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

vb68

By vb68
in Saturday Night Live

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vb68
vb68

NASCAR airs tonight in primetime instead of a classic episode.  I would hope they scrap the scheduled repeat in the regular show slot and air the full Chadwick Boseman episode.  That would be the righ

saber5055
saber5055

That was a blast from the past. I photographed a Ray Charles concert some years ago (before he died, heh) for a magazine I worked for. I sat on the stage steps, just a few feet from him. (He was the f

Pete Martell
Pete Martell

Jan Hooks would have been 63 yesterday. Robert Smigel, longtime writer and occasional onscreen player, wrote a lovely series of tweets about her, and also managed to get a Jan sketch he thought highly

helenamonster

helenamonster

The writers at Pixar got some inspiration for Bonnie from Toy Story 3 from the Gilda Radner skit "The Judy miller Show". I can see why.

 

Really? I'd never heard that! But now that you mention it, I can totally see it. Wow, that makes me appreciate the sketch and the movie so much more.

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Milburn Stone

Milburn Stone

"You shouldn't give away your pie with breakfast. It makes you look cheap."

 

Such great writing.

 

And boy, did Baldwin sell it. For a brief flicker when he said that line I didn't know whether I was watching ersatz William Inge or real William Inge. Which of course was the point. (As in, how can you tell the difference?)

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vb68

vb68

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My TV grid says Christopher Walken/Christina Aguilera for tomorrow night.

 

I think they should put the classic episodes in the regular slot instead of just rerunning Chris Pratt from two weeks ago.

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helenamonster

helenamonster

Pretty much. As long as I've watched, I don't ever think they've done four or more weeks of new shows in a row. The cast and writers tend to get burnt out after three weeks, which I can understand. And while it wasn't the case this week (thanks to Bill, imo), usually by the third show in a row the quality really begins to suffer and I'm almost thankful that we get a week off.

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nowandlater

nowandlater

Pretty much. As long as I've watched, I don't ever think they've done four or more weeks of new shows in a row. The cast and writers tend to get burnt out after three weeks, which I can understand. And while it wasn't the case this week (thanks to Bill, imo), usually by the third show in a row the quality really begins to suffer and I'm almost thankful that we get a week off.

 

They do 4 shows in a row occasionally.

 

I remember they did it when the writer's strike ended in 2008.

 

Also, looking at the schedule, they started with 4 shows in a row in fall 2011.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Saturday_Night_Live_episodes

 

In fall 2012, they did 2 shows before taking a break.

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vb68

vb68

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Oh my.  Why can't we have opening political sketches that good today like that one between Bush Sr and Dubya?  

 

ETA: I just checked, and the opening note about this episode was wrong. This was NOT Walken's first time as host.  I was amazed when I saw that, but when he said it was "good to be back",  I went and looked.  Wikipedia has him hosting January 13, 1996.  That's as far back as I went.  It's just weird that they made that mistake.   

 

 

What mtlchick said.

Edited by vb68
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stonehaven

stonehaven

Watched the Cowbell sketch and still don't find it funny..unless watching Fallon break is funny..and why the editing of Update? I'm glad they left the Elian-media joke in..I still remember that years later..This felt more of a showcase for Will Farrell more than anything..I willsay that censuc sketch was funny...

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Betweenyouandme

Betweenyouandme

The census sketch reminded me of the later one with Betty White and Tina Fey. It was basically a remake of this one.

Oh man, I loved that census sketch. I couldn't stop laughing. So oddball...that "Florida passport" and when the guy said, "so, you're a convicted criminal, living alone, with a bobcat, working 56 hours a week as a street performer?" The delivery was awesome.

Also, what a difference comparing Christina's performance to Ariana Grande's. I do like some of her songs, but she just comes off as a girl at a local high school than an eye-catching star. I hate being mean, but Ariana just doesn't have that X factor IMO, as seriously darn cute and catchy as she may be.

