That January, Ronald Reagan was sworn in....cue the horror...
That April, he was nearly killed all thanks to someone being obsessed with Jodie Foster.
But you could make the case that 1981 is one of the most bizarre and erratic years in SNL history. You have the final stretch of the Doumanian episodes followed by the battle of wits between new producer Dick Ebersol and returning headwriter Michael O'Donoghue that autumn.
But focusing on the season in question, we are coming back from the winter break with two new headwriters: Jeremy Stevens and Tom Moore, who both had been writers on Fernwood 2Nite, the parody talk show that was something of a spin-off of the cult hit Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman.
It seems obvious that not much has changed to the tone of the show, which proves that Doumanian's reign is not helping matters in the slightest. In other eras when new headwriters took over (such as Adam McKay coming in during season 21 following the mass departures of mainstays like Jim Downey and Al Franken in season 20), you could see a noticeable, fresh, and welcomed shift in how the show was looking to evolve.
The following episode I am about to review doesn't show any real promise, but the capability is there...which we will see in the next episode following this.
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COLD OPENING: To Tell The Truth
When it comes to classic game shows, I feel like there is a certain generational divide when it comes to To Tell the Truth. I was, not surprisingly if you've been an avid reader of my blog, a kid who had a fascination with older TV as a kid, particularly game shows.
To Tell the Truth was part of the famed Goodson/Todman Productions which also had a had in classics like What's My Line?, I've Got a Secret, The Price is Right, and Family Feud to name a few.
The main premise is that 3 individuals stand on the stage and they all proclaim to be one person and it is up to the celebrity panel to determine which of the three is the person they say they are.
The premise of this cold open, which was written by Barry Blaustein & David Sheffield, is that of the then topical incident of mobster Jimmy "The Weasel" Fratiano turning into an informant for the FBI and being placed into protection. As expected, the mafia wants him dead.
So here, we are trying to find out who is the real "Weasel".
We get featured player Matthew Laurence doing a relatively straightforward impersonation, Charles Rocket goes for the cliche 20's gangster you've seen a dozen times, and Eddie Murphy gets the biggest laugh of the sketch by simply being himself.
It's a solid enough bit, especially considering how rocky most of the cold opens (and monologues for that matter) are during season 6. I think what really makes this one memorable is this is the first instance Eddie Murphy gets to say "Live From New York".
Although, so much has been said about how some of the people behind the scenes actually complained that Eddie Murphy (still then a "lowly" featured player) got the chance to say the immortal line before a cast member like Ann Risley was given the chance...or even Gail Matthius, who only got to say "It's Saturday Night!" during the horrid Jamie Lee Curtis cold open.
It was reported that Doumanian by this point had finally acknowledged Murphy's ability as a performer and agreed to let him announce it.
It's rather telling that in the next episode, Risley gets to do the honor.
As for Murphy, this is going to turn out to be a big night for him...and it truly signals, as if we needed further probing, that Murphy is the one they need to save this show.
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MONTAGE & MONOLOGUE:
Every now and then, we look back on SNL history and we kind of wonder "Who the hell is this host?!".
Ray Sharkey is a prime example of a host who came in to host at what was arguably the only real 15-minutes of fame he got in his career. Later that month, Sharkey would win the Comedy/Musical Golden Globe for Best Actor in The Idolmaker, a film that is largely forgotten today (and a film that I don't even think I have seen in full).
Sharkey eventually passed away in the 90s after he had contracted HIV due to extraneous drug use (which he also infected an estimated 100 women as he was in staunch denial he even had HIV)...so yeah, a very problematic figure.
Sharkey's energy in this monologue is both welcomed and appalling. To be frank, his high energy NY style does end up helping the show tonight at many moments...but he also relies too much on saying "fuhgedaboutit" WAY too much during the monologue.
So it isn't great...but I suppose his energy is more of a plus than a con.
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COMMERCIAL: Drink BEFORE The Job
In the early years of SNL, it actually wasn't unusual for the fake ads to feature people who weren't cast members...and this is a prime exmaple.
This is a fun premise...and for someone who really doesn't care for their job, I can relate to the idea of how much I wish I could just drink my troubles away and then go into work.
It is fine enough for what it is.
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SKETCH: The Wasp Interpreter
Charles Rocket and Ann Risley play themselves as a stuffy white couple who have trouble expressing their emotions. And they literally named the characters Charles and Ann to drive the point home.
