Tag: The Blues Brothers

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November 18, 1978 – Carrie Fisher / The Blues Brothers (S4 E6)

Sketches are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
musical guest performs “Soul Man”

     

— I’m loving Garrett’s very energetic intro.
— Wow, what an entrance from Dan and John, especially John’s great cartwheel. I remember a slow-motion shot of that cartwheel was used to represent John during the “in memoriam” montage of SNL’s recent 40th anniversary special.
— I absolutely love Dan and John’s sudden wild dancing when the background music for “Soul Man” kicks in.
— Hmm, Dan is actually singing along with John during the chorus. I guess I was wrong in my review of their last appearance where I said my memory of Dan singing with John in Blues Brothers’ performances was faulty.
— Dan and John’s act is coming off more polished and perfected than their Blues Brothers debut in the preceding season.
— Overall, a freakin’ amazing musical performance and really got me hyped-up for the show.
STARS: N/A


OPENING MONTAGE
— Very energetic, loud applause from the audience during the cast announcements. Dan, John, and Bill got by far the most applause. Poor Laraine, on the other hand, was the only one who received almost no applause. Even GARRETT got more than her.


MONOLOGUE
Obi-Wan Kenobi (DAA) guides host as she tells a Star Wars-themed joke

 

— Hmm, walking out in her Princess Leia costume.
— I remember hearing there’s a noticeable technical error in this, where they accidentally cut to a brief shot of a Carrie Fisher stand-in waiting in front of a chroma-key screen for some kind of special effect that’s supposed to happen in the sketch that follows this.
— Who’s that doing Obi-Wan’s voice-over? His increasingly-obnoxious laugh is pretty funny.
— Oh, that’s Dan as the voice-over, it now sounds like.
— Ah, THERE’S the aforementioned technical error with the female stand-in. Wow, that was weird as fuck. (screencap below)

— Wait, the monologue’s over? What in the world happened? Why’d this end in such awkward, eerie silence, with no applause or laughter from the audience? Was the audience THAT thrown off by the aforementioned technical screw-up?
STARS: ***


BEACH BLANKET BIMBO FROM OUTER SPACE
Princess Leia (host) is a Beach Blanket Bimbo From Outer Space

       

— Another amusing technical error, where a “Coming Up Next” caption gag mistakenly shows up onscreen when they meant to display the “Beach Blanket Bimbo From Outer Space” title.
— The teenagers’ exaggerated 1950s dialogue is pretty funny.
— Gilda as Annette Funicello: “I’m Annette, this is my boyfriend Frankie, and these are my breasts.”
— Al Franken is funny as an immature teen.
— Some good laughs from Dan’s portrayal of Vincent Price.
— I usually despise when SNL sketches suddenly break out into cheesy musical numbers, but I can let this one slide because of the fun, infectious energy and because of how well the sketch had been going.
— Garrett: “There’s nothing I like better than entertaining white middle-class kids on the beach.”
STARS: ****½


LOUD FAMILY
members of the Loud family (BIM), (JAC), (GIR), (host) disturb the peace

     

— I can already tell from the way Jane’s talking at the beginning that this is going to be the Loud Family sketch I’ve always heard about. I’ve never seen this sketch for myself until right now, but I’ve heard that this has inexplicably been aired in some of SNL’s Thanksgiving compilation specials, despite having NOTHING to do with Thanksgiving.
— Going into this sketch, I’m a little wary of the premise, since it sounds like the kind of bad, one-joke “every member of a family has the same weird trait/big body part” sketch I usually don’t like. The same kind of thing I believe The Simpsons were making fun of in that “Big Ear Family” sketch of theirs. This is the same reason I’m dreading those upcoming “Widettes” sketches I’ve always heard about.
— Pretty funny contrast when Dan enters as a character who talks in a soft-spoken manner.
— The avalanche story was amusing.
— John entering in earphones is a nice touch.
— Hilarious part with Bill and Jane’s loud lovemaking sounds from their bedroom, even if I saw it coming as soon as they said they’re going upstairs to their room.
— Overall, wow, that was a lot better than I thought it would be. This was the RIGHT way to pull off a premise like this.
STARS: ****


MERCY KILLERS
orderlies (DAA) & (BIM) euthanize the wrong patient (GAM)

    

— John’s “Face it, she’s a vege” line was really funny.
— “Mercy Killers”? Haha, is this a sister sketch to X-Police?
— Love the sitcom-esque ending credits, with the theme song sung by Bill.
— Overall, pretty funny. Considering how those X-Police sketches got old pretty fast, it’s probably a good thing they’ve shook things up by doing a different, fresh variation rather than another tired retread.
STARS: ***½


