![]() ![]() ![]() Brad Hall gets absolutely no response from the audience at the beginning, and while a few of the photo-based jokes land, there are a few jokes that get only a few chuckles or groans, including a few that seemed to be clapter bait (as Seth Meyers calls jokes that go for more earnest applause than laughs). Best jokes: Tony Orlando lookalike contest, Pat Nixon relapse.Harry Anderson has an audience member follow his lead while performing tricks with a beer bottle and a tube.The little girl that Gumby exiles during the Christmas story was used regularly this season whenever they needed child actors she's also in last season's Hidden Photo sketch and Joy Of Christmas pre-tape (which repeats tonight) I don't have an ID for her, but her expression when Gumby kicks her out was great the shot of her looking through the window from outside was a good close for this sketch.Cultural reference: Gumby asking Donny and Marie "Is this how you kids go Hawaiian?" refers to the Hawaiian Punch commercials they did in the early 80's SCTV did their own spoof by having Donny and Marie shill Kwallada.The end credit scroll with a list of Jewish names felt a little like overkill, especially considering the last line, but all in all, it's one of the highlights of the season. It's been used as the "token Ebersol clip" so often in SNL compilations that it's a little too familiar to feel fresh, but there's a lot to like here, including Donny and Marie's incestuous make-out session, Gumby banishing a little girl who compares him unfavorably to Andy Williams, and Sinatra's medley of cartoon theme songs. The best Gumby sketch, and possibly the most famous sketch in the whole show.After a boilerplate monologue introduction, Eddie Murphy does stand-up about Jewish ghosts, black people in horror movies and Stevie Wonder.The photo of Nolte has Eddie Murphy's face crudely pasted over top of his own the bumpers in tonight's show are done in a similar way.We always knew he was a little more important, but this really said it" (p. Mary Gross's quote in the book sums it up: "It was a little hard to swallow. Hill and Weingrad also explore the impact this decision had on the cast, specifically Joe Piscopo, who had wanted to do the show as Frank Sinatra, and was most upset by the "Eddie Murphy show" ending.Gary Kroeger confirms the show had been written by the time Nolte backed out, with his parts in sketches being recast. Hill and Weingrad's Saturday Night has some background information on the week: Nolte pulled out on Tuesday citing burnout brought on by constant work (though Hill and Weingrad also note he had been partying while in New York).Murphy's variation of LFNY ("Live from New York, it's the Eddie Murphy show!") seems to sum up not only this episode, but this period of SNL history. This is quick and basically just serves as an explanation as to why Eddie Murphy is hosting tonight's show it's done well, with Murphy's serious tone and referring to Nolte in the past tense setting up the line about Nolte vomiting on his shirt nicely. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |