Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 1990s
Encyclopedia
Since the beginning of Saturday Night Live
, the show has been something of an anti-television show, turning the medium on its head with endless fake commercials and parodies
of TV shows themselves. The most common style of their recurring sketches has been the talk show
format. However, anything from cop shows
to children's shows
has been fair game for the ever-changing cast.
Sketches with TV show themes are listed here chronologically. TV Sketches that involve a specific type of character are listed under "Character Categories" (see below).
portrayed the host, Alex Trebek
, who frequently ended up frustrated with the contestants' stupidity, and the constant taunts of Sean Connery
(portrayed by Darrell Hammond
).
as a spoof of on-air, holier-than-thou Christian televangelists. The SNL character was immediately recognizable and popular, spawning some catch phrases such as "Well, isn't that special?", and "Could it be...SATAN?!"
On the set of "Church Chat", with its rectory desk and bogus cellophane stained-glass, other cast members of SNL and guest hosts would appear as the celebrity of the day. The Church Lady would seemingly praise or soothe her guests during their time of crisis, only to blindside them with judgmental admonishments and damnation. She would always wear a high-collared purple dress, a sweater, and old fashioned glasses. Most skits would end with her telling the church organist to "Hit it, Pearl!" as she'd stand over her "sinner" guests performing her "superiority dance".
Unlike most other popular characters from SNL, she was never incorporated into a feature length film.
In early 2011, Carvey was a guest host on SNL, and reprised his role of the Church Lady on Church Chat, where his guests included caricatures of the Khardashian sisters.
played Linda Richman, a stereotypical Jewish middle-aged woman based on Myers' (now former) mother-in-law (Myers has said he got explicit permission from his mother-in-law before creating and playing the character). Originally, Coffee Talk was hosted by Myers as Paul Baldwin, whose favorite phrase was, "No big whoop."
Richman had an exaggerated New York Jewish accent (e.g. her pronunciation of "Cawfee tawk"). She sported big hair (which she could not go more than five seconds without adjusting); dark glasses; long, painted fake nails; and gold jewelry. She frequently went into pseudo-Yiddish rants, using terms like "verklempt" and "shpilkes in [my] geneckteckessoink", and had an obsession with Barbra Streisand
. One episode featured a surprise appearance by Streisand. The other stars of the episode were Rosanne Barr and Madonna
.
on 6 of the 7 episodes that he hosted, The Continental is a stereotypical middle-aged European playboy who refuses to be put off, after he has attracted a woman to his apartment. His approach is non-violent but also hilariously uncharming. Camera angles are always from the woman's view.
as Eugene, a fastidious chef who could not bear to be in the presence of anything cluttered or dirty. After peeling some vegetables he advised throwing the peels away by wrapping them in paper toweling, then aluminum foil, then putting them in a paper bag that was then to be sealed with scotch tape. Gene never completed any of his recipes; he always became too distracted by the effects of his psychological complex, and ran out of time. The majority of these sketches featured the Eugene character as a chef, however, he also played an anal retentive sportsman and home improvement expert. The sketch was presented as a PBS
program sponsored by the Chubb Group.
, hosted a self-help type program that is usually the bane of 12-step help programs such as AA. During the show, Smalley would host celebrities such as Michael Jordan
and help them solve seemly non-existant problems. However, the sketch would usually end with Smalley himself needing comfort.
portrayed "Nat X", a militant talk show
host with a huge Afro
hairstyle. He once remarked that he had only a 15-minute show because, as he explained, if he had any more, "The Man
" would regard it as welfare. Many of Rock's original stand-up comedy
bits were incorporated into Nat X's dialogue.
Segments on The Dark Side include the "White Man Cam" in which a video cam with a police siren sound effect walks up to Nat X's desk and places a graphic image of prison bars in front of him as he screams and mimics being in prison until the White Man Cam goes away. Another segment includes the Top 5 lists because "Ten would make The Man lose sleep."
Nat X was cruel to all of his guests, "greeting" nearly all of them with, "Sit yo' ass down!" Perhaps the most memorable episode featured host Kevin Bacon
as Vanilla Ice
. Nat told Ice that he could not dance, and even persuaded his other guest, Colin Powell
, to dance with him in order to show Ice how to do it.
Spike Lee
made a surprise appearance as himself on another episode, donning an "X" cap that was made popular by his film Malcolm X
. Not knowing this at first, Nat explained to him that he had been seeing these caps all over town but had personally not seen a dime in profits.
Chris Farley
often appeared as "Sandman", a manic clown armed with a broom who swept guests away when Nat had had enough of them. Sandman was modeled after Howard "Sandman" Simms
from Showtime at the Apollo
, who performed the same function on that show's famed "Amateur Night" episodes, when substandard performers fell short of audience approval.
on TV. It was hosted by the characters Margaret-Jo McCullen (portrayed by Ana Gasteyer
) and Terry Rialto (portrayed by Molly Shannon
). Both characters used breathy, monotonous voices in parody of a stereotypical National Public Radio host. Their dialogue with their various guests were worded to unintentionally mislead radio listeners who could not see what was going on in the studio. The most famous iteration of this sketch is likely the "Schwety Balls" skit with Alec Baldwin
. In the skit, Schwety (played by Baldwin) presents various edible ball-shaped foods, but the ladies' inadvertent double entendres suggest that they are engaging in sexual acts with their guest.
's character (Brian), who broke up with his girlfriend Denise (played by Shannen Doherty
), and has yet to accept that the relationship is over. He would feature guests who had seen Denise, and take phone calls. Calls with his father (played by Phil Hartman
) would result in shouting matches about how disappointed he was with his son, with Brian eventually hanging up on him. The show appeared to come to an end when, later in the season, Denise's friend (played by Nicole Kidman
) appeared on the show and became Brian's new girlfriend. However, a later broadcast revisted the sketch, revealing that Brian had broken up with Denise's friend because they did not share the same interests (which mainly included stalking Denise).
It was revealed on the show's final episode that Brian had previously hosted "The Linda Show" as a teenager in the late 1970s. Though Brian claimed it was entirely different from "The Denise Show", it was in fact exactly the same, but with a different ex-girlfriend. Linda (played by Nancy Kerrigan
), who had moved to Florida
after breaking up with Brian, makes a surprise appearance on "The Denise Show", as she is in town visiting her aunt for two weeks. The couple reunites, with Brian saying that "The Denise Show" would go on a two-week hiatus and probably be followed upon its return by an all-new version of "The Linda Show."
hosted by Brooklynites who spoke in Italian American
vernacular using heavy New York accents. Its hosts were James Barone (Jay Mohr
) and Angela Tucci (played first by Sarah Jessica Parker
, then by Courteney Cox
). The two often got into shouting matches, yelling "Shut up!", "No, you shut up!" back and forth until they cut to a "Please Stand By" graphic. Barone frequently used the expression, "Fugheddaboudit!"
Also featured were traffic and weather reporter Anthony ' onMouseout='HidePop("74202")' href="/topics/Michael_McKean">Michael McKean
), who gave vague and uninformative reports (such as, "It's hot as a bastard!"), and field reporter Molly Fahey (Molly Shannon
), who, when asked if her name was Italian, admits, "No, but it's Catholic", which James replies is "good enough".
Adam Sandler
played Angelo, a guest whose entrance was always accompanied by his yelling at an off-screen antagonist ("No, you move your car!" or "No, you suck my ass!"). In one sketch, Angelo hosted a segment called "Beatin' of the Week", in which someone would receive a beating for making derogatory remarks about Italians. Chris Farley
played a hot dog
vendor who was discovered by Fahey, and was the unfortunate recipient of said beating for his comment that "IROC" was an acronym for "Italian Retard Out Cruising".
The character James Barone later appeared in an unrelated sketch about a Civil War documentary, in which uninformed high school dropout
s commented on the American Civil War
.
cable access show recorded in the basement of two goth
high school
students, Azrael Abyss (Chris Kattan
) and Circe Nightshade (Molly Shannon
).
as Antonio Banderas
, the show's host. Kattan portrayed Banderas as a naïve chauvinist whose only interest was to attempt to charm any female guest into sleeping with him, using his well-documented sex appeal and shaky-at-best mastery of the English language (as evidenced in the show's title). In the show, Banderas was always backed up by his three-man mariachi band, who aside from performing the musical duties on the show, constantly begged Banderas not to unbutton or remove his shirt, for it would be "too sexy". A female guest who was put off by his advances once asked him, "Aren't you married to Melanie Griffith?" His response was "Yes, but she is, how do you say, old and not here?" Drew Barrymore
appeared in a sketch as Melanie Griffith
.
as Pesci, the host of his own late-night talk show. The heard-but-not-seen cameraman was meant to be Pesci's brother. The sketch would usually begin with Italian accordion
music and Breuer cheerfully saying "Hey! I am Joe Pesci! I got my own show, my cameraman, and all my friends!"
