The following blog entry is a companion piece to last weeks’ episode of the Saturday Night Networks’ 50 Greatest Episode Countdown series. Give it a watch OR a listen, won't you?
Capitol Building
Former US President George H.W. Bush (Dana Carvey) coaches his son, current Texas Governor and GOP Presidential hopeful George W Bush (Will Ferrell) on how to “slip slide away”, “dance to the middle” and give the most vague, evasive, centrist non-answers to questions posed during press conferences and debates.
This was the first in a series of Father & Son Bush sketches that Ferrell and Carvey would do over the next two seasons.
I see that Ferrells’ Dubya isn’t quite fine tuned yet to what it would later become. The voice seems to just be a generic Texas accent and the characterization is just “southern goofball/cocky frat boy/manchild/daddy’s boy” (pouring and sipping a very heady/foamy keg beer was certainly a choice…hadn’t the real Dubya given up drinking around this time?)
Obviously, W. Bush hadn’t been “elected” yet at this point and maybe wasn’t a big enough public figure for an impressionist or performer to find any specific hooks to laser focus on. Still, it works for this sketch as Ferrell is going to be more of a second banana here.
One particular Ferrell line that stood out to me was “I’m not sure about gun control…but there’s no better feeling than tying on a three beer buzz and firin’ off a sawed off 12 gauge into a beat up ol’ tractor.” I also liked Carveys’ response “lord have mercy, that is bad”
Nice to see the crowd go wild for the return of Dana Carvey as H.W. Bush. At this point, it was nice to see Dana Carvey back on the show in general playing a former president. I believe around this time he had just recovered from botched heart surgery and almost hosted the previous season (he would go on to host months later at the beginning of the following season) so he probably just wanted to get back to being funny in some public capacity again.
Carveys’ still got it at this point and he does shine here in perhaps his signature impression role from his time on the show. I get the feeling this was written by either Jim Downey or Robert Smigel because Dana does play this like it was written by someone he was still connected with from his era who knows how to play to his strengths as far as topical comedy goes.
I got a kick out of Carvey pronouncing tonights' musical guests’ name as “Christina…A-gooly-la-lera”. The spalling and “slip slidin’ away” stuff was very charmingly silly. I wasn’t crazy about his referring to Elian Gonzales as “the little brown one”, though. Oof. The “nah gah da” callback seemed a little forced for my liking, though.
One thing that strikes me as odd (and almost quaint) about this sketch is that the basic premise is that politicians have to appeal to voters and win elections by being as bland, centrist and as afraid to take a stand on anything as possible when America is obviously WAY past that stage in our politics. In fact, whenever I've found myself rewatching political cold opens from season 25 I’ve noticed that the overall take is that W. Bush and Al Gore were too similar to each other and them winning their respective primaries over the much more bold and brash Bill Bradley and John McCain made this the most boring election cycle in US history. Heck, this sketch itself criticizes John McCain, calling him a “nut” for being too much of a “straight-talker” to win an election.
After W. Bush’s two-term presidency, McCain would go on to win his primary, but lose to Barack Obama. After that, America would somehow “elect” it’s “nuttiest”, most “brash” and DEFINITELY most “straight-talking” (to a ridiculous degree) president ever (who just months before this episode aired was on the fringes as a third party “reform” candidate who NO ONE thought ever had a chance at becoming president. Oh, how innocent and naive we once were.
Of course, as we saw during the first term of Trump' s presidency (and as we’re currently seeing in his second) our political system has all but become a parody of itself and SNLs’ basic response was…to become more bland and centrist rather than truly speak truth to power or take any bold stance beyond “Orange Man Bad”. Oh, how the tables have turned for the worse.
Sadly, it seems now that you can never cozy up too much to the religious right to win an election. B-
Monologue
Christopher Walken talks about how different SNL is from his typical acting roles and sings “Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week” with Rachel Dratch, Ana Gasteyer, Cheri Oteri and Molly Shannon as backup dancers.
Charmingly awkward intro followed by delightful song and dance monologue that Walken excels at making more entertaining than any other host who has tried one of these. What else is there to say?
I got a kick out of Walkens’ “since I turned 39” line especially followed by Walkens’ talk of essentially being a homebody in his old age and doing an old timey swing number with the girls.
