‘Drunk History’ Extols Daniel Inouye’s War Record
He may be gone, but the late Sen. Daniel K. Inouye, D-Hawaii, is not forgotten. Not even by the routinely punchy raconteurs who spin their webs on Comedy Central’s “Drunk History.”
The alcohol-fueled civics lessons captured by the show , which has already been renewed for a third season, typically feature tipsy storytellers recounting the exploits of prominent socio-political figures.
For Tuesday’s episode — airing at 10 p.m. — “Drunk History” turns its non-bloodshot eye on the Aloha State.
The saga of Inouye’s nearly life-threatening charge into enemy fire during World War II is sandwiched between segments chronicling British Captain James Cook’s “discovery” of the Hawaiian Islands and the tale of surfing legend Eddie Aikau.
“My favorite part of the story … is that he is the inspiration for [President Barack] Obama,” show co-creator Jeremy Konner said of Inouye’s legacy .
Per Konner, actor Steven Yeun, who after four seasons on “The Walking Dead” must be used to squaring off against bitey antagonists, had to wrestle with an entirely different kind of predator by stepping into the Inouye role.
“She said she’s never seen more rattlesnakes on a set,” Konner said of the professional snake wrangler’s assessment of their mountain side-shoot. (Guess it wasn’t filmed in Hawaii, which does not have rattlesnakes.)
Luckily, Yeun took it all in stride.
“Turns out, he’s a super funny dude,” Konner said.
No word on what other pols might pop up in future episodes. But Konner strongly suggested we stay tuned.
“I promise you there will be a president involved,” he said. “And there will be stories that invoke D.C. and the government.”