Existentialist Weightlifting
SCTV Review: Leave It To Beaver (1-15) / Good-Bye America (1-16)
“Leave It To Beaver” sketches include “Promo: Library Police”, “Exorcising with Reagan Blair”, “SCTV AM News Today”, “Chickadee Chickette Chicken-Style Loaf”, “Leave It To Beaver 25th Anniversary Party”, “Quick-Wash Dish Laundry”, “PSA: Children on Booze”, “Blind Fists of the Furious Dragon”, “Dr. Tongue and his Animal Friends”, “Family Detective” and “Dialing For Dollars: Three Jerks and a Gal”.
“Good-Bye America” sketches include “Nothing”, “Winning Chess with Boris Morris”, “SCTV AM News Today”, “20 Depressing Hits by Connie Franklin”, “PSA: Warning Signs”, “Good-Bye America” and “Sex”.
SCTV Review: Ben-Hur (1-13) / The Hefty Neil Story (1-14)
“Ben-Hur” features a show-length parody of the 1959 epic hosted by Moe Green (Harold Ramis). Also includes commercials for “Bill and Mike Dolls”, “Masquerade Funeral”, “Top Secret” and “Tobacco Paste”
“The Hefty Neil Story” features the titular parody of Rocky as part of SCTV Sports Central’s coverage of the heavyweight championship. Also includes commercials for “Those Funny Guys”, “SCTV News”, “50 Psalms” and back-to-back drama series “Emergency Orderly” and “Court Clerk”.
SCTV Review: Broads Behind Bars (1-11) / The Taxidermist (1-12)
“Broads Behind Bars” sketches include “Three Mariners”, “Sunrise Semester: Do-It-Yourself Home Dentistry”, “SCTV News: Helsinki Trip”, “Dining with LaRue: The Scorched Earth”, “Broads Behind Bars” and “Promo: An Evening with Col. Sanders”. Tabby Johnson and Judith Dagley also appear.
“The Taxidermist” sketches include “Nuclear Sized Baggys”, “Farm Report”, “Welcome Back President Kotter”, “Promo: The Glass Menagerie”, “Alistair Cook’s Armenia”, “SCTV Mystery Movie of the Week: The Taxidermist”, “20 Depressing Hits by Connie Franklin”, and “SCTV News: Earl’s Coughing Fit”.
SCTV Review: Philosophy Street (1-9) / Therese et Joe (1-10)
“Philosophy Street” sketches include “Good-Bye America”, “Sunrise Semester: Self Defense for Women”, “Promo: Bath Talk”, “SCTV AM News Today: Taped Music”, “Philosophy Street”, “S&M Airlines”, “Total Woman with Cassie Mackerel”, “SCTV Movie of the Week: A Fistful of Ugly”, “Longjeans G-11 Watch”, and “Feedback with Moe Green”.
“Therese et Joe” sketches include “SCTV News: New Deli”, “Sunrise Semester: Political Sciences 101”, “Robco Up-Your-Nose Pollution Filter”, “SCTV News: Action Line / Nutrition Report”, “Dining with LaRue: Tang Gardens”, “Silver Bullet Suppositories”, “Northern Ireland Perspective ‘77 with Lou Jaffe”, “Painfree and Staybrite”, “SCTV Foreign Film of the Week: Therese et Joe”, and “SCTV PM News: Terrorism Commentary”
SCTV Review: Dialing For Dollars (1-7) / Shock Theatre (1-8)
“Dialing For Dollars” sketches include: “Homelier You”, “An SCTV Before School Special: Beauty and the Beets”, “SCTV AM News Today”, “The Laser-Matic”, “Firing Squad”, “Famous Philosophers’ School”, “Alice, The Wonder Dog”, “Dialing For Dollars: Changing Partners”, “Evelyn Woods Speed Talking School” and “Promo: 15 Minutes”. Chris Boddie also appears.
