'Wasn't That Special' Season Thirteen Clips Package
As always, for those who have signed up for the podcast at the Executive Producer level, we send out notable video and newspaper clips that aided us in preparing for the episode. Below are some of the Saturday Night Live sketches and media clips we reference throughout the episode, to enhance the listening process.
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Here are some of the materials we discuss throughout the Season Thirteen episode:
Ann Boleyn
One of Christian’s favorite forgotten sketches of the season - it combines silliness with a great Phil Hartman performance.
Pirate Birds
Very Monty Python-esque; as Scot notes, it is reminiscent of the later portion of the strike-shortened season in which the sketches started to experiment with more silliness.
Common Knowledge
Another of Christian’s favorites from the year - a game show where the answers are supplied by high school seniors from across America.
Subway
One of Phil Hartman’s greatest performances on the show.
Sentimental Value Pawn Shop
Scot’s favorite forgotten sketch of the season - sweet and wistful.
Master Thespian Plays Santa
One of the best Master Thespian (Masters Thespian?) The kids are even good actors.
Trap Door
The show is starting a run of great commercial parodies, and this one ranks at the top.
Victoria’s Poem
The hosts have been surprised by the quality of Victoria Jackson’s work every week, including her physical comedy. (She grew up as a competitive gymnast, so it makes sense.)
Deregulated Airline
Our pick for sketch that could never be done today. The cast has no black members, so they hire a black actor to come on and play…a drug dealer. And the plane is supposed to represent urban decay because it is full of minorities. Just dreadful.
NFL Today: Black Pride
Jimmy “The Greek” Snyder was canceled in 1988 for comments he made about black athletes. This sketch imagines what a Jimmy the Greek apology tour would look like.
The Stand-Ups
The next three clips are all from the Tom Hanks episode and represent why he’s one of the all-time great hosts, if not at the top.
Delivery Room Sounds
Girl Watchers
It’s always fun bringing you the show’s bad reviews, but beginning in 1987, SNL began a run of raves. See:
The Washington Post identified Dana Carvey as the breakout star of the show:
Were you wondering what the Church Lady’s given name was? It is answered here, in the Philadelphia Daily News:
Here’s an interesting piece in which Lorne Michaels discusses the show’s politics in the 1980s, including his idea to take the show to the Soviet Union for a taping:
And a new feature here at WTS: Guess the future SNL cast member!
(Answer in the next clips package.)
