Tag: Martin Short

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December 15, 2012 – Martin Short / Paul McCartney (S38 E10)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

SILENT NIGHT
The New York City Children’s Chorus [real] performs “Silent Night”

 

— A classy and touching way to address the previous day’s Sandy Hook school shooting tragedy, without being direct about it. Even now, when I’m 8 years removed from the tragedy, this cold opening is putting a lump in my throat.
— This would end up being this decade’s first of several somber cold openings that occur shortly after a tragic event has happened, usually tragic events involving mass casualties. Unlike this Silent Night cold opening, most of this decade’s other somber cold openings are direct in openly addressing the tragedy that had happened.
— When this cold opening originally aired, I remember that the moment where the camera fades to black after the Silent Night song concludes made me initially think that SNL was going to immediately go from that fade-to-black to the opening montage, without anyone saying “Live from New York…”, which shocked me, as it would’ve been the first time in, I believe, decades that a cold opening didn’t contain a “Live from New York…” or any kind of variation. However, when the fade-to-black in this particular cold opening was then followed by the camera fading back into the children to show them delivering an upbeat “Live from New York…”, I realized that SNL added the fade-to-black for a poignant, respectful touch.
STARS: N/A (not a ratable segment)


MONOLOGUE
MAS sings about holiday lustfulness; PAS, KRW, JIF, TIF, Tom Hanks, Samuel L. Jackson cameos

— Martin Short’s usual energy and comedic style is exactly what SNL and its viewers needed to lift up the show’s spirits during these times.
— Paul Shaffer!
— A huge laugh from the sudden part with Martin stepping right on Paul Shaffer’s hands when walking to the top of the piano, resulting in a great “OW!” from Paul.
— Martin’s whole “How does a man sit at the piano, I wonder” bit is great.
— This is now the FOURTH consecutive musical monologue, but for various reasons, I can’t complain about tonight’s particular instance of a musical monologue.
— Very nice to see that Cecily, Aidy, and Kate, “the new girls” as Martin calls them collectively, get their special little moment with Martin.
— And, of course, immediately after the special moment the new girls get, we get a Kristen Wiig cameo. Something about that succession seems strangely on-brand for SNL.
— Not sure, but I think Kristen rubbing Martin’s body with her “Dooneese” hand was an ad-lib, judging by Martin’s amusing reaction to that.
— Wow! Jimmy Fallon? Tom Hanks? Samuel L. Jackson? All randomly appearing in rapid succession backstage? Very fun.
— Funny unscripted bit with the llama.
— Such an enjoyable song from Martin, and as I often mention, I’m a sucker for former cast members doing monologues where they go all around the studio & backstage while singing.
— Now we get Tina Fey randomly seen standing next to Lorne. Yep, SNL’s definitely breaking out all the cameos in tonight’s Christmas episode.
— Martin even has the ability to make a cheap man-on-man kiss funny, as seen during his moment with Lorne.
— Interestingly, there’s no “Stick around, we’ll be right back” or anything else after Martin says “Paul McCartney is here!” at the end of this.
STARS: ****


A TONY BENNETT CHRISTMAS
Tony Bennett (Alec Baldwin) & brother Jerry (MAS) meet Kanye West (JAP)

— Tonight’s plethora of cameos from (mostly) SNL-related people continues, as we randomly get Alec Baldwin showing up and reprising The Tony Bennett Show sketches. With this being years before episodes containing a plethora of cameos would become a frequent habit and would be an annoyance to certain SNL fans (including myself), I can certainly enjoy it in this episode. In fact, the cameos are adding to the feel-good, Christmas-y spirit of this episode.
— This ends up being the final installment of the Tony Bennett Show sketches.
— Alec’s Tony Bennett is as funny as always, and Martin is solid as his similarly-traited brother.
— The story from the Bennett brothers about a girl with hemorrhoids is priceless, as is Jay-as-Kanye-West’s reaction.
— Fun and charming chemistry between Alec and Martin during the closing song.
— I like Martin unusual way of hugging the lower half of Alec’s body throughout this sketch.
— I’m surprised by how fairly short this overall sketch was, but no complaints from me.
STARS: ***½


ROYAL FAMILY DOCTOR
equerry (MAS) briefs Kate Middleton’s ob-gyn (BIH) on vagina protocol

— Hilarious characterization from Martin.
— The various vocalizations and phrases Martin uses in regards to how to refer to “the royal “*ahem*” are such a perfect use of Martin’s comedic style.
— I’ve always had a theory that John Mulaney possibly wrote this sketch and, between dress rehearsal and the live show, changed the scripted vocalizations and phrases that Martin was to use for “the royal “*ahem*”, in an attempt to catch Bill off-guard during the live show, ala the Stefon commentaries on Weekend Update. What makes me think that is the fact that Bill seems GENUINELY taken aback and amused by Martin’s various vocalizations and phrases for “the royal “*ahem*”, as if he wasn’t expecting them. Then again, Bill is easily breakable at this stage of his SNL tenure, so those vocalizations and phrases from Martin could possibly be stuff Bill was already familiar with, plus I can’t blame anyone for having a hard time keeping a straight face at Martin Short.
— Ha, Bobby could unintentionally be seen sneaking into the scene before he “magically popped up” to Bill’s side.
— Martin continues to be comedy gold in his delivery and performance here.
— Fred’s mere entrance gets a huge applause from the audience.
— Could’ve done without the ending gag involving Fred’s Queen Elizabeth hiking up her skirt and spreading her legs, as if we haven’t already seen Fred do that enough times in these later years of his SNL tenure. However, I did get a laugh from how him hiking up his skirt resulted in long, uncomfortable, awkward silence between Bill and Martin.
STARS: ****


YOU’RE A RAT BASTARD, CHARLIE BROWN
Al Pacino (BIH) heads all-star cast

— A very memorable and well-liked piece among SNL fans.
— Hilarious choices of out-of-place celebrities to play Peanuts characters.
— Martin is particularly spot-on as Larry David, both physically and verbally.
— Much like Martin as Larry David, Taran truly does have a strong facial resemblance to Michael Keaton here.
— The bleep-filled football scene between Bill’s Al Pacino and Kate’s Edie Falco is particularly funny.
— During the ending split-screen shot of the various actors playing Peanuts characters, Bobby can be seen among them (the last above screencap for this commercial), despite the fact that he wasn’t shown at any point earlier in this commercial. He’s playing Joe Pesci as the Peanuts character Woodstock, IIRC, but his main portions were cut from this commercial after dress rehearsal. Same goes for Fred, who could be seen very briefly in a Snoopy costume at one point in the middle of this commercial (the fourth-to-last above screencap for this commercial). I can’t remember which celebrity I heard he played in this.
STARS: *****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest & Joe Walsh [real] perform “My Valentine”


WEEKEND UPDATE
newly bar mitzvahed Jacob tells story of Hanukkah & roasts family

The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party is supercilious sot

— Vanessa’s Jacob character makes his first SNL appearance since his debut two seasons prior. That debut from two seasons prior was in a sketch, but all of his subsequent appearances are on Weekend Update.
— Vanessa’s doing a spot-on, enjoyable, and endearing spoof of typical bar mitzvah speeches, even down to the little detail of her Jacob character moving his finger along the words he’s reading from his speech.
— Some laughs from how Jacob never answers Seth’s questions, and instead just goes back to reading from his speech.
— This Jacob commentary is starting to get really repetitive (even if that’s the point), but the endearing quality that Vanessa’s bringing to this is maintaining my goodwill. I get the feeling I’m not going to be so lenient in this character’s subsequent Update commentaries, given how almost all of them are basically the EXACT SAME THING. We’ll see, though.
— Ha, even Seth has a hard time saying The Girl You Wish You Hadn’t Started A Conversation With At A Party’s name.
— Girl You Wish etc.: “You need to grow up, Seth. ‘Cause there are some people in Africa right now where it’s like, nooo.”
— Girl You Wish etc.: “I’m sorry…why can’t Secret Santa just be openly gay?!?”
— Girl You Wish etc.: “It’s origami. That’s Spanish for ‘goose’.”
STARS: ***


WHAT UP WITH THAT?
Samuel L. Jackson & Carrie Brownstein [real] observe

— This ends up being the final installment of this recurring sketch, until it gets a surprise revival during an “SNL At Home” episode 8 years later.
— Curiously, Cecily has replaced Nasim in Nasim’s regular role as one of the two backup singers, despite Nasim still being in SNL’s cast, which must mean they have something different planned for her in tonight’s installment.
— Another rare instance of Jason’s red tracksuit dancing character (Vance) actually speaking.
— I love Samuel L. Jackson’s angry warning to Kenan’s Deondre Cole to not cut him off.
— Jackie Rogers Jr.!!!! Not only is it a blast to see Martin bring him back, but he’s actually very fitting in a What Up With That sketch.
— Tim’s dancing past the screen as a casually-dressed Santa is hilarious.
— Ah, there’s Nasim. Fun appearance from her as “Grinchina”. I wonder if the reason for her playing a different role than usual in tonight’s What Up With That installment is because she possibly spoke up to the writers or Lorne, telling them she was tired of being stuck playing one of the backup singers in this recurring sketch and wanted to finally get a comedic showcase in it.
— Other than the Jackie Rogers Jr. appearance, here comes the most noteworthy moment of tonight’s What Up With That installment: Samuel L. Jackson exclaiming in frustration an unscripted “Man, fu–”, cutting himself off before saying the full F-bomb. Then, while Kenan is responding to that by ad-libbing “Hey!” and “Come on, Sam!”, an off-camera Samuel adds in, “This some bullshit!” This results in an absolutely classic ad-lib from Kenan: “Come on, now! That costs money!”
— I love how, while Kenan is thanking her for being on the show, Carrie Brownstein does a mouth-zipping motion, referring to Samuel’s half-F-bomb and full-S-bomb. I also love the meta-ness of Kenan calling Brownstein “the funny one in Portlandia”.
— Overall, the Jackie Rogers Jr. appearance and the ad-libs between Samuel L. Jackson & Kenan make this one of the more standout installments of What Up With That. Not a bad way at all for this recurring sketch to go out (until 2020).
STARS: ****½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic & Pat Smear [real] perform “Cut Me Some Slack”


OLD FRIENDS
old friends (FRA) & (MAS) meet while shopping & catch up on inadequacies

 

— Hmm, interesting and unusual how this sketch has an intro from Kenan, standing in front of the sketch’s set.
— Funny mention of Fred being a professional James Cameron impersonator at parties.
— We get a lot more hilarious bizarre reveals that Fred and Martin are casually making about themselves. I am loving the absurd humor in this, as well as the smooth way it’s flowing and the way it’s being played completely straight, all of which makes this sketch feel like a typical sketch from British sketch comedy shows. A very underrated little sketch, and this is easily one of the better things Fred has done in these past-his-prime later years of his SNL tenure.
STARS: ****


PAGEANT AUDITION
(MAS) won’t let his musical partner (musical guest) sing during Christmas pageant audition

— Amusing opening bit with Kenan.
— Very fun pairing of tonight’s host and musical guest.
— Although the “ironic” concept of Paul playing the member of a musical duo who can’t sing has potential to be too corny, there’s more than enough goodwill and charm from this sketch to prevent that corniness.
— Martin’s sudden angry “THAT’S YOUR CUE, MONTY!!!” outburst has me laughing out loud.
— Very funny bit with Paul now dinging his triangle too early, inducing another hilarious angry outburst from Martin.
— Wow, an awesome and clever way to segue from this sketch to Paul’s next musical performance. Love it.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest & The New York City Children’s Chorus [real] perform “Wonderful Christmas Time”


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— Wow. This was an even better episode than I had remembered, which is certainly saying something, as I had always been very fond of this episode. I’m pleasantly surprised to see how even MORE fond of this episode I was during my viewing just now. I mean, man, look at all of those high ratings I gave out throughout the review. In fact, the only two things all night that got a rating below four stars was A Tony Bennett Christmas and Weekend Update, and those were still good. This episode probably has one of the highest rating averages out of this entire SNL project. And in addition to how consistently strong this episode was, it had such a feel-good, Christmas-y energy, helped by Martin Short’s always-fun presence. That combo of strong sketches and a feel-good, Christmas-y energy is how I like my Christmas episodes of SNL to be.


MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS


RATED SEGMENTS RANKED FROM BEST TO WORST
You’re A Rat Bastard, Charlie Brown
What Up With That?
Monologue
Royal Family Doctor
Old Friends
Pageant Audition
A Tony Bennett Christmas
Weekend Update


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Jamie Foxx)
a very slight step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW
We enter the year 2013, with host Jennifer Lawrence

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December 7, 1996 – Martin Short / No Doubt (S22 E8)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

CHILD CUSTODY HEARING
at child custody hearing, O.J. Simpson (TIM) admits murder guilt

— Another O.J. Trial cold opening, for the second consecutive episode.
— I love Tim’s O.J. trying to guess when Black History Month is, going through each month but skipping February.
— Much like the last O.J. Trial cold opening, quite a number of things in this are tickling me, but this one isn’t quite as funny as the last opening.
STARS: ***½


MONOLOGUE
MAS talks about the ups & downs of SNL & sings about the show’s history

