"Give me all your hot monkey love"
Cold Open: Audience Questions
5 Stars
Gilda answers questions from the audience
Gilda answers some questions from audience members, all named Kevin, about how the show works. Like, do they ever not know how to open the show, what would you do if you didn't have an idea for a cold open, and did the audience really write these questions or were they written by a writer? The answers are: Yes, they often don't have ideas for cold opens, If they couldn't think of an idea they would have Gilda answer questions from the audience, and all these questions were written by a writer. I loved this, it was both lazy and smart and Gilda was downright adorable.
O.J. Simpson Monologue
1 Star
I don't know what the hell this was. O.J. just talks about all his success and how great his life is but every now and then the band will start to play a song and he'll give them a dirty look. It seems like they were trying to do a bit of some kind but either O.J. forgot what it was, didn't want to do it or it was just clumsily executed. Oh, and he's wearing a conehead the whole time. He never references it at all. This is a guy talking about being the best football player in the league and he's got a conehead. Is that the joke?
"Brought to you by Dorgmo, the golden shower of German beers"
Cold Open: Audience Questions
5 Stars
Gilda answers questions from the audience
Gilda answers some questions from audience members, all named Kevin, about how the show works. Like, do they ever not know how to open the show, what would you do if you didn't have an idea for a cold open, and did the audience really write these questions or were they written by a writer? The answers are: Yes, they often don't have ideas for cold opens, If they couldn't think of an idea they would have Gilda answer questions from the audience, and all these questions were written by a writer. I loved this, it was both lazy and smart and Gilda was downright adorable.
O.J. Simpson Monologue
1 Star
I don't know what the hell this was. O.J. just talks about all his success and how great his life is but every now and then the band will start to play a song and he'll give them a dirty look. It seems like they were trying to do a bit of some kind but either O.J. forgot what it was, didn't want to do it or it was just clumsily executed. Oh, and he's wearing a conehead the whole time. He never references it at all. This is a guy talking about being the best football player in the league and he's got a conehead. Is that the joke?
Samurai Night Fever
2 Stars
Samurai Futaba goes to a disco with his brother
Bill, Jane and Laraine are an Italian family having dinner but before you can settle in, we cut to John in his samurai outfit getting ready for a night out. This is Samurai Night Fever, like Saturday Night Fever but with a samurai. I got a few chuckles out of John doing his samurai character in a John Travolta voice but this dragged on forever and seemed to go nowhere after the initial gag. O.J. plays John's brother who doesn't want to be black anymore. The two go to a disco and dance. John does some somersaults. This was really forgettable and seemed like they were just trying to fill time towards the end.
Great Moments In Sports
Bill, Jane and Laraine are an Italian family having dinner but before you can settle in, we cut to John in his samurai outfit getting ready for a night out. This is Samurai Night Fever, like Saturday Night Fever but with a samurai. I got a few chuckles out of John doing his samurai character in a John Travolta voice but this dragged on forever and seemed to go nowhere after the initial gag. O.J. plays John's brother who doesn't want to be black anymore. The two go to a disco and dance. John does some somersaults. This was really forgettable and seemed like they were just trying to fill time towards the end.
Great Moments In Sports
4 Stars
The Babe promises a home run to a kid in the hospital
Babe Ruth visits a young and dying Garrett in the hospital, drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette, and promises to hit him a home run tonight to lift his spirits. Later that day we see Garrett react while listening to the game on radio and hearing Ruth continuously strike out. Garrett was hilarious in this, beaming with joy with anticipation only to collapse when his hero fails him. My favorite gag was when the radio announcer said Babe was visiting a dying kid in the hospital earlier and Garrett reacts to the news as this is the first time anyone told him he's near death. Least favorite part was O.J. as the narrator flubbing his lines at the end.
Ashford & Simpson
Babe Ruth visits a young and dying Garrett in the hospital, drinking a beer and smoking a cigarette, and promises to hit him a home run tonight to lift his spirits. Later that day we see Garrett react while listening to the game on radio and hearing Ruth continuously strike out. Garrett was hilarious in this, beaming with joy with anticipation only to collapse when his hero fails him. My favorite gag was when the radio announcer said Babe was visiting a dying kid in the hospital earlier and Garrett reacts to the news as this is the first time anyone told him he's near death. Least favorite part was O.J. as the narrator flubbing his lines at the end.
Ashford & Simpson
"So, So Satisfied"
Where I come from they call this baby making music.
Mohawk Master
3 Stars
A device to give you the perfect mohawk
Another silly commercial for a product you would never need or want. Two razors on a stick will shave your head into a perfect mohawk. Dan's exuberance for the product and the shots of the family with their mohawks including mom, junior, grandma and a sheep were all fun.
The Raid On Nicosia
Another silly commercial for a product you would never need or want. Two razors on a stick will shave your head into a perfect mohawk. Dan's exuberance for the product and the shots of the family with their mohawks including mom, junior, grandma and a sheep were all fun.
