Tag: David Bowie

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October 2, 1999 – Jerry Seinfeld / David Bowie (S25 E1)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

REFORM PARTY HEADQUARTERS
Pat Buchanan (CHP) & Donald Trump (DAH) vie to be Reform Party candidate

 

— A funny return of Cheri’s Ross Perot impression, which we haven’t seen in a few seasons.
— Solid Pat Buchanan impression from Parnell.
— Darrell’s Donald Trump impression makes its debut, interestingly in a sketch with Trump in 1999 vying to be the presidential nominee for the reform party.
— Wow, in its initial appearance, Darrell’s Trump impression sounds NOTHING like the version we would later become familiar with seeing Darrell do. In tonight’s appearance, Darrell seems to be going for the type of New York mobster wiseguy voice that Phil Hartman used to do when playing Trump back in the day. I’m guessing that’s how the real Trump’s voice sounded back in the 80s and 90s.
— Good bit with Buchanan donning a fake Hitler mustache.
— Very funny turn with Will’s Jesse Ventura crashing the meeting.
— An amusing blooper(?) with the wig falling off of the dummy of Parnell’s Buchanan when Will’s Ventura is repeatedly slamming it against the table.
STARS: ***


OPENING MONTAGE
— Same montage from the preceding season.
— A “25” has been added to the SNL logo, to commemorate the show’s 25th anniversary.

— Jimmy Fallon, Chris Parnell, and Horatio Sanz have all been promoted from featured players to repertory players.
— Jimmy Fallon and Chris Kattan have both changed their respective photo from the preceding season’s opening montage. (comparisons below, with the first and third screencap being from the preceding season’s montage, and the second and fourth screencap being from this season’s montage)

— No new cast members tonight. We will soon get one a few episodes from now.


MONOLOGUE
for host, a typical day in NYC involves watching cheesy TV reruns nonstop

— A nice very extended applause from the audience early on in this.
— Some pretty good laughs from Jerry Seinfeld’s details of his mundane daily schedule, which mostly involves watching questionable TV reruns like Wings.
— A good laugh from the bit about a Spanish show called Aeropuerto, which Jerry says is a little like Wings.
— At the end, Jerry adds in a funny quick casual “Plus, I dated a couple of married women”, which is presumably referencing a controversy he was recently in.
— Overall, a pretty good stand-up monologue, but felt below Jerry’s standards, especially after his terrific season 17 monologue, which is a favorite of mine.
STARS: ***½


DILLON/EDWARDS INVESTMENTS
slow-to-get-online investment firm got stuck with clownpenis.fart domain

— As no surprise, Parnell is great at selling the seriousness of this ad so far.
— A priceless reveal of the ridiculous URL that the investment company was stuck with, made even funnier by how it’s being played so straight in such a serious ad like this.
— A lot of laughs from the female voice-over repeatedly saying clownpenis.fart in a soft, professional voice.
— A nice short length to this overall perfect commercial.
STARS: *****


MORNING LATTE
Cass’ husband Eli (CHP) & fruit-meat diet doctor (host)

— Interesting how we finally get to see Cheri’s character’s husband, Eli, after he’s been mentioned in the previous Morning Latte sketches.
— Cheri’s character, on her husband: “That’s my little Jew!”
— Will’s cracking me up with his repeated sayings of “What a weirdo!” regarding the Sixth Sense boy.
— A very funny deadpan from a barely-verbal Parnell as Eli whenever the camera cuts to him.
— Some good dark humor with the cutaway to Eli having a seizure on the floor.
STARS: ***½


ST. MONICA
Mary Katherine Gallagher falls for Jewish basketball star (host)

