Favorite SNL Sketches: Generalissimo Francisco Franco is Still Dead

[Kromm]

I've always had a fondness for the Happy Fun Ball commercial with its extra-long disclaimer. "Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball."

Happy Fun Ball, like so many of the other great canned bits from that same era (Colon Blow has already been mentioned), is completely dependent on Phil Hartman and his incredible delivery. 

Here it is, BTW:  It's another hard to get online (because they've been cracked down on) but Rolling Stone has it: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/pictures/50-greatest-saturday-night-live-sketches-of-all-time-20140203/happy-fun-ball-0459912

[JennyMominFL]

A more recent skit that I love is Hamm and Bubble .Michael Bubble's delivery cracks me up every time.

Edited July 1, 2014 by JennyMominFL

[Maverick]

An instant classic.  The follow up (John Hamm's John Ham) wasn't as good but I still enjoyed it.

[Princess Sparkle]

Actually, Jon Hamm's John Ham came first, then Hamm and Bubble.  I remember Seth Meyer's saying they came up with a third one for when he hosted again, but it got rejected.  But I agree, I like Hamm and Bubble better - when Michael Bubble whispers "I think he's standing right behind me" and they pan back to Jon Hamm starting at him, I absolutely lose it.  Though, I have to say, I do love his line from the first one "Now I know what you're thinking - 'I'm only endorsing JOHN HAM because Jon Hamm is my name' Well, you're wrong. You're dead wrong. First of all, my last name has two "M's" and second of all, my first name doesn't have an "H". Feel like a dummy yet?"

 

And as long as I have Jon Hamm on the brain, I have to say that my all-time favorite sketch of his is the Vincent Price Halloween special where he was James Mason. 

"James!  This is a family show!"

"Understood.  Say, where are the whores?"

[VCRTracking]

Originally in the dress rehearsal Jon Hamm was supposed to play Dean Martin but they changed it at the last minute.

 

One of my favorite sketches the VH1's Storytellers parody with Will Ferrell as Neil Diamond.

 

"I wrote this next song after I killed a drifter to get an erection. (sings) 'Forever in blue jeans...'"

Edited June 30, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Wolfy Mojo]

I just heard "Your Love" by the Outfield on the radio. I can't hear that song anymore and NOT think of Josh Hutcherson. That was a sketch that burned in my mind. Just brilliant.

[cpcathy]

That Josh Hutcherson episode was quite good, the Outfield sketch was not only something we'd never seen before, but it had a sweetness about it that I really liked.

[AriAu]

Eddie Murphy doing Stevie Wonder to Stevie Wonder-absolute classic, especially when Stevie breaks out of the "Stevie Wonder Experience" and does it real and Eddie goes,"No, still sucks". VERY hard to find on line-I think NBC has had it pulled/

Dating back to the vintage Billy Crystal/Martin Short season, I still laugh when I think about the taped segment with Martin Short and Christopher Guest training for men's synchronized swimming, but Short having to wear a life preserver and nose plugs "because I am not a very good swimmer". I laugh just thinking about it.

[VCRTracking]

Until somebody reminded me of it I had completely forgotten the early 90s Italian restaurant sketch with Kirstie Alley where the entire staff(Carvey, Myers, Schneider, Sandler) kisses, gropes and fondles her in front of her pissed off husband(Kevin Nealon). It's still one of the raciest bits they've ever done! Kirstie Alley was a really good sport(although she seemed visibly annoyed by the end) and the background bit with Carvey and a blonde female customer!