“Shock Theatre” sketches include “Discretion Warning”, “Promo: Extreme Close-Up”, “Dining With LaRue: Rico’s Trattoria”, “50 Practical Jokes”, “The Wacky World of Poverty”, “Alpro Dog Food”, “Eye on Science”, “Promo: A Fistful of Ugly”, “Shock Theatre”, and “Promo: Margot Fontaine at the Russian National Circus". Donald Cowper also appears
SCTV Review: Match Unto My Feet (1-5) / Memoirs of Anton Chekhov (1-6)
“Match Unto My Feet” sketches include: “Promo: Baa, Baa, Black and White Sheep”, “Sunrise Semester: Faking Orgasms with Dr. Cheryl Kinsey”, “Promo: It’s An Unusual World, Isn’t It?”, “Witness to Yesterday”, “SCTV AM News Today: Earl In San Francisco”, “Amanda II Microwave Oven”, “PSA: Warning Signs”, “Match Unto My Feet”, “Promo: AC/DC” and “Words to Live By: Father John Duffy”. Brenda Donohue also appears.
“Memoirs of Anton Chekhov” includes “Labrador Slugger”, “SCTV AM News Today: Earl Asleep”, “Heavenly Bodies”, “Mr. Science”, “The House of Beauty”, “SCTV News Today: Alternative Perspectives”, “Cornabix”, “Masterpiece Theatre: Three Plays”, “Hooker Handbook”, “The Memoirs of Anton Chekhov”, “Plainclothes Mountie” and “SCTV PM News Today: Floyd breaks up”. Donald Cowper, Jayne Eastwood and Monica Parker also appear.
SCTV Review: Ethnic Humor (1-3) / Crosswords (1-4)
“Ethnic Humor” sketches include “Disclaimer”, “Sunrise Semester: Humanities 196 with Dr. Ernest Bruter”, “The Leutonian Hour”, “Promo: Plainclothes Mountie”, “Out-Patient”, “Hints for Homemakers”, “North American Stethoscopy Institute”, “Theatre North American”, “Golden Hits of the 11th Century” and “Words to Live By: Dr. Ernest Bruter”.
“Crosswords” sketches include “The Sammy Maudlin Show”, “Sunrise Semester: Classical Greek with Alki Stereopoulos”, “Spray-On Socks”, “The $211,000 Triangle”, “Cooking with LaRue”, “Backstage”, “Masterpiece Theatre: Crosswords”, “Promo: The Exorcist of Oz”, “Shakespeare’s Greatest Jokes”, and “Words to Live By: Father Michael Meyer”
SCTV Review: Backstage (1-1) / Murder at SCTV (1-2)
“Backstage” sketches include: “The Laser-Matic”, “Sunrise Semester: Bookkeeping with Moe Green”, “Promo: Unnecessary Surgeon & Malpractice Lawyer”, “The Johnny LaRue Show”, “SCTV AM News Today: Big News/Little News”, “The Evelyn Woods Speed Talking School”, “Backstage”, “Stop Those Depressing Ads”, “Masterpiece Theatre: The Girls of Vienna”, “SCTV PM News”, and “Words To Live By: Joni Newton Buffy”
“Murder at SCTV” sketches include “Swami Bananananda”, “Captain Combat”, “Fat Chance for the Sub-Sahara”, “English For Beginners”, “SCTV AM News Today”, “Stan Musial’s Greatest Hits”, “Sale of the Century”, “Gus Gusstofferson: Security Guard”, “SCTV Movie of the Week: Wara, Wara, Wara” and “SCTV PM News”
SNL 1985-86: Final thoughts
Lorne Michaels’ first season back at SNL following his five year hiatus from the show is considered one of the worst seasons in the show’s history, along with 1980-81 and 1994-95. Indeed, there are quite a few obvious problems with this season, and as a whole the quality was below the standard of the first four seasons of the show, or even the later Dick Ebersol years. Yet for some reason, this year has a certain watchability to it that 1980-81 or 1994-95 don’t have.
Classic SNL Review: May 24, 1986: Anjelica Huston & Billy Martin / George Clinton & The Parliament Funkadelic (S11E18)
Sketches include “Hands Across America”, “The People’s Second Choice Awards”, “Moments of Doubt”, “Glamorous Drinking”, “Actors on Film”, “Mafia Greeting Cards”, “Lesbian Pick-Ups”, “Bocce Ball My Way”, “Backstage”, “Book Minute”, “Movie Theatre”, “My Friend” and “Fire”, George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic perform two medleys. Damon Wayans also appears.