— This sketch is being done to promote the release of the Mary Katherine Gallagher movie Superstar, much like how the preceding year’s season premiere had a Roxbury Guys sketch to promote the release of their movie A Night At the Roxbury. And much like the Roxbury Guys after that particular sketch, Mary Katherine Gallagher ends up being retired after tonight’s sketch, not counting a brief musical piece she performs with the SNL Band in Molly’s final episode as a cast member, nor any times the character has been temporarily brought back in a Molly Shannon-hosted episode or in any anniversary specials.
— Very funny visual of a jewfro-and-yarmulke-wearing Jerry as “the Jewish Michael Jordan”.
— Tim’s tongue-clicking sounds as the Ethiopian student are cracking me up.
— Did Molly injure her foot sometime before the show? One of the shoes she’s wearing in this sketch seems to be some kind of healing shoe, which doesn’t match the normal shoe on her other foot. (screencap below)

— Funny line about a “slutty shiksa”.
— Overall, while this had some moments, this sketch as a whole didn’t do much for me. This sketch had a vibe of Mary Katherine Gallagher being past her prime.
— While Mary Katherine Gallagher’s overall run on SNL ended on a weak note tonight, I gotta say, I’m pleasantly surprised by how tolerant I’ve been of most of her sketches in these reviews of mine (I’m sure some of you readers have also been surprised by that). I entered this SNL era expecting to get very sick of Mary Katherine Gallagher fast, but aside from a few clunkers, I surprisingly ended up finding her sketches to be harmless enough, have a bit of a charm, and have occasional strong moments, particularly in the Black Angels installment from season 24’s Gwyneth Paltrow episode. All of these things I’ve just said will basically be repeated when I cover the Spartan Cheerleaders’ final sketch later this season, though the Cheerleaders are more hit-and-miss for me than MKG is.
STARS: **


JAVIS HOME SECURITY SYSTEMS
trust Javis Home Security Systems to keep out freaks like diaperer (WIF)

— A fantastic and hilarious sudden twist in what we’re initially led to believe is a tender diaper commercial. Ana’s “Who the hell are you?!?” and Will’s subsequent panicked dive out the window slayed me, as did the final reveal of this being an ad for a home security system. A very well-done piece.
STARS: ****½


ACTION 8 NEWS WATCH
anchors (host) & (ANG) deliver alarmist teases

— Some good laughs so far with the news anchors’ constant teases of urgent news that we’re told we have to wait to the end of the program to find out the important details of.
— I’m now a few minutes later into this sketch and, while the premise still remains funny, it’s too one-note. There needs to be an escalation to the gag.
— I love the fast-speaking bit with Will.
STARS: ***


WEEKEND UPDATE
The Millennium- sharks were unaffected by the past 1000 years of history
host & Jerry Seinfeld (JIF) do a Point-Counterpoint about The Gap

— An interesting new camera angle on the Weekend Update set at the very beginning of tonight’s Update as the camera is panning over to Colin.
— The debut of a recurring Update segment, The Millennium, which we’ll be occasionally seeing until the arrival of the year 2000.
— An overall funny random Millennium segment about sharks, made even funnier by Parnell’s always-strong voice-over work.
— Something about Colin’s delivery seems more monotone in tonight’s season premiere than it did the last two seasons. He sounds fairly bored tonight. If this is going to be the new direction that his anchorman approach is taking this season, then oof. Only one year, folks, until we get a much-needed change in Update anchors.
— Ah, the return of Point/Counterpoint.
— Fun premise of Jerry Seinfeld doing a Point/Counterpoint against himself, played by Jimmy, in the vein of the memorable Point/Counterpoints with two Dennis Millers debating against themselves.
— Geez, right at the start of this commentary, Jimmy already looks like he’s going to bust out laughing.
— A nod to a classic SNL catchphrase, as Jerry calls Jimmy’s Seinfeld an ignorant slut.
— Jerry is noticeably starting to do an exaggerated version his own voice. Jimmy would later go on to say in an interview that Jerry let him know beforehand that he would exaggerate his own voice in this Update commentary to match Jimmy’s over-the-top impression of him. Jimmy must’ve taken notes from this generous move of Jerry’s, as Jimmy would later do the same thing in a sketch from his first hosting stint in 2011, where he plays himself speaking to his mirror reflection, who is played by Andy Samberg. Andy’s Jimmy Fallon impression in that sketch isn’t very accurate, but Jimmy goes along with it and makes it work by exaggerating his own voice to match Andy’s take on him.
STARS: **½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Thursday’s Child”


