Classic SNL Review: November 21, 1987: Candice Bergen / Cher (S13E05)

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RATINGS SYSTEM:
***** - Classic
**** - Great
*** - Good/Average
** - Meh
* - Awful

OPENING: A MESSAGE FROM THE VICE-PRESIDENT

  • George Bush (Dana Carvey) has fought back against his wimpy reputation by staging a coup against Reagan.

  • Funny idea, pretty straightforward execution that doesn’t belabor the point.

  • This is notable for being the first solo cold opening featuring Carvey’s Bush impression, something that will eventually be a fixture during the next few seasons after George Sr. won the ‘88 election. Here the impression is still in its embryonic stage at this point, again mostly just a nasal voice and hand gestures, though there’s a little of the Bush giggle here.

  • This sketch plays much differently after the attempted insurrection on January 6, 2021, and the stuff about Bush governing by edict is a little more chilling considering the hard-right authoritarian turn the Republican party has taken in the 35 years since this was originally broadcast. As well, the part about seeding his genetic code through multiple wives reminds me a little too much of Elon Musk.

  • Written by Dana Carvey, A. Whitney Brown, George Meyer, Robert Smigel, and Jim Downey.

  • Rerun alterations: None

***

MONOLOGUE

  • Candice Bergen introduces Dave the Turkey and reminisces about her childhood pet Larry.

  • Another short, straightforward piece; the payoff about the fate of Larry was pretty funny.

  • Rerun alterations: None.

***

SHOW: PUMPING UP WITH HANS & FRANZ

  • Hans (Dana Carvey) and Franz (Kevin Nealon) discuss how to deal with stress and present Helmut’s (Phil Hartman) flab.

  • The sketch is looking more like it normally does here; the audience still hasn’t completely joined in with the clapping along after “pump”, but Hans and Franz are already receiving recognition cheers, and there’s more laughter after the hook.

  • This is the only Pumping Up sketch that’s preceded by a bumper stating that the show is being broadcast on Waterbury Public Access Channel D.

  • I love Phil Hartman’s hangdog performance as Helmut.

  • Written by Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey, and Jim Downey.

  • Rerun alterations: None.

*** 1/2

SKETCH: ANNE BOLEYN

  • Norfolk (Phil Hartman) gives Anne Boleyn (Candice Bergen) her options for her execution.

  • A sketch I’ve always enjoyed; pretty much every line in this sketch is hilarious, especially when contrasted against the somber tone and how seriously Bergen and Hartman are taking things.

  • The absurdly specific questions and answers about the different things that would happen to her head and body are all pretty much gold, but I love the whole drawn-and-quartering part, particularly when Hartman momentarily finds it too difficult to speak of.

  • The execution scene actually manages to push this sketch up further, especially with the dramatic lead-in turning into blood being squirted onto the spectators while Bergen makes cartoonishly over-the-top “YEEEOW!” sounds off-camera.

  • The epilogue crawl also has some good lines, including a nice call-back to earlier in the sketch.

  • Written by Jack Handey.

  • Rerun alterations: Several small edits.

*****

COMMERCIAL: MANUFACTURERS OF MACHINE PART COMPONENTS UNITED TO SAVE OUR COURTS

  • Supreme Court nominee Anthony Kennedy’s decade-old opinion about machine part taxation could have grave implications for Americans’ freedom.

  • Good execution on this, particularly the way that a decision on something so very minor and specific is presented as a threat.

  • Written by Al Franken, Jim Downey, and Sandy Frank.

  • Rerun alterations: None.

*** 1/2

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: “WE ALL SLEEP ALONE”

  • Cher performs a track from her self-titled comeback album, which was released earlier in the month; written by Desmond Child, Jon Bon Jovi, and Richie Sambora, it would be released as the second single from the album. The performance is pretty solid.

  • Backing her up are Paul Shaffer and The World’s Most Dangerous Band (Will Lee, Sid McGinnis, and Anton Fig), plus G.E. Smith, Cliff Carter and Patty Darcy; this performance comes a little more than a week after she appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, which featured her reunion with Sonny Bono to sing “I Got You Babe”.

