Author: Stooge

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March 21, 1987 – Bill Murray / Percy Sledge (S12 E14)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
LOM & his lawyers convince BIM to fulfill missing show in his contract

— A good and clever premise with Lorne claiming Bill owes them one episode from his days as a cast member, which leads to tonight’s hosting gig.
— Some good laughs from Bill’s reaction to possibly having to do the show for 10 years.
— Bill seemed to make Lorne crack up just now. (second screencap above)
— This cold opening would later be cut from all reruns and be replaced with the dress rehearsal version of the first “Liberace in Heaven” cold opening from earlier this season (the one where Liberace’s by himself, not the one where he’s interviewed by Robin Leach).
STARS: ***½


MONOLOGUE
BIM intends to help the USA regain its comedic supremacy

— Great energetic entrance from Bill.
— He mentions this is the 500th broadcast of SNL. Obviously, he’s counting reruns, because as far as just new episodes go, this episode is only somewhere in the two hundreds.
— Great comment about how the French “used to be funny, but all they have now is Jerry Lewis and the Smurfs.”
— Overall, a very solid monologue. Bill was excellent, and this featured him speaking in his usual Bill Murray-isms that never fail to crack me up.
STARS: ****


NEW YORK TELEPHONE
compulsive gambler (JOL) reaches out & touches his bookie

— Here’s something else that would also later be removed from reruns.
— Interesting camera angles throughout this.
— I love Phil’s sleazy voice on the other end of the phone.
— Good punchline with this seedy gambling ad unexpectedly turning out to be a New York Telephone promo.
STARS: ***


ONE-NIGHT STAND
obnoxious (BIM) won’t leave (JAH)’s apartment after a one-night stand

— Love Bill’s dancing and lip-syncing while he’s setting up the blaring stereo speakers.
— Bill is so perfect in this role, and I like how oblivious he is to Jan’s aggravation towards him.
— Dennis’ Def Leppard(?) shirt looks familiar (screencap below), but I’m not sure why. I think I remember seeing that same shirt being worn by someone in a sketch from the early 90s era.

— I liked this overall sketch a lot, and Bill and Jan were both strong in their performances.
STARS: ****


DONAHUE
monologue drifts away from & back to “The New Celibacy”

— Great to see this back.
— In the live version I’m watching of this episode, Nora reveals her horrible sole sexual experience was with Joe Piscopo, which is hilarious though mean (after all, this is only THREE YEARS after the man left SNL). However, in the reruns of this episode, they show the dress rehearsal version of this sketch, where Nora’s bad sexual experience is revealed to be with stand-up comedian Gallagher instead of Joe Piscopo.
— More evidence that they show a different version of this sketch in reruns: Victoria’s hair looks kinda different in both versions. (side-by-side comparison below)

— I like the title of Jan’s softcore porn films, especially “Debbie Hugs Dallas”.
— A lot of laughs from the part with Jon explaining his celibacy wasn’t a conscious choice, and how even prostitutes “wouldn’t go for it”.
— When asked about the risk of STDs, I loved Jon responding “I would take that chance in a SECOND! Be–lieve me!”
— I absolutely love how Phil, while delivering a very rambly rant, heads backstage, grabs a bite from the snack table, walks back to the Donahue set, and then suddenly throws to Victoria after he’s finished speaking. However, there was a technical error, where the camera fails to follow Phil when he first heads backstage, which hurt the gag a bit. I wonder if this is one of the reasons why this sketch is replaced with the dress version in reruns.
STARS: **** (the dress version shown in reruns gets ****½)


NICK SLAMMER
Nick “Slammer” & Marc Shaiman [real] entertain prisoners behind bars

— Yes! Nick the Lounge Singer!
— Good setting for him this time, in a prison.
— Yet another change that would later be made to this episode in reruns: Kevin’s hilarious “This is my bitch” line regarding Jon’s Ivan Boesky (a topical bit) would be bleeped out in reruns. I don’t know if it’s because of the context the word “bitch” was used in, or if it’s because maybe the real Ivan Boesky complained to the show.
— Kevin reminiscing about when he first fell in love with Jon’s Boesky is providing some good laughs.
— Bill’s Nick has some particularly strong transitions into the songs he’s relating to situations in this sketch.
— I especially like the part now with Bill’s Nick breaking out into Party Like It’s 1999.
— Overall, the usual great Nick the Lounge Singer piece. That being said, I’ve always kinda felt it was a missed opportunity to not pair Nick with the Sweeney Sisters. The Sweeney Sisters were basically the Nick the Lounge Singer of the late 80s, and it would’ve been interesting seeing team together.
STARS: ****


WEEKEND UPDATE
after a six-year absence, BIM returns with his Oscar picks for 1987

— I’m liking all the jokes about the televangelists scandal (which SNL will get even more great mileage out of in the following week’s episode, especially in a memorable Church Chat sketch).
— Aside from two lame photo-based jokes (which I feel Dennis unfairly gets a bad rap for over-relying on; he’s barely done ANY photo-based jokes in the Updates I’ve covered so far, but then again, I am pretty early in his Update tenure), Dennis is on fire with a lot of these jokes so far tonight.
— Good bit with Dennis demonstrating a Rubik’s Condom.
— Alright! The return of Bill’s Oscar picks!
— And there’s goes the tradition of Bill giving short-shrift to the supporting actors/actresses category.
— Bill dismissing movie sequels and saying he’ll probably never do a Ghostbusters 2 is certainly funny to hear in hindsight, considering…
— I got a good laugh from Bill saying Platoon and Hannah & Her Sisters are basically the same movie.
— Bill’s overall Oscars segment was the usual great stuff.
STARS: ****


IT’S A GIRL
an obstetrician (PHH) delivers only girls- he removes testes if necessary

— Some laughs from Bill’s frustrated reaction to hearing his baby’s going to be a girl.
— Very dark reveal that many of the “female” babies Phil’s delivered have had to receive a special operation to remove their penis and testicles.
— Funny walk-on from Jon as a grown-up version of one of the “female” babies Phil’s delivered.
— I love how this is now taking an even darker turn with Phil’s tense “ boys are bad” monologue, complete with dramatic background music.
— Overall, a sketch that I’ve always loved, for its humorously dark subject matter and fantastic Phil Hartman performance.
STARS: ****½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “When A Man Loves A Woman”


IL RETURNO DE HERCULES
the out-of-shape demigod (BIM) can’t lift a rock

— The usually-impeccable Phil Hartman actually has a hard time delivering his opening narration, stumbling over a few words. Very rare to see Phil giving a clumsy performance. This would result in YET ANOTHER change made to reruns of tonight’s episode: Phil’s narration is replaced with Al Franken doing a flub-less take.
— Dana’s facial expressions and badly-dubbed American voice are hilarious.
— Funny visual with Bill’s gut hanging out.
— I love the deadpan dubbed voice Jim Downey is using for Bill.
STARS: ****


TOUGH PARENTS
(DAC) feels pressured by his overdemanding parents (BIM) & (NOD)

— I like how tense this is increasingly getting.
— Geez, now Dana pulls out a pistol.
— Funny how Bill is instructing Dana on how to properly attempt to shoot him.
— Excellent very dark ending with Dana shooting Nora and Bill, followed by Bill happily concluding that “Mikey can shoot.”
— Overall, I liked this for similar reasons I liked the disturbing It’s A Girl sketch earlier tonight, only with the darkness reaching a full 11 this time.
STARS: ***½


TAXI
cab driver Honker & fare (DAC) relate their recent experiences

— The return of Bill’s Honker character.
— Funny story from Honker about kidnapping a prostitute to save her from a pimp. I also like how Dana is hesitantly going along with the story.
— Pretty poor greenscreen work at the end when Honker was “driving” away.
— Overall, a decent sketch that offered amusing weirdness.
STARS: ***


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A great episode, as expected with Bill Murray hosting. There weren’t any sketches I disliked tonight, and a lot of the sketches were strong. I also like how several of the post-Update sketches took on a more dark, disturbing tone than we’re used to seeing on SNL. This overall episode has always been one of my personal favorites from this whole era, though I might be biased because it’s one of the earliest episodes I recall ever seeing in a Comedy Central rerun, very early in my SNL fandom when I had mostly only seen new episodes (this was in 1999, by the way) and hadn’t yet been exposed to a lot of reruns of older seasons on Comedy Central. Because of that, I have very fond memories of this episode.
— Bill Murray was his usual great self. One of the things I always like about seeing a former cast member hosting is seeing how well they work with a completely different cast. Bill had a really good chemistry with this cast and fit well in this era’s style.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Valerie Bertinelli):
— a step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Charlton Heston

Posted on

February 28, 1987 – Valerie Bertinelli / The Robert Cray Band (S12 E13)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
Don Regan (KEN) & Nancy (JAH) Reagan cuckold oblivious Ronald (PHH)

— Nice to see we’re not getting a third consecutive cold opening with Phil’s Liberace in heaven.
— Amusing part with Reagan requesting increasingly smaller and simpler summaries of a report.
— Loved Phil-as-Reagan’s whole long-winded run about “I may not know about foreign policy or the budget or trade relations or… etc.”
— This is the second sketch Phil has played Reagan in, and they’ve already ditched the “secret mastermind” premise from his first appearance, and are just having him play Reagan in the typical doddering manner. It’s probably for the best, as I guess the mastermind characterization wouldn’t have lent itself well to repeat appearances.
— Good reveal of Jan’s Nancy and Kevin’s Don Regan involved in a secret affair.
— Decent opening overall.
STARS: ***


