At a glance, this may seem like an uncool episode of SNL. Today, Elliot Gould is probably best known as Ross and Rachel's father on "Friends", or as one of the less interesting criminals in the Ocean's 11 films. But during the '70s, he epitomized the quirky male leading man so popular in that era. For every Robert Redford or Burt Reynolds, there was also a Donald Sutherland or Dustin Hoffman. Not as cool as Deniro or Pacino, but still somewhere above old school Hollywood.
Anne Murray, however, was never cool.
THE HOST
Gould was popular, and would go on to host every year until being saddled with hosting duties on the first episode featuring the all new 1980 cast. He never returned. A connection? Who knows.
He's fine in this episode, solid in the skits, though most of his appearance centers on him having spent the night before with Gilda Radner, culminating in an on-air marriage during the ending credits. It's an early example of a recurring plot thread that runs through the episode, something fairly rare these days.
His monologue consists of him singing old standards. It's odd, and seeing him enter to thunderous applause feels strange even though I know he was huge back then. I guess I just didn't realize how popular he was.
He's solid, seems game for anything (he even seems a little high), so it's easy to see why they invited back so often.
THE GOOD
Finally, a strong Killer Bees skit. Portraying them as violent terrorists is a logical place to go with the joke, and Gould does a good job as the leader. The skit cops out on a punchline by intentionally falling apart, but it does result in the first on-air appearance of Lorne Michaels.
The Godfather therapy session is an early favorite of mine. Laraine Newman gets to show off her Valley Girl character (which feels pretty dated and less funny now), but more importantly, Belushi takes the spotlight with a great Brando impersonation. I think sometimes I sound a little biased toward Belushi in these reviews. I'm actually not a huge fan of his, it's just that in these early episodes, in which Chase is the breakout star, it surprises me to see Belushi give so many stand-out performances and yet not quite break out yet. Chase is excellent in his short stint on the show, but he's hardly the only strong performer in the first season.
Weekend Update makes good use of the Chevy Chase/Michael O'Donoghue Jamitol commercial that's been shown before, having O'Donoghue turn up on set as Chase's "wife".
We get a new commercial, Shimmer, the floor wax that's also a whipped topping. In my memory, Aykroyd was the pitchman for this. I was surprised to see it was actually Chase, with Aykroyd in the less showy role of the dad. Still a classic early commercial parody.
Albert Brooks delivers one of my favorites of his films, in which he test markets himself to see if he's funny or not.
I even like the Gary Weis film a lot, a montage of different people singing "Misty". It's arty but entertaining in a way that sadly many of his later contributions aren't. This was rerun a lot in syndication, also, so it's always stuck with me.
THE BAD
The Muppets. And, I guess that's it, so all in all, a strong episode.
THE MEH
The Gilda/Gould marriage skits are okay, but nothing hilarious. It's a cute thread, but I'm not sure it does much beyond fill time.
The opener, featuring a dead string quartet keeling over and, as a result, playing notes, is just okay. I guess they wanted to try something different. It feels like something out of the Ernie Kovacs Show.
It probably has its fans, but Interior Demolitionists is just average for me, as is the skit involving obstetricians.
Franken and Davis are a little more successful doing a comedy act than they are with their Pong skits.
And we get a rerun of the pacemaker battery commercial. The farther we get along, the more out of place these early commercials, featuring none of the cast, seem.
THE MUSIC
It's Anne Murray. Doing two songs I'm not familiar with. She feels out of place, as if she was supposed to be on a prime time variety show and walked through the wrong door.
GRADE:B+
Higher than I expected to give when I started this post, but it really is a strong episode.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Between Gould and Murray, and the "Misty" film, this episode feels even more '70s than usual.
Gould seems so cocky when he takes the stage. It's like he instantly thinks he's the coolest guy in the room.
NEXT: Another first, Buck Henry, joined by Bill Withers, Toni Basil, and some act called The Blues Brothers.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Thursday, August 9, 2012
S1E8 Candce Bergen w/ Martha Reeves/The Stylistics
Candice Bergen, again, already? These days, with every season planned out for maximum opportunities for celebrities to promote their projects, it's odd to see hosts turn up several times a season, for no reason other than that the producers and/or cast liked them. Come to think of it, most of the hosts haven't specifically plugged much this season.
