Yes Virginia, there is a little Larry

If you aren’t a Lebowski acolyte, I’ll save you some time by advising you skip this entry. If you are a Little Lebowski Urban Achiever, read on. And, we are all very proud of you.

I just got an email from Luis, thanking me for “The Big Lebowski” DVD I had sent to him. Luis was one of the guides I employed in a kayaking trip in Costa Rica. One night, when we were out doing a round of bars with Davis (another guide), I slipped into an impression of Jesus. If you’re still reading, you know I’m referring to Jesus the pederast, not the son of the Lord. They looked at me blankly.

In my defense, these guys carry cell phones and ipods, and wear Oakley, Burton and Nike products. Surely, they would know Lebowski, if not be outright devotees. Not.

In his email, Luis asked what I liked about the movie. It’s the Coen brothers. You know these things happened. You know for a fact the characters exist. I would like to meet them.

Luis expressed doubt that was the case. But, it is. The Coens are able to unearth these gems of reality, like when little Larry is confronted about the Dude’s stolen car.

The beauty is that the scene in the living room did take place, with the homework in the plastic “evidence bag” and Larry’s incapacitated father (a screenwriter) there in a hospital bed. You can’t make up this stuff.

He is Jaik Freeman and was tracked down when his homework was found in a recovered stolen car. So, how did the Coens happen upon this episode? It was Peter Exline’s car, and he was one of the guys to brace Jaik with the evidence. Exline met the Coens at a Superbowl party and told them the story.

Jaik may be an obscure answer in big league trivia competition, but the real Walter is hiding in plain sight. And when you see him, you have to wonder if John Goodman (as Walter) is real or Memorex. He’s John Milius, a legend in Hollywood. He wrote “Apocalypse Now,” “Conan the Barbarian,” and “Red Dawn,” among other screenplays of similar bent. He was also a co-founder of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. Deep in the heart of the politically correct left coast film industry, the centerpiece of his office is a large photograph of an atomic bomb explosion.

The Dude is another story. A lot of ins and outs and what have yous. But, he does exist and makes a cameo appearance in the movie. He’s Jeff Dowd and the Coens didn’t have to go far to trip over him. He’s been working (unlike his character) in film production for 30 years. He was a political activist and one of the Seattle Seven.

Even though Dowd’s cleaned up, Jeff Bridges was able to ratchet the image back down with his own quirks. Bridges brought elements of the Dude’s wardrobe from his own closet.

Yes, Virginia, there is a little Larry. He exists as certainly as depravity and insanity and impropriety exist. And that’s part of the genius of the Coens.