Tag: saturday night live

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December 15, 1979 – Martin Sheen / David Bowie (S5 E7)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
(BIM) undergoes a cheap & quick sex-change operation

    

— Is the childhood picture they showed of Bill’s character a real-life picture of Bill himself as a kid? (screencap below) Probably not, which is too bad, because I always like seeing what SNL cast members looked like as kids.

— In my recent season 4 finale review, I mentioned how the “Not For Transsexuals Only” sketch feels odd to watch in today’s transsexualism-sensitive climate. Well, that goes double for this cold opening.
— Pretty funny premise with Bill choosing the less-expensive sex-change procedure, which he then immediately goes through right on the spot.
— Jane’s accent is both very realistic and is increasingly making me laugh.
— Fairly decent pay-off with the reveal that all the surgeons did for Bill’s “sex-change operation” was simply put a wig and dress on him.
— A funny little touch with the look Bill gave the camera after saying LFNY.
STARS: ***


OPENING MONTAGE
— Al Franken receives his first credit as a featured player, a title he’d be credited under for MANY years, on-and-off, until 1995.


MONOLOGUE
host solicits donations for Toys For Tarts- give gifts to needy hookers

 

— Martin, regarding tonight’s show: “We’re going to be doing some very funny business… at least they think it’s funny.”
— The “Toys For Tarts” campaign for prostitutes is a pretty funny bit.
STARS: ***


LE SHOE
Le Shoe is ugly footwear, but its French aura makes it fashionable

   

— Tom Schiller’s brief appearance made me laugh. For some reason, whenever he plays ethnic or foreign-accented characters, he reminds me so much of future cast member Fred Armisen.
— Overall, this was a pretty forgettable, nothing-special parody of French weirdness.
STARS: **


DARK SHADOWS
in her bedroom, little girl (GIR) cries wolf over nighttime spooks

       

— I remember this classic sketch well; I believe I saw this in an old SNL Halloween compilation special back when I first started becoming an SNL fan.
— Feels like we rarely see Gilda play little girls anymore at this late stage of SNL’s 70s era.
— LOL at Garrett slowly sneaking in Gilda’s dark room and lighting up a cigarette.
— I like the reveals of what the “monsters” actually are and how the parents are treating it like its normal, especially the family of gypsies randomly being under the bed.
— Holy hell, the brief glimpse of a bloodied grotesque monstrous creature in the closet was both very funny AND genuinely unsettling, and got a hilarious audience reaction. The close-up of Gilda’s silent reaction is fantastic, too.
— Great ending.
STARS: *****


TEACHER’S STRIKE
striking teachers debate whether to accept school board’s latest offer

   

— The opening close-up of a board of scheduled events noticeably lists, among other events, a Knights of Columbus meeting, which I take it is a reference to a certain recurring sketch from season 4.
— I got a good surprised laugh from Bill’s snarky “You got the hots for the black ones” comment to Jane.
— Bill is great in this sketch with his attitude and constant wisecracks.
— Gilda’s pretty funny as the nitpicky English teacher.
— Overall, despite some funny characterizations, I was not a fan of this sketch and found most of it dull.
STARS: **


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “The Man Who Sold The World”


WEEKEND UPDATE
JAC solicits Christmas cards sent out of pity to “Poor Pahlevi”
BIM implicitly slams two former SNL castmembers while panning 1941
Father Guido Sarducci performs his duties as spokesman for Mr. Tea

      

— We’re getting more hidden background gags regarding the international clocks on the Update set. This time, I’ve noticed the clock behind Jane is labeled “Lunch Time”.
— Liked Bill’s delivery of “I ain’t givin’ this sucker back to nobody” when quoting a black guy carrying a stereo on his shoulder.
— Ah, now I’ve noticed the clock behind Bill is labeled “Good Time”.
— This segment with Bill giving his opinions on upcoming movies (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, The Jerk, 1941, etc.) looks like it’s going to be awesome.
— Was Bill really cut out of “The Jerk” like he says here?
— Bill’s discussion of “1941” is hilarious with him cruelly snubbing Belushi and Aykroyd while acting like other stars of that movie were the ones who recently left the SNL cast.
— Loved how Bill’s movie segment ended with him urging the audience to just “take your kids to see Meatballs again”.
— The audience is liking Father Guido Sarducci’s “Mr. Tea” demonstration a lot more than I am. I don’t get it; is “Mr. Tea” a real product?
— Sarducci’s “Big Christmas, Little Christmas” idea is kinda interesting, but not exactly funny.
— Overall, bah, Sarducci’s overall commentary did pretty much nothing for me. Boy, does this character get kinda tiring every now and then. And from what I’ve heard, I still have A LOT more appearances from him to put up with for the remainder of this season. *groan*
STARS: **½


APOCALYPSE NOW
(host) embarks on a mission to terminate production of Apocalypse Now

           

— Geez, that creepy long opening close-up of Martin’s upside-down face…….
— Oh, I see this is an Apocalypse Now take-off.
— I like how this sketch is about Apocalypse Now’s troubled production, as I’ve always been fascinated by all the horror stories of what a nightmare it was to film that movie.
— LOL at the foot-paddling boat scene with Garrett and Martin, while Garrett’s agitatedly ranting to Martin.
— I’m liking the many scene changes. I appear to be in the middle of yet another epic, mini-movie-type sketch that the show was really good at doing around this time.
— Hey, it’s Akira Yoshimura!
— Who’s the extra playing Marlon Brando? Man, I miss Belushi.
— The studio audience doesn’t seem into this anymore; they’ve been pretty dead for a while.
— Haha, I’m loving Bill as Francis Ford Coppola. His portrayal of him is very funny.
— Decent ending with the set explosion while “This Is the End” plays.
— Overall, a very long sketch, but I found it interesting and well-done, even if there weren’t that many laugh-out-loud parts throughout it. I may be biased due to my aforementioned fascination with Apocalypse Now’s backstory.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “TVC-15”

 


FIRST LOVE
by Aviva Slesin- BIM visits his old canine flame

   

— Another Aviva Slesin film.
— Oh, it’s another “First Love” film, like the Jane Curtin/Walter Cronkite one from the last episode.
— What’s with the random light applause from one audience member during the opening narration sequence?
— Ah, Bill’s the focus of the film this time.
— Judging from the descriptions Bill’s giving, I can already tell that the big reveal is that his first love, “Fanny”, will turn out to be either a horse or dog.
— I was right, it’s a dog.
— Eh, I’m not caring too much for this so far,
— And that’s it? It’s over. Overall, this was a letdown.
STARS: **


FOREVEREADY
(BIM) taunts Foreveready spokesman Robert Conrad (host) & dad (BDM)

     

— This feels so specific, that it must be a then-topical parody of a real Robert Conrad ad from the time.
— Bill easily punching out Martin gave me a laugh.
— Fairly funny how this is devolving into Sheen’s Conrad turning into a whining bullied child.
— There’s Brian Doyle Murray in what feels like his first on-camera appearance all season. I know he eventually begins receiving a featured player credit at some point later this season.
— Whoa at Bill’s line “You’re almost as big a dick as your son.” Heh, how in the world did SNL get away with saying that in freakin’ 1979?
— I always like anytime we get to see Murray brothers Bill and Brian interacting with each other in a sketch. Bill pushing and tripping Brian over a bent-down Tom Davis was quite a sight here.
STARS: ***


MURDER
criminals (host) & (GAM) kill any potential witnesses to their evil deeds

       

— Haha, I’m loving the escalation of this, with the ridiculous growing number of innocent bystanders Garrett and Martin have to shoot for “knowing too much”.
— Heh, now the phone is ringing. Lemme guess: they’re somehow gonna shoot the person over the phone for “knowing too much”?
— Nope, didn’t happen. Would’ve been funny, though.
— Overall, I loved this. This sketch felt atypical of this season, and came off more like something that would’ve appeared earlier in the show’s run, during the first two seasons.
STARS: ****


MINOTA AM3
Minota AM-3 camera- for special moments, like Bruce Jenner (host) divorce

   

— Another sketch with Martin playing a celebrity doing a commercial.
— I think Bill has appeared in literally every single sketch tonight so far.
— LOL, it just dawned on me how unintentionally hilarious it is in retrospect that the same episode that began with a sex-change operation cold opening also contains a Bruce Jenner sketch.
— Overall, I didn’t get this at all. This was incredibly short, the “taking a picture of your divorce proceedings” premise came off weak to me, and this commercial spoof seemed a little TOO topical to still hold up well today.
STARS: *½


REVISIONS OF FREUDIAN THEORY
TOD tells ALF about the nasal stage

— There seems to be a lot more sketches than usual tonight.
— Oh, is this a disguised “Franken and Davis Show” piece? Has “The Franken and Davis Show” officially been retired this season?
— Eh, not too funny so far.
— The “penis shame” bit at the end had some laughs and ALMOST saved the sketch.
— Yet another short sketch tonight.
STARS: **


MARTIN SHEEN HAIRSPRAY
host is JAC’s favorite styling aid

   

— A mock-commercial playing on Martin Sheen’s name. Is this what paved the way for future mock-commercials like “Jon Hamm’s John Ham”, “Peter Sarsgaard’s Sars Guards”, and the like?
— Haha, the Martin Sheen “hairspray” just being him deadpan-ly spitting into Jane’s hair is great.
— Overall, that was very  silly but I found it hilarious.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Boys Keep Swinging”

 

— Wow, how in the world did they film this technique? Also, when Fred Armisen (man, I’m mentioning him quite a bit in this review) later did a Bowie tribute on SNL when Bowie passed in 2016, I think this is the performance he talked about being amazed by as a kid in ’79.


GOODNIGHTS

 

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— After three strong consecutive episodes, it looks like we’re back to the usual Season 5 shakiness. Not too great of an episode tonight; there were some good highlights, but the overall show was way too up-and-down, strangely feeling like it followed some kind of good-sketch-bad-sketch-good-sketch-bad-sketch pattern.
— This episode had the largest number of sketches in quite a while. I was surprised at how many quick little sketches they fit into the second half of the show. I had gotten so used to the “longer sketches, shorter number of overall segments” format the show’s regularly been using since the back half of season 4.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Howard Hesseman):
— a step down


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
The 1970s come to an end. Ted Knight hosts the final episode of the decade.