OZ
host brings Seinfeld sensibilities to a maximum security prison

 

— A fantastic premise of Jerry’s punishment after the Seinfeld finale being to get transferred to the prison in the series Oz.
— Feels kinda weird seeing J.K. Simmons in this. He’s the only Oz actor in this that I recognize.
— Speaking of J.K. Simmons, there’s something interesting about him being in this: this is the first live regular SNL episode after SNL’s 25th Anniversary Special from the preceding week. When SNL later has their next anniversary special in 2015, guess who ends up hosting the final live regular episode before the special? J.K. Simmons. In other words, J.K. Simmons has appeared in both the first AND last live episode between SNL’s last two anniversary specials. Odd coincidence.
— J.K. Simmons: “You a Hebrew?” Jerry: “Yeah, but people don’t seem to have a problem with it on a national level.”
— This film is brilliant. I love how they’re doing a hybrid of Seinfeld cliches and what I’m assuming are typical Oz scenes (I’ve never seen the show Oz myself, but I don’t seem to need to be familiar with the show to enjoy this short film).
STARS: ****½


COMPLAINT LINE
(WIF) calls 1-800-EAT-SHIT in a futile attempt to report a bad driver

— I love how overly serious Will is treating the obviously-fake 1-800-EAT-SHIT sticker on the back of a truck.
— I like how further this is going, with us now actually seeing the 1-800-EAT-SHIT call center.
— Very funny how they keep narrowly censoring the use of the word “shit”. Reminds me of the classic Jingleheimer Junction sketch from the preceding year’s season premiere, though this sketch is nowhere near as memorable as that one.
— Will’s shocked, disgusted facial reaction to being told over the phone to eat shit is worth a good laugh (the last above screencap for this sketch).
STARS: ***½


…AND A PIZZA PLACE
TV execs give …And A Pizza Place its own series; A.J. Benza cameo

— A funny asinine concept, giving a TV show to the recently-dropped “…and a Pizza Place” from the sitcom title “Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place”.
— Will, on marketing the show towards teens: “He-llo? Teenagers? Pokemon? Cha-ching!”
— The one non-cast member at the table of executives is played by real-life NBC late-night executive Rick Ludwin, who is notable as the executive who backed the sitcom Seinfeld when it was a new show that NBC didn’t have faith in. Ludwin recently passed away in late 2019, and as a tribute, NBC aired this episode on “SNL Vintage”.
— I love the ridiculousness of the mundane “…and a Pizza Place” scene we’re shown a clip of, complete with a laugh track.
— Geez, is Horatio JUST NOW making his first appearance all night? Isn’t this supposed to be his first episode as a repertory player? Then again, at least he’s actually in this episode, which is more than I can say for the perpetually-underused Tracy Morgan, who is completely M.I.A. all night in the big season premiere.
— I’m loving how extensive this sketch is, with us now being taken to a scene at the Emmy Awards.
— We end the sketch on… an A.J. Benza cameo? Really, SNL? I’m one of probably 20% of SNL viewers who know who he is. Even back at this time in 1999, a lot of SNL fans were completely lost on who he is.
STARS: ****


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Rebel Rebel”


INTERROGATION
thug (WIF) alternately interrogates (host) & nurses him back to health