Pesci's personality on the show does not so much resemble the real Joe Pesci
as it does Tommy DeVito
or Nicky Santoro, his characters from Goodfellas
and Casino
respectively. While interviewing his guests, each guest would invariably, inadvertently say something that Pesci took as an insult. He would then produce a baseball bat, and proceed to beat the guest senseless.
There were a few guests who were notable exceptions to this fate. The first sketch featured Anthony Edwards
as Macaulay Culkin
, Pesci's co-star in Home Alone
. Pesci hit him on the head with a paint can as he was angered by the fact people laughed at Macaulay Culkin doing it to Pesci. On one episode hosted by Jim Carrey
, Carrey played legendary actor James Stewart
, while regular cast member Mark McKinney
played Carrey. Pesci and Stewart teamed up to beat up Carrey, with Stewart going on to beat up Pesci himself. One episode featuring then Mayor Rudy Giuliani
was about to get beaten when his security detail grabs Pesci, then Giuliani grabs a Stickball
stick and proceeded to beat the crap out of Pesci. Pesci also spares actors who, like him, are of Italian
ancestry and who came to prominence in films about the Sicilian Mafia. However, while Italian-Americans were often spared physical assault, Pesci may make disparaging remarks, such as when he had his My Cousin Vinny
costar Marisa Tomei
, Pesci mentions her Academy Award and comments that it must have been quid pro quo
("Whos Joe did you DiMaggio to win that?"), prompting an angry Tomei to state she won it fair and square and storm off the set. Kevin Spacey
appeared as Al Pacino
on one episode, in which the two of them team up against Rodney Dangerfield
(portrayed by Darrell Hammond
). Alec Baldwin
, John Goodman
and Colin Quinn
made appearances as Robert De Niro
, though he is reduced to monosyllabic responses to Pesci's prompts: his lines are usually "I heard some things" (a line from Oscar winner "Raging Bull", the first movie to star both De Niro and Pesci), and "Li'l bit" (a shortened version of a line from Goodfellas (where De Niro accuses another mobster of being a "little bit out of line" for insulting Pesci's character), another film starring the two actors). The real Pesci and De Niro surprisingly appeared on one episode, criticizing Breuer for playing caricatures of their film characters. Quinn suddenly says he is not DeNiro, but "Colin Quinn from Remote Control
." Breuer's and Quinn's weak defense of themselves insults Pesci, who asks De Niro if they were just insulted, to which De Niro responds, "Li'l bit." The two of them then proceed to beat up Breuer and Quinn.
A cel-shaded rendering of an episode of The Joe Pesci Show appears in a scene of the movie Waking Life
where the television is scanning through several channels.
, and speaks with a lisp
) hosts a television show ("The Ladies Man") where he takes calls and delivers sexual advice. However, Phelps's advice is always over the top, and generally out of line, often suggesting "the butt" no matter what the caller had asked. Whenever he takes a call from a female caller, Phelps says, "Ooooh! It's a lady!" Phelps always has a glass of Courvoisier
, a brand of fine Cognac
. Another notable episode had Meadows ingesting an entire vial of Viagra to test the effects, when he suddenly realizes he goes overboard when he is aroused by a photo of Sally Jesse Raphael.
The Ladies Man was one of two sketches that featured Monica Lewinsky when she appeared on the May 8, 1999 episode hosted by Cuba Gooding Jr. In that sketch, Phelps pretended that he was President Clinton and relived three of Monica's scenes with the President and how the "Ladies Man" would have acted out those same scenes.
This sketch became one of a handful of SNL sketches to spawn its own feature film.
and Cheri Oteri
playing two morning talk show
hosts. Ferrell plays Tom Wilkins, a typical vapid and smiling male TV personality, and Oteri plays his scatterbrained female co-host, Cass Van Rye. The two are depicted as being extremely chipper, and tend to be overenthusiastic about each other's mundane life stories, and about their less-than-stellar guests. This is more than likely due to the large amounts of latte
they consume during the course of a show.
The two begin the show by recounting recent events in their personal lives, (in the same vein as shows like Live with Regis and Kelly
, which SNL itself has parodied after Oteri and Ferrell left the show), which are almost certainly never as exciting as their reactions to them. Cass usually tells a story about herself and her husband Eli, in which she never fails to include the detail about her inability to conceive children. Tom then tells a story about a recent event involving him and his wife Gail. Cass almost immediately forgets the details of his story, prompting her to ask questions to which he has already stated the answers. There is also usually a producer off to the side who throws out random comments, which Cass inadvertently forgets over the course of the show. The producer eventually gets fed up with her absentmindedness and loses his temper, shouting obscenities (such as, "YOU STUPID BITCH!") at her. The two hosts become stunned at the reaction, until he informs them that he was "just kidding", to which they respond with incessant laughter.
They also have guests on the show, yet no matter how boring or insipid they are, the two remain extremely enthralled throughout the interview.
Morning Latte at the SNL Archive
commitment, and airs very early on Sunday morning. Osbourne is generally clueless to the accomplishments of the guests on his show, regularly asking them stupid questions. Also, Osbourne pauses after nearly every dialogue sequence with his guest to announce the time and to re-identify the show, which would always follow the format: "It's (time) in the A.M. and you're watching Perspectives. I'm your host, Lionel Osbourne. With me today is (guest).", followed by a gradually less informative recap of the conversation so far. In one sketch, Osbourne interviewed Dr. Emory Coleman (played by David Alan Grier
), host of the television show Viewpoint - which was identical to Perspectives, but with Coleman as host and Osbourne as the guest. The sketch repeatedly cut back and forth between Perspectives and Viewpoint, causing even the hosts to become confused as to which show they were on.
as Bishop Don "Mack" Donald, a pastiche/parody/homage to Bishop Don "Magic" Juan. Both sketches featured Tim Meadows as "Pimpin' Cal", Bishop Donald's sidekick, and took place in the back of a limo with pink faux fur upholstery, "from the back of a Rolls-Royce limosine parked outside Club Sugar Shack, at Nelson Ave. and Harlem." The first sketch featured Vince Vaughn
(12/05/98) as "White Chocolate", and the second featured Ray Romano
(3/13/99). As these were produced during the Clinton era, they invariably had content regarding said presidential scandals, with the occasional political questions thrown in. During these sketches, Bishop Donald would always call for the limo to slow down, at which point he would yell (to his one of his whores, presumably), "Bitch, where's my money?"
) and featured "licensed joyologist" Helen Madden (Molly Shannon
). In every episode, Helen would appear in clashing floral clothing, oversized jewelry (usually made out of shells) and recount her latest New Age activity or interest with exuberant but humorous posturings of her body and her trademark nasal "I love it, I love it, I love it!" Also in each episode, Helen would introduce her latest boyfriend and recount in detail how they met, much to Gail's insecurity and discomfort. Among those who have played Helen's boyfriends were regular SNL cast members as well as guests such as David Duchovny
and Toby Maguire.
and Dana Carvey
mimicking Arnold Schwarzenegger
with padding for fake muscles, gray sweatsuits, weight belts, and Austrian accents. They were the hosts of "Pumping Up with Hans & Franz", where they proceed to denigrate others for not being strong, and then strike bodybuilder poses. They always introduced themselves saying, (Carvey) "I am Hans." (Nealon) "...And I am Franz" (together) "...And we are here to pump [handclap] you up." In one episode, Schwarzenegger actually appears and admonishes them for being girly men
.
Hanz and Franz appear in the EPCOT Center presentation Cranium Command
as they make the heart beat.
played Russell Clark, editor of Sassy Magazine
, who interviewed young, male celebrities of the day, and incessantly repeated the term "Sassy!", or variations of it ("The French have a word for it: Sassé!" or "Looks like someone stepped in a big pile of Sassy!") after each guest's response. Guests included Joey Lawrence
(played by Mike Myers
) whose sole response to everything was the expression, "Whoa!" (his character's catchphrase on the sitcom, Blossom
). Adam Sandler
made an appearance as "Marky" Mark Walberg and Jay Mohr
appeared as Andrew McCarthy, still lamenting his breakup with Molly Ringwald (continuously repeating "I love her, man.")