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December 8, 1979 – Howard Hesseman / Randy Newman (S5 E6)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
Great Moments In Rock & Roll- James Brown (GAM) abandons Scottish music

   

— Oh, this is going to be a James Brown parody? Uh-oh, I don’t think I’m looking forward to seeing Garrett horribly butcher an impression of him.
— That’s Peter Aykroyd as the guy Garrett’s talking to, right? In certain angles, I can see a very-slight physical resemblance to his brother Dan.
— I’m actually liking Garrett in this.
— Haha, the Scottish version of James Brown’s “Please, Please, Please” is pretty funny, and I’m genuinely liking Jane, Laraine, and Gilda’s background singing.
STARS: ***


OPENING MONTAGE
— Don Novello receives his first credit as a featured player.


MONOLOGUE
to guard against extremism, host leads audience in a pro-restraint chant

  

— I like the (then-contemporary) Betamax mention, simply for retrospective historical purposes.
— Mr. Bill reference.
— Howard’s doing great leading the audience in various chants.
— Was the unseen audience member’s “What if it takes forever?” a scripted bit?
— Overall, a strong monologue with good energy, thanks to Howard. He’s always been good at doing monologues that get the audience involved, judging from what I’ve heard about some of his later monologues from the early 80s.
STARS: ****


THE BEL AIRABS
(host) & (GAM) try to steal fortune of Abdul (DON) & kin

       

— Bel-Airabs! I remember really liking the installment of this recurring sketch that I once saw years ago, though it wasn’t the one from this episode; it was the installment from the Chevy Chase episode later this season.
— The Beverly Hillbillies-esque theme song and opening credits is brilliant, as is the overall concept of this whole sketch.
— I liked Bill painting pubic hair onto the Venus De Milo statue.
— Gilda as a wild, high-pitched foreign gibberish-screaming, burqa-wearing Granny is absolutely hilarious to me.
— Feels weird seeing Don Novello playing such a big non-Father Guido Sarducci role after I’ve gotten so used to seeing him as only Sarducci lately.
— Wow, Jane is dead-on as Nancy Kulp’s Beverly Hillbillies character (I forgot her name).
— How’d they pull off that hand-chopping bit so fast?
— Funny subtle joke with Kareem Abdul Jabbar being listed among the middle-eastern names in the scrolling ending credits.
— Overall, that was great.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “It’s Money That I Love”
musical guest performs “Pants”


WEEKEND UPDATE
paternity suit victim Chico Escuela on backboard-shatterer Darryl Dawkins
ALF says goodbye to the selfish ’70s & introduces the Al Franken Decade

      

— Random Update joke about Chico Escuela. Is this going to lead into a commentary from him?
— Yep, it did. First time we’ve seen him all season.
— We get a clip of yet another Daryl Dawkins backboard-shattering incident.
— Chico’s “rubber breaks” comment was great.
— Third episode in a row with Al Franken doing an Update commentary. I wonder why they have yet to begin crediting him as a featured player in the opening montage this season.
— Oh, this is going to be the famous Al Franken Decade bit. From the clip I had seen of this in the past, I had always assumed this came from the final episode of 1979 (the upcoming Ted Knight episode).
— I like how they keep displaying Al’s name and occupation on the bottom of the screen whenever he says “me: Al Franken”.
— Overall, a fantastic and memorable Franken commentary, made even better in retrospect by the fact that he would later do follow-ups to this at the end of the next two decades.
STARS: ***½


OLD FLAME
(GIR) explores personal growth with old (BIM) & new (host) boyfriends

 

— So far, this appears to be a quieter, realistic, slice-of-life type of sketch that we haven’t been seeing much of anymore in this late stage of SNL’s 70s era.
— I liked Howard’s “I’m starting to feel bad now” after sitting through Bill and Gilda’s sappy conversation.
— I got a good surprised laugh from Howard’s “candy ass” comment. I didn’t even know that was a term yet in the 70s.
— Interesting semi-touching ending with Gilda.
STARS: ****


STEREO 105
WKRP star host shares studio time with real deejay Steve Marvin (HAS)

   

— Ah, a radio show sketch starring Harry Shearer. This is gonna be good.
— Interesting backhanded comment from Howard regarding CBS moving WKRP in Cincinnati’s timeslot. That’s probably Howard venting some real-life frustration with how CBS infamously kept screwing over his show.
— Howard confusedly trying to follow Harry’s hand signals is good.
— I’m loving the authenticity of how they’re making this feel like we’re at a real radio show. Lots of good little details, especially in Harry’s performance.
— Harry’s asinine statements are getting funnier and funnier.
— Great part with Howard grabbing Harry by the throat to get some words in.
— Howard’s been doing a good job with his slowly-mounting frustration throughout the whole sketch.
— Do they eventually make this sketch recurring? I had recently heard that Harry does a particularly great radio sketch later this season in (I think) the Elliott Gould episode, and I’m wondering if that one is a sequel to tonight’s radio show sketch.
STARS: ****


THE NUCLEAR FAMILY
radiation-sick power plant neighbors are lethargic

    

— Just judging from the title and opening credits sequence, why do I think this sketch sounds like something from the 81-82 season?
— Hey, it’s Peter Aykroyd once again. With all these somewhat-big speaking roles he’s been getting in this episode, why wasn’t he credited in tonight’s opening montage?
— I initially said this sketch looks like a premise from the 81-82 season, but now this sketch is starting to remind me a little of the “Those Unlucky Andersons” sketch the show would later do in the 85-86 season.
— The glow-in-the-dark stomach ending was decent.
— Overall, I’m not quite sure what to think of this sketch, but I guess I found it okay enough.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “The Story of a Rock & Roll Band”


FIRST LOVE
by Aviva Slesin- JAC keeps missing Walter Cronkite

   

— “Aviva Films, N.Y.” Looks like this is going to be another Aviva Slesin film. Much like her(?) two films from last season, is this going to be another Bill Murray-starring film centered on animals?
— Ah, a film starring Jane Curtin. There’s something you don’t see everyday in this era.
— I’m liking the drawn-out awkwardness of this.
— Good slow reveal that she doesn’t actually know Walter Cronkite.
— Never mind, it turns out she DOES actually know him.
— Who’s doing Kronkite’s voice over the phone? Doesn’t sound like it’s Bill.
— Nice ending.
— Overall, a good showcase for Jane, who continues to have a strong season.
STARS: ***½


THE HOLIDAY INN HORROR
maid (GIR) repeatedly disturbs guests’ slumber

     

— Judging from how Gilda looks in her initial walk-on, is this going to be her Rosa Santangelo (“I clean up, okay?”) character?
— Yep, it is.
— Judging from how Dan Aykroyd-ish the voice-over narrator sounds, I think that’s once again Peter Aykroyd in yet another speaking role tonight.
— Gilda using an axe to get through the door is very funny.
— This has the reliable sketch comedy trope of presenting an everyday annoyance as the subject of a horror movie. This sketch also feels like something that would’ve fit perfectly among the various bad horror movie trailers in Christopher Lee’s season 3 monologue.
— Loved Howard’s appearance as the cruel desk clerk.
— Overall, a very good closing sketch.
STARS: ****


GOODNIGHTS

 

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— Really solid episode, with every single segment working, some of which were very well-written and performed.
— Howard Hesseman was a great host, which is no surprise considering both his improv background and how good a recurring host I’ve heard he was later on in the Ebersol era.
— The show has been on a strong winning streak these last three episodes. Can’t help but wonder when this season goes back to being shaky again. Also, I’ve always heard that the cast comes off really burned-out this season (I’ve especially been keeping my eye on Garrett, as it’s known that his drug problems reached its breaking point this season), but I have yet to see evidence of that so far, so I’m also wondering when that will start.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Bea Arthur):
— a slight step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here

TOMORROW:
Martin Sheen

Posted on

November 17, 1979 – Bea Arthur / The Roches (S5 E5)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
Ronald Reagan’s aide (HAS) outlines candidate’s nap-filled schedule

 

— Who in the world is this guy in the make-up chair and who is he playing? He was addressed as “governor”, but I didn’t hear clearly when Laraine said his name.
— Haha, I get it now – the joke is it’s then-presidential candidate Ronald Reagan being played by an elderly extra, as a comical exaggeration of Reagan’s age.
— Shearer’s perfect in this as the aide, detailing Reagan’s extensive schedule in his usual impeccable delivery.
STARS: ***½


OPENING MONTAGE
— Love the way the theme music sounds tonight.
— Ah, not only is Harry Shearer finally back in the credits, but Tom Davis and Paul Shaffer receive their very first featured player credit, beginning a season-long trend of then-current writers being billed as featured players whenever they have a noteworthy role in the show.

 

— This is also the very first time in SNL history where featured players are actually announced under the title “Featuring…” instead of “And a little of…”


MONOLOGUE
after host sings “Let Me Love You,” pianist PAS passionately kisses her

  

— We get a serious musical number.
— Ha, great ending with Shaffer suddenly throwing Bea over the piano and making out with her.  He did something kinda like that at the end of Dyan Cannon’s monologue, too, back in season 1.
STARS: ***


SPUD BEER
boat people lift their spirits with the potato-based brew

   

— Hey, a sudden Spud Beer callback!
— I always love hearing the jingle, and it’s interesting how they updated the lyrics in this one.
— Can’t think of many other times in SNL history where they actually did a sequel to an earlier fake ad.
STARS: ***½


FIRST HE CRIES
(BIM) tries to cope with his wife’s (GIR) mastectomy

         

— Okay, I’ve always been curious about this sketch. From all the things I’ve heard about it over the years, it sounds like a semi-dramatic sketch that seems really heavy for SNL, dealing with such a serious, depressing subject matter.
— I recently learned they originally wanted to do this sketch the previous week with Buck Henry, but he declined due to the subject matter (which is an interesting turning-of-the-tables, as Buck’s usually the host who willingly does sketches that were turned down by other hosts). Which role would Buck have played, the husband? The doctor?
— Loved Bill’s comically overdramatic “Why me??!!” while looking skyward.
— The screen crawl is making me realize that this sketch is going to be more comedic than I had thought; I especially liked the part of the crawl that mentioned the “anguish of living with half a woman”.
— Bea snapping at Gilda is a funny turn, especially the line “You took away something very important to him.”
— Liked Bill dismissively referring to Gilda as “Miss Uniboob”.
— Good scene between Bill and Laraine.
— Great ending freeze frame with Bill grabbing Gilda’s butt.
— Ha, we get yet another variation of the “Mercy Killers” theme song, with Bill singing this sketch’s ending theme in the same melody as “Mercy Killers” and “The Black Shadow”. It’s gotten to the point where I instantly crack up as soon as I hear that melody at the end of a sketch. I’ve been told we get at least one more theme song in that style, in the Micro-Dentists sketch from later this season. I recall seeing that sketch before, but have no memory of a theme song in it.
— Overall, I’m surprised by how much I liked this. I got some good laughs all throughout, this was nowhere near as semi-depressing as earlier hearsay had me expecting it to be, I loved Bill’s performance, and I always enjoy the epic, mini-movie-type sketches this era does.
STARS: ****