MONOLOGUE
(no synopsis available)

— I almost thought her mention of doing a TV movie titled “Vigilante Hooker” was genuine, before she followed it up with titles of other obviously fake movies.
— The “woman next door” punchline was a weak way to end this.
— An overall short, ho-hum monologue.
STARS: **


MCSOOSHI
— Rerun


HARD NEWS CAFE
(PHH) & (host) eat amid journalists at Hard News Cafe; Edwin Newman cameo

— I like the gag with the reporter patrons collectively trying to call over the waitress in the same manner they would at a press conference.
— The debut of Kevin’s Sam Donaldson, an impression I’ve always liked from him, though he’s not wearing the fake thick eyebrows that would later become a regular part of the impression.
— I like how Dana-as-Ted-Koppel’s casual speak still has him talking in a very Nightline-esque manner.
— A good laugh from Jon’s “You guys suck!” to Koppel and Donaldson.
— Great to see Edwin Newman appearing on the show again, after being a friend of the show during the Ebersol era.
— Funny touch with Newman nitpicking Jon’s grammar when throwing him out.
STARS: ***½


DISCOVER
Peter Graves’ (PHH) ignorance of basic chemistry is apparent

— Unsurprisingly, Phil’s doing a spot-on impression of Peter Graves’ voice.
— A huge laugh from Phil foolishly asking if the molecule model on display is actual size.
— Loved Phil unsuccessfully trying to walk off with the gold in his pocket.
— LOL, holy hell at the part with Phil’s Graves knocking over the heavy osmium, causing it to crash many floors below.
— Love Phil-as-Graves’ way of always saying “aaaalright”, especially him happily saying it after Jon panickedly explains that Graves has just exposed them to deadly radioactive californium.
— Overall, this sketch was a riot. There were lots of funny moments all throughout, and every little thing about Phil’s performance absolutely tickled me.
STARS: ****½


DINNER AT THE VAN HALEN’S
roadies help out with dinner at the home of host & Eddie Van Halen [real]

  

— I like the concept of roadies preparing the Van Halen’s dinner as if it’s a rock concert.
— Good part with the roadies forcefully shining flashlights on Valerie’s hair to show the guests her highlights that she has just mentioned.
— Seeing Eddie Van Halen and Valerie Bertinelli side-by-side reminds me of how people used to always say they look more like siblings than spouses. It’s true; they do have eerily similar facial features.
— Overall, a fairly short sketch that ended at the right time before the joke started getting old.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Smoking Gun”


WEEKEND UPDATE
contest winner (JOL) hangs out with David Lee Roth (DAC) in a hotel room
KEN uses cliches to tell what he knows about preparing income tax returns

   

— This marks the very first time Dennis has started an Update with “Good evening, what can I tell ya?”, which would go on to be his trademark opening line.
— Some good material from Dennis snarking on President Reagan’s poor memory.
— Very funny David Lee Roth impression from Dana.
— A good laugh from Jon as the David Lee Roth contest winner holding up a “Help me” sign during Roth’s raving.
— Another Kevin Nealon commentary that deals with him constantly changing his topic.
— Kevin’s overall commentary had some laughs, though I didn’t like this one as much as his last two commentaries with this premise.
STARS: ***½


PET CHICKEN SHOP
Ching Change thinks he’s found the perfect match in (host)

— Ohho, boy…
— Well, we get the debut of Nora as Ching’s sister, Loose Change, so that’s…. something.
— There was a least one interesting moment so far, with Ching Change following up a lie with “Yeah, that’s the ticket.”
STARS: *½


STOMPIN’ 8H
Eddie Van Halen [real] & SNL Band perform “Stompin’ 8H”


WASHINGTON CENTER COSMETIC SURGERY
(NOD) endorses low-cost plastic surgery at Washington Center

— There was absolutely no joke here AT ALL. It was just a serious, straightforward ad with Nora as a spokesperson promoting a cosmetic surgery center. Having seen tonight’s episode several times in the past, I’m well aware that this ends up being Part 1 of a two-part ad, in which the punchline is delivered in the second ad. However, I can just imagine how confused first-time viewers of this episode were when Part 1 of this commercial aired. I’m sure there were a lot of people going “Wait… what the hell? Was that a real commercial??? There wasn’t even a joke!” I probably had that same reaction myself the first time I saw this episode, but that was so long ago, I can’t remember.
STARS: N/A (not a rateable segment)


LET’S GO TO THE MOVIES
collegians (host) & (JAH) on The Color Of Money

— Jan and Valerie are very accurate in their characterizations here, but is this sketch GOING anywhere?
— Well, at least this overall sketch didn’t run too long considering the thin premise, but the sketch just came and went without offering anything other than a generic stereotypical 80s teen girl conversation.
STARS: **


WASHINGTON CENTER COSMETIC SURGERY
get redress for cut-rate plastic surgery with Washington Center Attorneys

— Hilarious follow-up to the first ad, and Nora’s disfigured Joker-esque look was a great visual.
— Very clever and kinda ballsy for SNL to set up a two-part ad like this, airing the first part as a serious non-comedic segment and waiting until Part 2 to reveal the joke.
STARS: ****


ON BROADWAY
guy who replaced Yul Brynner in The King & I (PHH) rants

— Two talk show sketches in a row hosted by Jan??? And it feels a little odd seeing her play a normal, mature talk show host immediately after the over-the-top valley girl-esque host we had just seen her playing moments ago, though if anything, this at least proves her wide range as a performer.
— Good part with Phil rudely knocking on Jan’s head while asking “Hello, anybody home?!?” I also liked Jan’s angry reaction to that.
— I’m really liking Phil’s growing frustration, especially him angrily beginning to cut his hair with scissors to resemble Yul Brynner.
— The studio audience is unusually dead during this sketch so far.
— Good appearance from Nora (who has really woken up the quiet studio audience) with her angry rant to viewers. I especially loved her saying “You want Yul Brynner? Dig him up!”
— Funny ending with Phil revealing Zorba The Greek is the next show he’ll be doing.
— Overall, a pretty solid sketch, though not quite as strong as I had remembered. I used to consider this an underrated Phil Hartman gem that should’ve been included in his “Best Of” (actually, maybe it was; in fact, that may have been where I first saw it… not sure, though), but after watching the sketch now, I was slightly disappointed to see it wasn’t quite as great as I used to find it. I still like the sketch quite a lot, but I’m now starting to think I’ve always loved it more for Phil’s (and now Nora’s) performance than for the actual material, though the material was fine.
STARS: ***½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Right Next Door”


OPERA SINGER DOCTOR
an incompetent doctor (JOL) regrets not becoming an opera singer

— Featured player A. Whitney Brown makes his ONLY appearance of the night as a dead body. Ouch.
— Very funny part with Dana slowly dropping dead after being told by Jon that he has only a week to live from a blood clot. His death results in a simple “Maybe less” response from Jon.
— I also like how the aforementioned death was immediately followed by Valerie asking over the intercom “Is he dead yet?”
— Another great use of Jon’s beautiful operatic singing voice.
— An overall kinda odd sketch, but an enjoyable one and felt very fitting in the 10-to-1 slot, which is perfect for this type of experimental piece.
STARS: ***½


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A pretty good episode, though there isn’t much to say about it as a whole. There was at least one really strong sketch (Discover) as well as two great Phil Hartman performances (On Broadway and the aforementioned Discover).


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


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Bill Murray

Posted on

February 21, 1987 – Willie Nelson (S12 E12)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
Afterlife Styles of the Rich & Famous- an interview with Liberace (PHH)

— I like this concept of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous interviewing dead celebrities.
— Hilarious Robin Leach impression from Dana, and I like the way he says “I don’t know whhyyyyyy”.
— Another Liberace in heaven cold opening for the second episode in a row???
— Wow, a sudden appearance from Jon’s Mephistopheles.
— A decent opening overall, though I still find it strange that they’ve done two cold openings in a row starring Phil’s Liberace in heaven.
STARS: ***


MONOLOGUE
host plays guitar & sings “Nightlife”

— Judging from how the home base stage is laid out upon Willie Nelson’s entrance, with his band members and their instruments already occupying the stage (and the SNL Band being nowhere in sight), you can tell this will be a musical monologue.
— I was right. After a quick intro, Willie has immediately thrown to a straightforward, non-comedic musical performance.


