and the doctor can't pick.

And larryus what I'm so the.

Mustache in a coma, the mustache.

Yeah, this mustache, it continues to grow.

Oh, there's a lady who really know.

A couple of times, the hospital has a barber.

Yeah, she's a nice lady. She clips his mustache.

She just works within the hospital or.

In the hospital. Yes, we just try and keep them.

Comfortable and you know, seems a pity though that these people like they languish like this one.

The soul is crying too. Oh yeah, I guess you could look at it that way.

And he's got all these organs he could be donating, you know what I mean.

What happens to the mustache and the coma and.

It continues to grow, and there's a nurse who comes and clips it.

And Larry was playing Lewis Lewis.

No, I don't.

He was in an improv group with Fred Willard and I cannot remember the name. They were out of the committee. No, not the committee. The committee was Dell Close. But he's in an improper He was the guy in the seventies who his whole stick was. You can call me Ray, okay, I know, I forget the gentleman's name.

Well, he does a great comma.

And passed away recently.

Actually, he's terrific in a coma.

Well, by the way he is, he's a great look.

Yeah for Lewis Lewis.

And Larry says, you know, it seems a pity that he's languishing here when the soul is trying to you know, as though Larry gives a shit about his soul and he could be donating his organs. And then the doctor leaves and Larry somehow is fussing with the cord, you know, the what do they call the tubes, And all of a sudden you see the curtain from the next door person pull open and there's a kid sitting there. That is Gary Rosenmeier, who's actually been in a lot.

He's done a lot well.

By the way, I also want to say, he's really good from the get go, but his performance grows and grows and grows during the episode.

It does, and watching him, I was thinking, you know, we've had a lot of We saw it in the Larry David Sandwich episode, that kid who catches Larry, you know, spilling the coffee, how great he was and Anton lesser.

We've had a lot of kids who were really terrific.

And by the way, in those moments, he reminds me of W. C. Fields.

Oh really, yeah, that's funny.

Now. Bob Whitey used to tell Larry all the time that he reminded him of W. C. Fields. Bob Whitey, one.

Of our directors, would tell that Larry.

Yeah, you would tell Larry this to Larry. But I concur but especially when he's with kids.

And he says, and he says that, the kid says, his name is Wilson, and the kid says, I urge your conversation.

So what you want this guy dead or something.

Listen, that's a very serious thing you're saying. You're practically calling me your murder. Okay, I'm not pulling any plug, So come on, enough of that.

Okay, I'm willing to overlook this whole thing.

Oh are you boy?

That's very nice of you.

Thank you.

I appreciate this.

Yeah, you grant my wish? It to make a wish foundation turned down.

You'll forget about this, you agree? What was this wish that they wouldn't grant?

I want to see naked woman?

You want to see a naked woman. That's your wish. They wouldn't grant that wish.

Of course, not imagine going through your whole life without seeing a naked woman. Hey I almost did so he says, Well, I can't really help you, But the kid says, hey, I sneak out all the time.

So whatever that's established.

Next we're home and Cheryl has a package that arrives for Andy, for cousin Andy, and it turns out it's from Nat and it's his smoking jacket, and Larry believes that was a birthday gift for Larry because Nat always promised Larry he could have the smoking jacket, and he's confused and he's got to mention he doesn't know what he was doing.

By the way, we do discover later on by NAT's reaction that Larry was right.

Yes, but Larry sets up that when they were younger, they would always give Andy a gift to on his birthday so they wouldn't feel left out, and he ends up having a big fight with Andy.

He didn't send me anything for my birthday. He only accept the fact that he sent me again, promise me this jacket.

Oh did my father? Oh Larry, you're unbelievable. You can't accept the fact that your father sent me a love.

Because why he has no reason to send it you it's my birthday.

Because he happens, and Cheryl suddenly cuts in and says, have you seen my US magazine? Larry tells her he threw it out, and Cheryl's very upset because she had written an important phone number down on the magazine, and Larry's like, well, he took it to the bathroom and contaminated it.