 

Here's the link:

 

https://screen.yahoo.com/il-cantore-restaurant-000000754.html

[Babalooie]

For me, nothing beats the Jeopardy skits.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Babalooie

[Princess Sparkle]

I can never decide which is my favorite Jeopardy sketch - for a really long time, it was the one with Sean Connery, Burt Reynolds - sorry, Turd Ferguson - and French Stewart.  But then Tom Hanks came and played himself, and that might just take the cake - him bending down to speak in the microphone/pen, then getting caught in a dry cleaning bag made me laugh until no noise came out.  Tom Hanks is such a treasure.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Princess Sparkle

[A Boston Gal]

I don't believe I've ever seen that one, PrincessSparkle!!   :::runs off to scour the Internets::::

[Spartan Girl]

Tom Hanks playing himself on Celebrity Jeopardy was hands down the best Celebrity Jeopardy.  And a surprise cameo by Norm's Burt Reynolds!  It's a damn shame Norm was fired because the real Reynolds had been talking about coming on a Celebrity Jeopardy sketch to play himself.  That would have been gold.

[vb68]

I always loved Tom Hanks doing "Mr. Short-Term Memory".   

 

"Hey you're Tony Randall!"

 

And I have to go old school and give a shoutout to Steve Martin on both "King Tut" and the two Czech Brothers with Dan Aykroyd.   They just always made me smile.

 

"We are two wild and crazy guys!"

[Princess Sparkle]

I don't believe I've ever seen that one, PrincessSparkle!!   :::runs off to scour the Internets::::

Here you go!  Enjoy.

[cpcathy]

Tom Hanks in Sabra Price is Right. Sony guts! Disco, good, good!

[Geeni]

Jew, Not A Jew is a classic. And of course Judy Miller Show and the Celebrity Jeopardies.

 

And this is very, VERY recent, and it's a not a sketch, but I love "Do It On My Twin Bed".

[VCRTracking]

And when Chris Rock is the next contestant Tom Hanks just looks at him for an awkward few seconds, calls over Adam Sandler and says "Watch him."

Edited July 19, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Princess Sparkle]

All the Stefon's are so good, but I think my favorite is the Halloween one.  The hissing cracks me up, plus I love that you can tell the exact moment that Bill Hader reads the Syndey Applebaum joke (which must've been the new joke before going on), because you can see his face register it, steel himself to say it, and then still just die when he reads it.  

[annzeepark914]

Does anyone remember the video of Tim Kasinsky (one of my favorites) hitchhiking and getting picked up by an attractive woman who begins to strip?  This goes on and on with TK totally bewildered and then the car goes sailing off a cliff.

 

OMG...Men Synchronized Swimming (what song were they "performing" to? whenever I hear it I think of those two in the pool). Christopher Guest was another of my favorites (amazing to realize he's an English Lord).

[AriAu]

OMG...Men Synchronized Swimming (what song were they "performing" to? whenever I hear it I think of those two in the pool). Christopher Guest was another of my favorites (amazing to realize he's an English Lord).

 

Just thinking about Martin Short with the life preserver and the nose plugs saying "I'm not a very strong swimmer" cracks me up.

It is clearly number one but Twin Beds and the Dick in a Box/Mother Lover combo give it a serious run for its money.

[JakeyJokes]

My favorite of the past few years was when Miley Cyrus first hosted ("Party in the U.S.A.-era Miley, not twerking-Miley). Her and Kristen Wiig are in an '80s-style infomercial selling facial cream that is also a compilation of '80s rock, but the albums are called "Face Cream" and the face cream is called "Rockabilly Lady Party" or something like that. It's one of those sketches that is soooo odd and gets stranger and stranger as it goes on, that it's a miracle it made it to air. It's even funnier that a 19-year-old Miley was so believable as one of those infomercial women of a certain age.

[helenamonster]

Ah, JakeyJokes, I love that sketch! Found it on Yahoo Screen. It was exactly my brand of weird. I agree I'm surprised it made it to air, but it was really funny, imo. I love how they keep increasing the number of CDs you get. My friend and I spent about a month trying to incorporate quotes from the sketch into everyday conversation. Like, "Hey, could you pass me a napkin?" "Yes, and with this napkin you get five CDs." 

[dusang]

OMG...Men Synchronized Swimming (what song were they "performing" to? whenever I hear it I think of those two in the pool). Christopher Guest was another of my favorites (amazing to realize he's an English Lord).

 

"No, you're not angry.  You're just saying, 'Hey, you, I know you, I know you.'"

