January 10, 1981 - Ray Sharkey/Jack Bruce (6.6)

[Adolph K Musselman]

Ray Sharkey - Jack Bruce & Friends – 1/10/1981

Jimmy The Weasel Fratianno – To Tell The Truth like skit, and with most skits from the 6th season, way too many words between laughs. Not sure where the humor is supposed to be. Rocket the ham right in his wheelhouse here. But, it’s got Eddie. Jimmy steps forward to reveal himself and is shot in the head. That’s the joke.

Monologue – The man’s got energy. He tries to tell some standup jokes, says fuhgedabahdit about 25 times. He loves his hometown New York. throughout this episode, Sharkey works hard.

Work time commercial – People drunk at work, one-off joke showing people having work accidents drags on for an eternity. Line at the end “drink before the job, it makes a lot more sense.” Whatever.

WASPs have no emotion – good premise here. Translator comes in to translate emotions between WASPs Would have worked better with a Belushi-esque translator instead of a Latin-lover type (Sharkey), but certainly the best concept of the show.

80s punk nightclub – valley girls in this one. Not much happens in this skit. No one knows when to laugh.

Sven Gazzara – public service announcement for “humjobs”. Dumb, sophomoric, Gilbert Gottfried makes his first appearance in this episode and sleepwalks through this performance.

Jimmy Carter crying into his beer because reagan won – Laughs are few, but Sharkey is making a good effort. This is at least a sketch that could have been run in other eras and not considered ridiculously bad, just, again, way too much dialogue between jokes.

Rocket Report live from the street – original idea, and really the only thing Charles rocket excels at. Celebrating the coming of January 11 like it’s New Year’s Day. Probably not LOL funny, but at least I could tell what the joke was.

Weekend Update – Charles is the anchor, & Gail makes her debut. Disclaimer: I have always hated Rocket’s delivery on Update. The jokes are totally stupid, and the photo jokes are way too simple. Some jokes are followed by complete silence. Gottfried makes an appearance at the “murder map”, telling, weather style, the number of murders in each city that day, and the murder forecast for tomorrow. Fair idea, but, ONCE AGAIN, way too much dialogue between jokes. Joe Piscopo LIVE SATURDAY NIGHT SPORTS is always the highlight of Update in 80-81, which is like saying you are the tallest midget, but the fact that it remained for years shows it was a popular segment. Eddie is starting to gain momentum and he appears here and is immediately a hit. He breaks out some impressions here. This is the Garrett Morris photo segment, and the crowd is electrified by the young star.

Musical guest – Jack Bruce & friends – Never heard of him. Sounds like Steely Dan. Fast forward.

Interrogation/Murder confession – Cop directs criminal how to confess correctly into the camera like a director. Kind of a rip off of the Bill Murray directing the execution. Same idea, only no Bill Murray. Gottfried at least shows some energy in this sketch.

Have A Nice Day horror movie commercial – Weird. Odd. No laughs.

Baby seller – Eddie Murphy in this sketch, which automatically raises the energy. Sharkey does well and tries hard. Denny Dillon in this one, and I think she tried harder during her time on the show as well. Below average skit for SNL standards, but average for Season 6.

Pregnant women surrogate carriers. I got lost during this sketch.

The Man With The Black Hat film. No idea what they were going for here.

Whap-O Stop-A-Nut – Charles Rocket hamming it up in a manic ad that to me was not funny at all but the crowd thought it was funny in parts for some reason.

The Waiter Maker - Why is Ray Sharkey the comic in all of these sketches and the cast members are playing the straight roles? What does that say? This sketch drags with no laughs. The background music is so loud everyone has to yell their lines. Totally perplexed by this one.

Trace Your Face – Piscopo tries a manic ad just 5 minutes after the last one, it’s not funny, and he knows it.

Eddie Murphy standup – Laughs from the beginning. More laughs in these few minutes than the rest of the show combined, although it ended with a wimper.

Jack Bruce – It’s fine. Sounds like early 80s power pop.

Not the worst show from the season, but very few bright spots.

[bjdwsm]

Re: Jack Bruce- he was the bass player for Cream. The friends were Clem Clemson (who?), David Sancious (original keyboardist for the E Street Band, later played with Sting including his 1991 SNL appearance), and Billy Cobham (amazing jazz drummer, played with Mahavishnu Orchestra and Miles Davis).

Waiter Maker was supposed to be a takeoff of The Idolmaker, a then-current movie that got Sharkey a Golden Globe nod.