— Wow, am I watching SNL or The Will Ferrell Show? I know I said something similar in my review of the preceding season’s David Spade episode, but that statement of mine rings especially true for tonight’s episode. Will has had a lead role in almost literally EVERY SINGLE LIVE SKETCH tonight, and even in the few live sketches he didn’t have a lead role in, he was still in them playing a supporting role. I’m certainly not complaining, as I love Will, and he’s my favorite member of this era’s cast. But, man, I’ve rarely seen an SNL episode dominated so much by one cast member, and I’ve watched the entire Eddie Murphy and Kristen Wiig eras.
— I’m cracking up at Jimmy and Horatio’s blatantly fake repeated punches to Jerry’s face.
— I love the sudden turn with Will and his henchmen uncharacteristically acting as medical experts while trying to revive Jerry after brutally beating him into an unconscious state.
— Will, over the lack of an available CAT scan: “St. John’s has one; why don’t we have one? Damn this old warehouse!”
— Very funny how this sketch constantly keeps going back and forth between Jerry being tenderly treated by the thugs as a hospital patient and being pummeled by the thugs.
— A great Patch Adams turn with Will’s character.
— The endless rapid-fire successions of “He’s alive! He’s dead!” cause Jerry and Will to memorably lose it and crack up. Surprisingly, Horatio, of all people, is the only one in the scene right now who’s keeping anything close to a straight face. Jimmy is temporarily somewhere off the set during this portion of the sketch, but you know he’s cracking up, wherever he is.
— Speaking of Jimmy, has he said a single word during this entire sketch?
— At the end of the sketch when Will places a surgical glove on his hand in an odd way, some of the performers, including Jimmy, start cracking up again. This is because of a blooper that happened in dress rehearsal at the end of this sketch, where Will made a funny ad-libbed comment when having a difficult time putting on the surgical glove. That dress rehearsal blooper is shown in the “dress rehearsal outtakes” feature on one of Will’s “Best Of” DVDs.
STARS: ****½


GOODNIGHTS

— After being in zero sketches in tonight’s season premiere, at least Tracy gets to make his sole appearance of the night playing his famous recurring character, The Guy Who Smiles Real Big At The Goodnights.
— Two odd things I caught in the scrolling credits: 1) A director credit for a “Hans & Franz: Where Are They Now?” segment, even though it didn’t air tonight. This is actually the second time that segment got cut. It was originally supposed to air the preceding week in SNL’s 25th Anniversary Special, but ended up getting cut for time, much like it did tonight. The segment would finally air in the next live episode. 2) Near the very end of the scrolling credits, there’s a special credit that states “Coordinator of Falconry: Adam McKay” (screencap below).

What in the world does “Coordinator of Falconry” mean, and why is SNL writer Adam McKay credited for it? Is it just some weird gag credit as an inside joke? Or was that always in this era’s goodnights credits, and I just never noticed it until now because the goodnights usually get cut off early in the live broadcasts I review of this era’s episodes?

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— An overall good season premiere. The first half was mostly just average, but the second half had lots of strong things, especially the brilliant Oz short film and the memorable Interrogation sketch.


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


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING SEASON (1998-99)
about the same


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW
Heather Graham

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February 8, 1997 – Neve Campbell / David Bowie (S22 E12)

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars

PRESS CONFERENCE
O.J. Simpson (TIM) lies about money available for civil suit judgement

— A very funny overhead shot of Tim’s O.J. leaving from a bank with a wheelbarrow of money bags, and even stopping at one point to happily wave to the overhead camera.
— A big laugh from Tim’s O.J. muttering the n-word in a different voice, in a bad attempt to pretend it was one of the reporters who said it.
— I think SNL would later replace this cold opening with the dress rehearsal version in reruns. I recall the reruns of this episode having Tim deliver “Live from New York…” in a different way than he delivers it in the live version I’m currently watching.
STARS: ***½


MONOLOGUE
host gets a Scream-style phone call from DAS, but it isn’t very scary

— The joke with Neve following up her clarification on the pronunciation of her first name by pronouncing words like “believe” in the same way her first name is pronounced is very reminiscent of a poorly-executed joke from Bronson Pinchot’s monologue from 10 years earlier. Tonight’s version of that joke was executed a little better.
— Ha, that’s clearly David Spade’s voice on the phone, trying to sound sinister.
— A funny call-waiting bit with Neve casually telling the second sinister caller “I already got a creep on the other line”.
— A laugh from the voice of David being heard singing “Sister Christian” when Neve returns to his call after the aforementioned call-waiting bit.
— And now, David has been exposed and we see him onscreen, making his first cameo since leaving the cast a year earlier.
STARS: ***½


