Tag: Linda Ronstadt

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December 9, 1989 – Robert Wagner / Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville (S15 E8)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
George Bush (DAC) talks about Malta conference & avoids waking Dan Quayle

— The gag with Dan Quayle being portrayed by a child finally becomes recurring, after making its debut over a year ago in a Bush/Dukakis debate sketch.
— I’m loving Bush’s lines about Quayle’s various childlike tendencies.
— Some very funny examples from Bush about how his own speech pattern is getting less distinct.
— A big laugh from the passing mention of Bush having a hand gesture coach (which explains A LOT).
— This is the first time where Bush’s “Na gah dah” gets a big reaction from the audience.
— Bush, on the similarities between Quayle and Jesus: “Jesus had to gradually gain acceptance tuh [too]”.
— Great touch with how Bush’s increasingly-indistinct speech pattern has carried over into his delivery of “Live from New York…”, with him pronouncing “Saturday Night” as “Sat’day Ni”.
STARS: ****


MONOLOGUE
(no synopsis available)

— Funny idea of him trying his hand at jokes after being warned that leading men like him should never do jokes.
— Very funny how after his “Siamese twins moving to London” joke “fails” (it actually gets a big laugh), he desperately resorts to breaking out into the song “Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire” as a callback to a bit from the beginning of the monologue.
STARS: ***½


YARD-A-PULT
— Rerun


MATT STEVERS, MALE NURSE
Stevers (host) suffers workplace gender discrimination

 

— Robert’s “I’m here to shave you” reveal to Jon was hilarious.
— Love the opening credits sequence and theme song.
— An absolutely priceless part with Robert punching out an overly-horny Jan.
— Robert’s tearful “I’m a nurse that happens to be a man; why can’t they accept that?” emotional breakdown is very funny.
— I like Phil increasingly making Robert uncomfortable by going on and on about insults that Robert might hear from others.
— Phil: “You see two women sitting in a room. Which one is smarter?” Robert: “Easy. The one with the smaller breasts.”
STARS: ****


ATTACK OF THE MASTURBATING ZOMBIES
small town battles undead autoerotica

 

— A huge laugh from Dana’s initial reveal of “It’s zombies… and they’re masturbating!” Jan’s exaggerated delivery of “Eeeew!” as a response was perfect as well.
— The scene at the sheriff’s office was great.
— Some good laughs from the seriousness of Nora’s speech about the importance of the zombies’ need to masturbate.
— Good hint that Phil’s sheriff may be one of the zombies.
— I like the line about how Mike’s idea of bombing the town square is his solution to EVERYTHING.
— What was with the uncomfortably long pause when it was Robert’s turn to start speaking again just now? I wonder if they later ended up removing that awkward long pause from reruns.
— Hilarious stock footage of an army of zombies heading to an adult movie theater that’s showing a porno titled “Hanna Does Her Sisters”.
STARS: ****½


TALES OF THE RUNAWAY BOULDER
a big rock visits three separate couples

 

— I’m loving the randomness of this.
— Hilarious how the first scene, titled “Hi Honey I’m Home”, only consisted of Jon entering his house, saying “Hi, honey, I’m home”, and then getting crushed by a giant boulder (represented humorously by a tiny model house set and boulder prop).
— During Robert’s explanation of the pebble scene, I got a big laugh from his reveal that Kevin and Victoria were giants, and then him concernedly asking us “Am I overexplaining this?”
— Priceless ending with Robert getting crushed flat on the floor by a boulder, made even funnier afterwards with the utterly bizarre (and kinda scary-looking) visual of his talking mouth being superimposed over the flat paper figure of himself (last screencap above).
— This absolutely fantastic oddball sketch has a feel that I find quintessential of this late 80s SNL era.
STARS: *****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Don’t Know Much”


WEEKEND UPDATE

  