DROP OUT
(TOD) not wanting to go to school leads to a Soviet takeover of the USA

     

— What in the world was that VERY loud, long mechanical squeaking sound at the beginning? Bill and Jane appeared to be trying to play it off like it was part of the sketch, but judging from the way the sketch has been going after the sound stopped, the sound seems too random to have been part of the sketch.
— Bill’s funny as the dad, but where is this going?
— Tom Davis’ frequent “fine with me”s are pretty funny.
— Haha, I now like where this is going. Looks like this is going to be another extensive sketch with multiple scenes and sets, much like the preceding sketch.
— The Russian invasion kitchen scene kinda started abruptly, almost as if something was edited out. (I’m reviewing the DVD version of the episode, as usual)
— Funny little bit at the end with one Russian soldier (was that Franken?) staying behind to eat the son’s waffle.
— Overall, this was a lot shorter than I had assumed it was going to be, but I enjoyed this sketch a lot.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Bobby’s Song”


WEEKEND UPDATE
shattered backboard footage documents fate of unused DC-10 windshields
in the name of science, ALF uses various methods to torture live roaches
Hindenberg footage chronicles end of Thanksgiving parade Snoopy balloon

         

— I liked how a clip of the famous Darryl Dawkins backboard-shattering dunk was used to represent the DC-10 windshield. The joke isn’t terribly funny in itself, but I guess I just enjoy any excuse to see that Dawkins dunk clip.
— Ha, I just noticed that one of the international clocks on the wall behind Bill is simply labeled “A Clock” instead of the name of a state or country.
— Another Franken commentary. I believe this is going to be the infamous roach-killing bit I mentioned in the last review.
— Ah, it is.
— Was the idea for this Franken commentary inspired by the name of tonight’s musical guest, or is it just a coincidence?
— In a weird way, it’s ballsy to do a segment slowly killing live cockroaches on live TV.
— In the middle of Franken’s commentary, I now just noticed the two international clocks on the wall behind Jane are simply labeled, respectively, “A Clock” and “A Watch”. Heh, from now on, I’m going to watch out for the clocks in the rest of this season’s Updates to see if there are other hidden gags like this.
— Ha, I kinda like how Franken’s roach experiments are getting increasingly more ridiculous and sadistic.
— Overall, I’m not too sure how to feel about Franken’s commentary as a whole, but I didn’t completely hate it like a lot of SNL fans seem to.
— Geez, that Snoopy balloon/Hindenburg bit was awful, and deservedly got a tepid audience reaction. And unfortunately, THAT’S what they end tonight’s Update with.
STARS: **½


THANKSGIVING DINNER
eating Thanksgiving dinner in aunt’s (host) basement makes adults regress

   

— A pretty predictable direction this sketch is headed in, with the adults slowly acting like kids.
— Overall, while I initially wasn’t crazy about this premise, the performances gradually won me over and this ended up being an overall pretty fun sketch.
STARS: ***


WOMAN TO WOMAN
Connie Carson seeks downside to (host)’s ideal motherhood

— I’ve never been too crazy about this series of sketches.
— I liked Gilda’s stern delivery of “You heard me.”
— Okay, this sketch has started getting a little funnier with the drug story about Bea’s kids.
— Overall, there were a few decent moments, but as a whole, this was yet another “Woman To Woman” installment I wasn’t too crazy about. I hope this ends up being the final appearance of this sketch.
STARS: **½


SAVECO
Tom Clay tells why Saveco’s prices are low- they resell recalled products

  

— The return of Harry’s Tom Clay pitchman character from the Hotel-Motel Art Fair sketch earlier this season.
— Harry’s doing another great job as an insanely-fast-talking spokesperson, and I like the premise of this a lot.
STARS: ****


BACKER’S AUDITION
(PAS) & (HAS) preview their rock opera about Charles Manson & Jay Sebring

       

— There’s the same set from the party scene in First He Cries.
— Wow, tons of airtime for Paul Shaffer tonight.
— Interesting set-up to the song.
— Harry and Paul are making an interesting team.
— Strange sketch so far.
— Bill’s song and his overly intense singing style was hilarious.
— I don’t know what to think of this sketch anymore…
— Garrett’s psychotic “9” song is cracking me the hell up.
— MAN, this is one long sketch…
— Funny how into it Harry is in the background during Gilda and Bill’s duet.
— Overall, wow, I had a roller coaster of emotions watching this, constantly shifting from laughing-out-loud mode to either “What IS this?” or “This sketch is STILL going on?” But now that the sketch is over, I can recognize that it was actually very good and intriguingly weird. My occasional impatience with the length is probably just due to my natural dislike for Broadway-type musical sketches, but looking back on this sketch as a whole, I can put my anti-Broadway bias aside for now and admit that this was a strongly-written and strongly-performed sketch.
STARS: ****


MR. BILL BUILDS A HOUSE
by Walter Williams- Mr. Hands aids construction

     

— *groan*
— Okay, Mr. Bill and his trailer home being dragged by the car made me chuckle, I admit.
— Ugh, the rest of this just ended up being the usual “Mr. Bill gets dismembered over and over” stuff that does nothing for me anymore.
— I’ve been noticing that they haven’t been using the “The Mr. Bill Show” title screen in his shorts this season. Does that have anything to do with the then-ongoing legal battle over Mr. Bill’s ownership?
STARS: *½


CUBAN BEATLES
revival band Los Beatolos Cubanos performs Latin takes of Fab Four hits

  

— A pretty damn funny idea. I’m already liking this.
— Wow, I don’t recognize ANY of the performers playing the band.
— Okay, I’m starting to recognize some of them. There’s Paul Shaffer once again (wow, tonight’s really his night), I think that’s Tom Schiller as the lead singer, and MAYBE that’s Garrett as the drummer in the back? Who’s the tall one on the far right end of the screen? The mysterious Peter Aykroyd, perhaps? Alan Zweibel?
— Liked Bill’s testimonial.
— The scrolling list of song titles are really funny.
— Overall, a very solid short little sketch.
STARS: ****


ANDY KAUFMAN
Andy Kaufman [real] taunts female viewers & invites them to wrestle

  

— Well, this appearance came out of nowhere. Why wasn’t Andy credited in tonight’s opening montage like he always is whenever he’s making a guest appearance in an episode?
— His taunting rant about how he’ll be seen wrestling on every single show we watch is really funny.
— Boy, he is in full-on villain mode in this one. You can tell he is just ITCHING for viewers to hate him.
— Ha, there he goes once again intentionally riling up the studio audience with his sexist statements about women.
— Oh, it turns out this is just setting up an invitation for any female viewers to send in a letter accepting a challenge to wrestle Andy live on SNL’s upcoming Christmas episode. IIRC, SNL actually does end up following through on that.
— Bea’s deadpan post-Kaufman message was great.
— I like how this era has so much fan participation-type contests; stuff like Anyone Can Host, Find the Popes in the Pizza, Kill Morris the Cat, home movies, etc. Whatever happened to those days? I know it carries over into the early 80s a bit, where they would even go one step further by doing interesting live “call-in poll” gimmicks like the Larry the Lobster thing. But it’s too bad that fan participation events like that eventually goes away by the mid-80s.
STARS: N/A (not really a rateable segment)


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Hallelujah Chorus”


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A strong episode. There was some really solid writing and several great segments. I also like how this episode took a lot of risks with more ambitious, daring pieces, such as First He Cries, Backer’s Audition, and even Franken’s roach-torturing bit.
— Bea Arthur was a surprisingly forgettable host, carrying very little of the show and not being the comedic focus of anything. That’s pretty disappointing, considering I’ve always found her funny on shows like “Maude”; I came into this episode expecting her to be a good host.
— Very good night for featured players Harry Shearer and Paul Shaffer, both of who received tons of airtime for newbie standards and had a lot of really good performances. Shearer has been adding a breath of fresh air to the cast this season in general.
— After a shaky first three episodes of the season, tonight’s episode and the solid preceding episode with Buck Henry almost have me wondering if we’re experiencing a return to the greatness from seasons 3 & 4, but I’m aware that’s not how the remainder of this season plays out.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Buck Henry):
— a slight step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Howard Hesseman

Posted on

November 10, 1979 – Buck Henry / Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (S5 E4)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
saving Fred Silverman’s life in the Korean War wrote host’s ticket to SNL

   

— Funny beginning with anti-Buck picketers outside the studio. While it may have just been a joke here, it’s something SNL would later experience in reality when a certain now-president hosted in 2015.
— Wow, SNL’s really going all in tonight on this era’s traditional gag of Buck never getting any respect at the show.
— The war story about Buck had a great Fred Silverman twist.
— Jane finally gets her coveted first solo LFNY.
STARS: ***½


MONOLOGUE
security guards protect unfazed host from a mob that’s sick of seeing him

   

— Haha, security guards are on stage upon Buck’s entrance.
— Good bit with the audience constantly heckling Buck. Again, that’s something that would later become a real-life concern for SNL regarding the monologue when Trump hosted.
— I almost thought the guy who was stopped from angrily rushing the stage was Belushi, just based on his voice, before I remembered Belushi’s not on the show anymore.
— I love how Buck is oblivious to all the hate.
— The shot of the outside picketers tearing apart a dummy of Buck was fairly funny.
STARS: ***½


HARLEY’S BRISTOL CREME
rebuffed (GIR) settles on sharing Harley’s Bristol Cream with Honker

   

— Gilda’s rejected phone calls are fairly funny.
— I like how Gilda’s increasing desperation has now gotten to the point where she’s resorting to yelling out the window for a random guy.
— HA, great ending with the random guy who Gilda called up to her apartment turning out to be Bill’s Honker character!
STARS: ****


THE MYSTERY OF TOAD ISLAND
inbred residents have amphibian traits

   

