101 SNL Moments countdown on E!

[oliegirl]

I did a quick search and didn't see this. I watched part of this last night, but fell asleep, it's on again now and I am cracking up at all these old skits!!!!

101. Eddie Murphy as Gumby
100. Phil Hartman as Bill Clinton
99. Chris Farley on ice skates
98. Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer
97. The Killer Bees
96. Mike Myers and Mick Jagger as Mick Jagger and Keith Richards
95. The Denise Show
94. Britney Spears addresses lip-synching/fake boob rumors in monologue
93. Unhip music teachers Bobbi and Marty Culp
92. Janet Reno (Will Ferrell) meets the real Janet Reno
91. Pepper mills sketch with Dana Carvey and Adam Sandler
90. The Ambiguously Gay Duo
89. Dana Carvey as Johnny Carson
88. Joe Pesci and Robert De Niro make surprise appearance on The Joe Pesci Show
87. Mr. Short-Term Memory
86. It's Pat
85. Eddie Murphy as James Brown in Celebrity Hot Tub
84. Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey
83. Tommy Flannigan, "The Liar"
82. Steve Martin and Gilda Radner dance
81. Will Ferrell in red, white and blue thong
80. The Spartan Cheerleaders
79. Dana Carvey as George Bush
78. The Gap Girls
77. The Sweeney Sisters
76. Woodrow, the homeless guy
75. The Superfans
74. The Land Shark
73. Nat X
72. Frank Sinatra Duets
71. William Shatner mocks Trekkies
70. Master Thespian as Santa Claus
69. Lord and Lady Douchebag
68. The Roxbury Guys
67. Men's synchronized swimming sketch
66. Total Bastard Airlines ("Buh-Bye")
65. Weekend Update: "Jane, you ignorant slut"
64. Velvet Jones
63. Inside the Actors Studio, with Kate Hudson as Drew Barrymore
62. Film with John Belushi outliving all castmates
61. Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood
60. Fernando's Hideaway
59. Toonces the Driving Cat
58. Eddie Murphy as Rev. Jesse Jackson
57. Arnold Schwarzengegger visits Hanz and Franz
56. Andy Kaufman does theme from Mighty Mouse
55. Phil Hartman as Charlton Heston
54. The Richmeister
53. Mr. Bill
52. Operaman
51. Judy Miller
50. Brian Fellow
49. Celebrity Jeopardy!
48. Ed Grimley
47. Will Ferrell as Harry Caray
46. The Chris Farley Show
45. Fred Garvin, Male Prostitute
44. David Spade as stubborn receptionist
43. Mary Catherine Gallagher
42. Old Glory Insurance (Sam Waterston sells robot insurance)
41. "White Like Me"
40. Dana Carvey sings about broccoli
39. Zagat Guide to Restaurants sketch
38. The Czech Brothers ("Wild and Crazy Guys")
37. Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase racial word association
36. Delta Delta Delta sorority
35. Sprockets
34. David Spade's Hollywood Minute
33. The Ladies' Man
32. The Coneheads
31. Molly Shannon and John Goodman as Monica Lewinsky and Linda Tripp
30. Nick the Lounge Singer
29. Will Ferrell as George W. Bush
28. John Belushi's Samurai accidentally cuts Buck Henry
27. The Girl Watchers
26. Lyle, The Effeminate Heterosexual
25. Roseanne Roseanneadana
24. The nude beach sketch (penis said numerous times)
23. Canteen Boy gets sexually harassed by scoutmaster
22. The Five-Timers Club
21. Buckwheat assassinated
20. Matt Foley, Motivational Speaker
19. Amy Fisher sketches
18. The Boston Teens
17. The Sinatra Report
16. Stand-Up Situations
15. Hanukkah Harry
14. Eddie Murphy messes up
13. The Sensitive Naked Man
12. Church Lady gets hit by Sean Penn
11. The Blues Brothers
10. The Bradys vs. The Partridge Family
9. Chris Farley auditions for Chippendales
8. The Hanukkah Song
7. Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy duet as Frank Sinatra and Stevie Wonder
6. Coffee Talk crashed by Barbra Streisand
5. Cowbell sketch
4. Phil Hartman sings goodbye to Chris Farley on Hartman's last show
3. Schweaty Balls
2. Rudy Giuliani introduces first episode after 9/11
1. Wayne's World with Aerosmith


I don't agree with No. 1....I think it's one of the funnier skits of "modern" SNL, but I think some of the older ones from the Chevy Chase, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin era are much funnier. Sweeney Sisters and Schweaty Balls are two of my all time favorites though.

