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

[JZL]

On 11/28/2016 at 3:41 PM, WendyCR72 said:

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.

So does murder.  Hartman was shot three times in his sleep by his crazy, drunk,  and coked-up wife in 1998. 

He was still in the cast of NewsRadio at the time (one of the best sitcoms ever, imho) and was replaced by his good friend Jon Lovitz for what turned out to be its fifth and final season.

Hartman trivia:  he was also an artist and before he became famous, he designed album covers and logos for bands such as Poco, America, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. 

(And total concurrence re Jan Hooks)

Edited December 3, 2016 by JZL

[WendyCR72]

2 hours ago, JZL said:

So does murder.  Hartman was shot three times in his sleep by his crazy, drunk,  and coked-up wife in 1998. 

He was still in the cast of NewsRadio at the time (one of the best sitcoms ever, imho) and was replaced by his good friend Jon Lovitz for what turned out to be its fifth and final season.

Hartman trivia:  he was also an artist and before he became famous, he designed album covers and logos for bands such as Poco, America, and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. 

(And total concurrence re Jan Hooks)

Yup, I knew all of that. And that was his wife in the SNL opening credits with Phil in the booth (the blonde facing away). Makes me sick to think of now.

[callmebetty]

On 11/30/2016 at 0:08 PM, Mumbles said:

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.

I have not been able to find that sketch.

I believe someone throws paint on Crystal Gayle because she's wearing fur.

And Paul having a riff on a chair.

And Dean Martin " I loves the Peanut brittle"

Loved that skit.

[cpcathy]

Do you have the SNL app? Not everything is there, but they have all the eras represented. I just never go back to the 90's.

[possibilities]

I think Seeso has all the past SNLs. It's only $4/month and you can get a free month trial if you really only want to watch one thing one time.

[punkypower]

I'm laying bets we never see the Trump episode again..

[Lantern7]

Which one? I'm okay with the 2004 episode, because NBC wanted synergy. Also, was that the one with Maya Rudolph as Omarosa on Weekend Update, taking chunks of drywall to the head? That was funny.

[galaxygirl76]

After watching the Christmas special(Mark Jensen is still hilarious) I wonder what happened to the Robert Goulet Christmas skit.  It wasn't in the special, I have seen it on one of the previous ones before, and I can't find it online either. 

[M. Darcy]

Tonight at 10 pm, NBC is showing Carrie Fisher/Blues Brothers from 1978. 

[Spartan Girl]

Yes! I love that episode. The Blues Brothers opening the show with "Soul Man" was classic. John doing that cartwheel....gah!

It's kind of funny to think that Dan and Carrie were briefly engaged. Apparently John was the one that set them up because he was friends with Carrie and he liked the idea of them being together. Carrie said broke it off because she didn't want to be another person for Dan to take care of, since she was an addict like John. It all worked out for the best, and Dan made a nice tribute to Carrie on his Twitter when she died, calling her their "Blues Sister."

[JTMacc99]

God. I love this cast. And Carrie Fisher fit in with them perfectly. You can see what Steve Martin meant when he talked about her being beautiful and also smart and funny. 

[Lantern7]

It's funny when you realize this was five years before Jabba the Hutt was revealed as an overgrown intestinal parasite. You think Lucas got the idea of the slave outfit from the beach sketch? And it wasn't as bad as the holiday special, was it? I have to confess, I never saw that.

Another question: does a guy with John Belushi's shape and size have to learn to move like that, or is that something you're born with?

ETA: Yay on the Mr. Bill sketch, boo for Father Guido Sarducci getting cut out.

[Bruinsfan]

Nothing's ever been as bad as the Star Wars Holiday Special.

[jjj]

Wow, the SNL version of Beach Blanket Bingo -- I don't think I had seen this since it aired, but I remembered every word.  It must have been on one of the retrospective shows.  And Paul Shaffer just beating that keyboard into the ground!  (Not literally, but he was sure jumping on it.)  When I see these 1970s shows, I can't get over how skinny the female regulars were. 

[Spartan Girl]

6 hours ago, Lantern7 said:

Another question: does a guy with John Belushi's shape and size have to learn to move like that, or is that something you're born with?

He was very athletic back on high school; he was on the football team. And from everything I read he was always light on his feet.

Damn, I miss him. I wonder if he would have tried his hand at playing Drumpf if he were here today. That would have been freaking hilarious.