CARIBBEAN ESSENCE BATH OIL
Rerun from 10/5/96


JACKPOT
contestants can’t understand game show emcee Suel Forrester

— An interesting use of Suel Forrester.
— This is being executed pretty well, and as I always say, I’m a sucker for the Suel Forrester routine.
— The speed round part is funny, with the use of electric shocks whenever contestants get a question wrong.
STARS: ***½


THE DELICIOUS DISH
essay contest winner (host) joins Margaret Jo & Terry during pledge drive

— I’m kinda surprised at the frequency that this recurring sketch has been appearing so far, but I’m not complaining much, as I always enjoy this particular recurring sketch.
— As always, Ana and Molly are getting a lot of humor out of the mundane.
— Neve is doing a good job at speaking in the soft-spoken NPR style.
— Unlike the first two installments of this sketch, we didn’t get Cheri as a caller in tonight’s overall installment, but we did get Mark as a caller once again, which proves my theory that the show Delicious Dish has no more than two listeners.
STARS: ***½


TV FUNHOUSE
“Fun With Real Audio” by RBS- State Of The Union address is crashed

— Looking forward to this. Smigel has been having a very strong track record with his Fun With Real Audio cartoons so far.
— A huge laugh from Newt Gingrich licking the spilled beer on his desk.
— I love the visual of a straitjacket-wearing Ross Perot giving his speech in a sanitarium.
— A particularly hilarious part with the giant rabbit’s screaming sounds when giving a speech.
STARS: ****½


SIDNEY’S PARTY
Sidney Prescott (host) is embarrassed by her cousin Arianna & Craig

— A good fake-out at the beginning, when we’re shown a horror movie-esque first-person perspective of someone creeping into the party, only for it to turn out to be the Cheerleaders.
— I like the “Jamie Lee, where’s her bra, I don’t know, I don’t know” cheer that Craig and Arianna do.
— Nice turn with Neve using a Ghostface disguise to scare out all the guests.
— I myself am surprised at the positive reception I’ve been giving the Cheerleaders sketches lately. Like I said in a previous review, it turns out that these Cheerleader sketches are actually tolerable when they have an actual storyline.
STARS: ***


JANET RENO’S DANCE PARTY
attending teens receive some tough talk

— They’re making this recurring ALREADY??? I don’t want to complain, considering how much I absolutely loved the first installment of this sketch, but they’re bringing this sketch back too soon. It debuted just TWO EPISODES AGO.
— By the way, is tonight’s episode going to be another Rosie O’Donnell episode-type recurring character fest? Literally every single sketch so far tonight has been recurring.
— So far, there’s been nothing new in tonight’s Janet Reno Dance Party installment. Everything is being repeated from the first installment, right down to the small appearance from Darrell’s President Clinton at the top of the basement stairs. Hell, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think they were literally just re-airing the first installment of this sketch.
— Okay, we now get something that’s actually new in this sketch, with a “Teen Talk” segment.
— I love Will’s Reno saying “Bullcrap, you liar!” when Ana says she’s 17.
— Great ending with Will’s Reno diving into the mosh pit.
— Overall, a weak start, but the sketch got better and better as it went along. This is still a somewhat big step down from the debut of this sketch. There would be better follow-ups of this sketch to later come, especially the one with Rudy Giuliani.
STARS: ***½


WEEKEND UPDATE
Hollywood Minute- DAS comments on showbiz items from his post-SNL days

— Special guest David Spade bringing back Hollywood Minute.
— Oof, David’s jokes are starting off rough so far.
— I like David’s ad-libbed aside “Thanks for that joke, Norm” when one particular joke of David’s gets a tepid audience reaction.
— Okay, David’s jokes are getting better and better as this goes along.
— Wow, I’m surprised to see David taking a harsh shot at the Dan Aykroyd/John Goodman Blues Brothers revival act. No argument from me, though. Should’ve let the Blues Brothers die with John Belushi.
— Hmm, they’re letting tonight’s Hollywood Minute go on a lot longer than usual, obviously because David’s a special guest.
— Odd how Norm cut himself off before finishing the obvious punchline of his Michael Jackson joke, then let the audience get their laughs out, and then repeated the set-up of the Michael Jackson joke before cutting himself off again.
— And now Update just randomly ends after that awkwardly cut-off Michael Jackson joke, without Norm even saying his usual sign-off.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Little Wonder”


