February 25, 1984 – Edwin Newman / Kool & The Gang (S9 E14)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
SNL employees Dion & Blaire decide what to do about host’s lack of hair

 

— Good meta premise with Dion Dion and Blair now working as SNL hairdressers.
— Pretty funny part with Dion and Blair mistaking Edwin Newman for Paul Newman and wondering why he aged so poorly.
— Amusing visual of Edwin in the Ted Koppel wig.
— Dion: “Blair, you ignorant slut.”
STARS: ***

OPENING MONTAGE
— After being out sick in the last episode, Don Pardo is back, but he’s noticeably not as energetic-sounding as he usually is. His delivery is fairly low-key tonight. He must still be getting over his laryngitis.

MONOLOGUE
recently-retired host sings “Please don’t talk about me when I’m gone”

  

— Funny start with Edwin nitpicking a grammatical error on the cue card.
— Edwin’s coming off funny, likable, and a good sport, in a stiff, deadpan way.
— Love the audience worriedly going “ohhh” when he hints that he might sing.
— Nice audience response when he actually does end up singing well.
— A surprisingly strong monologue overall. Edwin did it ALL.
STARS: ****

BUDDWEISER LIGHT
— Rerun. I always find it odd when a fake ad that has a host in it (Robin Williams in this case) is re-aired in another host’s episode

HYMIETOWN
Jesse Jackson (EDM) tries to reconcile with Jews by singing “Hymietown”

— Eddie’s Jesse Jackson impression seems to have improved a little from the last time he played him, even though his portrayal is a lot more low-key than we’re used to seeing Jesse being impersonated on SNL.
— Oh, I can tell this is going to turn into the famous “Hymietown” number.
— Ha, the lyrics are really funny and the song sounds great.
— I think I just heard a woman in the audience saying “Sing it, Eddie!”
STARS: ****

HOTLINE
host corrects a suicide hotline caller’s (ROD) grammar

— Ha, even after the monologue, Edwin is still correcting people’s grammar.
— Funny bit about a “bottle of tequila wearing panties”.
— I like the whole “major/lieutenant slut” part.
— Robin’s threatening message at the end of the phone conversation was good.
— Decent sketch overall.
STARS: ***

FUR: YOU DESERVE IT!
— Yet another rerun, this time from two seasons ago. Boy, is this season in desperate need of new fake ads.

NEWS BAR
host bets Tom Snyder (JOP) a la My Fair Lady- I can make BRH an anchorman

   

— I’m liking this gathering of famous newscasters.
— Joe’s Tom Snyder impression looks different from how it usually does. It kinda looks more like his Dan Rather impression.
— Edwin’s quivery-voiced singing just now was funny.
— Brad’s playing himself and references his recent ousting as anchorperson of Saturday Night News. Very surprising that they’re openly acknowledging his firing on the air.
— I like Edwin’s constant utterances of “The bet’s off” regarding turning Brad into a competent anchorman.
— Great My Fair Lady-esque turn this is taking, especially the “The Iranian’s pains come mainly from Khomeni” vocal exercise. This is brilliant.
— Overall, a strong sketch.
STARS: ****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Joanna”

SPEAKING FREELY
host interviews James Brown (EDM)

— Great to see Eddie’s James Brown again. He’s already making me laugh with his opening statement just being typical James Brown-esque vocalizations.
— Okay, this sketch doesn’t seem to be offering anything other than Eddie’s James Brown answering all of Edwin’s questions with random lyrics from his own songs, which isn’t quite as funny as you’d think it would be. This is paling badly in comparison to Eddie’s classic James Brown sketches from the past.
STARS: **

HOW HIGH THE NOON
ex-gunfighter Kid Halpern (host) teaches (GAK) the tricks of the trade

   

— “The Kelton Gang”. Guess I don’t need to ask which writer penned this sketch.
— All of Edwin’s odd advice to Gary is providing some good laughs.
— The whole countdown confusion is cracking me up.
— Strong ending.
STARS: ***½

A NICKEL
old men (JOP) & (EDM) remember the days when everything cost a nickel

  

— I think I recall hearing this ends up being Eddie’s final live sketch as a cast member.
— This is another strong pairing of Eddie and Joe, and has some really funny lines between them.
— Ha, they’re both starting to crack up.
— Eddie acknowledges a line flub of his and, while laughing, angrily ad-libs “I read the card wrong!” which gets a great response from the audience.
— Joe: “(ad-libbing) Ever notice I look like Al Franken in 50 years?”
— Haha, I love how this sketch has gone completely off the rails, with Eddie and Joe now openly breaking the fourth wall and talking (in character) about having to end the sketch in time before the show runs over.
— A fun and solid sketch overall, enhanced by the flubs and loose ad-libbing. If this is indeed Eddie’s final live sketch, this is a pretty big deal. Even though I’m aware there are still a few taped sketches he’s in that will air in some of the remaining episodes of this season, tonight being Eddie’s final live episode as a cast member kinda feels like the end of an era in some ways. Kinda bittersweet, really. At least he got to go out while having fun in this sketch and being paired with the castmate who he’s always had the best chemistry with over these last four years.
STARS: ****

