JIM CARREY VISITS THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW

THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW
1992-1998 HBO

JIM CARREY VISITS THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW
MAD #337, July 1995
w: Stan Hart
a: Angelo Torres

The Larry Sanders Show wasn't a talk show but a sitcom about the life of a talk-show host and a behind the scenes look at the program. Larry Sanders (Garry Shandling) was host of the show within the show. His sidekick was Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor) and the producer was Artie (Rip Torn). I guess the woman in the first panel is supposed to be Janeane Garofalo, who played one of the talent bookers, It doesn't exactly look like her, but the giveaway is the pin referring to her being a one-season cast member of Saturday Night Live. Darlene (Linda Doucette) was Hank's assistant. Hank warmed up the audience with jokes and one was that the 'Applause' sign said 'Applesauce'.

Ace Ventura, Pet Detective is about a detective who finds the mascot of the Miami Dolphins. He's a thorn in the side of the actual police force, particularly to their lieutenant (Sean Young). Sharon Stone was famous in a scene from Basic Instinct for not wearing underwear. Actresses often played themselves on the show and dated Larry. “Hey now” was Hank's catchphrase. Jim Carrey was always 'on' and would break into impressions during interviews.

“No flipping” was what Larry Sanders always said when they went to a commercial break. The Mask was about Jim Carrey finding a mask in a river, putting it on, and turning into a ladies' man.

The middle panels make references to Whitewater, a real estate scandal the Clintons were accused of being involved in, and the picture in the next panel is of Fire Marshal Bill, a character Carrey played on In Living Color. Hank Kingsley owned a restaurant he was always trying to plug on The Larry Sanders Show show.

The lesson in The Mask was that Carrey's character was better being himself when Tina (Cameron Diaz), the woman he was trying to impress, found out who he really was. Dumb and Dumber is about two guys (Jim Carrey, Jeff Daniels), who find a briefcase full of ransom money, think it was something accidentally left behind, and travel across the country to give it back to the girl who left it there.

Teri Garr plays someone in Dumb and Dumber who heads an animal rescue foundation. The spider on Hank's head refers to an episode of The Larry Sanders Show where one of the guests handled them and they came loose. Larry's assistant was Beverly (Penny Johnson).

This was MAD's way of combining several parodies into one, but in a case of art imitating art Jim Carrey ended up eventually becoming a "guest".