[oliegirl]

Yes...that is why it starts with 101 and counts down to 1

[ShaneTheMaster]

Hmm.. no Sinead O'Connor?

[oliegirl]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

No, I mean Gumby at 101 and Wayne's World and Schweaty balls at 1 and 3?

Yep.

That was my first thought as well, there are way too many "modern" skits in the top 10 - 20...

[Maple Leafs]

How old is that list? I don't see any of the Digital Short stuff. You'd think Lazy Sunday or Dick in a Box would be on there somewhere.

I also don't see Bassomatic, which I never thought was all that funny but which everyone over the age of 40 is required by law to think was hilarious.

[MikeVic]

Schweaty Balls was awesome.

[st.cronin]

65. Weekend Update: "Jane, you ignorant slut"

Should be top 3.

[evil homer]

no jackie rogers jr. $100,000 jackpot wad?

[BrianD]

I think Matt Foley - Motivational Speaker should be higher. That cracks me up every time I watch it.

[cartman]

Yeah, I remember this coming out a few years back. Surprised that the Steve Martin's Penis Beauty Creme sketch didn't make it.

[Dr. Sak]

I'll take the rapist for $300

[st.cronin]

Gaye beer?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Many of those aren't even "moments." I was thinking something more along the lines of Charles Rocket's "I'd like to know who the fuck did it" when I saw the word "moments" in there, but oh well.

[Bad-example]

I wish E! would unclench their keisters and start playing Phil Hartman-era episodes at least once daily. I really miss the good old days when Comedy Central aired them 6 times a day.

Signed,
Lothar of the Hill People

[cartman]

Theodorick of York is another that didn't make it:

"Well, I'll do everything humanly possible. But unfortunatly, we barbers are not Gods. You know, medicine is not an exact science, but we're learning all the time. Why just 50 years ago we would've thought your daughter's illness was caused by demonic posession or witch craft. But now adays, we know that Isabelle is suffering from an inbalance of bodily humors. Perhaps caused by a toad or a small dwarf living in her stomach. "

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

Premiered: Sep 26, 2004

Ah, that explains the epic failure of Dear Sister not being #1.

[RomaGoth]

I love the Matt Foley, motivational speaker skits. Those and the Chippendale try-outs with Chris Farley. That was some funny shit. A lot of people didn't/don't like him, but I think he was hilarious. He played to his own style; fat and dimwitted. He did it well.

Always thought the Wayne's World stuff was overrated. Funny at first, but after 20 of them and some movies it lost its appeal with me.

[Fidatelo]

Chris Farley was awesome. As was Hartman. I can't believe it's been a decade already.

[RomaGoth]

Dola

The Celebrity Jeapardy still cracks me up just thinking about it. They made Sean Connery look so ridiculously stupid....

[BrianD]

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

I love the Matt Foley, motivational speaker skits. Those and the Chippendale try-outs with Chris Farley. That was some funny shit. A lot of people didn't/don't like him, but I think he was hilarious. He played to his own style; fat and dimwitted. He did it well.

Always thought the Wayne's World stuff was overrated. Funny at first, but after 20 of them and some movies it lost its appeal with me.

It took me a while to appreciate Farley - which is odd since I love physical comedy, but I really grew to like him. You have to appreciate a guy who is willing to go face-first into a table without bracing himself to get a laugh.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Chris Farley was awesome. As was Hartman. I can't believe it's been a decade already.

Agreed. That show just isn't the same anymore, not nearly as funny now. Although I will admit that the "McGruber" stuff is moderately funny.

BTW, I enjoy your signature, Mallrats is heeeelarious!!!

[Passacaglia]

What about The Chris Farley Show? Good stuff.

Anyway, I'm with Pumpy about them not knowing what a "moment" is.

[ShaneTheMaster]

I couldn't name 1 person on SNL now.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

Agreed. That show just isn't the same anymore, not nearly as funny now.

Not saying you're wrong, but everyone always thinks the old episodes are way better than the current ones. A dozen years or so ago the cast had Farley, Hartman, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler and Mike Myers, plus guys like David Spade and Rob Scnheider. And the critics all agreed that it was the worst cast ever and the show needed to fire everybody and start from scratch in order to get back to the heights of the Jon Lovitz era.

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

Although I will admit that the "McGruber" stuff is moderately funny.

Anal lube?

[Fidatelo]

It's sort of bizarre what has happened to SNL. Where is the next generation of great comedians? I don't think Amy Poehler quite cuts it.

That said, McGruber is great and I have hope that a couple of standouts will again land on the show in time.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

It's sort of bizarre what has happened to SNL. Where is the next generation of great comedians? I don't think Amy Poehler quite cuts it.