The Raid On Nicosia
3 Stars
Commercial for an all-star action movie
A TV movie based on real life events has an all-star cast. This is basically an impressions sketch where everyone in the cast all gets 15 seconds to play a celebrity. Garrett is Sherman Hemsley, Bill is Tony Orlando, O.J. Simpson plays himself, Laraine is Debbie Boone, Dan does a great Robert Stack, Jane is Helen Hayes, Gilda is Valerie Harper and John plays Ed Asner playing Yassir Arafat. This was short and sweet. I love the all-star movies of the 70s like The Towering Inferno (featuring O.J.), The Poseidon Adventure and the Airport series. I even like the lesser ones like The Swarm.
Weekend Update
A TV movie based on real life events has an all-star cast. This is basically an impressions sketch where everyone in the cast all gets 15 seconds to play a celebrity. Garrett is Sherman Hemsley, Bill is Tony Orlando, O.J. Simpson plays himself, Laraine is Debbie Boone, Dan does a great Robert Stack, Jane is Helen Hayes, Gilda is Valerie Harper and John plays Ed Asner playing Yassir Arafat. This was short and sweet. I love the all-star movies of the 70s like The Towering Inferno (featuring O.J.), The Poseidon Adventure and the Airport series. I even like the lesser ones like The Swarm.
Weekend Update
I don't know what I'm tired of more, watching Weekend Update or trying to come up with something to say about Weekend Update.
Bill Murray talks about the Academy Award nominations and Woody Allen. Since Woody got 3 nominations for the same film, people are comparing him to Orson Welles. Bill doesn't like the comparison. This didn't do much for me.
Laraine Newman becomes the first woman to go into a football locker room after a game and interviews O.J. Simpson. As O.J. removes his towel, Laraine seems more interested in something off camera than the big game.
It's only the 3rd appearance of Roseanne Roseannadanna but I would have guessed 12th. She reads a letter from a viewer but instead of answering his question she talks about trying to get food out from between her teeth.
O.J.'s Record
Laraine Newman becomes the first woman to go into a football locker room after a game and interviews O.J. Simpson. As O.J. removes his towel, Laraine seems more interested in something off camera than the big game.
It's only the 3rd appearance of Roseanne Roseannadanna but I would have guessed 12th. She reads a letter from a viewer but instead of answering his question she talks about trying to get food out from between her teeth.
O.J.'s Record
4 Stars
O.J. and friends watch Walter Payton attempt to beat his rushing record
O.J. is a little worried that Walter Payton will beat his record for most rushing yards in a single season. He feels that without his football records he won't live on forever in infamy, how wrong he was, I imagine there are some people who watch this that would have no idea O.J. was such a good football player, but they would know his name for other reasons. As he goes to the fridge to grab a beer, he pulls out a Walter Payton voodoo doll and stabs it just as the real Walter fumbles the ball.
The Franken And Davis Show
O.J. is a little worried that Walter Payton will beat his record for most rushing yards in a single season. He feels that without his football records he won't live on forever in infamy, how wrong he was, I imagine there are some people who watch this that would have no idea O.J. was such a good football player, but they would know his name for other reasons. As he goes to the fridge to grab a beer, he pulls out a Walter Payton voodoo doll and stabs it just as the real Walter fumbles the ball.
The Franken And Davis Show
4 Stars
Al is suffering from a deadly illness
Tom tells us that Al has a terminal brain tumor but wanted to do the show anyway. Tom encourages the audience to laugh at Al's jokes even though he can't remember any of the punchlines. A shorter bit that their previous ones but a very simple and funny sketch.
Mandingo II
Tom tells us that Al has a terminal brain tumor but wanted to do the show anyway. Tom encourages the audience to laugh at Al's jokes even though he can't remember any of the punchlines. A shorter bit that their previous ones but a very simple and funny sketch.
Mandingo II
5 Stars
Trailer for Mandingo II
This sketch was a bit of a mess but that made it all the more fun. We start with O.J. making out with Laraine, then Bill making out with Garrett in drag. Bill makes out with Laraine, then O.J. makes out with Garrett, Laraine makes out with Garrett, Bill and O.J. start making out and we end with Bill making out with a cow. This seemed like madness but it was a fun and funny madness. The cut to Bill and O.J. making out was so sudden and unexpected it had me rolling.
E. Buzz Miller's Animal Kingdom
This sketch was a bit of a mess but that made it all the more fun. We start with O.J. making out with Laraine, then Bill making out with Garrett in drag. Bill makes out with Laraine, then O.J. makes out with Garrett, Laraine makes out with Garrett, Bill and O.J. start making out and we end with Bill making out with a cow. This seemed like madness but it was a fun and funny madness. The cut to Bill and O.J. making out was so sudden and unexpected it had me rolling.