20/20
a Mia Farrow (ANG) interview turns into a Woody Allen (DAS) movie

— A very funny and spot-on Woody Allen impression from David Spade, which comes as no surprise, considering the Woody Allen Fan Club sketch he was in several seasons earlier, where he, a few other cast members, and host Jason Alexander all played very Woody Allen-esque fans of Woody.
— Interesting visual of Ana’s Mia Farrow stepping out of the TV to confront Woody in his living room.
— I like the increasing number of random people appearing in Woody’s living room, including Darrell’s Hugh Downs showing up just to ask for the bathroom.
— Boy, those are some heavy eye prosthetics on Molly as Soon-Yi. I know they’re attempting to make Molly look Asian, but the eye prosthetics instead make her look kinda freaky.
— Overall, I enjoyed how this sketch gradually turned more and more into a typical Woody Allen movie, right down to randomly having ending credits.
STARS: ***½


BASKETBALL COURT
urban teens (CHO) & (host) scope out some guys at the playground

— I like how 90s this sketch feels.
— So far, this sketch isn’t particularly hilarious, but it’s interesting in a realistic way. I’m enjoying the authentic feel of the various conversations between the young urban characters.
— As much as I hate to make this comparison, this sketch kinda feels like a better version of that god-awful Homegirls sketch that Rosie O’Donnell, Melanie Hutsell, and Ellen Cleghorne did in the season 19 episode that Rosie hosted.
— Good sarcastic line from Cheri: “Yeah, right, and I haven’t had chlamydia four times.”
STARS: ***


NAZI GERMANY
during a Hitler speech, Rolf & fellow Gestapo members gossip about Fuhrer
in order to evaluate the sketch, TIM & LOM employ its style

— The return of Colin’s Rolf character from the preceding season’s Christine Baranski episode. I like this black-and-white WWII setting for this character.
— Like the last time this sketch appeared, tonight’s installment has some funny relatable conversations between Colin and the other characters.
— Nice ending with Lorne and Tim in the control room, and I love the little hug Tim gives Lorne at the very end. I recall the latter eventually becoming a bit of a running gag between Tim and Lorne.
STARS: ***½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Scary Monsters”


ADVENTURES OF THE WHITE TRASH DISASTER TRAILER
incest amid high winds

— Boy, this is one bizarre sketch.
— I did get one laugh just now: Jim’s redneck character saying “Smell like cat food and ass in here!” when he enters the room that Neve and Chris have just had sex in.
— What the hell is this sketch?!?
— And the sketch is now over. Overall, yeah, I have no idea what the hell I just watched. All I know is I barely laughed. I wanted to like this, as I’m usually always down for a sketch with an oddball premise, but this was just dumb and baffling.
STARS: *½


GOODNIGHTS

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS
— A (mostly) consistently decent episode. Not much to say about it, but it was a satisfying show. Nothing was particularly great aside from TV Funhouse, but almost the entire show ranged from okay to pretty good. Pretty much in the same league as the then-recent Rosie O’Donnell episode.


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


HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (David Alan Grier)
a mild step down


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW
Chevy Chase

Posted on

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

Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


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

    

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

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


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


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

 

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


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

   

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


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

       

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


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

   

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


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


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

      

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


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

           

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


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “TVC-15”

 


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

   

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


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

     

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


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

       

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


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

   

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


REVISIONS OF FREUDIAN THEORY
TOD tells ALF about the nasal stage

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


MARTIN SHEEN HAIRSPRAY
host is JAC’s favorite styling aid

   

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


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
musical guest performs “Boys Keep Swinging”

 

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


GOODNIGHTS

 

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


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


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


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