That said, McGruber is great and I have hope that a couple of standouts will again land on the show in time.

The guy that plays McGruber is pretty funny in most of the skits that I see him in. Besides Darrell Hammond and Poehler, I can't name any of the cast members now.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Not saying you're wrong, but everyone always thinks the old episodes are way better than the current ones. A dozen years or so ago the cast had Farley, Hartman, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler and Mike Myers, plus guys like David Spade and Rob Scnheider. And the critics all agreed that it was the worst cast ever and the show needed to fire everybody and start from scratch in order to get back to the heights of the Jon Lovitz era.

I don't remember that. I remember everyone wanting to fire the cast shortly after most of those guys left, during the era of Mark McKinney, Jim Breur and co which took up a couple years in the late 90's. And they were right, that was a pretty bad show for 2-3 years.

But then they did fire lots of people, and Will Ferrell found his way, and the show picked up again for a few years.

It's just that since he left, it's been very, very uneven. There are bright spots, but just not as many as during the 'good times'. We are in the late 90's again.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I don't remember that. I remember everyone wanting to fire the cast shortly after most of those guys left, during the era of Mark McKinney, Jim Breur and co which took up a couple years in the late 90's. And they were right, that was a pretty bad show for 2-3 years.

I was referring to the 1994 and 1995 seasons season (which now that I look it up, wasn't quite how I described it -- Rock had been gone a few years and Hartman left in 1994).

That was the year that the critics just killed the show, and Lorne Michaels was almost fired. It was so poorly received that Sandler and Farley were actually fired.

They replaced all those guys with the McKinney/Breur et al case, which I agree was pretty poor.

[oliegirl]

The days of Lovitz/Carvey/Myers were great, and they made some really amazing comedy, but to me, the old school stuff from Chase/Akroyd/Belushi/Radner/Curtin/Murphy...that is the best stuff. Buckwheat, The Land Shark, the "Jane you ignorant slut" Nightly News, Blues Brothers, Wild and Crazy guys...that will always be the best cast/era to me...

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

The guy that plays McGruber is pretty funny in most of the skits that I see him in. Besides Darrell Hammond and Poehler, I can't name any of the cast members now.

The McGruber guy is definitely funny, they have something there. And Poehler is good too. But there are too many cast members that just don't cut it.

Or, it could be the writers, for that matter. If these guys are getting served dog turds there is only so much they can do with them.

[molson]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Not saying you're wrong, but everyone always thinks the old episodes are way better than the current ones. A dozen years or so ago the cast had Farley, Hartman, Chris Rock, Adam Sandler and Mike Myers, plus guys like David Spade and Rob Scnheider. And the critics all agreed that it was the worst cast ever and the show needed to fire everybody and start from scratch in order to get back to the heights of the Jon Lovitz era.

I remember everyone saying the show sucked then but I don't think they took it out on that particular cast, more like the writers of that era.

You're right though, in that SNL has always and forever been considered "not as good as it used to be". I don't think people would think that if they actually watched an entire old episode.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

I was referring to the 1994 and 1995 seasons season (which now that I look it up, wasn't quite how I described it -- Rock had been gone a few years and Hartman left in 1994).

That was the year that the critics just killed the show, and Lorne Michaels was almost fired. It was so poorly received that Sandler and Farley were actually fired.

They replaced all those guys with the McKinney/Breur et al case, which I agree was pretty poor.

I had forgotten that they actually fired Farley and Sandler. Pretty weak.

I guess my point is that while you're right, people do always remember the old casts more fondly, there are certainly casts that have been stronger than others, and it is generally somewhat clear during the run. Is every skit on one of the old early 90's shows funny? Heck no. But I'd guess that a larger percentage are than on a show from 1996, or 2006.

[cuervo72]

oliegirl = low tech NetVibes

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I guess my point is that while you're right, people do always remember the old casts more fondly, there are certainly casts that have been stronger than others, and it is generally somewhat clear during the run. Is every skit on one of the old early 90's shows funny? Heck no. But I'd guess that a larger percentage are than on a show from 1996, or 2006.

I think part of the problem is there's just a natural bias to the older seasons because you forget all the bad stuff. You remember the hits, and the misses just fade away. Not to mention that many of the repeats are only an hour long so the weakest third of material isn't even seen again.

So everyone remembers the best of Farley or Sandler or Myers or whoever, and then they sit down and watch an entire episode of the new cast and say "Most of this stuff isn't funny". But that's always the case with sketch comedy. It's just that the hits make up for it over time.

Just wait, in five years we'll be talking about how the current cast sucks and looking back on the glory years of Dick in a Box and McGruber and whatever else.

