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

[Pete Martell]

Laurie Metcalf talks about her SNL past.

https://www.vulture.com/2019/05/laurie-metcalf-snl-theater-hillary-clinton-interview.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/13/style/laurie-metcalf-hillary-clinton.html

[Pete Martell]

Conan put up a Bill Hader interview from December 2005. I wonder if this is his very first interview (major one anyway). He looks adorable and also incredibly terrified. And he is still telling some of these stories all these years later. 

[cleo]

I've been watching the year Jenny Slate was on. She was pretty good, I know she swore or whatever but I would've liked to see her stay. Abby Elliott on the other hand was useless.

[Pete Martell]

3 hours ago, cleo said:

I've been watching the year Jenny Slate was on. She was pretty good, I know she swore or whatever but I would've liked to see her stay. Abby Elliott on the other hand was useless.

The show burned through so many talented women at that time.

I know she's done a lot of things since SNL but I just saw Jenny in the new Lonely Island video and I kept thinking to myself "This is probably the type of role she would have been stuck with on SNL." (she was a love interest for a few scenes, reacting to the men goofing off).

[Pete Martell]

Bill Hader is going to be interviewed on Today this weekend and part of the interview was a surprise meeting with Keith Morrison, the Dateline host he parodied so well.

A pretty decent article about SNL's history with queer characters and humor (I don't think they went into as much detail as they could have about some of the worst, but would anyone want to read that anyway?).

https://www.polygon.com/tv/2019/5/29/18643023/snl-skits-gay-lesbian-queer-lgbtq-sketches-nbc-saturday-night-live

[VCRTracking]

[Pete Martell]

Randy Quaid is continuing his, frankly, heartbreaking mental breakdown, which isn't news to anyone most likely, but I'd suggest avoiding the tweet going around with him as it is one big seizure warning. 

[Pete Martell]

This is from about 6 years ago. Louise Lasser talks about parts of her life and career. Part of that is devoted to her infamous SNL episode. 

http://the-toast.net/2013/12/20/an-interview-with-louise-lasser-tv-depression-snl-and-woody/

[VCRTracking]

[Pete Martell]

More of Bill:

https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/06/sophie-turner-bill-hader-tvs-hottest-actors?verso=true

[VCRTracking]

Oh my god, this Steven Segal story...

[lou ann b]

Because I sometimes have a cynical sense of humor,bordering on inappropriate..I was listening to the audio of some highlights of Norm at the Update desk during the OJ years,while at work today..and lol my butt off.."its official;murder is now legal in the state of California".......uncomfortable laughter is my favorite...

Edited June 12, 2019 by lou ann b
Error

[Pete Martell]

The SNL Youtube channel has started putting up several videos every weekend, running through about two seasons per weekend. (they also added another video yesterday - Landshark III, maybe because the other Landshark video is doing pretty well in views). This is one of my favorite sketches of all time, and one of those moments that reminds me of what SNL can be, so I'm glad it's finally on Youtube (I'm sorry that so many countries will never be able to see it).

[Pete Martell]

Jane Curtin talks SNL (and Kate & Allie). I love that she's a fan of Cecily's Pirro.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/jane-curtin-snl-sexism-infamous-ignorant-slut-line-1219343

[vb68]

I have wondered before if she cringes over "Jane, you ignorant slut" now.  That has not aged well to say the least.

[lou ann b]

Sounded like she's okay with it being part of her past and can smile. Jane never got enough credit for how good she was.

[SomeTameGazelle]

9 hours ago, vb68 said:

I have wondered before if she cringes over "Jane, you ignorant slut" now.  That has not aged well to say the least.

If it's interpreted as a hilarious slam of Jane Curtin, it definitely hasn't (and it was gross at the time). However as an indictment of Dan Aykroyd's character's misogyny and wrongheaded arguments I rather like it. 

Edited June 22, 2019 by SomeTameGazelle

[Pete Martell]

It took 6 years, but finally, this is up on Youtube. An iconic moment, for many reasons. 

[VCRTracking]

I was about to post that! The first time I saw that clip was when Comedy Central showed reruns of Steve Martin hosting the 1989 season finale and it was the day Gilda died. I remember him being so choked up he could and then showing the sketch and applause when it got to Gilda's first closeup.

[ebk57]

Thanks for posting that!  That has to be in the top 5 sketches I've ever seen on SNL.  And I laugh every time I watch "The Band Wagon"... 

[Pete Martell]

7 hours ago, VCRTracking said:

I was about to post that! The first time I saw that clip was when Comedy Central showed reruns of Steve Martin hosting the 1989 season finale and it was the day Gilda died. I remember him being so choked up he could and then showing the sketch and applause when it got to Gilda's first closeup.

I've watched that enough times to where I was thrown when I watched this version and there wasn't the applause for Gilda. It's one of those very emotional moments and another reminder of the odd, heartbreaking twists of fate that pop up with SNL (Steve just happening to be the host on that very night). 

[Pete Martell]

This is a pretty good video showing the filming of the promo for Alec Baldwin and the B-52s. A reminder of how time-consuming and annoying it must be to do these.

It was also interesting looking through old promos and seeing the years they would have recurring characters appear. Most of the promos had recurring characters I never wanted to see again (and who reminded me why I feel the show mostly stopped creating good recurring characters after the late '90s), but they did have one with one of my very favorite characters (I think it may have even been his first appearance):

[Pete Martell]

This is from a few months ago, but it's an interview with Julia Sweeney about her return to acting. I hadn't realized Lorne suggested her for Shrill.

https://www.vulture.com/2019/03/shrill-hulu-julia-sweeney-interview.html

[Pete Martell]

This Youtube channel recently disappeared for a while so you may want to watch this while you still can. It's a 1982 piece on The Practical Theater, months before Julia Louis Dreyfus, Brad Hall, Gary Kroeger and Paul Barrosse would head to SNL.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WI3BxBMpOi4

[Pete Martell]

SNL's Youtube channel put up some classic sketches for July 4th. These were probably the two I liked best. 