GENERAL DYNAMICS
— Rerun


GREAT MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF WHITE TRASH
wed cousins (Danny DeVito) & (NOD)

— Our first of several appearances tonight from credited special guest Danny DeVito.
— I liked Nora’s line about Danny getting better-looking with every drink she takes.
— Funny ending reveal of Danny and Nora turning out to be first cousins.
STARS: ***


POLICE WIRE
(Danny DeVito) winds up incriminating himself while wearing a police wire

— Some really good laughs from the mobsters talking about the huge crimes a police wire-wearing Danny has committed in the past, all the while Kevin and A. Whitney’s police officers are listening on in shock.
— I’m liking Danny’s various nervous reactions.
— Funny twist with mob boss Jon Lovitz’s “dark plan” turning out to simply be raising funds for an outdoor basketball court.
— I was kinda expecting more from the ending.
STARS: ***½


GREAT MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF WHITE TRASH
a party girl (JAH)

— I liked Jan’s “What kind of car you got?” when Phil’s trying to flirt with her.
— Overall, this didn’t work as well as the last one did. There weren’t any big jokes here.
STARS: **½


CHURCH CHAT
host & Church Lady sing “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Anymore”

— Danny DeVito front and center in yet another sketch tonight. They might as well have credited him as a co-host instead of a special guest.
— Great line from Danny about Church Lady not “having her ticket punched” in a long time.
— Love the superior dance-off between Danny and Church Lady.
— First time they’ve ever used the echo at the end of Church Lady’s “Could it be… SATAN?!?” catchphrase.
— I liked Church Lady’s over-eagerness in opening her present.
— Good ending with Church Lady and Willie singing a romantic duet together
STARS: ****


WEEKEND UPDATE
upside-down VIJ shows her stars & stripes panties while reviewing Amerika
AWB has some thoughts about Glasnost & China’s billion-plus population

 

— Dennis starts this off with a monotone “Isn’t that special?”
— I didn’t get the Martha Raye, denture-wearer joke.  Commercial reference?
— I liked Dennis’ bit about an AIDS-ridden Garfield being given his own separate page in the newspaper.
— Our very first instance of a Victoria Jackson Weekend Update handstand.
— I like how Victoria is giving a review of a miniseries while still doing her handstand.
— Second episode in a row with an A. Whitney Brown commentary. After how surprisingly weak his last one was, I’m not sure I’m too happy to see another one so soon.
— A. Whitney’s overall commentary tonight was thankfully a return to form for him. He had the usual amount of funny lines, and the audience was also more into it than they were last time.
STARS: ***


REDNECK TANNING PARLOR
modern Southerners get their red necks at (host)’s tanning parlor

— Great southern voice from Jan.
— Very funny visual of Kevin’s insane tan.
— I enjoyed Willie’s mock-dramatic speech at the end.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
host performs “Partners After All”


GREAT MOMENTS IN THE HISTORY OF WHITE TRASH
a welfare cheat (KEN)

— An overall okay installment that was a little better than the second one.
STARS: ***


BAR
Tommy Flanagan tells host that he also has a new movie & album coming out

— Wow, from my past viewings, I had no memory of Tommy Flanagan appearing in this episode. According to a commenter on this site, there’s also one more Flanagan appearance remaining this season, but I have no memory of that one either. I had always remembered the Walter Payton one being the last appearance Flanagan makes before the show puts him on a very long hiatus.
— Strange how the last two Flanagan sketches have taken place in a bar.
— When Willie plugs his new movie, Flanagan responds “Oh, yeah, I heard about that on Church Chat.” Great little meta moment there. I always love the rare times an SNL episode has sketches overlap with each other.
— I got a chuckle from Flanagan saying he’s starring in a movie titled “The Hook-Nosed & Balding Stranger”.
— I like how “And yet it happened” has become a new catchphrase in the last two installments of this sketch.
— Overall, a lot of this was the same old tired Flanagan stuff, but this had a few moments and I liked the interplay between Flanagan and Willie.
STARS: **½


THE BOYFRIEND SONG
host & VIJ play guitar & sing “The Boyfriend Song”

— Wow, Victoria gets to debut TWO of her trademarks tonight. First a handstand on Update, and now a ukulele song.
— I liked Victoria having to clear the air about her quaalude lyric.
— Cute song from Victoria so far, and I love the chemistry between her and Willie.
— Overall, a nice piece, and considering how much trouble she’s been having standing out among this season’s new cast, it’s good to see Victoria having a breakout night in tonight’s episode.
STARS: ***


TRUCK STOP CAFÉ
(host) uses Patsy Cline music to woo truck stop waitress Anita (JAH)

— Jan gets to play yet another white trash waitress tonight.
— I got a good laugh from Jan’s “Comin’ in once a month, like cramps” complaint about Willie.
— I loved how Jan briefly stopped in the middle of her heated rant to happily greet a customer and then immediately continued her rant without missing a beat.
— I like Jan’s adamant “You get away from that jukebox right now” warning to Willie, only to easily melt when the romantic music starts playing from the jukebox.
— Overall, I really liked this. A very charming, softer, slice-of-life sketch and, while Willie was fine in his role, you can probably tell from my review that this sketch was all about Jan. It really showed off her excellent performance skills. While not quite on the same level as her memorable performance in the later Sexual Tensions Diner sketch with Alec Baldwin, this felt like an early precursor to it, only with a more sentimental touch.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
host performs “Blue Eyes”


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A better episode than I had remembered it being. I said in my last review that if this Willie Nelson episode was as weak as I remember, it would continue the recent consecutive string of underwhelming episodes, making it official that we’re in a mid-season slump. However, I was pleased to find myself enjoying this episode. While this was far from a particularly great episode, it had a nice flow and consistency to it, and there weren’t any segments that were particularly bad. And although there was a bit too much of a same-y feel to quite a number of the sketches, having a redneck/white trash theme (which I guess is to be expected in a Willie Nelson-hosted episode), I can appreciate how it gave this episode a strangely likable, down-home feel.
— As a host, Willie Nelson didn’t stretch himself at all, just playing himself or characters like himself all night. However, he didn’t bring down any sketches either. On a scale of country singer hosts (off the top of my head) with Kris Kristofferson being the lowest level and Garth Brooks being the highest, I’d say Willie was above the Kristofferson level, but below the level of Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Bronson Pinchot):
— a step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Valerie Bertinelli

Posted on

February 14, 1987 – Bronson Pinchot / Paul Young (S12 E11)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
Liberace (PHH) plays the piano in Heaven- it’s all the censors will allow

— Some laughs from Phil’s Liberace impression.
— And it’s over already. Phil as dead Liberace: “If you think the censors are gonna let us do more than this, you’re crazy!” That’s literally the only dialogue in this.
STARS: ***


MONOLOGUE
host tells a tale about a lost Valentine he hasn’t tried too hard to find

— A lot of SNL reviewers seem to think that Bronson Pinchot saying Don Pardo mispronounced his last name was unscripted. (Bronson explains his last name is pronounced “pin-CHOW”, not “pin-CHO”) Literally every review I’ve read of this episode points out how unlikable Bronson instantly came off for having the nerve to rudely call out Don Pardo on live TV over a simple mistake. I’m personally of the opinion that Bronson correcting Pardo was a scripted joke. Those aforementioned SNL reviewers seem to completely ignore the fact that Bronson immediately followed up his Pardo correction by saying “We have a terrific show for you tonight”, pronouncing “show” in the same manner as how he claimed his last name is pronounced (“pin-CHOW”). It’s a VERY lame joke, but it makes it obvious to me that him correcting Pardo was all in the script. Does anyone reading this know for sure? Also, does anyone here know the true pronunciation of Pinchot? I could swear Pardo’s “pin-cho” pronunciation was correct.
— I like the band accompanying Bronson’s Valentines remembrance with soft piano music.
— An okay comedic turn at the end of Bronson’s story, but there was WAY too long of a build-up for my likes. A long, dead-serious set-up like that needed a funnier punchline than what we got.
STARS: **


AMERIDA
(PHH) can’t stand the changes caused by Canada’s takeover of USA

— I love the concept of this.
— All the little touches with Canadian terms being interjected into the family’s conversation are really funny.
— Phil’s whole “I remember the days when our country didn’t have to… etc.” rant is fantastic. His whole objection to Canada taking over American traditions is even funnier if you’re aware of the irony there: Phil Hartman is Canadian in real life.
STARS: ****½


NIGHTLINE
Henry Kissinger (ALF) & others discuss “Amerida” plausibility

— Very nice way to carry over the Amerida storyline into a separate sketch. Very rare for SNL to do something like this.
— The debut of a funny Ted Koppel impression from Dana.
— Good to see Al Franken back as Henry Kissinger.
— I got a big laugh from Al’s Kissinger concluding that the Amerida concept “was just stupid”.
— Bronson’s getting some good laughs with his Carl Sagan.
— Good random part with the Nightline secret word.
STARS: ****½


SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT ISSUE
Paulina Poriskova [real]- “boys love Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue”

— Funny part with the “Do Not Disturb” sign.
— Good ending with the random cutaway to a hobo claiming “And I need it too!”
STARS: ***


JINGLE
Derek Stevens feels OK about selling out after Ringo Starr (JOL) approves

— At least this seems like this will be going in a different direction from Derek Stevens’ previous two sketches.
— After Phil’s character has entered the recording room, there’s a noticeable loud feedback hum that’s been going on for a fairly long time, at least in the live version I’m watching of this episode. Maybe it was later fixed in reruns.
— The reworked, commercial jingle version of Choppin’ Broccoli sounds okay, but it’s not really funny or anything.
— Overall, not terrible, but not great either. I’m still of the opinion that they never should have made Derek Stevens recurring. I’m aware of at least one more appearance he makes, which I recall being PARTICULARLY bad, in next season’s Justine Bateman episode.
STARS: **½


