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

[saber5055]

On 5/2/2020 at 5:59 AM, Pete Martell said:

Tonight's vintage episode is going to be the Ray Charles show from season 3. 

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 first musician I shot who didn't make me nervous as he didn't know I was there.) He was grouchy as show started late, and he kept checking his braille watch, which no one could see but me. But he gave a great performance.

Back OT, I wondered how many newer viewers knew what Tomorrow with Tom Snyder was so they could appreciate Aykroyd's dead-on impression. And if they had ever heard of Mr. Mike, another regular of that era.

Last night's episode was a trip in the Wayback Machine for sure.

[Pete Martell]

14 hours ago, saber5055 said:

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 first musician I shot who didn't make me nervous as he didn't know I was there.) He was grouchy as show started late, and he kept checking his braille watch, which no one could see but me. But he gave a great performance.

Back OT, I wondered how many newer viewers knew what Tomorrow with Tom Snyder was so they could appreciate Aykroyd's dead-on impression. And if they had ever heard of Mr. Mike, another regular of that era.

Last night's episode was a trip in the Wayback Machine for sure.

That's a great story. 

Yes, one of the reasons I'm always happy when they show vintage material, truly vintage, is so people can get a glimpse of old times and experience it for themselves. By this point SNL is, for all its flaws, a time capsule and a national institution. The trends of the day can be glimpsed in a way that a Wikipedia browse or a quick Youtube video can't compare with. There are some parts of the show's past that can't really be defended, but episodes like this I am glad to see brought back for a new generation (if any are watching an SNL episode).

[Pete Martell]

SNL put up some clips of Star Wars sketches for today's special day, and also a short bumper of Bobby Moynihan as Yoda. 

 

[Inquisitionist]

I didn't remember much about that Ray Charles episode from when it first aired, but I must have seen it, as the Young Causasians' (or whatever they were called) rendition of "What DID I Say?" haunts me.  The episode was a thing of beauty.  Ray was so funny, and his musical performances -- wowee!  Plus we had Belushi doing impressions of both Mr. Charles and Marlon Brando as the Godfather.  Great choice, SNL!

[Robert Lynch]

On 5/5/2020 at 9:53 AM, Inquisitionist said:

I didn't remember much about that Ray Charles episode from when it first aired, but I must have seen it, as the Young Causasians' (or whatever they were called) rendition of "What DID I Say?" haunts me.  The episode was a thing of beauty.  Ray was so funny, and his musical performances -- wowee!  Plus we had Belushi doing impressions of both Mr. Charles and Marlon Brando as the Godfather.  Great choice, SNL!

And the old set with the audience in the 70s era is next to the stage. I was surprised how weirdly placed it was. I went to a SNL tour and the setup of the audience on ground level was very interesting. It wasn't until the mid-80s that you had the split with the middle to divide the  audience section where the host faces the camera during a monologue. And it remained that way ever since. 

[Pete Martell]

Apparently this weekend's classic episode will be Bill Murray/Sting, from 1993. There are several sketches in that episode I really enjoy (some I don't), but the main one I hope gets on is The Whipmaster, which is not available on NBC's site or Youtube. Murray plays the fill-in for a contract-negotiating leading man of a '50s Western. That leading man was highly proficient with a whip. Murray...is not, as the hapless actors surrounding him quickly learn.

 

[readster]

11 minutes ago, Pete Martell said:

Apparently this weekend's classic episode will be Bill Murray/Sting, from 1993. There are several sketches in that episode I really enjoy (some I don't), but the main one I hope gets on is The Whipmaster, which is not available on NBC's site or Youtube. Murray plays the fill-in for a contract-negotiating leading man of a '50s Western. That leading man was highly proficient with a whip. Murray...is not, as the hapless actors surrounding him quickly learn.

 

I remember that and you can see the actors with: "We love you Bill, but please stop hurting us!" You just hear the constant giggles. 

