Artie gets stuck on the highway during torrential rains and mud-slides leaving Paula the booker to function as the producer for the show.
WAR
81
Wins Above Replacement
“Artie's Gone” ranks #43 of 90 The Larry Sanders Show episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 87.1 — Elite. The episode packs 73 scored jokes at 3.2 per minute, averaging 7.3 on craft and 7.0 on impact, with Larry landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Larry: Steven, excellent. Bruno, the best. Hank, fuck you.
Larry Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Audience Member / Darlene: Post-credits/tag: 'My card was the 4 of diamonds, asshole.'
Paula: Robert, hi. I'm sorry, honey... Work is so crazy today.
Larry Hank Callback Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: Dance all night, dudes.
Larry: Normally I don't like magic. I try and figure out how it works and get frustrated — same with a porno film — but in this case, let's take a shot.
Larry Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 73 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Beverly: There's only two seasons in this city-- rainy and riot.
Beverly Observational Deadpan/Understatement Beverly: A little rain, and this whole town shuts down. They said he has the flu. Bullshit.
Paula Irony/Sarcasm Deadpan/Understatement Artie: There's a goddamn house that's sitting right here in the middle of the road! Don't ever move to Malibu, it's a fucking hellhole.
Artie Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Paula: That's why I live in the valley.
Paula Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat Artie: I'd like you to fill in for me... And don't tell Larry that I'm not there because you know how he gets when I'm not around.
Artie Character Comedy Escalation ★ Rewatch Artie: Two years is two days in Darlene time.
Artie Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Paula: Spot clean... Yesterday he said something about spot cleaning.
Artie Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Hank: Absent, detained, not-o here-o.
Paula Artie Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Darlene: Oh, my god! Oh, my god! Oh, my god!
Larry Paula Awkward Silence Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Hank: Hey, stow that shit, sailor.
Paula Character Comedy Wordplay/Pun Hank: That's the spirit-- gallows humor.
Paula: It's not a joke.
Larry: You're 28.
Paula: 26.
Larry: Thanks for your support.
Writer: We don't have lunch till 5:30.
Paula: Before brunch.
Writer: Brunch it is.
Paula: Larry hates your magic tricks.
Hank: This isn't magic. This is an illusion.
Hank Character Comedy Visual Gag ★ Rewatch Larry: And what crawled up his ass and died?
Beverly Hank Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Hank: No way... Take off my shoe and look inside.
Hank Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Larry: That's amazing. How'd you do that?
Hank: Magic.
Larry: Fuck!
Larry Reaction Beat Physical/Slapstick ★ Rewatch Paula: Robert, hi. I'm sorry, honey... Work is so crazy today.
Larry Hank Callback Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Paula: I was going to tell you about it.
Darlene: I haven't seen him since we broke up.
Paula: I know.
Darlene: I don't want to see him--
Paula: I believe he's speaking with Elayne Boosler...
Larry: For lead?
Paula: I don't know. That's just one option.
Larry: Like who?
Paula: Jody Watley.
Larry: Funny.
Paula: She's a singer.
Larry: I know.
Larry: Let's try and find someone Donald Trump hasn't screwed.
Artie: Have a glass of wine... You don't have to drink it, Paula. Just walk in front of the audience with it.
Paula: The way I look now, it won't relax anyone to see me with alcohol.
Larry: We don't have a lead guest, do we?
Larry: Hank will try and jam in a stupid magic trick.
Larry: Dance all night, dudes.
I was told I was on first... But when Hank called, I came right over.
Paula Deadpan/Understatement Callback Steven: You do a great job... as a sidekick.
Hank: What a nice compliment.
Larry Paula Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Callback Steven Wright: Hey, man. I don't even know what an ego thing is, man.
Bruno: This fucking show is run so fucking sloppy. This would never happen on Letterman.
Steven: Right. It's amateur night in Dixie.
Larry: But I suppose it's a dry heat and I'm just an old fuck.
Robert: You know what? I knew you would say that.
Richard Simmons: The woman's crazy. I was talking to the guy next to her.
Larry: Why can't they say it has a success rate of 74%?
