
Existentialist Weightlifting
Classic SNL Review: November 10, 1984: George Carlin / Frankie Goes To Hollywood (S10E05)
Sketches include “Mondale Impression”, “Do You Know What I Hate? (II)”, “Profiles in Sports”, “The Joe Franklin Show”, “Rich Hall’s Election Report”, “Strategic Airborne Contraceptive”, “Ye Olde Comedy Shoppe”, “The Ghostbuster Show”, “Ted’s Book of World Records”, “Alan Thicke’s In Thickeness and In Health”, “International Star Health”, and “Not A Cop”. Frankie Goes To Hollywood performs “Two Tribes” and “Born To Run”.
Classic SNL Review: November 3, 1984: Michael McKean / Chaka Khan (S10E04)
Sketches include “Gerry and the Mon-Dells”, “The Chosen Pray”, “Baby Double”, “Fernando’s Hideaway”, “The Folksmen”, “Buddy Young Jr. is Back!”, “First Draft Theatre”, “Madonna Navel Accessories”, “PBS Pledgebration”, “Rabbi”, “Mondale Headquarters” and “SNL Fashion Report”. Chaka Khan performs “I Feel For You” and “This Is My Night”.
Classic SNL Review: April 14, 1984: George McGovern / Madness (S09E17)
Sketches include "60 Minutes", "Midtown Open", "White House Foods", "Trampoline", "Direct Hits", "I Didn't Realize", "Cosmos", "Book Beat", and "Brother in Law". Madness performs "Our House" and "Keep Moving". Clara "Where's The Beef?" Peller and comedian Frankie Pace also appear.
Classic SNL Review: April 7, 1984: Michael Douglas / Deniece Williams (S09E16)
Sketches include "Lost Script", "MTV News (two parts)", "Foldger's Crystals", "Price Waterhouse", "4 Minutes To Live", "Audition", "Footless", "Soundtrack", "TV's Foul-Ups, Bleeps, Blunders, Bloopers, Practical Jokes and Political Debates", and "Sugar or Plain". Deniece Williams performs "Let's Hear It For The Boy" and "Wrapped Up".
Classic SNL Review: March 17, 1984: Billy Crystal / Al Jarreau (S09E15)
Sketches include "St. Patrick's Day Wrap-Up", "Hung Like Me", "Winston University", "Family in the Attic", "Sammy & Reagan", "Unanswered Questions of the Universe", "Bad Career Moves", "God's Place", "The Womb", and "The First Show". Al Jarreau performs "Mornin'" and "Trouble In Paradise".
Classic SNL Review: February 11, 1984: Robin Williams / Adam Ant (S09E12)
Sketches include "Winter Olympics", "Buddweiser Light", "Rock & Roll and then some", "Wild Kingdom of Heaven", "Gandhi and the Bandit", "Mime Roommate", "New Bad Babies", "MTV News", "Siamese Twins", and "Patty's Place". Adam Ant performs "Strip" and "Goody Two Shoes". Paula Poundstone also appears.
Classic SNL Review: January 21, 1984: Michael Palin and his mother / The Motels (S09E10)
Sketches include "Donahue", "Boy George Burns: The Man and His Music", "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood", "Powerful Living Snaps", "Man On A Chain", "Mick Pitwhistle Does It All", "That's Okay", "Shoplifter", "Would You Believe It (3 parts)", "House Of Mutton", "Save Lots of Plankton", and "A Boy's Life on the Mississippi". The Motels perform "Suddenly Last Summer" and "Remember The Nights".
Classic SNL Review: January 14, 1984: Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello) / Huey Lewis and the News (S09E09)
Sketches include "Tasteless Choice", "What's New", "Buckwheat's Ghost", "The Man Who Loved Swimmin'", "Michael's Message", and "Airport". "Countdown '84", a phone-in Democratic primary, appears throughout the show. Huey Lewis and the News perform "Heart and Soul" and "I Want A New Drug". Steven Wright also appears.
Classic SNL Review: December 3, 1983: The Smothers Brothers / Big Country (S09E07)
Sketches include: "Rain Delay", "Nightline", "Know Your Neighbor", "Carvel", "Mentl", "Casino Quintet", "Dreamland", "Clark Street Garage Band", and "Autograph". Big Country performs "In A Big Country" and "Fields of Fire".
Classic SNL Review: October 15, 1983: Danny DeVito & Rhea Perlman / Eddy Grant (S09E02)
Sketches include "Calvin Klein Cream Pies", "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood", "Crazy Edelman", "What Would Frank Do?", "Small World", "Mom Was Right", "Spanish Class", "Autograph Hounds", "Book Beat", "The Amos 'N Andy Show", "Masterpiece Humor", and "Body Guard". Eddy Grant performs "I Don't Wanna Dance", "Electric Avenue" and "Living On The Frontline".
Classic SNL Review: October 8, 1983: Brandon Tartikoff / John Cougar (S09E01)
Sketches include "Brandon's Office", "Calvin Klein Cream Pies", "James Watt", "Jazz Riffs", "Feln's Discount Food & Clothing Warehouse", "Show Ideas", "Gumby & Pokey", "Man On The Street", "Larry's Corner", "Rent-A-Gun", "NBC: Be There", and "Terrible Day". John Cougar performs "Pink Houses" and "Crumblin' Down". Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert review tonight's show in progress.
SNL Up Close: 1982-83
Dick Ebersol brought Saturday Night Live back from the brink of cancellation.His first full season of SNL had its share of volatility, particularly with Michael O'Donoghue's mid-season firing, but the show stablized by the end of the season.For the next season, Ebersol and producer Bob Tischler retreated a bit from the calculated risks the show took in 1981-82: Don Pardo was back in the announcer's booth, the "live from New York" phrase opened some (but not all) of the shows this year, and hosts once again got monologue segments following the opening montage. Like with 1980-81, and 1981-82, I will be doing sketch-by-sketch reviews of the episodes this season.If anyone has information to contribute about the episodes, such as who wrote what, writer cameos, etc., I welcome it and will acknowledge my source in the sketch review.
Classic SNL Review: May 15, 1982: Danny DeVito / Sparks (S07E19)
Sketches include "Taxi", "Whiners", "Stress Out", "Old Friends", "Enzo", "Table Talk", and "Looks At Books". Sparks perform "Mickey Mouse" and "I Predict". Andy Kaufman appears with footage of his wrestling match with Jerry Lawler.
Classic SNL Review: January 23, 1982: Robert Conrad / The Allman Brothers Band (S07E09)
Sketches include "The People's Court", "In The News", "Wild Wild Wild West", "Babies In Makeup", "Overexposure", "Battle Of The Week", "A Few Moments With Andy Rooney", "Nixon Vs. FDR", and "Sister". The Allman Brothers Band perform "Midnight Rider", "Southbound", and "Leavin'".