[Pete Martell]

Now it looks like the listing has changed and it's Christina Applegate/Midnight Oil instead (AKA Matt Foley's debut on the show). 

I guess we'll see what happens. 

[M. Darcy]

It is the Christine Applegate episode! Awesome - it’s about time they have a Phil Hartman episode. 

[Spartan Girl]

The first appearance of Matt Foley!!!

[SoMuchTV]

9 minutes ago, M. Darcy said:

It is the Christine Applegate episode! Awesome - it’s about time they have a Phil Hartman episode. 

I’m currently watching Dead to Me, so it’s fun seeing her - yikes! - 27 years earlier???

And a van down by the river!

[M. Darcy]

21 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

I’m currently watching Dead to Me, so it’s fun seeing her - yikes! - 27 years earlier???

And a van down by the river!

Kevin Nealon just said this was just after Bill Clinton’s first 100 days in office! And David Spade looks like a baby. 

[JakeyJokes]

On 5/9/2020 at 9:16 PM, SoMuchTV said:

I’m currently watching Dead to Me, so it’s fun seeing her - yikes! - 27 years earlier???

And a van down by the river!

Christina was great here. I don’t know why I was surprised by it. MARRIED ... WITH CHILDREN was filmed in front of a raucous studio audience and she had been on it for several years by this.

 

 

[Pete Martell]

20 hours ago, JakeyJokes said:

Christina was great here. I don’t know why I was surprised by it. MARRIED ... WITH CHILDREN was filmed in front of a raucous studio audience and she had been on it for several years by this.

Christina was a natural when she came back and hosted 20 years later too. I'm not sure why they waited so long (maybe that was her choice). Even now I still wonder if they asked her partly because she could do a lot of the roles Kristen Wiig had done up to that point. Either way, it was nice to see her back on. 

 

David Spade talks a bit about the time Michael Jordan hosted SNL. (also featuring some older comments from Adam Sandler)

https://sports.yahoo.com/michael-jordan-bulls-nba-snl-david-spade-autographs-the-last-dance-002536819.html

[WendyCR72]

So, Snapped aired a repeat last night about Phil Hartman. I knew it has been a while, but with the show giving the exact details, I cannot believe it will be 22 years at the end of this month [the 28th] that he has been gone already.  😞  I often wonder what he would be doing now. I bet he would have popped back up on SNL periodically...

[Pete Martell]

11 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

So, Snapped aired a repeat last night about Phil Hartman. I knew it has been a while, but with the show giving the exact details, I cannot believe it will be 22 years at the end of this month [the 28th] that he has been gone already.  😞  I often wonder what he would be doing now. I bet he would have popped back up on SNL periodically...

I think he would have. I also could have seen him eventually moving into dramatic acting. He was so talented at playing those layers. 

I'm not sure where this one would go, but as it is past SNL characters I will put it here. Jimmy and Horatio Sanz reprised their Jarret's Room characters on Jimmy's show last night. I hated these sketches back in the day, but this one was oddly charming for me (helped by how much more subdued Horatio is now). Seth Meyers asked if he could be in one (he used to play their DJ), so maybe they'll try one more...

 

[Pete Martell]

Looks like the Bill Murray/Sting episode will be repeating tonight. 

[M. Darcy]

2 Phil Hartman episodes in a row! 

[vb68]

On 5/7/2020 at 8:24 AM, Pete Martell said:

Apparently this weekend's classic episode will be Bill Murray/Sting, from 1993. There are several sketches in that episode I really enjoy (some I don't), but the main one I hope gets on is The Whipmaster, which is not available on NBC's site or Youtube. Murray plays the fill-in for a contract-negotiating leading man of a '50s Western. That leading man was highly proficient with a whip. Murray...is not, as the hapless actors surrounding him quickly learn.

The Whipmaster made the cut, thankfully. It  was great. You see clearly in this sketch why Phil was considered "The Glue."   He was fantastic support. He had the "Oh God! Just let me me survive this!" moves down. And then the hilarious, if sadistic, payoff.