— Oh my god at Laraine’s neck suddenly bulging like a frog’s. That caught me completely off-guard, and looks almost TOO realistic.
— After the initial shock has worn off, I don’t think I like where this sketch is going.
— Okay, yeah, I DEFINITELY don’t like where this is going. One of those thin-premised sketches where the humor fizzles out early right after the initial joke is revealed.
— Overall, boy, did I dislike this sketch. Why was this chosen as the lead-off sketch of the night?
STARS: *½


MATCHMAKER NERDS
Lisa & Todd try to get Marshall & Enid to go on a date

     

— It took the audience a few seconds to really get the “Todd works out with his right arm a lot” joke.
— The return of Buck as Todd’s dad, a character that was really funny last time he appeared.
— The Expo 67 story of how Buck lost his wife was pretty funny.
— Loved Todd’s frustrated reactions to his dad sending Lisa and Enid to the chess tournament.
— Overall, the usual solid Nerds sketch.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Refugee”


WEEKEND UPDATE
Jack Van Arks (ALF) defends the chemical industry with mundane facts
footage depicts enormous response to Find The Popes In The Pizza Contest
Father Guido Sarducci picks Find The Popes In The Pizza Contest winner

       

— What’s with Bill slowly moving the desk phone & phone wire during Jane’s first joke?
— Refreshing to see the debut of a new Update character. I can’t say enough how much Update is in desperate need of new characters at this point in the show’s run, considering the small range of recurring guests they keep cycling through every damn week.
— I almost thought at first that this was going to be Franken’s infamous roach-killing bit I’ve always heard about, but I think that’s actually in the following week’s Bea Arthur episode.
— Franken’s reaction to drinking H2SO4 cracked me up.
— A follow-up to the “Find the Popes in the Pizza” contest.
— Funny line from Sarducci about the SNL mailman not knowing what to do with a letter he found for Belushi.
— Overall, a good conclusion to the Popes/Pizza contest.
STARS: ***


BAD CLAMS
(GAM) & (YVH) feed Lucille Ball (GIR) rancid seafood

   

— Yes! Here’s a sketch I’ve always been dying to see, after hearing how great and weird it is.
— It feels strange seeing Yvonne Hudson with so many lines. This is probably bigger than any role she would ever get during her future Featured Player days the following season, where (from what I heard about that season) she was literally a glorified extra.
— I love the sudden shift from typical morning show banter to “Now who’s gonna eat these bad clams?”
— What an inexplicably insane concept.
— I always love the raspy voice Gilda uses as modern-day Lucille Ball.
— Gilda making her Catatonic Colleen face when eating the bad clams.
— Great little moment with Gilda doing the famous “Lucy cry” while having her face endlessly stuffed with the clams.
— This is pure craziness.
— Overall, that definitely lived up to all the hype I’ve heard over the years. Perfect length, too.
STARS: *****


HOW TO TALK TO YOUR GRANDPARENTS
record album helps youngsters get gifts

   

— Not too sure about this concept.
— Okay, I kinda like the part with the scrolling list of topics covered in the album, done in the same way commercials list off songs in a music album they’re advertising.
— Overall, eh, the humor was relatable, but this pretty much did nothing for me.
STARS: **


LIFE AFTER DEATH
by TOS- “take a number, be seated” experience recalled

  

— Is this film a rerun?
— Yep, they showed this one before. And I remember not caring for it the first time. Not one of Schiller’s better films.
— Is it just me, or were the graphics on the bottom of the screen that displays each testimonial-giver’s name and cause of death not there last time they aired this film?


SPECI-PAK
Speci-Pak carrying case keeps severed body parts fresh on way to hospital

     

— Buck coughing up a chunk of a mysterious internal organ was a great laugh.
— Ha, the above-mentioned coughing-up bit being followed by Bill’s “How often does this happen to you?” is great.
— Gilda cutting off her finger is another big laugh.
— This is humorously disgusting so far.
— Interesting device. I like this creative premise.
— Bill is fine as the pitchman, but man, just think of how fucking great Aykroyd would’ve done pitching this product.
STARS: ****


LOVE CONTRACT
during prenuptial talks, lawyers (host) & (HAS) break up (BIM) & (LAN)

   

— So once again, Harry Shearer DOES end up making an appearance after all, despite not being credited in the opening montage tonight. This is the second episode in a row that has happened. Why did they begin crediting him in the Eric Idle episode’s opening montage, only to take him out of the next two episodes’ montage, despite the fact that he’s appeared in noteworthy roles in both episodes?
— This has a clever, interesting premise.
— Bill’s ridiculous pet names for Laraine are pretty funny.
— I like the twist with Jane suddenly appearing as Bill’s other fiancee.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Don’t Do Me Like That”


DRIVING
(host) scares (JAC) & (GIR) during a desperate drive home for the toilet

   

— I’m already liking this sketch a lot, right from the frantic beginning with Buck angrily driving fast.
— Haha, good reveal that the reason for Buck’s panicked driving is because he simply has to go to the bathroom.
— Gilda’s reaction to Buck running over a rabbit was very funny.
— LOL, hilarious ending.
— Overall, wow, what a great little 10-to-1 sketch. Something about this sketch had a feeling that is atypical of this SNL era; I dunno why, but I think it has more of an early 80s Ebersol era feel.
STARS: ****½


GOODNIGHTS
cast chases host from studio after he wears out his welcome

     

— Why is Garrett dressed in that afro wig and outfit? Was a sketch cut at the last minute?
— Fantastic continuation of tonight’s cold opening and monologue by having the cast angrily chasing Buck off the stage and beating him down backstage. Probably one of my new all-time favorite goodnights gags the show has ever done.
— We get a very extended goodnights afterwards, with the last minute of this just showing the SNL Band jamming out on the goodnights music. Probably one of the longest the goodnights music has ever been heard in an SNL episode.

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A fun episode, and easily the best one of this underwhelming season so far. I got a lot of enjoyment from this episode, especially the “protesting audience” storyline early in the show and all the creative, inspired premises that appeared after Update (particularly Bad Clams).


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Bill Russell):
— a fairly big step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Bea Arthur

Posted on

November 3, 1979 – Bill Russell / Chicago (S5 E3)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
Chappaquiddick looms as Ted Kennedy (BIM) makes campaign announcement

   

— After having an epic graying beard in the first two episodes of the season, Garrett is now seen clean-shaven. Makes sense, as I’m aware this episode has one of his obligatory drag roles later on.
— Haha at Laraine doing the Kennedy accent.
— LOL, Bill is great as Ted Kennedy.
— Right off the bat tonight, we’re seeing big speaking roles for several writers.
— I like Jim Downey in this.
— The story about Ted diving into the river to swim all the way to his campaign headquarters is very funny.
— A pretty good laugh from Bill pulling out the damp paper from his pocket.
— I like Jane’s stiff, frozen smile during Bill’s whole speech.
— The Ted Kennedy speech has some funny lines, especially the “so what?” part regarding his past.
— Overall, very solid stuff, and the best cold opening of the season so far.
STARS: ****


OPENING MONTAGE
— No featured players are credited tonight.


MONOLOGUE
(no synopsis available)

— Wow, is he SNL’s tallest host ever?
— By the way, for the rest of this episode review, I’ll be referring to him and Bill Murray by their last names, so as not to cause any mix-ups for readers. I’ll be doing the same in any future episodes where the host has the same first name as a then-current cast member.
— The comparisons between basketball and an SNL week are okay.
— Overall, this monologue was kinda quick and nothing special, but he handled himself fairly well for a non-actor.
STARS: **½


BANSHEE
Ed Herlihy [real] endorses the Banshee surrogate mourning device

  

— LOL at over-the-top loud crying from the Banshee device.
— Love the examples of different-accented Banshee models, especially the one for black people.
— Overall, a funny lesser-known commercial.
STARS: ***½


THE BLACK SHADOW
white basketball team keeps coach (host) out of trouble

        

— Ha, tons of writers appearing in this one.
— Franken: “You guys think we should take off our uniforms before we shower?” All: “Nah.”
— I think the guy in the #8 jersey is writer/soon-to-be-credited featured player Peter Aykroyd (he’s the guy standing behind Franken and Davis in the third screencap above), but I’m not 100% sure as I’m not familiar with what he looks like. Unlike the many other writer-featured players this season who I already feel like I know well due to them making frequent on-camera appearances in the first four seasons, Peter Aykroyd has never appeared on-camera prior to this season (as far as I know).
— All of the players have single-digit jersey numbers. Is that an intentional subtle joke?
— Gilda’s walk-on as a pregnant character gets a big audience reaction.
— There’s the aforementioned Garrett Morris drag role of the night.
— In the SNL “The First Five Years” documentary, I remember Franken mentioning how surprised he was by just how good Garrett was as the dramatic mother in this sketch and how it made him think “Why don’t we use this guy more?”
— Russell asking “It’s because I’m black, isn’t it?” EVERY time someone points out a fault of his is increasingly funny.
— HAHA at the (fake, it turns out) reveal from Jane that the reason for Russell being fired is because he’s black.
— I always enjoy a good fake freeze-frame at the end of an SNL sketch.
— I like the Bill Murray-sung ending theme song, and how it has the same melody as the “Mercy Killers” theme song from the previous season.
— Overall, a very well-done extensive sketch.
STARS: ****½


THE LANDERS FILES
Ann (JAC) dramatizes etiquette for widow (GIR)

     

— Jane’s voice is great.
— Paul Shaffer was really funny in his small scene.
— The multiple choice answers are fairly funny.
— Jane’s having difficulty not tripping over her lines while pronouncing her s’s in that odd way.
— Having no familiarity with Ann Landers, I feel like parts of this overall sketch went over my head, but I was still able to get some enjoyment out of this.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “I’m a Man”


WEEKEND UPDATE PREVIEW


WEEKEND UPDATE
(TOS) & (GIR) stage a Korean Surprise dinner party during LAN interview
a century after its invention, BIM sings “Happy Birthday” to a light bulb

    

— This is the first Laraine remote segment in what feels like a long time.
— Boy, those stereotypical Asian accents from Tom Schiller and Gilda…….
— WTF at Schiller shooting Gilda out of nowhere as a “surprise”.
— Overall, I have no idea WHAT to think of that whole Korean segment. All I know is I got zero laughs from it.
— A reference from Murray to the “Find the Popes in the Pizza” contest. Murray’s joke was weak, though.
— Murray doing his traditional smarmy Happy Birthday song to an Edison lightbulb is funny stuff as usual, especially the great visual of the lightbulb sticking out of a birthday cake.
— We didn’t get any desk pieces from any Update guests tonight. No problem with me. After all, if we DID get a desk piece, it probably just would’ve been someone from this era’s trio of overused recurring Update characters (Sarducci, Rosannadanna, Escuela).
STARS: **½