— Dennis receives particularly huge and extended applause at the beginning of this Update.
— Loved Dennis’ priceless “bones” joke about Nadia Comaneci and her boyfriend.
— Speaking of Nadia Comaneci, in that picture they showed of her on the news screen, she resembles future cast member Kate McKinnon (first screencap above).
— Good brief segment with Dennis “demonstrating” how to make a Christmas wreath out of old Wonder Bread wrappers.
— Dennis is absolutely on FIRE tonight.
— Hmm, this ended up being the third consecutive Update that had no desk pieces from any guest commentators. Not that Dennis has been needing them lately. He’s been on a hot streak of exceptionally strong Updates.
STARS: ****


A BETTY FORD STRAIGHT ARROW CHRISTMAS
three singers stay drug-free
Binaca’s You Make The Call- Barry Goldwater was confused by the lights

— Great to see Phil’s very funny and dead-on Johnny Cash impression again. Interestingly, the previous time he played him was also in a Betty Ford sketch (the “What’s My Addiction?” gameshow sketch from the Paul Shaffer episode in season 12).
— Hmm, turns out the other celebrity impressions in this, Nora as Liza Minnelli and Jon as David Crosby, were also in the aforementioned What’s My Addiction sketch. I guess tonight’s sketch can be considered a very belated variation/follow-up to it.
— Great part with them pouring a plastic baggie of “powdered sugar” onto the bundt cake.
— A very solid and funny variation of the “12 Days of Christmas” song.
— Jon-as-Crosby’s high-pitched singing voice is priceless.
— A lot of sketches in this era seem to have a “You Make The Call” mid-sketch segment.
— The Binaca slogan gave me a good laugh (last screencap above).
STARS: ****


SLOPPY EATER
in a restaurant, (JAH) discovers that suave (host) is a very sloppy eater

— Very funny turn with Robert’s sudden loud, sloppy chomping of the bread roll after coming off so debonair and sophisticated beforehand.
— Robert is a riot doing other things extremely messily, like drinking from a wine glass, eating steak, and (especially) slurping from a bowl of soup. Jan’s reactions are great as well.
— Solid ending with the bad dancing.
STARS: ****


CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
David Rockefeller (PHH)- “my family is just as evil as the Japanese”

— Already a laugh just from the smug smile that that Phil makes his entrance with.
— Some good laughs from Phil’s David Rockefeller happily bragging about how evil the Rockefeller Empire is. This sketch is a good example of Phil’s knack for using a quietly unsettling delivery when playing creeps like this.
— Rockefeller, on how his father hated everyone: “And if he were alive, he’d hate YOU. *I* do.”
STARS: ***½


IN THE MIDDLE
(JOL) & (DAC) use (host)’s political analysis to do battle

 

— A quintessential Carvey/Lovitz team-up sketch, with the increasingly goofy, childish gloating sounds they keep making at each other. The fact that this is happening during a serious political panel discussion makes it even funnier.
— A particularly hilarious part with Dana sneaking in the gloating sound while “sneezing”.
— The ending with Robert himself doing the gloating sounds and dancing was very funny.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “When Something Is Wrong”


SWIVEL CHAIR MYSTERY THEATRE
furniture is used to add dramatic effect

— Promising idea, parodying this common cliche in mystery shows and movies.
— I liked Phil doing a second dramatic chair-turn in the middle of his speech just to reveal the twist that he’s Irish.
— Good random part with Kevin as a sleeping man.
— Speaking of Kevin, this feels like the first time we’ve seen him all night. I’m sure he was in something earlier tonight that I’m forgetting, but this is an unusually light night for him.
— Wow, there’s surprisingly not a peep out of the audience so far. They’re absolutely dead silent during this funny sketch.
— Good part with even the delivery boy entering the room on a back-turned swivel chair.
STARS: ***½


GOODNIGHTS

— Mike Myers looks kinda bummed (seen on the left end of the screencap below).  Maybe he’s upset over the fact that he barely got anything to do tonight, being given nothing but very small roles.

— A nice mention from Don Pardo’s voice-over that not only is the next episode the final SNL of the Al Franken Decade, but that the approaching 1990s will be Pardo’s eighth(!) decade in show business.

