April 21, 1990 – Alec Baldwin / The B-52’s (S15 E18)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
George Bush (DAC) talks about the environment & licks glaucoma drops

— Wow, Dana’s Bush is coming off even funnier than usual, which is saying something. He’s more animated than EVER here.
— Classic part with him intentionally letting his marijuana-laced eyedrops drip into his mouth, causing him to become high and launch into a hilarious “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” quote.
— Overall, one of the best Bush cold openings SNL has ever done.
STARS: ****½

MONOLOGUE
host charms the audience by posing for the camera until VIJ stops him

— Despite this being his first time hosting, Alec already receives tons of huge and wild applause at the beginning of this monologue.
— Much like John Goodman and Christopher Walken’s respective debut earlier this season, it’s going to be fascinating in hindsight to watch Alec Baldwin’s first hosting stint, as it’s so hard now to imagine there was ever a time where he had no prior experience on the show.
— At times, young Alec Baldwin’s voice sounds different from what we’re now used to hearing from him.
— Alec’s various ways of charming the audience are priceless, especially when the camera does a very slow pan from his shoes to his face, and when he pops his head out from behind the drapes.
— Already, he’s coming off as the perfect host.
STARS: ****½

GREENHILLY
Mr. Cherrywood (host) kisses (JAH), (VIJ), (NOD), (PHH), dog

— I like the randomness of how Jan and Alec’s chasing a bird out of the house immediately leads to a sudden romantic pause (complete with background music) and make-out session with each other. Maybe because I know what’s coming…
— Excellent escalation to the kissing, with it eventually reaching the point where Alec’s make-out partners include Phil and a dog.
— Speaking of the part with Alec making out with a dog, that has always reminded me of something that happens in a later Alec Baldwin sketch: Rookie Cop from season 20, where a chain reaction of vomiting eventually leads to a dog vomiting as well, much like how a chain reaction of kissing in this Greenhilly sketch eventually leads to a dog being kissed. I’m not sure, but I could swear they even use the exact same dog puppet in both sketches, possibly proving that the Rookie Cop writer(s) intentionally threw in the dog part as a subtle callback to Greenhilly. Just a theory of mine; I can’t really confirm yet, but when I eventually review Alec’s season 20 episode, I’ll put up a side-by-side comparison of the Rookie Cop dog puppet and the Greenhilly dog puppet.
— This overall piece was the perfect first sketch for Alec, immediately showcasing his willingness to do anything on the show.
STARS: *****

THE ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUS ONE
biker (host) fights against pollution

— Hey, it’s David Spade! (first screencap above) He was a new SNL writer at this time, and his bit role here is his very first appearance on SNL.
— And hey, now Spade’s fellow new writer Rob Schneider has appeared! (left side of the second screencap above) This is the first of many uncredited bit roles we’ll be seeing Schneider and Spade appear in for the remainder of this season and early next season (Spade will even get to star as Michael J. Fox in a Weekend Update commentary in the very next episode), before both men eventually get added to the cast a few episodes into next season. I guess starting them out as just writers while letting them make plenty of uncredited on-camera appearances is Lorne’s way of trying them out to see if they have what it takes to be cast members. Lorne would soon do the same to Adam Sandler when he joins the writing staff in December of next season.
— Hilarious Marlon Brando voice from Alec.
— Funny reveal of the tough biker gang being so ecologically concerned.
— Very funny story of why Alec’s Brando talks the unique way he does.
— I liked the passing mention of Victoria’s mother having fallen into a PCB vat.
— Wow, HUGE cheering from the audience when Alec’s Brando makes a then-topical reference by saying he’s going to the Earth Day concert in New York. Ha, one particular audience member says an exuberant “Alright!” so audibly that you would think he was mic’ed. At least that’s how it is in the live version I’m reviewing of this episode. Reruns may have mixed down the audience’s reaction during this part of the sketch.
— IIRC, in the “Live From New York” book, Alec mentions how he had to fight to keep from cracking up at the end of this sketch when Phil delivers a comically dramatic “Take me with you!” to him. You can’t see any visible amusement on Alec’s face during that part, though.
STARS: ****