VALENTINE’S DAY
Serge (host) relays (PHH)’s Valentine’s Day offerings to Babette

— Hmm, another recurring character I’m not too crazy about, though taking Babette out of the Weekend Update setting and giving her her own sketch tonight will hopefully keep this from following the tired formula of her Update commentaries.
— Ha, Bronson reprising his character from Beverly Hills Cop
— Okay, Bronson’s character got some laughs early on in this sketch, but I really don’t like where this sketch has been going since then. The pacing is way too slow and dull, and the conversation between Bronson and Phil is dragging.
— Overall, blah. Didn’t care for most of this sketch at all.
STARS: *½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “War Games”


WEEKEND UPDATE
Jacques Cousteau (DAC) describes the mating ritual of the napkin fish
AWB looks for alternatives to the recently-voted Senate pay hike
DEM promotes safe sex by donning a Weekend Update Body Condom

    

— During the opening shot of Dennis, what’s with the top of a crew member’s head being seen next to Dennis under the desk? (first screencap above)
— I love how the suggestive sumo wrestling picture had no joke from Dennis. He just showed the picture, let the audience laugh, and then moved on to the next joke, leaving the sumo wrestling bit a completely random non-sequitur.
— Dana’s Jacques Cousteau commentary has a lot of good parts so far, especially the line about napkin fish having six penises.
— Boy, there’s a female audience member with a high-pitched loud giggle that can be heard all throughout tonight’s episode, especially during this Cousteau commentary.
— This overall Cousteau commentary was really funny and just might be one of Dana’s more forgotten Weekend Update gems (or maybe it’s just me who had forgotten it).
— Funny bit with Dennis bringing out a glass of water just so he can do a spit-take in reaction to People Magazine calling Bruce Willis a “renaissance man”.
— Haha, I love how Dennis is commemorating Valentine’s Day by showing a live-action video of an actual beating human heart, which results in squeamish groans from the studio audience.
— A. Whitney’s overall Big Picture commentary tonight was actually really underwhelming. This lacked the large amount of witty comments he usually makes, and the studio audience was DEAD. Not even the aforementioned Loud Giggling Audience Lady could be heard, for once tonight.
— Good ending to tonight’s Update, with Dennis demonstrating the Weekend Update Body Condom.
STARS: ***½


THE LIFE OF GOLDA MEIR
Golda Meir‘s (Paulina Poriskova) good looks were important

 

— An unintentional laugh from Kevin’s badly-applied eyepatch. You can clearly see his real eye under it.
— Wow, and the sketch is already over. What in the world was the point of this? Just to let us know that Golda Meir was attractive? There wasn’t a single intentional laugh and the overall bit felt pointless and truncated.
STARS: *


SKETCH ARTIST
via impersonation, police artist (KEN) helps (host) identify a mugger

— Love this concept of a police sketch artist using his own face to match someone’s descriptions of a mugger.
— Bronson: “He was white.” Kevin: “Oh, good; that’ll save us some time.”
— A good laugh from Kevin copying his altered face in the copy machine.
— Overall, a strong and very Kevin Nealon-y sketch. You can totally tell he wrote this. My only complaint is that Bronson was kind of a weak straight man. He looked uninterested during his performance, as if he was going through the motions.
STARS: ****


HARDWARE STORE
a hardware store gigolo (host) hopes Marge Keister will go for him

— Boy, there goes Loud Giggling Audience Lady once again tonight, as loud as ever this time.
— The lights-turned-out bit was pretty funny.
— This sketch had a slow first half, but it’s starting to get a little funnier with Bronson’s emotional breakdown about how he’ll never make it as a gigolo in a hardware store.
— Overall, not one of the better Marge Keister sketches, but this improved a little as it went along.
STARS: **½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “The Long Run”


MISS CONNIE’S FABLE NOOK
Koko, Mishu, Lebee try to get princess (Paulina Poriskova) to smile

— Oh, no, the return of… THIS.
— Boy, is EVERY sketch Paulina Porizkova in tonight just going to keep mentioning ad nauseam how beautiful she is? We can clearly see she’s hot, so why must all her sketch appearances be accompanied by characters informing us of her beauty over and over and over?
— Kevin’s ogre-ish grunting provided my only semi-chuckles in the first installment of this sketch, but he’s going too heavy on it in tonight’s installment.
— Finally, I got a slight laugh, this time from Jan’s line about Kevin’s character being “giddy for approximately two years”.
— Overall, I pretty much hated this once again. IIRC, this is thankfully the final installment of this sketch I’ll have to suffer through.
STARS: *½


BUSTER POINDEXTER
Buster Poindexter [real] performs “Heart of Gold”


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— Boy, was I underwhelmed by this episode. It was even weaker than the forgettable episode that preceded it. Kinda discouraging to see two less-than-stellar episodes back-to-back, considering how well this season had been going. Tonight’s episode had a fairly ho-hum feel, with only the Amerida/Nightline double-header and Sketch Artist standing out as strong. Even some usually-reliable things like A. Whitney Brown’s Big Picture had an off night.


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


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Willie Nelson. Unfortunately, I recall this episode being fairly weak too. Hopefully my recollection is wrong, because if not, it looks like we’re in the middle of a mid-season slump.

Posted on

January 31, 1987 – Paul Shaffer / Bruce Hornsby & The Range (S12 E10)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
DAC, NOD, JOL are concerned that the show isn’t hip enough for PAS

— For some reason, this begins with the audience already applauding wildly while Paul is just shown talking on the phone.
— Paul Shaffer, the “hippest man in showbiz”? Is that tongue-in-cheek?
— Some laughs from the bar graph comparing SNL viewers to Late Night viewers. I especially like the part about SNL viewers being “more likely to have an operation”.
STARS: ***


MONOLOGUE
back home at SNL, PAS performs “Dirty Water” variant amid go-go dancers

— I like Paul reminiscing about his days in the original SNL.
— Hey, we get a very rare instance of G.E. Smith actually speaking on camera! Interesting hearing his voice during the whole bit with him objecting to Paul saying the SNL Band isn’t as good as his own, and how he helped G.E. get his first big break.
— I am absolutely loving Paul’s whole number about SNL.
— Overall, a strong musical monologue where SNL really went all out.
STARS: ****


WHAT’S MY ADDICTION?
Betty Ford Center alums identify dependencies

— Fantastic Johnny Cash voice from Phil.
— I liked Jon as David Crosby immediately blurting out “Not guilty” as an unrelated answer.
— Good part with the contestants immediately guessing Kevin’s addiction without even being given any clues.
— Pretty funny visual of Paul as Boy George.
— An okay sketch overall, but not a particularly memorable gameshow sketch from this era. Just average.
STARS: ***


SYNTHESIZER
PAS supplies incidental music during unexpected visit by girlfriend (JAH)

— I like Paul playing synthesized music related to every little situation.
— Ehh, this is kinda running out of steam fairly early.
— What was with the ending? Having Jan and Victoria’s characters re-enter the scene to join Paul’s upbeat musical number was a little too corny and hokey for my likes.
STARS: **½


THE GRENADA EXPERIENCE
relive the easy invasion with Time-Life book set

— I’m familiar with the real Vietnam Experience commercial this is parodying, as it aired during a commercial break in the live version I reviewed of the William Shatner episode.
— Love the part about 48 “comprehensive volumes” to document each hour of the Grenada experience.
— Overall, a funny and very clever, dead-on parody, though it helps if you’re familiar with the source material.
STARS: ****


WEEKEND UPDATE
America’s Cup Fact- DEM says those who follow sailing are trendy jerks
excerpts from the new Ferdinand Marcos workout video
cliches dominate KEN’s advice on dealing with post-Super Bowl depression

 

— The Air Pontiff sneakers bit was pretty funny.
— What the hell at this America’s Cup Fact bit that’s suddenly shown up just now?
— The Ferdinand Marcos workout clip was an okay bit.
— Some good laughs from the new baseball rules that Kevin says we should follow.
— Another funny line from Kevin, this time explaining why they got rid of carpeting in basketball.
— Kevin’s overall commentary was in the same vein as his last Update commentary where he constantly changes topics, but this was really solid and had a lot of funny lines.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “The Way It Is”


THE PAT STEVENS SHOW
PAS & Charlton Heston (PHH) hate discussing toupees

— First time a Pat Stevens sketch has her interviewing two guests instead of just one.
— Good to see the return of Phil’s very funny Charlton Heston impression that debuted in the Sideshow of the Stars sketch earlier this season.
— Loved Phil-as-Heston’s angry outburst, admitting his baldness.
— Phil’s Heston to Paul Shaffer: “Shut up, you obsequious organ grinder.”
— Overall, one of the more tolerable Pat Stevens sketches in a while.
STARS: ***


CHINESE NEW YEAR
on Chinese New Year, the Sweeneys sing a Far East medley for Ching Change