— Martin’s doing a good job comically milking the applause at the beginning.
— The SNL nerd in me absolutely loves Martin’s rundown of the up-and-down evolution of SNL, saying stuff like “First it was hip, then it got bad but was still hip, then it got… etc.” And then after all of that, he says “And then its second season started…”
— The pre-taped scene of Martin’s dinner with Lorne is great.
— I love the SNL backdrop that’s brought onstage behind Martin as he begins his SNL song.
— Fantastic SNL song from Martin, musically listing off a number of hosts from each SNL decade.
— Now the song is getting even better, with Martin going up a fancy set of stairs and eventually going into the audience. Very fun.
— Excellent conclusion to Martin’s song, with him swinging towards the home base stage on a grappling hook and busting through the aforementioned SNL backdrop. They’re going all out on this monologue.
STARS: *****


CELEBRITY JEOPARDY
Sean Connery (DAH), Burt Reynolds (NOM), Jerry Lewis (MAS)

— Ladies and gentlemen, we have a major recurring sketch debut! Words cannot express how excited I am to reach the debut of this now-legendary recurring sketch.
— There’s the first sighting of what would go on to be a Celebrity Jeopardy staple: the category “Potent Potables”.
— Funny how primitive this debut of Celebrity Jeopardy feels compared to later installments. That being said, this debut still has many of the Celebrity Jeopardy features that you’d now expect.
— Darrell’s Sean Connery misreading “’s’ words” as “swords” gets the honor of being Celebrity Jeopardy’s very first classic category misreading.
— As always, a great Jerry Lewis impression from Martin.
— I love Darrell-as-Connery’s angry delivery of “It begun with a bloody ‘s’!”
— Norm’s Burt Reynolds impression, making its debut, is absolutely slaying me.
— Darrell’s Connery is noticeably less vulgar than he would memorably go on to eventually be in these sketches.
— Each contestant’s written Final Jeopardy answer is hilarious.
— Overall, a strong debut for this sketch, though there are definitely even funnier installments of this sketch to come.
STARS: ****½


MARTHA STEWART’S HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS: TOPLESS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
Martha Stewart’s (ANG) topless Christmas special showcases holiday tips

— Another important debut tonight, as we get the very first appearance of Ana’s Martha Stewart impression!
— And what a way for Ana’s Martha Stewart to debut. The classic Topless Christmas Special sketch!
— This sketch is a perfect combo of an incredible, dead-on celebrity impression and a priceless random, raunchy concept, and it’s being executed perfectly.
— Ana continues to impress me as a new cast member. So far, her first season has been better than I had remembered. She’s been doing quite a lot of solid stuff so far. Even her one-note Kincaid character, who I used to find really annoying when I was younger, has been giving me some laughs while I’ve been reviewing this season (though I still feel she should’ve been a one-appearance-only character).
— I love the scene that starts with a tight closeup of Ana-as-Martha-Stewart’s face, where it looks like she’s wearing a red turtleneck sweater, only for the camera to zoom out and reveal that the neck portion of the sweater is the ONLY thing she’s wearing as a top.
— Ana’s rhythmic chest-shaking at the end is hilarious.
STARS: *****


ED GRIMLEY IN HEAVEN
Ed Grimley is sent back from Heaven’s gate by (CHC) to live a little

— The great vibes in tonight’s episode continue, as we get the obligatory return of Ed Grimley.
— I like the callback to the old traditional gag of Grimley’s delayed reaction to taking out a hot pot from the oven without wearing oven mitts.
— Yes! And there’s Grimley’s priceless triangle dance. I’m surprised it’s getting such a muted reaction from the audience tonight.
— A random Chevy Chase cameo, which unfortunately reminds me that we have a particularly weak hosting stint from him coming up later this season.
— At least Chevy seems more enthusiastic here than I recall him being in his aforementioned hosting stint from later this season.
— I like the ridiculously brief “highlight reel” of Grimley’s life.
— Funny visual of Grimley trying to give mouth-to-mouth to his fish by putting half of the fish’s body into his mouth.
STARS: ****


THE ROXBURY GUYS
Roxbury Guys initiate foreigner Jaleel (MAS) into NYC nightclub life

 