I also have to say that commercial for "Hibernol" doesn't sound all that bad right now. Just wake me  when the coronavirus is over.

I so wish Bill would host again. 

Edited May 17, 2020 by vb68

[Arkay]

I think we could all use some Hibernol right about now.

Good show. Fun to see Steve Martin. I really miss that cast, and I wish they had given Adam Sandler something to do. I also wish they would remove that classic intro with Phil's wife. Surely there's another way to insert his picture without her.

ETA: I see vb68 and I posted simultaneously about Hibernol. I'm sure we all thought the same thing. Wake us when Covid is over. 

Edited May 17, 2020 by Arkay

[Spartan Girl]

I third the vote for Hibernol. Gimme.

I loved the episode. When SNL is back Bill should host again.

[Pete Martell]

https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/saturday-night-live-nbcsn-nbc-sports-coronavirus-1234611846/

NBCSN, the company’s sports-cable network, will fill next week’s primetime schedule with “SNL” repeats featuring prominent athletes as hosts. It’s just the latest programming maneuver by sports-media outlets to get something on the air for audiences at a time when the coronavirus pandemic has scuttled the majority of professional sports matches.

ESPN has used everything from games of cornhole to Disney sports movies like “The Rookie” and “The Greatest Game Ever Played” to classic WrestleManina bouts from the WWE to keep the lights on. MLB Network has relied on baseball films like “Major League II.”

NBCSN intends to broadcast 20 different “SNL” episodes overall, with some of them dating back to the early 1990s (a 1989 broadcast featuring hockey great Wayne Gretzky, who took the opportunity to play in a spoof of Elvis movies alongside cast member Jan Hooks, will probably not be shown, but why not a 1990 broadcast hosted by former Yankees owner George Steinbrenner and musical act Morris Day & The Time?).  Episodes hosted by Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Charles Barkley, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, J.J. Watt, Dwayne Johnson, Andy Roddick, John Cena, Ronda Rousey, Michael Phelps, and Derek Jeter will all be used.

[Pete Martell]

This Saturday's vintage episode will be Fred Willard/Devo, from season 4. 

This has some sketches I enjoy a great deal but I am not sure will make the cut as they aren't big crowd-pleasers - chief among them, a sketch where he and Laraine are in the aftermath of a one-night stand, a solo sketch with Gilda's Bobbi Farber on the phone with her mother, and the first of "the mall" recurring sketches of season 4, where he plays the owner of a store that only sells Scotch tape. 

I'm glad that NBC and Lorne have been airing so many '70s episodes since January (this is the fourth). I just wish it had been under happier circumstances. 

[freddi]

I had no memory of Fred Willard's episode -- and was surprised to learn this week that he was prominent enough in the 1970s to be invited to host.  Then I saw this article about some of his connections to SNL back then:  https://news.avclub.com/saturday-night-live-re-airing-1978-episode-hosted-by-fr-1843633580 

[VCRTracking]

On 5/16/2020 at 8:34 PM, vb68 said:

The Whipmaster made the cut, thankfully. It  was great. You see clearly in this sketch why Phil was considered "The Glue."   He was fantastic support. He had the "Oh God! Just let me me survive this!" moves down. And then the hilarious, if sadistic, payoff.

I love Farley in at as well. He's the bartender and speaking with a Southern accent goes "If yoah the Whipmastuh knock the cigar out of mah mouth!" Then it's a shot of Murray whipping multiple times at the camera like hes trying but can't seem to hit the target. Cut to Farley who's now shaking, his face covered in bloody lashes, dropping the cigar himself and says without an accent(like the actor's too stunned to keep up the character)"That is amazing! You really are the Whipmaster!"