I enjoyed Bergen's previous episode, but was surprised at how few stand-out moments it contained. Perhaps this episode will better showcase her.
THE HOST
It's Candice Bergen, and, yes, she's a little stiff and comes across as a little too serious, like she usually does, but she appears to genuinely love being on SNL, and it shows. Her monologue - it's nothing but a brief bit in which she describes hosting as a Christmas gift to herself.
THE GOOD
There are a few standouts in this generally solid episode.
Mel's Char Palace, a recurring skit in the form of an ad promoting a restaurant where you select, stun, and butcher your own cow, is the real highlight. It's pure Aykroyd, right up there with similar skits, like the Bass-O-Matic.
Chevy Chase as a son calling his parents to let them know he's been arrested for murdering 26 boys is dark enough that it feels like it was written by Michael O'Donoghue.
Chevy Chase coming out as an elf to his sister, played by Bergen, is an obvious metaphor for homosexuality, but it works, largely in part to the great chemistry between him and Bergen.
Also, Chase once again opens as Gerald Ford, this time having a mishap with a Christmas tree.
THE BAD
Pong is back again.
For some reason, Bergen devotes a few minutes to introducing Margaret Kuhn of the Gray Panthers to talk about growing old. I'm sure she was an important woman, but it still feels out of place.
THE MEH
It's always a good sign when even the Muppets don't fall in the bad category. I never enjoy them, but when they break with the regular format, in this case singing a Christmas song with Bergen, they at least become tolerable.
There's a cute film featuring the Bees ice skating in Rockefeller Plaza.
More ads, that are fine, but pale next to Mel's Char Palace: we get Bergen as Princess Grace selling tarnish remover, the personal price gun to set your own prices at the grocery store (a concept that must seem alien to many people today), a selection of gifts offered by Don Pardo.
Belushi and Radner have a nice silent skit involving a laundromat. Radner also does a monologue detailing what she ate.
Laraine Newman gets her own skit playing a German? Swedish? cook messing up her ingredients.
Even Minute Mystery with Mike Mendoza is palatable this week, thanks to Bergen being involved.
We also get the first film by Gary Weis, a montage of people greeting one another at an airport set to the song "Homeward Bound". It's okay, suitable for the season, if a little sappy. Weis will be back to bore us later this season and all through the second. We'll also be seeing more home movies, as Chase and Bergen ask viewers at home to mail theirs in. I guess they needed something to fill up that airtime.
THE MUSIC
We get Martha Reeves (well into the twilight of her career) and The Stylistics (at the beginning of their twilight). Both are fine.
We also get the cast singing Christmas songs. It's more earnest and cheesier than we'd see today, but I guess it fits the times.
GRADE: B
Bergen's fun is infectious, even though so far her episodes haven't matched her enthusiasm. Still, this feels like a moment when the cast is beginning to realize they're turning into a big deal. They seem happy, relaxed, and it feels like they're all still getting along for the most part.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Boy, can Candice Bergen take things seriously for being on a comedy show. There's the Margaret Kuhn moment, but her "Merry Christmas" at the end of the "Homeward Bound" short feels heavy for a variety show.
I'm a little surprised they're still booking less prominent musical acts at this point. Nothing against Martha Reeves - I love her work with the Vandellas - but what was she doing in 1975 to warrant national TV exposure? Unless Bergen requested her, which is possible.
NEXT: Another popular host, Elliott Gould.
I enjoyed Bergen's previous episode, but was surprised at how few stand-out moments it contained. Perhaps this episode will better showcase her.
THE HOST
It's Candice Bergen, and, yes, she's a little stiff and comes across as a little too serious, like she usually does, but she appears to genuinely love being on SNL, and it shows. Her monologue - it's nothing but a brief bit in which she describes hosting as a Christmas gift to herself.
THE GOOD
There are a few standouts in this generally solid episode.
Mel's Char Palace, a recurring skit in the form of an ad promoting a restaurant where you select, stun, and butcher your own cow, is the real highlight. It's pure Aykroyd, right up there with similar skits, like the Bass-O-Matic.