— No idea what to say about Paul’s stereotypical Chinese voice, except that the word “cringeworthy” comes to mind.
— Oh, god, and speaking of cringeworthy, this suddenly turns into a Ching Change sketch. Ugh.
— This sketch is fucking brutal to sit through so far.
— What??? Now this suddenly turns into a Sweeney Sisters sketch. Two recurring sketches in one? Where in the world is this sketch going???
— Overall, the Sisters’ medley was good, but not as strong as their medleys usually are. I wasn’t digging their appearance in this sketch as much. Maybe all the Ching Change crap that preceded their appearance had something to do with that, but I also think SNL’s starting to use the Sweeney Sisters too frequently lately.
STARS: **½


TICKET LINE
David & his new girlfriend (VIJ) wait in line to see Radio Days

— A random return of Jon’s Woody Allen-obsessed character. I’m one of the very few people (hell, probably the ONLY person) who kinda liked his first appearance from the previous season.
— I like the new addition of Dana as another Woody Allen-like character. He’s doing a particularly funny impression of Woody’s voice and mannerisms, which makes sense as he would later be cast as Woody himself in the cold opening from the season 18 premiere.
— This movie theater set seems to be made out of portions of SNL’s home base stage from the preceding season, most noticeably the ticket booth and the entrance door.
— Overall, another okay installment of this sketch that I’m sure I’m in the minority in liking.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Mandolin Rain”


ASOCIACION MEXICANA DEL RIÑON
Asociacion Mexicana Del Rinon provides money for your kidneys

— I like how this is being done entirely in Spanish, making the subject matter of this ad comically confusing.
— Phil’s making me laugh as the eager Spanish spokesperson.
— An okay silly bit overall.
STARS: ***


SNL MEMORIES
PAS sings SNL’s history to the tune of “It Was A Very Good Year”

— Oh, I love how this song is reflecting on SNL’s history.
— Emotional lyric about when Belushi “was still alive”. I honestly almost got choked up after that lyric, as someone who’s been chronologically covering SNL’s timeline on a daily basis in this SNL project of mine, and feels like it was just yesterday when I was happily reviewing Belushi’s run as a cast member.
— I actually expected Paul to follow up the aforementioned emotional Belushi lyric with a similar one about Gilda, before remembering Gilda is still alive at this point in 1987. A bit hard to believe that there’s only one deceased SNL cast member at this time, but then again, the show is only 12 years old.
— I like the dark key change the song takes when Paul begins talking about “Doumanian’s year”.
— I’m kinda disappointed Paul glossed over the troubles of season 11. He kinda just transitioned from season 10 to season 12. Maybe the failure of season 11 was too recent at this time for Lorne to be eager about reminiscing over.
— Overall, an absolutely fascinating and well-done piece, detailing the evolution of SNL in a beautiful number, and making references to various catchphrases, characters, and cast members. Again, as someone who’s chronologically going through SNL’s timeline for this SNL project of mine, I especially loved this song.
— I’d like to have seen an updated version of this number at some point years later. They probably can’t do it anymore nowadays, though, as SNL’s history has gotten way too lengthy and erratic to cover in a three-minute song. The closest I can think of to an updated version of this song is Martin Short’s 1996 monologue, where he quickly does a vague spoken rundown of SNL’s then-21 year history by saying a whole bunch of back-and-forth “It was good, then it got really bad, then it got good again, then it– etc.”
STARS: ****½


SIDE NOTE: For some reason, the copy I’m reviewing of this episode has the Handi-Off commercial from next season inserted at this point of tonight’s episode. Not sure why; was it replacing something that was cut from the original live airing?


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A very average and forgettable episode. A lot of pieces that were just okay, and a few ones that were subpar. Kind of in a similar vein to the unremarkable Steve Guttenberg episode, but I’d say tonight’s monologue and Paul’s SNL Memories song gives this episode the edge over Guttenberg.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Joe Montana and Walter Payton):
— a step down


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Bronson Pinchot

Posted on

January 24, 1987 – Joe Montana and Walter Payton / Debbie Harry (S12 E9)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
NFL Video Countdown- foreign-born special teamers sing “We Are Kickers”

— Some funny moments during Walter Payton’s intro, with the titles of music videos that football teams have put out.
— The Superbowl Shuffle-esque “We Are Kickers” is really funny and memorable, especially the simplistic, broken english lyrics.
STARS: ****


MONOLOGUE
deja vu episodes reveal Joe hasn’t fully recovered from his concussion

— Pretty funny straightforward bit with his concussion causing him to repeatedly state exactly what he had said earlier.
STARS: ***


ADOBE
— Rerun


BAR
in a bar, Tommy Flanagan & Walter compare their football achievements

— Another Tommy Flanagan sketch.
— A laugh from Flanagan talking about his inside-out scar.
— Walter was really stiff in his imitation of Flanagan’s liar shtick at the end, but for some reason, that made it funnier to me.
— I like the constant “and yet it happened” lines between Flanagan and Walter.
— Not sure if this is correct, but I recall that this ends up being Tommy Flanagan’s last appearance for a long time. After how overused he’s been, we  get a much-needed long break from him.
STARS: ***


THE HONEST MAN
sincere guy Stu (Joe) interferes with bone-jumping plans of (PHH) & (JAH)

— Some laughs from Phil and Jan’s inner thoughts.
— Immediate big laughs from Joe’s inner thoughts being exactly what he has just said aloud.
— And there goes the classic line “I’ll be in my room masturbating” that instantly makes this sketch memorable, and was the perfect way to end this.
STARS: ****½


CRACK
gymnast (DAC), executive (KEN), dancer (JAH) are Crack Achievers

— This is getting hilarious after the “crack generation” reveal, with all the action now getting crazy and being shown in fast motion.
— Great scenes with Jan attacking a dog, Kevin rapidly exercising himself into a heart attack, and Dana’s gymnast rapidly spinning on the parallel bars to the degree that he catches on fire.
STARS: ****


THE NFL TODAY
a Neil Young (DAC) interview; Jimmy The Greek’s (PHH) pick

— This sketch makes its debut, which would go on to be a semi-recurring sketch from this era that I’ve always liked.
— Very funny detail with Kevin achieving Brent Musberger’s droopy slant-eyed look by simply holding down the sides of his eyes.
— I like how they keep doing a replay of Joe’s concussion incident, much to his chagrin.
— LOL at some of SNL’s audience being heard booing at Joe’s slam about how the Giants don’t win often.
— Ha, Joe begins repeating a statement from the beginning of his interview, as a callback to the gag from the monologue.
— Dana’s Neil Young impression is dead-on and hilarious.
— Funny Mickey Mouse song from Dana’s Neil Young.
— Love the voice Phil’s using as Jimmy the Greek.
STARS: ***½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “French Kissin’ in the USA”


MACE
multiple escape attempts by hostage (KEN) flummox his captor Mace (PHH)

— The debut of Mace, one of Phil Hartman’s more forgotten recurring characters.
— I got huge laughs from Kevin’s initial failed attempt to wrestle the gun away from Phil as soon as Phil’s back is turned. Great reaction from Phil as well, especially the initial speechless look on his face (last screencap above).
— I’m loving Phil’s aggression throughout this.
— Phil’s threatening delivery of “I’m a bad, bad mother” slayed me for some reason.
— Overall, this sketch had me in stitches. I loved the execution, Kevin’s repeated foolish attempts to thwart Mace, and Phil’s comically aggressive delivery.
— I recall them later doing a sequel of sorts to this sketch, where Mace is trying to get in bed with a woman, but gets repeatedly annoyed by Kevin as a random guy constantly peeking in through the window.
STARS: ****


WEEKEND UPDATE
VIJ says her baby daughter Scarlett’s nods & headshakes predict 1987
an electric football game shows what to expect from Super Bowl XXI
AWB examines how race relations have changed since MLK’s times

— Very funny joke about Chinese communist leader Hoo Yoo Bang (sp?).
— Oh, is this going to be yet another Victoria Jackson commentary where the joke is that her “investigative report” video just turns out to be a home video of her playing with her baby?
— Hmm, the premise of this particular Victoria/baby commentary actually seems pretty promising, with her daughter supposedly being able to predict the future when fed Cheerios.
— Victoria’s overall commentary ended up being okay, and was enough of a change of pace from the last two baby video commentaries she did.
— LOL at the audience’s reaction to Dennis’ jokingly mean-spirited, sexist punchline to the story about Corazon Aquino being Time Magazine’s Woman of the Year (“Congratulations. Now get in the kitchen and make me a sandwich”).
— Much like the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots bit last season, Dennis does another rip-off of a bit Joe Piscopo already did years earlier, where we’re shown a Denver Broncos practice session, represented with an electronic football game. This fell VERY flat tonight.
— A. Whitney’s getting some good laughs defending white trash.
— Another overall solid Big Picture commentary from A. Whitney.
STARS: ***½


CHICK HAZARD, PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR
Chick Hazard busts Eddie Spimozo- singer Nancy Maloney (VIJ) is underage

 

— Good to see the return of the Chick Hazard/Eddie Spimozo sketch.
— I always like Jon’s delivery of “I gotta go, I GOTTA GO!!” in these sketches.
— Victoria’s song is actually really funny, especially her suddenly changing her pitch ridiculously low in the middle of the song. This is probably the most Victoria has made me laugh during her SNL tenure so far.
— Third episode in a row with Dana working the line “Why, I oughta pound yooouuu!” into a black-and-white sketch. This time, the audience actually somewhat applauds when he says it, as if even THEY recognize that it’s starting to become a catchphrase of his.
— Love the heated back-and-forth between Phil and Jon, culminating in Jon yelling “I didn’t touch that fish!”
— I said this in an earlier review, but I always love the authenticity this cast brings to these 1930s/40s-era sketches.
STARS: ***½