Edited May 24, 2020 by VCRTracking

[Pete Martell]

For Stevie Nicks' birthday, The Ringer caught up with Lucy Lawless and Hugh Fink to cover the timeless appeal of the Stevie Nicks Fajita Roundup sketch. Lucy also reveals that Michael Richards was intended to host her episode.

https://www.theringer.com/music/2020/5/26/21269642/the-story-of-how-saturday-night-lives-stevie-nicks-fajita-roundup-sketch-got-made

[freddi]

Classic show for May 30 is from

January 9, 2010:  Charles Barkley.  

Edited May 30, 2020 by freddi

[Pete Martell]

The vintage this week is Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift...such a long time ago!

Here's an old Jane Curtin commercial.

 

[Jody]

 

         Hello EBK. Actually, The Smother's Brothers was before Saturday Night Live And they had Steve Martin, Don Novello who is Father Guido Sarducci and even Rob Reiner who ended up on All In The Family, but he Hosted the Third episode ! The Smothers Brothers had David Steinberg and he was always doing comedy bits about Religion that got People very upset !

[SoMuchTV]

18 hours ago, Jody said:

 

         Hello EBK. Actually, The Smother's Brothers was before Saturday Night Live And they had Steve Martin, Don Novello who is Father Guido Sarducci and even Rob Reiner who ended up on All In The Family, but he Hosted the Third episode ! The Smothers Brothers had David Steinberg and he was always doing comedy bits about Religion that got People very upset !

Hey there Jody.  It sounds like you're a big fan and SNL means a lot to you.  But you seem to be replying to some things from a bit in the past.  If you use the "quote" option, it would help people understand the context of your comments - when you're looking at the post you want to reply to, there's a series of options at the bottom including one that looks like quote marks (").  If you click on that before you enter your comments, it will show the post and your reply together and it will tag the person who made the original comment.

And I was a big fan of the Smothers Brothers as well.  Officer Judy, Pat Paulson...

[mtlchick]

20 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

The vintage this week is Tiffany Haddish/Taylor Swift...such a long time ago!

Here's an old Jane Curtin commercial.

 

Aka the best advertisement that the house of Alexander McQueen never expected. I’m not sure what happened to the dress now but she rolled up to the Oscar stage in that, I cheered.

[SoMuchTV]

45 minutes ago, mtlchick said:

Aka the best advertisement that the house of Alexander McQueen never expected. I’m not sure what happened to the dress now but she rolled up to the Oscar stage in that, I cheered.

I hadn’t remembered too much about this, but after watching the episode again, the dress she wore in the goodbyes was maybe more impressive and flattering than the more famous Oscar dress. 

[DXD526]

A real blast from the past on this Saturday's classic episode, from May 6, 1976, Madeline Kahn and Carly Simon!

[WendyCR72]

30 minutes ago, DXD526 said:

A real blast from the past on this Saturday's classic episode, from May 6, 1976, Madeline Kahn and Carly Simon!

Wow. Even older than the recent rerun of Fred Willard's 1978 show! God, in May of '76, I was a bit over 3 1/2. Yikes.

[Pete Martell]

8 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Wow. Even older than the recent rerun of Fred Willard's 1978 show! God, in May of '76, I was a bit over 3 1/2. Yikes.

There are complaints at times about not enough true vintage episodes being repeated...at least this year, so far, they've made up for that - I think this is the fifth or sixth 75-80 they've shown. (Buck Henry, Ray Charles, Fred Willard, Kirk Douglas, Madeline Kahn - am I missing one?).

This episode is so jam-packed with classics (Nixon White House, Marlene meets Baba, I Feel Pretty), This is one of the episodes I used to love in half-hour format on the Nick at Nite repeats.

Here's a full rundown for anyone if they want to check back after Saturday to see what isn't on.

https://www.onesnladay.com/2018/07/22/may-8-1976-madeline-kahn-carly-simon-s1-e19/

[ebk57]

18 hours ago, Pete Martell said:

There are complaints at times about not enough true vintage episodes being repeated...at least this year, so far, they've made up for that - I think this is the fifth or sixth 75-80 they've shown. (Buck Henry, Ray Charles, Fred Willard, Kirk Douglas, Madeline Kahn - am I missing one?).