— SNL continues their futile attempt to catch lightning in a bottle twice after the success of the Jim Carrey installment of Roxbury Guys.
— I like the shot of Martin’s pet goat rhythmically bopping its head like the Roxbury Guys.
— Boy, SNL sure loves throwing Tim in drag.
— Wow, I’ve never heard “What Is Love” go on this long during a Roxbury Guys sketch. We’re now hearing a verse that we usually never hear in these sketches.
— Overall, much like I said in the Tom Hanks installment of this sketch earlier this season, I found this Roxbury Guys installment somewhat fun to watch, despite it coming nowhere close to the untouchable Jim Carrey installment. However, I’m noticing that said fun feel of these Roxbury Guys sketches is slowly starting to subside for me. Uh-oh.
STARS: ***


WEEKEND UPDATE
Lenny The Lion describes his difficulties with the health care system

— A Donald Trump joke that interestingly ends with the punchline “…just in case there are a few people out there who still don’t hate him.” And remember, folks, this is 1996 that this joke is being told in.
— The second and, I believe, final Lenny The Lion appearance from Colin.
— Some laughs from Lenny The Lion, and the writing isn’t bad, but I’m not finding this commentary particularly hilarious. I do like him making a big deal about how turning his head to the side is “my move”.
STARS: ***½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Don’t Speak”


THE BARBARA WALTERS SPECIAL
Jackie Rogers, Jr. relives past pain

— Another great obligatory appearance from a Martin Short character, as we now get Jackie Rogers Jr.
— During the opening title sequence, I love the clips we see of a few Jackie Rogers Jr. appearances from season 10, including the classic Jackpot Wad sketch.
— Interesting seeing Martin and Cheri paired together, as I recall someone once pointing out a strong facial resemblance between them.
— Very funny clip of a drunken Jackie humping Miss Piggy.
— I love Jackie’s duet with the voice of his late father.
STARS: ****


MOSTLY USED MATTRESSES
Larry Azaria’s (MAM) Mostly Used Mattresses contain no live bacteria

— It’s great to see Mark starring in an absurdist sketch, especially given his extreme lack of noteworthy roles this season.
— I got a good laugh from the male/female picture of SNL writer Frank Sebastiano.
— I love the little detail of a huge blood stain on one of the mattresses in the background (the second above screencap for this sketch).
— I like the questionable testimonial from Martin as a doctor.
— Mark is doing a fantastic job with this delightfully bizarre material. Aaaaand as no surprise, the audience is completely dead.
STARS: ****


THE TERRY GANTNER FAMILY WORKOUT
chop breaks hand instead of board

— A perfectly cheesy upbeat Will Ferrell performance so far.
— A priceless reaction from Will when hurting his hand during his failed attempt to break the wooden board in half. I especially love him repeatedly asking “WHAT KIND OF WOOD WAS THAT?!?”
— This is the kind of thing that only Will Ferrell could make funny. I can’t imagine what this overly simplistic sketch looked like on paper, but Will is really making it come alive in the way that only he could.
— I love how the show just randomly ends while Will is still in the middle of yelling in pain.
STARS: ****½


THE TINSELTOWN TATTLER WITH PINKY NYE
absentminded star confidant (MAS) & actress (MOS)

— I’m not familiar with this character of Martin’s, but it looks promising. Although I do recall someone on an SNL messageboard once saying that this is a really bad sketch.
— I like the random running gag with Martin’s character bumping his head into the boom mic. I’d like to think that this is Martin spoofing a certain blooper that happened to his season 10 castmate Christopher Guest during the Ed Grimley/Wheel Of Fortune Interview sketch from the first episode of season 10, but I highly doubt the reference is intentional.
— Martin and Molly’s delivery seems unusually sloppy, with them both botching some of their lines.
— Martin’s character’s ridiculous obsession with the show “Hart To Hart” is pretty funny.
— Overall, not a particularly memorable sketch, but not bad, despite some sloppiness in Martin and Molly’s delivery. Definitely not as bad of a sketch as I had heard it was.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Excuse Me Mr.”


HAPPY HOLIDAY TALES
Mickey The Dyke decides to come out to her family

— Interesting use of Cheri’s Mickey The Dyke.
— I like Mickey The Dyke’s conversation with the Leather Mouse puppet.
— After Mickey’s big coming-out announcement, I got a laugh from Mark telling her in a “cheesy TV dad” manner “We don’t love you anymore, we’re just too narrow-minded, you’ll have to leave.”
STARS: ***


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A very strong episode, and definitely my favorite of the season so far. This episode was mostly filled with exceptionally great sketches, and we got two classics (Monologue and Martha Stewart’s Topless Christmas Special). Martin Short also deserves part of the credit for this episode’s strength, as he was a very solid host as expected, and made this a consistently fun episode with his performances and reliable character work.
— And thus ends SNL’s run of five consecutive episodes hosted by former cast members. This experiment was a blast, and makes me wish SNL did stuff like this more often, having a string of consecutive episodes that have some kind of connected theme, whether it be SNL alum hosts or any other fun idea.