  • Rerun alterations: Possible remix.

SKETCH: CHING CHANGE

  • Loose (Nora Dunn) tells Ching (Dana Carvey) he should be more like her more assimilated boyfriend Matthew Chen (Phil Hartman).

  • A self-referential sketch commenting on the complaints the show received over the character; of course, it wouldn’t be SNL without a little bit of passive-aggressiveness, but the introduction of Hartman as a “Positive Ethnic Role Model” and the exaggeratedly politically correct portrayal had some laughs.

  • This also fills out the Ching Change character a little more, as he states that he only had been speaking English for two years.

  • I also got a laugh out of Candice Bergen’s weirded-out facial expression as Ching bursts into song at the end.

  • Written by Dana Carvey, Robert Smigel, and Jim Downey.

  • Rerun alterations: Small edit before Bergen’s entrance.

***

WEEKEND UPDATE

  • Best jokes: AIDS death rate.

  • Opening music: “Won’t Get Fooled Again” by The Who.

  • An off night for Dennis Miller, with a lot of the jokes falling flatter than usual. The biggest laugh this week actually comes from the mistake involving the point-counterpoint segment; the story is that Dana Carvey (who was supposed to play Dennis Miller for the first time tonight) thought that the segment wasn’t going ahead and didn’t show up. I’m also guessing that between Ching Change and the next sketch, he probably would have missed the window to do a quick change into the Miller costume.

  • Rerun alterations: None.

** 1/2

SKETCH: MAYFLOWER MADAM

  • Sydney Biddle Barrows’ ancestor Priscilla (Candice Bergen) establishes her escort service at the first Thanksgiving.

  • This works better than it should have, between the stereotypical portrayals of the indigenous people and some very questionable jokes here (Oof at the “If you get caught, just say you were raped” line). The performances put it over, though; I particularly liked Phil Hartman as Myles Standish and his flimsy disguise.

  • Candice Bergen had played Sydney Biddle Barrows in Mayflower Madam, a TV movie that aired that week; the real Barrows also made an appearance in it.

  • Written by Al Franken, Tom Davis, and Sandy Frank.

  • Rerun alterations: Opening applause for Sydney Biddle Barrows trimmed; Don Pardo’s voiceover shift over to begin during applause. The first scene with Jan Hooks and Dana Carvey and the shot of Bergen attending to Jon Lovitz on the floor are replaced with dress rehearsal; the scene where Hooks and Carvey are in the hall afterwards is removed. Several other small edits and directorial changes. The closing prayer is reframed slightly to eliminate Barrows awkwardly stepping into place for her speech.

***

SKETCH: COUNTRY THROUGH AND THROUGH

  • Country singer Lonnie Broadax (Dana Carvey) is ashamed of his rural roots.

  • A funny song with some surprising dark turns (particularly about his father) and edge.

  • This is the second solo piece Carvey has this episode; like the cold opening, this is also done as an “in one”.

  • Written by George Meyer.

  • Rerun alterations: Bumper photo at end replaced by repeat of Einstein Express

*** 1/2

MUSICAL PERFORMANCE: “I FOUND SOMEONE”

  • Cher performs the first single from her new album, a power ballad by Michael Bolton and Mark Mangold that Laura Branigan had originally recorded two years earlier.

  • Rerun alterations: The full performance is replaced with dress rehearsal; it looks like there are some directing issues that affect the live airing version. The big giveaway is that Cher is wearing different outfits in both versions; she wears the same outfit from the first number in the dress version, while in the live airing she wears what she has on during the goodnights.

SKETCH: THOUGHT BUBBLE

  • Visible thought bubbles show what a husband (Phil Hartman) and wife (Candice Bergen) are really thinking.

  • A companion piece of sorts to the Slide Whistles sketch from the premiere with Steve Martin; it’s an interesting idea, and there are a few good gags, but the whole thing doesn’t quite come together.

  • Written by Tom Davis.

  • Rerun alterations: Several small edits, mostly to fix mistimings with the video footage.

** 1/2

SKETCH: PEEPING TOM

  • Mace’s (Phil Hartman) visit to a prostitute (Jan Hooks) is ruined by an inept voyeur (Kevin Nealon).