SUPER BOWL GAMBLING MEMORIES
despite losing, Dallas beats the spread

— An okay quick bit overall. Nothing else to say besides that.
STARS: ***


CHURCH CHAT
hosts’ football lingo is naughty; Church Lady catches a pass

— What’s this doing on so late tonight?
— Why has the usual guest couch been replaced with computer chairs?
— Good casting of Jan as Shirley MacLaine.
— Church Lady’s naughty description of football is funny.
— Another really good laugh, this time from Church Lady’s very suggestive detailing of the process of snapping the ball.
— Ha, Joe has a very amusing suggestive description of his own when describing how a football play typically goes.
— The mini-football game between Church Lady, Joe, and Walter is fun, especially Church Lady running out into the audience to catch a pass.
— Good ending with Church Lady, Joe, and Walter all doing the superior dance.
— Overall, this was the first Church Lady sketch that I felt was really strong. Hopefully, these sketches have officially taken off with tonight’s installment.
STARS: ****


THE MICHAEL JACKSON WORKOUT TAPE
the pop star (Walter) is pumped up

— An initial laugh from the visual of Walter playing Michael Jackson.
— Walter’s delivery in this is pretty rough with his constant pauses.
— The effeminate hand mannerisms and somewhat lispy voice are a bit much. This vaguely gay portrayal of Michael Jackson comes off strange in hindsight nowadays, which is the same gripe I had with Eddie Murphy’s MJ impression from back in the day. Then again, in Eddie and Walter’s defense, I guess there wasn’t much about Michael’s personality to make fun of yet back in the 80s. Oh, how that would soon drastically change…
— I like the inclusion of a random llama.
STARS: **½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “In Love With Love”


UNITED WAY
the United Way is there for those impoverished by heeding Jimmy The Greek

— Pretty funny premise.
— Joe started out okay in this, but after a while, he’s now looking pretty lost with his delivery and has begun stumbling quite a bit.
— Overall, this sketch started out fine, but fizzled out a little after a while, and Joe’s performance didn’t help.
— This would later get removed from all reruns and be replaced with, IIRC, a Buster Poindexter musical performance from dress rehearsal (he was bumped from the live show, for the second time this season).
STARS: **


GOODNIGHTS

— In the live version I’m watching of this episode, Don Pardo’s voice-over during these goodnights mentions that the Weekend Update from the October 18, 1986 broadcast (Malcolm-Jamal Warner episode) used the name Eddie Fontaine, and Pardo explains it was meant to be a fictitious character, not a real person. I pointed out in my review of that episode that Fontaine’s name would later get bleeped out in reruns. I guess Pardo’s voice-over in these goodnights was basically an on-air apology after the legal trouble I’m assuming SNL got into for using Fontaine’s name in a negative manner.

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— An overall pretty solid episode, though the quality took a dip towards the end. A lot of good sketches tonight. For athlete hosts, Joe Montana and Walter Payton weren’t too bad. Despite the obvious stiffness, as well as their line delivery being distractingly rough during their respective final sketch (Michael Jackson Workout and United Way), they were likable and got some laughs.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (William Shatner):
— a mild step down


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Paul Shaffer

Posted on

December 20, 1986 – William Shatner / Lone Justice (S12 E8)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
“Ballad Of The Green Berets” variant lauds mute Marine Ollie North (host)

— Funny idea, and I love the melody of the song.
— I like how the lyrics are explaining all the important details of the Oliver North story, which in hindsight provides full context for any future viewers (like me) who wouldn’t have much familiarity with the story. That ages this cold opening better than some other overly-topical things SNL has done over the years, though as much as I’m enjoying this cold opening, I’m sure it hit even harder with viewers in 1986.
— I got a good laugh from the “What a great plan!” lyric.
— Good bit with Shatner holding his hand up as if to speak, only to remain mute.
STARS: ***½


OPENING MONTAGE
— Nice touch with the theme music briefly being interrupted early on with a snippet of “Joy to the World” before the regular theme music continues.
— There used to be some SNL fans that claimed comedian Kevin Meaney is credited as a one-episode-only featured player in this episode, but nope. In the live version I’m reviewing of this episode, and in all the rerun versions I’ve seen, he’s credited as a special guest.


MONOLOGUE
(no synopsis available)

— This was very short before he segued into the related next sketch. The jokes in this monologue weren’t really working for me, so it’s probably a good thing that they transitioned out of this early.
STARS: N/A (not a rateable segment)


16TH ANNUAL STAR TREK CONVENTION
at a Star Trek convention, host tells loser attendees to “get a life”

— Some laughs from Dana and Jon making fun of Kevin for getting a trivia question wrong.
— All the little details throughout this are a funny and probably accurate recreation of a Star Trek convention.
— And there goes Shatner dropping the legendary “Get a life, will you people?” bomb.
— Great cutaway to Jon looking down in disappointment when Shatner asks “Have you ever kissed a girl?”
— Shatner’s harsh reality check to the Star Trek fans is a riot.
— I like the fight between Phil and Shatner in the background, leading to Shatner playing off his whole “Get a life” speech as a recreation of evil Captain Kirk from a Star Trek episode.
— Overall, a true classic.
STARS: *****


CHRISTMAS PARTY
at a party, Liz & Candy Sweeney sing a Christmas medley about bells

— First time a Sweeney Sisters sketch has begun with either of the sisters already present in the scene, instead of both of them being introduced into the sketch by someone.
— Nothing much to say about the overall piece, but the medley was fun as usual, had a great Christmas spirit feel, and featured the usual solid interplay between Jan and Nora.
STARS: ***½


T.J. HOOKER
“Little Blue Riding Hood” features the cop on a car

— Fun visual of Shatner on the hood of the driving car.
— Shatner’s dialogue sounds strangely muffled so far in this sketch.
— Okay, Shatner’s dialogue is now sounding clearer.
— Funny bit with him reading the license number with his foot.
— I like the way this is escalating, with it now being dusk outside as a still-on-the-hood Shatner is writing a sentimental letter.
— Boy, that is one fake-looking snow backdrop.
— An overall decent sketch, though I was expecting it to be a little stronger.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Shelter”


WEEKEND UPDATE
describing Ronald Reagan’s prostate surgery makes ALF uncomfortable

 

— LOL at the audience reaction to the brain tumor joke about CIA director William Casey.
— Al Franken makes what I believe is his first appearance of the whole season, despite receiving no credit in the opening montage tonight (nor does he receive one for any other episodes this season).
— A lot of laughs from Al wincing, squirming, and making a variety of other uncomfortable sounds and gestures while going into explicit detail about the surgical prostate procedure.
STARS: ***½


STAR TREK V: THE RESTAURANT ENTERPRISE
Khan (DAC) tries to shut it down

— Very funny concept for a Star Trek parody.
— I liked Dr. McCoy’s “For god sake, Jim, be careful!” when Captain Kirk is simply heading to a table.
— First time I’ve spotted Kevin Meaney tonight, this time in a non-speaking role as a choking victim.
— Kirk: “Dr. McCoy, this man needs medical attention.” McCoy: “Dammit, Jim, I’m a doctor, not a– Oh, oh, sure.”
— First time Akira Yoshimura has reprised his role as Sulu since SNL’s original Star Trek parody in season 1, starting a decades-long running gag.
— Hilarious how so many mundane restaurant issues are being treated so dramatically by the Star Trek crew.
— Very memorable part with Captain Kirk pointing out how Sulu has put on weight.
— Dana is freakin’ hilarious as Khan.
— I like Dana’s Khan stopping in the middle of his rant to also question Sulu’s weight. Also, something about Yoshimura’s monotone delivery of his explanation “We all get older, Khan” always amuses me.
— Kevin as Spock: “Would you do me the very great honor of eating my shorts?”
STARS: ****½


LOOK AT THAT!
narcissistic (host) admires his physique in front of the mirror

— Shatner’s really funny in this with his self-admiring in the mirror.
— Overall, a simple but fairly charming sketch.
STARS: ***


CHRISTMAS MEMORIES
KEN relates the dark side to his classic Christmas experiences

— Kevin: “Over the river and through the woods… that’s the way my grandmother used to drive.”
— I’m loving the increasingly ridiculous things he misses about Christmas.
— Not sure the “Save your receipts” joke at the end worked for me
— Overall, a solid and a very quintessential Kevin Nealon piece. For some reason, I’ve always kinda considered this a sister sketch to Steve Martin’s Holiday Wish sketch from two episodes earlier, to the degree that I sometimes misremember this Nealon sketch as being performed in front of a dark background while he sits in a chair, like the Steve Martin sketch.
STARS: ****


IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE
lynch mob attacks Potter (JOL) in lost ending of It’s A Wonderful Life

   