I have heard Walken does these monologues mainly to please his mother who got him singing and tap dancing lessons and wanted to see him put that to use somewhere in his showbiz career when he’s not playing creepy villains. That’s very sweet. B+
Behind The Music
Blue Oyster Cult members Bobby Rondinelli (Jimmy Fallon), Buck Dharma (Chris Kattan),Eric Bloom (Chris Parnell) and Danny Miranda (Horatio Sanz) clash and come to blows in the studio with cowbell session player Gene Frenkle (Will Ferrell). Frenkle and legendary rock producer Bruce Dickinson (Walken) save the session (and the day) with their impassioned defense of the cowbell.
Ah, yes. The reason this episode is well remembered enough to be included in any SNL related top ten countdown. It may actually be one of the rare few sketches to be included in two different “best ofs” (Ferrell & Walken).
As for the sketch itself, it has earned its’ all time classic status. It works due to its sheer levels of high goofy commitment (both physically and emotionally) to such a silly and stupidly small detail.
Recently, I talked about how there are some SNL sketches that you can tell will become classics even when you watch them air live because of how unique and different they feel from anything else the show is doing in that time period. I’d put that sketch in this category because even when I first saw this sketch at age 9 I could tell it would be a classic. Yes, this sketch aired before the era of streaming when there was still a “monoculture” but this sketch had a timeless feel to it and had a universal appeal to it that allowed it to be enjoyed by all ages.
Walkens’ absurd intensity works so well here I can see how this might not have worked as well with Norm Macdonald in the Bruce Dickinson role (who is apparently a character Ferrell made up for this sketch and NOT an impersonation of any real rock impresario).
Perhaps the funniest parts of this sketch are Ferrell gyrating his gut around when Walken tells him to “explore the space…I mean, really” followed by Ferrells’ entire “we don’t have a lot of songs that feature the cowbell” speech. Yes, Fallon does crack up during this (somehow Horatio doesn’t…at least not on camera but I even got a kick out of his line “he speaks for all of us”) but with the way this sketch progressed it is easy to see why.
Even Ferrell himself cracks up during this part and this may be one of only two possible times I can think of that this has happened during his run on the show. The detail at the end of his character having just died at the age of 50 managed to be pitiful yet silly.
Fun fact #1: crew member/musical technician Speedy Rosenthal can faintly be seen in the background behind the glass in this sketch. This and Sandlers’ shout out to him during his 50th anniversary song are, to this day, his only on camera appearances on this show.
Fun fact #2: I actually sat next to the real Eric Bloom at a “Weird Al” Yankovic concert in Denver a few years ago. That’s a story for another time, but let’s just say I have a connection in the Weird Al fan community who offered me a backstage pass and some upgraded seats. A-
Band Shot
Dinosaur Jr frontman J Mascis sits in with the band this week.
Apparently, the copy I am watching is a network rerun from December 2, 2000? It advertises the Val Kilmer/U2 episode as being “next weeks'” show. Gee, I sure hope they didn’t change the lineup. It’s not often they air a rerun from a previous season to the current one in the 11:30 slot.
Elian, The Cuban Boy
A preview of a new Broadway musical from the producers of “The Lion King” and “Aida” about the saga of six year old Elian Gonzales starring child actor David Mack Wilson (Dratch) in the title role, Walken as Fidel Castro, Sandra Milhart (Gasteyer) as Elians’ American relative, Richard Kyle Pierce (Kattan) as the boys’ father Juan Gonzales and, somehow, Janet Reno (Ferrell) as herself
Hoo boy, we instantly go from “timeless sketch” to “sketch that ONLY would have made sense this specific week”.
Still, I’d say this one gets over on sheer commitment alone. Gasteyer and Walken bring the talent, Ferrell and Kattan bring the charisma. Even the implied homoeroticism between Will and Chris isn’t played up for laughs as much as you’d expect for this era.
The opening boat number didn’t add much, but it wasn’t so unnecessary as to get rid of.
Rachel Dratch as her child actor character that she’d only get on the air one other time in the following episode playing Elian as a 1950s Leave It To Beaver/Dennis The Menace golly gee whiz type was charming.