[editorgrrl]

I almost forgot - this season, I think my favorite short was the Wes Anderson parody. It was so spot on, which made it even funnier. And surprisingly, Edward Norton can do a great Owen Wilson impression.

 

Director of Photography for the SNL Film Unit Alex Buono wrote an in-depth blog post about the making of The Midnight Coterie of Sinister Intruders.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gSEzGDzZ1dY

 

And how has no one said Chronicles of Narnia (Lazy Sunday)? (NBC.com, so it starts with a commercial.)

[helenamonster]

I appreciate Lazy Sunday for what it did in terms of bringing SNL into the digital age, but in a vacuum, it's not really a favorite.

 

Dick in a Box, on the other hand...

[spaceytraci1208]

Dick in a Box, on the other hand...

...is my JAM!

[Bill C.]

I have a huge soft spot for the Old Glory Insurance bit, due in no small part to Sam Waterston.  It's just so deadpan.

 

Most recently, though, it's been When Will The Bass Drop?  It's probably a little more in-jokey, at least until it goes completely bizarro, but it just speaks to me.

[ajsnaves]

I love Old Glory Insurance. "For when the metal ones decide to come for you.  And they will."

 

One of my favorites ads is "Big Red"  "He's big big big.  And he's red red red."

[JakeyJokes]

I loved the Shy Ronnie ones just because it was a happy accident that Rihanna, of all people, ended up with her own recurring SNL bit. Is it the first one when she leaves with Jon Hamm (who was hosting that week?). I loved that she was up for it.

 

Because I am 12, I *love* "I Just Had Sex" with Lonely Island and Akon, and "Body Fusion" with Drew Barrymore.

[helenamonster]

I think the one with Jon Hamm was the second "Shy Ronnie," where they rob the bank (also, "Boner alert!"). The first is when they're in the classroom and Shy Ronnie pees his pants and she sings, "He pissed himseeeelf."

 

I like most of the the Lonely Island sketches. Every once in awhile there'd be one that I thought was dumb, but they can't all be winners. Most of the ones that were actually songs really worked. But the "Dick in a Box" trilogy is probably my favorite. When Gaga showed up in "3-Way" I just about died. "You guys are still here." *eats cereal*

[cpcathy]

I hate to admit it but Jizz in My Pants is my favorite Lonely Island short. Like a Boss also makes me laugh every time.

[Princess Sparkle]

It not my favorite Lonley Island short, but "Boombox" is my underrated classic. It cracks me up every time.

[ajsnaves]

It not my favorite Lonley Island short, but "Boombox" is my underrated classic. It cracks me up every time.

"A boombox can change the world, but you've got to know your limit with a boombox. A boombox is not a toy."

 

My favorite underrated short in "Iran so Far Away" Just the image of Fred on the piano in the red dress is enough to make me laugh.

[BatmanBeatles]

These are kind of stupid but I can't help but laugh at "Threw It On The Ground" and "People Getting Punched Before They Eat".

 

 

[augmentedfourth]

"Threw It On the Ground" is one of my favorite digital shorts. Let's face it, we all know that guy. And "My Dad's not a phone!" gets me every time.

 

The latest episode's weekend update reminded me of last season's "Ooh Child" recorded bit with Lena Dunham constantly being interrupted by the GPS. That one's second only to Twin Bed in my favorite pre-taped sketches from last year, especially with the unexpected plot twist at the end. Considering SNL frequently doesn't know how to end things, I thought that one was pretty good.

[spaceytraci1208]

"Happy Birthday to the ground!!!" always gives me a good chuckle

[ChromaKelly]

I hate to admit it but Jizz in My Pants is my favorite Lonely Island short. Like a Boss also makes me laugh every time.

My husband and I quote Jizz In My Pants way too much. Probably every time one of us is going to the grocery store. I'll text him "I need a few things from the grocery" if I'm stopping at the store on the way home. Every time I write a check "One more thing, I'm gonna pay by check!" Also the "I do things alone now most-a-ly" cracks me up.