NICK BOREALIS
Nick “Borealis” & Swankmates entertain black soldiers at Greenland base

     

— A Nick the Lounge Singer sketch.
— Funny part with Nick asking his all-black audience about seeing “Blacula”.
— Are they trying to pass off Yvonne Hudson (seated next to Bill Russell) as a male soldier?
— I love Murray’s singing of the “War (Uh!) What Is It Good For” song, especially his exaggerated “Uh!”s.
— Overall, this was okay, but there have been much better Nick the Lounge Singer sketches. This also went on too long for my likes.
STARS: ***


THE CONTINUING CORRESPONDENCE OF ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
Eleanor Roosevelt’s (JAC) correspondence to creditors suggests lesbianism

   

— Another sketch tonight starring Jane Curtin behind a desk. The voice she always uses as Eleanor Roosevelt is pretty funny.
— Where in the world is this sketch going?
— Oh, so Harry Shearer IS in this episode. After being uncredited in tonight’s opening montage and not appearing as one of the many basketball team members in the Black Shadow sketch, I assumed he wasn’t going to be in tonight’s episode.
— Overall, boy, I did not get what this sketch was going for AT ALL. I went through this entire thing without laughing a single time (except an initial mild chuckle from Jane’s voice). What a bore.
STARS: *


MR. BILL STAYS HOME
by Walter Williams- Mr. Hands’ home remedies harm

     

— *groan*
— Overall, I have found nothing to say about this. I was pretty much glazed-over during this entire thing. Didn’t laugh a single time. (second sketch in a row I’ve said that tonight) And I’ve already said more than enough times lately how burned out I am on the redundant humor in these insanely-overused Mr. Bill shorts.
STARS: *


SPORTS HOTLINE
to host’s surprise, callers to (BIM)’s radio show focus on obscure sports

 

— Murray’s dismissive response to some of the callers are funny.
— Overall, this had a promising idea with the fake-sounding sports, but I wasn’t crazy about the result at all. Man, tonight’s episode is LOSING me. The show has been dying during the last few segments.
STARS: **


PEOPLE LOSING MONEY FOR PEOPLE
you’ll get a rebate after buying two Chryslers, says Joe Garagiola (HAS)

 

— What was with Harry being transparent in front of the chroma-key screen at the beginning? (screencap below) Seemed to be a technical error, since they fixed it after a few seconds.

— A solo sketch for Harry? Hmm, he DEFINITELY should’ve been credited in tonight’s opening montage.
— Overall, a pretty funny concept and, while this wasn’t great, it was certainly a few steps above the last few duds that preceded this. I’m always down for a Harry-Shearer-as-a-pitchman commercial with low-key humor.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Street Player”


BARRY WHITE’S BIG AND TALL THAT’S ALL
mall woes are affecting Barry White’s Big & Tall That’s All store

     

— Strange that an unknown actor is playing Barry White. He looks a little familiar; is he one of the then-current SNL Band members?
— I liked the Barry White theme song.
— Funny line from Russell about how fat people never see commercials because that’s when they go to the refrigerator.
— Didn’t even realize Garrett’s character is supposed to be fat until just now when he walked away and his padded belly became more noticeable.
— The acting in this is kinda awkward so far.
— Ah, I see this is yet another sketch that exists in the same universe as Scotch Boutique, as we’re now getting a cameo from Gilda’s Scotch Boutique character and Murray’s Barber Shop character. If only they could get Maureen Stapleton to show up as her Candy Store character, then this sketch would feel complete.
— Overall, this started kinda slow, but got a little better as it went along, and ended up being a decent continuation of the “New Mall” series of sketches. I still felt this one could’ve been a little better than it was, though.
STARS: ***


GOODNIGHTS

 

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— Not too great overall. The first half had a few noteworthy segments, especially The Black Shadow and the cold opening. But, kinda like the preceding episode, the show hit a REALLY rough patch after Update. Even Update itself wasn’t all that great. Hell, even Nick the Lounge Singer had probably one of his weaker appearances by default (still watchable, though).
— For an athlete host, Bill Russell wasn’t too bad. He certainly had his stiff moments, but he came off likable and I enjoyed him a lot in the Black Shadow sketch.
— Three episodes in, and there has yet to be a really good episode this season. I also notice I haven’t felt much enjoyment from watching this season; a huge contrast to how I felt watching the first four seasons.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Eric Idle):
— a moderate step down


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Buck Henry

Posted on

October 20, 1979 – Eric Idle / Bob Dylan (S5 E2)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
after hearing that host is sick, Buck Henry [real] begs to replace him

   

— A bearded Buck Henry cameo!  For the second consecutive week! Heh, did he not even leave Studio 8H since last week?
— We get the debut of SNL’s traditional backstage llama!
— Funny with Buck’s repeatedly ignored insistence that he’ll go on in place of an ill Eric Idle. A good continuation of the traditional gag that Buck gets no respect at the show.
— Interesting LFNY format break.
STARS: ***½


OPENING MONTAGE
— For some reason, the theme music and audience applause stops almost immediately after it starts, then after a weird pause, the music and applause continues. What the heck was that all about?
— After being uncredited in his debut last week, Harry Shearer is finally in the opening montage tonight.

However, instead of being announced under the title “featuring”, he’s announced as “And a little of Harry Shearer!” Considering this was the very first time a featured player was ever credited on SNL, I guess the show hadn’t yet figured out what title to put that type of cast member under.


MONOLOGUE
under-the-weather host does impressions while strapped to a stretcher

     

— Haha, oh my god at Eric being carried out onstage in a stretcher. Great entrance.
— Beards must’ve been really popular at the time, as we’ve been seeing a lot of them this season between Garrett’s thick graying beard last week, Buck in his two cameos, and now Eric Idle.
— His “stretcher impersonations” are really fun, especially Superman and Gary Gilmore.
STARS: ****


HOTEL-MOTEL ART FAIR
pitchman Tom Clay (HAS) advertises the upcoming Hotel-Motel Art Fair

  

— Our very first Harry Shearer pitchman commercial!
— His pitchman voice is great and he’s doing a fantastic job at the fast-talking spiel, picking up the slack Aykroyd left when it comes to commercials of this nature.
— Overall, funny concept and an absolutely great performance from Harry.
STARS: ****


SHOE STORE
shoe salesman (host) frustrates customer’s (BIM) quest for footwear

     

— When Bill was first shown outside the store window, I thought that was Dan Aykroyd for a second, before I remembered he’s not on the show anymore.
— I’m loving the absurdity of this sketch, and this material is perfect for Eric’s comedic style and Brit delivery.
— I’m cracking up endlessly at Eric incredulously asking why Bill would want to buy two shoes.
— Another great part with Eric rapidly shooting down each of Bill’s scenarios.
STARS: ****½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Gotta Serve Somebody”


PRINCE CHARLES TELLS YOU HOW TO PICK UP GIRLS!
Prince Charles’ (host) book tells you how to use royal ties to get girls

    

— The audience is liking the concept more than I am so far, but Eric is funny in this.
— Garrett still has his beard from the last episode.
— Bill’s pick-up line being “My great uncle was just blown up by Irish terrorists” was hilarious.
— Laraine’s “hot monkey love” line was really funny.
— Eric’s “choking the chicken” remark was yet another hilarious line.
— LOL at Eric stiffly passing out as the camera started fading to black.
— Overall, that was really good; much better than I was expecting.
STARS: ****


WEEKEND UPDATE
Gerald Hacker (HAS) reports on an American straw vote held in Britain
BIM lets Princess Margaret’s anti-Irish comments slide- she was ‘faced
Roseanne Roseannadanna meanders from home-buying to Yves St. Laurent

       

— Interesting change of pace with Harry Shearer as a Weekend Update London correspondent at his own Update set, showing pre-taped interviews with various people.
— Bill’s Princess Margaret/Irish pigs commentary was really funny, especially the “slut, tramp, slimebucket” comments.
— The first appearance of the season for Rosanne Roseannadanna, a character I’ve slowly been getting tired of lately.
— Overall, Rosannadanna’s commentary was standard stuff, but she did have some funny disgusting lines when she was going on about roughage.
— Why was Bill missing from the desk at the end during Jane’s sign-off?  Did our utility player of the season leave the desk early tonight to get in costume for the next sketch?
STARS: ***


HARDCORE II
(LAN) discovers her father (BIM) is a transvestite stripper

     

— Looks like Bill DID have to duck out of Update early to get ready for the next sketch.  Maybe it took a while to apply that prosthetic nose he’s wearing in this.
— Bill’s husky, raspy voice is cracking me up.
— What? The sketch is over already? That’s it?
— Man, this sketch was terrible, and felt pretty pointless. Almost had an 80-81 season feel. (NOTE TO SELF: Get ready for that notorious season, me.  It’s comin’ closer and closer.) Bill’s voice was the only thing I even laughed at.
— Maybe I need to be familiar with the movie this is parodying in order to appreciate it.
STARS: *½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “I Believe In You”


ANDY KAUFMAN
Andy Kaufman [real] challenges a female audience member to wrestle him

       

— The first SNL appearance of Andy’s well-known female wrestling gimmick.
— HAHA at the audience lightly booing and hissing during Andy’s unintentionally sexist statements about women.
— A Bob Zmuda appearance.
— A pregnant woman among the group of volunteers?!?!?
— Oh, I see where this is going. The pregnant woman is going to be chosen just because she seems like the least likely option.
— Heh, Andy panics and ends up switching the pregnant woman out for another woman.
— Boy, this wrestling match is weird to watch on SNL, but it’s pretty funny and strangely fascinating.
— Very funny part with the volunteer suddenly pulling Andy down from behind when Andy was in the middle of yelling “Shut up!” to the booing audience.
— Andy’s doing a great job playing the villain and making the audience genuinely hate him.
— Speaking to the camera, Andy challenges swimmer Diana Nyad to a future match, and says he’ll shave his own head in front of the audience if loses. As far as I know, nothing ended up becoming of that challenge, but it was a funny idea.
STARS: ****


