The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve

The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve are two animated short films created by Seth MacFarlane in the mid-1990s that eventually led to the development of the animated sitcom Family Guy. The cartoons feature a middle-aged man named Larry Cummings and an intellectual dog named Steve. Executives at Fox saw both Larry shorts and contracted MacFarlane to create a series based on the characters, to be called Family Guy. Peter Griffin, the main character of Family Guy, was largely based on Larry while Steve served as the main inspiration behind the Griffin family dog Brian.

The Life of Larry (1995)
The Life of Larry is a 1995 animated film created by Seth MacFarlane as his thesis film during 1994–1995, while he was studying at the Rhode Island School of Design. It features a middle-aged slob named Larry Cummings; his cynical, talking dog, Steve; supportive wife, Lois; and overweight teenage son, Milt. It also features live-action segments in which MacFarlane describes the film and its characters in the form reminiscent of Masterpiece Theatre. Many of the jokes and cutaway gags used in The Life of Larry were later used in many of the first season Family Guy episodes.
 * Created, written, directed, produced, edited, and music by Seth MacFarlane.

Seth MacFarlane

 * Oh, hi, there. You scared the crap out of me.  I'm Seth MacFarlane, Associate Production Coordinating Directorial Associate Managing Departmental Divisional Office Supervisor of the International Network Amalgamation Distributors Corporation Management Organisational Association of Men Who Like Pussy.
 * Wang, for love of Christ, you're an American now. Use a napkin.

Dialogue

 * Captain James T. Kirk: It could be dangerous—we may be killed—but that's why we're out here.  The landing party will consist of myself, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, and Ensign Skippy.
 * Ensign Skippy: Oh, shit.


 * Man in underwear: You have any Cheez-Its?


 * Alex Trebek: For eight-hundred dollars, this chemical dye's found in ninety-five percent of all cosmetic products.
 * Larry Cummings: Diarrhœa.  [audience laughs]  What?  Oh, oh, oh, sorry!  Sorry.  What is diarrhœa?


 * Larry Cummings: It says here there's another state that's goin'a abolish the death penalty.
 * Lois Cummings: Oh, is that right?
 * Larry Cummings: Yeah, instead they make ya share a popsicle with Tom Waits.


 * Larry Cummings: [to Lois Cummings]  But, it's a miracle when you think about it.  Idn't it, y'know?  This, this whole, this-this "birth" thing.  Like, I mean, y'know, wha-what happens?  I unload, uh-uh-uh—a whole batch of this—these, uh, these little reproductive apostrophes in-in-into your, uh, y'know, uh-uh-uh "miracle bucket," and then, nine months later, Milt comes out, y'know?  I mean, it's-it's—it's-it's-uh, for me, it's got the same kind of, uh, uh, y'know, awe-inspiring mystique as-as-as, like, Shrinky Dinks.
 * Steve: For God sakes, people are trying to sleep around here.


 * Preacher: And so, the  God smote poor Job with disgusting boils from head to toe.
 * God: Oh, God, I hate it when he tells this story.
 * Actual Biblical quote from Job 2:6–7:
 * And the said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.  So went Satan forth from the presence of the, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

Cast

 * Seth MacFarlane — Himself / Larry Cummings / Steve / Lois Cummings / Man in underwear / Captain Kirk / Mr. Spock / Sulu / Ensign Skippee / British man / Jeremy / Tom Hanks / Alex Trebek / Preacher / God
 * Newt Gingrich — Himself (archive sound)
 * Han Chang — Wang

Larry & Steve (1997)
Larry & Steve, a sequel of sorts to The Life of Larry, was created by Seth MacFarlane in 1996 and aired on 5 February 1997 on Cartoon Network as part of their What a Cartoon! series. Larry being the only human Steve can find that can hear him, Steve gets Larry to save him from the pound. Unfortunately for Steve, Larry is an imbecile.
 * Created, written, and directed by Seth MacFarlane.

Steve

 * Hi, there. My name's Steve.  I'm a dog—in-in case you're, um, well, stupid.
 * [to a passerby at the pound] Excuse me, sir, sir, I could do your taxes for you.
 * Just my luck that the only person who could hear me had the IQ of a flank steak.
 * I'm house-broken, I'm neutered, and I'm well-versed in the works of Chaucer.

Larry

 * Luke, this is your landlord. You still haven't returned my weed whacker.

Dialogue

 * Larry: Whoa, a dog that speaks English!
 * What: What?
 * Larry: Y'know, once I had a Jack Russell Terrier that spoke Dutch, but I-eh-I couldn't understand a word he was saying.


 * Steve: Uh, Larry, it says here your licence was suspended.
 * Larry: Oh, n-no; th-th-they just took it away temporarily.


 * Redneck: [from an adjacent vehicle]  Pardon me, but might you have any yellow redneck mustard?


 * Larry: How do you feel, Steve?
 * Steve: Like Agamemnon after the fury of Clytemnestra.
 * Larry: Hell, ye—who?


 * Larry: I-I think I know what I'm talking about, alright?  Alright?  I-I-I didn't spend twelve years in Kindergarten 'cause I'm stupid.
 * Steve: Why, then?
 * Larry: I got my foot caught in the radiator.

Cast

 * Seth MacFarlane — Larry / Steve / Old man / Pilot / Ricky / Redneck / Scottsman / Kid in pound
 * Lori Alan — Cindy / Loudspeaker voice