[Peace 47]

I’ve been waiting for Old Glory robot insurance for such a long time!  So glad that it finally went up.  I love it!

[Pete Martell]

Jeff Richards will be doing an AMA on July 10.

[Pete Martell]

The news of Ross Perot's passing reminds me of how he was one of the first political voices and personalities I really knew. Part of that was through the SNL parodies, which were very frequent, and, generally, a lot of fun. 

This was, and still is, my favorite. 

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/joyride-with-perot/n10313

[Pete Martell]

The Jeff Richards AMA was moved to July 12th at 1 PM.

[Pete Martell]

Robert Downey Jr. talks about his SNL season.

Here's the Jeff Richards AMA.

[Pete Martell]

I adore just about everything in this monologue. It reinforces why the late '80s are my favorite SNL era. And Tom Hanks is absolutely perfect.

[lou ann b]

That's awesome.And 12 year old Conan O'Brien too!

[Pete Martell]

On 7/28/2019 at 3:29 PM, lou ann b said:

That's awesome.And 12 year old Conan O'Brien too!

And Bob Odenkirk as the page. 

[SoMuchTV]

On 7/28/2019 at 3:29 PM, lou ann b said:

That's awesome.And 12 year old Conan O'Brien too!

1 hour ago, Pete Martell said:

And Bob Odenkirk as the page. 

And if I'm not mistaken, a cigarette ad on the back of the magazine.

[Pete Martell]

Happy Fun Ball is finally on SNL's channel! It should have been uploaded on the very first day. 

[Dr.OO7]

On 8/3/2019 at 9:37 AM, Pete Martell said:

Happy Fun Ball is finally on SNL's channel! It should have been uploaded on the very first day. 

This was one of the most bizarre and hilarious "commercials" ever.

I heard What Is Love on the radio the other day and found myself bopping my head like those idiots.

Remember this classic?

And this terrific version by some college students;

Edited August 22, 2019 by Camille

[Dr.OO7]

This was from an episode Chris Rock hosted in 1996, a point when ER's popularity was at a height.

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/russell-simmons-def-emergency-room-jam/n10904

[Pete Martell]

A few days ago Forbes put out an oral history on the Wayne Gretzky episode, which features Gretzky, Dana Carvey, and Kevin Nealon. Lots of stories of how lovely Phil Hartman was, and some details of Gretzky being a longtime fan of the show as well as his feelings about hosting (he initially wanted to turn them down but his wife said he'd regret it if he did). I'm linking the Twitter version as the author adds a few extra details, one of them being that Gretzky turned down a Liar sketch with Lovitz.

https://twitter.com/ScottKingMedia/status/1167085495450505217

Edited September 1, 2019 by Pete Martell

[vb68]

That show featured two of my favorite sketches...

The locker room sketch with Jan doing Bette Davis.  "Raymond, why must they play hockey in a room that is so COLD?  I WOULD LIKE a DRINK!"

And Waikiki Hockey, of course.

Sweet memories.

[Pete Martell]

This is months old, and seems like a lifetime ago due to the Spiderman news, but Jake Gylenhaal and Tom Holland dressed up as the Roxbury guys for the Far From Home premiere. 

https://ew.com/movies/2019/06/27/tom-holland-jake-gyllenhaal-spider-man-snl-roxbury-homage/

[Pete Martell]

[ajsnaves]

I did OK.  There were a few that came from my bye years during college that I missed.

[Pete Martell]

On 9/20/2019 at 12:04 PM, ajsnaves said:

I did OK.  There were a few that came from my bye years during college that I missed.

The only one I didn't know was The Californians, because in spite of my intense love for Bill Hader I have never sat through an entire sketch of that mess. 

I guess it tells you how few recurring characters SNL has popularized in recent years when you get two Stefon moments and one WWWT, and...The Californians.

[Lantern7]

SNL Vintage (or whatever it’s called) returns tonight, with an episode from way back . . . in 2018. Season opener, with Adam Driver and the aliens steering Kanye West’s body.

[Pete Martell]

I still don't know whether stuff like this goes here or in Cast Discussion, but it's a Jim Belushi interview from a bit before he was on SNL.

[Pete Martell]

A few old promos. 

[Lantern7]

You know how some toy companies will sell cereal with collectable boxes? I was at New York Comic Con today, I passed by the FYE booth, and I saw . . . Super Colon Blow. For real.

[Dr.OO7]

Anyone remember this classic?

Advertisers actually pulled out (so to speak) because of it.

[helenamonster]

Hah, that was great--I've never seen that sketch before!

Also, Jan Hooks is positively adorable in this.

[Pete Martell]

On 10/7/2019 at 10:30 PM, Camille said:

Anyone remember this classic?

Advertisers actually pulled out (so to speak) because of it.

I often think of that era of the show as being more upscale and then moments like this remind me they could go for the crass fun too.

(and yes, Jan is so adorable)

Looks like they brought those characters back the next season in one sketch. 

(if any of you ever have time to kill, you may enjoy this review site, which started all the way back at the first season and is now near the end of 1994-1995).

https://onesnladay.com/2019/06/20/october-20-1990-george-steinbrenner-the-time-s16-e3/