MY PERSONAL CHOICE OF “BEST OF” MOMENTS FOR THIS EPISODE, REPRESENTED WITH SCREENCAPS


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Phil Hartman)
a step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW
Rosie O’Donnell hosts the Christmas episode, with special guest Penny Marshall

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December 6, 1986 – Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short / Randy Newman (S12 E6)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
stumblebums KEN, CHC, Steve, MAS attend meeting at the Gerald Ford Clinic

— Funny premise here, between a Gerald Ford Clinic and a Stumblebums Anonymous meeting.
— Hilarious entrance from Martin Short.
— I like how each host enters in a clumsier fashion than the last, culminating in an impressive long stretch of physical stumbles from Chevy. When it comes to doing the stumblebum routine, I see Chevy’s still got it at this point.
— Overall, a short but sweet opening, and a fun way to introduce tonight’s three hosts.
STARS: ***½


MONOLOGUE
a confident Steve proclaims “I’m Me!” as he marches through the studio

   

— For the first time this season, after the opening montage ends, we’re shown two NBC pages opening the backstage doors that have the SNL logo on them (screencap below), which leads into the camera zooming towards the home base stage as the host(s) makes their entrance. This would go on to become a regular thing for pretty much the remainder of this season, I believe.

— Boy, it’s an amazing sight, seeing these three guys onstage hosting together.
— Chevy mentions his recent rehab stint, which Dennis Miller previously hinted at during his sign-off in the season premiere’s Weekend Update (“Good luck, Chevy; you are in our thoughts”).
— Great bit with Martin trying to forcefeed painkillers to a reluctant Chevy.
— Steve wistfully mentions he hasn’t stood on this stage in a long time. Indeed, aside from a cameo at the end of an Eddie Murphy-hosted episode from 1982, this is Steve’s first hosting stint since way back in the original era. I can only imagine how excited SNL fans in 1986 must’ve been when hearing the news that Steve was finally making his hosting return. Until this point, it was probably assumed that Steve was taking the Buck Henry stance of retiring as a host to remain loyal to the original cast.
— LOL at Martin humorously shoehorning his great Katherine Hepburn impression into his pep talk to Steve.
— Some aspects of Steve “It’s Me” song, especially the solo from stage manager Joe Dicso and the visual of the cast marching behind Steve as he goes around the studio, remind me so much of a certain famous “Not Gonna Phone It In Tonight” musical number he would later do in his 1991 hosting stint.
— Funny part with Steve encountering a lookalike in the audience doing Steve’s 70s shtick, complete with an arrow-through-the-head prop.
— Love how in Lorne’s brief appearance, he just deadpan-ly asks “Are you about through, Steve?”
— Overall, wow, what an incredible monologue. While I found it kinda strange how it eventually just turned into a big-ol’ Steve Martin showcase halfway through, leaving the other two hosts in the dust, I’m not complaining because the Steve Martin showcase was very fun, Chevy and Martin each got their individual moment in the spotlight early on, and the overall monologue was fantastic. I loved the extensive staging of this whole thing.
STARS: ****½


MASTERMIND
away from the cameras, Ronald Reagan (PHH) is a dynamic, effective leader

— The debut of Phil’s Ronald Reagan impression. Out of the many people who’ve portrayed Reagan on SNL, I’ve always considered Phil’s take to be the quintessential version.
— Great Reagan make-up on Phil, giving him the face wrinkles, turkey neck, and everything. We’ve come a long way from Randy Quaid’s Reagan impression just the year before, where the only thing the make-up people did was just slick his hair back, which did NOTHING to help his non-resemblance to Reagan.
— There’s the famous turn after Nora leaves, where Phil’s “doddering” Reagan is immediately revealed to actually be a brilliant, complex, stern man in charge.
— Amusing seeing Dennis with his trademark 80s hair greased down into a normal, neat style. (third-to-last screencap above)
— I absolutely love how when being told he has to take a photo with a girl scout, Phil’s Reagan angrily responds “DAMN!” and “This is the part of the job I hate!”
— Haha, now he’s speaking in fluent Arabic over a phone speaker.
— We also get the debut of Dana’s hilarious Jimmy Stewart impression. For some reason, I hadn’t remembered that part of this sketch.
— Overall, a masterpiece. This is among some of SNL’s greatest political satire, and Phil was amazing to watch here. Definitely one of his all-time best performances, which is really saying something.
STARS: *****