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— An outstanding episode. The show was firing on all cylinders, and we got tons of funny and creative original premises that epitomize what I love about this SNL era. There wasn’t a single recurring sketch in the bunch tonight; just a night full of strong one-off premises that featured the type of comedy that caters to my tastes. There was nothing I found weak in this episode, and almost every single sketch received an impressive four-star rating.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (John Goodman)
a slight step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW
The 1980s come to an end. Andie MacDowell hosts the final episode of the decade.

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December 19, 1987 – Paul Simon / Linda Ronstadt with The Mariachi Vargas (S13 E8)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
the apostles prepare a surprise party for Jesus’ 30th birthday

— I like the humorously casual discussion the apostles are having about Jesus.
— Very funny bit with Jon wanting Jesus to turn the pitcher of water into wine.
— Jan’s abrupt “Live from New York” had no real segue and seemed awkwardly shoehorned in. That, coupled with the fact that host Paul Simon appeared in this, makes me wonder if this wasn’t the cold opening in dress rehearsal.
STARS: ***½


OPENING MONTAGE
— Much like in the previous season’s Christmas episode (William Shatner), the SNL Band plays a snippet of “Joy to the World” at the beginning of the opening montage before segueing into the regular theme music.


MONOLOGUE
host & senator Paul Simon [real] tell how their engagements are confused

— Great start with Paul making his monologue entrance alongside senator Paul Simon.
— Some good laughs from the mix-up over which Paul Simon was supposed to host, as well as them recalling times where one of them mistakenly showed up at an event meant for the other.
— An overall funny, charming, and memorable monologue.
STARS: ****


PUMPING UP WITH HANS & FRANZ
(no synopsis available)

— These characters are now officially popular, with them immediately getting a good amount of audience applause while they’re introducing themselves at the beginning of this.
— Some laughs from them forcing an injured Paul to do a workout.
— Nice to see the reappearance of Phil’s flabby Helmut character.
— Good continuity, updating us on Helmut’s physical progress since his last appearance, even showing still photos of his last appearance.
STARS: ***½


MASTER THESPIAN
Master Thespian improvises while tackling Santa role at Macy’s

 

— Funny moment with the camera pulling back and revealing that Master Thespian’s journal writing has been taking place in a men’s bathroom.
— Love seeing another appearance of Phil as a Frank Nelson-esque boss (“Eee-Yeeessssssss?”).
— The “pull my finger” bit was hilarious, especially Phil’s grossed-out vocalization. Only this era could get away with that kind of fart humor without it coming off groanworthy.
— I like this premise of Master Thespian as a mall Santa.
— Very funny overdramatic reaction from Master Thespian when he gets fired.
STARS: ***½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Los Laureles” & ” La Cigarra”


CASTAWAYS
(host) is amazed by craftsmanship of gifts given by fellow castaway (VIJ)

— Good laughs from Victoria revealing she made Paul’s watch herself, detailing the complicated process of how she made it with limited resources.
— More solid humor from how cheap Paul’s gifts look in comparison to Victoria’s.
— Great ending with the reveal of a hidden motor scooter.
— An overall very strong and charming sketch. One of Victoria’s best.
STARS: ****


WEEKEND UPDATE
the people say Gary Hart’s crazy for re-entering the presidential race
NBC’s shocking find is a clip of Jerry Lewis
DEM & Dennis Miller (DAC) debate whether Gary Hart’s decision was sound

 

— Decent bit with “The People” giving their opinion on Gary Hart.
— Dennis is coming off a little marble-mouthed at times tonight.
— Hilarious random bit with Dennis presenting a goofy 1950s clip of Jerry Lewis as “shocking and disturbing” footage.
— Dennis’ message towards Donna Rice was great.
— Yes! The debut of Dana’s Dennis Miller impression. As I mentioned earlier this season in my review of the Candice Bergen episode, Dana’s Dennis impression was supposed to debut that night in a similar point/counterpoint debate on Weekend Update, but there was a mix-up with Dana erroneously thinking the segment got cut, leading Dennis to awkwardly abort the segment on-air.
— Dana’s impression of Dennis is freakin’ dead-on and hilarious. I’ll ignore the bad wig, though.
— An overall excellent commentary from Dana’s Dennis.
— A very strong overall Update from Dennis, and a great comeback after the slump his Updates have been in the last handful of episodes.
STARS: ****