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Nellise

Nellise

ETA: I just checked, and the opening note about this episode was wrong. This was NOT Walken's first time as host.  I was amazed when I saw that, but when he said it was "good to be back",  I went and looked.  Wikipedia has him hosting January 13, 1996.  That's as far back as I went.  It's just weird that they made that mistake.   

 

Yeah Walken hosted 3 times before the episode tonight. One easy clue that it wasn't his first time is that Phil Hartman does the voiceover for "The Continental" which would've been quite remarkable in 2000 had it been the first time that sketch showed up.

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nowandlater

nowandlater

(edited)

Oh my.  Why can't we have opening political sketches that good today like that one between Bush Sr and Dubya?  

 

ETA: I just checked, and the opening note about this episode was wrong. This was NOT Walken's first time as host.  I was amazed when I saw that, but when he said it was "good to be back",  I went and looked.  Wikipedia has him hosting January 13, 1996.  That's as far back as I went.  It's just weird that they made that mistake.   

 

I looked it up. When he hosted in October 1992, he danced in his opening monologue with Jan Hooks, who had left the show 2 seasons prior.

 

I guess Hooks made lots of appearances. She played Hillary, even though Hillary wasn't really well known when she left the show in May 1991.

Edited by nowandlater
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peeayebee

peeayebee

(edited)

I wasn't watching the show in 2000, so I really enjoyed seeing this for the first time. Of course I'd seen the cowbell sketch before, and I think it's fantastic. Christopher Walken's delivery of all the cowbell lines was great, and I love seeing Will Ferrell give it his all. I think I'd read that the small shirt was his idea. Perfect.

 

The Continental was great, too. Walken was wonderful in it.

 

Loved the census sketch. I've seen the Betty White one, and I like this better. Fantastically written.

 

The Elian musical was silly. My favorite part was Rachel Dratch as Elian.

 

I didn't much care for the ED commercial, but it was pretty cool getting the quick glimpse of Tina Fey.

Edited by peeayebee
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possibilities

possibilities

I'm loving these "vintage" shows. I don't know if it's because they've edited out any dud elements, or if I just like the old stuff better, but I find them really funny, much more consistently than the more recent fare. Maybe it's just that they're fresh-- to the extent that there may be repeat sketches, they aren't boring because with these oldies, I'm only seeing it once, instead of several times a year.

 

Also, I didn't watch SNL at all during the 1980s and 1990s, nor the early 2000s, and only occasionally in the very early years, so it's all completely new to me. But I do remember the politics of the day, so seeing the Elian stuff brought me back.

 

I'm impressed that the humor holds up over time. Topical shows like SNL tend to fade fast, but these shows read more like classics than stale bread.

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DowntonStabby

DowntonStabby

I'm impressed that the humor holds up over time. Topical shows like SNL tend to fade fast, but these shows read more like classics than stale bread.

I think that's only true of what's aired on SNL Vintage thus far, as it's a 90-minute episode sliced-and-diced in a 60-minute timeslot, so anything that was a clear dud in its original 90 minutes has been--and will be, in future airings--edited out (though the editing otherwise has been kinda questionable, also--why was Weekend Update edited out during the Alec Baldwin episode, for example? That seemed odd to me). Also, I watched the 1994-95 season--the worst season of SNL I have ever seen live, as it was airing--and even at age 13, I knew what I was watching was terrible, & did not last the season in said watching. (Norm McDonald's Weekend Update notwithstanding--though even with that, there were some hit-and-miss moments. The line, "Germans love David Hasselhoff"? Not one of them.)

Even worse than that though...the ill-fated 1980-81 Doumanian season, which I watched while it was available on Netflix. Aside from watching Eddie Murphy's turns, or the moment that led to getting most of the cast and Doumanian fired (Charles Rocket dropping an f-bomb during goodbyes when "Dallas"'s Charlene Tilton hosted, I'd skip that season entirely. It makes 1994-95 look adequate, it's so terrible, in my opinion.

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JTMacc99

JTMacc99

Oh my.  Why can't we have opening political sketches that good today like that one between Bush Sr and Dubya?  