THE GARBO I KNEW
the Greta Garbo (JAH) James O’Brien (host) knew really wanted to be alone

 

— Some laughs from Jan-as-Garbo’s obsession with wanting everything she owns to be alone.
— A fantastic and classic sequence with Jan using charades to hint Alec on what to say over the phone.
— It’s Rob Schneider again! I remember when I first saw this episode as a teenager, in a 60-minute Comedy Central rerun in 2000, I was baffled when I saw Schneider show up in this sketch. At the time, my knowledge of SNL’s history was still in the developmental stages, but I had enough SNL history knowledge to be aware that Schneider didn’t join the cast until the following season, which is why I was so confused when I saw him in this sketch. I wasn’t aware that he was a writer this season, so I was left wondering if he was originally an extra the show hired just for this sketch and that it somehow eventually led to him being added to the cast the following season. (For anyone wondering why teenage me didn’t have this reaction to Schneider and David Spade’s appearance in the preceding Environmentally Conscious One sketch, that sketch wasn’t included in Comedy Central’s 60-minute version)
— I love the ending reveal of Jan hiding on a high chandelier. How did they get her on there so fast in a live sketch?
— Surprised they ended this sketch pretty early. Maybe it’s best they kept this short and sweet, though I personally could have watched Jan’s charades routine for an infinite amount of time.
— This is one of two sketches responsible for making teenage me fully recognize Jan Hooks’ greatness during my aforementioned first viewing of this episode on Comedy Central. The second sketch appears later in this same episode.
STARS: *****

ONLY IN NEW YORK
Joey Adams (PHH) jokes while wife Cindy (NOD) gossips

— Fairly funny opening theme song by Phil and Nora.
— Greta Garbo passed away that week? Oh, so THAT’S why they did the preceding sketch.
— Phil’s jokes throughout this are cracking me up.
— I particularly loved Phil’s delivery of “One guy says ‘Hey, Pete, how’s it going?’, Pete says ‘SHUT UP!!!‘”
STARS: ***½

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Cosmic Thing”

WEEKEND UPDATE
ten feet away from the newsdesk, KEN reports audience reaction to the bit
arrogance & ignorance are the biggest threats to the government, says AWB
DEM displays the hottest new toy- New Kids On The Chopping Block dolls

— Funny how during the audience’s VERY long, energetic applause at the beginning, Dennis has enough time to take a sip of water.
— Good to see Kevin’s “News From 10 Feet Away” segment back.
— Tonight’s very energetic crowd is particularly responsive during Kevin’s observations of the audience’s “disappointment” over his segment.
— Funny part with Kevin turning this commentary meta by making a mock-complaint about his lack of airtime.
— Dennis’ running gag where he has a disapproving reaction whenever a new “Ernest” movie comes out continues tonight, with SNL going all-out on this one by dimming the lights to a dark red tint and playing the song “This Is The End” while Dennis simply says into the camera “The horror.”
— Loved Dennis’ “Eartha Day” joke.
— A. Whitney: “Why did we go to the moon? Nobody knows. Maybe JFK wanted to impress one of his secretaries.”
— A. Whitney: “There are 25 million illiterates in this country alone. Every day, vast numbers of them give directions at service stations.”
— Good side segment with Dennis demonstrating the “New Kids On The Chopping Block” dolls.
STARS: ****

THE NUDE TALK SHOW
(JOL) follows his dream & makes The Nude Talk Show a cable access success

