Monday, May 27, 2013

Richard Dreyfuss/Jimmy Buffett, Gary Tigerman (5.13.1978)

Paraquat Cold Open – Belushi and Radner are Mexican farmers harvesting their marijuana crops as they are being crop dusted with Paraquat. They talk about how it might cause severe lung damage. Aykroyd narrates how this marijuana was trafficked from Mexico to New York by mule, seized plane, seized bus and a Georgia where a jazz musician takes it back to New York and lets Murray take a hit off his joint as he opens the show. This was an all right cold open, but it seemed like it didn’t really have a point or that they didn’t have enough to say about the paraquat controversy. Aykroyd did most of the heavy lifting here and he was just narrating. Watching Murray toke just wasn’t inherently funny in itself. Hopefully, there will be a call back to this later in the show. Maybe you would’ve had to have been more familiar with the whole paraquat story at the time to get it. C+

Monologue – Dreyfuss takes the stage wearing a Hamlet costume and holding his Oscar. He explains that “a certain cast member” (who is obviously revealed to be Belushi) convinced him that since they don’t get a lot of Oscar winning hosts, people are going to want to see his acting chops, particularly because he thought Richard Burton was more deserving of the Oscar because he was great in Hamlet. So, to begrudgingly prove his worth Dreyfus is badgered into performing the famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy only to be “helped” by Belushi who comes on stage uninvited. Belushi simply gives Dreyfus his line because he thought he forgot his line, but Dreyfus states that he was merely attempting a “dramatic pause”. Belushi chews him out for his performances and for his accepting the Oscar which he promptly grabs from Dreyfus as he punches him in the gut. This was a great monologue and John was fantastic here. I particularly liked his line about how Richard Burton “takes one drink and Hollywood blackballs him”, his line about having to work hard to keep his family in clothes and drugs and his line about how George C. Scott and Marlon Brando didn’t even accept their Oscars saying “you could’ve sent an Indian…BUT NOOOOOO”. B+

Cone Encounters Of The Third Kind – Dreyfuss reprises his role as Roy Neary from “Close Encounters”. The sketch opens with him building his hill as Walter Cronkite (Murray) drones on in the background. He tries to convince his relatives of his alien sighting when Beldarr’s driving school commercial airs. Meanwhile, Beldarr (Aykroyd) informs his family that the high master of Remulak, Kuldroth (Belushi) is coming to earth to inspect the star cruiser refueling station they were sent here to build…which they haven’t even started yet. Roy Neary has suddenly caught up with them asking for answers as the high master lands on earth with his lackey Merkon (Morris). Prymatt (Curtin) makes up some lie about not wanting to complete all of the refueling structures until the human attendant they hired has been properly train and name Roy as that attendant on the spot. This is a position he is happy to accept. Even though it doesn’t seem like you have to be all that familiar with the film to enjoy this sketch, it was a clever way to work in a cheap parody of one of Dreyfuss’ previous hit films. I especially liked the reveal of the complete lack of progress of the plan the Coneheads were sent here for as well as Dreyfuss suddenly adopting the Conehead’s high pitched clipped tone of voice. B-

Sex Test – Dreyfuss administers this quiz on sexual health and performances with expert advice and analysis from the likes of UCLA professor Dr. Candace Bightman (Newman), Penthouse sociologist Dr. Judd Quimson (Murray), primate expert Dr. Francine Shoes (Radner), and author Dr. Herbert Rice (Morris). This was very well written and acted. I especially liked Drefyuss’ line about how your kids will be just as screwed up as you if you ask them to leave, the statement that George Washington Carver discovered genitalia, the line “you selfish pork face, now I’ll never be satisfied” and Murray’s sweaty besunglassed performance. B-