 

 

[after demonstrating how to non-answer questions] Senior: "What should we do about the Elian Gonzalez boy?"

W: "I don't really give a crap!"

 

Heh. That was great.

 

 

Watched the Cowbell sketch and still don't find it funny..unless watching Fallon break is funny.

I saw the cowbell sketch a very long time after it had become a common pop culture reference. I remember enjoying the silliness of a skit about the cowbell in a Blue Oyster Cult song, but I didn't love it until Walken freaking said, "Hey. I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell."  Something about Christopher Walken playing a genius 1970's music producer and delivering that line as Christopher Walken clicked with me, and I still enjoy the hell out of it every time I see it.

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Maverick

Maverick

I think some people credit Will's over the top antics for the success of the cowbell sketch but to me it only works because of Walken's delivery--as only he can.

When the episodes are cut down to an hour they sometimes cutdown Update, either because it ran too long or they cutout an entire guest segment. The only time I remember cutting for taste (although I'm sure there were others) was when they removed Abby Elliot's Brittany Murphy guest spot after she died shortly after the sketch aired.

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peeayebee

peeayebee

I agree that Walken makes that sketch. He just makes everything better. However, Ferrell adds so much too.

 

As far as editing for taste, it's possible that WU referenced the World Trade Center, so they edited that out. It's just one example of a "taste" issue.

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Princess Sparkle

Princess Sparkle

See, I always thought the sketch was hilarious, because I'd often wondered why the hell the cowbell was so loud in the song.  So then, to have an "explanation" and it to be Walken sincerely requesting that he needs more cowbell - fantastic.

 

I've got to give Chris Parnell some credit too - with everyone around him falling apart, he didn't break once.  I always felt like he was a very underrated cast member (I also wish he'd been the new announcer instead of Darryl Hammond). 

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vb68

vb68

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(edited)

 

Yeah Walken hosted 3 times before the episode tonight. One easy clue that it wasn't his first time is that Phil Hartman does the voiceover for "The Continental" which would've been quite remarkable in 2000 had it been the first time that sketch showed up.

 

Indeed.  That's a really excellent point.

 

 

The only time I remember cutting for taste (although I'm sure there were others) was when they removed Abby Elliot's Brittany Murphy guest spot after she died shortly after the sketch aired.

Maya came back a couple of years ago and did her Whitney Houston on The Miley Cyrus Show sketch. Whitney died a couple of months later.  I guess it was too hard to cut out because the whole show never re-aired.  And it was a pity.  Steve Buscemi was the host, and they also did a sketch on the whole Jerry Sandusky mess that a lot of people were calling a classic.  I think it was called Coach Bert.  

 

Likewise I never saw a repeat of the Anthony Edwards episode from around 1997 with his wicked  impression of Princess Diana.  Maybe some clips from that have been shown somewhere, but I never saw them again and certainly not the episode.

 

I would love to see both episodes edited now on SNL Vintage.  They could easily cut out the Whitney-Miley sketch.

Edited by vb68
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Maverick

Maverick

I thought Maya did her Whitney on WU sometime after her death. I don't remember the Smiley sketch, but depending on how she was portraying her might depend on tnem showing it after some time. With Brittany Murphy as I recall the bit was about what a trainwreck she had turned into; I think it was fairly harsh. Since she did shortly after from the issues they were mocking it wouldn't do to show it. If Maya was just doing her basic over the top Whitney and not mocking her drug use it's not quite as bad.

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DowntonStabby

DowntonStabby

I've got to give Chris Parnell some credit too - with everyone around him falling apart, he didn't break once. I always felt like he was a very underrated cast member (I also wish he'd been the new announcer instead of Darryl Hammond).

Agreed on Parnell being underrated. He had a versatility on SNL that Aykroyd, Hartman, Hooks, and, even more recently, Bill Hader also had on the show. More recently, on Suburgatory, he played off one-time SNL castmate (also Groundlings) Ana Gasteyer excellently, I thought.