  • A similar format to the Hostage sketch from the Joe Montana/Walter Payton show from that last January; this is a little slow paced and repetitive, but Hartman does a good job carrying it. Jan Hooks manages to steal the whole thing as the bored prostitute.

  • The screw-up in Weekend Update affected the timing of the show, so this concludes with a band shot that’s about a minute and 20 seconds long before fading into the bumper photo.

  • Written by Kevin Nealon.

  • Rerun alterations: Small cut to remove a line flub by Hartman.

***

GOODNIGHTS

  • Candice Bergen wishes everyone goodnight and Happy Thanksgiving; there’s a little time before the credits start rolling.

  • “Old Gobbler” Don Pardo announces that the show will not be on next week so the staff can spend the holiday with their loved ones, and the next show will be Danny DeVito with special guest Bryan Ferry.

  • Rerun alterations: Pardo voiceover and audience noise removed from closing theme. A few seconds of footage is trimmed from the end.

Final thoughts: A consistent if unspectacular show (aside from the Anne Boleyn sketch); the reprised premises and Dennis Miller’s subpar Update gave me sense that there was a little fatigue setting in at this point. Candice Bergen’s return to the show after 11 years was welcome, though, and Cher was an entertaining musical guest.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Anne Boleyn

  • Country Through and Through

  • Pumping Up with Hans & Franz

  • Manufacturers of Machine Part Components United To Save Our Courts

SHOW LOWLIGHTS:

  • (none)

MVP:

  • (tie) Dana Carvey / Phil Hartman

CAST & GUEST BREAKDOWN:

cast

  • Dana Carvey: 5 appearances [A Message From The Vice-President, Pumping Up With Hans & Franz, Ching Change, Mayflower Madam, Country Through And Through]

  • Nora Dunn: 3 appearances [Anne Boleyn, Ching Change, Mayflower Madam]

  • Phil Hartman: 6 appearances [Pumping Up With Hans & Franz, Anne Boleyn, Ching Change, Mayflower Madam, Thought Bubble, Peeping Tom]; 1 voiceover [Pumping Up With Hans & Franz]

  • Jan Hooks: 2 appearances [Mayflower Madam, Peeping Tom]

  • Victoria Jackson: 1 appearance [Mayflower Madam]

  • Jon Lovitz: 3 appearances [Anne Boleyn, Mayflower Madam, Peeping Tom]

  • Dennis Miller: 2 appearances [Anne Boleyn, Weekend Update]

  • Kevin Nealon: 3 appearances [Pumping Up With Hans & Franz, Thought Bubble, Peeping Tom]

non-cast, extras, and bit players

  • Tom Davis: 1 voiceover [Anne Boleyn]

  • Al Franken: 1 voiceover [A Message From The Vice-President]

  • John Henry Kurtz: 1 voiceover [Manufacturers of Machine Part Components United To Save Our Courts]

  • Don Pardo: 4 voiceovers [A Message From The Vice-President, Ching Change, Weekend Update, Country Through And Through]

G.E. Smith and the Saturday Night Live Band

  • G.E. Smith: 2 appearances [“We All Sleep Alone”, “I Found Someone”]

guests

  • Candice Bergen: 5 appearances [Monologue, Anne Boleyn, Ching Change, Mayflower Madam, Thought Balloons]

  • Cher: 2 [“We All Sleep Alone”, “I Found Someone”]

  • Sydney Biddle Barrows: 1 appearance [Mayflower Madam]

  • Paul Shaffer & The World’s Most Dangerous Band: 2 appearances [“We All Sleep Alone”, “I Found Someone”]

REBROADCAST HISTORY:

  • April 2, 1988

Known alterations:

  • Einstein Express (from 05/09/87) added

  • Edits: Anne Boleyn, Ching Change, Mayflower Madam, Thought Balloons, Peeping Tom, Goodnights

  • Dress substitutions: Mayflower Madam (part), “I Found Someone” (full performance).

  • Directorial changes: Mayflower Madam.

Additional screen captures from this episode are available here.