WEEKEND UPDATE PREVIEW


WEEKEND UPDATE
Father Guido Sarducci shows depositor gifts offered by the Vatican Bank
Roseanne Roseannadanna wanders from quitting smoking to sauna sweat

   

— LOL at the real story of a restaurant being named Sambo’s.
— Bill’s screaming during the Neil Armstrong joke was great.
— I’m ashamed to admit it took me a few seconds to get Bill’s Vietnamese “fried lice” joke. Bill’s reaction to the audience’s reaction was good, too.
— This is the very first time where a guest commentator is doing their desk piece next to Bill instead of next to Jane.
— Great part during Father Guido Sarducci’s commentary with him showcasing a “how-to” book on how to weasel your way around the confessional.
— Overall, Sarducci delivers another pretty funny and relatable commentary.
— Oddly, we jump from one guest commentary (Sarducci) to another (Rosannadanna), with no news stories in between.
— As usual, some pretty big laughs during Rosannadanna’s commentary, especially the story about Dr. Joyce Brothers having a sweat ball hanging off her nose.
STARS: ***½


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE


MR. BILL GOES FISHING
by Walter Williams- Mr. Hands helps catch a whale

   

— Eh, I went through this whole short without laughing too much, overall. I hate to say it, but I’m starting to get tired of the Mr. Bill shorts. SNL’s been relying on them too often this season. Like I said in an earlier review, Mr. Bill’s better in small doses.
STARS: **


TOMORROW
cheerful Linda Blair (host) reflects on her rocky adolescence

— Dan’s Snyder makes another mention of “stage manager Bobby Brown”, which I can’t help but laugh at for the wrong reason.
— Dan was excellent randomly listing off a whole bunch of drugs in rapid succession, with no set-up.
— The whole cocaine part is hilarious.
— Overall, the usual strong Dan-as-Tom-Snyder sketch, featuring some really good laughs and a very good performance from Carrie.
STARS: ****


THE WORLD BAR
Marseilles barfly Brandy (host) sells a sailor (BIM) on mutual funds

  

— Looks like we’re in for a more dramatic sketch.
— Wait, a barfly discussing mutual funds? I guess this IS supposed to be a comedic sketch after all. Not crazy about this premise, though.
— The hand-under-the-table bit during Bill and Carrie’s conversation is pretty funny.
— Overall, I didn’t care much for this, despite another strong performance from Carrie.
STARS: **


BAD RED CHINESE BALLET
New York Yankee (GAM) represents imperialism

   

— I can’t tell which female cast members are playing which soldiers. Or are they all played by writers/extras?
— Garrett’s random walk-on (or slide-on) as the Yankee was pretty funny.
— Overall, this was decent, but lately, I feel like these “Bad Showcase” sketches are starting to lose the magic of the first few installments.
STARS: ***


ROMAN HOLIDAY
by TOS- woman has fun despite death of her husband

   

— The old lady’s voice sounds just like someone who’s been on SNL before, but I’m not sure who I’m thinking of. Ruth Gordon? Miskel Spillman?
— A slow start so far for a Schiller’s Reel. This almost feels more like typical dull Gary Weis fare (I’m so glad he’s gone this season, BTW) rather than Schiller’s usual interesting work. I dunno, maybe because I sometimes don’t care much for SNL shorts that star random unfamiliar actors instead of cast members.
— Okay, this got a little funnier after a while, with the wife’s constant flirting, and the husband keeling over face-first into his meal. Not one of Schiller’s better films overall, though.
STARS: **½


GOODNIGHTS

 

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— An overall fun and very well-done episode, featuring some really memorable sketches and performances. The quality of the show died down towards the end, but the overall show was still strong. Carrie Fisher worked well with this cast, and should’ve hosted a second time during this era.