FACE THE PRESS
(JIB) rubs out panelists who mention his links to the mob

     

— Another funny instance of Jim throwing Gary over a desk, after the Cabbage Patch Kid bit from earlier this season.
— I liked Mary just casually moving on after the whole crazy incident with Gary.
— Good fake blood on Tim after getting shot.
— Loved Edwin’s “I pass” when it’s his turn to ask Jim a question, after seeing what Jim had just done to Gary and Tim.
— Edwin’s various ways of stalling when everybody’s waiting for him to ask Jim a question are very funny.
STARS: ****

HARRY ANDERSON
Harry Anderson [real] tells of his attempts to win at four card monty

 

— Nice reveals of how to do the “cheating” version of the four-card monty trick.
— An overall change of pace from Harry’s usual acts on the show and had an unusually low-key feel, but this was still pretty good.
STARS: ***

SATURDAY NIGHT NEWS
JIB raps recent headlines
irritated MAG complains about the multitude of official national holidays
Worthington Clotman chastises respected figures who sell out for laughs

     

— Fitting that tonight’s guest anchor is someone who has actual experience being a real newsman.
— Edwin already throws to a guest correspondent without having done any jokes.
— Hmm, Jim has a boombox with him. I think I know where this is going…
— Yep, we’re already getting the return of Rappin’ Jimmy B after only one week.
— Jim rapping the week’s big news is fairly fun, but this isn’t coming off quite as enjoyable as his cold opening from the last episode.
— Edwin constantly choosing to skip over certain news stories for little reasons is kind of a strange runner, but it’s working.
— Tonight’s Spittin’ Mad Mary Gross commentary is okay so far, but I notice it doesn’t seem to be getting as much audience reaction as it usually does. Usually, the crowd is really hyped up during these.
— I liked Mary’s line about having a holiday called ‘Are You Sure I’m The Father?’s Day
— The return of Tim’s Worthington Clotman.
— Tim’s criticism of Edwin is pretty funny.
— Haha, I absolutely LOVED Edwin silently responding to Tim’s “Vaudevillian buffoon” insults about Edwin’s SNL performances by pulling out a seltzer bottle and spraying Tim with it.
— This is the longest edition we’ve had of Saturday Night News in a while, but it’s also one of the better ones. Also, I’ve noticed in these old Comedy Central reruns I’ve been reviewing that their versions of this era’s episodes always move Saturday Night News to an unusually late spot in the show when it’s a particularly lengthy SNN (like we’ve seen tonight), whereas the short SNNs are usually kept in their original spot somewhere in the middle of the show.
STARS: ***

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Celebration”

URBAN ANSWERS
gang leaders (BRH) & (host) talk about their conflicts

 

— LOL at Brad freaking Hall of all people playing a hardcore gang member.
— Ha, now this has gotten even more comically ridiculous with Edwin Newman playing a rival gang member.
— Brad’s performance is kind of reminding me of future cast member Andy Samberg, for some reason.
— I love how Edwin’s using his normal professional delivery for his gangster character.
— Edwin to Brad: “(deadpan, while holding a switchblade) I am prepared to filet you.” Boy, this sketch is cracking me the hell up.
— Strange but funny turn this has taken, with the fourth wall being broken by Gary “dropping character” and calling Edwin out on “ruining” the sketch with his random delivery of “Live from New York…”.
STARS: ****

JACOBY ESCORT SERVICE
(ROD) & (MAG) guarantee “absolutely no sex”

— Good to see a rare Robin Duke showcase.
— A fairly funny concept with Mary and Robin’s escort service spokeswomen advertising no sex.
— What was with Robin’s off-camera “Call us now” while Don Pardo is announcing the phone number?
— Overall, this wasn’t too bad, but comes off as a lesser sketch compared to other material from this episode.
STARS: **½

GOODNIGHTS

 

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IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A great episode, with lots of strong sketches, a fun atmosphere, and even a decent Saturday Night News.
— Who would’ve guessed that Edwin Newman would turn out to be such a fun host, enhancing every sketch he appeared in and without even having to stretch his range? He’s one of those non-actor hosts who surprise you by how funny they come off and how they end up adapting well to SNL’s format.

HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Jamie Lee Curtis):
— a big step up

My full set of screencaps for this episode is here

TOMORROW:
Future cast member Billy Crystal hosts