[TheLazenby]

"I got lost during this sketch." My, you really are sad, aren't you?

The premise of that sketch was BLATANTLY clear - if I remember right (I haven't seen that episode for a while), Denny and Yvonne were surrogate mothers who kept threatening to do crazy shit unless they were paid by the women they were having the babies for. (See, kids, that's why when they start doing something crazy, the audience LAUGHS. The audience GOT THE JOKE.)

[Adolph K Musselman]

My, you really are sad, aren't you?

Quit treating me like an idiot. I am not one, and you are no better than me or have any higher comedy knowledge. In most 80-81 sketches, the cast talks, and talks, and talks, then there is a joke, and then they talk, and talk, and talk. And I think I have pretty much a whole world who agrees with me when I say that the writing is bad. Like you said, your goal is to defend the season, and that is fine, but you can't polish a turd. And the thing is, you seem to think that your opinion of what is funny is the right one, while others opinions are wrong. There was a female producer who thought the same thing, and she lasted 10 episodes.

I am doing you a favor by keeping 80-81 discussion active so you can continue to lick the boots of Jean Doumanian, yet you insult me for no reason, and to this point I don't believe I've ever said anything negative regarding you at all.

[TheLazenby]

I'm not insulting you *personally*, I'm merely saying that you seem to frequently miss the point of sketches, especially when you're apparently unaware what the spoof target is supposed to be.

Like the Clovin Hind commercials in your other review - you said that "the audience doesn't know what to laugh at", but the fact is, of course they did. The Brooke Shields commercials were current and well known at the time, and from watching recordings of the episodes from when they originally aired, the episodes even ran during SNL's timeslot. You didn't know what to laugh at, because (I assume) the commercials were from before your time, but giving your opinion to the whole audience is meaningless; I mean, those commercials actually got a decent reaction.

I'm also tired of the belief on this forum that I'm "licking Jean Doumanian's boots" and that I'll ruthlessly defend anything having the smallest connection with those twelve episodes. That's not true. I know Doumanian fucked up big time, I know the Malcolm McDowell episode is terrible. Believe me, I don't look at that season through rose-tinted glasses. I heard the audience cheer when Charlie got physically kicked off the stage in the Christmas episode. I heard them boo when Charlene Tilton namechecked Charlie in her monologue. I watched the Waxmans enter their fourth sketch to scattered applause. I've watched the goodnights and I've seen the cast and host try to keep a smile as the credits roll over an audience that refuses to applaud. Believe me, I know how chilling it is to watch certain moments of that season.

But I am willing to do something that other people were never able to, and give a group of people in an extremely bad situation the opportunity to retain a shred of dignity. Because, suffice to say, if more people had given them that opportunity before, Charlie wouldn't have slashed his own throat upon hearing that he had to "defend" himself once again in a prime time special 24 years after the fact.

And yes, I do acknowledge that I might've been unnecessarily harsh on you, so I apologize.

[Bubba]

And yes, I do acknowledge that I might've been unnecessarily harsh on you, so I apologize.

Un-uhhh. Blow him.(blow job)

[Adolph K Musselman]

I'm not insulting you *personally*, I'm merely saying that you seem to frequently miss the point of sketches, especially when you're apparently unaware what the spoof target is supposed to be.

Like the Clovin Hind commercials in your other review - you said that "the audience doesn't know what to laugh at", but the fact is, of course they did. The Brooke Shields commercials were current and well known at the time, and from watching recordings of the episodes from when they originally aired, the episodes even ran during SNL's timeslot. You didn't know what to laugh at, because (I assume) the commercials were from before your time, but giving your opinion to the whole audience is meaningless; I mean, those commercials actually got a decent reaction.

I'm also tired of the belief on this forum that I'm "licking Jean Doumanian's boots" and that I'll ruthlessly defend anything having the smallest connection with those twelve episodes. That's not true. I know Doumanian fucked up big time, I know the Malcolm McDowell episode is terrible. Believe me, I don't look at that season through rose-tinted glasses. I heard the audience cheer when Charlie got physically kicked off the stage in the Christmas episode. I heard them boo when Charlene Tilton namechecked Charlie in her monologue. I watched the Waxmans enter their fourth sketch to scattered applause. I've watched the goodnights and I've seen the cast and host try to keep a smile as the credits roll over an audience that refuses to applaud. Believe me, I know how chilling it is to watch certain moments of that season.