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


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Walter Matthau

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April 22, 1978 – Steve Martin / The Blues Brothers (S3 E18)

Sketches are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars


COLD OPENING
Don Kirshner’s (PAS) Rock Concert- musical guest performs “Hey Bartender”

   

— The true official debut of the Blues Brothers. A version of them appeared earlier in a season 1 episode while dressed as Bees, but I’ve come to realize that was more of a Blues Brothers prototype rather than the real thing.
— I mentioned in my review of the aforementioned season 1 sketch that it’s unusual how Dan isn’t singing with John, because I had remembered the later Blues Brothers appearances having Dan and John both singing. However, Dan’s silent in tonight’s number too. I guess my memory of it being a regular feature for him to join John in singing was wrong.
— Overall, a very fun and classic opening number.
— The fact that the musical guests tonight are two of the cast members’ side act shows how much variety the early seasons had and how unpredictable the show could be back then.
STARS: N/A


MONOLOGUE
host removes watches, wallets, clothing from audience member (BIM)

     

— “Oh, did I assassinate your penguin?”
— Loved him mistakenly reading the “apply to infested area” note.
— Bill playing an “audience member”. Odd that they’re not using a writer or extra.
— Steve’s “magic tricks” on Bill are very funny.
— I was surprised at the reveal that Bill’s wearing a fake mustache.
— Love how increasingly maniacal Steve’s removal of Bill’s personal items are getting. Hilarious!
STARS: ****½


HEY YOU!
— Rerun


FESTRUNK BROTHERS
the Festrunks wait for a pair of foxes to arrive at their bachelor pad

     

— The Festrunk Brothers! The audience went wild at their entrance.
— LOL at the gigantic vacuum.
— I love the way Dan’s voice sounded when he and Steve exclaimed “Foxes!!!!” in unison.
— I like Garrett as their “black soul man” friend.
— The Festrunk’s foreign language conversation with each other is very funny.
— Garrett seemed genuinely amused by the foreign conversation too, judging by how he seems to be trying to hide his laughing from the camera. (screencap below)

— The Festrunk’s depressed version of their usual strut when going to answer the door is great.
— I got a kick out of seeing all the performers quickly dash off the set after the sketch ended.
— Overall, despite the fact that this was a pretty straightforward Festrunk Brothers installment, it’s still generally well-remembered and is one of my personal favorites of their appearances.
STARS: ****½


THEODORIC OF YORK, MEDIEVAL BARBER
medieval barber Theodoric of York’s (host) patients endure his remedies

     

— One of the most well-remembered SNL sketches Steve Martin would ever do.
— Funny seeing Dan and Steve speaking to each other in normal voices at the start of this, immediately after I had just watched them talk to each other in crazy accents throughout the preceding Festrunk Brothers sketch.
— The detail of “boiled sheep’s urine” being part of the remedy is absolutely priceless to me.
— Funny line from Steve about Laraine’s illness being caused by a small dwarf living in her stomach.
— John looks hilarious as the hunchback.
— I believe this is the first time on SNL where Bill is doing the “talking out the corner of the mouth” mannerism that he would go on to famously use for some of his characters.
— Bill’s pained screaming when being taken out of his wheelchair and getting hanged upside down by his legs kills me every time I see this sketch. It’s the portion of this sketch that I’ve always remembered the most.
— I liked how they reprised Steve’s “Maybe she’s right… (*goes into a deep , thoughtful speech*) Nah!” thing from the ending of his Mike McMack Defense Lawyer sketch earlier this season.
STARS: *****


DANCING IN THE DARK
time stands still while (host) & (GIR) go “Dancing In The Dark”

     

— Ah, here comes another all-time legendary SNL classic. This episode is on fucking FIRE.
— Man, Steve and Gilda’s chemistry is so fun, and it’s enthralling to watch these two comedy greats dancing around the SNL studio.
— I always appreciate any extensive sketch that doesn’t use any dialogue.
— Beautiful how this sketch ended the exact same way it began.
— When Steve later hosted in 1989, this sketch was re-aired during his monologue as a tribute to Gilda, who passed away just hours earlier that same day. Ever since that special encore presentation, this sketch has taken on a new, poignant meaning.
STARS: *****


WEEKEND UPDATE PREVIEW


WEEKEND UPDATE
DAA complains that GAM didn’t get enough marijuana to “test for paraquat”
JAC & DAA do a Point-Counterpoint about federal aid for abortions

    

— Good laugh from Garrett showing up and discreetly giving Dan “the stuff” (marijuana). This feels like something Tracy Morgan would’ve done on Update in later seasons.
— Dan: “It’s just that a survey shows that 97% of our viewers smoke [marijuana] daily.”
— Another instance of an awkward pause while we have to wait for Dan to find the next news story among his desk papers. I lost count of the number of times this has happened with him this season.
— Yet another point/counterpoint.
— Dan: “Jane, you ignorant misguided slut”
— Dan’s pro-abortion rebuttal was very funny, especially the harsh comment about how if he could, he would’ve performed an abortion on Jane’s mother to prevent Jane from being born.
— The “This just in, Garrett Morris is dead” bulletin was a funny follow-up to the earlier marijuana commentary.
— That’s it? Shortest Update in a long time.
STARS: ***½


