RVA Mag’s Top Ten SNL sketches of all Time

by | Feb 18, 2015

Most of us have seen the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, or have at least seen a rundown on some of the top moments from the event. SNL holds a place in our society and history, bringing us some of the greatest comedians and talent we have seen on the big screen.

Most of us have seen the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special, or have at least seen a rundown on some of the top moments from the event. SNL holds a place in our society and history, bringing us some of the greatest comedians and talent we have seen on the big screen. I can remember being a young teenager and looking forward to Saturday night so I could see what the crew would be doing this week. I was looking for some of the characters I loved, excited to see the musical guests sometimes, and laughing with friends while watching the show. So I decided I would take some time to find my top ten favorite sketches on the show over the years that I have seen.

The first thing I found while working on this was that it’s about impossible to get all the things you love from such a long-running show into a top ten. There were too many characters and sketches that were important to me growing up and hold a place in my life. Things like Wayne’s World would have to be in the top ten, right? I found that this was not necessarily so when watching to see what still makes me laugh and influences me the most today. So without going on too much about all this, here is my list of top ten SNL all time sketches.

10. Debbie Downer at Disney: So you know that Jimmy Fallon of course will lose it – but it’s really how everyone eventually can’t seem to hold it together in this one. I especially love Rachel Dratch – who is amazing in plenty of other skits. She usually can hold it together really well, but not this time. This one is famous for everyone breaking and it’s hilarious because of that. Couldn’t leave this one out of the top 10.

9. Celebrity Jeopardy: Really any of them are good, but I was happy to put up the 40th SNL version as it’s really excellent. First we of course have Alex Trebek (Will Ferrell) with the classic contestant, Sean Connery (Darrell Hammond), plus Justin Bieber (Kate McKinnon – see her in the Calvin Klein ad), and an amazing Tony Bennett impersonation (Alec Baldwin). Classic Burt Reynolds (Norm Macdonald) shows up, as does a kinda odd Christoph Waltz (Taran Killam) — but then Jim Carrey saves the day with his Matthew McConaughey, and they throw in a Bill Cosby (Kenan Thompson), just to go there.

8. Digital Shorts Looney Island Crew (Dick in a Box): Andy Samberg and the Digital Shorts became an internet phenomenon from the beginning with “Lazy Sunday” (aka Chronic-what? of Narnia), “I’m On a Boat,” and of course, my favorite, “Dick In a Box.” Andy and Justin Timberlake together in this really make it happen with a good hook. I think the day after it ran, it went up online to some 28 million views, quickly embedding itself into the subconscious of most of America.

7. Stefon’s Halloween tips: Don’t we all just love Bill Hader as Stefon? I find him pretty irresistible. I’m pretty sure I have met this person before and he has guided me on an adventure. What makes it really funny is that Bill does not know 100% of what’s going into the script — so often you find him breaking as he reads theses outlandish things to us. The Halloween tips is my favorite moment of him doing this live.

6. Word Association: We have Richard Pryor and Chevy Chase in this classic bit from the first season of SNL. This is still one of the edgiest sketches that SNL has ever done. A little history on this: Lorne Michaels had demanded that he get Pryor for the show, but network executives were very scared of the unpredictable Pryor on live TV. In the end, Richard’s appearance helped lift “Saturday Night” out of the ratings doldrums and establish it as a cultural phenomenon.

5. Jimmy Tango’s Fat Busters: I love Jim Carrey, he always makes me laugh. So put Jim Carrey on SNL doing his thing, with an appearance by Will Ferrell in this, and you have comic gold for me. It was hard not to make this one my favorite, as it really cracks me up.

4. Motivational Speaker Matt Foley: So now we are getting down to it, and you knew that eventually Chris Farley would show up. This is classic Farley showing off his skills as one of the greatest SNL cast members ever. Always unpredictable, he often was trying to make his fellow cast members laugh. In this classic sketch you can see his friend David Spade losing it on air. Later David would say that Chris held things back in rehearsal that he knew would leave everyone in stitches. There is plenty more Farley you can find on SNL that is great – but I think this was the pinnacle.

3. Behind the Music Blue Oyster Cult: You know this one, right? “More Cowbell” started a online phenomenon that turned into its own franchise of sorts. Walken in anything on SNL is pretty good (see “Colonel Angus”), and makes things pretty surreal overall. Will Ferrell making Jimmy Fallon lose it always gets me, even thought it’s not really that hard to make him laugh. Has to be one of the top sketches, if not the top – lots of quotable lines in this one.

2. Buckwheat Sings: Here we are at the top two sketches and we have the same comedian, Eddie Murphy, in them both. First, here’s Eddie as Buckwheat in 1981 doing Buckwheat sings. Eddie was on the show for four years and made so many classic sketches that still play really well today. It’s hard to do things that stand the test of time, and almost all of Eddie’s sketches do that. Maybe it’s that smile–man, it won over everyone.

1. James Brown Celebrity Hot Tub Party: Well, this had to be my #1 – I’m sure its on lots of lists. Eddie in some respect helped to make SNL as popular as it became. It also make Eddie Murphy one of the biggest stars of the 80’s, and probably the biggest star to ever come from the show. He is effortless in his ability; it all seems so natural and that’s why it works so well. Here he is as James Brown with one of the best impressions of the godfather. I love it when he puts in foot in and screams and says too hot in the hot tub. I can’t get into a hot tub without thinking this song or singing it. There are plenty of other memorable Eddie sketches you can check out (“Mr. Robinson,” “Gumby,” “White Like Me”) — but this is my favorite.

So here are the other obvious things that could easily be listed on any top SNL List:

– Blues Brothers
– Belushi – Samurai
– Dana Carvey – Choppin’ Broccoli
– Anything Tina Fey
– Wayne’s World
– Colonel Angus
– Star War Audition – Kevin Spacey
– Bill Murray – Star Wars / now Jaws lounge singer
– Eddie Murphy – Mr. Robinson’s Neighborhood (Dec. 15 1984)
– Dan Aykroyd – Bass-o-Matic
– Jacuzzi Hottub Lifeguard
– NPR Delicious Dish: Schweddy Balls – Ana Gasteyer wrote this one
– The Jeffery’s Sketch
– Chippendales Audition
– Will Ferrell as Goulet
– The Californians
– Phil Hartman in general
– The Church Lady
– Most skits with Justin Timberlake / with Fallon
– Lots of Adam Sandler – best was with Farley (The Herlihy boy)
– Oh man, also Operaman
– And many Classic Gilda Radner bits [Roseanne Roseannadanna!–ed]

John Reinhold

John Reinhold

John Reinhold is currently CXO of Inkwell Ventures Inc. which owns and operates RVA Magazine and GayRVA. Also, he is a deejay with PLF, husband and father to a couple of great kids.




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