They choose to hire an interpreter, played by Sharkey, who can translate their actual feelings amidst their banal waspy responses.
I don't think I even have to go any further. Charles or Ann say something very dry and lifeless which turns into Sharkey translating a loud and brash response, such as saying that Charles referred to Ann as a "stupid bitch" and a "cow".
They stick so much to this premise that it gets old incredibly fast...even when they try to liven it up by having Sharkey passionately make out with Risley.
I think there could have been some promise here, but it was just a bare premise that was barely held up by a bombastic Sharkey performance.
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SKETCH: Tommy Torture
I am very torn on this sketch, but for the most part, I consider it to falter.
I love how they really go for that early 80s CBGB feel with the set, but the bits with Matthius' Vicki and Dillon's Debbie seem to fall flat.
The whole premise is that they sneak into this seedy club to see a punk rocker by the name of Tommy Torture, who is played by Sharkey.
Sharkey gets to sing an original song called "Abuse Somebody", which might be a bit on the nose in terms of its lyrics but it is a very catchy and well performed punk song and might even be Sharkey's best moment of the night. He is basically proving that he is a host who will try anything, which is not something we see a lot of during this season.
Although the ending, where Vicki and Debbie agree that the song was "not too cool" (a phrase they've already been using a little bit), just gives the sketch a whimper of an ending after coming off the high of the song performance.
It almost makes me wish they devised this sketch solely around Sharkey and maybe had a different character for Matthius and/or Dillon to play.
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PSA: Citizens for a Better America
We finally get a sketch featuring Gottfried...and it feels like we haven't seen him for so long after his last episode only featured him in Yellowface the entire time.
It truly is strange to watch Gottfried in these episodes: very subdued, using his natural voice, and very uneasy on camera.
While this sketch does eventually get some laughs, I have to admit that his energy in this sketch is not something you see on SNL often. He truly seems so green.
It becomes a play on words...where Gottfried talks about the plight of people not wanting to take more menial jobs, or as he refers to the "a humjob".
"My father had a humjob, my grandfather had a humjob..."
And of course, the final line: "Mr. President, give me a humjob!"
It is silly enough, but mostly just a one joke premise that oddly suffers more due to how little Gottfried puts into it.
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SKETCH: Carter at the Bar/January 11th
In what is only the second of three appearances from Piscopo's Carter this season, I have to admit that I do like this impersonation. Here, I'd say he comes closer to nailing it even more than Aykroyd did.
Placing Carter in a bar is certainly fitting, though very unlike the real Carter...but considering how unpopular the man was at that point, I doubt many cared about how accurate his image was.
Sharkey plays a bartender in the sketch and even says to him that all he can do now "is sit on your duff and daydream" now that his "job" is coming to an end.
Carter: "Oh, I've been doing that the last four years".
Sigh...Carter is such a great man, but there is no denying that his presidency was plagued with problems. Perhaps the ultimate example of a lame duck president.
The sketch then takes a bizarre turn where it cuts to a live feed of Charles Rocket standing out in the blistering cold on the corner of 5th Ave/50th St amongst a crowd ready to ring in January 11th.
It seems like an obvious ploy to really energize the audience, but I suppose I give them props for basically...well...providing the audience with props and letting them ring in a New Day not long after they rang in the New Year.
It was interesting to see them try a strange format such as this, but it doesn't quite land and it feels a little jarring.
I suppose that is a win...especially since we have had sketches like Commie Hunting Season to contend with from this season.
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WEEKEND UPDATE WITH CHARLES ROCKET & GAIL MATTHIUS????....Does That Mean UPDATE is saved?!?!
Does Weekend Update need two anchors to succeed?
Not necessarily. People like Chevy Chase and Jane Curtin and Dennis Miller and Norm MacDonald were able to handle the job with ease...but that also doesn't mean having a co-anchor to bounce off of is a bad thing.
Curtin worked very well with Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray; Colin Jost and Michael Che have been very consistent as co-anchors for the last several years; and who could forget the pairing of Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon?
Pairing Rocket with Matthius wasn't a bad idea. I can totally understand why they would do it because it is blatantly obvious that Update hasn't been working. In fact, not only has it been so dire in nearly every aspect, they go as far to change the Update set to be nearly identical to the Curtin/Murray set from seasons 4 and 5.
