Saturday Night Live- 50 Years!
NBC
NBC telecast a 210 minute 50 year anniversary tribute to Saturday Night Live this weekend. A time for reflection- how time flies! The celebration was representative of the paradigm we see frequently in the entertainment industry. Much self congratulation, genuine pathos, fawning retrospectives and an “inside baseball" vibe to the entire evening. The vast majority of living cast members attended and many participated in the featured sketches. The “crowd”- three hundred people in the studio theatre was a puzzling collection of luminaries, has beens and want to be’s. Certainly, a tough ticket, but the criteria for qualification was not self evident when you scanned the crowd. Many were grizzled and elderly which was understandable considering the 50 year run. Overall, the show was amazingly consistent with my overall sense of what SNL represents in the historic TV pantheon. It was occasionally brilliant, frequently hilarious, often provocative- with periods of flatness. There was intermittent chaos and confusion- pretty bawdy. Generally, a satisfying trip down memory lane, particularly for those of us who joined the audience at the very beginning. Congratulations NBC, congratulations Lorne Michaels, and sincere plaudits to all the Not Ready For Prime Time Players.
SNL made its debut on October 11, 1975. I was six weeks into my first year of law school at the University of Illinois in Champaign. The idea was to reinvent late nite weekend programming which had been an TV desert for years. Previously, NBC showed Johnny Carson Tonight Show reruns in this time slot. Lorne Michael’s vision was to create a new genre- a live sketch comedy series delivered by cutting edge and emerging comedic talent. A show that would challenge us and reflect the changes in modern society. It was bold. The original cast was Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Lorraine Newman, Jane Curtain, Gilda Radner and Garrett Morris. Chase left after one year to pursue big time movie dollars, but the balance of the original cast stayed until 1980. Bill Murray replaced Chevy Chase. I watched ALL of the original cast episodes. It was required viewing. It was a breath of fresh air. My enjoyment was commensurate with the level of my wine consumption during the sketches. I remained loyal to the program for the next 45 years, although my viewing routines changed and became more episodic and irregular. But I did see episodes each year and am confident I saw all 164 cast members in action at one time or another. I vividly remember great hosts and have hazy memories of great musical interludes. I particularly enjoyed Weekend Update. The impersonations of leading political figures has been a consistent strength.
How can you draw a neat circle around 50 years of programming. First, identify the strengths. Longevity itself is noteworthy and praiseworthy. Most entertainment effort have a short shelf life, particularly in ADD America. The ability to hold the country’s attention since the social media platform explosion in 2007 is impressive. People have lots of options that were unavailable in 1975. They continued to strike a chord with enough audiences to stay on the air. Kudos! Secondly, the cast and writers worked very HARD! 90 minutes in front of a live audience is challenging and stressful. Writing, edits, rewriting, rehearsals, incorporating guest hosts into the flow- an exhausting process. As Andy Samberg shared in a creative digital skit at the anniversary celebration, EVERYONE who worked on SNL had anxiety- all the time. Thanks to them for their commitment.
What about the quality of the finished product? 50 years of wildly disparate results in my view. It was excellent, ambitious, thought provoking and often very very silly. Many sketches were awful -lousy- complete disasters. Most episodes had at least one sketch that failed completely. There were weak episodes in outstanding seasons. There were bad seasons. There were two 5 year eras of mediocrity. The shortfalls are easy to understand and forgive. The medium is tough. Changing casts, lack of continuity, weak guest hosts all reared their ugly head at various times. Many guest host monologues were pathetic and awkward. Probably too much repetition on certain themes and the physical comedy could wear on me. Although not something I recognised at the time, there were backstage rivalries and jealousies. Some female cast members have disclosed the set was a frat house- male centric- bad boy stuff- very sexist. But don’t dwell on the weaknesses. Remember the fun and the laughter.
The success of any venture is based on people. Are they talented? Do they have what it takes? Do they add value? In entertainment you win with talent just as in sports you win with skilled players. SNL had superstars, stars and outstanding role players. Certain casts were analogous to powerhouse sports franchises- stars complemented by support players and everyone meshing and pulling in the same direction. Collective excellence is the result. Some years SNL had a superstar, but the overall team was mediocre. It happens! You should remember the personalities, the best sketches, the brilliant guest hosts. It is time to stop gazing at my navel and speculating on the historical significance of SNL and return to those basics. Who were the best? Who drove the train to the station ? These are personal choices. There are hundreds of list out there. No apologies toward personal biases- note my affection for the original cast.