But I am willing to do something that other people were never able to, and give a group of people in an extremely bad situation the opportunity to retain a shred of dignity. Because, suffice to say, if more people had given them that opportunity before, Charlie wouldn't have slashed his own throat upon hearing that he had to "defend" himself once again in a prime time special 24 years after the fact.

And yes, I do acknowledge that I might've been unnecessarily harsh on you, so I apologize.

OK. Fine. I understand. I remember the Calvin Klein stuff, but there are some others I do not, like the Sharkey Waiter Maker thing. The season has good moments, I thought the Tilton episode was ok, the Murray episode had its moments, but mostly all of the good stuff in that episode was Murray and his energy. I did notice how Murray almost completely ignores Rocket in the goodnights.

As for Rocket killing himself over the interview, what is your source on that? I'd like to read it. The only place I've seen that written is that Myspace chick. I'm not saying you are wrong, just wanting to learn more.

What is your opinion of the Dan Rather/Cronkite sketch from the Bill Murray episode?

[TheLazenby]

I'm guessing the "MySpace chick" was Yasmin - that's actually a guy, from what I understand. He's the main source for this stuff - he put a HELL of a lot of research into it.

As for the 'Altered Walter' sketch, I think they dragged it out too long, though I like the "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" joke. I also love that Walter's 'trip' is accompanied by Zappa's "Uncle Meat Variations"!

[IHaveADeadSnake]

I heard them boo when Charlene Tilton namechecked Charlie in her monologue. I watched the Waxmans enter their fourth sketch to scattered applause. I've watched the goodnights and I've seen the cast and host try to keep a smile as the credits roll over an audience that refuses to applaud. Believe me, I know how chilling it is to watch certain moments of that season.

But I am willing to do something that other people were never able to, and give a group of people in an extremely bad situation the opportunity to retain a shred of dignity. Because, suffice to say, if more people had given them that opportunity before, Charlie wouldn't have slashed his own throat upon hearing that he had to "defend" himself once again in a prime time special 24 years after the fact.

I don't remember them booing Charlie in the Tilton show, just silence and a couple of scattered "Yeah!"s. I'll have to rewatch that one (it's the only 90 minute show I have from that season). There are some truly startlingly awkward moments in that season, but I think the audience in general WANTED to laugh, and tried to give sketches the benefit of the doubt at the very least. It literally gives me goosebumps to watch some instances where an obvious attempt at a joke is made, only to be followed by silence or nervous throat-clearing from the audience. That's why I have a lot of sympathy for that cast, as you obviously do too.

But hey, at least the Waxman's got some spontaneous applause when they entered in that Soho Lesbians sketch. It may have been scattered, but it was at least a good portion of the audience recognizing and approving of those characters.. which is more than can be said for some others. Phil Lively, anyone? That would be a good idea for a thread... instances where cast members other than Eddie received genuinely positive reactions from the audience. Or, the reverse of that... deafening silence or even boos.

Good reactions:
Woodswoman
"...make Nancy shop at SEARS!" from the same episode
"Don't Look In The Refrigerator"

Bad reactions: "Mmmmama... I'm tired of slappin'......mmmmmmmama..."
Most of the Tommy Torture sketch has no audience reaction, as far as I remember, which gives it a gritty feel which actually adds to the atmosphere. I don't think Vicki and Debbie get any recognition whatsoever either.

Gail actually reacts to the jokes bombing on WU, in a quasi Colin Quinn-esque manner:
"Bob Hope is already practicing saying "Merry Christmas" in Spanish. (complete silence) Uhhhh.... in Spanish. (scattered laughter)
"That means and now you'll get the wrong mail faster.... (complete silence)... (Gail sighs)... okay!"

Charlie's joke about Reagan only allowing abortions of female babies... receives mostly gasps from the audience.

I need to acquire some more episodes because all my memories seem to be from the same one or two shows I have readily available to watch. I do seem to remember the Bill Murray show being pretty successful.

[nightfly776]

I wish someone would put these up on a torrent download or something, because the odds of NBC releasing season six on DVD are small at best. There are some bright moments, and it wasn't ALL doom and gloom, but most of that season was truly wretched to watch, and I too feel bad for that poor cast who probably could have been better had there been better writing and less backbiting behind the scenes. It's tough to follow a legend. Even Conan O'Brien acknowledged last night that his show and TV career got off to a rocky start after following Letterman. I remember Gail's exasperated "okay..." moment too. Sad. That was the pressure of trying and failing and knowing they had BAD material to deliver and being embarrassed to do so on live TV.