SNL 40th Aniv Show

[newarenanow]

Martin Short looked awesome for 64.

He and Steve Martin look like they did in the 3 Amigos. Looks like they never aged.

[shmenguin]

i think almost anything phil hartman did was hilarious in a timeless way. it will always be funny. but watching the older clips last night, they generally just don't do it for me anymore. it's fun in a nostalgic way, but when steve martin comes out and sings 10 seconds of king tut, are you guys laughing because you think it's funny now? are you just laughing at a memory? do you not even understand what the joke ever was (*raises hand*)? a lot of it was that way. and almost all of it had the "because it was a different time" comedy filter applied to it for me. even stuff i loved like wayne's world...would i look forward to something like that now? nah. am i just a joyless curmudgeon? you may think so, but nah again. i consume hours of contemporary comedy every day that i love.

[tifosi77]

I laugh at anything Steve Martin says because he's one of the funniest human beings of ever.

That and he's responsible for the first time I ever heard the f-word in its, er, proper context (as opposed to just being an expletive).

[newarenanow]

i think almost anything phil hartman did was hilarious in a timeless way. it will always be funny. but watching the older clips last night, they generally just don't do it for me anymore. it's fun in a nostalgic way, but when steve martin comes out and sings 10 seconds of king tut, are you guys laughing because you think it's funny now? are you just laughing at a memory? do you not even understand what the joke ever was (*raises hand*)? a lot of it was that way. and almost all of it had the "because it was a different time" comedy filter applied to it for me. even stuff i loved like wayne's world...would i look forward to something like that now? nah. am i just a joyless curmudgeon? you may think so, but nah again. i consume hours of contemporary comedy every day that i love.

I just think you are a joyless, soulless human being.

[redwill]

i think almost anything phil hartman did was hilarious in a timeless way. it will always be funny. but watching the older clips last night, they generally just don't do it for me anymore. it's fun in a nostalgic way, but when steve martin comes out and sings 10 seconds of king tut, are you guys laughing because you think it's funny now? are you just laughing at a memory? do you not even understand what the joke ever was (*raises hand*)? a lot of it was that way. and almost all of it had the "because it was a different time" comedy filter applied to it for me. even stuff i loved like wayne's world...would i look forward to something like that now? nah. am i just a joyless curmudgeon? you may think so, but nah again. i consume hours of contemporary comedy every day that i love.

Some of the older stuff is overrated, but a lot of it is still timeless IMO. I could give a long list of sketches, but will do just a few not featured in last night's show:

Spoiler:

- Remember when the original cast did Citizen Kane II? "Rosebud Henri with mustard ..." Hahahaha.
- Chevy Chase vs. Richard Pryor doing the racist duel.
- There was a fantastic send-up of The Exorcist with Richard Pryor as the junior priest. Lorraine Newman was the possessed girl and she terrified him until she said something about his mother. Then he jumped on her and started beating the crap out of her. That was sooo effin funny.
- Anything Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy did together. Were you around for the epic "Buckwheat is dead"? That was and is sheer brilliance.
- Tim Kazurinsky's Dr. Jack Badofsky (still one of the funniest things ever on Weekend Update).
- The male synchronized swimming short with Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Martin Short.
- ... many more which IMO would be as fresh today as then.

I suppose some of the laughter is nostalgic, but what's wrong with that? George Carlin is gone, but I'll still laugh. More than that, though, is that I think a lot of these sketches would hold up today. Some might even consider them superior.

[shmenguin]

nostalgic, but what's wrong with that? George Carlin is gone, but I'll still laugh. More than that, though, is that I think a lot of these sketches would hold up today. Some might even consider them superior.

there's nothing wrong with that. was just wondering.

most of the iconic ones i can think of don't hold up, imo...but today's SNL doesn't hold up either, so...meowshrug

[Spangler]

On a side note, I had no idea Saul Goodman was once a writer on SNL.

[shmenguin]

On a side note, I had no idea Saul Goodman was once a writer on SNL.

and his brother was a writer on the simpsons for 10 years

[count2infinity]

Bob Odenkirk created Matt Foley.

[shafnutz05]

Bob Odenkirk created Matt Foley.

TIL

[JS©]

What a long way to go for a few classic skits. Trim it back to an hour, slap it on DVD, and sell it on VH1.

I thought it was fine. Honestly, this is probably the last big anniversary where a lot of the originals/early cast will still be alive. I think Chase, Akroyd, Murray, Martin, Michaels and them will be dead by the 50th anniversary.

I'd be surprised if Chase is around for the 45th anniversary.

He looked in bad shape last night.