) and Ian Daeglish (Mark McKinney
) that aired on ESPN2
. The hosts are presumably named after real Scottish footballing legends, Andy Gray and Kenny Dalglish
. This show was a weekly show for rowdy Scottish soccer fans, referred to as "Hooligans." McKinney often gets his nose broken by Myers, and Myers often vomits from drinking too much beer. There were several fake sponsors including "Bollocks" brand hot dogs. Meyers would often begin by saying "Let's get down to business because I'm steamin' PISS DRUNK, and I'm gonna be SICK! or such colorful variations as "I'm gonna honk. I'm gonna paint this room like an esophageal Jackson Pollack canvas." Memorable topics of discussion included "Effigies: are they really worth the trouble? Why not burn the real people?" and "odd things I've found in me vomit after rioting". In one episode David Hyde Pierce plays a character claiming to be an American "tennis hooligan". "I choose the player I hate, and when they're about to serve I do something distracting like yawn or shift in my seat. One time I coughed really loud."
imitates Don West
, the loud, bombastic, former late-night collectibles show host on the Shop At Home Network
who now serves as a professional wrestling
announcer with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
boy played by Mike Myers
who likes to draw, and has his own BBC
television program, Simon. The sketches always begin by showing the BBC logo with a faux British announcer back-announcing some ridiculously insipid sounding programming on right before it. The show borrows its theme song from a British children's television series
called Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings
, though, aside from the concept of a young boy who draws, the premises are completely dissimilar. Simon broadcasts his program from his bathtub, in which he appears to be nude. On the show, Simon displays his drawings , which he bends over to pick up, whereupon he scolds the audience, by yelling his catch phrase
s, "Don't look at my bum!" and calling the audience "Bum Lookers!" and "Cheeky Monkeys!"
His drawings often depict scenes that are disturbing or morbidly violent, presented with a naïve and childlike innocence. From the context of his show, it can be inferred that Simon has an extremely skewed outlook on life due to his upbringing: His mother is deceased (or, as he refers to it, "with the angel
s"), and his father is somewhat of a reprobate who associates with nefarious figures and leaves Simon unattended for long periods of time while he gambles
. Simon is seemingly oblivious to his abnormal nature, maintaining a jovial temperament, and a typically juvenile sense of humour. Simon also suffers from gigantism
(an obvious explanation for having a body of a full-grown man). He sometimes has guests on his show, who appear in the bathtub with Simon, and also show their drawings (which are as equally disturbing as Simon's). Simon typically ends his show when he determines that he has been in the tub too long, as indicated by his "prune hands."
as Dieter, the stereotypical German minimalist host of the fictitious West German television show "Sprockets." Effeminate or asexual, he would be dressed in tight black leotards with round wire-rimmed glasses and slicked-back hair. He had a pet monkey named Klaus who was chained to a stand between Dieter and his guests. Dieter would harass his guests by yelling, "Touch my monkey!" until the guest would (often Klaus would also shake the guest's hand).
as Victorian era
dandy
Evelyn Quince, presenting supposedly "racy, randy, ribald!" tales, presented initially as "bodice rippers" which, to the host's clear and vocal dismay, develop into rather straightforward, "not very ribald at all!" sexual encounters between consenting adults.
Saturday Night Live later featured a one-time sketch called "Tales of Irony" which used a similar premise. Jason Alexander
played the host who would become clearly agitated when the scenes developed into quite bland pieces with very little irony at all.
as embittered former American child star Mickey Rooney
, complaining about how the film industry largely turned their back on him, and reminiscing on better times.
Mike Myers
played the host, Kenneth Rhys-Evans (aka "Cucumber Jones"), an English actor who discovered one day that he could not control the volume of his voice (a joke Myers later used in the first Austin Powers
movie). Other characters included Steve Martin
as an elderly British actor nicknamed "Nobby", because his real name was incredibly long.
Quotes:
show hosted by Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers
) and his sidekick
, Garth Algar (Dana Carvey
). The "show" featured their various exploits, including their obsession with hard rock
bands and "babe
s", as well as juvenile antics, such as the "Extreme Close-Up". The sketch was eventually adapted to a film, Wayne's World
which was followed by a sequel, Wayne's World 2
.
and Cheri Oteri
. As Jim and Laura Zimmerman, they would often meet other couples in various settings. Normal dialogue between the Zimmermans would often change course suddenly, as the couple work one another into a sexual frenzy which typically ends just as abruptly. Each sketch typically ends with one or both members of the other couple finally adopting behavior similar to the Zimmermans after extensive baiting, at which point the Zimmermans become shocked and appalled by the other's display.
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
, the show has been something of an anti-television show, turning the medium on its head with endless fake commercials and parodies
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of TV shows themselves. The most common style of their recurring sketches has been the talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
format. However, anything from cop shows
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
to children's shows
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
has been fair game for the ever-changing cast.
Sketches with TV show themes are listed here chronologically. TV Sketches that involve a specific type of character are listed under "Character Categories" (see below).
Celebrity Jeopardy!
Celebrity Jeopardy! was a recurring sketch that parodied the popular game show Celebrity Jeopardy, featuring celebrities who quite often seemed to respond incorrectly. Will FerrellWill Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
portrayed the host, Alex Trebek
Alex Trebek
George Alexander "Alex" Trebek is a Canadian American game show host who has been the host of the game show Jeopardy! since 1984, and prior to that, he hosted game shows such as Pitfall and High Rollers. He has appeared in numerous television series, usually as himself...
, who frequently ended up frustrated with the contestants' stupidity, and the constant taunts of Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
(portrayed by Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1995 until 2009, the longest tenure of any cast member. Upon his departure, Hammond, at age 53, was the oldest cast member in the show's history...
).
Church Chat
Church Chat was a distinctly local-TV Christian celebrity interview program during the 1980s, 1990s (and once in the 2000s), hosted by "The Church Lady" Enid Strict, a character created and performed by Dana CarveyDana Carvey
Dana Thomas Carvey is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for playing the role of Garth in the Wayne's World movies.-Early life:...
as a spoof of on-air, holier-than-thou Christian televangelists. The SNL character was immediately recognizable and popular, spawning some catch phrases such as "Well, isn't that special?", and "Could it be...SATAN?!"
On the set of "Church Chat", with its rectory desk and bogus cellophane stained-glass, other cast members of SNL and guest hosts would appear as the celebrity of the day. The Church Lady would seemingly praise or soothe her guests during their time of crisis, only to blindside them with judgmental admonishments and damnation. She would always wear a high-collared purple dress, a sweater, and old fashioned glasses. Most skits would end with her telling the church organist to "Hit it, Pearl!" as she'd stand over her "sinner" guests performing her "superiority dance".
Unlike most other popular characters from SNL, she was never incorporated into a feature length film.
In early 2011, Carvey was a guest host on SNL, and reprised his role of the Church Lady on Church Chat, where his guests included caricatures of the Khardashian sisters.
Coffee Talk with Linda Richman
Mike MyersMike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
played Linda Richman, a stereotypical Jewish middle-aged woman based on Myers' (now former) mother-in-law (Myers has said he got explicit permission from his mother-in-law before creating and playing the character). Originally, Coffee Talk was hosted by Myers as Paul Baldwin, whose favorite phrase was, "No big whoop."
Richman had an exaggerated New York Jewish accent (e.g. her pronunciation of "Cawfee tawk"). She sported big hair (which she could not go more than five seconds without adjusting); dark glasses; long, painted fake nails; and gold jewelry. She frequently went into pseudo-Yiddish rants, using terms like "verklempt" and "shpilkes in [my] geneckteckessoink", and had an obsession with Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
. One episode featured a surprise appearance by Streisand. The other stars of the episode were Rosanne Barr and Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
.
The Continental
Played by Christopher WalkenChristopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
on 6 of the 7 episodes that he hosted, The Continental is a stereotypical middle-aged European playboy who refuses to be put off, after he has attracted a woman to his apartment. His approach is non-violent but also hilariously uncharming. Camera angles are always from the woman's view.
Episodes featuring The Continental
Cooking with the Anal Retentive Chef
This series of sketches featured Phil HartmanPhil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
as Eugene, a fastidious chef who could not bear to be in the presence of anything cluttered or dirty. After peeling some vegetables he advised throwing the peels away by wrapping them in paper toweling, then aluminum foil, then putting them in a paper bag that was then to be sealed with scotch tape. Gene never completed any of his recipes; he always became too distracted by the effects of his psychological complex, and ran out of time. The majority of these sketches featured the Eugene character as a chef, however, he also played an anal retentive sportsman and home improvement expert. The sketch was presented as a PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
program sponsored by the Chubb Group.
Episodes featuring the Anal Retentive Chef
- April 1, 1989 host: Mel GibsonMel GibsonMel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
- May 13, 1989 in "Fishing with the Anal Retentive Sportsman" host: Wayne GretzkyWayne GretzkyWayne Douglas Gretzky, CC is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. Nicknamed "The Great One", he is generally regarded as the best player in the history of the National Hockey League , and has been called "the greatest hockey player ever" by many sportswriters,...
- September 30, 1989 in a sketch called "Home Improvement" host: Bruce WillisBruce WillisWalter Bruce Willis , better known as Bruce Willis, is an American actor, producer, and musician. His career began in television in the 1980s and has continued both in television and film since, including comedic, dramatic, and action roles...
- December 2, 1989 host: John GoodmanJohn GoodmanJohn Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
- May 12, 1990 host: Andrew Dice ClayAndrew Dice ClayAndrew Dice Clay is an American comedian and actor who played the lead role in the film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane.Clay has been in several movies and has released a number of stand-up albums...
