| History of Saturday Night Live series: |
|
1975–1980 |
The period of 1990 to 1995 was a time of transition for Saturday Night Live. It would field its largest cast ever (later surpassed by the 2005–2006 season), see the departure of several of the show's most popular players as well as the arrival of many future stars, and draw its share of public controversy.
Contents
|
The 1990–1991 season was yet another turnover year (Jon Lovitz and Nora Dunn left the show the previous season, the latter in a cloud of controversy) and introduced a number of players who quickly became stars on the show — Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, David Spade and Julia Sweeney. Noted stand-up comedian Chris Rock also appeared on the show for 3 seasons. Memorable characters and sketches introduced by the new cast members from this period included Sweeney's “Pat”, Sandler's “Opera Man” and “Canteen Boy”, Farley's "Matt Foley", Schneider's annoying office geek “The Copy Guy”, Rock's black perspective talk show host “Nat X”, and Spade's caustic commentary piece “Hollywood Minute”. The popularity of these new cast members helped to offset the departure of several popular long-time players over the first two seasons of this era, including Jan Hooks and Weekend Update anchor Dennis Miller after the 1990–1991 season, and Victoria Jackson after the 1991–1992 season.
The remaining cast members of the 1986–1990 heyday (Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Mike Myers and Kevin Nealon), maintained a strong presence on the show and remained immensely popular with audiences well into this era. Nealon succeeded Miller as the Weekend Update anchor after the latter's departure. For the remainder of his tenure, Nealon found himself playing the straight man during Update and other sketches, particularly against the newer castmates' characters, such as Adam Sandler's "Operaman" and "Cajun Man" and Chris Farley's "Bennett Brauer". (Nealon even co-hosted Weekend Update on an episode with the original anchorman, Chevy Chase). His participation in that role increased after Carvey, Hartman, and Myers left the show. Myers introduced many popular new characters during this period, including Coffee Talk's Linda Richman, the British bathtub-dwelling pre-adolescent Simon (somewhat inspired by Simon in the Land of Chalk Drawings), and British theatre critic Kenneth Reese-Evans. Meanwhile, Hartman, who had impersonated President Ronald Reagan on the show throughout the latter half of the 1980s and into the 1990s, began appearing regularly with his impression of Democratic candidate and soon-to-be U.S. President Bill Clinton. Carvey's impersonations of U.S. President George H.W. Bush remained an audience favorite, and Carvey also developed a popular impression of independent presidential candidate Ross Perot. In the period leading up to the 1992 U.S. Presidential Election, Hartman and Carvey dominated the show with these impressions, creating mock debates. Most importantly, the Myers and Carvey characters Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar from the Wayne's World sketch would become household names during the early 1990s following the release of the successful spin off film.
Of the new cast members of the show, Chris Farley was also not afraid to trade on his size for laughs. In one sketch he played a shirtless dancer, opposite the trim and muscular Dirty Dancing star Patrick Swayze, as they competed in an audition for a position with the Chippendales male dance troupe. Another recurring Farley character was the manic, thrice-divorced motivational speaker Matt Foley, whose schtick consisted mainly of yelling at and whining to his clients about having to live "in a van down by the river", and hurling himself around the room, demolishing everything in sight. Farley was fired from the show in 1995, but went on to star in successful movies like Tommy Boy and Black Sheep with David Spade, and Beverly Hills Ninja with Chris Rock and Nicolette Sheridan. After leaving SNL he began abusing drugs heavily. Following his last SNL appearance as a guest host on October 25, 1997,[1] his hoarse voice, continual perspiration and flushed skin were the subject of public scrutiny.[2][3] In the years before his death, Farley had sought treatment for obesity and drug abuse on seventeen separate occasions.[4] He died from an overdose of a combination of cocaine and morphine on December 18, 1997, aged 33.[5]
Sandler and Farley also did a song called "Lunch Lady Land", with Farley dancing while dressed up as a lunch lady.
After the end of the 1993–1994 season, having already lost star cast member Dana Carvey, who left midway through the previous season, SNL's 1994 post-season saw more departures. Julia Sweeney left due to frustration and burnout. Another departure was that of Phil Hartman, whose final moment on the show was at the end of a musical number, with the entire cast singing a parody of the "So Long, Farewell" song from The Sound of Music. After all of the cast had left the stage, Farley, in his Matt Foley character, was left sitting on the stage, with Phil walking back on stage, cuddling next to Farley to sing goodbye and waving at the audience.