Chevy Chase as a son calling his parents to let them know he's been arrested for murdering 26 boys is dark enough that it feels like it was written by Michael O'Donoghue.
Chevy Chase coming out as an elf to his sister, played by Bergen, is an obvious metaphor for homosexuality, but it works, largely in part to the great chemistry between him and Bergen.
Also, Chase once again opens as Gerald Ford, this time having a mishap with a Christmas tree.
THE BAD
Pong is back again.
For some reason, Bergen devotes a few minutes to introducing Margaret Kuhn of the Gray Panthers to talk about growing old. I'm sure she was an important woman, but it still feels out of place.
THE MEH
It's always a good sign when even the Muppets don't fall in the bad category. I never enjoy them, but when they break with the regular format, in this case singing a Christmas song with Bergen, they at least become tolerable.
There's a cute film featuring the Bees ice skating in Rockefeller Plaza.
More ads, that are fine, but pale next to Mel's Char Palace: we get Bergen as Princess Grace selling tarnish remover, the personal price gun to set your own prices at the grocery store (a concept that must seem alien to many people today), a selection of gifts offered by Don Pardo.
Belushi and Radner have a nice silent skit involving a laundromat. Radner also does a monologue detailing what she ate.
Laraine Newman gets her own skit playing a German? Swedish? cook messing up her ingredients.
Even Minute Mystery with Mike Mendoza is palatable this week, thanks to Bergen being involved.
We also get the first film by Gary Weis, a montage of people greeting one another at an airport set to the song "Homeward Bound". It's okay, suitable for the season, if a little sappy. Weis will be back to bore us later this season and all through the second. We'll also be seeing more home movies, as Chase and Bergen ask viewers at home to mail theirs in. I guess they needed something to fill up that airtime.
THE MUSIC
We get Martha Reeves (well into the twilight of her career) and The Stylistics (at the beginning of their twilight). Both are fine.
We also get the cast singing Christmas songs. It's more earnest and cheesier than we'd see today, but I guess it fits the times.
GRADE: B
Bergen's fun is infectious, even though so far her episodes haven't matched her enthusiasm. Still, this feels like a moment when the cast is beginning to realize they're turning into a big deal. They seem happy, relaxed, and it feels like they're all still getting along for the most part.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Boy, can Candice Bergen take things seriously for being on a comedy show. There's the Margaret Kuhn moment, but her "Merry Christmas" at the end of the "Homeward Bound" short feels heavy for a variety show.
I'm a little surprised they're still booking less prominent musical acts at this point. Nothing against Martha Reeves - I love her work with the Vandellas - but what was she doing in 1975 to warrant national TV exposure? Unless Bergen requested her, which is possible.
NEXT: Another popular host, Elliott Gould.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
S1E7 Richard Pryor w/ Gil Scott-Heron
Now we reach an episode I've been looking forward to writing up, my favorite episode of the first season, possibly my favorite of the entire first five seasons - the Richard Pryor episode.
I'm a little surprised to see that Pryor only hosted the one time. I'd always assumed he was a regular host, like Steve Martin. Perhaps he simply made too many demands - they had to agree to let Gil Scott-Heron, Pryor's ex-wife Shelley, and a blaxploitation actor by the name of Thalmus Rasalula perform before he would agree to do it. He even brought along a writer, Paul Mooney, now probably best known to viewers of The Chapelle Show for his guest spots.
It all leads to a little bit of a sense that the show has been hijacked, that things aren't operating like they normally would, but it all works. I can easily imagine someone like Lorne Michaels being uncomfortable relinquishing that much control, though, so it ends up being a one-time thing.
THE HOST
Pryor is great throughout the show. He's the first host to require a delay, for fear of what he might say, but I don't recall it ever being used. He puts his stamp all over the show, from the opening number on, and at times this almost feels like a test run for a special or series of his own.
Pryor's monologue is typical of his stand-up, which was at its peak around this time, so it's strong, funny, and memorable. It's laced with drug and alcohol references, but not so much that it wouldn't make it on air, and it all still feels pretty relevant today. Maybe not the dropping acid part so much, but it's still an easily accessible joke for audiences today.