This episode is so jam-packed with classics (Nixon White House, Marlene meets Baba, I Feel Pretty), This is one of the episodes I used to love in half-hour format on the Nick at Nite repeats.

Here's a full rundown for anyone if they want to check back after Saturday to see what isn't on.

https://www.onesnladay.com/2018/07/22/may-8-1976-madeline-kahn-carly-simon-s1-e19/

I love Madeline Kahn, so I'm really looking forward to this.

May I just air one gripe about the write-up you linked?  She does a great job breaking down the episode, but she uses the first 2 letters of the first name, and the first letter of the last name for the cast member she's referencing,  instead of just the first letters of each name.  I find that...annoying...   I actually looked up Jane Curtin's middle name to see if it started with an A - it's Therese, so no.  

Edited June 13, 2020 by ebk57
clarity (I hope) - I don't write so good...

[vb68]

This is a great one! I'll be recording it.

(Madeline has been on my mind for the past month or so after she was mentioned on Better Things with Pamela Adlon's character having a "OH HELL NO!!" moment when one of her daughters asked who Madeline Kahn was. It was a great moment.)

[freddi]

On 6/11/2020 at 2:35 PM, DXD526 said:

A real blast from the past on this Saturday's classic episode, from May 6, 1976, Madeline Kahn and Carly Simon!

I just saw that this is the classic episode this week, and can hardly wait!  I loved the musical guests in the early years, and many of them have ended up being “classic” as well. 

[SoMuchTV]

I was going to make a “you’re so vain” joke, but glad I held out to hear that that the song actually was about you. 

[WendyCR72]

The late announcer Don Pardo riffing on The Beatles at the end of the Madeline Kahn episode was a bit funny/odd (as he was announcing Dyan Cannon as the host for the following week at the end of the Madeline Kahn episode).

I had forgotten he liked to get in on the fun in the early years (as I recalled from Nick At Nite repeats, too young for first run then!).

[saber5055]

I had forgotten how great Aykroyd was as Nixon. Man, he was spot on. And Nixon talking to Lincoln's portrait was pretty timely, too. Madeline as Pat was a hoot. I love Carly Simon as much now as I did then, which is ... a lot. She's timeless.

It was odd to just see seven cast members at the end, but that's all there were back then.

[freddi]

4 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

The late announcer Don Pardo riffing on The Beatles at the end of the Madeline Kahn episode was a bit funny/odd (as he was announcing Dyan Cannon as the host for the following week at the end of the Madeline Kahn episode)

I didn’t hear the end, but it might have been a reference to Lorne Michaels having offered the Beatles $3000 (“split it any way you want”) two weeks earlier; apparently Lennon and McCartney almost took him up on it:  https://ultimateclassicrock.com/john-lennon-paul-mccartney-snl/  

I had forgotten that Chevy Chase played cowbell on “You’re So Vain”!  

Ahhhhhhh!  Good times. 

Edited June 15, 2020 by freddi

[SoMuchTV]

4 minutes ago, freddi said:

I didn’t hear the end, but it might have been a reference to Lorne Michaels having offered the Beatles $3000 (“split it any way you want”) two weeks earlier; apparently Lennon and McCartney almost took him up on it:  https://ultimateclassicrock.com/john-lennon-paul-mccartney-snl/  

I had forgotten that Chevy Chase played cowbell on “You’re So Vain”!  

Ahhhhhhh!  Good times. 

I hadn’t remembered that Lorne’s offer was that early in the show, but I assumed that was what Don Pardo was talking about.  

And was Chevy the one in the apricot scarf?  I’ll have to go back and look. 

[freddi]

1 hour ago, SoMuchTV said:

I hadn’t remembered that Lorne’s offer was that early in the show, but I assumed that was what Don Pardo was talking about.  