[Idoit40fans]

On a side note, I had no idea Saul Goodman was once a writer on SNL.

and his brother was a writer on the simpsons for 10 years

He also created mr show. He being bob.

[Froggy]

On a side note, I had no idea Saul Goodman was once a writer on SNL.

and his brother was a writer on the simpsons for 10 years

I believe he's an executive producer on the Simpsons as well

[tifosi77]

it's fun in a nostalgic way, but when steve martin comes out and sings 10 seconds of king tut, are you guys laughing because you think it's funny now? are you just laughing at a memory? do you not even understand what the joke ever was (*raises hand*)?

To be fair, 'King Tut' was a thing when it was a thing because there was a traveling museum exhibition going around the U.S. at the time, and the country was kind of in a Tutankhamun craze. So that 10 second thing on the tribute show absolutely was a paean to something of a very specific time and place, and really only works to revive the memory. Kind of like Land Shark, imo.

[shmenguin]

noted...so what's the blues brothers excuse for being unfunny?

[tifosi77]

We finished watching this last night. Final verdict: Outstanding.

Highlights:
- "The Breaks" (Mrs Tif and I like to watch old clips of Tim Conway making Harvey Korman crack up, so this sort of thing is right up our alley)
- "Jaws" love theme
- Jerry and Larry banter (I may not have liked their show, but holy geez that was funny stuff)
- Celebrity Jeopardy
- Weekend Update with Jane Curtin
- Super Bass-O-Matic 2150
- Star spotting during the crowd shots. Among people who did not appear on stage (from memory), I saw Spielberg (and Kate Capshaw), Lucas, Howard Shore (musical director for the first five years, person responsible for naming the Blues Brothers), Paul Rudd, Matthew Broderick, Tom Arnold, John McEnroe, Jeff Goldblum, Randy Newman, Kevin Kline, Jim Breuer, Sarah Silverman and Al Franken.

Lows:
- Too many of the sketches were overly long (but I guess that's a natural outcome given the type of show they were doing).
- Eddie Murphy marking his first appearance at 8H in over 30 years by saying "Gee, this is swell". So much disappoint. (There was a book published a year or so ago, sort of a show biography. Over 500 people contributed, but Murphy was the only past or current cast member to decline an interview. Go figure.)

[CBear3]

King Tut was avery inthe moment thing, but Land Shark is always funny.

[count2infinity]

I didn't get the king tut thing... oh well.

noted...so what's the blues brothers excuse for being unfunny?

[tifosi77]

noted...so what's the blues brothers excuse for being unfunny?

Do you mean the Blues Brothers movie? Or the 62-year old performing with his dead cohort's pale imitation brother?

[redwill]

- Star spotting during the crowd shots. Among people who did not appear on stage (from memory), I saw Spielberg (and Kate Capshaw), Lucas, Howard Shore (musical director for the first five years, person responsible for naming the Blues Brothers), Paul Rudd, Matthew Broderick, Tom Arnold, John McEnroe, Jeff Goldblum, Randy Newman, Kevin Kline, Jim Breuer, Sarah Silverman and Al Franken.

Mr. Senator Franken was in the crowd? I was wondering why he didn't show up.

[tifosi77]

Should add one more highlight: Wayne and Garth.... great overall, but the calling out the #1 thing about SNL being the crew was quality. Standing O, indeed.

[shmenguin]

noted...so what's the blues brothers excuse for being unfunny?

Do you mean the Blues Brothers movie? Or the 62-year old performing with his dead cohort's pale imitation brother?

i dunno...i figured there'd be a lot of overlap with blues brothers and according to jim fans.

[MalkinIsMyHomeboy]

what's Murphy's deal?

I read that he was mad because Lorne greenlit a sketch in the 90s that made fun of one of his movie bombs; is he still mad about this? Does Eddie know that he hasn't made a good movie in over 25 years?

[Pavel Bure]

Should add one more highlight: Wayne and Garth.... great overall, but the calling out the #1 thing about SNL being the crew was quality. Standing O, indeed.

Post wrap orgies...

[tifosi77]

- Star spotting during the crowd shots. Among people who did not appear on stage (from memory), I saw Spielberg (and Kate Capshaw), Lucas, Howard Shore (musical director for the first five years, person responsible for naming the Blues Brothers), Paul Rudd, Matthew Broderick, Tom Arnold, John McEnroe, Jeff Goldblum, Randy Newman, Kevin Kline, Jim Breuer, Sarah Silverman and Al Franken.

Mr. Senator Franken was in the crowd? I was wondering why he didn't show up.

You could see him in the seats behind Bob Odenkirk. (Who has appeared in over 1 episode of 'Better Call Saul' )