KING TUT
host & SNL Band perform “King Tut” to honor the ancient Egyptian ruler

   

— The hits just keep on comin’ tonight.
— Funny concept with Steve following his complaint about the commercialization of King Tut with a big commercialized, contemporary musical number.
— Such a catchy song, and Steve’s famous dance always kills me in this.
— “He’s my favorite honky” has always been the lyric I liked the most.
— A part that helps propel this into epic territory is the saxophonist popping out of a sarcophagus to do a solo.
— Overall, oh my god, that was perfect and was the right length without going on too long.
STARS: *****


LOVE STORY
admitting extramarital affairs is foreplay for a couple (JAC) & (JOB)

 

— For the first time all night, here’s a sketch I don’t recognize.
— I like the character voice Jane’s using.
— Loved Jane’s innuendo about the pharmacist “filling her prescription”.
— Great unexpected twist with Jane’s sudden “I’m ready, how about you?” line when she and John were detailing their affairs.
— Overall, a very strong lesser-known sketch.
STARS: ****½


SWAN LAKE BALLET
by Gary Weis- ballerinas & hip-hop dancers perform Swan Lake together

     

— Is this the return of The Lockers, who previously appeared in SNL’s third episode ever?
— I guess so.
— Overall, this was surprisingly a fairly entertaining Gary Weis short, but maybe I’m biased because I really enjoyed The Lockers’ previous appearance on the show.
— Speaking of Weis, I heard he didn’t do any more SNL shorts after this season, which means we’re now in the homestretch of his SNL tenure. I wonder if this ended up being the last SNL short he did.
STARS: ***


TROFF ‘N’ BREW
on their lunch break, businessmen eat like pigs at Troff ‘n’ Brew

   

— Haha, WTF at the opening shot in the restaurant showing patrons eating in an odd manner.
— Man, that chili looks nasty. Then again, I never was a big fan of chili.
— A fairly funny premise, though this is coming off a little disappointing by the high standard set for this episode. Then again, the original cast had a knack for adding a goofy charm to sketches with this type of premise.
STARS: ***


NERDS SCIENCE FAIR
at the science fair, Todd & Lisa compete with Charles Knerlman (host)

   

— Steve is funny as a cocky nerd.
— I always like the Nerds’ unwarranted pride in saying tired cliches as if they’re witty comebacks (e.g. “So funny, I forgot to laugh”).
— The “human sandwich” ending was pretty good.
— Overall, a decent Nerds sketch, but again, not quite up to the standards of most of this episode. I was expecting more from this.
STARS: ***


MUSICAL PERFORMANCE


NEXT WEEK IN REVIEW
psychics (JAC), (host), (DAA) predict the news

  

— I like this premise of a panel show with psychics predicting what will happen in the next week.
— Jane and Steve’s facial expression during their respective intro shot was great.
— Heh at “Send More Chuck Berry”.
— I like the psychics predicting that Laraine won’t be there next week.
— Overall, this starting losing me around the middle, but kinda won me back at the end. I still feel that the overall result didn’t quite live up to the premise’s potential.
STARS: ***


GOODNIGHTS

 

IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— So, did this live up to its status as the all-time best SNL episode ever? Well, that pre-Update half was certainly hard to beat, with an amazing string of legendary segments, and even after that, the night’s winning streak continued with the first two post-Update sketches, one of which is a forgotten gem (Love Story). However, the episode’s quality unfortunately died down after that, as the remainder of the show was just a string of average pieces (not counting the Blues Brothers’ second musical performance). So, would I agree that this is the greatest SNL episode ever: probably not. I mean, if you’re judging the episode just by the number of classics it produced, I can certainly see why it’s widely considered the best SNL ever, but as we continue to chronologically go along SNL’s timeline, there will probably be a few episodes I find to be more consistently strong from beginning to end, especially once we reach the late 80s/early 90s era. That being said, tonight’s episode may just be the original era at its absolute best. I can’t say for certain yet, as I still have two more years of the era left to cover.
— All of my talk in the above paragraph has put an interesting question into my mind: what is generally considered the most defining, representative episode of each SNL era?  It doesn’t necessarily have to be the era’s best episode, just the most representative.


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


My full set of screencaps for this episode is here


TOMORROW:
Richard Dreyfuss