THE GOOD
The opener establishes Pryor as the one in control, as Garrett Morris gets to do the pratfall, per Pryor's request, instead of Chevy.
The big debut for this episode if the first appearance of Belushi's samurai character (whose apparently named Futaba, something I didn't know before today). I always associate him with the Buck Henry episodes, so I was surprised to see this is the first samurai skit. The format's not set yet, so instead of getting Buck Henry or someone else dealing with Belushi, the focus is on Belushi and Pryor as a bickering samurai hotel clerk and bellhop, respectively. The skits get funnier in the future, but this is yet another great moment that makes me wonder why Belushi didn't garner more of the spotlight early on, instead of Chase.
The real highlight for me, though, is a skit involving word association between Chase and Pryor that becomes increasingly racist. It's probably one of the edgiest things they show did in the early years, and with Chase's no holds barred delivery of the "N" word, I doubt it would play today without being bleeped. It's funny, it says something, and it actually has a great punchline. It's one of the best skits they ever did, and it's actually written by Paul Mooney, not the regular staff. That's probably why we don't see anything else like this in future episodes.
The other great one is an Exorcist parody that I remember from having seen rerun countless times. It doesn't stand out for being ground-breaking, it's just a solid, funny movie parody, one of the best of their early years. It's one of Laraine Newman's best skits, and it's filled with quotable lines. I knew kids who said "Your momma eats kitty litter!" in the '80s, five years after this skit aired.
Less notable, but still strong, are a skit in which a white family gradually turns black around an oblivious father, and a series of brief bits involving police line-ups heavily aligned against Pryor as the sole black suspect.
THE BAD
Pong and the Muppets, as usual. It would be so great if these had been absent, or at the very least transformed by Pryor's presence, but they're the same thing we've been treated to every week.
Shelley Pryor's monologue. I'm not sure what the nature was of their relationship that Pryor insisted on his ex-wife (they'd been divorced since 1969) delivering a monologue, It's a poem about carousel horses, serving as a metaphor for race relations, and it's about as entertaining as that description just made it sound. She delivers it like a hippy chick who thinks she's on to something deep, or at least it seemed that way while she was stoned.
THE MEH
Pryor as an author who's written a book about pretending to be white touched on pretty predictable stereotypes about whites, and doesn't deliver anything more. The skit in which he plays a soldier who accidentally swallows a suicide pill is also not very memorable. He also has a second monologue which is good, but not as strong as his opener.
Weekend Update is brief this week, devoting much of its time to Emily Litella. It's funny, I remember liking the character when she turned up in reruns in the '80s, but I find her a little grating after seeing each appearance. This is her first appearance on Update so the joke is still fresh. It's certainly better than her previous appearance as a guest on Looks At Books.
Albert Brooks delivers an average film for him, centered around him being too sick to make an actual film.
We also get reruns of the New Dad and Spud Beer commercials.
THE MUSIC
This is the earliest episode that features a performance that made me look up the album to buy it. Heron is great, a real change of pace from previous musical guests, and his performances still feel vital. A lot of SNL musical performances haven't aged well, but this one still feels like a real treat.
GRADE: A
It's not perfect, but the highs are very high here.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
I feel like when people have memories of early SNL being perfect, and so much better than whatever they're currently doing, it's because of their memories of condensed reruns of episodes like this. If you take the three strongest skits, and assume each week was like that, it's easy to see why someone might think that the show was flawless in those days, which it certainly wasn't.
Anyone out there know why Pryor never came back? He seems like he'd be a natural to host every season.
NEXT: Candice Bergen is back (already?) for the first SNL Christmas episode.
I'm a little surprised to see that Pryor only hosted the one time. I'd always assumed he was a regular host, like Steve Martin. Perhaps he simply made too many demands - they had to agree to let Gil Scott-Heron, Pryor's ex-wife Shelley, and a blaxploitation actor by the name of Thalmus Rasalula perform before he would agree to do it. He even brought along a writer, Paul Mooney, now probably best known to viewers of The Chapelle Show for his guest spots.
It all leads to a little bit of a sense that the show has been hijacked, that things aren't operating like they normally would, but it all works. I can easily imagine someone like Lorne Michaels being uncomfortable relinquishing that much control, though, so it ends up being a one-time thing.