And was Chevy the one in the apricot scarf?  I’ll have to go back and look. 

Chevy was at the stage left end of the backup musicians, so the one farthest away from Carly Simon, in the shadows.  I’m guessing they gave him a mallet of foam rubber to avoid mishaps, but he was groovin’. 

[Pete Martell]

8 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

The late announcer Don Pardo riffing on The Beatles at the end of the Madeline Kahn episode was a bit funny/odd (as he was announcing Dyan Cannon as the host for the following week at the end of the Madeline Kahn episode).

I had forgotten he liked to get in on the fun in the early years (as I recalled from Nick At Nite repeats, too young for first run then!).

The odd part is when Michael O'Donoghue came back to the show in 1981, when they had a new producer, he had them fire Don Pardo (Pardo was still under contract to NBC so just did his other stuff at that time) as he felt Pardo ruined the jokes. Pardo came back in 1982, after Michael was gone. I always thought Don was pretty good at those jokes. I miss that type of stuff but I guess it wouldn't really be the same with Darrell Hammond.

4 hours ago, saber5055 said:

I had forgotten how great Aykroyd was as Nixon. Man, he was spot on. And Nixon talking to Lincoln's portrait was pretty timely, too. Madeline as Pat was a hoot. I love Carly Simon as much now as I did then, which is ... a lot. She's timeless.

It was odd to just see seven cast members at the end, but that's all there were back then.

It's always a test for me because if we get too much of some cast members I get sick of them, which is why I don't mind the larger casts, but my two favorite eras of the show (75-80, 86-90) both have small casts. I guess those years being mostly well-written were a big help from getting sick of people. 

[Jody]

On 1/2/2016 at 10:03 PM, helenamonster said:

I like to think that poor January Jones watched the Donald Trump episode and felt vindicated that she was no longer the worst host this show has ever had.

        I hated that January Jones show, but they have had worse Hosts than even her ! There was Milton Berle, Louise Lasser and Steven Seagull who is considered to be the worst Host ever on Saturday Night Live ! ! !

On 1/30/2016 at 9:05 PM, M. Darcy said:

It is! I hope they show it. It's also the first appearance of Stefan.

           IF This is 2008, Then, I know that Jimmy Fallon left at the end of 2006 ! I don't see how Tina and Amy  And Later Amy and Seth and Later Just Seth ALL did Weekend Update in Two Years ! Seth was by him self when Stefan was on Week End Update ! I read about A sketch with Stefan in the sketch ! Was Stefan in a sketch on this 2008 episode ?

[KWalkerInc]

Jimmy left at the end of the 2004 season.  I remember the season finale (Olsen twins, I think) ended with a parody of "Summer Lovin'" from Grease where the cast was saying goodbye to him. 

[Pete Martell]

16 hours ago, Jody said:

   IF This is 2008, Then, I know that Jimmy Fallon left at the end of 2006 ! I don't see how Tina and Amy  And Later Amy and Seth and Later Just Seth ALL did Weekend Update in Two Years ! Seth was by him self when Stefan was on Week End Update ! I read about A sketch with Stefan in the sketch ! Was Stefan in a sketch on this 2008 episode ?

Stefon appears in the 2008 Ben Affleck episode. They are brothers and are pitching a film idea to executives. He doesn't appear again for a few years until he pops up on Update, where he is much better received. 

Edited June 17, 2020 by Pete Martell

[Jody]

On 11/5/2016 at 9:03 PM, punkypower said:

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

 

             Maybe, That was after Tracy had been in that Car accident and we did not know if Tracy was going to be all right ! 

 

[vb68]

On 6/14/2020 at 8:53 PM, saber5055 said:

I love Carly Simon as much now as I did then, which is ... a lot. She's timeless.

I could watch that Carly Simon performance over and over.

I only noticed the second time I was watching it that she was barefoot!