STANDOUT PERFORMERS
Dana Garvey; I love this guy; great range; intelligent; subtle; understated. He nailed George H.W. Bush and Ross Perot. Remember the Church Lady, Garth, Hans and the Grumpy Old Man. I notice Dana did not attend the celebration, although they did show many of his finer moments. Curious!
Dan Aykroyd; The brains of the original cast. Could play it straight or outside the lines. Did a great Jimmy Carter. Elwood Blues, Tom Snyder, the Coneheads- Jane “You ignorant slut.” Brilliant guy.
Phil Hartman; Sad story- murdered in real life. The “glue” of the program in the mid 90’s. Great range- versatile. Tremendous Bill Clinton- great Frank Sinatra; Characters like the Caveman Lawyer and the Anal Chef. Superb.
John Belushi; The “heart” of the original cast. Personal tragedy- drugs and premature death. Jake Blues, Joe Cocker and The Samurai (in many forms). Both physical and subtle; rough and sentimental; Outstanding timing - hilarious facial expressions. Plus a Chicago area dude.
Eddie Murphy; Everyone else in the universe says Eddie should lead this list. A premier performer who saved the show in the 1980’s. Unfortunately, my viewing was choppy in his era, great affection for Gumpy, Buckwheat and Mr Robinson. Seamless transfer to big screen; made a fortune followed by some bad career choices; was good to see him in good form at anniversary celebration.
Bill Murray; North Shore guy- Loyola Academy so hometown bias. Very funny dude; Weekend Update- Nick the Lounge Singer- played well off other cast members. Another example of SNL alum with a surprisingly successful motion picture career.
Will Ferrell; A legend; likable; sense of the absurd; took big risks; very physical; no shame; George W Bush, Alex Trebeck and More Cowbell are highlights but he was prodigious- did hundreds of characters; staying power.
Gilda Radner; Finally, a female! Brilliant- angst driven- chippy- sweet; great range; Very much missed - died way too young. Barbara Wa Wa, Emily Litella and Roseanne Roseannadanna ; Enough said
Mike Myers; He was Wayne Campbell, Linda Richmond and Dieter- all before becoming Austin Powers. Funny looking guy- I laughed from the gut during his best stuff.
Kate McKinnon; Anchor of the modern SNL; very smart lady- exquisite timing; let’s it rip; Colleen Rafferty and Hilary Clinton- how is that for range?
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Kristen Wig, Bill Hader, Jane Curtain, Chris Farley, Maya Rudolph, Andy Samberg and Kenan Thompson.
WEEKEND UPDATE LEGENDS
Chevy Chase; George Washington of Weekend Update- the original and certainly one of the best. Role model for future anchors; witty, smart and engaged; a wise ass; his model basically continues to this day.
Dennis Miller; Wow- smart, edgy and nasty; pretty merciless on the political class- tackled controversial issues; took no prisoners; I loved his ruthlessness.
Norm McDonald; very dry and deadpan, but unsparing in content; was relentless on OJ Simpson and offended NBC bosses who were OJ buddies. Another cast member who departed the scene too early.
Tina Fey and Amy Poehler; Both qualified for the standout performer category, but they also fit comfortably here; Female co-anchors- how revolutionary; Light touch but tough substance; great chemistry. funny and politically incorrect; relentless in lampooning the clowns- particularly men in power; side note- good time to mention Amy’s Hilary Clinton and Tina’s Sarah Palin.
Seth Myers; Very bright guy; articulate and cynical; subtle and you need to pay close attention. doing very well in late nite spot since then.
Jane Curtain and Dan Aykroyd; Point- Counterpoint- need I say more.
Jimmy Fallon and Tina Fey; First male- female co anchor combo; it worked; great chemistry; Fallon is warm and Fey is saucy. Better chemistry than real life experiment with Barbara Walters and Harry Reasoner.
Colin Jost and Michael Che; A longevity award; 14 years with some quality moments; generally fine, but they don’t rock my world. Need to match the times!
BEST GUEST HOSTS (Losing My Train of Thought).
Steve Martin
Alec Baldwin
Tom Hanks
Christopher Walken
John Goodman
Buck Henry
Melissa McCarthy
Richard Pryor
BEST MUSIC (Memory Bad Here- Be Kind).
Paul Simon
David Bowie
Rolling Stones
Prince
Queen
Nirvana
Radiohead