E. Buzz Miller's Animal Kingdom
4 Stars
E. Buzz and Christy show us some animals doing it
Similar to the last E. Buzz Miller sketch, this is juvenile but funny. He shows us some footage of animals but is only interested in their mating rituals, which results in a lot of giggling. We see ladybugs, butterflies, earthworms and salamanders going at it.
"How about that one, 33 inches long. You ever see a worm 33 inches long?"
"I don't know."
"I bet you don't."
Hertz
Similar to the last E. Buzz Miller sketch, this is juvenile but funny. He shows us some footage of animals but is only interested in their mating rituals, which results in a lot of giggling. We see ladybugs, butterflies, earthworms and salamanders going at it.
"How about that one, 33 inches long. You ever see a worm 33 inches long?"
"I don't know."
"I bet you don't."
Hertz
5 Stars
O.J. is no longer the main man at Hertz
In a parody of O.J.'s commercial for Hertz rent-a-car, he is seen rushing to get a car at the airport, cheered on by Emily Litella. When he gets to the counter he is told that his car was given to Walter Payton, who had a better football season. A really good spoof with a good ending. O.J. threatening Laraine with physical violence was an eerily prescient shot to end on.
Ashford & Simpson return with "Don't Cost You Nothing" which is more funky than their last song. I got a kick out of their awkward choreographed disco dance moves.
Celebrity Battle Of The Sexes & Races
In a parody of O.J.'s commercial for Hertz rent-a-car, he is seen rushing to get a car at the airport, cheered on by Emily Litella. When he gets to the counter he is told that his car was given to Walter Payton, who had a better football season. A really good spoof with a good ending. O.J. threatening Laraine with physical violence was an eerily prescient shot to end on.
Ashford & Simpson return with "Don't Cost You Nothing" which is more funky than their last song. I got a kick out of their awkward choreographed disco dance moves.
Celebrity Battle Of The Sexes & Races
4 Stars
Black men take on white women in Olympic style events
In Celebrity Battle Of The Sexes & Races, black men compete against white women. O.J. Simpson and Leon Spinx (Garrett with a big gap in his teeth) take on Sandy Duncan and Marie Osmond (Laraine and Gilda, respectively). The black men are leading the women 3,100 to 0 as we go into the tug-of-war competition. Bill lets us know that the black men have been dominating the games in competitions like basketball, boxing, picking up white women and spear chucking and they stand to win the grand prize of a 1978 Cadillac, pimp coat and sword cane. It's a pretty racist and sexist sketch but that's the point.
FINAL ANALYSIS
In Celebrity Battle Of The Sexes & Races, black men compete against white women. O.J. Simpson and Leon Spinx (Garrett with a big gap in his teeth) take on Sandy Duncan and Marie Osmond (Laraine and Gilda, respectively). The black men are leading the women 3,100 to 0 as we go into the tug-of-war competition. Bill lets us know that the black men have been dominating the games in competitions like basketball, boxing, picking up white women and spear chucking and they stand to win the grand prize of a 1978 Cadillac, pimp coat and sword cane. It's a pretty racist and sexist sketch but that's the point.
FINAL ANALYSIS
"Never underestimate the revenge of a black man"
Average
Average
3.6 Stars
MVP
Garrett Morris
Great Moments In Sports, The Raid On Nicosia, O.J.'s Record, Mandingo II, Celebrity Battle Of The Sexes & Races
Great Moments In Sports, The Raid On Nicosia, O.J.'s Record, Mandingo II, Celebrity Battle Of The Sexes & Races
Best Sketch
Mandingo II
Worst Sketch
Samurai Night Fever
How I Would Have Lorne Michaels-ed It
Normally I would say that Samurai Night Fever was a horrible lead off sketch and that should be replaced with something else but in the case of this episode, it worked to its advantage. The monologue was horrible and the first sketch was lazy and unfunny. I was prepared for worst episode of the year but then, all of a sudden, the episode found its stride and never fumbled. By the time the back half of the show came around I had all but forgotten the lame beginning.
Host Analysis
Having also seen the Robert Blake episode from season 8, I can safely say that O.J. is the best SNL host who has also been accused of murder. He played himself basically for the whole episode which is exactly what I want from an athlete host. Don't give them too much heavy lifting, just have them come off as likable as best you can.
Final Thoughts
Even with a rough start, this managed to get my 4th highest sketch average this season, just behind Ray Charles, Charles Grodin and Robert Klein. This had one of the best second halfs of the season, where everything worked. There was a real sense of fun this week. I'm guessing the male cast was excited to be hanging out with an NFL great and that was seen onscreen. Even Update wasn't terrible as they went with a more desk pieces less jokes format which makes the segment bearable.
Up Next
Two hosts in a row without a comedy background as Art Garfunkel hosts with musical guest Stephen Bishop. Hey, if The Juice can do it...
Two hosts in a row without a comedy background as Art Garfunkel hosts with musical guest Stephen Bishop. Hey, if The Juice can do it...
The juice is loose
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