Daily Affirmation with Stuart Smalley
Stuart Smalley, played by Al FrankenAl Franken
Alan Stuart "Al" Franken is the junior United States Senator from Minnesota. He is a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which affiliates with the national Democratic Party....
, hosted a self-help type program that is usually the bane of 12-step help programs such as AA. During the show, Smalley would host celebrities such as Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
and help them solve seemly non-existant problems. However, the sketch would usually end with Smalley himself needing comfort.
The Dark Side with Nat X
In the early 1990s, Chris RockChris Rock
Christopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
portrayed "Nat X", a militant talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
host with a huge Afro
Afro
Afro, sometimes shortened to fro and also known as a "natural", is a hairstyle worn naturally by people with lengthy kinky hair texture or specifically styled in such a fashion by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair...
hairstyle. He once remarked that he had only a 15-minute show because, as he explained, if he had any more, "The Man
The Man
"The Man" is a slang phrase that may refer to the government or to some other authority in a position of power. In addition to this derogatory connotation, it may also serve as a term of respect and praise....
" would regard it as welfare. Many of Rock's original stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
bits were incorporated into Nat X's dialogue.
Segments on The Dark Side include the "White Man Cam" in which a video cam with a police siren sound effect walks up to Nat X's desk and places a graphic image of prison bars in front of him as he screams and mimics being in prison until the White Man Cam goes away. Another segment includes the Top 5 lists because "Ten would make The Man lose sleep."
Nat X was cruel to all of his guests, "greeting" nearly all of them with, "Sit yo' ass down!" Perhaps the most memorable episode featured host Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
as Vanilla Ice
Vanilla Ice
Robert Matthew Van Winkle , best known by his stage name Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, extreme athlete and home improvement television personality...
. Nat told Ice that he could not dance, and even persuaded his other guest, Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
, to dance with him in order to show Ice how to do it.
Spike Lee
Spike Lee
Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
made a surprise appearance as himself on another episode, donning an "X" cap that was made popular by his film Malcolm X
Malcolm X (film)
Malcolm X is a 1992 biographical motion picture about the Muslim-American figure Malcolm X . It was co-written, co-produced, and directed by Spike Lee. It stars Denzel Washington as the titular character. It co-stars Angela Bassett, Albert Hall, Al Freeman, Jr., and Delroy Lindo...
. Not knowing this at first, Nat explained to him that he had been seeing these caps all over town but had personally not seen a dime in profits.
Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
often appeared as "Sandman", a manic clown armed with a broom who swept guests away when Nat had had enough of them. Sandman was modeled after Howard "Sandman" Simms
Howard Simms
Howard Sims , also known as "Sandman", was a tap dancer in vaudeville. He acquired his name from the sand he sprinkled on the floor to amplify the sound of his steps when he danced. In his senior years, Sims appeared at the famous Apollo Theater, comedically ushering failed acts offstage with a...
from Showtime at the Apollo
Showtime at the Apollo
Showtime at the Apollo is a syndicated music television show, first broadcast on September 12, 1987 to May 24, 2008 with 1093 episodes, and is produced by the Apollo Theater...
, who performed the same function on that show's famed "Amateur Night" episodes, when substandard performers fell short of audience approval.
Episodes featuring Nat X
- November 10, 1990 host: Jimmy SmitsJimmy SmitsJimmy Smits is an American actor. Smits is perhaps best known for his roles as attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s legal drama L.A. Law, as NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s police drama NYPD Blue, and as Congressman Matt Santos on The West Wing...
- February 9, 1991 host: Kevin BaconKevin BaconKevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
- April 20, 1991 host: Steven SeagalSteven SeagalSteven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
- September 28, 1991 host: Michael JordanMichael JordanMichael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
- December 14, 1991 host: Steve MartinSteve MartinStephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
- May 9, 1992 host: Tom HanksTom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
- November 21, 1992 host: Sinbad
- November 2, 1996 host: Chris RockChris RockChristopher Julius "Chris" Rock III is an American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer and director. He was voted in the US as the 5th greatest stand-up comedian of all time by Comedy Central...
Delicious Dish
Delicious Dish was not set up as a TV show, but rather a radio show that appeared to be simulcastSimulcast
Simulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on TV. It was hosted by the characters Margaret-Jo McCullen (portrayed by Ana Gasteyer
Ana Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.-Early life:...
) and Terry Rialto (portrayed by Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
). Both characters used breathy, monotonous voices in parody of a stereotypical National Public Radio host. Their dialogue with their various guests were worded to unintentionally mislead radio listeners who could not see what was going on in the studio. The most famous iteration of this sketch is likely the "Schwety Balls" skit with Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
. In the skit, Schwety (played by Baldwin) presents various edible ball-shaped foods, but the ladies' inadvertent double entendres suggest that they are engaging in sexual acts with their guest.
The Denise Show
The Denise Show revolved around Adam SandlerAdam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
's character (Brian), who broke up with his girlfriend Denise (played by Shannen Doherty
Shannen Doherty
Shannen Maria Doherty is an American actress, producer, author and television director, known for her work as Heather Duke in Heathers , as Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills, 90210 and its spinoff series 90210, and as Prue Halliwell in Charmed .-Early life and career:Doherty was born in Memphis,...
), and has yet to accept that the relationship is over. He would feature guests who had seen Denise, and take phone calls. Calls with his father (played by Phil Hartman
Phil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
) would result in shouting matches about how disappointed he was with his son, with Brian eventually hanging up on him. The show appeared to come to an end when, later in the season, Denise's friend (played by Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman, AC is an American-born Australian actress, singer, film producer, spokesmodel, and humanitarian. After starring in a number of small Australian films and TV shows, Kidman's breakthrough was in the 1989 thriller Dead Calm...
) appeared on the show and became Brian's new girlfriend. However, a later broadcast revisted the sketch, revealing that Brian had broken up with Denise's friend because they did not share the same interests (which mainly included stalking Denise).
It was revealed on the show's final episode that Brian had previously hosted "The Linda Show" as a teenager in the late 1970s. Though Brian claimed it was entirely different from "The Denise Show", it was in fact exactly the same, but with a different ex-girlfriend. Linda (played by Nancy Kerrigan
Nancy Kerrigan
Nancy Ann Kerrigan is a two-time American Olympic figure skating medalist and 1993 U.S. champion.-Early life and skating career:...
), who had moved to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
after breaking up with Brian, makes a surprise appearance on "The Denise Show", as she is in town visiting her aunt for two weeks. The couple reunites, with Brian saying that "The Denise Show" would go on a two-week hiatus and probably be followed upon its return by an all-new version of "The Linda Show."
Good Morning Brooklyn
Good Morning Brooklyn is a morning talk showBreakfast television
Breakfast television or morning show , is a type of infotainment television program, broadcast live in the morning...
hosted by Brooklynites who spoke in Italian American
Italian American
An Italian American , is an American of Italian ancestry. The designation may also refer to someone possessing Italian and American dual citizenship...
vernacular using heavy New York accents. Its hosts were James Barone (Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
) and Angela Tucci (played first by Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker
Sarah Jessica Parker is an American film, television, and theater actress and producer.She is best known for her leading role as Carrie Bradshaw on the HBO television series Sex and the City , for which she won four Golden Globe Awards, three Screen Actors Guild Awards, and two Emmy Awards...
, then by Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox
Courteney Bass Cox is an American actress, she is best known for her roles as Monica Geller on the NBC sitcom Friends, Gale Weathers in the horror series Scream and as Jules Cobb in the ABC sitcom Cougar Town, for which she earned her first Golden Globe nomination....
). The two often got into shouting matches, yelling "Shut up!", "No, you shut up!" back and forth until they cut to a "Please Stand By" graphic. Barone frequently used the expression, "Fugheddaboudit!"
Also featured were traffic and weather reporter Anthony ' onMouseout='HidePop("74202")' href="/topics/Michael_McKean">Michael McKean
Michael McKean
Michael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, writer, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; and for his work in the Christopher Guest ensemble films, particularly as David St...
), who gave vague and uninformative reports (such as, "It's hot as a bastard!"), and field reporter Molly Fahey (Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
), who, when asked if her name was Italian, admits, "No, but it's Catholic", which James replies is "good enough".
Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
played Angelo, a guest whose entrance was always accompanied by his yelling at an off-screen antagonist ("No, you move your car!" or "No, you suck my ass!"). In one sketch, Angelo hosted a segment called "Beatin' of the Week", in which someone would receive a beating for making derogatory remarks about Italians. Chris Farley
Chris Farley
Christopher Crosby "Chris" Farley was an American comedian and actor. Farley was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1990 to 1995....
played a hot dog
Hot dog
A hot dog is a sausage served in a sliced bun. It is very often garnished with mustard, ketchup, onions, mayonnaise, relish and/or sauerkraut.-History:...
vendor who was discovered by Fahey, and was the unfortunate recipient of said beating for his comment that "IROC" was an acronym for "Italian Retard Out Cruising".