I have to admit, this is pulled off in a way that makes it still entertaining even removed from the context of that specific weeks’ headlines it was pulled from.
Boy, this episode almost has the perfect rundown the way its two biggest and most dynamic sketches are placed back to back up top. B-
The Continental
The Continental (Walken) lures in his neighbor with her own mail that was mistakenly delivered to him. He attempts to seduce her with “cawiar”, “chom-pawn-yay”, telescopes, possible roofies, paintings from Target and bathrooms with two way mirrors.
This is the fourth installment of this well known Walken character (and my first introduction to it). It’s so heartwarming to hear them still use Hartmans’ voiceover in these.
Again, this is something that Walken and only Walken could make work back at a time when a sketch like this could “work” comedically (well, up to the point where he put something in the woman's drink, but him lusting over her champagne covered boobs and the reveal of the two way mirror was funny).
He handles the situation with such over-the-top goofiness that he strips away about 99% of the lingering ick. This character is basically a human Pepe Le Pew, so thankfully Walken had the good sense to play him almost like a living cartoon character.
Some choice lines here “I love women. I can read their mail. I mean, MINE”, “...and may I say, you have exquisite taste in underwear” (after the reveal of his telescope pointed out his window)
I did like the ending where she straight up chokes and maces him causing him to admit to having developed mace immunity. I also got a kick out of seeing the pink gloved camera man hand Walken, Aguilera and Kattan champagne during the good nights. C+
Viagra
Disgusted, annoyed wives (Gasteyer, Tina Fey) aren’t nearly as thankful for the erectile dysfunction drug as their older, more amorous, sex crazed husbands (Walken, Phil Hymes, Rich Francese)
I got a kick out of Walkens’ line “we’re doin’ like bunnies”.
Writers Rich Francese and Tina Fey are a couple. Always nice to see one of Tina's rare pre-Update appearances as a writer. I’m guessing she wrote this, too? Seems like it’s completely in her voice.
Lighting director Phil Hymes cameos near the end. Funny how he appears in this AND the first SNL Viagra pretape from the Matthew Broderick season 23 episode filled with various men (including Regis Philbin and Leon “The Ladies Man” Phelps) all swearing up and down that they DON’T need it.
I’m sure Viagra jokes seemed old and tired two years later, but at least it was nice to see one from a female perspective for a change. Not much else to say about this quick piece. C-
Jenny Jones
Jenny Jones (Dratch) brings out former “freaks” turned “hotties” (Shannon, Parnell, Kattan) to confront their former high school bullies (Fallon, Oteri, Tracy Morgan) and welcome frequent interjections from audience member Ray Stockton (Walken)
Oof, speaking of old, tired sketch tropes, its’’ something SNL started in earnest between seasons 18-20 and MADtv made one of their staples from the beginning. It’s a daytime trash TV sketch. Maybe Tina wrote this too? Rachel Dratch makes for a decent Jenny Jones. She’s no Mo Collins, but it works.
I liked the back and forth between Parnell and Oteri (her second appearance in this episode and first with any lines of dialogue). I got a kick out of Parnells’ lines the most, especially his weight loss secrets being consuming nothing but candy necklaces and Pedialyte for a year and then getting Scurvy and his working as an exotic dancer as a club called “Bulges”. Cheri then admitting she has 19 kids and is on welfare in response to this…kinda worked?
Honestly, the only other thing that works for me is Walken of all people as the loudmouth audience member spouting AAVE tinged slang. The Molly/Jimmy part did nothing for me and the less said about the reveal of Kattans’ character being transgender, the better. I wouldn’t quite call it punching down, but…at least Tracys’ character is…accepting of her? D+
Weekend Update w/Colin Quinn
Jacob Silj (Ferrell) can’t get through his report on Microsofts’ anti trust suit as he has to spend his entire time addressing his voice immodulation disorder to Colin
The Elian jokes from Colin were okay (aside from the Reno one). I especially liked the Elian callback at the end. Funny how he dates his Elian “News From The Future” joke as being from 2015 because at that point future SNL castmember Pete Davidson will have played an older Elian (in the last episode of 2014…the only possible time he could’ve gotten away with that, too!).