Classic SNL Review: May 17, 1986: Jimmy Breslin / Level 42, E.G. Daily (S11E17)
Sketches include “Weigh-In”, “Reagan’s Command”, “Tornadoville”, “A Message from Marvelous Marvin Hagler”, “Midday with Jennifer Hicks”, “Lone Wolf McCord”, “The Pat Stevens Show”, “Assembly” and “A Message from Jody Hagler”. Level 42 performs “Something About You”. E. G. Daily performs “Say It, Say It”. Sam Kinison also appears.
Classic SNL Review: May 10, 1986: Catherine Oxenberg & Paul Simon / Ladysmith Black Mambazo (S11E16)
Sketches include “Geraldo Rivera Opens The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier”, “Guys Behind Bars”, “The Late Show with Joan Rivers”, “The Limits of the Imagination”, “Dirk Landers”, “Beverly Hills Liar”, “Brim Decaffeinated”, and “A Mother’s Day Message”. Paul Simon performs “You Can Call Me Al”, “Homeless” with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and “Graceland”. Penn & Teller also appear.
Classic SNL Review: April 19, 1986: Tony Danza / Laurie Anderson (S11E15)
Sketches include “Vietnam Story”, “AT&T”, “Nancy’s Workout”, “Lyndon LaRouche Theatre”, “30 Second Count”, “Big Time Professional Golf”, “Love Scene”, “Master Thespian” and “The Further Adventures of Biff and Salena”. Laurie Anderson performs “Babydoll” and “The Day The Devil”. Penn & Teller also appear.
Classic SNL Review: April 12, 1986: Oprah Winfrey / Joe Jackson (S11E14)
Sketches included “Backstage”, “John Cougar Mellencamp’s Looking At America”, “The Pat Stevens Show”, “Cabrini Green”, “The Wart Hog”, “I Play The Maids”, “Actors On Film”, “Craig Sundberg, Idiot Savant”, “The Cute Shop”, and “One-Shoe Emma”. Joe Jackson performs “Right and Wrong” and “Soul Kiss”.
Classic SNL Review: March 22, 1986: George Wendt and Francis Ford Coppola / Philip Glass (S11E13)
Sketches include “Pep Talk”, “The Honeymooners: The Lost Episodes”, “Commercials”, “Mystery Playhouse”, “That Black Girl”, “Whale”, “Actors”, “Ghost of Thespians Past”, “Vietnam Sketch”, “Suitcase Boy” and “Finale”. Philip Glass and the Philip Glass Ensemble perform “Lightning” and “Rubric”.
Classic SNL Review: March 15, 1986: Griffin Dunne / Rosanne Cash (S11E12)
Sketches include: “Rumors”, “Double R Marcos”, “Mr. Monopoly”, “You Bet Your Finger”, “Bad Seed”, “Buon Giorno Ireland Buon Giorno”, “Two Jones Cable Installers”, “You Can Pick Your Friends, You Can Pick Your Nose, But Your Can’t Pick Your Friend’s Nose”, “Business Beat”, and “Tea and Sympathy”. Rosanne Cash performs “Hold On” and “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me”. Penn & Teller also appear.
Classic SNL Review: February 22, 1986: Jay Leno / The Neville Brothers (S11E11)
Sketches include “Studio Tour”, “Target Earth”, “Dinner With Mike”, “Star Search”, “Evil Twin”, “Stand-Ups”, “Man Beat” and “The Further Adventures of Biff and Salena”. The Neville Brothers perform “The Big Chief” and “The Midnight Key”.
Classic SNL Review: February 15, 1986: Jerry Hall / Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble (S11E10)
Sketches include “Bar”, “The Limits of the Imagination”, “Models Against The Wilderness”, “Master Thespian”, “Line of Death”, “The Pat Stevens Show” and “Sore Toe”. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble perform “Say What!” and “Change It”. Sam Kinison also appears.
Classic SNL Review: February 8, 1986: Ron Reagan / The Nelsons (S11E09)
Sketches include “Risky Business”, “The Pat Stevens Show”, “Dalkon Shield Trout Lure”, “Back To The Future”, “The Limits Of The Imagination”, “Shakespeare In The Slums”, and “David’s Date”. The Nelsons perform “Walk Away” and “Do You Know What I Mean”. Penn & Teller also appear.