COUCH CUSHIONS
(CHC)’s sofa search for the channel changer turns up missing valuables

— I’m liking the increasingly absurd and excessive number of things found in the couch cushion, especially the black bananas.
— And now this has gotten even funnier with the skeleton of the family dog.
— Funny random Paul Williams cameo as the latest thing found in the couch. [ADDENDUM: According to commenter Jurb, that was actually Marc Shaiman playing Paul Williams.]
STARS: ***½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Longest Night”


THE EGGSHELL FAMILY
a cautious clan deals with an incoming phone call

 

— Funny how the family appears to be playing Scrabble, considering Scrabble letters are one of the things found in the couch during the Couch Cushions sketch.
— Not sure how to feel about this sketch so far.
— Yeah, I’m not liking where this has been going.
— Some awkwardness from Steve during the sketch-ending audience applause. It looked like he mouthed an out-of-character “What was that?” to Martin. I’d like to think that was Steve second-guessing the material he had just performed, because boy did I not care for this sketch. This just didn’t work, despite the performers’ best efforts.
STARS: *½


A HOLIDAY WISH
Steve delineates increasingly-selfish Christmas desires

— A very famous piece that’s often included in SNL’s annual Christmas compilation special.
— Loved the line “First would be the crap about the kids…”
— Hilarious line about an extended 31-day orgasm.
— Very funny how overly complicated the wishes are getting, and how he’s debating with himself which wish he should put first.
— Overall, a true classic, and a very quintessential Steve Martin piece.
STARS: *****


WEEKEND UPDATE
co-anchor CHC tracks Ronald Reagan’s rapidly-declining approval rating
DEM’s Iran-Contra See n’ Say refuses to incriminate itself
press secretary Tommy Flanagan bluffs about Iran-Contra

— Oh, we get the return of Chevy at the Update desk, this time being Dennis’ co-anchor.
— Hilarious punchline from Dennis about comedian Gallagher still being a jerk.
— Chevy’s Reagan approval rating poll bit fell completely flat.
— Ha, and just now, Dennis acknowledged the same thing I pointed out above, by sarcastically saying “Thank you, Chevy; exciting story there.”
— God, Chevy and Dennis’ “chemistry” is painfully awkward. Dennis’ hip 80s, self-aware, meta style clashes terribly against Chevy’s old-school, professional, mock-straitlaced style. Doesn’t help that Chevy’s not exactly on his game in tonight’s Update.
— The “Congressional Subpoena See-and-Say” bit initially seemed like a promising idea, but didn’t work in its execution.
— Yet another Tommy Flanagan appearance.
— Flanagan’s line about his mistress being Jeane Kirkpatrick was the only real laugh I’ve gotten in his commentary so far.
— Flanagan’s overall commentary was pretty lackluster. It’s beyond obvious that this character is past his prime, and even the studio audience didn’t seem as into his bit tonight as they usually are.
— Chevy’s coming off a little marble-mouthed at times, which I’ve noticed often seems to be the case in a lot of his guest appearances on SNL (the biggest example being his disastrous season 5 hosting stint, particularly his legendarily horrific performance in the “You Can’t Win” gameshow sketch). It’s strange, because his delivery was usually so clear and calm back when he was a cast member.
— Funny ad-lib with Dennis saying (regarding him and Chevy) a tongue-in-cheek “How’s that for witty banter between us?” At least he seems to be fully aware of the awful chemistry between him and Chevy.
— Ugh, stop with the cutaways to the approval rating poll.
— While I want to appreciate the fact that Dennis is having fun with his and Chevy’s clashing styles, it’s cringeworthy seeing Dennis doing his trademark high-pitched laugh and head-bobbing during Chevy’s straitlaced jokes.
— Overall, this Update was a freakin’ mess. While there were a few funny news jokes from Dennis, all of his side gags fell flat, the Tommy Flanagan commentary was the same old tired stuff we’ve been seeing ad nauseam from this character, none of Chevy’s bits worked at all, and the “chemistry” between both anchorpersons was an experiment gone terribly, terribly wrong. Overall, easily the weakest Dennis Miller Weekend Update I’ve covered so far.
STARS: **