Producer Lorne Michaels hired a number of new cast members, beginning midway through the 1993–1994 season.
Similar to his decision in the mid-1980s to bring in established actors Randy Quaid, Joan Cusack and Robert Downey, Jr., Michaels added Michael McKean, and later Chris Elliott, to the cast. Both left at the end of the 1994–1995 season.
Later acquisitions were sketch veteran Mark McKinney of the recently-wrapped, Michaels-produced Canadian sketch comedy show The Kids in the Hall, and stand-up comic Janeane Garofalo, the latter of whom joined at the beginning of the 1994–1995 season, and the former joining in January, shortly before the departure of Mike Myers. Garofalo left in mid-season, replaced by Molly Shannon. Myers also left in mid-season, as would Nealon after season's end. Farley and Sandler left at the end of the season. Longtime featured player Jay Mohr left as well, and Al Franken, who had worked on the show as a writer and featured player on and off since 1975, left at season's end as well. British actress Morwenna Banks joined the cast for the last four episodes of the season as a full cast member, but did not return the next season.
Much like season 6 [1980-1981] (or, to a lesser extent, season 11 [1985-1986]), season 20 [1994-1995] is considered one of SNL's worst-received seasons. The season was home to cast turnover and dissension which bordered on self-parody (as well as weak, overly long sketches based on very thin premises -- most of which centered on O.J. Simpson's murder trial). Janeane Garofalo left the show after only a half-season (disgusted over the sexist and homophobic attitude of the writers and the sketches). Mike Myers departed to pursue a movie career. Longtime feature player Al Franken quit, angry that his movie Stuart Saves His Family flopped at the box office and upset that he was passed up as a Weekend Update anchor in favor of Norm Macdonald. Ellen Cleghorne happily quit (if not for her contract, she would have left after season 19 [1993-1994]) as did Kevin Nealon, Chris Elliott, and Michael McKean. Laura Kightlinger left to join Roseanne Barr's ill-fated FOX comedy series, Saturday Night Special. Morwenna Banks, Chris Farley, Jay Mohr, and Adam Sandler were fired. Banks was hired as a contract player for the last four episodes of the season, leaving behind no memorable characters or celebrity impersonations.
The end of the 1994–1995 season on SNL the show was in a state of turmoil, with the show enacting the highest turnover rate going into the next season. The 1994–1995 season had a total of 14 cast members; only five remained for the 1995–1996 season: Molly Shannon, Mark McKinney, Norm Macdonald, David Spade and Tim Meadows.
The 1990 season started with a montage that would go virtually unchanged (with the exception of cast changes) for four seasons. Its theme was much like that from 1988–89, in which cast members were shown around New York, and were "caught" by the camera, with various NYC footage in between.
With
Featuring
Same as the 1990 season with different cast members and different style of host/musical guest and featured player photos being the only change (the previous year had an ornate painting frame motif; this season and the next two would have a "tattered border" photo motif.)
With
Featuring
On October 3, at the end of her second song, a cover of Bob Marley's song "War", musical guest Sinéad O'Connor created controversy by holding up a picture of Pope John Paul II, exclaiming, "Fight the real enemy", and tearing the picture to pieces. According to the book Live From New York, this was unrehearsed, and condemned by Michaels and the SNL crew, who refused to light the applause sign after O'Connor's performance; likewise, guest host Tim Robbins, who was raised Catholic,[6] did not thank O'Connor during the closing.
Same theme as the 1990–1991 and 1991–1992 seasons, with the removal of cast members who had left in the previous years, and a slight change in theme music.
With
Featuring
This is the final season for the current opening montage.
Featuring
One host during this season, Martin Lawrence, had an opening monologue which included an extended series of comments about feminine hygiene. The syndicated version of the episode replaces the offending section of the monologue with a graphic (read by an off-screen announcer, SNL writer Jim Downey) describing in vague terms what Lawrence had said and nothing it almost cost SNL employees their jobs. Lawrence was subsequently banned from appearing on SNL again.
After four seasons with the same theme, the montage changes again. The music has also changed slightly, but is still a rendition of the music used since 1985. This montage has a 20th Anniversary theme, and it consists of the cast members' photos being projected onto various objects around New York.
Featuring