The character James Barone later appeared in an unrelated sketch about a Civil War documentary, in which uninformed high school dropout
Dropping out
Dropping out means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves....
s commented on the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Goth Talk
Goth Talk was a late-night Tampa BayTampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
cable access show recorded in the basement of two goth
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
students, Azrael Abyss (Chris Kattan
Chris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
) and Circe Nightshade (Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
).
The How Do You Say? Ah Yes, Show
This sketch was furnished as a talk show featuring Chris KattanChris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
as Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
, the show's host. Kattan portrayed Banderas as a naïve chauvinist whose only interest was to attempt to charm any female guest into sleeping with him, using his well-documented sex appeal and shaky-at-best mastery of the English language (as evidenced in the show's title). In the show, Banderas was always backed up by his three-man mariachi band, who aside from performing the musical duties on the show, constantly begged Banderas not to unbutton or remove his shirt, for it would be "too sexy". A female guest who was put off by his advances once asked him, "Aren't you married to Melanie Griffith?" His response was "Yes, but she is, how do you say, old and not here?" Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
appeared in a sketch as Melanie Griffith
Melanie Griffith
Melanie Richards Griffith is an American actress. She is an Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner for her performance in the 1988 film Working Girl...
.
The Joe Pesci Show
This sketch starred Jim BreuerJim Breuer
Jim Breuer is an American stand-up comedian, actor and radio host. He is most noted for his time as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and starring in the 1998 cult "stoner comedy" Half Baked, alongside Dave Chappelle....
as Pesci, the host of his own late-night talk show. The heard-but-not-seen cameraman was meant to be Pesci's brother. The sketch would usually begin with Italian accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
music and Breuer cheerfully saying "Hey! I am Joe Pesci! I got my own show, my cameraman, and all my friends!"
Pesci's personality on the show does not so much resemble the real Joe Pesci
Joe Pesci
Joseph Frank "Joe" Pesci is an American actor, comedian, and musician.He is known for playing a variety of different roles, from violent mobsters to comedic leads to quirky sidekicks...
as it does Tommy DeVito
Thomas DeSimone
Thomas "Two-Gun Tommy" Anthony DeSimone was an Italian-American gangster and associate of the Lucchese crime family in New York. Also known as "Tommy D" or "Tommy Two-Guns", he was a grandson and nephew of Los Angeles mob bosses Rosario DeSimone and Frank DeSimone...
or Nicky Santoro, his characters from Goodfellas
Goodfellas
Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese...
and Casino
Casino (film)
Casino is a 1995 crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is based on the non-fiction book of the same name by Nicholas Pileggi, who also co-wrote the screenplay for the film with Scorsese...
respectively. While interviewing his guests, each guest would invariably, inadvertently say something that Pesci took as an insult. He would then produce a baseball bat, and proceed to beat the guest senseless.
There were a few guests who were notable exceptions to this fate. The first sketch featured Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards
Anthony Charles Edwards is an American actor and director. He has appeared in various movies and television shows, including Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Top Gun, Zodiac, Revenge of the Nerds, Northern Exposure and ER.-Early life:Edwards was born in Santa Barbara, California, the son of Erika...
as Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Carson Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck, My Girl, The Pagemaster, and Party Monster...
, Pesci's co-star in Home Alone
Home Alone
Home Alone is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film written and produced by John Hughes and directed by Chris Columbus. The film stars Macaulay Culkin as Kevin McCallister, an eight-year-old boy, who is mistakenly left behind when his family flies to Paris for their Christmas vacation...
. Pesci hit him on the head with a paint can as he was angered by the fact people laughed at Macaulay Culkin doing it to Pesci. On one episode hosted by Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
James Eugene "Jim" Carrey is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He has received two Golden Globe Awards and has also been nominated on four occasions. Carrey began comedy in 1979, performing at Yuk Yuk's in Toronto, Ontario...
, Carrey played legendary actor James Stewart
James Stewart (actor)
James Maitland Stewart was an American film and stage actor, known for his distinctive voice and his everyman persona. Over the course of his career, he starred in many films widely considered classics and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one in competition and receiving one Lifetime...
, while regular cast member Mark McKinney
Mark McKinney
Mark Douglas Brown McKinney is a Canadian comedian and actor, best known for his work in the sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. Following the run of their television series and feature film , he went on to star in Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 1997...
played Carrey. Pesci and Stewart teamed up to beat up Carrey, with Stewart going on to beat up Pesci himself. One episode featuring then Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Rudy Giuliani
Rudolph William Louis "Rudy" Giuliani KBE is an American lawyer, businessman, and politician from New York. He served as Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001....
was about to get beaten when his security detail grabs Pesci, then Giuliani grabs a Stickball
Stickball
Stickball is a street game related to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game, played in large cities in the Northeastern United States, especially New York City. The equipment consists of a broom handle and a rubber ball, typically a spaldeen, pensie pinkie, high bouncer or tennis ball. The...
stick and proceeded to beat the crap out of Pesci. Pesci also spares actors who, like him, are of Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
ancestry and who came to prominence in films about the Sicilian Mafia. However, while Italian-Americans were often spared physical assault, Pesci may make disparaging remarks, such as when he had his My Cousin Vinny
My Cousin Vinny
My Cousin Vinny is a 1992 American comedy film written and produced by Dale Launer, directed by Jonathan Lynn and starring Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield, Lane Smith, Bruce McGill and Fred Gwynne...
costar Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
, Pesci mentions her Academy Award and comments that it must have been quid pro quo
Quid pro quo
Quid pro quo most often means a more-or-less equal exchange or substitution of goods or services. English speakers often use the term to mean "a favour for a favour" and the phrases with almost identical meaning include: "give and take", "tit for tat", "this for that", and "you scratch my back,...
("Whos Joe did you DiMaggio to win that?"), prompting an angry Tomei to state she won it fair and square and storm off the set. Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey
Kevin Spacey, CBE is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and crooner. He grew up in California, and began his career as a stage actor during the 1980s, before being cast in supporting roles in film and television...
appeared as Al Pacino
Al Pacino
Alfredo James "Al" Pacino is an American film and stage actor and director. He is famous for playing mobsters, including Michael Corleone in The Godfather trilogy, Tony Montana in Scarface, Alphonse "Big Boy" Caprice in Dick Tracy and Carlito Brigante in Carlito's Way, though he has also appeared...
on one episode, in which the two of them team up against Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield
Rodney Dangerfield , was an American comedian, and actor, known for the catchphrases "I don't get no respect!," "No respect, no respect at all... that's the story of my life" or "I get no respect, I tell ya" and his monologues on that theme...
(portrayed by Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond
Darrell Hammond is an American actor, stand-up comedian and impressionist. He was a regular on Saturday Night Live from 1995 until 2009, the longest tenure of any cast member. Upon his departure, Hammond, at age 53, was the oldest cast member in the show's history...
). Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
, John Goodman
John Goodman
John Stephen Goodman is an American film, television, and stage actor. He is best known for his role as Dan Conner on the television series Roseanne for which he won a Best Actor Golden Globe Award in 1993, and for appearances in the films of the Coen brothers, with prominent roles in Raising...
and Colin Quinn
Colin Quinn
Colin Edward Quinn is an American stand-up comedian and writer best known for his five years in the cast of Saturday Night Live, as the sidekick/announcer of MTV's late 1980s gameshow Remote Control and as host of Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn on Comedy Central from 2002–2004.-Early years:Quinn was...
made appearances as Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro
Robert De Niro, Jr. is an American actor, director and producer. His first major film roles were in Bang the Drum Slowly and Mean Streets, both in 1973...
, though he is reduced to monosyllabic responses to Pesci's prompts: his lines are usually "I heard some things" (a line from Oscar winner "Raging Bull", the first movie to star both De Niro and Pesci), and "Li'l bit" (a shortened version of a line from Goodfellas (where De Niro accuses another mobster of being a "little bit out of line" for insulting Pesci's character), another film starring the two actors). The real Pesci and De Niro surprisingly appeared on one episode, criticizing Breuer for playing caricatures of their film characters. Quinn suddenly says he is not DeNiro, but "Colin Quinn from Remote Control
Remote Control (game show)
Remote Control is a TV game show that ran on MTV for three seasons from 1987 until 1990. It was MTV's first original non-musical program. New episodes were made for first-run syndication in 1989 which were distributed by Viacom...
." Breuer's and Quinn's weak defense of themselves insults Pesci, who asks De Niro if they were just insulted, to which De Niro responds, "Li'l bit." The two of them then proceed to beat up Breuer and Quinn.
A cel-shaded rendering of an episode of The Joe Pesci Show appears in a scene of the movie Waking Life
Waking Life
Waking Life is an American animated film , directed by Richard Linklater and released in 2001. The entire film was shot using digital video and then a team of artists using computers drew stylized lines and colors over each frame.The film focuses on the nature of dreams, consciousness, and...
where the television is scanning through several channels.
