SNL Classic: Re-Airings, Past Casts, Past Sketches, Past Hosts, the Past

[absnow54]

The West Side Story sketch is one of my favorites too! I love when they walk through how everyone's catching on to the song and dance. I also love the Home Shopping sketch if only for them shouting SHAQ PLAQ over and over again.

[M. Darcy]

The WSS Sketch is still one of my favorites also.  They did another simliar one also in that season - where Norm finds himself in the middle of Evita.

[peeayebee]

I just watched this ep. I had seen the WSS sketch before, and it's still great. "Do you know 'While You Were Singing I Got Stabbed in the Head by a Puerto Rican'?"

 

I was really charmed by how Bob Dole and Norm MacDonald interacted. Just really enjoyable.

 

For some reason I really liked the Shopping Home Network sketch. Everyone was so committed. It was just really silly. I think Chris Kattan isn't generally liked by fans, but I've always liked him. (I haven't seen all that much of his stint at SNL.) Here I thought he was really good, funny and completely in character.

[VCRTracking]

I love the part in the WWS sketch where Will Farrell does this wordless solo after every lyric. "Ah-uh-AH-aahh!"

Edited March 17, 2016 by VCRTracking

[M. Darcy]

Tonight is from '97 - John Goodman with Jewel.

[Spartan Girl]

Was this the first Celebrity Jeopardy skit? John Goodman was hilarious as Brando, but as usual Norm stole the show as Burt Reynolds.

[formerlyfreedom]

Was this the first Celebrity Jeopardy skit? John Goodman was hilarious as Brando, but as usual Norm stole the show as Burt Reynolds.

 

Looks like it was the second time - this was SOO funny.

[AuntTora]

I think this episode kills the concept that "it used to be so much better". Jeopardy was mildly amusing, but everything else aggressively unfunny.

[cleo]

I didn't think it was that great either but I love the NPR sketches.

[nowandlater]

1st Weekend Update story: Hillary Clinton

2nd Weekend update story: Donald Trump.

[M. Darcy]

 

but as usual Norm stole the show as Burt Reynolds.

I think you mean Turd Ferguson.

 

I can't believe they would show a John Goodman episode and it not be one where he played Linda Tripp.

[M. Darcy]

Seriously? The episode they showed last night when McCain hosted was the best episode of that season?

[DXD526]

Not a real strong episode. Hardball was funny, and so was Weekend Update, but the rest, meh. One of the major problems was McCain himself. It's pretty obvious the guy has zero sense of humor and no idea how to deliver a joke. He weighed down every sketch he was in. As a comic, he's a longtime politician.

 

It was great seeing Tina and Jimmy at the Update desk again. They may well be the best WU team ever. Them, or Tina and Amy. I loved 30 Rock, but Tina was born to do WU.

[JakeyJokes]

Tonight was the season opener of 1993, with Charles Barkley and Nirvana. I absolutely loved it. Barkley's always been one of the better athlete hosts. There was a Phil Hartman as Clinton opener, a Stuart Smalley sketch with Muggsy Bogues, the Gap Girls (my favorite!!), and a Coffee Talk with Linda Richman.

 

They showed both performances of Nirvana which is rare for an hour version. The second song was "Rape Me" and I had read somewhere that NBC told them that they couldn't do that song, and Nirvana agreed to it and then decided to do it anyway. RuPaul was there for the good-nights, but he wasn't featured in the hour version.

[Penguins71]

When I saw it was the Charles Barkley ep, I set my DVR immediately, because of the Barney skit.  I think I've watched it 5 times already today.  Barkley trash talking Barney will never fail to make me laugh. 

[helenamonster]

Caught the second half of the episode. Saw both of Nirvana's performances, Weekend Update, and the donkey basketball sketch. I'm guessing they aired it cuz of Nirvana, as they showed both songs. Kurt Cobain died a few months before I was born, so I missed the phenomenon. It was cool to see them. 

[JakeyJokes]

I was born in the late '80s, so I knew OF Kurt Cobain but completely missed the grunge movement (my coming of age was a few years later, guided by TLC and Alanis Morissette). I watched the songs with captioning so I could get all the lyrics -- very dark stuff, and I can see how teenagers were so enthralled by it.

[absnow54]

For anyone with the Logo network, they've been playing marathons the past few weekends. I don't know what seasons they have the rights to, but every week they've gone back a little further in time. So far they've aired seasons 30 through 40. I missed the seasons from the mid to late 2000's because I was in college, so it's been fun to see the Hader/Sudeikis/Samberg/Wiig early years. That was such a tight cast. Probably one of the best ensembles along side the original cast, the 80s golden era, and mid-late-90's Ferrell years.

[DXD526]

Barkley trash talking Barney will never fail to make me laugh.

 

Nor will Barkley throwing an elbow at Barney. He was winning, he really didn't have to do that!

 

Stuart Smalley was so underrated (and made one of the best SNL movies, Stuart Saves His Family). So funny. I wonder how Sen. Al Franken feels about him now?