Then he goes back to the fight with Andy.

He promised me the jacket and they get into a big fight.

Day. This is my jacket. This is my jacket. This is my jacket. A lovely scene.

We'll be right back. Stay tuned, and we're back.

And then Larry and Jeff and Oscar are taking a walk. Oscar are dog and Larry complains about the jacket. And then you asked Larry if he's going to the Playboy mansion. He says he can't, he's in the doghouse. And then it's established that if you're in the doghouse already, you might as well get your money's worth. You might as well have the double transgression theory. Yeah, which I think is a great theory.

By the way, I'm going to tell you the truth. This took only a few takes to film. We were walking down the street in one of those areas between Brentwood.

Samaelopian and I could tell it was Brentwood.

Yes, and so this is one of those scenes that I tell people about and I probably mentioned on the show. If it's just Larry and I or you and Larry. However, it is when it's just one of the two of us, if you will, it just goes by so fast, it's like we're done. I think the record is there was one at a golf club, and I pointed out when we show that episode, I think we filmed it for

Very long time, yes, because there's a lot of choreography. And actually the last episode of this season was the longest day we ever had.

But we'll get there.

In terms of a dining room episode or just it.

Wasn't a dining room episode. We'll get there.

Hold on, it's longer than the episode when we filmed at the hospital when Larry dies.

That is that's the law. That's what I'm talking about. That's the end of this season.

Oh I think you said the end of last season. This season. Yeah, by far. By the way, it was also though, the reason we did it, because.

We don't ever do that, because it was a set.

No, it was the last day of shooting for this Also, there.

Was there was a lot had to happen.

We can control the environment, like.

For example, all those Shelley in the hospital scenes was shot that day.

That happened much earlier.

It was sometimes when when we have a location like that, like a hospital setting, you know, you take things from from different episodes and try to get everything done for the location, especially that happened during COVID.

That was very difficult during COVID location.

But this episode is we're talking this is two.

Thousand and five.

Yeah, confused.

So Larry's wants to know if he could ask Wilson to go the kid because where else is he going to see naked women?

At the Playboy mansion it makes sense.

And he comes home and Andy is on the phone in the smoking jacket, lounging with his leg and let Larry's like, what is this? My father promised me this for years, that when I was eleven years old or whatever.

And Andy's just like, can't you move on? He was so great?

And He's like, we're going to the Playboy mentioned and Andy begs, begs to go to the Playboy mention and Larry says, you can go to the Playboy mention. You got to give me the jacket back, take it to the dry cleaner, and then you got the four of you you, Larry, Andy and Wilson pull up in the Playboy mansion and a.

Says looking and watching is so fucked and funny.

That's right. And a voice get to the door.

I've never seen quite that crew and curb, you know.

Yeah, of course the there's a voice that says, speaking to the rock, which.

Made me look And that's Larry Charles's voice.

Oh is it? Okay? I didn't know that. I didn't recognize it.

And then you're at the mansion and you pass the gorgeous old Mercedes, and that we see a shot at the pool and his topless women everywhere, and all of a sudden Larry walks in and they all cover their breasts and scream and run away. They freak out seeing Larry.

Now let's talk about that.

Okay.

We never find out why which killed me. I don't know if it was on the cutting room floor, whatever it is. We have no idea why all these playmates what the reason was? I do not, but there's no this is a big thing for him.

I agree. I totally agree. It was like why I.

Just pissed it him And Larry says, I don't know, but I thought we would find out.

Yeah, but we don't. We don't. So that's a little bit of a top fiver of what the fuck?

Yeah, I understand that, yeah, because I had the same reaction.

You know, I can't even imagine what the reason what it was.

But usually, Jeff, when something like that happens, it is later revealed if it's not revealed in the moment, but it's not in this episode.