THE PAT STEVENS SHOW
Corazon Aquino (JAH) isn’t interested in girl talk

— Wow, I’m surprised they waited this long to have Pat Stevens make her first appearance of the season, considering how oft-used she was last season. Unlike with Tommy Flanagan, SNL seems to be aware that they need to severely dial back the frequency of Pat Stevens’ appearances.
— The pre-interview portion of tonight’s installment didn’t work for me at all. Just felt like Pat Stevens was treading the same old ground she’s already covered before.
— Pat asking Jan’s Aquino about the 3,000 pairs of shoes is pretty funny.
— I loved Jan-as-Aquino’s facial reaction to being asked how her husband (who was assassinated years ago) is currently doing.
— Overall, some laughs, but by this point, this recurring sketch feels like it’s run its course. That probably doesn’t end up being true in the long run, because I recall there being some funny installments in later episodes to come (e.g. the Barbara Bush/Kitty Dukakis interview with Phil and Jan).
STARS: **


HALSEY & ROARKE, BRITISH CUSTOMS
British customs agents (Eric Idle) & (DAC) inspect suspicious items

— ERIC IDLE! Very random but awesome.
— While this sketch is in a not-too-late time slot in the rerun version I’m watching, this originally aired as the final sketch of the night, which is INSANE. Why in the world would you bury a freakin’ Eric Idle cameo at the end of an episode?!? SNL probably would’ve been better off saving his cameo for a more conventional episode, because I feel like the novelty of having Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Chevy Chase all hosting together caused Eric Idle’s big cameo to get lost in the shuffle and become an afterthought on SNL’s part.
— This sketch is pretty funny so far, and I like seeing Eric and Dana teamed together.
— Funny how they believed Martin’s very obvious lie.
— Overall, a decent sketch, though it started feeling a little one-note after a while and wasn’t as great as an Eric Idle-starring sketch should’ve been.
STARS: ***


THE DEVIL & ED GRIMLEY
Mephistopheles comes to Ed Grimley’s apartment to steal his soul

— Ed Grimley!
— I like how his mere mention that it’s time to play the triangle receives audience applause in anticipation.
— Haha, and there goes Grimley’s hilarious triangle dance.
— Great sudden inclusion of Jon’s Mephistopheles. I always like when recurring characters from different eras meet.
— Nice touch with one of the relatives Grimley mentions being his Uncle Basil, which is the character Howard Cosell memorably played in the final Ed Grimley sketch from Martin’s tenure as a cast member.
— Fantastic turn with Grimley using his framed Pat Sajak photo to ward off Mephistopheles.
— An okay ending with Grimley and Mephistopheles doing the triangle dance together.
STARS: ****


CHURCH POTLUCK LUNCHEON
Church Lady & Minister Bob (CHC) act superior at a potluck luncheon

— Good change of pace seeing Church Lady outside of the Church Chat setting.
— Church Lady has some really funny comments to Victoria.
— Yes!  We get the debut of Church Lady’s priceless superior dance, which is a riot.
— Good turn with Jan showing up drunk and bitter towards Church Lady.
— Certain aspects of this sketch strangely remind me of future cast member Nancy Walls’ first Gail Lafferty sketch (the bake sale character who constantly threatened other ladies with an ass-kicking) from 10 years later. Both sketches even look like they have the same set, and both sketches even have a walk-on from the host playing a minister (Chevy in this sketch, Tom Arnold in the Gail Lafferty sketch).
STARS: ***½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Roll With The Punches”


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A fairly solid episode, though not quite as strong as I was expecting with this spectacular trio of hosts. The biggest highlights of this episode were phenomenal (monologue, Mastermind, A Holiday Wish), but there were a few things that REALLY didn’t work for me (The Eggshell Family, Weekend Update, portions of The Pat Stevens Show), and the overall show didn’t feel like the classic it should’ve been. Still, I can’t complain much because I certainly enjoyed most of the show.
— The three hosts came off very fun and it was nice seeing them blend in with this cast during the sketches. It was particularly good to see Steve Martin on the show again after such a long hiatus, as his return reminded me of how much fun I had reviewing his frequent episodes from the original era. Sure his style by this point in the mid-80s has noticeably become more toned-down and mellow than this manic style from the 70s, but he’s still as funny and reliable as ever. I’m glad he goes back to being a frequent host after this episode. I’d also like to add that Chevy Chase came off a little more likable tonight than he usually does in his hosting stints. I’ve never heard any backstage stories about him acting nasty towards this season’s cast like he’s acted towards other casts, so I’d like to think that recently coming out of rehab humbled his ego and kept him in check for a while. Maybe the fact that he had two people co-hosting with him also had something to do with that.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Robin Williams):
— a slight step down


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Steve Guttenberg