[JTMacc99]

It was Akroyd's crazy feet that caught my eye. So young and having so much fun they were. 

[Jordan Baker]

One of my favorite parts of the Beach Blanket Bingo skit was seeing (now-Senator) Al Franken as one of the guys on the beach. I think he was a writer during those years but would show up in the occasional skit.

And just for sentimental reasons, I'll mention that this episode aired the night my daughter was born. Yes, I'm old. :)

[M. Darcy]

Quote

Nothing's ever been as bad as the Star Wars Holiday Special.

Not even The Phantom Menace :-)

Quote

One of my favorite parts of the Beach Blanket Bingo skit was seeing (now-Senator) Al Franken as one of the guys on the beach.

Heh, Al in that bathing suit.

[vb68]

I'm really hoping they air the Mary Tyler Moore episode this week.  I would love to see her as Audrey Sweeney, older sister to Liz and Candy, again.  I also remember a very good Wayne's World sketch.

[Traveller519]

Not sure what the reasoning was going with the Drake Winter 2014 episode here. It didn't have any historical significance tied to recent events. It was a really strong episode though. Especially considering Drake's Disney employee/Rahat episode didn't make the cut, which I always felt was one of the strongest out of that segment. But I don't know what else I would have cut, probably the Cold Open, but I know they can't do that.

 I still concede that Season 39 was a secretly great season. With the last of the headliners and long-tenured folks (save Keenan) leaving after the previous season, I enjoyed that they were much more experimental.

[vb68]

I can't believe they didn't air the Mary Tyler Moore episode.  Boo.

[M. Darcy]

Tonight (now!) is from 1991 with Alec Baldwin and Whitney Houston. 

Edited February 12, 2017 by M. Darcy

[WendyCR72]

An actual classic tonight from 1991 with Alec Baldwin hosting (Whitney Houston as musical guest)...before his newest hosting gig at 11:30! The McLoughlin skit opening I remembered well!

[M. Darcy]

Jinx! That opener is now a little sad - with Phil, Jan and Chris. 

[Lantern7]

Damn, he looks young. Has NBC done a "best of" compilation?

[mtlchick]

1991 Alec was a ridiculously handsome man.  

 

Quote

Jinx! That opener is now a little sad - with Phil, Jan and Chris. 

AND Whitney Houston.  

[WendyCR72]

50 minutes ago, M. Darcy said:

Jinx! That opener is now a little sad - with Phil, Jan and Chris. 

I know. :-(  Sigh.

And I know it's all about generations or so Lorne Michaels says, but I still think this cast ranked right behind the original. I still laugh at this stuff.

48 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

1991 Alec was a ridiculously handsome man.  

 

AND Whitney Houston.  

And announcer Don Pardo.

[Lantern7]

I feel a little bad for most women when they're played by the big SNL guy on the cast. And I felt really bad for Carnie Wilson. Yes, she outlasted Chris Farley, but that had to hurt.

[WendyCR72]

40 minutes ago, Lantern7 said:

I feel a little bad for most women when they're played by the big SNL guy on the cast. And I felt really bad for Carnie Wilson. Yes, she outlasted Chris Farley, but that had to hurt.

Yeah, I don't disagree. But SNL could be biting when it wanted. At least years ago.

Damn it, Phil Hartman rocked Frank Sinatra. Still wish he was around. And Jan. And yes, Chris. Chris was funny. His demons just got him as John Belushi's did.

[mtlchick]

For a man who does great impressions now, that was one weak Bono.

[Spartan Girl]

Phil and Jan as Sinatra and Sinead O'Connor never failed to be funny.

You gotta wonder how Phil would have played Drumpf's campaign had he lived to see it. Hell, Farley and Belushi could have had fun with that too. Belushi in particular would have unleashed hell.

Aw, Whitney :(

[WendyCR72]

Wow, I just realized it will be 20 years this December that Chris Farley died! And it will be 20 years next year (May 2018) since Phil Hartman was murdered.  :-(

Cannot believe it has been so long ago now.

[Hanahope]

Oh yeah, this cast was great.

Who played Paul McCartney?  Was that Carvey?

was the weekend update clipped?  It seemed to end abruptly.  Such a short bit compared to now.  Gotta admit, Dennis Miller comes up with the most esoteric analogies sometimes.  