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helenamonster

helenamonster

I feel like the last time they played the Women of SNL special on TV (last Christmas?), they kept in the segment with Maya's Whitney Houston impression. I remembered being surprised by it because they usually edit out things that are no longer in good taste, but maybe they just forgot?

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Miss Scarlet

Miss Scarlet

The Continental was funny, although it did seem to go on too long. The census sketch was funny too. I find the Cowbell sketch amusing, but that's it. It might have to do with the fact that I'd heard all the hype about it before actually seeing it, so it didn't quite meet my expectations. I wasn't watching SNL during the Jimmy Fallon era, but from the reruns I've seen from that time, he really does break too much. Sometimes breaking makes me laugh (like when it happens to Bill as Stefon), but with Jimmy I don't know if it happens because he actually finds the sketch so funny or if it's more of an attention-seeking thing. He's really lucky that Lorne never got annoyed with about that (as far as I know) and that Lorne recommended him for Late Night, which totally revitalized his career. Without that he'd probably be in the same position as Horatio Sanz or Chris Kattan right now.

 

WU was really weirdly edited. I'm not sure why they kept in the 1 minute clip of it that they did. Will Ferrell's "yelling" character was okay. I did like how he kept insulting Colin Quinn and then saying that he said those things "under his breath" or by "muttering".

 

The Elian musical was really funny. I thought everyone was good in it, especially Rachel Dratch and Chris Kattan playing the dad. 

 

I like the way Christopher Walken says Christina Aguilerrrrra. I thought it was funny how at the end of the episode, during the goodbyes, Jimmy motioned for Christina Aguilera to come on stage. She did and then looked totally out of place during the goodbyes. People kept jokingly offering her the champagne they'd given Christopher Walken and she would laugh/pretend to drink it and then shake her head, since she was underage at the time.

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stonehaven

stonehaven

I really wanted to like thie episode but it felt like they only had three sketches and this felt more like an Aerosmith ep than a Hanks one...Plus,was there any WU? I admit Iwas flipping between baseball and this so I might have missed it but I was really looking forward to seeing Dennis Miller do Update again..

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bref

bref

The local NBC station in Denver has not shown the vintage episodes for the last two weeks. They *have* shown Rudy in that time slot both last week and this week. No idea what that's about, but I'm not a happy camper.

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nowandlater

nowandlater

Really, they should not be showing 2 musical peformances. We only need 1. The 2nd one is always some non-hit song you've never heard of.

 

If these are supposed to be the best episodes of each season, why not put actual sketch or WU content there?

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Inquisitionist

Inquisitionist

It has probably the very best Wayne's World sketch.

 

It was good, but I like the ones with the Top 10 lists better (like this one about the fall of communism).  This wasn't even my favorite sketch of the episode.  I enjoyed the Bootblack sketch and the cruise sketch more, mostly because of Jon Lovitz.  He can be a little one-note, but my, what he does with that note.

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peeayebee

peeayebee

Yeah, I love Lovitz's one note. I just find him hilarious.

 

But this ep was generally disappointing. I loved the Cold Open with Phil and Jan playing Donald & Ivana Trump. I thought the monologue was kind of charming. Wayne's World was ok. I did like how convincing the band member who spoke about the fall of communism sounded, except for the one fumbled word. And I liked the Tales of Ribaldry skit, mainly because of Lovitz. Oh, and I must have misheard, but did Jan Hooks say, "I see that the master's footware isn't the only thing you've fucked to a high gloss."? I know that can't be right.

 

The cruise ship skit was weird. It was like Hanks was doing a cross betw a Wild & Crazy Guy and Jon Lovitz. The voice just didn't work for him. I liked some of the lines, but this wasn't that great.

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BookThief

BookThief

And I liked the Tales of Ribaldry skit, mainly because of Lovitz. Oh, and I must have misheard, but did Jan Hooks say, "I see that the master's footware isn't the only thing you've fucked to a high gloss."? I know that can't be right.

Buffed!  "...isn't the only thing you've buffed to a high gloss...." 

 

"Check 1, Check 2, sibilance, sibilance"  I forgot that had come from this episode.

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