Showing posts with label Emily Litella. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emily Litella. Show all posts

Sunday, September 3, 2023

What Stood Out and What Didn't Work in Season 2

 

I have finally finished reviewing and annotating the second season of Saturday Night Live. I want to thank everyone who reads these reviews and I'm sorry that I can't post here as often as I'd like. My day job takes up a lot of my energy and some of these reviews take a lot of time and research to compile. 


Since the reviews include sections about what stands out, what doesn't work, and classic moments (when they happen), I thought I would talk about the best and worst moments of the second season.



What stood out:
Surviving without Chevy Chase-The departure of Chevy Chase could've been the deathblow to a series that was already on the brink of cancellation. The cast, writers, crew and production staff weathered the storm and continued to produce strong episodes.

The emergence of writer Marilyn Suzanne Miller-I'm a big fan of Miller's work. During Season 2, she created several quieter "slice of life" sketches that gave the cast a chance to show off their acting skills. Miller also co-wrote several musical sketches. I particularly enjoyed "Video Vixens" and "Me," Laraine Newman's Barbra Streisand parody.


What didn't work-Too many mellow Adult Contemporary musical guests. I won't mention any names here, but there were far too many occasions where a soft ballad brought an energetic episode to a screeching halt. 

Too much Emily Litella-I like the character, but Emily Litella appeared too often during Season 2. She showed up in 10 episodes during the season, plus an appearance in the Mardi Gras special. In Episode 12, Gilda Radner played Emily in a sketch with Ruth Gordon, then later during "Weekend Update." I'm guessing the show wanted to lean on a popular character after Chase left, but it was too much.



Classic moments:

The debut of several recurring characters and sketches-Season 2 featured the first appearance the Coneheads, Nick the lounge singer and Leonard Pinth-Garnell's "Bad" sketches. They would all become SNL staples over the next three seasons.


That's all for now, below you'll find links to every Season 2 episode review:

Season 2, Episode 1; Host:Lily Tomlin with James Taylor






















on No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Monday, August 15, 2022

Season 2, Episode 18;Host:Julian Bond, with Tom Waits and Brick



Aired April 9, 1977.

Cold opening:"Emily Litella is in love!"
In SNL's backstage locker room, Weekend Update commentator Emily Litella (Gilda Radner) is plucking petals off a flower while saying "he loves me, he loves me not."  Litella is joined by Jane Curtin and tells Jane that she's fallen in love with "a lovely man and he's really got the best of me!"

When Curtin asks Litella what she plans to do on this week's edition of Weekend Update, Emily tells Jane that she has nothing prepared for the newscast because she's too busy thinking about love.  Litella expresses her feelings by breaking into a rendition of "(You Make Me Feel Like A)Natural Woman."  This song was written by Carole King, Gerry Goffin and Gerry Wexler and made famous by Aretha Franklin, whose version reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1967.  


As usual, Emily gets confused and incorrectly sings "national woman."  Curtin corrects her and expects Litella to say her catch-phrase "never mind."  Instead, Emily announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"


Monologue:"Easter Bunny"
Civil Rights activist and Georgia State Senator Julian Bond expects viewers are wondering why he was asked to host, just as he wondered.  Since it's the night before Easter, Bond says he was booked on Saturday Night "to be their chocolate Easter Bunny."  


Commercial:"H & L Brock"
Lowell Brock (John Belushi) of tax preparation company H & L Brock says people should chose him to prepare their taxes correctly because he will "take time" to properly work on them.  Brock has plenty of time because he's currently doing time.


Talk show:"Black Perspective"
Written by Al Franken, Tom Davis and Jim Downey.
Garrett Morris, host of Black Perspective, interviews Bond about myths surrounding African Americans and the cultural biases of IQ tests.  Bond says that white intellectual superiority is a myth, but he also theorizes that "light-skinned blacks are smarter than dark-skinned blacks."


Garrett is shocked by Bond's assertion and is not amused.