HEAVY SARCASM
Joan Face (JAC) & guests (host) & (BIM) feign emotions

— A kinda-funny concept, but I worry this will be one of those one-note sketches where the humor fizzles out fast after the premise is immediately revealed right at the top of the sketch.
— Yeah, I’m not crazy about this so far.
— Overall, despite a very good performance from Jane, this was just weak.
STARS: **


ASK ELVIS
psychic (LAN) relays answers to your questions

 

— Strange concept. Again, the audience is liking this more than I am.
— Ha, I’m pretty sure that’s Andy doing the Elvis voice-over.
— I guess the absurdity of showing a rotating Elvis bust while his voice-over answers questions is kinda funny, but this is yet another sketch I’m just not crazy about.
STARS: **


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “When You Gonna Wake Up”


GOODNIGHTS

 

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A tale of two halves. The first half of this episode featured lots of great stuff that I loved, but man was I bored during the entire second half, except for the Andy Kaufman segment and Bob Dylan’s last performance, and those were just guest segments. All of the actual SNL-written material in that second half of the show fell really flat with me.
— Eric Idle’s talents felt a little wasted. He had some strong moments early on in the night, especially the Shoe Store sketch, but the weak post-Update half of the show kinda misused his talents. Tonight’s episode just couldn’t measure up to Eric’s fantastic previous hosting stints; and unfortunately, this ends up being the last time he ever hosted.
— Compared to last week, there didn’t seem to be as many writers making tons of on-screen appearances tonight. Probably because a lot of this episode’s sketches didn’t involve many performers. Nice to see lots of Harry Shearer, though, who’s already showing loads of potential.
— Not a great start to the season so far with these first two episodes. I’m noticing a higher average of weak sketches than the last few seasons had.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Steve Martin):
— a slight step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Bill Russell

Posted on

October 13, 1979 – Steve Martin / Blondie (S5 E1)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


MISCELLANEOUS
NBC is “Smart As A Peacock”


COLD OPENING
a doorman (GAM) turns away clergy at a Pope John Paul II (host) tour stop

     

— What was with the flashing “This Is Not A Repeat” disclaimer on the bottom of the screen?
— Oh my god, Garrett has a beard this season. And a very thick, graying one at that.
— I liked Jim Downey’s line about dry-cleaning a wine stain on the Pope’s outfit.
— LOL at Bill as “Monsignor Eldini”, a variation of his Jerry Eldini character.
— The audience immediately applauds Gilda’s walk-on.
— I’m surprised Steve’s appearance ended up being so short, but overall, this opening was a decent way to start the season.
STARS: ***


OPENING MONTAGE
— So far, this appears to be the same as season 4’s montage, though there’s some subtle differences right from the opening shot, where we get a new zoom-in on the old shot of the Statue of Liberty.
— We will eventually get a brand-new montage this season, but it’s not until mid-season.
— For the first time in SNL history, the theme music has been modified. I feel like I’m in the minority, but I’ve always preferred this season’s theme music to the original one from the first four seasons. It’s more catchy, I like the energetic drumming, and I especially LOVE the guitar-strumming in the last quarter of the theme.
— Ah, now there’s more significant differences in the montage; I’m seeing several new shots now.

 

— Weird seeing Jane as the first cast member announced, with Aykroyd and Belushi gone.
— The cast shots are the same from last season, except they each have a new background design of little squiggly lines.

 

— There’s no featured players credited yet at this point of the season; I guess we’re getting them a little later on. Anyone familiar with this season knows that a countless number of writers would be promoted to featured player status this season, plus a brand-new cast hire: Harry Shearer. Despite not being credited yet, I’ve heard that Shearer does make his on-camera debut tonight. I’m eager to see him. When you get so used to seeing the same 70s cast season after season, it can get exciting seeing SNL finally add someone new to the cast. I felt that same excitement when Bill Murray made his debut a few seasons earlier (and like Shearer, Bill also went uncredited in his first episode).
— By the way, with no featured players credited and with Aykroyd and Belushi gone, the cast tonight consists of only FIVE PEOPLE. That’s pretty crazy.


MONOLOGUE
host dances as the SNL Band plays “Stompin’ At The Savoy”

      

— A new home base stage! This is the third consecutive season premiere where they’ve changed the home base, and from what I remember of this season, we’re getting yet ANOTHER new home base at some point mid-season.
— Steve demonstrating male model poses is fairly funny.
— I like Steve getting mad at the SNL Band for randomly drowning him out.
— Steve’s eventual dancing to the music is great.
— Cool strobe lights effect.
— Overall, that was awesome.
STARS: ****


CRAIG’S TRAVELER’S CHECKS
use Craig’s (JID) Travellers’ Checks- he never leaves his apartment

   

— I really like this idea, and Jim Downey is perfect for a role like this.
— Overall, a solid commercial.
STARS: ****


SPANISH TUTOR
Spanish tutor (host) visits (BIM) & (GIR) to give a free language lesson

    

— Bill’s deadpan responses to Steve are making me laugh.
— Right now, Bill looks like he’s trying not to crack up at Steve.
— Overall, this sketch was a little too long and drawn-out for my likes. There were a few highlights, mostly from Bill, but I don’t feel it was a great idea to place this as the lead-off sketch of the season.
STARS: **½


THE VANDALS
a juvenile delinquent Vandal’s (ALF) pranks victimize a Centurion (host)

     

— Hey, is that Harry Shearer doing the opening narration?
— I got a big laugh from the opening prank from a giggling Franken and… uh, who’s that with him? Another writer, perhaps?
— Funny premise.
— Loved Garrett’s delivery of his “your sandals take the cake” line.
— Okay, here’s the point of the show where Aykroyd and Belushi’s absence is starting to be felt. We’re seeing a whole bunch of male writers and extras in this sketch to make up for the lack of male presence in the cast.
— Franken’s pretty funny as the disgraced vandal, and Bill is hilarious as his angry dad.
— Speaking of Franken and speaking of the felt absence of Aykroyd and Belushi, isn’t there a story that Franken was late on his cue to enter this sketch because he was distracted thinking about how great his role would’ve been for Belushi? I didn’t notice any late entrance from Franken here, though. Am I thinking of a different sketch?
— I liked the sudden turn with Steve ordering his assistant (Tom Davis) to kill and behead the family right after they have exited the scene.
STARS: ***½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Dreaming”


RISE
Rise spray lifts host & Buck Henry [real] above restroom germs

   

— Liked Steve’s line “Your seat will never make contact with THEIR seat.”
— The visual of Steve slowly rising above the stall is pretty funny.
— A bearded Buck Henry cameo!
— Why no audience response to Buck? You’d figure they’d go nuts over the visual treat of seeing the two most frequent hosts of this era appearing side-by-side in a sketch together.
— Buck actually looks pretty cool with a beard.
STARS: ***


WEEKEND UPDATE
Father Guido Sarducci talks about merchandizing linked to the Pope’s tour
Father Guido Sarducci announces the Find The Popes In The Pizza Contest

       

— Weird seeing Bill with much shorter hair this season than usual.
— What’s that red flash on the Lilian Carter picture? (second screencap above)
— Bill getting caught singing “16 ounces in just one calorie” was random but funny. I assume what he was singing was a then-current commercial jingle.
— The “James Earl Ray/scratch-and-sniff greeting cards” joke was hilarious.
— When complaining about the Pope not getting paid for the use of his picture on t-shirts, Father Guido Sarducci says “First they did it to Mr. Bill, now the Pope”, which gets a great audience reaction. What was the Mr. Bill mention referring to?
— Sarducci has some pretty funny comments about the records put out by various popes.
— I love the whole “Find The Popes In The Pizza” contest.
— Overall, a much-better-than-usual commentary from Sarducci.
STARS: ***


GREAT MOMENTS IN ROCK HISTORY
with Carole King (LAN) lost in “You’ve Got A Friend,” (host) gets stabbed

     

— LOL at Steve suddenly getting mugged by Garrett out of nowhere.
— Garrett’s new graying beard makes him look more believable in a shady role like this.
— Ha, this is hilarious with a bleeding Steve’s ignored pleas for help while Laraine sings on.
— The “Call out my name” part was really funny.
— Steve’s frozen facial expression when dead is cracking me up.
STARS: ****


THE DAVID SUSSKIND SHOW
witnesses say Hamilton Jordan uses cocaine

   

— They put a lot more make-up on Bill than the last time he played Susskind.
— I still can’t get used to Garrett’s new beard. He probably doesn’t keep it for long, anyway.  Besides, how’s he gonna play any of his frequent drag roles with that big ol’ beard?
— Jane’s character is introduced as Audrey Peart Dickman, which is the name of one of SNL’s staff members from that time. This is actually the second time they’ve used that name for a Jane character, after a season 1 Weekend Update from the Chevy era where Jane played a guest commentator (in one of Chevy’s usual “make goofy faces behind a commentator’s back” bits).
— Is that red I keep seeing on Steve’s palms? Must be leftover fake blood from the preceding sketch.
— Not a very good sketch overall, and I can’t find anything to really say about any of the actual content of it.
STARS: **


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “The Hardest Part”


THE BOLSHOI BALLET
Russian security ventures on-stage to prevent Bolshoi Ballet defection

   

— Harry Shearer! I’m happy to see his on-screen SNL debut.
— Right off the bat, Harry’s already proving to be an adept live performer, with his straight-laced “Thank you” ad-lib after one person in SNL’s audience randomly applauded in the middle of his speech.
— Gilda’s appearance makes me realize we haven’t been seeing much of her tonight. I had heard about her lack of airtime this season and how exhausted she often comes off, due to her filming her one-woman show/movie “Gilda Live!” during the course of the season.
— Boy, this ballet act is weird, but kinda funny so far.
— I like Jane in this.
— Steve’s palms are still looking really red-ish.
— Overall, this was well-performed, but I got kinda bored with it halfway though. This was nowhere near as funny as I initially thought it was going to be.
STARS: **½


THE ALL NEW MR. BILL SHOW
by Walter Williams- Mr. Hands foils retooling

       

— *groan*
— After being inundated with these in the back half of the previous season, this is the last thing I wanted to see on the season premiere.
— Hmm, the “All-New Mr. Bill”.
— These injuries are so predictable so far.
— The lighter fuel and magnifying glass bit is actually kinda funny.
— I did like the disco ball dropping on Spot at the end, especially the simple “thump” sound effect they used.
— Overall, I admit to kinda liking the format of this one and there were a few parts of the short I found okay, but I still found it hard to even chuckle at most of the Mr. Bill injuries, considering how burned out I’ve become on the redundant humor in these.
STARS: **½


WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?
tourists (host) & (BIM) wonder- “What the hell is that?”