The unfortunate truth is that the writing is still mostly abysmal...and Matthius, god love her, isn't able to overcome the material given. If anything, being on the Update just shows she probably was better suited sticking
Instead of seeming too calm and lethargic, Rocket starts to veer in another direction for these final episodes of his short tenure. It will become more apparent in the coming episodes.
However, as is to be expected, Update is stolen by Piscopo and then kidnapped from him by Eddie Murphy.
Piscopo is pretty much in his full Sportscaster role at this point, and his simple bit with claiming bowling is the sport of the 80s by utilizing a cheap bowling toy is somewhat fun and charming for what it is...but what I really love about it is that it seems to set up a bit where Piscopo tries to "upstage" Rocket once the bit is over having his toys interfere with Rocket's "jokes". I will comment on the variations of this bit as we continue on with the season.
That bring us to Eddie Murphy.
After getting the chance to say "Live from New York" before Ann Risley and even Gail Matthius (in full) had the opportunity, Murphy gets his next major break in the episode with his latest Update commentary.
With the war draft still a topic of discussion, Murphy was still only 19 years old when this episode aired (his confidence makes him seem like he is at least a few years older). Murphy doesn't want to be drafted which is met with applause from the audience.
Although - he isn't afraid of being drafted: "I don't mind getting shot at every now and then; it doesn't bother me". HIS issue is that if he is drafted, who will be the Token Black on SNL who can do impressions of people like Bill Cosby and Stevie Wonder?
This leads to him doing Cosby for the first time (which, admittedly, was never one of his better impersonations) and just a visual look for Wonder which in later episodes will lead to one of his better vocal impersonations. The audience eats this bit up, but I do feel the final bit of the editorial where he recommends that they enlist Garrett Morris to join despite his age because "he's got a lot of time on his hands". Considering the kind of horrific treatment he received behind the scenes as a cast member during 1975-1980, I don't think this bit aged very well at all.
Regardless, it is another successful bit from Murphy and another sign that this young guy was worth far more screentime than he was actually getting.
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MUSICAL PERFORMANCE:
Jack Bruce & Friends perform "Dancing on Air"
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SKETCH: Filmed Confession
A solid sketch overall in which Ray Sharkey plays a detective who is trying to get a confession out of a criminal played by Gilbert Gottfried...but the twist is that the interrogator is treating it as if it were a small film he is directing.
While there have been other sketches that have flirted with this kind of idea before and since, I would say their take on it here is not bad. I also think Gottfried comes alive here more than he has been in a couple of episodes, which is nice to see considering his brief tenure is known for being him in a very green and almost catatonic state on camera.
Once again, say what you will about Sharkey, but you can't argue the man was trying to give his all in this episode.
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SHORT FILM: Have a Nice Day
We are in the early stages of the Slasher Movie era with Leatherface and Michael Meyers becoming iconic figures (although Jason Voorhees was not quite on the radar yet).
The idea of a horror movie using Smiley faces throughout in various ways does come off as silly, but not overly funny in the end.
I do think the image on a Leatherface-type villain with a smiley faced mask and a chainsaw is actually kind of creepy in its own way.
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SKETCH: White Babies on the Black Market
I have always been kind of mixed on this sketch, primarily because the idea of putting Murphy (even though he is with Sharkey) as someone selling white babies on the Black Market does seem a bit tasteless by today's standards, but as is expected, Murphy's presence makes it a little more bearable.
It also doesn't hurt that some of the more absurdist bits of the sketch actually land, such as how a bowling pin was sold to a couple as a white baby or Denny Dillion having a kid named "Splotchy".
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AUDIENCE CAPTION:
As you can see, SNL decided they wanted to tackle these captions where they would zero in on a random audience member and comment on them in a faux-insulting way.
Even in those 70s episodes, these weren't exactly amazing bits or highlights, but they often provided a quick chuckle.
The issue with this one is that it is far too wordy and it has that desperate feeling of "Hey look! Isn't it funny that we are saying this man has coleslaw in his underwear?!"
This season will try to tackle these again, but the results are still lackluster.
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SKETCH: Surrogate Mothers
The audience does seem to get behind this sketch over all, and I can understand why to an extent. Denny Dillon's penchant for trying to get more money out of Risley's character by threatening to do acts such as taking LSD is humorous thanks to Dillon's performance, but this is yet another sketch that falls under the "shock value" category where it has that "Make it Hipper" stamp from Jean Doumanian.