[JakeyJokes]

I am enjoying the LOGO reruns -- The Fey/Fallon era was a pinnacle for me -- but I will gripe about them insisting on airing the Paris Hilton episode. I swear E! aired it nonstop when they had the rights. It's not that good, and Tina openly trash-talked her on Howard Stern later that year.

[helenamonster]

I am enjoying the LOGO reruns -- The Fey/Fallon era was a pinnacle for me -- but I will gripe about them insisting on airing the Paris Hilton episode. I swear E! aired it nonstop when they had the rights. It's not that good, and Tina openly trash-talked her on Howard Stern later that year.

 

"Is Maya Rudolph Italian?"

[Asp Burger]

Help with a sketch, please. i'd be eternally grateful, or at least long enough to click "like" on your post.  

 

Era: '90s.  

 

This was a commercial parody for a floor cleaner (something with pine or lemon in it), with a woman talking about how things that used not to be important to her have become important to her now that she has a home of her own and a family. We expect her to stop, but she keeps going on with too much information about her lurid past of substance abuse and crime. Whenever she stops talking, we hear background singers singing in high, ethereal voices about the floor cleaner.

 

At the end she says something like, originally her plan was to con this divorced-with-kids guy she married and leave with his money, but now she thinks she'll stay. Then she starts mopping and we see her arms are covered in tattoos. 

 

I cannot find a trace of this, and I don't remember which SNL woman was in it (Ana Gasteyer? Molly Shannon?). I remember it being pretty funny.  

[DXD526]

It was Molly Shannon. I remember the line about how when she met her husband, she was going to steal his telescope and sell it for drugs, but instead married him and got caught up in the domestic life, tattoos and all! 

[Prairie Fire]

Prince's appearance on SNL in 2006 may be his most badass live performance of all time, especially the last 30 seconds. Now that's how you make an exit.

 

http://tvpot.daum.net/v/vbcb1xTxsTx1376oU2s96C2

[LADreamr]

Prince's appearance on SNL in 2006 may be his most badass live performance of all time, especially the last 30 seconds. Now that's how you make an exit.

 

http://tvpot.daum.net/v/vbcb1xTxsTx1376oU2s96C2

Goddamnit, he was sexy. Among everything else.

[galaxygirl76]

That performance made my husband realize exactly how badass he was on the guitar and he's been a fan ever since.

[Trini]

Question: How many times (if ever) has the cast been a part of the musical guest's performance?

[vb68]

Well I got most of the Wayne Gretzky classic recorded....a hockey game ran over. ;) Gotta love the irony of that.

But now I have Waikiki  Hockey, one of my all-time favorite sketches, on my DVR.  

[Bees]

For some reason that era of SNL (late 80s) seemed to do an amazing job with sports stars as guest hosts. The Gretzky episode is a classic as is the Walter Payton/Joe Montana episode and even though they weren't the best actors, the show worked with it and made some absolute classic sketches (Wakiki Hockey and Sincere Guy Stu for example).

[cpcathy]

Wow, I was really bowled over by how unfunny the Gretzky episode was! Just goes to show you how different opinions can be on this show! I thought the Waikiki Hockey sketch was wretched and even WU with Dennis really really a drag. I guess I didn't remember how mean he could be. Not all those 90's episode were classic.

[M. Darcy]

Aw, I got home too late and missed the Waikiki Hockey skit.  It was nice seeing Phil again though. 

[peeayebee]

I just watched the show from May 7, hosted by Tina Fey. I guess I hadn't seen this one before, or only saw part of it, but the birthing sketch in a yert with Maya Rudolph and Bill Hader as the couple in a video was hysterical. 

[M. Darcy]

Looks like the Sat night 10 pm repeat is back.  No one is saying which episode it is though. 

[Lantern7]

Bruno Mars. Maybe we'll get the one with You-Know-Who from 2004 before Election Day.

[VCRTracking]

[punkypower]

So, Tracy Morgan last week and Larry David this week. Since when is Season 41 "vintage?"

[nowandlater]

Dana Carvey's appearance tonight on SNL reminded me that he was just on the Howard Stern show on Wednesday, where he delved into his career for nearly 2 hours(!).....Check it out. It's fantastic!!!!

[M. Darcy]

Quote

So, Tracy Morgan last week and Larry David this week. Since when is Season 41 "vintage?"

My guess is they want to repeat these while the election is still relevant but its just stupid programming IMO.

[Fex]

Yay! A "Classic" episode that was actually old! Woody Harrelson hosting Thanksgiving 1989, which was also the week the Berlin Wall came down. There was an awesome episode of Sprockets.

For weekend update, Dennis Miller had a running "gobble, gobble" joke. They flashed a picture of a turkey, he said "gobble, gobble". A picture of Joseph Goebbels, he said "goebbel, goebbel", etc. But I didn't "get" them all. I wish I could find a list!

[Lantern7]

Dan Quayle: "Gullible, gullible, gullible." Remember when Dennis Miller wasn't a whackjob? Gotta figure he's at the very top of the WU solo anchors.

[cpcathy]

Wow, that was not a funny episode. I love Woody, but the only amusing sketch was the cowboy sketch.

And Dennis Miller is overrated, in my opinion. Give me Seth Meyers as a solo anchor any day.