— Good to see Dana’s hilarious Jimmy Stewart back.
— Kevin Meaney in another small role, only this time, he gets an actual line. Strange that they would bring him in as a special guest to just play bit roles all night. Why not give him a stand-up segment?
— Phil’s voice as Uncle Billy is cracking me up.
— Love the dark turn this has taken with the whole town angrily coming after Old Man Potter.
— If you listen, Dana can be heard muttering “Why, I oughta pound you” when tipping Old Man Potter out of his wheelchair, which is starting to become a go-to phrase of his in these black-and-white sketches.
— LOL at the reveal that Potter’s been faking his crippled state.
— This is getting even funnier now with Potter being replaced with an obvious dummy as the beatdown starts to get particularly brutal.
— I like the citizens randomly breaking out into “Auld Land Syne” while Potter’s beatdown is still occurring.
— Overall, this sketch was freakin’ priceless. A true SNL classic.
STARS: *****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “I Found Love”


THE TRUE LIFE STORY OF FRANKIE TOUSSAINT
Frankie Toussaint (Griffin Dunne) pays for others’ job dissatisfaction

 

— Random Griffin Dunne-starring film.
— I like Tom Davis as the doctor casually explaining there were things he should’ve done to save Dunne’s friend’s life, but didn’t because he was simply distracted by other ambitions.
— I like the way this is quickly escalating, with all the cuts to subsequent scenes.
— Overall, a good film and featured a strong performance from Griffin Dunne. I used to joke to myself that SNL cast Dunne in this film as an apology to him for the crappy episode they gave him when he hosted the previous season. Who knows, maybe there’s some truth to that.
STARS: ***½


BUSTER POINDEXTER
Buster Poindexter [real] performs “Zat You, Santa?”


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A very strong and memorable episode, and one of my personal favorite Christmas episodes the show has ever done. The quality was very consistent with solid sketches throughout the whole night, two sketches were all-time classics (Star Trek Convention and It’s A Wonderful Life), and William Shatner was a fun and very game host.


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


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
We enter 1987, with hosts Joe Montana and Walter Payton

Posted on

December 13, 1986 – Steve Guttenberg / The Pretenders (S12 E7)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
Infidelscam- Iranians hold hearings on their part in arms-for-hostages

— Even though it was a cheap stereotypical middle-eastern joke, I got a laugh from the “oath” just turning out to be high-pitched foreign-dialect screaming. I think there was just something about the visual of A. Whitney Brown doing that that amused me.
— I like how the Iranians are speaking in VERY American accents.
— Haha, Phil is especially doing a very funny American accent.
— Damn, Phil’s delivery of his lines are particularly great here and are getting big laughs. He’s stealing the whole sketch.
— Pretty good cold opening overall.
STARS: ***


MONOLOGUE
host plays “War” on his tuba with SNL Band to show that he’s cool

— Steve’s high school reunion story had some laughs.
— I’m liking this performance of “War (What Is It Good For?)”, but again, I’m always a sucker for that song.
STARS: ***


MCSOOSHI
“America’s Eating It Raw” under the golden arches

 

— A very funny parody of McDonalds commercials, with sushi of all things being the subject of this jolly ad.
— Kevin’s brief testimonial was pretty funny.
— Great part with the cutaway to a Japanese guy in the restaurant just shrugging.
STARS: ****


DEREK STEVENS
a marketing expert (KEN) says Derek Stevens should die to help his career

— Dana’s Derek Stevens character becomes recurring.
— Wasn’t necessary to repeat the “Welcome to L.A…. private joke!” greeting from Phil’s character. That line was delivered much funnier in the original Derek Stevens sketch.
— I like the reveal that Phil and Kevin don’t want Derek Stevens to fake his own death; they feel he should genuinely die.
— The made-up song Stevens has started singing is using the same melody as his “The Lady I Know” song (the one with the legendary Choppin’ Broccoli chorus) from his first sketch.
— Yeah, this “My Teeny Little Woman” song he’s singing is paling BADLY in comparison to Choppin’ Broccoli. It’s nothing but a cheap knock-off. I always kinda hate when SNL does stuff like this, where they take something that was an unexpected big hit and then give it a sequel where they just lazily do a rewrite of the original script, hoping lightning will strike twice.
— Okay, they kinda won me back at the end of this sketch, with Stevens being given a new car that’s obviously set up to crash.
— Overall, there were laughs in the beginning and end of this sketch, but I took issue with the middle where they tried to replicate the success of the Choppin’ Broccoli number.
STARS: **½


BLIND MAN
a homosexual (host) poses as a woman to seduce a blind guy (JOL)

— Fairly funny how Steve is pretending to leave and then sneaks back into blind Jon’s bed.
— Jon’s “Oh! Oh!” reactions every time he realizes Steve is in his bed are cracking me up.
— Good part with Steve doing various voices when pretending the cops have arrived.
— The mock-PSA ending didn’t really add much to this.
— Not sure if I should like this overall sketch or not. I mean, I got laughs throughout it, but the homosexual subject matter feels questionable and touchy, to say the least. IIRC, this sketch received quite a lot of flack when it originally aired, and resulted in this overall episode not getting a rerun on NBC that season.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Don’t Get Me Wrong”


SIDESHOW OF THE STARS
Baboon Boy Casey Kasem (DAC) & other freaks

 

— Interesting use of Penn and Teller.
— Funny visual of Dana’s Casey Kasem as “Baboon Boy”.
— Nice to see Jan’s solid Sally Kellerman impression back.
— The debut of Phil’s classic Charlton Heston impression.
— Haha, holy hell at the priceless part with Phil’s Heston biting the fake chicken’s head off.
STARS: ***½


WEEKEND UPDATE
lengthy National Spelling Bee ends when (host) misspells “aiieeeee”
Babette likens repairing USA-France relations to apologizing to a lover

— Interesting cutaway to a spelling bee scene, which is basically coming off as a mini-sketch in the middle of Update.
— I like the unusual words Victoria and Steve have to spell.
— I didn’t get Dennis’ bit about cardboard cutouts.
— Nora’s Babette character makes her first appearance since last season.
— So far, tonight’s Babette commentary is going in the same direction as her last appearance, with her acting out another passionate phone conversation between America and France.
— Yeah, Babette’s overall commentary tonight didn’t work for me at all. Much like Derek Stevens, this is another example tonight of a recurring character treading the same old ground that was done better in their previous appearance.
STARS: ***


MOVIE TALK
host’s girlfriend’s parents’ (PHH) & (JAH) movie knowledge is limited

— Jan appears to be playing her Marge Keister character, but she seems to have a different last name in this.
— Not much on big laughs here so far, but this sketch has a nice low-key, slice-of-life feel, and I’m really enjoying the character work and interplay between Phil and Jan.
STARS: ***


PENN AND TELLER
Penn & Teller [real] perform The World’s Most Expensive Card Trick

 

— Fascinating set-up to the trick, and I like how Penn is being broadcast from outdoors (though I don’t know if that’s truly being performed live, or if it’s pre-taped).
— Clever way of broadcasting the couple’s card onto the Times Square jumbotron.
— Entertaining segment overall.
— IIRC, this ends up being the last time Penn and Teller ever appear on the show. Not only that, but I believe this also sadly ends up being the end of SNL’s tradition of bringing stand-up comics and comedy magicians onto the show as special guest performers. That tradition would end up making a one-night-only comeback years later in 1998 when a then-unknown Tenacious D performed their act on the show.
STARS: ***½


THE BACK PAGE
’30s newspaper reporters cover the less important stories

— Glad to see another black-and-white old-timey sketch with this cast.
— Man, this cast is so damn good at giving these 30s/40s-era sketches such an authentic feel with their delivery, demeanor, etc.
— Dana: “Why, I oughta pound you!”
— I like Phil’s penchant for coming up with catchy alliterate headlines off the top of his head.
— Pretty charming piece overall.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL GUEST INTRO

— Nice random continuation of the Movie Talk sketch, with Jan’s character briefly interrupting Steve’s musical guest intro to callback to something she had been trying to remember in the earlier sketch.