Lank Thompson
Mike Myers played Lank Thompson in three different sketches in the early 90s. Thompson was a very handsome man who marketed a line of videos to help men look and act more handsomely. The three videos were Lank Thompson: I'm a Handsome Man, Lank Thompson: I'm a Handsome Actor and Lank Thompson: I'm a Handsome Black Man.Leon Phelps, the Ladies Man
Tim Meadows portrayed Leon Phelps, aka "The Ladies Man", in this popular series of sketches. Phelps (who is stuck in a 1970s mentality, is obsessed with Delta BurkeDelta Burke
Delta Ramona Leah Burke is an American television and film actress. Her television work includes a leading role as Suzanne Sugarbaker in the CBS sitcom Designing Women...
, and speaks with a lisp
Lisp
A lisp is a speech impediment, historically also known as sigmatism. Stereotypically, people with a lisp are unable to pronounce sibilants , and replace them with interdentals , though there are actually several kinds of lisp...
) hosts a television show ("The Ladies Man") where he takes calls and delivers sexual advice. However, Phelps's advice is always over the top, and generally out of line, often suggesting "the butt" no matter what the caller had asked. Whenever he takes a call from a female caller, Phelps says, "Ooooh! It's a lady!" Phelps always has a glass of Courvoisier
Courvoisier
Courvoisier is a brand of cognac owned by Beam Inc.. The production is now based in the town of Jarnac in the Charente department of France...
, a brand of fine Cognac
Cognac
Cognac is a commune in the Charente department in southwestern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Cognac is situated on the river Charente between the towns of Angoulême and Saintes. The majority of the town has been built on the river's left bank, with the smaller right...
. Another notable episode had Meadows ingesting an entire vial of Viagra to test the effects, when he suddenly realizes he goes overboard when he is aroused by a photo of Sally Jesse Raphael.
The Ladies Man was one of two sketches that featured Monica Lewinsky when she appeared on the May 8, 1999 episode hosted by Cuba Gooding Jr. In that sketch, Phelps pretended that he was President Clinton and relived three of Monica's scenes with the President and how the "Ladies Man" would have acted out those same scenes.
This sketch became one of a handful of SNL sketches to spawn its own feature film.
- Main article on the 20002000 in filmThe year 2000 in film involved some significant events.The top grosser worldwide was Mission: Impossible II. Domestically in North America, Gladiator won the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor ....
film: The Ladies Man (2000 film)The Ladies Man (2000 film)The Ladies Man is a 2000 American comedy film that stars actor, comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member Tim Meadows. It was directed by Reginald Hudlin. The movie focuses on the exploits of radio host and sex therapy expert Leon Phelps....
Morning Latte
This sketch features Will FerrellWill Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
and Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oteri is an American comic actress, best known for her roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000.-Personal life:...
playing two morning talk show
Breakfast television
Breakfast television or morning show , is a type of infotainment television program, broadcast live in the morning...
hosts. Ferrell plays Tom Wilkins, a typical vapid and smiling male TV personality, and Oteri plays his scatterbrained female co-host, Cass Van Rye. The two are depicted as being extremely chipper, and tend to be overenthusiastic about each other's mundane life stories, and about their less-than-stellar guests. This is more than likely due to the large amounts of latte
Latte
A latte is a coffee drink made with espresso and steamed milk. Variants include replacing the coffee with another drink base such as masala chai, mate or matcha...
they consume during the course of a show.
The two begin the show by recounting recent events in their personal lives, (in the same vein as shows like Live with Regis and Kelly
Live with Regis and Kelly
Live! with Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Kelly Ripa. The show has aired since 1983 in New York City and 1988 nationwide. Tony Pigg has been the show's announcer since its inception...
, which SNL itself has parodied after Oteri and Ferrell left the show), which are almost certainly never as exciting as their reactions to them. Cass usually tells a story about herself and her husband Eli, in which she never fails to include the detail about her inability to conceive children. Tom then tells a story about a recent event involving him and his wife Gail. Cass almost immediately forgets the details of his story, prompting her to ask questions to which he has already stated the answers. There is also usually a producer off to the side who throws out random comments, which Cass inadvertently forgets over the course of the show. The producer eventually gets fed up with her absentmindedness and loses his temper, shouting obscenities (such as, "YOU STUPID BITCH!") at her. The two hosts become stunned at the reaction, until he informs them that he was "just kidding", to which they respond with incessant laughter.
They also have guests on the show, yet no matter how boring or insipid they are, the two remain extremely enthralled throughout the interview.
Morning Latte at the SNL Archive
Perspectives with Lionel Osbourne
In this mid-to-late 1990s series of sketches, Lionel Osbourne (played by Tim Meadows) hosts a television show primarily dealing with African-American issues. However, the show is only broadcast to fulfill WNBC-TV's public serviceCommunity service
Community service is donated service or activity that is performed by someone or a group of people for the benefit of the public or its institutions....
commitment, and airs very early on Sunday morning. Osbourne is generally clueless to the accomplishments of the guests on his show, regularly asking them stupid questions. Also, Osbourne pauses after nearly every dialogue sequence with his guest to announce the time and to re-identify the show, which would always follow the format: "It's (time) in the A.M. and you're watching Perspectives. I'm your host, Lionel Osbourne. With me today is (guest).", followed by a gradually less informative recap of the conversation so far. In one sketch, Osbourne interviewed Dr. Emory Coleman (played by David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier
David Alan Grier , also known as "D.A.G." , is an American actor and comedian known for his work on the sketch comedy television show In Living Color.-Early life:...
), host of the television show Viewpoint - which was identical to Perspectives, but with Coleman as host and Osbourne as the guest. The sketch repeatedly cut back and forth between Perspectives and Viewpoint, causing even the hosts to become confused as to which show they were on.
Pimp Chat
Done only twice, this sketch featured Tracy MorganTracy Morgan
Tracy Morgan is an American comedian who is best known for his eight seasons as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and currently known for playing the role of Tracy Jordan on the NBC series 30 Rock.-Early life:...
as Bishop Don "Mack" Donald, a pastiche/parody/homage to Bishop Don "Magic" Juan. Both sketches featured Tim Meadows as "Pimpin' Cal", Bishop Donald's sidekick, and took place in the back of a limo with pink faux fur upholstery, "from the back of a Rolls-Royce limosine parked outside Club Sugar Shack, at Nelson Ave. and Harlem." The first sketch featured Vince Vaughn
Vince Vaughn
Vincent Anthony "Vince" Vaughn is an American film actor, screenwriter, producer and comedian. He began acting in the late 1980s, appearing in minor television roles before attaining wider recognition with the 1996 movie Swingers...
(12/05/98) as "White Chocolate", and the second featured Ray Romano
Ray Romano
Raymond Albert "Ray" Romano is an American actor, writer and stand-up comedian, best known for his roles on the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond and in the Ice Age film series. He recently starred in the TNT comedy-drama Men of a Certain Age.-Early life:Romano was born in Queens, New York to Italian...
(3/13/99). As these were produced during the Clinton era, they invariably had content regarding said presidential scandals, with the occasional political questions thrown in. During these sketches, Bishop Donald would always call for the limo to slow down, at which point he would yell (to his one of his whores, presumably), "Bitch, where's my money?"
Pretty Living
This recurring sketch featured a women's tv show hosted by Gail Glesson (Ana GasteyerAna Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.-Early life:...
) and featured "licensed joyologist" Helen Madden (Molly Shannon
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
). In every episode, Helen would appear in clashing floral clothing, oversized jewelry (usually made out of shells) and recount her latest New Age activity or interest with exuberant but humorous posturings of her body and her trademark nasal "I love it, I love it, I love it!" Also in each episode, Helen would introduce her latest boyfriend and recount in detail how they met, much to Gail's insecurity and discomfort. Among those who have played Helen's boyfriends were regular SNL cast members as well as guests such as David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
and Toby Maguire.
Pumping Up with Hans & Franz
Hans & Franz were two muscle-bound jocks played by Kevin NealonKevin Nealon
Kevin Nealon is an American actor and comedian, best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1995, acting in several of the Happy Madison films, for playing Doug Wilson on the Showtime series Weeds, and providing the voice of the title character, Glenn Martin on Glenn Martin,...
and Dana Carvey
Dana Carvey
Dana Thomas Carvey is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for playing the role of Garth in the Wayne's World movies.-Early life:...
mimicking Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
with padding for fake muscles, gray sweatsuits, weight belts, and Austrian accents. They were the hosts of "Pumping Up with Hans & Franz", where they proceed to denigrate others for not being strong, and then strike bodybuilder poses. They always introduced themselves saying, (Carvey) "I am Hans." (Nealon) "...And I am Franz" (together) "...And we are here to pump [handclap] you up." In one episode, Schwarzenegger actually appears and admonishes them for being girly men
Girlie men
Girlie men is a pejorative term that is notably used by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to characterize opponents in the state legislature of California over the state budget.-History of the phrase:...