   

— Ah, I instantly recognize which memorable sketch this is going to be. This has always been one of my favorites.
— Hmm, I don’t remember this having background music. The music is adding an interesting touch to this.
— Steve’s already funny in this, but Bill is making it even better doing his “talking out the corner of the mouth” routine.
— Such a unique sketch, and Steve and Bill are doing a great job making so much out of such an intentionally-meager setting.
STARS: *****


GOODNIGHTS

 

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— Yep, the cracks are definitely starting to show. As I expected, I’m seeing instant signs of a decline in quality this season.
— This episode had its moments, including a creative closing sketch that’s one of my all-time favorites, but tonight had too many underwhelming parts for a season premiere in this era. There was also a bit of a sad feeling, as this episode is pretty much officially the beginning of the end for this era.
— The show also has a noticeably different feeling post-Aykroyd/Belushi; without them, tonight had a pretty empty aura and it feels strange seeing so many on-camera writers scrambling around, trying to pick up the slack. Bill Murray had a strong night, though, and I am looking forward to seeing him as SNL’s new utility guy this season. I also can’t wait to see more of new hire Harry Shearer.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING SEASON (1978-79):
— a fairly big step down


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Eric Idle

Posted on

May 26, 1979 – Buck Henry / Bette Midler (S4 E20)

Sketches are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
Mr. Bill visits SNL; JAC complains that she’s never said the opening line

           

— I normally would groan at the appearance of yet ANOTHER Mr. Bill film, but at least I was prepared for this one, since I had already known this season’s finale cold opening stars him.
— I admit, I am liking this meta premise with him having a ticket to see SNL.
— Liked the scene with him meeting John Belushi and receiving an autograph.
— Good ending with Mr. Bill suddenly getting sat on while in the middle of saying LFNY.
STARS: ***…….. Whoa, wait, it turns out we’re not done yet after all. The opening montage suddenly gets cut off by a screaming Jane Curtin, who’s complaining about never having said LFNY.
— Come to think of it, I never noticed that Jane has yet to say LFNY. Well, a solo LFNY, that is; she has said LFNY in unison with the rest of the cast at least three times before (in the Fran Tarkenton, Sissy Spacek, and Mary Kay Place episodes).
— LOL at Jane’s casual mention that Chevy was “fired” from the show.
— Another laugh during Jane’s rant, this time from her dismissively referring to Mr. Bill as “Gumby”.
— John gets a LFNY for his final episode, after saying LFNY in almost every single episode from the second half of this season. I do hope Jane gets at least one solo LFNY next season (her final season), but I’m doubtful; I recall looking at the “Live from New York…” section of SNL Archives’ Season 5 page a few years ago, and I don’t recall seeing any solo Jane LFNYs in there.  Oh, well, she wouldn’t be the only SNL veteran who never got a solo LFNY; off the top of my head, there’s also Nora Dunn, Vanessa Bayer, David Spade (not counting his hosting stints), and Victoria Jackson.  Probably some others, too.
STARS: *** for the Mr. Bill half, **** for the Jane/John half


OPENING MONTAGE
— Michael O’Donoghue has returned as a guest tonight, after leaving the show a year ago.


MONOLOGUE
the picture size decreases as host’s monologue becomes less interesting

     

— Good premise with us being able to view a test group’s level of interest in the show.
— Amusing how the screen is getting increasingly smaller as Buck’s droning on with a boring speech.
— Now it’s gotten even funnier with the screen suddenly going back to normal size during Buck’s negative rant about “cleavage, jiggling buttocks, etc.”
STARS: ***½


RAY’S DISCO ROLLER FISHING PARK
Ray’s (BIM) Disco Roller Fishing Park combines three popular pastimes

   

— A kinda-funny idea, but it doesn’t seem like can hold up for a whole commercial.
— Overall, I was kinda right, as the premise lost steam fairly fast, but I did love Bill’s performance as the spokesperson; he carried this really well. Kinda wish they had Dan in that role, though, considering tonight’s his last night and this would’ve been our last chance to see him as a pitchman. Between the Roach Brothel commercial in the preceding episode and now this Disco Roller Fishing commercial, it’s almost as if SNL’s already preparing to make Bill the go-to guy of the post-Aykroyd/Belushi era. Hope he’s prepared, because he’s gonna get quite a workout next season, getting a huge majority of the lead male roles.
STARS: **½


SAMURAI BAKERY
Mr. Dantley orders a wedding cake from Futaba

     

— As usual, I can immediately tell from the way the set looks when Buck makes his entrance that we’re getting our obligatory Samurai sketch. This will be the last time I’m able to say that.
— The number-calling bit was pretty funny.
— Boy, that fruitcake/gay voice part……
— A pretty good laugh from the “master-baker”/masturbater mix-up.
— John waves goodbye to the camera while Pardo’s doing the closing announcement. Is that John’s way of saying “farewell” for good?
— Overall, despite the fact that Futaba has undeniably been past his prime in his last few appearances, tonight’s wasn’t too bad. I’m probably more tolerant of the character’s routine tonight because I know it’s his final sketch. He had a fantastic run back in his prime (which I would say officially ended after the “Samurai Night Fever” installment).
STARS: ***


BLIND AMBITION
Richard Nixon (DAA) claims that the Watergate tapes were done as a joke

       

— Our night of “lasts” continues, as we now get the last hurrah for Dan’s always-hilarious Nixon. I’m definitely gonna miss this impression.
— Always love Jane’s cranky take on Pat Nixon. She always has some funny snarky one-liners.
— I like the idea of doing a live “flashback” scene.
— LOL, I remember first seeing this “Nixon and his assistant say Watergate-related things in their knowingly-bugged office while laughing like hyenas” scene as a clip in SNL’s Presidential Bash special from 2000. I remember finding this scene absolutely hilarious back then.
— The above-mentioned scene is just as funny as I remember, especially Dan falling out of his chair laughing at one point.
— Hey, Dan’s Nixon is watching the Three Stooges on TV! As I said in an earlier review, as a huge Three Stooges fan, you’ll be seeing me geek out at any reference SNL makes to them.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Married Men”

— Weird how this is the second consecutive episode where a musical guest has performed a song with the same title (“Married Men”).


WEEKEND UPDATE
a Rolling Stones lyric leads GAM to ask where the horny black women are
Roseanne Roseannadanna rambles from gas crisis to sand in JAC’s swimsuit

     

— Ah, I remember seeing this Garrett Morris commentary, where he talks professionally about a racist Mick Jagger lyric regarding sex-crazed black women, before suddenly dropping his professional tone to desperately ask “Where ARE all of these black girls, man?” His delivery of that is great; probably one of my favorite Garrett Morris moments from his entire SNL tenure.
— As I predicted two episode reviews ago, here’s Roseanne Rosannadanna’s obligatory season finale appearance.
— Most of Rosannadanna’s commentary tonight was the standard stuff that I’ve slowly been getting tired of lately, but I did kinda like her story about Jane at the beach, especially the line “She just wouldn’t take her hands out of her pants!”
STARS: ***


UNCLE ROY
pedophilic “Uncle” Roy tells Terri & Tracy a story before bedtime

     

— Only in the 70s could SNL not only get away with doing a one-time sketch starring a character like this, but actually end up making a RECURRING SKETCH out of it.
— Ha, there’s ol’ Roy breaking out the Polaroid.
— I liked Buck’s panicked delivery of “Simon says ‘Higher, higher!!’” while eagerly waiting for the girls to lift up their nightgowns.
— Did the lights turn off too early?
— As usual, the risque humor here is helped by the usual great performance from Buck, one of the very few people who could pull off a character like this without making him come off hateable. Though I’m wondering where else they can take this sketch in subsequent installments without it running out of steam already. I feel like they’ve already done everything they could with the concept.
STARS: ***½


THE FRANKEN AND DAVIS SHOW
TOD tries to do comedy routine despite ALF’s having become a Hare Krishna

   

— Ha, Franken as a Hare Krishna. This makes me wonder, did Franken and Davis write that bizarre “Danger Probe” sketch from this season’s premiere where Belushi played a Hare Krishna? That sketch did feel like their handiwork.
— Al saying his new name is Ajhnat Dippivad (sp?) is really funny.
— A good laugh from Tom unexpectedly snipping off Al’s ponytail and Al worrying that everyone will now think he’s a Buddhist.
— Overall, could’ve been a little better, but it gave me enough laughs.
STARS: ***


THE OLYMPIA CAFE
an insurance adjuster (JAC) visits after a fire destroys the Olympia Cafe

      

— Our final Olympia Cafe sketch.
— Good premise with the cafe recovering from a recent fire.
— John falsely claiming to the insurance adjuster that he and all his employees lost golf clubs in the fire is pretty funny.
— I love John’s speechless, dramatic reaction to the insurance adjuster turning them down.
— John’s only resort after the insurance deal fell through being to declare “We dance!” and lead a Greek circle dance is hilarious. Nice way to end the final installment of this great recurring sketch.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Martha”


CLONES EXIST NOW
by TOS- a report on the status of duplication science

     

— Hmm, the words “Schiller’s Reel” are displayed in a red font this time instead of the usual plain white font.  The red font gives it almost an eerie, horror movie vibe, though I doubt that’s the intention.
— Loved the black-and-white stock footage of a scientist “going insane”.
— Overall, eh, aside from a few funny parts early on, I didn’t find this all that funny or interesting, though it had a decent idea.
STARS: **


NOT FOR TRANSSEXUALS ONLY
sex-changed (host) & (LAN) swapped genitalia

 

— The title is a variation of the “Not For Ladies Only” sketch(es).
— This is the second time we’ve ever seen Buck in drag, after that short film from season 2 where he gets a womanly makeover for Halloween.
— This premise feels weird watching in 2018, considering what a sensitive subject transsexualism is nowadays.
— Buck’s “Thank you” when Laraine inadvertently complimented him on his penis size made me laugh.
— Very funny line from Laraine saying she wants to “pork as many broads as possible”.
— A short and sweet sketch. Your mileage may vary on this, but I felt this sketch thankfully didn’t have quite the uncomfortable feeling I was worried this would have through modern eyes.
— Oh, wow, this ends up being the last sketch of the season?
STARS: ***


IMPRESSIONIST MICHAEL O’DONOGHUE / GOODNIGHTS
MOD does impression of Elvis Presley having needles plunged into eyes

     

— Oh, looks like that Transsexuals sketch ISN’T our last sketch of the season after all, as we get our Mr. Mike segment squeezed in during the spot where the goodnights usually occurs.
— Overall, this is the same old needles-in-the-eyes routine as always, but I’m getting a kick out of seeing O’Donoghue wildly climbing all over the studio audience as the credits roll, which is a fairly fun way to end a season.