[stonehaven]

Ahh..this Alec Baldwin ep was indeed classic...and wonderfully retro..from Alec as 90's era Bono..to the WTC in the opening of WU....to WH doing "I'm Your Baby Tonight"....no pyrotechnics or extra dancers..just get up there and belt it out....Whitney died five years ago around this time..so maybe they aired it then..Phil Hartman..God, how I love him.....and miss him...

..and Alec playing the swooning handsome man in 1991..to playing a big ugly clown in 2017...

[Lantern7]

Bonus:  Young Conan appearance!

[ktwo]

Tonight is Bill Paxton's show from 1999. RIP.

[Lantern7]

Flipped over from Animal Planet. If I had known that would have the "What The Hell Happened?!?" sketch, I would have DVRed it.

[Inquisitionist]

12 hours ago, ktwo said:

Tonight is Bill Paxton's show from 1999. RIP.

Nice of them to remember BP, but what a terrible episode that was.  I hope never to see  Colin Quinn on my TV screen again.

[ktwo]

Quote

 I hope never to see  Colin Quinn on my TV screen again.

Right? He was such a terrible replacement compared to Norm McDonald, and then he was there for so long, doing such a horrible job, even with all the great material that late 1990s news brought.

[M. Darcy]

We got to see a View skit! I love those. 

[ktwo]

3 minutes ago, M. Darcy said:

We got to see a View skit! I love those. 

With a rare pre-September 11 pop culture mention of Osama Bin Laden.

[cpcathy]

Colin Quinn was quite horrible as anchor, even he seemed to know he was awful. He's so much better as an actor, in Trainwreck and Girls.

[Mumbles]

This show made me remember how much I disliked this era of the show, and didn't watch it a lot. It had a real mean streak - an entire sketch involving punching an elderly woman, for god's sakes. And I know this is sacrilege among many but I never liked Will Farrell and add to that Cheri Oteri and Chris Kattan, there was a whole lot of mugging and scenery-chewing going on. 

[Lantern7]

I consider Norm McDonald to be the worst host. Colin was okay by comparison, though Tina Fey was a huge upgrade. And had I known this episode had the Titanic sketch with James Cameron signing off on it, I definitely would've made room on the DVR. Why doesn't Comedy Central air the show at odd hours anymore?

[possibilities]

I thought the Paxton episode was great fun. I didn't have a tv in the 1990s, so I haven't really seen anything from that decade. I often find the "vintage" episodes hard to watch, but I laughed all the way through this one.

I didn't think the joke was supposed to be about beating up "an elderly woman"-- I thought it was more about the annoying nature of the Titanic movie. I do tend to like somewhat absurd takes on things like this, though. And imagining Cameron doing a focus group on that ending, and changing it to what we actually got as a result... then smoking his money.... It's a comment on Hollywood and perhaps a wry take on "artists who can't be true to their art and must sell what the market wants"? Not that I want to see movies which brutalize old ladies. But it's the reverse of the usual narrative (that pure art is noble), when in this case the artist's true vision was very cynical.

[JakeyJokes]

I hope I recorded this! That Debbie Matenopalous (sp?) appearance in The View sketch was a masterful way of taking a joke (SNL was always hard on her) and getting the last laugh after being fired by Barbara Walters.

[lou ann b]

I always remembered the Bill Paxton episode because of this:"I've been listening to this hack romance novel crap-a-thon for 3 hours". Still made me laugh on Saturday.  And while this wasn't the best SNL episode ever, I don't think it could ever compare for badness to the horrific 1980 season--you know, the Jean Doumanian episodes? Yes, Eddie Murphy came along later in that season and started the slow march to improvement, but...just horrible,

[ktwo]

Quote

I didn't think the joke was supposed to be about beating up "an elderly woman"-- I thought it was more about the annoying nature of the Titanic movie. I do tend to like somewhat absurd takes on things like this, though.

 Agree with you on your take and I love stuff like this, too - this reminded me a little of another SNL sketch I love - their take on It's a Wonderful Life when everyone beats up Mr. Potter at the end after finding out he's the one who took the money.

[peeayebee]

Now I wish I had watched the ep before deleting it.

[BenjaminLeBaron]

David Koechner's Gary MacDonald:

Awful! I just rewatched the Goodman episode from 96 (his 7th time) and there was this firing sketch and it just went on forever! I found none of it funny and I'm surprised it made it past dress.

 

Thoughts?