[oliegirl]

Originally Posted by cuervo72

oliegirl = low tech NetVibes

Ummmm....huh????

[Bad-example]

Didn't see 'How Much Ya Bench?' on the list. Or the skit with Charlie Sheen called, I think, Young Actors' Forum.

And that one skit where the female host (Juliana Marguiles?) played a woman dating a guy that needed his dad to prechew his food and spit it into his mouth.

Now *those* are moments.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Ronnie Dobbs2

I think this is what ML is talking about.

http://nymag.com/arts/tv/features/47548/

That was it, nice find.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Bad-example

Or the skit with Charlie Sheen called, I think, Young Actors' Forum.

Was that the one with all the actors just sitting around talking about who they'd banged?

Another similar one was the episode with the child actor criminal gang, with David Spade doing a really accurate, whiny Michael J. Fox impression while the real Fox (playing someone else) is staring him down.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

I think part of the problem is there's just a natural bias to the older seasons because you forget all the bad stuff. You remember the hits, and the misses just fade away. Not to mention that many of the repeats are only an hour long so the weakest third of material isn't even seen again.

So everyone remembers the best of Farley or Sandler or Myers or whoever, and then they sit down and watch an entire episode of the new cast and say "Most of this stuff isn't funny". But that's always the case with sketch comedy. It's just that the hits make up for it over time.

Just wait, in five years we'll be talking about how the current cast sucks and looking back on the glory years of Dick in a Box and McGruber and whatever else.

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I just think that within that, the show ebbs and flows, and you can feel it even at the time. There were a lot of old Dana Carvey-era sketches that sucked balls, I know. But on the whole those were stronger seasons than say something from 2005. It's just the way it is.

To be honest, I think that last year showed a bit of an uptick for the show. I don't get to watch it much anymore, but my brother does all the time, and I can sort of gauge things by how often he talks about the recent shows or implores me to try to find videos of sketches on the 'net. From what I did see, and from the feedback I was getting from my brother, it seemed like a better season than the previous 2-3.

I have hopes that this year will be even better, and I certainly plan to try to catch more of them myself. Having a PVR now will definitely help.

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I have hopes that this year will be even better, and I certainly plan to try to catch more of them myself. Having a PVR now will definitely help.

Speaking on next year, have they announced any cast changes?

Which is a nice way to say "Have they taken Darryl Hammond out behind the barn and shot him yet?"

[Bad-example]

Originally Posted by Maple Leafs

Was that the one with all the actors just sitting around talking about who they'd banged?

Yepper.

"We doubled her"

Damn that one was funny.

[Fidatelo]

I'm not sure, I don't think they normally finalize the cast until later in the summer? I don't know, just seems too soon.

[Fidatelo]

Dola

And Darrell Hammond and Fred Armisen are definitely two that could stand to go.

[RomaGoth]

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I'm not disagreeing with you, but I just think that within that, the show ebbs and flows, and you can feel it even at the time. There were a lot of old Dana Carvey-era sketches that sucked balls, I know. But on the whole those were stronger seasons than say something from 2005. It's just the way it is.

To be honest, I think that last year showed a bit of an uptick for the show. I don't get to watch it much anymore, but my brother does all the time, and I can sort of gauge things by how often he talks about the recent shows or implores me to try to find videos of sketches on the 'net. From what I did see, and from the feedback I was getting from my brother, it seemed like a better season than the previous 2-3.

I have hopes that this year will be even better, and I certainly plan to try to catch more of them myself. Having a PVR now will definitely help.

Yeah I don't watch it much anymore either. My wife will call me into the room when they do a McGruber bit, otherwise I have no idea what the show is about anymore. I stopped watching it in the late 90's for the most part, it really seemed to go downhill. I guess part of the reason is that I don't feel any type of connection to the cast now like I did back then. I may start watching it again more this season just to check it out again.

I forgot about the Dick in a box stuff. Even though I don't like Justin Timberlake, the one with him doing that bit was damn funny.

[Fidatelo]

I like Hader and Forte. Poehler and Seth Myers are good on weekend update as well.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by RomaGoth

I forgot about the Dick in a box stuff. Even though I don't like Justin Timberlake, the one with him doing that bit was damn funny.

JT is hilarious. SNL would do well to just add him as a cast member, his episodes are awesome.

[TCY Junkie]

And there's the Saigon whore that bit my nose off!

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by TCY Junkie

And there's the Saigon whore that bit my nose off!

Isn't that from Dirty Work?

[Fidatelo]

Dola

Which is an awesome movie, by the way. Norm MacDonald rules too.

[Bad-example]

Put me in the "Darrell Hammond can stay as long as he damn well pleases" category.