SUBWAY
(PHH) solicits money on a subway car by changing his story with each pass

 

— Love the turn with Phil revealing his hobo bit was just an act for a play he’s performing in.
— I really like where this is going, with Phil constantly switching his story and personality. This is a great showcase of Phil’s talents.
— Excellent ending with Phil changing his act to a stick-up robbery.
STARS: ****


SKI LODGE
in a ski lodge, Sweeney sisters “treat” host to a medley of his songs

— Okay, here’s the sketch that commenter Rssk informed me that the now-notorious Brynn Hartman appears as an extra in (and supposedly is even shown during a close-up at one point). Even though it will probably feel kinda chilling seeing her, I’ll keep my eye open on which female extra may possibly be her. I’m not very familiar with what she looked like, though. All I have to go on is the fact that she had blonde hair.
— I like the Sweeney Sisters launching into a Paul Simon medley, accompanied by a shot of Paul looking uncomfortable.
— Funny part with the Sisters forcing a reluctant Paul to join in during the name parts of the 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover chorus.
— A very solid Sweeney Sisters sketch overall.
— Okay, so… which blonde female extra was Brynn? The ski accident victim in the leg cast (seen in the first screencap above, as well as in the background of the last two screencaps above) or the woman in the winter sweater (seen in the background of the fourth screencap above)? I’m guessing it’s the former. Can anyone confirm?
STARS: ****


SUCCINCTLY SPEAKING
Tonto (JOL), Tarzan (KEN), Frankenstein (PHH) opine

— The debut of Tonto, Tarzan, and Frankenstein.
— I like Nora casually introducing Tonto, Tarzan, and Frankenstein as her talk show guests, as if it’s perfectly normal to have them on.
— This is sometimes inaccurately remembered by SNL fans as being a Pat Stevens sketch. Nora is actually just playing a generic, non-recurring talk show host here.
— I like Nora suddenly going from asking Tonto, Tarzan, and Frankenstein simple questions to asking them about the INF treaty.
— There goes the most well-remembered part of the sketch, and a legendary SNL moment in general: Phil suddenly busting out laughing uncontrollably one of the times he’s supposed to say “Fire bad!” Absolutely classic, made even more noteworthy by the fact that it’s a usually-unflappable pro who’s breaking character so badly. While Phil would go on to have a (very) few minor instances of laughing out of character in later seasons (most notably a Matt Foley sketch from the Martin Lawrence episode, where an absurd line flub from Chris Farley causes every cast member in the scene, including Phil, to lose it and crack up), they were nowhere near as major as his character break in this sketch.
— The hilarity continues as the sketch concludes with Phil’s Frankenstein walking around destroying the set while Phil is still laughing out of character. It almost feels like getting up and destroying the set was an ad-lib from Phil in an attempt to divert attention away from his character breaking, though it’s obviously not, because the wall he tears through is clearly a breakaway prop.
STARS: *****


SEASON’S GREETINGS
Tonto, Tarzan, Frankenstein sing “Away in a Manger”

— And with the debut of debut of Tonto, Tarzan, and Frankenstein in the preceding sketch, we now get the debut of a recurring segment with them performing a holiday song.
— This is great. It’s kinda hard to explain why this is so funny, especially as it eventually becomes a recurring bit, but it just works and has a silliness that I love about this era of SNL.
— For some reason, a stagehand is seen mopping in the background throughout this.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
host & musical guest perform “Under African Skies”


TEXAS DINER
at the truck stop, Anita & friends reflect on the events of the past year