"An Oval Office"
Pres. Jimmy Carter (Dan Aykroyd) meets with his UN Ambassador Andrew Young (Morris) and Julian Bond.  Bond presses Carter about the lack of Black Americans and women that he's appointed to cabinet positions.  Bond thinks Carter talks too much about human rights abuses in other countries rather than addressing human rights issues in the US.  


Tom Waits:"Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson)"
Musical guest Tom Waits performs "Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michelson)."  This song appeared on Waits' album Nighthawks At The Diner, which was released on October 21, 1975.  


"Dr. X:Family Counselor"
A family counselor with an artificial arm counsels a family while wearing a metal mask that conceals facial wounds.  It appears that Dr. X could use some counseling himself in order to deal with the events that damaged his face and cost him his arm.


"Weekend Update"
Anchor Jane Curtin reports on the headlines of the day, which include:
"Anita Bryant, former mediocre actress and orange juice promoter" performed coitus in public yesterday as part of a campaign to promote heterosexuality.


In Cincinnati, the opening game between the Reds and the San Diego Padres was canceled due to cocaine. 


In Russia, scientists unveiled the world’s first disposable space vehicle. "Called the Tamponsky, it is scheduled to dock with the mothership in 29 days."



Commercial:"Afro Lustre"
Written by Al Franken and Tom Davis.
A pitchman (Bond) promotes Afro Lustre hair cream, which promises to give consumers "that Right-On natural look."


 "Great Moments In Motown"
Written by Marilyn Suzanne Miller and Paul Shaffer.
In 1958, a Detroit nightclub owner (Bond) auditions a vocal group (Aykroyd, Belushi, Morris and Murray) who perform their song "Love Bank."  


The club's owner tells them they don't look like they belong in a nightclub, says they should use more hand gestures and tells a group member named Fontaine (Belushi) he's breathing when he should be singing.  


Commercial:"Creely's Soup"
A disembodied announcer who calls himself "The Soup Man (Murray)" observes a little girl (Radner) eating Creely's Vegetable Soup. 


He asks her to perform an increasingly bizarre series of tasks, such as counting the different vegetables in the soup, stuffing the corn in the soup up her nose and pouring hot soup on her nose. 


"Bad Cinema"
Written by Tom Schiller.
Host Leonard Pinth-Garnell presents a screening of a terrible film titled “Ooh-La-La! Les Legs!” 


Pinth-Garnell is joined by a panel of experts who review the film:author Truman Capote (Belushi), director Lina Wertmuller (Laraine Newman) and film critic T. Lazlo de Wizzen (Bond).  


Brick:"Dazz"
Brick performs their hit single "Dazz," which was released on July 6, 1976 and appeared on their album Good High.  


"Dazz" reached #1 on Billboard's R&B chart and peaked at #3 on the Hot 100.  

"The Farbers Meet Julian Bond"
Bond visits the home of Larry and Bobbi Farber in advance of a fundraiser the couple will host the following Thursday.  Larry is very out of touch on Civil Rights issues and won't stop asking Bond if he knows Black celebrities, much to Audrey's embarrassment.  


Their evening gets even more awkward when the Farbers' backgammon club arrives and Larry asks them to add a Black family to the club. 


"Mr. Mike Meets Uncle Remus"
Mr. Mike (Michael O'Donoghue) tells Uncle Remus the tale of Bre'er Rabbit.  In Mr. Mike's version of the story, Bre'er gets violently skinned alive.  Uncle Remus is disgusted and wonders what the morale of the story is.


Film by Gary Weiss:"Patti Smith"
In this week's film, singer/poet Patti Smith talks about the punk rock movement and how her music was censored when she performed on Saturday Night during its first season.


"The New South"
Alabama Governor George Wallace tells viewers that his states old Jim Crow-era signs have been taken down and replaced by new signs.


"Goodnights"
Bond, wearing a t-shirt from his 1976 election campaign, thanks the audience, his mother, the Not Ready For Primetime Players "and everyone who made this one of the strangest experiences I’ve ever had in my whole life."



He's then joined onstage by the cast, who are also wearing the campaign shirt), and the credits roll.