— Nice details with the look of Jon’s character. In fact, I’ve always found his look to be so oddly specific that I have to wonder if this sketch is a parody of something I’m not familiar with.
— I love the awkwardness of Jon pitching his idea of a nude talk show to executives.
— Alec’s stern warning to Jon, regarding doing a nude talk show: “Remember one thing: it’s gonna be your ass out there.”
— Among the TV shows listed on the ratings board is “Dukakis After Dark”, a reference to a famous one-off sketch from the previous season. There’s also a listing of a show called “The Insane Idiot”, which would later be used as part of the title to a sketch with Harvey Keitel showing off a collection of descending-size deer heads, though the title similarity there may just be a coincidence.
— The interview with Jan is really funny.
— The audience is sure loving Al Franken’s Al Goldstein impression. He’s cracking me up too, even though I have no familiarity with the real Al Goldstein.
— I love Victoria’s scene as The Brooklyn Swami.
— Very nice ending.
STARS: *****

DINER
sexual tension is thick as waitress (JAH) takes (host)’s breakfast order

— Here’s the second sketch from this episode where Jan impressed the living hell out of teenage me when I first saw this episode on Comedy Central.
— Phil and Kevin are hilarious as the dopey customers.
— Jan, regarding Alec: “Look at him, sittin’ on that stool like he’s doin’ it a favor!”
— All the back-and-forths between Jan and Alec are freakin’ terrific.
— Jan’s ability to switch moods at the drop of a hat when immediately going from speaking to Phil & Kevin to speaking to Alec is great.
— Alec’s parting words to Jan: “You shouldn’t give away your pie with breakfast. Makes you look cheap!”
— An overall absolutely fantastic sketch. After my first time seeing this overall episode on Comedy Central, I officially became a Jan Hooks fan. Whereas I had no real opinion of her before being introduced to this episode (aside from being impressed by her in the season 14 sketch with her as newly-former First Lady Nancy Reagan being dragged out of the White House), this episode led to me paying close attention to her whenever I caught an SNL rerun with her from that point on, and more often than not, I would be very awed and entertained by her talents and performances. As a result, she ended up becoming one of my all-time favorite cast members.
— Clearly SNL themselves recognize what a fantastic night Jan had in this overall episode, between The Garbo I Knew and this Diner sketch, because this is the episode that NBC would wisely choose to air on “SNL Vintage” as a tribute to her a few days after she passed in 2014.
STARS: *****

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Channel Z”

MIDDLE-AGED MAN
Middle-Aged Man Ed Miles (MIM) helps out with (host)’s impotence problem

— The debut of a short-lived but memorable Mike Myers recurring character. Funny idea for a superhero character.
— I sure like that theme song.
— As usual, solid character work from Mike here.
— I like the mention of Middle-Aged Man’s father, Retired Man (who we’ll later meet in an episode hosted by George Wendt), as well as the line about how the only difference between Middle-Aged Man and his father is Middle-Aged Man knows how to hook up a VCR.
— Another good line, this time about how Middle-Aged Man’s grandfather used to be known as Retired Man but is now known as Dead Man.
— I’m enjoying Middle-Aged Man’s various “quit lookin’ at my gut” warnings.
STARS: ***½

GOODNIGHTS

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IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— Wow. Just wow. This was pretty much what a perfect SNL episode looks like. Tonight’s show was a masterpiece, and it’s very easy to see why it would end up winning an Emmy (or was it just nominated?). Not only did every single segment in this episode work, but just about every single one of them was great, and a good number of them stand out as true classics. It also doesn’t hurt that we had a very hot crowd in the audience tonight, adding a lot of energy to the atmosphere. It’s great that Alec Baldwin’s hosting debut turned out this amazing. Right out of the gate, he came off as a true pro who already knows exactly how the show works, and he got good laughs in every sketch, even ones where he played a straight man. One of the most impressive hosting debuts ever seen on SNL.

HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Corbin Bernsen)
a big step up

My full set of screencaps for this episode is here

TOMORROW
Unfortunately, the feel-good vibes in the Baldwin episode I just reviewed do not last, because our next episode is one mired in infamy. Controversial stand-up comedian Andrew Dice Clay hosts, prompting a boycott not only from the episode’s originally-scheduled musical guest, Sinead O’Connor, but also from one of the show’s own cast members, one Miss Nora Dunn, who’s relationship with the show would not be the same as a result.