Aside from those and the Census/Beatles Anthology/rising gas prices jokes, nothing stood out for me here. Everything else was just lost to the April 2000 time fog (especially that Mets tickets/John Rocker joke that got legitimate boos from the crowd. Bet he wasn’t expecting that, huh?).
At least it's good to see Colin getting a decent response from the crowd on his jokes. Quinn' s never been a bad comedian. Weekend Update was just too constricting a format for him.
Ferrells’ Jacob Silj character is always fun to see. I always loved the writerly absurd details being shouted at me along with him straight up insulting Colin “under his breath” to his face at the end. B-
Christina Aguilera Performs “I Turn To You” & A Medley Of “At Last/What A Girl Wants”
Girls’ definitely got some pipes on her…
Hey, she’s covering a deep cut from the Space Jam soundtrack. Nice!
Ok, this episode gave us “More Cowbell” and the next sketch. I can’t believe that the moment that made me laugh the most the last time I watched this was someone in the audience mooing, not booing, but MOOING at Xtina during one of her songs!
Definitely wasn’t expecting a partial Etta James cover either, but she makes it work. The transition to her next song was surprisingly pulled off well.
Census Taker
Mr. Leonard (Walken) frustrates a door-to-door Census taker (Tim Meadows) with his strange, confusing and wildly inaccurate answers to the simplest of questions.
Here it is, folks. The only sketch in this episode that rivals Cowbell in terms of hilarity.
This was written by Tina Fey and may be considered a deep cut, but a successful enough deep cut that the show would decide it a good idea to do a spiritual sequel to this a decade later with Tina, Betty White and Kenan Thompson.
This was perfect for Walkens’ innate strangeness and Meadows' innate ability to sell himself in a straight man role. The only negative thing I can say about this sketch is that it happened to be Tims’ first and only appearance in this episode.
So many great lines from Walken in this sketch, it is hard to choose very specific ones. What stood out to me was “80” vs “4”, “part-time” vs “full-time” employment, “you’ve got a bobcat in there?”, “passport to Florida/hell of a forgery”, “let’s just proceed as if this is going well”, “I really want to win that car” and the reveal that he has been out of jail for an hour. A-
Beauty Pageant
50 year old Sally O’Malley (Shannon) invades The Miss Greenwood Hills Beauty Pageant. Although we don’t see host Brett Lighthorse (Walken) actually crown her, we do see from a newspaper snapshot that she beat Miss Clarksdale Mall (Oteri) and Miss I-95 Interchange (Gasteyer) for the title
This is probably the most low key and least remembered of the Sally O’Malley sketches due to its’ being cut from Comedy Central reruns.
I’ve always passively tolerated this character and there’s nothing unusual or different from Miss Shannon here.
What worked for me here the most was Walken's odd delivery (it's especially odd for him as he attempts a southern accent with an effeminate lisp), Gasteyers’ opening answer to what she would do if she wins and Oteris’ reaction to finding out she is only runner up.
The rest of this just felt like a less packed version of the previous two Sally O’Mally sketches (and the next three or four, really) so not much else to say here.
Fun fact: longtime SNL choreographer Danielle Flora is one of the contestants. Makes sense as she and everyone else begins doing Rockette-like kicks during the big musical number.
Hey, another sketch where Walken gets a chance to sing and dance. Too bad his mom was probably asleep by this point in the show. C+
Overall Thoughts
Well, when you look at what still holds up 25 years later (and there's not a lot that doesn't) this episode as a whole does still deserve it's “all time classic status”.
It's not just the two well known sketches that stand out. The whole show is carried on the strength of a legendary host's performance. Some assists from former and current all time great cast members certainly help, too.
Obviously, Ferrell stood out quite a bit. He and Walken feel like they dominated this episode with some assists from Gasteyer and Kattan. Oteri and Meadows had light nights, but really worked well in their parts. Everyone else got a fair amount of airtime (see, because this was back when SNL still had a reasonably sized cast).
Closing Thoughts
Well, I have no idea what else I will be doing for this blog until October 5th but right now you can also read my new REreviews of the Tom Hanks and Dave Chappelle episodes from 2016. Have a great end of summer, everyone!
