GARRY SHANDLING: ALONE IN VEGAS (1984)

This 60-minute video is 100% Shandling, which is either good or bad news depending upon who's watching. Shandling's "average guy stuck in the farce called life" persona works quite well within the framework of the tape. Casual fans, however, might prefer the Johnny Carson-baiting Shandling of the much-later cable series It's Garry Shandling's Show and The Larry Sanders Show. Like those two projects, Alone in Vegas began as a Showtime cable special--Shandling's first, in fact.