SNL at 40

Last night we got to celebrate 40 years of Saturday Night Live.  I asked them to wow me, and I think they did.  I remember watching SNL’s 15th anniversary special back in high school and as I recall it was just a bunch of clips.  The clips were funny, there’s no denying that, but it didn’t really feel that “special”.  Being long before the internet and before the show was readily available in re-runs/syndication,  it was the first chance for me to see a lot of those early skits.  Who are we kidding though?  Even with the internet it has been hard to find those early skits.  Apparently there is now an SNL 40 app that you allows you to stream the skits you want to your smartphone.  Wait, it’s apparently only available for Apple devices.  Well, I guess I’ll still never get to see a clear version of the “high school chess coach”.

The 40th anniversary special was nice, as we got new, original material with our favourite characters, as well as the clips.  Dan Aykroyd recreated the Bass-o-matic skit, and it was just as funny now as it was 40 years ago.  We got a Weekend Update retrospective that was great and included Chevy Chase the original Weekend Update anchor, and Garret Morris who gave the news for the hearing impaired (by shouting).  A new Weekend Update skit was done with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and Jane Curtin.  Curtin was just as funny as ever, Fey and Poehler really didn’t do anything for  me though.

Like a comfortable pair of shoes, Bill Murray was lounge act Nick Ocean singing the love theme from Jaws (with original SNL music director Paul Shaffer of David Letterman fame) on keyboard.  Wayne and Garth gave us a 40th anniversary top ten list for SNL in a new Wayne’s World skit.  I was happy to see that, because I thought I had heard that Carvey and Meyers had had a falling out some years back.  Maybe they didn’t I don’t remember, but still I enjoyed the nostalgic skit.

My “prime time” or “dream team” of Not Ready for Prime Time Players were the Dana Carvey, Nora Dunn, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, Jon Lovitz, Dennis Miller and Kevin Nealon years, with Mike Meyers just being “featured”, before he joined the regular cast.  From about 1986 to 1991 were my years.  I think in 1992 the cast started to grow too large, and the show wasn’t as good.  With newcomers like Adam Sandler, David Spade, Chris Farley, Chris Rock and Rob Schneider kind of spoiling it for me. 

It’s funny, around that time  I started working until 1 am on Fridays and Saturday to put myself through university, and really didn’t get to watch the show that often, but when I did watch it I was disappointed.  You know why?  The breaks.  Incredibly Andy Samberg and Adam Sandler did a song about it tonight.  When the cast would start to get the giggles and laugh at their own skits.  It really spoiled the experience for me.  These no longer seemed the comic geniuses that I had grown up with that could handle a live show.  Over the years I did tune in sporadically, and I agree that Jimmy Fallon and Horatio Sanz were horrible for breaking.  I’m was very surprised to hear that Fallon got chosen for the Tonight Show when all I could remember him for was breaking into laughter through his skits on SNL.  The “And That’s When You Break” song was very appropriate, and quite well done.

My Highlights:

• Steve Martin
• The “In Remembrance” piece.  I wish they had used a recording of Don Pardo to open the show though.
• Paul Simon’s performance
• G.E. Smith showing up with the band
• Martin Short appearing and wearing his Order of Canada pin
• Maya Rudolph as Beyonce
• Garrett Morris for the hearing impaired still cracks me up!
• Jane Curtin on Weekend Update
• Bill Murray
• Wayne’s World 2015
• every Phil Hartman clip we got.  Colon Blow Cereal…

I still watch once in a while, but not with any regularity.  I think I’m like a lot of people now who will tune in based on who is hosting.  The show is an institution, and I’m glad I watched.  Of course there were things I wanted to see that I didn’t but there were things that touched memories and surprised me, so I guess all I can say is thanks for forty years SNL.