Notes about this episode:
If anyone reading this isn't familiar with Julian Bond, he was a major organizer during the Civil Rights movement.  He co-founded Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee  (SNCC) and the Southern Poverty Law Center.  Bond served in the Georgia State House of Representatives from 1967 to 1975, in its State Senate from 1975 to 1987 and was an advocate for human rights and justice until his death in 2015.


In 2014, Bond wrote about this episode's "Black Perspective" sketch in The Hollywood Reporter:

 "I told Garrett Morris, one of SNL‘s original “Not Ready for Prime Time Players,” that light-skinned blacks are smarter than dark-skinned blacks. Morris, who is darker skinned than I am, did a perfect double take. I felt squeamish then but did the skit anyway, and I feel uneasy about this joke even today. I believed it treaded dangerously on the fine line between comedy and poor taste.
But that always has been SNL‘s fine point, the line delineating comedy — and especially satire — from tastelessness. I always have believed that a skillful comedian — or comedienne — can make a joke out of anything. No subject is immune. Comedy is crucial in our lives, especially political satire. The ability to make fun of life’s vagaries helps us deal with them. "[1]


The film that Leonard Pinth-Garnell shows in "Bad Cinema" is a film of Glenn Jack and the Glenners performing "Zizi La Twisteuse."  You can watch the whole film here:



"Zizi La Twisteuse" was recorded by several artists, Glenn Jack's version was released on a 7'" single in 1962. 

Speaking of that "Bad Cinema," for some reason Laraine Newman is late arriving for the sketch and has a bit of trouble putting on her microphone.  I'm not sure what happened, but it's a case of something unplanned happening during a live TV show.  In the screencap below, you'll notice her chair is empty:


What stands out:
Julian Bond-For someone with no acting or stand-up experience, Bond is a great host.  He displays some natural acting abilities and a very dry sense of humor.  Bond certainly holds his own when he acts beside the the Not Ready For Prime Time Players.  I'm sorry Bond never hosted again during his lifetime.  


Tom Waits-When this episode aired, an artist like Waits was rarely seen on network TV and his performance of "Eggs and Sausage" is a highpoint of this episode.  


J.A. Morris' rating:
This is a solid episode.  Julian Bond is a pleasant presence every time he's onscreen and if you're unfamiliar with Tom Waits, this episode is a nice introduction to his music.  But it's just a notch or two below the best episodes we've seen so far during Season 2.

 







3 Stars.

Footnote:
[1]"Civil Rights Leader Julian Bond’s SNL Hosting Regret,", Julian Bond, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Jan 2014.
on No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Season 1, Episode 12; Host:Dick Cavett, with Jimmy Cliff, Marshall Efron, Al Alen Petersen


Aired January 31, 1976.

Cold opening:"Voodoo Doll"
Chevy Chase has decided to open this episode with a song instead of the customary fall.  Garrett Morris has other ideas and takes out a "Chevy" voodoo doll!


When he throws the doll against the wall, this causes the real Chevy to fall off the stage and exclaim "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"


 Monologue:
Host Dick Cavett talks about his first visit to the RCA-NBC building, when he interviewed to be an NBC page.


"The Total Woman":
Ann (Jane Curtin), a widowed mother of two, is reading a book called The Total Woman, which says single mothers can't be particular about men.  Her belief in this theory will be tested when Ann's new boyfriend Michael (Chase), an avid hunter, accidentally guns down everyone she loves.


Commercial:"Dick Cavett School of Auto Refinishing and Upholstery"
Cavett says that the "real money" is in auto refinishing and upholstery, so he's started a school to train more workers for that field.  



Jimmy Cliff:"The Harder They Come"
Reggae singer Jimmy Cliff performs the title song of the film The Harder They Come.  This song (and the movie) help popularize Reggae all over the world when it was released in 1972.


Commercial:"H&L Brock" #1
Written by Alan Zweibel.
Lowell Brock (John Belushi) gives a list of reasons why you have your taxes prepared by his company instead of H&R Block.  Reason #1 is that Brock will help you cheat on your taxes.
"Weekend Update":
Chevy Chases top stories include:
"The CIA has denied an attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro with an invisible exploding cigar."

Plus, Emily Litella delivers a commentary opposing the "Eagle Rights Amendment."