THE HOST
Pryor is great throughout the show. He's the first host to require a delay, for fear of what he might say, but I don't recall it ever being used. He puts his stamp all over the show, from the opening number on, and at times this almost feels like a test run for a special or series of his own.
Pryor's monologue is typical of his stand-up, which was at its peak around this time, so it's strong, funny, and memorable. It's laced with drug and alcohol references, but not so much that it wouldn't make it on air, and it all still feels pretty relevant today. Maybe not the dropping acid part so much, but it's still an easily accessible joke for audiences today.
THE GOOD
The opener establishes Pryor as the one in control, as Garrett Morris gets to do the pratfall, per Pryor's request, instead of Chevy.
The big debut for this episode if the first appearance of Belushi's samurai character (whose apparently named Futaba, something I didn't know before today). I always associate him with the Buck Henry episodes, so I was surprised to see this is the first samurai skit. The format's not set yet, so instead of getting Buck Henry or someone else dealing with Belushi, the focus is on Belushi and Pryor as a bickering samurai hotel clerk and bellhop, respectively. The skits get funnier in the future, but this is yet another great moment that makes me wonder why Belushi didn't garner more of the spotlight early on, instead of Chase.
The real highlight for me, though, is a skit involving word association between Chase and Pryor that becomes increasingly racist. It's probably one of the edgiest things they show did in the early years, and with Chase's no holds barred delivery of the "N" word, I doubt it would play today without being bleeped. It's funny, it says something, and it actually has a great punchline. It's one of the best skits they ever did, and it's actually written by Paul Mooney, not the regular staff. That's probably why we don't see anything else like this in future episodes.
The other great one is an Exorcist parody that I remember from having seen rerun countless times. It doesn't stand out for being ground-breaking, it's just a solid, funny movie parody, one of the best of their early years. It's one of Laraine Newman's best skits, and it's filled with quotable lines. I knew kids who said "Your momma eats kitty litter!" in the '80s, five years after this skit aired.
Less notable, but still strong, are a skit in which a white family gradually turns black around an oblivious father, and a series of brief bits involving police line-ups heavily aligned against Pryor as the sole black suspect.
THE BAD
Pong and the Muppets, as usual. It would be so great if these had been absent, or at the very least transformed by Pryor's presence, but they're the same thing we've been treated to every week.
Shelley Pryor's monologue. I'm not sure what the nature was of their relationship that Pryor insisted on his ex-wife (they'd been divorced since 1969) delivering a monologue, It's a poem about carousel horses, serving as a metaphor for race relations, and it's about as entertaining as that description just made it sound. She delivers it like a hippy chick who thinks she's on to something deep, or at least it seemed that way while she was stoned.
THE MEH
Pryor as an author who's written a book about pretending to be white touched on pretty predictable stereotypes about whites, and doesn't deliver anything more. The skit in which he plays a soldier who accidentally swallows a suicide pill is also not very memorable. He also has a second monologue which is good, but not as strong as his opener.
Weekend Update is brief this week, devoting much of its time to Emily Litella. It's funny, I remember liking the character when she turned up in reruns in the '80s, but I find her a little grating after seeing each appearance. This is her first appearance on Update so the joke is still fresh. It's certainly better than her previous appearance as a guest on Looks At Books.
Albert Brooks delivers an average film for him, centered around him being too sick to make an actual film.
We also get reruns of the New Dad and Spud Beer commercials.
THE MUSIC
This is the earliest episode that features a performance that made me look up the album to buy it. Heron is great, a real change of pace from previous musical guests, and his performances still feel vital. A lot of SNL musical performances haven't aged well, but this one still feels like a real treat.
GRADE: A
It's not perfect, but the highs are very high here.
RANDOM THOUGHTS:
I feel like when people have memories of early SNL being perfect, and so much better than whatever they're currently doing, it's because of their memories of condensed reruns of episodes like this. If you take the three strongest skits, and assume each week was like that, it's easy to see why someone might think that the show was flawless in those days, which it certainly wasn't.
Anyone out there know why Pryor never came back? He seems like he'd be a natural to host every season.
NEXT: Candice Bergen is back (already?) for the first SNL Christmas episode.
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