Weekend Update w/ Curtin and Aykroyd – Best jokes: Kierke Guard, McDonalds. Jane opens by addressing some letters she got in regards to her “bitchy” demeanor and how she would lose it and shout at guests like Litella, Belushi, Roseannedanna, etc. and states that she will try to be calmer and more professional from now on. This wasn’t funny on its own, but it just set up a mini runner for tonight’s Update. I liked her “feeble” line and the one about her mother having legionaries’ disease and Dan’s quick menopause jab. Murray gives another “stargazing” review acknowledging how bad his Oscar predictions were and how disappointed he was to see tonight’s host win. When he heard this, he ordered a clip from Warner Bros. of “The Goodbye Girl” which turns out to be Belushi and Radner reenacting the Richard Dreyfuss/Marsha Mason scenes form the film. Even Murray agrees he doesn’t deserve the Oscar because he essentially plays every role the same. The film clip was great. Belushi did an excellent impersonation of Dreyfus. He even had his voice, cadence and facial expressions down perfectly. I also liked Murray’s line saying how fat he had gotten. Roseanne Roseannadanna (Radner) returns to deliver a commentary on the existence of UFOs. This turns into her telling a story of going for a drive and happening upon a buttocks heavy sex scene in a drive in showing of “Le Sex Shoppe”. Suddenly, she starts talking about Jane’s eye boogers, her tiny blonde mustache and asks whether her breasts are the same size to which she rips open her blouse (again) and screeches for Roseanne to “check for herself” and then apologizes for sinking to this level once again. That was the culmination of this weeks’ Update runner. This may have been the shortest Roseanne Roseannadanna commentary of the whole season, but it was in the running for the best in terms of straying from the typical format and dialogue. B+

Nick Springs – Lounge Singer Nick (Murray) is performing at “the honeymoon room” at the Poconos Springs (citation needed…he kinda rushed through that name) Guests include poision ivy stricken newlyweds Bill and Jona Shomer (Belushi, Radner) and industry guy Jeff Greenspoon (Dreyfus) and his mistress Mrs. Liebowitz. It’s interesting how in all the Nick sketches Newman was either playing someone’s mistress or someone who would just rather not talk to Nick in the crowd. Nick introduces Schaffer as himself within the sketch. Groundskeeper Jimmy Joe Red Sky (Aykroyd) tells the guests what they can do outside and shows us a dead squirrel he pulls out of the pool. It’s also strange how Aykroyd’s role changes in each sketch. Nick closes the sketch by singing a rendition of the “Close Encounters” theme much like he sang the “Star Wars” theme. This was a rather forgettable Nick sketch, but I did like the increasing up tempo drum machine and his screaming rendition of “Love To Love You Baby”. C+

Pet Peeves – Newman and Dreyfus come home and argue about the little things that bug each other like salad pimentos and an affinity for simple things in life over exploring other big concepts along with other things that she hates to hear over reruns of “The Honeymooners” and “The Odd Couple”. This felt more like a laundry list of petty annoyances and vitriol than a real sketch at times. The dialogue seemed really pretentious in this early on, but it was still pretty entertaining for your typical Marylinn Suzanne Miller sketch. Newman and Dreyfuss’ performances really added something, though. B+

David Susskind – Susskind (Murray) hosts this mother’s day edition of his talk show where all of his guests bought their mothers along. Guests include Henry and Chi Chi Kissinger (Belushi, Newman), Leon and Toots Spinks (Morris, Radner) and of course Tom and Emma Lou Snyder (Aykroyd, Curtin). Radner with an afro and blacked out teeth (saying she “flossed too hard”) was kind of funny, but Aykroyd and Curtin really stole this sketch. Curtin did a very funny imitation of Aykroyd’s Snyder and the audience really responded well to it. I also liked Murray’s line about his next guests being “six teenage prostitutes and their congressmen”. B+

How To Pay For Your Sins – Don Novello Makes his first ever SNL appearance as Father Guido Sarducci whom Dreyfuss introduces as “his spiritual advisor” and gossip columnist/rock critic as we’ve all heard. He appears on crutches which he attributes to a motorcycle accident in Vatican City, but in reality is due to an injury he suffered in the Hockey Penalty Box sketch from the Michael Sarrazin episode. I liked his lines about Jesus’s younger brother Billy Christ and fines for sins, but I’d agree that this a bit forgettable overall and Father Sarducci’s best appearances are just ahead of him. C+

I Want To Be Seduced – This wasn’t much except a straight musical performance from Dreyfus singing a song his friend Gary Tigerman wrote for him. Dreyfus doesn’t have a bad voice at all.

Goodnights – The other runner from tonight’s show was how we would hear the Jaws theme when Dreyfuss introduced both musical guests. This culminated in Dreyfuss being “eaten” by the old shark head. For some reason, Chevy didn’t make an appearance.


Well, this was a fine episode. Dreyfuss proved to be an outstanding host who should’ve come back in subsequent years. Next episode is Buck Henry with Sun Ra/

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