— Hmm, here’s a sketch that I have no memory of from my past viewings of this episode.
— I think this is the same diner waitress (Anita) that Jan played in a well-done slice-of-life sketch from the Willie Nelson episode the previous season. Never knew this was a recurring character. I wonder if it’s also the same character Jan plays in the memorable Sexual Tensions Diner sketch with Alec Baldwin.
— Interesting argument these people are making of why 1987 was such a bad year (Black Monday, televangelist scandals, Oliver North, etc.).
— I like Jan’s character occasionally speaking in uncharacteristic intelligent, complicated terms.
— Overall, this was a nice, low-key, realistic piece, which is something this cast is always great at pulling off. Jan, in particular, shined here, as she usually does as this character.
STARS: ***½


A MESSAGE TO FUTURE VIEWERS
JOL uses sci-fi cliches to address those watching the show in syndication

— Here’s another sketch I have no memory of ever seeing in the past. I thought I remembered tonight’s overall episode really well.
— I love this premise of Jon delivering a message to future generations watching this episode in syndication. I always get a kick out of this type of thing, as well as seeing what people in the past thought the future would be like.
— Some funny wild assumptions Jon is making about the future, and I liked his line threatening to invent a time machine so he can come and kill us future viewers.
STARS: ***½


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A great episode. Easily my favorite of the season so far, and was very welcome after a string of episodes ranging from average to forgettable (the Bergen, DeVito, and Dickinson episodes). Everything in tonight’s episode worked for me, and there were lots of memorable sketches and moments, as well as a fun, feel-good vibe, all of which are things I always love to see in an SNL Christmas episode.
— I’d like to add that Phil Hartman had a particularly fantastic night. I think he appeared in literally every single sketch except for Castaways and Message To Future Viewers. This episode was one of the finest displays of Phil’s strengths, versatility, and “glue”-like skills. And to put it over the top, he had an all-time legendary moment with his Succinctly Speaking character break.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Angie Dickinson)
— a big step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW
We enter 1988, with host Robin Williams

Posted on

May 19, 1979 – Maureen Stapleton / Linda Ronstadt and Phoebe Snow (S4 E19)

Sketches are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
Telepsychic Ray makes some more impromptu predictions

— Dan’s wig looks quite different from the one he wore last time he did this character.
— Dan’s opening introduction was really funny.
— Overall, a good Telepsychic sketch as usual.
STARS: ***½


MONOLOGUE
(no synopsis available)

— Well… this whole monologue certainly came and went quickly with no real funny joke, interesting story, or anything remotely noteworthy.
STARS: *½


THE NAVY
— Rerun


HOUSEGUEST IDI AMIN
(LAN) & (BIM) are fed up with the antics of houseguest Idi Amin (GAM)

  

— LOL at the Idi Amin reveal.
— A good laugh from the discussion about Idi having slaughtered an antelope in the kitchen.
— This whole thing is tickling me so far.
— Random abrupt cutaway to an Essex House promo.
— That promo didn’t feel necessary, but overall, I got a lot of great laughs from this sketch.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guests & SNL Band perform “It’s In His Kiss”


ROACH BROTHEL
Roach Brothel rids your home of pests via the irresistible lure of sex

  

— I thought this was going to be a set-up for another Dan Aykroyd pitchman appearance, but surprisingly, Bill is the pitchman this time.
— John’s voice is weird but kinda funny.
— Overall, a funny premise and decent execution.
STARS: ***


MOTHER & DAUGHTER
on her birthday, (host) repeatedly clashes with visiting daughter (GIR)

     

— Funny unexpected turn with Gilda angrily stomping on Maureen’s jacket as soon as Maureen stepped out.
— Gilda’s sarcastic responses to Maureen are great.
— I got a big laugh from Gilda’s line “I love picking my nose so much that the underneath of your couch is caked with snot!”
— The ending was both touching and funny.
— Overall, a very strong slice-of-life sketch, and especially had a lot of great moments from Gilda.
STARS: ****½


WEEKEND UPDATE
DOP lists prizes that potential assassins of Shah Pahlevi can win
JAC & DAA do a Point-Counterpoint about nuclear energy
JOB goes berserk while discussing safety concerns about Skylab’s reentry

       

— The Dr. Joyce Brothers mugging joke was great.
— A Point/Counterpoint already? Does this end up being Jane and Dan’s last one ever?
— Jane’s casual mention of “radioactive excrement” during her rant was a little detail that cracked me up.
— Dan’s rebuttal had a great line about Jane’s vibrator.
— An okay Point/Counterpoint overall, but far from one of the best.
— Our first (and last ever?) Belushi commentary in quite a while.
— A bit eerie in hindsight hearing John jokingly mention the possibility of something hitting the World Trade Center.
— Oh, this ISN’T gonna be a “but nooooo” rant?
— Oh, never mind, THERE it is.
— Hilarious ending with John jabbing the broken Skylab model into his neck.