Then Larry needs to go to the bathroom.

He flushes, he walks out and he sees Hugh Hefner and two playmates, Bridget and Holly, and they're real there.

They were on that reality show.

I don't I haven't watched.

Well, there was a reality show on e with Hugh and his three ladies, what it was called.

I thought he had more than three, didn't you.

No, no, no, no, there are plenty of playmates, but in that show there were three, ok, the's three blonde women.

And Larry asks him what's that animal running around? And Hugh tells him it's a flamingo And Larry's like, he's not very good at identifying birds. He can identify sneakers, he knows there's all kinds of sneakers, but not birds. And he sees after he's wearing the smoking jacket that looks exactly like his father's nats and he tells him, my father has the same jacket.

And you know what, this smoking jacket. My father's got the exact same smoking jacket.

My doubt it. Doubt it.

Yeah, well it's an original.

I haven't be imparted from Italy.

Really, it's a ROSSELLI what of a kind?

I don't know, you know what?

I got it right out in the car, boy, I'd like to see it, would you sure?

Could I go get it?

Sure that?

Stay right here, Okay, I'll go get the smoking jackets.

Stay right here.

And while he's there, we pass Andy flirting with the girl, which is not realistic to me, not rich your kind because of any.

Half that moment, because he's later on he's been married for a long time to his wife. Yes, so at this point we're not even mentioning a wife like.

He's No, the wife has not been mentioned yet, and Lisa, who plays his wife, is amazing.

Yes, but when she is entered into the show, it's as if they've been married for years. And by the way, I actually do believe because it's funny. Cousin Andy standing over a centerfold flirting.

No, I believe he's flirting. It's later on. Well, anyway, we'll get to that.

But even later on, I believe that keep going.

Larry goes to the car to get the jacket, and Wilson is in the car sulking, you ruin my wish. They ran away from you and we still don't find out why. And he's like, can me the jacket? And he fights with the kid, and you know, we see him hold.

On with he's wrestling, but then the next shot is we see him coming in. There's no resolution there, so we have the resolution when.

He comes in right and hef claims that it's a knockoff. It's not really a Roselli and he.

Tries it on and Larry's like, wait till my father hears that you have to put on his mach and he goes to look, goes to look in the mirror at it, and he closes the door.

Nobody looks in the mirror and goes, hey, it's close, but no, not yet.

It's a knockoff. It's a Korean knockoff.

And he closes the door because he's now going to go to the bathroom wearing Larry's smoking jacket, and Larry is with Holly and bridget.

I noticed they got some uh what they got some monkeys out there?

Huh Yeah, don't got.

Much pockets in there. Huh too many pockets there.

We don't need pockets. I couldn't live without pockets. Look, not a dentist, but I enjoy discussing dental hygiene. Then monkeys they'll attack you. They'll they'll claw you to death. I'd say gum stimulation very important, blossing or are people, though, let's face it, who do have a foot on a problem?

Are you saying I have dirty feet?

Your name is one again?

I forgot Bridgie.

You are Holly, Holly.

Maybe we should go bowling sometime. I don't think you want to go bullet with.

Let's pretend to be ventriloquist.

This is a really funny feeling. I was a few feet away. You know. We shot about twenty five of those awkward conversations.

Larry talking about dental hygiene, which is one of his favorite topics. As we know, pockets maybe he has, and maybe they want to go bowling. Then he talks about maybe ventriloquists.

Uh.

Oh, by the way, the ventriloquism one is hilarious, yes, well, ventriloquism is always hilarious. Yeah.

And then finally we hear a flush and Hefter comes out of the bathroom and you see Larry is grossed out and he hands Larry back NAT's jacket where hef'stracket is over the banister or something. It's hanging somewhere, so it's over a chair, over a chair, okay, and Larry switches them because he's grossed out that he went to the bathroom in NAT's jacket.

Then we cut to Sheryl's the Playboy Mansion, you know.