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “How Much Did You Get For Your Soul”


CASTING DIRECTOR
actress (VIJ) misreads casting agent’s (KEN) body language as cues

— I like how Victoria is outlandishly following Kevin’s misdirected hand gestures during his phone conversation.
— Good pratfall out the window from Victoria, all the while Kevin is completely oblivious.
— This felt like the type of short random sketch that would’ve appeared in an early episode from season 1.
STARS: ***


BOB ROBERTS
a profile of reactionary folk singer Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins)

 

— We suddenly get a random Tim Robbins-starring short film; one that would later be turned into a movie, which Robbins would host SNL to promote (and do a live sketch as the character during the episode).
— Robbins’ cigarette-smoking song was really funny.
— The “yuppie scum” comment from the rock-and-roll critic cracked me up.
— Another funny song from Robbins, this time about rich pride.
— Solid film overall.
STARS: ***½


AL-ANON
(PHH)’s high Christmas spirit is a symptom of alcoholism, says (NOD)

— Haha, great unexpected turn with this turning out to be an anti-drinking PSA. Excellent twist that gives Phil’s actions as the overly-generous father a different meaning in hindsight.
STARS: ****


CHRISSIE HYNDE AND BUSTER POINDEXTER
Chrissie Hynde & Buster Poindexter [real] perform “Rockin’ Good Way”


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— An unremarkable episode, with nothing standing out as particularly strong (well, maybe McSooshi, but that’s just a short commercial). That being said, the show did have a consistent feel with mostly decent sketches, which at least made the episode still come off pretty enjoyable though nothing special.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, and Martin Short):
— a step down


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
William Shatner hosts the Christmas episode

Posted on

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

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

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

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


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

   

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

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


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

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


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

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


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Longest Night”


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

 

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


A HOLIDAY WISH
Steve delineates increasingly-selfish Christmas desires

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


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

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


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

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


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

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


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

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


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

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


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Roll With The Punches”


GOODNIGHTS

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


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


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Steve Guttenberg

Posted on

November 22, 1986 – Robin Williams / Paul Simon with Ladysmith Black Mambazo (S12 E5)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

COLD OPENING
crosstalk in Ronald Reagan’s (host) earpiece disrupts press conference

— For tonight only, Robin Williams takes over the Ronald Reagan impression, which was unoccupied at the time, as our last Reagan impersonator, Randy Quaid, had recently left, and Phil Hartman hadn’t taken over the role yet (the latter’s Reagan impression actually debuts in the very next episode, in a legendary sketch).
— I also wonder if this is the only time a sitting president was played by a non-cast member before Alec Baldwin made that a regular thing in recent years.
— Good Reagan voice from Robin, and it’s nice to see that unlike with Randy Quaid, SNL has actually made an effort to make Robin look like Reagan.
— Love how Robin’s Reagan is heard off-camera quietly singing the “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” song when he’s about to make his press conference entrance.
— LOL at him actually walking out of the conference just to briefly tell the two earpiece technicians that he was only pausing for dramatic effect.
— Very funny turn with Reagan’s earpiece receiving interference, leading to him repeating police reports out loud. It was especially hilarious when he repeats one particular report of a perpetrator being a “burly male negro” as the press members he’s in front of stare on in shock.
— Haha, and now he tries to play off his aforementioned “burly male negro” utterance as him describing our new ambassador to South Africa.
— Good ending with the interference going particularly wild, leading to Reagan repeating a rapid-fire string of different things from different radio stations. Strong use of Robin’s penchant for doing various voices.
STARS: ****


MONOLOGUE
host does stand-up about the Reagan administration & televangelists

— For some reason, the regular home base stage is blocked by a huge brick wall with windows (which, by the way, forces the SNL Band into the “alley” to the left of the home base stage). SNL usually only has that wall set up for some of the musical guests’ performances this season; it’s a little unusual how they’re using it for a host’s monologue. I do know it happens again later this season in at least one other monologue, when Dennis Hopper hosts the season finale. I think it might also be in Willie Nelson’s monologue, but I’m not 100% sure.
— I like the fact that Robin’s immediately launching into jokes about the Reagan press conference that SNL just spoofed in the cold opening.
— The part about how Reagan talks like a badly-dubbed kung fu movie had me howling.
— Some really good material from Robin going through the “cast of supporting characters” that is Reagan’s White House administration.
— Boy, this monologue is a riot so far.
— I particularly love the part just now about Jesus coming back as a large black man named Jesse.
— Overall, a hilarious monologue and a big improvement over Robin’s disappointingly average monologue from his season 9 hosting stint. The laughs in tonight’s monologue were very consistent, and that combined with the fast pacing of Robin’s jokes had me laughing pretty much non-stop for the entire duration.
STARS: ****½


TICKET LINE
musical guest has incredible memory but can’t recall Art Garfunkel [real]

— Some good laughs from the increasing absurdity of the small details that Paul remembers about fans he met years ago.
— I like the little touch with Paul and Jon’s absurdly-long handshake as they’re speaking to each other.
— Solid punchline with Paul not recognizing his former partner Art Garfunkel.
STARS: ***½


THE NEW YORK WORD EXCHANGE
(PHH) tells how investors can make money at the New York Word Exchange

— A funny concept of investing in words, and this is so perfect for Phil Hartman’s style. Unsurprisingly, he’s executing this perfectly.
— A particularly funny bit with how “da”, a variant of the word “the”, is gaining more and more popularity in recent years.
— A very solid overall sketch that had such a quintessential Phil Hartman feel.
STARS: ****


HAMLET
Shakespeare (JOL) can’t stand improvisational comedian’s (host) Hamlet

— Robin playing himself as a Shakespearean-era anachronistic improv comedian is a perfect use of his ad-libbing tendencies.
— Love how Robin suddenly enters the play wearing a comically-oversized codpiece.
— Overall, very fun and strong sketch.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes”


WEEKEND UPDATE
Ronald Reagan demonstrates qualifications for the job of Isuzu spokesman
AWB on whether censorship or pay-TV smut is a bigger threat to SNL

— Boy, is Dennis speeding through these jokes.
— Ha, and now he actually acknowledged the same thing I pointed out above, by jokingly acting out of breath and saying “I had to slow down; I was about to pass out.”
— Good bit with President Reagan’s “audition” for Isuzu commercial spokesman, represented by clips of Reagan lying at a press conference while disclaimers on the bottom of the screen call him out. This is probably only funny if you’re aware of the real Joe Isuzu commercials this is spoofing, which I’m familiar with from seeing coverage of in some 80s documentaries.
— An interesting mention of veteran SNL bandmember Cheryl Hardwick recently getting married to former SNL writer Michael O’Donoghue.
— I like the meta-ness of how A. Whitney’s commentary tonight is about censorship that SNL faces.
— A big laugh from A. Whitney summing up SNL’s viewers as being “a jaded, thick-skinned group of thrill-seekers”, which receives enthusiastic cheers from the audience.
— Coincidentally, A. Whitney’s censorship commentary has suddenly started repeatedly cutting to a static-y screen in the copy I’m watching of this episode. I know it’s just some kind of TV or tape error, but it’s unintentionally funny because it makes it seem like NBC is panickedly censoring A. Whitney’s stance against censorship.
STARS: ***


BAYCREST JEWISH RETIREMENT HOME
Sweeneys sing a Fiddler On The Roof medley at a Jewish retirement home

— Good elderly Jewish voice on Robin.
— The Sweeney Sisters now officially become recurring.
— Strangely, musical guest Paul Simon seems to be appearing in more sketches tonight than he did in the episode he actually (co-)hosted the previous season.
— A strong medley from the Sisters tonight, even if I didn’t recognize most of the Jewish-themed songs in this.
— Not sure I needed the additional musical number from Robin and Paul, but it still had a charming vibe that made it enjoyable enough.
STARS: ***½


AND SO ADIEU
Master Thespian’s inability to remember a line frustrates director (host)

— An interesting change of pace for Master Thespian. Assuming all his prior appearances were set in modern times, he must be a time-traveler, because he looks the same age in this sketch, which takes place in 1937.
— I liked Robin’s little ad-lib when Phil corrects a line flub of his.
— Master Thespian’s various ways of screwing up his one line in the scene is increasingly cracking me up.
— Funny how the tables have turned on Robin and Jon. In the Hamlet sketch earlier tonight, Robin was the comedic character and Jon was the stern straight man who was aggravated by Robin throwing off the scene. Now in this Master Thespian sketch, Jon is the comedic character and Robin is the stern straight man who is aggravated by Jon throwing off the scene. Also in both sketches, Phil is the man in the middle of all this craziness.
— I’m really enjoying Robin’s growing frustration, especially him telling Master Thespian “You say it or you die!”
— LOL at the part just now with Phil and Master Thespian getting mixed up and saying each other’s line.
— This sketch is getting funnier and funnier. Much like the monologue, I can’t stop laughing now.
— Overall, it’s amazing how much laughs they managed to get out of such a simple, thin premise.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL GUEST INTRO
host translates while Whoopi Goldberg [real] introduces musical guest

— Fun bit.


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “The Boy in the Bubble”


AUTOMOBILE CLUB OF AMERICA
Automobile Club spokesman KEN rambles while discussing proper map use

— Kevin’s already getting good laughs early on with his various attempts to open the map by licking his fingers.
— You can tell this is most likely a bit from Kevin’s stand-up, but this is really funny so far. Throughout his SNL tenure, Kevin often shows a strong knack for adapting his stand-up material into great SNL bits.
— I especially love the map-tearing bit right now when talking about his Hawaii trip.
— The bit about a heavyset tour guide using her leg as a map was a hilarious ending.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “The Late Great Johnny Ace”


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— A fantastic episode. I’ve always had so much love for this episode, and I’m glad to see from my viewing tonight that it still holds up. In fact, I walked away from this viewing feeling that this episode just may be one of my personal favorites of this entire era. There weren’t ANY segments in this episode that I disliked; every single segment worked for me, and most of them were particularly great. This episode was pretty much flawless. Robin Williams was an even better host than he was in his previous hosting stint in the Ebersol era, and he added such a fun energy to tonight’s episode. His monologue in particular may be one of my favorite stand-up monologues I’ve ever seen on SNL. I’m looking forward to his third hosting stint next season.


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Sam Kinison):
— a step up


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
The impressive recent streak of funny comedians hosting the show continues, as our next episode is helmed by the trio of Chevy Chase, Martin Short, and Steve Martin. The latter makes his return as host for the first time since the original era.