[WendyCR72]

Last night also reminded me of a few things:

Victoria Jackson was annoying.

Jan Hooks was underrated.

And Phil Hartman should still be with us, damn it. Between his Jack Nicholson and Frankenstein bits, he just rocked.

And hey, Woody Harrelson had hair!

 

ETA: Kind of surreal to think when this originally aired, I was just 17 and in my senior year of high school. Eeep!

[JZL]

On 4/21/2016 at 6:09 AM, Asp Burger said:

Help with a sketch, please. i'd be eternally grateful, or at least long enough to click "like" on your post.  

 

Era: '90s.  

 

This was a commercial parody for a floor cleaner (something with pine or lemon in it), with a woman talking about how things that used not to be important to her have become important to her now that she has a home of her own and a family. We expect her to stop, but she keeps going on with too much information about her lurid past of substance abuse and crime. Whenever she stops talking, we hear background singers singing in high, ethereal voices about the floor cleaner.

 

At the end she says something like, originally her plan was to con this divorced-with-kids guy she married and leave with his money, but now she thinks she'll stay. Then she starts mopping and we see her arms are covered in tattoos. 

 

I cannot find a trace of this, and I don't remember which SNL woman was in it (Ana Gasteyer? Molly Shannon?). I remember it being pretty funny.  

http://snltranscripts.jt.org/97/97clemonglow.phtml

[wknt3]

15 hours ago, cpcathy said:

Wow, that was not a funny episode. I love Woody, but the only amusing sketch was the cowboy sketch.

And Dennis Miller is overrated, in my opinion. Give me Seth Meyers as a solo anchor any day.

I was thinking the same thing. It was nice to see an episode that was more than a few years old though if only to remind us that "back in the day" they had all the same problems of overused recurring characters, bad writing, cast members who played everything the same, etc. And I really like Dennis Miller WU, but except for the runner this gobble gobble runner this one really felt flat. I thought it was interesting to see that the bits that I've seen in specials and that stood out as better than meh (lonesome cowboys, and Trazan, Tonto, Frankenstein Thanksgiving) were buried at the end.

12 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Last night also reminded me of a few things:

Victoria Jackson was annoying.

Jan Hooks was underrated.

And Phil Hartman should still be with us, damn it. Between his Jack Nicholson and Frankenstein bits, he just rocked.

Have to agree on all of this (although I'd add the present tense as well for Victoria Jackson) especially Phil Hartman. What a loss for comedy. 

[vb68]

I have it on the DVR but haven't watched it yet. Busy weekend.   This is my favorite era of the show, i.e. my cast that I came of age with the show. 

Quote

Jan Hooks was underrated.

I know I'm a broken record on this, but she's the most underrated person ever on the  show simply because she's as talented as anybody who's ever been a cast member, including Phil.  Indeed she was the Ginger Rogers to his Astaire. 

 

Quote

Remember when Dennis Miller wasn't a whackjob?

Boy I do.  It's hard to remember now, but I use to be excited for his take every week. This was way before Jon Stewart or Colbert. I have never seen anyone's ideology shift like his did.

[Inquisitionist]

22 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Jan Hooks was underrated.

^^ cannot be said often enough.  I have saved on my DVR Alec Baldwin's first episode from 1990, and Jan shines throughout this one, especially the diner sketch that plays like a miniature movie. 

[Phishbulb]

That Lifetime talk show sketch that Jan Hooks and Nora Dunn did was so quietly funny in the way it mocked the inane chit-chat typical on talk shows aimed at women. Everything was so low-key but hilarious to me in a kind of Bob and Ray-esque way.

"Now how long does it take you to make miniature rice?"
"A long time...it's really almost not even worth it"

They sort of predated the NPR ladies by about 10 years.

[WendyCR72]

9 hours ago, wknt3 said:

(although I'd add the present tense as well for Victoria Jackson)

Well, yeah. But I was trying to be nice. But that sentiment holds now.  :-)

Should also add that Jan Hooks, as well as Phil Hartman, should still be with us. Cancer sucks.

[lou ann b]

Phishbulb,  the talk show "Attitudes" with Linda Dano and what's her name, actually existed. Makes it worse somehow. But yeah, funny.

vb68 , I thought of you during the classic episode. Jan was amazing. And Phil...sigh...so wrong that they are both gone.

[Mumbles]

Just gotta chime in on the Jan Hooks love. She was wonderful. She could do anything - I think she did BOTH Tammy Faye Baker AND Jessica Hahn! - and whatever sketch she was in, she improved it, even if it was a small background role (eg her Mary in the It's a Wonderful Life parody). She especially shined when paired with Nora Dunn. The Sweeney Sisters continues to be one of my top five recurring bits. 

As Christmas is coming up, I think of one of my favorite wacko Holiday-related sketches, the Carl Sagan Global Warming Christmas, where she is paired as Crystal Gayle with Phil Hartman's Isaac Asimov to sing "Silver Bells." It's a delightful fever dream of a sketch, Myers does Sagan, Tom Thanks plays a befuddled Dean Martin and Dana comes out as a spacy dreamy Paul McCartney.