And she's all pissed off about it, as he knew she would be, and she's like, you know, I got you a birthday president, and the birthday present is that she got lunch and a round of golf with Gary Player. And Cheryl's very upset by the way.

I once was invited to the Playboy I got two things to say, because we just covered it. I was invited to the Playboy mansion once for a party and Marla, myley ex wife, my wife at the time, wanted to go, and I was like the only way in my head, I'm like the only way I'm going is without her. Otherwise I am not going. You don't bring your wife to the Playboy mansion, not that any action will happen. Now, the other side of the coin, when we were filming at the play By mansion, we.

Were told to wait so so Jeff that it was really the Playboy Mansion.

Were we filmed? Yes, Oh yes, that's the way.

I just want to establish that.

Now.

You see behind them stairs that lead upstairs. When we were told don't go anywhere except where we're filming backyard this, I of course completely ignored that. I said, fuck that my time in the Playboy Mansion, and I went upstairs. Heff's room the end of the hallway. But along the way these ladies, the three girls, had their each of them had a room, and they had stickers all over their doors like a dorm room. Really, oh, they all had stickers. One of them was from Philadelphia, all this stuff,

We'll be right that. Stay tuned, Okay.

The Playboy Mansion was very worn. It was like if it shoddy, not quite shoddy, but on it way to shoddy. And you can see that not one piece of furniture from the seventies was replaced. It's all the original stuff. I went into the screening room, the couch, it all looks. What it basically looks like is that I've gone in a time machine to the nineteen seventies and I find myself in an empty mansion. Another thing that I did, and this is the creepier one. There was a house.

How much money would it take for you to go.

To Not to have money in the world, because the grotto, the amount of jism that's floating around that grotto, no.

Thank you, you could get pregnant.

No, But I just thought, this is the most unsanitary place maybe on earth. And by the way, speaking of Laura, there was this one area you could walk to on the inside of the grotto, and I took pictures of her. I don't know where they are right now. You know she's fully clothed, but of her relaxing in the grotto. It was very fun to do that, so.

Basically Laura as one of our executive producers.

Yeah, but what I'm saying is, I'll be damned if I didn't have a good time and do all the things that I would have wanted to that I would have never been able to do at a party.

You know what, You took advantage of the situation.

Now, I took advantage of it. And another interesting tidbit.

I didn't really get a moment just tit.

I know because of what we talked about. Oh that was on our promos.

Yeah.

Anyhow, another interesting tidbits for the first time using the word tidbit is that I wanted to talk to Half. I'm from Chicago, I know the Playboy mansion in Chicago, all this stuff. I wanted to ask him about the mansions and his time in Chicago and what he's just some nice questions. Yeah, I know a guy like that would love to answer but he was kind of He was very nice, don't get me wrong. And I didn't meet him, but he was very unavailable.

I'm firm he had boundaries up.

Well, he had boundaries, but also there were security boundaries. There was a lot of boundaries around half.

Can I say something, Yeah, not a great actor.

By the way, one or two lines fantastic, passable, yes, but the rest yeah, but I bought it either way.

So now we're back and Cheryl has bought Larry a birthday present, which is golf with Gary Player and lunch, and she's very upset. She wants an apology that she's doing all these amazing things for his birthday, and he's off at the Playboy mentioned and he feels like one apology should cover both, because again it's the double transgression theory. And she said, you said when you were a kid

Yeah, and by the way, it's an actress. It's not a real playmate.

And Nat starts telling them that he's not happy in the home because they steal from him in the home that somebody stole his smoking jacket, and Andy says, no, you sent it to me, and he's like, why would I send it to either of you?

And you buy that that shows that he sent it to It was addressed to Andy, but he was sending it to Larry.

But he's even taking it back from Larry because he's like, why would I send it to either of you? And you know, Larry gets the jacket, and Larry gets the jacket and Nat says, this is not my jacket.