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A pretty enjoyable season finale, and an improvement over the underwhelming Buck-hosted season finale from a year earlier. Most of the sketches were good, and we got some interesting cases of format-breaking, such as Jane interrupting the opening montage to complain about not getting to say LFNY or Michael O’Donoghue’s needles-in-the-eyes routine overlapping with the ending credits.
— I wish John and Dan were used more for what ended up being their last show. Dan especially seemed really underutilized tonight – Nixon was the only noteworthy role he got.
— After reviewing these first four seasons, I’ve come away with a higher opinion on John and Dan than I used to have. Before familiarizing myself with these original-era episodes, I used to just remember John for his loud, wild, outrageous roles. Going through his SNL tenure while doing these reviews has taught me that he displayed far more range than just being a wild fat guy. I’ve gained a big appreciation for his underrated versatility and reliability; the writers could cast him in literally any type of role and he’d play it very convincingly. He was even good at doing various celebrity impressions, too, and not just impressions of heavyset celebrities. Hell, he was even good at doing serious, dramatic acting when a scene called for it, such as various instances in the Olympia Cafe sketches. As for Dan, while I’ve always had lots of admiration and respect for his importance as SNL’s original utility player, doing these 70s reviews has made me SUCH a big fan of his SNL work that I came to realize he’s my absolute favorite of the original cast. I would often be in awe watching his adept performances & delivery, and some of the hardest laughs I’ve gotten in the first four seasons have been from him. And he had a lot of the qualities that I love in an SNL cast member: skills as an “everyman” player, consummate professional, strong impressionist, and a knack for doing really weird, creative sketches (though unfortunately, it feels like we saw less and less of those weird, creative sketches of his as his tenure progressed). It goes without saying that John and Dan will both be sorely missed from the cast, especially when when you’re aware of how the show would end up struggling without them next season.
— Season 4 overall was a very good year. It’s often considered by many to be the peak of 70s SNL, though to be honest, I personally feel season 3 was a little better. Still, this season boasts an impressive large number of classic sketches and strong episodes, even despite containing two of the absolute worst episodes I’ve had to cover this whole era (Frank Zappa, Milton Berle). We also got the start of a fascinating trend towards the end of the season, where we got long, extensive, epic, mini-movie-type sketches, such as the classic Pepsi Syndrome. I actually felt a little bittersweet watching this season, knowing that not only is it the last year where the core 70s cast is fully intact and fully energized, and not only is it the last great year of the original SNL era, but it also ends up being SNL’s last really great year in general for quite a long time. I won’t be getting another season this strong until I reach, oh, season 10, I’d say.


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


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
We enter season 5, the final year of the original SNL era. Steve Martin hosts.

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.

Posted on

May 12, 1979 – Michael Palin / James Taylor (S4 E18)

Sketches are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
Fred Silverman (JOB) appoints Gary Coleman as vice president of NBC

 

— Funny reveal with the announcement of Gary Coleman being Fred Silverman’s new chief assistant.  A snapshot of the days when then-new sitcom “Diff’rent Strokes” was one of the very few hits NBC had at the time.
— Overall, a pretty good cold opening.
STARS: ***


MONOLOGUE
host does stand-up about how his mother mistreated him when he was young

— Another mention of Michael’s mother.
— The whole coal miner baby story has several funny parts.
— Abrupt ending with him suddenly throwing to James Taylor’s musical performance.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Johnnie Comes Back”


MILES COWPERTHWAITE
Miles Cowperthwaite sails with manly men aboard The Raging Queen

         

— Ah, here’s the “Raging Queen” sketch that I thought we were getting in the Miles Cowperthwaite sketch from Michael’s earlier episode this season.
— John’s flirtatious behavior towards Michael at bedtime is pretty funny.
— Gilda, Laraine, and John all “comforting” Michael in bed was hilarious.
— Funny with Bill’s decision to amputate Michael’s legs just because they had been soaking wet.
— I like the ending with the next chapter being titled “I Am Eaten By Sharks”.
— Overall, a very well-done epic sketch. I didn’t find this to be quite the classic this sketch has often been called; maybe because this type of humor with stereotypical gays doesn’t come off as outrageously hilarious now as it did back in the day. Still a very good sketch, though.  Personally, I find the first Miles Cowperthwaite sketch from earlier this season to be the better of the two.
STARS: ****


MAGNA-GRO
Magna-Gro anabolic steroids build seeds into gigantic, strong plants

   

— I can already tell right from the opening scene with Bill and Laraine that this will be our usual absurd-premised Dan Aykroyd pitchman commercial.
— I was right.
— The mature live ox “extraction” Dan held up was a funny visual.
— I liked Bill arm-wrestling with the now-giant flower.
— Overall, a decent ad, though not as crazy as most Aykroyd pitchman commercials, which is kinda disappointing as this probably ends up being the last one he does before leaving the show.
STARS: ***


WEEKEND UPDATE PREVIEW


WEEKEND UPDATE
footage of Chico Escuela’s disastrous final game with the Mets
newly-elected Margaret Thatcher (host) clashes with JAC on Rhodesia
JAC & BIM don top hats & sing to wish Fred Astaire a happy 80th birthday
Father Guido Sarducci talks about two obscure Earth-like planets

     

— ANOTHER Chico Escuela pre-tape for the third episode in a row?
— Bill ends the Chico Escuela segment by announcing that Chico will be re-joining Update as a regular correspondent. Not exactly thrilling news for me, considering how tired I am of the endless narrow Update cycle of Chico, Roseanne Rosannadanna, and Father Guido Sarducci. I knew Chico’s “retirement” wouldn’t last long.
— Michael’s really funny as Margaret Thatcher.
— HA at Michael responding to Jane’s angry rant with “Jane, you’re an ignorant slut”.
— A mention from Bill of Fred Astaire’s birthday. Is this going to be yet another smarmy singing of “Happy Birthday” from Bill?
— Oh, never mind, this is actually different, with Bill and Jane wishing Astaire a happy birthday by doing a low-key Astaire-esque number, complete with top hats and canes. That was very nice.
— Speaking of the endless narrow Update cycle of Escuela, Rosannadanna, and Sarducci…..
— I swear, almost every episode this season, based on who that night’s Update guests are, you can predict which of the three members of the “endless narrow Update cycle” will appear in the next episode. In that regard, I predict we’ll be getting Rosannadanna next week. Then again, it’s more likely they’d want to save such a popular character like her for the season finale, which is two episodes from now.
— As burned out as I’m getting on Sarducci, there’s a few okay parts tonight like the ending of his description of reverse aging and his “corn on the cob” bit.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest sings “Up On The Roof”


BOULEVARD OF PROUD CHICANO CARS
the gas crisis takes its toll on a gang

     

— I’m already liking this just from the opening credits sequence.
— LOL at John’s entrance.
— Wow, Gilda’s actually convincing as a tough, adolescent Hispanic boy. Love her voice, delivery, and demeanor as Carlos.
— Just now, there was a loud off-camera sound of what sounded like a pipe or tool dropping to the floor. Did NBC just drop yet another show?
— I liked Michael’s use of matches to chase Gilda off.
— Bill, when meeting Gilda as Carlos: “Well, you’re not very Caucasian, are you?”
— The double entendres when Gilda and Jane are talking about siphoning gas are quite hilarious.
— Haha, Dan as President Carter randomly appears as a houseguest. That and the extensive nature of this sketch is bringing back memories of the epic Pepsi Syndrome sketch from a few episodes ago.
— Wow, they didn’t even try to hide the… uh… bumps under the chest area of Gilda’s shirt, even though she’s supposed to be playing a boy.
— Great line from John: “(in Chicano accent) All they teach you is chit……… and chat.” Nice fake-out there.
— Overall, another very well-done epic sketch tonight. It seems to have become the norm lately to do really long sketches. I know that trend carries over into season 5, but I’m not sure if that’s a good thing considering how weaker SNL’s writing is known to be that season.
— I wonder if this ends up being the final appearance of Dan’s Jimmy Carter impression. Strange to think that in the following season, nobody in the cast would take over the impression, and thus, the show would go through a whole season without doing ANY sketches involving the president (which is something I know quite a lot of people are wishing would happen nowadays).
STARS: ****


MR. BILL RUNS AWAY
by Walter Williams- Mr. Hands picks up a hitch-hiker

      

— The visual of Spot with a fake beard covering most of his face was both pretty funny and cute.
— Overall, not great, and I’ve already mentioned how burned out I’m becoming on these overused Mr. Bill shorts, but the ending was good. I always enjoy a good “stock footage of a car crashing off a cliff” ending, which is a type of ending SNL would get a lot of good mileage out of in later eras.
STARS: **½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Millworker”


SNYDER MOTHER’S DAY
Tom Snyder (DAA) & his mother (JAC) celebrate Mother’s Day together

— The return of Jane as Mama Snyder.  A Mother’s Day dinner is a great setting for her.
— Funny line from Dan’s Snyder regarding his childhood worries that his father would “snip the darn thing off”, when Snyder’s talking about the strong feelings he had for his mother.
— Wow, the sketch is over already. This was unusually very short. Considering this was the final sketch of the night, I wonder if the show had started running long and perhaps they had to do some last-minute trimming to the script right before the sketch aired.
STARS: ***


GOODNIGHTS

 

— It’s very evident how much the cast loves working with Michael by the insane amount of affection they’re showering him with in these goodnights.  Huge contrast to the “reception” they gave Milton Berle in the last episode’s goodnights.

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A pretty good show, with two great epic, long sketches, and a few decent sketches/segments surrounding them. Nothing flopped too badly tonight.
— Michael Palin did his usual strong work, though thinking back on it, he didn’t appear in many segments. In fact, he was almost non-existent in the post-Update half of the show. That may be due to the fact that there was an overall very small number of sketches tonight, which is something I have to get used to, as it’s pretty much become the norm around this time.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Milton Berle):
— a big step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Maureen Stapleton