And Tom Schiller (dressed as Ricky Ricardo), curator for the I Love Lucy Museum, introduces a new segment: "News For I Love Lucy Fans."

Commercial:"Felina Cat Food"
Repeat from Episode 3.

 Commercial:"The Dick Cavett School of Hydroplane Operation"
Cavett informs viewers that "the trained hydroplane operator has a solid employment future," so he's opened a school to train hydroplane pilots.


"Our Town":
Dick Cavett promotes a new production of the play Our Town.  Except this play was NOT written by Thornton Wilder and it takes place in the poverty-stricken New York City of 1976.  

Jimmy Cliff:"Many Rivers To Cross"
This gospel-tinged song was first released on Cliff's homonymous 1969 album and it gained a bigger audience when it was included on the soundtrack of The Harder They Come.


"Dick Cavett Lookalike":
The host is introduced to Dwayne Christiansen (Marshall Efron), winner of the 1976 Dick Cavett Lookalike Contest.  Cavett suspects that someone is pulling his leg.


Film by Gary Weis:
Gary Weis asks a plastic surgeon how he would improve the face of a clothing designer and asks the designer how he would improve the surgeon's clothing.


"Dance To The Nation":
First Lady Betty Ford (Curtin) answers letters from citizens seeking advice while performing a modern dance routine.


Commercial:"H&L Brock" #2
Written by Alan Zweibel.
Lowell continues his list of reasons why you should select his firm to do your taxes, which includes paying off the officials of the Internal Revenue Service!


Talk show:"Looks At Books":
Chevy Chase interviews Dick "The Stick" Cavett, who has written a book about his side career as a pimp in Nebraska.


Jimmy Cliff:"Wahjahka Man"
This song appeared on Cliff's 1975 album Follow My Mind.


Commercial:"H&L Brock" #3
Written by Alan Zweibel.
The final Brock ad touts the company's ties to organized crime.


 Home Movie:"Apple Follies"
An apple performs a strip tease, but it's interrupted when the "apple police" arrive and shut down the theater.


Al Alen Petersen:"I Gotta Be Me"
Al Alen Petersen, dressed as a construction worker, performs the song "I Gotta Be Me," which was written for the 1968 Broadway musical Golden Rainbow.


A few bars into the song, Petersen begins to strip, revealing that he's wearing women's underwear.


 "Goodnights":
Cavett appears alone at home base and jokes that Petersen's performance isn't something you'll see during the Family Hour.  He tells the viewers "if our show was not seen in your city tonight, please write, and let us know what you thought of it," and says goodnight.

Notes about this episode:
During the third H&L Brock commercial, SNL producer Lorne Michaels crawls onstage and ties John Belushi's shoes together, which causes Belushi to laugh and break up.


Betty Ford was a dance student of Martha Graham, one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th century.  That's why Jane Curtin portrays Ford as a dancer in "Dance To The Nation."  Here's a photo of the real Betty Ford dancing in the White House on her last day as First Lady:


Marshall Efron, who plays the Cavett lookalike, is a humorist and character actor.  At the time, he was best known for hosting The Great American Dream Machine, a variety series that aired on PBS in 1971-72.  The series included contributions from future SNL-ers Chevy Chase and Albert Brooks.

What Stands Out:
"H&L Brock"-Belushi is very funny as the sleazy accountant Lowell Brock.


Jane Curtin in "The Total Woman" and "Dance To The Nation"-Curtin was often cast in "straight" roles where she reacted to "funny" characters.  In both these sketches, she demonstrates that she could play the comic lead as well as any member of the cast.  


Jimmy Cliff-I enjoyed all three of Cliff's performances.  "Many Rivers To Cross" is one of the best moments of this episode.

What Doesn't Work:
"Dick Cavett Lookalike"-While Marshall Efron brings lots of enthusiasm to this bit, it feels like filler.

J.A. Morris' rating:
This is a good, solid episode even if it's not exactly essential viewing.  Dick Cavett's dry sense of humor is used effectively here and this one is especially recommended for fans of Jimmy Cliff's music.









3 stars.
on No comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)