Curb Your Enthusiasm began in October 1999 with a one-hour special on HBO. A year later the series created by and starring starring Larry David made its HBO premiere. The series wrapped up its eleventh season in December 2021. The co-creator of the legendary Seinfeld TV series, David was able to take his brand of improvised, unfiltered, and cringeworthy humor to new heights with Curb Your Enthusiasm.
No longer burdened by network regulations, David was free to explore topics that would have never been allowed on regular television – or at least they wouldn’t have been explored is such a hilarious way. A big part of Curb Your Enthusiasm’s humor revolves around Larry doing something or speaking his mind about something that almost always leads to him getting in trouble for it. There are literally dozens, but here are several of Larry’s most embarrassing moments over the years.
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Squeaky Shoes Ruins the Tooth Fairy
HBO
In season five, episode three Larry gets himself a new pair of orthotic inserts for his shoes. The only problem is it makes the shoes squeaky as all get out whenever he walks. His doctor tells him they just need a little time to break in but in the meantime it draws a lot of unwanted attention.
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When he visits his manager Jeff’s house one night and has to use the bathroom the squeaky shoes wake up Jeff’s daughter Sammi right when her mother is leaving money under her pillow from the Tooth Fairy. Sammi realizes the Tooth Fairy is a sham and freaks out. Larry catches the wrath of Jeff’s wife, Susie.
Funeral Flowers as Gift
In season six, episode three Marty Funkhouser’s mother dies after she was hit by a car in her wheelchair. A roadside memorial is set up with her photo at the spot of the incident and people leave flowers in her honor. Larry passes by the scene and notices the abundance of flowers and decides to take a few home to give to his wife and her friend. Marty notices the flowers missing and ends up finding out that Larry took them.
Larry explains that since Marty’s mother is no longer alive, she really doesn’t need them does she? In typical Larry David fashion it was the epitome of poor taste.
The Double Goodbye
In season one, episode three Larry takes his wife Cheryl (played by Cheryl Hines) to a dinner party at an ex-porn star named Gil’s house. It’s a total poop show as soon as they enter because Larry refuses to remove his shoes, Gil is telling old porn stories at the dinner table, and Larry breaks a rare prized lamp.
It gets so bad that Larry and Cheryl say their awkward goodbyes and leave early while Gil’s wife is fuming. But when he gets to the car Larry realizes he left his watch after a guest wanted to take a look at it. Larry has to go back inside, get his watch back, get directions on how to get back home, and repeat the awkward goodbyes all over again. It’s a classic hilarious scene for Curb fans.
The Skewering of Ben Stiller’s Eye
In season four, episode two Larry and Cheryl are attending a party for Ben Stiller’s birthday. Larry is enjoying some hors d’oeuvres on a large toothpick but has no place to dispose of the toothpick once he’s done eating. The relationship between Ben and Larry is already awkward enough but when Larry skewers Ben’s eye with the toothpick it takes it to a new level. As Larry is telling a story to other guests and gesturing with his hands Ben comes up exactly at the wrong time and takes the toothpick right in the eyeball. Eeeeek!
The Telephone Game
Also at Ben Stiller’s birthday party in season four, episode two Larry finds himself at a children’s table where Jeff’s wife Susie is leading a group of kids playing the telephone game. That’s the game where you whisper something to the person next to you and they are supposed to repeat it to the person next to them and around it goes until it gets back to the beginning. Of course by then whatever was originally said is usually completely distorted.
When the boy next to Larry whispers to him “I love pigs” a busty waitress attending the table catches Larry’s eye. So instead of Larry saying “I love pigs” he says he loves something else and his wife Cheryl is right behind him and hears the whole thing. Susie, as only she can do, really lets Larry have it for that one. Can one birthday party get any more embarrassing?
The Skinhead
In season six, episode four Larry, who is Jewish, is at the doctor’s office when a racist skinhead in a green jacket yells some very obscene things at him. Bewildered by the encounter Larry confides in his buddy Leon who tells him he needs to confront the guy and stick up for himself. When Larry returns to the doctor’s office later he sees a bald man in a green jacket at the reception window.
Though he can’t see the guy’s face yet, Larry assumes it’s the skinhead and confronts him angrily only to find out it wasn’t the same person and Larry had just threatened a chemo patient with cancer. Whoops!