.
Hanz and Franz appear in the EPCOT Center presentation Cranium Command
Cranium Command
Cranium Command was an attraction at the Wonders of Life pavilion at Walt Disney World Resort's Epcot theme park. The show was a humorous presentation on the importance of the human brain....
as they make the heart beat.
The Quiet Storm
The Quiet Storm was a radio show hosted by Chris "Champagne" Garnett (Tim Meadows).Sassy's Sassiest Boys
Phil HartmanPhil Hartman
Philip Edward "Phil" Hartman was a Canadian-American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and graphic artist. Born in Brantford, Ontario, Hartman and his family moved to the United States when he was 10...
played Russell Clark, editor of Sassy Magazine
Sassy Magazine
Sassy magazine is a defunct teen magazine, aimed at teenage female fans of alternative and indie rock music. It was founded in March 1988 by an Australian feminist, Sandra Yates, CEO of Matilda Publications, who based it on the teen magazine Dolly, which is still in publication in...
, who interviewed young, male celebrities of the day, and incessantly repeated the term "Sassy!", or variations of it ("The French have a word for it: Sassé!" or "Looks like someone stepped in a big pile of Sassy!") after each guest's response. Guests included Joey Lawrence
Joey Lawrence
Joseph "Joey" Lawrence is an American actor, R&B-singer, and TV-host. He is known for his roles in the TV-series Gimme a Break!, Blossom, and Melissa & Joey.- Early life :...
(played by Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
) whose sole response to everything was the expression, "Whoa!" (his character's catchphrase on the sitcom, Blossom
Blossom (TV series)
Blossom is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC from January 3, 1991 to May 22, 1995. The series stars Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers. It was created by Don Reo.- Synopsis :...
). Adam Sandler
Adam Sandler
Adam Richard Sandler is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, musician, and film producer.After becoming a Saturday Night Live cast member, Sandler went on to star in several Hollywood feature films that grossed over $100 million at the box office...
made an appearance as "Marky" Mark Walberg and Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr
Jay Mohr is an American actor and stand up comedian. He is known for his role as Professor Rick Payne in the TV series Ghost Whisperer, the title role in the CBS sitcom Gary Unmarried, which ran from 2008 to 2010, and the back-stabbing sports agent Bob Sugar in Jerry Maguire.-Early life:Mohr was...
appeared as Andrew McCarthy, still lamenting his breakup with Molly Ringwald (continuously repeating "I love her, man.")
Scottish Soccer Hooligan Weekly
A fictitious talk show hosted by shaven-head Scottish soccer fans Andy Gray (Mike MyersMike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
) and Ian Daeglish (Mark McKinney
Mark McKinney
Mark Douglas Brown McKinney is a Canadian comedian and actor, best known for his work in the sketch comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. Following the run of their television series and feature film , he went on to star in Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 1997...
) that aired on ESPN2
ESPN2
ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,...
. The hosts are presumably named after real Scottish footballing legends, Andy Gray and Kenny Dalglish
Kenny Dalglish
Kenneth Mathieson "Kenny" Dalglish MBE is a Scottish former footballer and the current manager of Liverpool F.C.. In a 22-year playing career, he played for two club teams, Celtic and Liverpool, winning numerous honours with both. He is the most capped Scottish player, with 102 appearances, and...
. This show was a weekly show for rowdy Scottish soccer fans, referred to as "Hooligans." McKinney often gets his nose broken by Myers, and Myers often vomits from drinking too much beer. There were several fake sponsors including "Bollocks" brand hot dogs. Meyers would often begin by saying "Let's get down to business because I'm steamin' PISS DRUNK, and I'm gonna be SICK! or such colorful variations as "I'm gonna honk. I'm gonna paint this room like an esophageal Jackson Pollack canvas." Memorable topics of discussion included "Effigies: are they really worth the trouble? Why not burn the real people?" and "odd things I've found in me vomit after rioting". In one episode David Hyde Pierce plays a character claiming to be an American "tennis hooligan". "I choose the player I hate, and when they're about to serve I do something distracting like yawn or shift in my seat. One time I coughed really loud."
Shopping At Home Network
Will FerrellWill Ferrell
John William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
imitates Don West
Don West (sportscaster)
Donald "Don" West is an American pitchman, television personality and wrestling broadcaster currently working as an on-screen talent for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, and also as a pitchman for WildWestDeals.com, an internet marketing website...
, the loud, bombastic, former late-night collectibles show host on the Shop At Home Network
Shop at Home Network
The Shop at Home Network was a television network in the United States Before its acquisition by Jewelry Television in 2006, The E. W. Scripps Company owned and operated the network from 2002 until 2006, when the network temporarily ceased operations on June 21...
who now serves as a professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
announcer with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
Simon
Simon is a sketch about a young BritishGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
boy played by Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
who likes to draw, and has his own BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television program, Simon. The sketches always begin by showing the BBC logo with a faux British announcer back-announcing some ridiculously insipid sounding programming on right before it. The show borrows its theme song from a British children's television series
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
called Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings
Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings
Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings is a British children's animated television programme, featuring the adventures of a young child named Simon, who has a magic chalkboard...
, though, aside from the concept of a young boy who draws, the premises are completely dissimilar. Simon broadcasts his program from his bathtub, in which he appears to be nude. On the show, Simon displays his drawings , which he bends over to pick up, whereupon he scolds the audience, by yelling his catch phrase
Catch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
s, "Don't look at my bum!" and calling the audience "Bum Lookers!" and "Cheeky Monkeys!"
His drawings often depict scenes that are disturbing or morbidly violent, presented with a naïve and childlike innocence. From the context of his show, it can be inferred that Simon has an extremely skewed outlook on life due to his upbringing: His mother is deceased (or, as he refers to it, "with the angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
s"), and his father is somewhat of a reprobate who associates with nefarious figures and leaves Simon unattended for long periods of time while he gambles
Gambling
Gambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
. Simon is seemingly oblivious to his abnormal nature, maintaining a jovial temperament, and a typically juvenile sense of humour. Simon also suffers from gigantism
Gigantism
Gigantism, also known as giantism , is a condition characterized by excessive growth and height significantly above average...
(an obvious explanation for having a body of a full-grown man). He sometimes has guests on his show, who appear in the bathtub with Simon, and also show their drawings (which are as equally disturbing as Simon's). Simon typically ends his show when he determines that he has been in the tub too long, as indicated by his "prune hands."
Sprockets
Sprockets was a series of sketches starring Mike MyersMike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
as Dieter, the stereotypical German minimalist host of the fictitious West German television show "Sprockets." Effeminate or asexual, he would be dressed in tight black leotards with round wire-rimmed glasses and slicked-back hair. He had a pet monkey named Klaus who was chained to a stand between Dieter and his guests. Dieter would harass his guests by yelling, "Touch my monkey!" until the guest would (often Klaus would also shake the guest's hand).
Tales of Ribaldry
Tales of Ribaldry was a series of sketches starring Jon LovitzJon Lovitz
Jonathan "Jon" Lovitz is an American comedian, actor, and singer. He is best known as a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live from 1985 to 1990.-Early life:...
as Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
dandy
Dandy
A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance in a cult of Self...
Evelyn Quince, presenting supposedly "racy, randy, ribald!" tales, presented initially as "bodice rippers" which, to the host's clear and vocal dismay, develop into rather straightforward, "not very ribald at all!" sexual encounters between consenting adults.
Saturday Night Live later featured a one-time sketch called "Tales of Irony" which used a similar premise. Jason Alexander
Jason Alexander
Jay Scott Greenspan , better known by his professional name of Jason Alexander, is an American actor, writer, comedian, television director, producer, and singer. He is best known for his role as George Costanza on the television series Seinfeld, appearing in the sitcom from 1989 to 1998...
played the host who would become clearly agitated when the scenes developed into quite bland pieces with very little irony at all.
Episodes featuring Tales of Ribaldry
- April 1, 1989 host: Mel GibsonMel GibsonMel Colm-Cille Gerard Gibson, AO is an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. Born in Peekskill, New York, Gibson moved with his parents to Sydney, Australia when he was 12 years old and later studied acting at the Australian National Institute of Dramatic Art.After appearing in...
- February 17, 1990 host: Tom HanksTom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
Theatre Stories
Theatre Stories was an SNL skit parodying English actors. It is described by the announcer as produced by the "British-American Theatre Alliance", and centered around several English Shakespearean actors recounting acting experiences and anecdotes. However, one of the most memorable performances was Dana CarveyDana Carvey
Dana Thomas Carvey is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for playing the role of Garth in the Wayne's World movies.-Early life:...
as embittered former American child star Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
, complaining about how the film industry largely turned their back on him, and reminiscing on better times.
Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
played the host, Kenneth Rhys-Evans (aka "Cucumber Jones"), an English actor who discovered one day that he could not control the volume of his voice (a joke Myers later used in the first Austin Powers
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is a 1997 American science fiction/action-comedy film and the first film of the Austin Powers series. It was directed by Jay Roach and written by Mike Myers who also stars in the title role. Myers also plays Dr. Evil, Austin Powers' arch-enemy...
movie). Other characters included Steve Martin
Steve Martin
Stephen Glenn "Steve" Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, musician and composer....
as an elderly British actor nicknamed "Nobby", because his real name was incredibly long.
Quotes:
- Kenneth: That reminds me of a story that's in no way related. I was working with John GielgudJohn GielgudSir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
in a production of Troilus and CressidaTroilus and CressidaTroilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was also described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus...
, when I discovered I had no control OVER THE VOLUME OF MY VOICE!
- Mickey: I was the number one star... in the world, you hear me? Bang! <kissing noise> In the wooorld.
- Nobby: What a fascinating story you ghastly American! <imitating Mickey> Bang!"
Mickey: I'm just glad I like women.
Nobby: What are you getting at?
Kenneth: Yes, why don't you go off somewhere and have an American 'hot... dog'?
- Nobby: I remember one time when we were doing a performance of Waiting for Godot when a bomb from a Spitfire crashed through the ceiling...OH! I SOILED MY PANTS!
Kenneth: Well who can blame you? I would too if I were in that situation.
Nobby: No, I mean right now!
Wayne's World
Wayne's World was one of the most popular recurring sketches on Saturday Night Live, centering around a cable TV Public-access televisionPublic-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
show hosted by Wayne Campbell (Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
) and his sidekick
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion who is generally regarded as subordinate to the one he accompanies. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato and Batman's Robin.-Origins:The origin of the...
, Garth Algar (Dana Carvey
Dana Carvey
Dana Thomas Carvey is an American actor and stand-up comedian, best known for his work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live and for playing the role of Garth in the Wayne's World movies.-Early life:...
). The "show" featured their various exploits, including their obsession with hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
bands and "babe
Babe
Babe is generally a slang term of endearment, but may also refer:-Entertainment:* Babe, the title character of the Dick King-Smith book The Sheep-Pig** Babe , a 1995 Australian film based on the book...
s", as well as juvenile antics, such as the "Extreme Close-Up". The sketch was eventually adapted to a film, Wayne's World
Wayne's World (film)
Wayne's World is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Penelope Spheeris and starring Mike Myers in his film debut as Wayne Campbell and Dana Carvey as Garth Algar, hosts of the Aurora, Illinois-based Public-access television cable TV show Wayne's World...
which was followed by a sequel, Wayne's World 2
Wayne's World 2
Wayne's World 2 is a 1993 comedy film starring Mike Myers and Dana Carvey as hosts of a Public-access television cable TV show from Aurora, Illinois. The film was adapted from a sketch on NBC's Saturday Night Live and is the sequel to Wayne's World....
.
The Zimmermans
The Zimmermans were a married couple portrayed by Chris KattanChris Kattan
Christopher Lee "Chris" Kattan is an American actor/comedian, best known for his work on Saturday Night Live.-Early life:Kattan was born in Sherman Oaks, California. His father, Kip King, was an actor and voice actor who appeared on the series Reno 911! as Larrie Plum. His mother, Hajnalka E....
and Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oteri
Cheri Oteri is an American comic actress, best known for her roles as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995 to 2000.-Personal life:...
. As Jim and Laura Zimmerman, they would often meet other couples in various settings. Normal dialogue between the Zimmermans would often change course suddenly, as the couple work one another into a sexual frenzy which typically ends just as abruptly. Each sketch typically ends with one or both members of the other couple finally adopting behavior similar to the Zimmermans after extensive baiting, at which point the Zimmermans become shocked and appalled by the other's display.
Episodes featuring The Zimmermans
- February 15, 1997
- May 2, 1998 - featuring host Matthew BroderickMatthew BroderickMatthew Broderick is an American film and stage actor who, among other roles, played the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Adult Simba in The Lion King film series, and Leo Bloom in the film and Broadway productions of The Producers.He has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his...
and Molly ShannonMolly ShannonMolly Helen Shannon is an American comic actress best known for her work as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1995–2001 and for starring in the films Superstar and Year of the Dog. More recently, she starred in NBC's Kath & Kim from 2008–2009 and on the TBS animated series Neighbors from...
as the Zimmerman's neighbors. - October 24, 1998 - featuring host Ben StillerBen StillerBenjamin Edward "Ben" Stiller is an American comedian, actor, writer, film director, and producer. He is the son of veteran comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara....
and Ana GasteyerAna GasteyerAna Kristina Gasteyer is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.-Early life:...
as the Zimmerman's neighbors. - February 13, 1999 - featuring host Brendan FraserBrendan FraserBrendan James Fraser is a Canadian-American film and stage actor. Fraser portrayed Rick O'Connell in the three-part Mummy film series , and is known for his comedic and fantasy film leading roles in major Hollywood films, including Encino Man , George of the Jungle , Dudley Do-Right , Monkeybone ,...
as a gym instructor. - May 15, 1999 - featuring host Sarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle GellarSarah Michelle Prinze , known professionally by her birth name of Sarah Michelle Gellar , is an American actress, singer and executive producer...
and Chris ParnellChris ParnellThomas Christopher "Chris" Parnell is an American comic actor best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998–2006 and currently for his recurring role as Dr. Leo Spaceman on NBC's Emmy Award-winning comedy series 30 Rock. Parnell also voices Cyril Figgis on the FX animated comedy...
as Karen and John Hopkins. - October 16, 1999 - featuring host Heather Graham, Will FerrellWill FerrellJohn William "Will" Ferrell is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the late 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega...
and Chris Parnell as airplane passengers. - February 19, 2000 - featuring host Ben AffleckBen AffleckBenjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
and Horatio SanzHoratio SanzHoratio Sanz is a Chilean-born American actor and comedian best known as a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1998-2006. Sanz most recently starred alongside his former SNL castmate Chris Parnell in the Comedy Central series Big Lake.-Early life:Sanz, the youngest of three sons, was born in...
as car salesmen. - May 20, 2000 - featuring host Jackie ChanJackie ChanJackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
and Molly Shannon as an interracial couple.
See also
- Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 1970sSaturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 1970s1970sSince the beginning of Saturday Night Live, the show has been something of an anti-television show, turning the medium on its head with endless fake commercials and parodies of TV shows themselves. The most common style of their recurring sketches has been the talk show format...
- Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 1980sSaturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 1980sSince the beginning of Saturday Night Live, the show has been something of an anti-television show, turning the medium on its head with endless fake commercials and parodies of TV shows themselves. The most common style of their recurring sketches has been the talk show format...
- Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 2000sSaturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 2000sSince the beginning of Saturday Night Live, the show has been something of an anti-television show, turning the medium on its head with endless fake commercials and parodies of TV shows themselves. The most common style of their recurring sketches has been the talk show format...
- Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketchesRecurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketchesSee also: Listed chronologically, Listed by cast member, Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 2000s-A:-B:-C:-D:-E:-F:-G:-H:-I:-J:-K:-L:-M:-N:-O:-P:-Q to R:-S:-T:-U to V:-W:-X to Z:...
- Listed chronologicallyRecurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches (listed chronologically)* See also Listed Alphabetically, Listed by cast member, Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 2000sListed dates indicate the first appearance of the character or sketch.-1975–1976:...
- Listed by cast memberRecurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches (listed by cast member)The following are the most frequent recurring characters and celebrity impressions on Saturday Night Live listed by cast member.* See also Listed Alphabetically, Listed Chronologically, Saturday Night Live TV show sketches of the 2000s-Fred Armisen:...
- Saturday Night Live characters appearing on Weekend UpdateSaturday Night Live characters appearing on Weekend UpdateWeekend Update has been a platform for Saturday Night Live characters to grow and gain popularity ever since Gilda Radner used it to create Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna. Many cast members have used Update as the primary vehicle for a certain character...
- Saturday Night Live musical sketchesSaturday Night Live musical sketchesSaturday Night Live has featured many recurring characters that appear in sketches with a musical theme. In addition there are characters listed here who predominantly featured music, but may not have exclusively featured it....
- Saturday Night Live animal sketchesSaturday Night Live animal sketchesThis list includes write-ups for animal-themed recurring sketches that appeared on Saturday Night Live. The sketches are listed chronologically.Character lists: Alphabetical and ChronologicalCharacter articles:*TV show sketches...
- Saturday Night Live commercialSaturday Night Live commercialThe following is a partial list of Saturday Night Live commercial parodies. On Saturday Night Live , a parody advertisement is commonly shown after the host's opening monologue. Fast food, beer, feminine hygiene products, toys, and automobiles have been frequent targets.The commercial parodies have...
s