— Yay, they made it through a whole Update without any of the usual three overused recurring correspondents (you know the ones).
STARS: ***½


NICK WINGS
Nick “Wings” bothers musical guests & others in an airline VIP lounge

     

— A Nick the Lounge Singer sketch.
— Garrett in drag once again…
— Funny when Maureen didn’t know the lyrics when Nick wanted her to sing along.
— Nick’s Japanese singing to Asian businessman “Mr. Yosh” is hilarious.
— Loved Gilda’s bitchy response to Nick.
— Very funny how Bill’s singing of “Thank Heaven for Little Girls” is driving the group of feminists away.
— I got a great laugh at the unexpected part with John as a bodyguard punching out Nick. I’ve never seen anything like that in a Nick the Lounge Singer sketch before. He has a much more hostile crowd than usual tonight.
— Overall, one of the best Nick the Lounge Singer sketches.
STARS: ****½


BLACK PERSPECTIVE
immigrants (JAC), (JOB), (GIR) are “the new [n-words]”

  

— The debut of Gilda’s Rosa Santiago character. Did Garrett butcher her last name when introducing her?
— John appears to be dressed the same as he was in SNL’s first-ever sketch: the Wolverines cold opening. There was another sketch he dressed like that, too, but I don’t remember it too well; it was some kind of talk show sketch from either season 1 or season 2 where he played a Bulgarian.
— Is Jane playing the same “nine snowboots” character from the Surplus Store sketch in the Walter Matthau episode?
— Gilda’s character is funny and cute in this.
— This overall sketch didn’t work too well and fell kinda flat. Also, Garrett’s delivery was kind of a mess in this. Lately, I’ve been starting to really get annoyed by his increasing habit of flubbing lines all the time.
STARS: **


VETERANS OF FOREIGN HAIRDOS
Veterans of Foreign Hairdos speak of their horrific coiffures

     

— Oh my god, those wigs…
— The testimonials with the victims each telling their horror hair stories have some good laughs.
— The return of Jane’s Dolly Parton impression.
STARS: ***½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guests perform “The Married Men”


CANDY STORE
candy store owner (host) discusses the dying mall with other tenants

   

— This is yet another sketch that exists in the same universe as the Scotch Boutique sketch. Much like the Barber Shop sketch from the Rick Nelson episode, this takes place at the same mall as Scotch Boutique.
— Gilda’s Scotch Boutique character again makes a cameo.
— Now we get a cameo from Bill’s Barber Shop character. I’m liking all these crossovers.
— Overall, another pretty solid mall store sketch, even if there wasn’t much to note about this one.
STARS: ***½


MR. BILL GOES TO THE MOVIES
by Walter Williams- grandpa in silent film

      

— *groan*
— This has pretty much become a weekly segment at this point. And to make matters worse, I’m aware we’re also getting one in the following week’s season finale.
— I did laugh at the subtitle card “Boo! Not even one balloon! Boo!”
— Overall, even with the silent movie change of pace, I still didn’t care for this. The overuse of Mr. Bill has numbed me to the humor in these.
STARS: **


GOODNIGHTS

 

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A pretty solid episode. We got some really strong sketches tonight like Houseguest Idi Amin, Mother & Daughter, and Nick Wings. Several sketches also did a good job playing to Maureen Stapleton’s strengths as an actress (Mother & Daughter, Candy Store).


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Michael Palin):
— about the same


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
It’s Aykroyd and Belushi’s last hurrah. Season 4 comes to an end, with Buck Henry hosting.