MovieChat Forums > Newhart (1982) Discussion > The Whole Larry /Darryl / Darryl Thing H...

The Whole Larry /Darryl / Darryl Thing Had A Shelf Life...


...of maybe three episodes. Beyond that it was more annoying than funny.

Very bland show. Typical CBS programming.

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One thing nobody acknowledges is how these three were really inspired by the Marx brothers. Larry was the Groucho of the group. And the other two were his Harpos.

So I am sure the writers figured that if the Marxes could build a whole career around it, they could build repeated subplots around this routine.

I bet CBS and the writers considered giving them a spinoff-- but I sincerely doubt a whole program featuring them as lead characters would have been very sustaining and that's probably why it was never attempted.

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I’ll make this brief: you have to be an idiot to see The Marx Brothers in these clods. There were 5 Marx brothers: Groucho, Chico, Harpo, Gummo and Zeppo. The last 2 were dead weight, but Minnie Marx insisted they be, sometimes, included. Harpo was pure improvisation. S.J. Perlman, who wrote many of their scripts, said something like, “You write HARPO ENTERS, then he takes it from there.” Once, when filming a scene, Groucho turned to the screenwriters and said, “If you hear any of your lines, whistle.” The Marx Brothers are from a comedy era so far removed from your feeble comprehension that they might as well be Angels. No, The Larry bunch IS NOT the fucking Marx Brothers, cretin.

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Actually, I really liked the trio. They did have a culture folkowing, and even appeared as guest characters on the TV show Coach.

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I think you really didn't watch enough. They really did a lot to keep it funny. And the actors did so much with the characters without speaking. I don't think they got nearly enough credit

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Agree. They changed it up all the time. Loved it.

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Yes, as a loyal viewer of the show, they did a lot with them and kept it fresh. I believe I read they appeared in 91 episodes.

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I mostly agree with the OP. Those characters were just too bizarre to be featured so often.

I recently watched the scene from their first appearance. It was hilarious. They came with shovels and were so eager to dig up the body buried in the basement of the Inn. Their behavior was so bizarre and it was funny.

But then they bought Kirk's restaurant and became regulars. Would you really patronize a restaurant that looked like it was being run by some escapees from an asylum?😁

They reminded me a little of a character like Ernest T. Bass from the Andy Griffith show. Eccentric characters like that should be used sparingly.

Some of their appeances were okay but what really got on my nerves was Larry's intro EVER SINGLE time.
I'm Larry, this is Darryl,etc."

I used to want to yell "Okay! I get it.." That line was funny the first 40 times, then it was just annoying!😱

I can't believe no one at the Inn ever said, "OKAY! We know your names!"

Supposedly it was a routine that really cracked up the studio audience. I just found it irritating.

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I can't believe no one at the Inn ever said, "OKAY! We know your names!"


It happened once:

Larry: Hi I'm Larry, this is my broth-

Stephanie: We already know who you are! You've told us a hundred times! Do you think we're morons?

Larry: Uh....no.

And then the next time they come to the inn, they're wearing signs with their names written on it to avoid her getting mad at them again

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LOL I never saw that episode. But I totally agree with Stephanie! She would be the character to say that!

Facts are not liberals strong suit. Rhetoric is. Thomas Sowell

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Yes, that was a funny exchange, when Stephanie finally had enough of their entrance routine.

I think the point of them owning the cafe was that a lot of their customers were travelers stopping off the road, who wouldn't know what they've gotten themselves into until they were seated and had ordered. The reason Dick and Joanna and the other locals go in there is because they feel sorry for the guys and are just being nice, even if they know they might be risking their lives on the food. LOL

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Oh yeah that makes a lot of sense! Didn't think about it that way. Their cafe was not some place that the locals patronized.😂


Reminded me of the I Love Lucy episode where they were on their way to California. It was called "First Stop". They were tired and hungry and late at night they picked the first place that they saw. The cafe owner only served stale overpriced cheese sandwiches.

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Reminded me of the I Love Lucy episode where they were on their way to California. It was called "First Stop". They were tired and hungry and late at night they picked the first place that they saw. The cafe owner only served stale overpriced cheese sandwiches.

It's funny you mention that Lucy episode, because it crossed my mind when I wrote my earlier comment in this thread!

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Funny! Do you think the guy who owned that diner in Ohio was Larry, Darryl and Darryl's grandpa? He sure looked like he could've been!

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Who knows. Anything's possible!

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In their first episode, after doing the bit a few times, Bob does briefly say “I know who you are”.

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Totally agree. The first few appearances were funny, then it quickly got old. The shows that center around them are the worst (the one where Larry has a near death experience was especially annoying).

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There are a good number of great Newhart episodes, but as the series went on they became less and less. The final season is mostly awful. I think there were two good episodes in that season. Even the final episode is bad until the last 3 minutes.

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Very annoying.

Here you had one of the most famous comics of the 20th century in the background...to Larry, Darryl and Darryl.

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I never found it annoying exactly. In a way it would be kind of like watching Rodney Dangerfield doing standup. If he didn't say "I tell you I get no respect" at least once, the audience would feel cheated.



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I agree, it was funny at first then it got annoying fast. They should have had them on once per season at the most.

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