Perhaps even more frustrating is that they have Yvonne Hudson in the sketch as the other surrogate, but only use her to basically have her utter the "I don't know nothin' bout birthin' no babies" line from Gone with the Wind".
Such an insulting waste.
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SHORT FILM: The Man with the Black Hat
Not much to say about this one.
A man walks around with his pants down and eventually meets a woman who is "dressed" the same way.
Honestly, some of the short films that SNL would air during this time...even extending into the Ebersol era...were amazing in their relative pointlessness.
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COMMERCIAL: Stop-a-Nut
I feel like a lot of people really like this one, and I suppose I can see the humor in certain moments. The concept is that Stop-a-Nut is a personal protection unit that will fight crime.
The best parts of the sketch are Ray Sharkey as an elderly woman trying to fight off the armored suit and the somehow glamorous life one can have while being inside the suit, complete with a fancy house.
There's also Eddie Murphy blasting Rapper's Delight on his boombox, which of course, the Stop-a-Nut takes as "crime" and begins attacking the boombox.
Definitely a wacky concept, and it is done pretty well.
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SKETCH: The Waiter-Maker
As I mentioned during his monologue, Sharkey was in the midst of his career peak while hosting this episode thanks to his performance in The Idolmaker, a role he would win the Comedy Golden Globe for later that month.
I don't think having knowledge of that movie is necessary here. I haven't even seen the whole thing, but the concept is pretty straightforward, so it is easy to pick up on. Having it be about making someone a great waiter is, I suppose, mildly amusing but it is frankly kind of basic.
Even the best moment of the sketch is done so poorly, which is a series of intertitles to show the comedically long passage of time it took for the waiter (Gilbert Gottfried) to be competent enough for his first dinner service.
However, it is clear this is being done to prep for set and costume changes and the timing of it is so slow that it only further drags the sketch down...so that is a bad sign when arguably the best moment of the sketch is a borderline disaster and frankly not even that funny to begin with.
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COMMERCIAL: Selling Nothing
Considering what is about to follow this, I have to wonder if this was some kind of last minute desperate attempt to pad out the timing of the episode.
Piscopo is a pitchman who is trying to sell us a seemingly non-existent vague product for $9.99
It is over and done so fast that it leaves you more bewildered than anything else.
I suppose the plus is that Piscopo is at least good at this kind of material.
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EXTRA: Eddie Murphy Saves The Day!
The legend behind this bit is pretty well-known in terms of SNL lore. When Eddie Murphy finally snagged an audition for the show, he did a piece for Neil Levy in which he played three guys on a street corner in Harlem. Two are attempting to fight while the other is instigating.
When the show was running very short, it was Neil Levy who kept saying to Jean Doumanian that having Murphy do his stand-up material would be a great way to pad out the time before the final musical performance.
Doumanian kept resisting until she finally relented. Murphy, seemingly thrilled about the prospect with no hint of anxiety, proceeded to head for home base to do his bit.
While many have stated that his performance here is not exactly his best work, what is still remarkable about it is that he felt confident enough to do the piece on live television with barely any heads up and...perhaps even crazier...cut it down and censored it as he went along so it wouldn't go over the amount of time that was allotted.
If there was any doubt amongst anyone at this point that Eddie Murphy was actually the future of SNL, they were extremely delusional.
Upon finishing the bit, the audience roars with approval and he introduces the final musical performance.
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GOODNIGHTS/FINAL THOUGHTS:
Considering this was the first show back after the winter hiatus along with the fact they had new headwriters, this episode didn't really feel any worse or better than what we've been getting so far.
In fact, it seems to further prove how much of a negative influence Doumanian was to her staff for not being able to properly guide them.
As a host, Ray Sharkey was a bit brash and bombastic but there is no denying that his energy helped keep things lively and it is certainly appreciative that he seemed game to do anything.
Eddie Murphy firmly plants himself as what the show will need to actually survive.
Getting to have the "Live From New York!" intro, a killer Update piece, and his standup right at the end made him feel like the episode's tentpoles.
Strangely enough, despite what was seemingly a bigger growing desire to dispose of Jean Doumanian backstage by NBC, the cast/writers would go into the next week surprisingly emboldened and they would give us an episode that has been considered worthy of classic status.
Stay tuned as I will discuss what might be the season's best episode: Karen Black/Cheap Trick.