Pretty much all the Lonely Island bits were funny, even the really dumb ones like Laser Cats (was that LI? Or just Samburg by himself). Who doesn't say "I'm on a boat!" anytime they are on a boat? I know I do.

I almost forgot - this season, I think my favorite short was the Wes Anderson parody. It was so spot on, which made it even funnier. And surprisingly, Edward Norton can do a great Owen Wilson impression.

That one was so funny in our house because I can't stand Wes Anderson movies and my husband likes them. That skit was so spot on that I was shouting at the TV "Yes! That's why I hate those movies!". They are so quirky for quirky's sake.

Edited October 6, 2014 by ChromaKelly

[helenamonster]

I think my favorite thing about Jizz in my Pants was Meadow Soprano randomly showing up as the cashier in the grocery store. Also, "Last week, I sawr a film. As I recall, it was a horror film." Just the way Andy enunciates the words cracks my shit up every time.

[ChromaKelly]

I guess this qualifies as a canned bit. Does anyone remember Bear City? I felt like it was a mutual hallucination between me and my husband, and we were the only two people witness to it. I never see it mentioned anywhere. It was so silly I liked it.

[helenamonster]

Holy crap, I totally remember Bear City and really enjoying it. Guess it was just one of those 10-to-1 sketches that got lost in the shuffle of time. Was there more than one? Like I feel like there was a sequel to it or something.

[nowandlater]

Holy crap, I totally remember Bear City and really enjoying it. Guess it was just one of those 10-to-1 sketches that got lost in the shuffle of time. Was there more than one? Like I feel like there was a sequel to it or something.

 

I think but am not totally sure that they repeated Bear City a billion times.

 

Kind of like they'd occasionally do last season.

[BatmanBeatles]

I have a soft spot for Jacob The Bar Mitzvah Boy. He reminds me a bit of my son who has the same socially awkward traits. He even hates tuna casserole.

Edited October 25, 2014 by BatmanBeatles

[mtlchick]

Tom Hanks in Sabra Price is Right. Sony guts! Disco, good, good!

I have a special fondness for that one as it's the first sketch I ever watched.  

[vb68]

I really need to see the Miss Self-Esteem Beauty Pageant again.

[Mystery]

What I thought was their most audacious commercial was the Heaven's Gate commercial for Keds

 

https://screen.yahoo.com/keds-commercial-000000743.html

[Kromm]

Tom Hanks playing himself on Celebrity Jeopardy was hands down the best Celebrity Jeopardy.  And a surprise cameo by Norm's Burt Reynolds!  It's a damn shame Norm was fired because the real Reynolds had been talking about coming on a Celebrity Jeopardy sketch to play himself.  That would have been gold.

It's strange how much I always loved the Celebrity Jeopardy skits. I mean this is coming from someone who's often very anti-Will Ferrell.  I actually loved Ferrell in these because he was the straight-man--a totally non-typical role for him. This talk about having the real Burt Reynolds with Norm's fake one reminds me of the cameo they had with the real Alex Trebek.

 

 

Here's the clip: https://screen.yahoo.com/celebrity-rock-n-roll-jeopardy-000000177.html

 

I won't even say it was a particularly good Celeb Jeopardy skit--actually it's kind of the lamest one I can remember (faux-Sean Connery can't save the skit all by himself). I just appreciate the whole series of skits over all and this was an interesting footnote for them.

Edited October 26, 2014 by Kromm

[izabella]

I've always loved Justin Timberlake's Veganville and Liquorville sketches.  Put Justin Timberlake's in a giant tofu costume with those big hands and feet, and I can't stop laughing.

 

Awww, veg out!  No meat, so chic!

[Bruinsfan]

One that sticks with me after many years is "The Pepsi Syndrome" where Dan Ackroyd's President Carter becomes the Amazing Colossal President.

[cpcathy]

I know Boss Baby is not a favorite with everyone, but it was the hardest SNL has made me laugh in a long time.