Mineus a Rosellie. This is a knockoff.

It's not it's not my smoking jacket.

It's not I'm sorry. My jacket is a Roselle jacket. Take a look at this thing. Take a look at the seams here. It's a schmucker. Man, it's not mine. There's a knockoff of my jacket. What how did you get a hold of this dress? This is a knockoff. It's a knockoff. It's a cheap, cheap, And this.

Is not a Roselli.

This is not a Roselle. How did you get it?

Now? This jacket at this point is Hefner's jacket.

It's Hefner's jacket. That's because of the pooping. Larry took Heffner's shack exactly.

He says, this is a cheap knockoff, is what he says. It's a cheap knockoff. And Larry says, don't worry about it. I'll get your jacket back. Hef took it, and then Larry goes back to the mansion and hef comes down the stairs wearing the jacket and Larry wants to switch and there's a hole.

This is a Roselli. That's a knockoff. This is a Roselli.

You know, all this back and forth, it gets to the point where I don't know whose jacket is who.

And then Hefner leaves and then.

I think that premise is hilarious.

Yes it is.

And he's wearing the jacket he's Larry's and goes, oh, that's the knockoff. He tries it on, he hands Larry at back. Larry takes the real half jacket and both his.

Father and that says that's a knockoff.

Yeah. So my feeling is they're both knockoffs's.

Or maybe they're both originals. Who knows? Was that a real thing of Roselli smoking jack?

I could have it I could. I can look it up.

I think it's probably made up, but anyway.

No, I don't think it is.

Oh yeah.

And then we're back at the hospital with Lewis Lewis and the doctor and Larry's concerned, is is there any change? And the doctor tells him that he's quite impressed with his dedication to visiting Lewis Lewis, and Larry says, well, it's.

My friend's cousin. I have to and he's an organ donor.

Very nice of you, and then doctor leaves and Wilson shows up. How's it going with the wish And Larry says, look, I took you to the mansion. What else do you want me to do? And what was he going to do? And now I forgot what he was going? Wilson goes with.

Him, Yes, well, goes, I have an idea.

I have an idea. What was this idea?

I don't even know that? And we get to Larry's house and he forgot his cell phone. He wants to go back into his house, and that, of course means that he starts talking about it. His wife is in New York and if she can't get in touch with him. Twenty four to seven. It's constant contact all the time. And they go upstairs and they walk in and there's cousin Andy having sex with the naked Bobby Sue.

And she gets up and Wilson gets his wish.

And by the way, the look on his face is.

Oh, he's pure Yes, he's pure joy. And then Wilson is back in the hospital, seems to be with his mother and somebody who's from the Make a Wish Foundation and they say, Wilson, have you thought about another wish? And Wilson's wishes is that he wishes that he can have Hefner's smoking jackets, Roselli Roselli smoking jacket. He wants

Gary Player tries on Larry's jacket.

Wow, cannot get over how similar this jacket is today.

Do you mind if I just go and have a look at this at the mirror?

This is the one you beat Palmer at sixty one?

Right? Absolutely, come on, look at that.

Hey, it fits you.

Gonna have to excuse me a minute.

And then Gary Player, wearing Larry's jacket, walks into the bathroom.

Great closure and very close was a great It was a.

Real great runner and a great end. And Gary Player had a lot of enthusiasm, diddy yeah, and he was available. And there were three pain playmates there. That's all I'm saying.

What free playmates a Gary Player's house.

And well that's it for episode six, season five, right, what's up next?

Episode seven?

And which one is that you remember?

I don't. Is it the Sator? Maybe I don't remember.

No, it is it is because my HBO Max thing or whatever went to the next episode and it was Larry, Larry inviting a sex offender to a sator to a sator. And then I get in a lot of trouble for doing something, leaving and doing something.

At the same Oh, yes you do. And we'll get to that next week.

We'll see you next time, and thank you for listening, everybody.

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