People have been chiming in ever since my first SNL post, giving their opinions of what I did right and what I did wrong. That was exactly the response I was looking for! Everybody has their favorites and that’s what makes lists like this so much fun. Again, here are my next 5 in no particular order.
6. The Festrunk Brothers: Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd played two brothers from Czechoslovakia that escaped communist rule to come and swing in America with some “American foxes”. Dressed in mismatched plaid shirts and pants (The pants showed off their bulges), they forever were looking to “swing”. Right down to their awful hats and gaudy gold chains, they were the pinnacle of creepy. But, Martin and Aykroyd made them as harmless as puppies and twice as fun. Their catchphrase, “We are… Two wild and crazy guys!!!”, was one of the first from SNL to really take off.
7. Rosanne Roseannadanna: Gilda Radner was arguably one of the funniest women EVER! Her tough talking, opinionated correspondent was light years away from her real personality, but she crushed it. This was one of my favorite sketches growing up. She truly set the bar high for every other woman who has ever been a cast member.
8.  The Church Lady: This was one of those special characters that “hit” immediately. From the moment Dana Carvey uttered that signature catchphrase, “Well isn’t that special?!”, it seemed like everyone in America was saying it. Carvey made sure the character never got stale and the audience was always waiting for her to break into the “Superior Dance”. An inspired sketch from one of the greatest cast members. Unfortunately, this material is under heavy copyright protection. Just pick up The Best Of Dana Carvey SNL on DVD for 10 bucks and simply enjoy. The Christmas Special with The Church Lady and Danny DeVito is one of the best!
9. Samurai: John Belushi was an absolute force of nature on stage and his “Samurai” character was no exception. Whether it was making a sandwich or fitting a suit, this character was sweet, angry, and stern, sometimes all at once. It’s hard to speak complete gibberish and still be a good enough actor that the audience knows exactly what you mean, but Belushi pulled it off with ease. The other important component was Buck Henry. His “straight guy” was the perfect compliment to the teetering on the edge of hari-kari Belushi. Again, almost impossible to find a shareable video. Broadway Video has The Best Of John Belushi on DVD. You’d think these douchers that own the rights would want to share the gift of laughter with the world… Dare to dream!
10. Debby Downer: Rachel Dratch never had a lot of break out characters. She and Tina Fey were a comedy team before SNL, so they kind of came as a package deal. But this character is absolute gold!!! Everyone has a friend who constantly has some form of malady or some sort of depressing tidbit they like to share with everyone at the most inopportune times. But, Debby Downer takes it to a whole new level. The most iconic sketch she appeared in also included Jimmy Fallon, Lindsay Lohan, Horatio Sanz, and a trip to Disney World. The entire group loses it as soon as she sadly says, “It’s official… I can’t have children.”
Who were some of your favorite characters?