Larry: This is just an example of some people seeing the condom as 1/4 empty when it's really 3/4 full.
Larry Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback Paula: He says you're doing great.
Paula: He's waving.
Larry: I can't make him out, but good.
Larry: You know, in L.A., you can't be too sure what that popping is.
Larry: He was wonderful in City Slickers.
Hank: Wonderful.
Hank: No, he was not in City Slickers.
Hank: You're thinking of someone else.
Larry: You're right, and I'm wrong... Well, if you're going to be that way about it.
Larry Setup/Punchline Irony/Sarcasm Steven Wright: Coming out with you is like something is dragging on my foot.
Larry Setup/Punchline Observational He's saying you stick to his shoe like toilet paper, which I think is rude.
Larry Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential Bruno: New York.
Steven: The Gap.
Larry Visual Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Larry Observational Dark/Subversive Steven: Yeah, but I got mine first.
Larry Paula Cringe/Discomfort Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: I used to dance like that in high school, by the way.
Larry Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm Callback Paula: Artie wasn't even here. He was in a mud slide. It was just me.
Larry: You're what? 28?
Hank: 26.
Larry Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Callback Paula: It was an accident. I shouldn't drink.
Artie: Horse hockey.
Larry: Smells like the 10 of clubs.
Larry: My card was the 4 of diamonds, asshole.
Larry Character Comedy Visual Gag Hank: I think I've got one of those low-grade fevers. / Hmm? / No, it's just hot. Really hot in here.
Hank Running Gag Character Comedy Callback Hank: Got my magic cards with me tonight. [Clicks tongue]
Hank Running Gag Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: Steven, excellent. Bruno, the best. Hank, fuck you.
Larry Character Comedy Setup/Punchline ★ Rewatch Hank: He always wears the same shirt — Steven Wright.
Hank Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement Larry · Paula: How did Artie like it? / He thought it was the best. / I thought it went pretty well myself, considering everything he had to do on this show, you should learn from him. Watch him closely. He pulled this off.
Larry Paula Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Paula · Larry: Guess what. / What are you saying? / Artie wasn't even here. He was in a mud slide. It was just me. Thank you very much.
Paula Larry Character Comedy Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Hank: You're producing? You're running the show? 3, 2... You're what? 28? / 26.
Larry Hank Callback Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: We are back. With, uh... With, uh, Hank... And, uh... Thanks for being back.
Larry Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Larry: What do you recommend we do for the 2 minutes and 30 seconds, Paula? Paula, who's filling in for our producer Artie.
Larry Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Callback Paula: Why don't I do some plugs? Stay tuned for late-night videos. Dance all night, dudes.
Paula Callback Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Hank: Sounds like we have time for some magic. / I do magic. You do? / Yes. / It's not magic, per se. This is more of an illusion.
Larry Hank Callback Running Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Larry · Artie: Artie, welcome back. 2 minutes left? How's it going? / Interesting. / Hank's doing card tricks. / Oh, Christ!
Larry Artie Character Comedy Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: Normally I don't like magic. I try and figure out how it works and get frustrated — same with a porno film — but in this case, let's take a shot.
Larry Observational Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Hank: There are 52 men in the shoe store.
Hank Absurdist Character Comedy Callback Hank · Larry · someone in audience: Is that your card? / No. [Audience laughs] / You told him, didn't you? / It was an accident. I shouldn't drink.
Artie · Larry: Let Hank finish the trick. / All right, Hank, let's finish the trick. / Normally, I don't like magic... Same with a porno film... but in this case, let's take a shot.
Larry: Smells like the 10 of clubs.
Larry Absurdist Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Hank: Hank attempts the final reveal: 'Mmm... smells like the 10 of clubs.' Then finds the correct card.
Hank Character Comedy Physical/Slapstick Callback Larry · Hank: That is my card — the 10 of clubs. [Applause]
Larry Hank Callback Running Gag ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: I hope we can do magic more often. Gosh, that was great.
Larry Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Unknown Staff Member: My card was the 4 of diamonds, asshole.
Audience Member / Darlene: Post-credits/tag: 'My card was the 4 of diamonds, asshole.'
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