Author Topic: Betty White on "Saturday Night Live" (Read 10764 times)

mmb5 · « **Reply #30 on:** May 10, 2010, 09:21:42 AM »

What some people are failing to realize here is the process on how the show is made. They do not decide from the top to have this sketch and that sketch and only work those ones out. Generally, they'll finish the writing day with 30-35 sketches. Those will get table read, at which point they'll cut to about 15-20. At that point they will start the production elements necessary (props, non-live shooting, etc.) and maybe a few of those will die before Saturday.

On Saturday, a dress rehearsal, complete with a separate audience, is done at 8 PM. This will generally feature some extra sketches. Recently, they've been putting the ones that are cut on Hulu. Based on what aired and what was cut, they were obvious choices since they fell flat. Three of them were more recurring characters of the returning guest stars (a Debbie Downer sketch featuring Betty as Debbie's grandmother, a Bronx Beat sketch and that Molly Shannon character that I can't remember). The fourth did not have Betty at all.

So the chance that Betty was in every sketch was not unusual and not unprecedented, I think Gabourey Sidibe was also in every sketch on her show. It's just that the skits they decided to keep, she happened to be in every one. And for the questions "why wasn't there a game show sketch", there very well could have been, but it didn't make the cut. More "shocking" was the absence of a Golden Girls sketch, in an interview Rachel Dratch mentioned one was written and was at least rehearsed during the week, but that didn't make the cut either.

And, hate to disappoint you Matt, the "surreal, out-of-the box" last sketch was a reworking of a census sketch they did in 2000 with Christopher Walken. As much as SNL has been relying on stock characters this season, this was not uncommon for any sketch show (Carol Burnett, I'm looking at you). At least it's not as blatant as the Jack Benny Show, which would sometimes take an old radio script, spice up the gags with some visuals, and make a TV episode. The only time you really don't see a reliance on stock characters is when they have a large cast turnover, and they haven't had one of those in 15 years.

--Mike

clemon79 · « **Reply #31 on:** May 10, 2010, 11:52:32 AM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'240561\' date=\'May 9 2010, 11:30 AM\']/Betty's husband in the NPR skit couldn't have been Allen just for giggles?[/quote]
"Hey, Betty? Because it would make a few game show geeks happy, we'd like to have you refer to your dead husband in the Delicious Dish sketch. You know, just for giggles."

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #32 on:** May 10, 2010, 04:19:43 PM »

[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'240587\' date=\'May 10 2010, 09:21 AM\']And, hate to disappoint you Matt, the "surreal, out-of-the box" last sketch was a reworking of a census sketch they did in 2000 with Christopher Walken.[/quote]
I guess I shouldn't be surprised, and now that you mention Walken, I seem to have a dim memory of that. Still, I have less of a problem with reusing a ten-year-old idea* than I do with the virtually weekly skits like Scared Straight or the doofus ESPN announcers that are just rewordings of exactly the same setups, jokes and situations we saw the week before.

*Of course, how often is a census skit relevant anyway?

clemon79 · « **Reply #33 on:** May 10, 2010, 04:59:45 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'240601\' date=\'May 10 2010, 01:19 PM\']with the virtually weekly skits like Scared Straight[/quote]
I could do with a lot less Kenan Thompson on the show as a rule (really, the three truly funny bits I've seen him do have been Bill Cosby on CJ!, Jean K. Jean (which was dumb at first but grew on me), and the Grady Wilson sex positions commercial on this season's opener.), but I would love (but do not expect) to learn that Betty's second "Wizard...of...ASS!" line was improved. It probably wasn't, but the comedic timing on that was masterful.

NickS · « **Reply #34 on:** May 10, 2010, 05:18:11 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'240592\' date=\'May 10 2010, 10:52 AM\'][quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'240561\' date=\'May 9 2010, 11:30 AM\']/Betty's husband in the NPR skit couldn't have been Allen just for giggles?[/quote]
"Hey, Betty? Because it would make a few game show geeks happy, we'd like to have you refer to your dead husband in the Delicious Dish sketch. You know, just for giggles."
[/quote]

This. You don't know how many times I was peeved that there was no game-show material in Lake Placid or the Golden Girls.

/ok, maybe not
//Comedienne first; please remember that.

MikeK · « **Reply #35 on:** May 10, 2010, 05:33:00 PM »

[quote name=\'TeppanYaki\' post=\'240606\' date=\'May 10 2010, 05:18 PM\']You don't know how many times I was peeved that there was no game-show material in Lake Placid or the Golden Girls.[/quote]
You forgot about Grab That Dough?! Dorothy tried out for Jeopardy! at one point too.

/Sis loved her Golden Girls.

NickS · « **Reply #36 on:** May 10, 2010, 05:39:45 PM »

[quote name=\'MikeK\' post=\'240607\' date=\'May 10 2010, 04:33 PM\'][quote name=\'TeppanYaki\' post=\'240606\' date=\'May 10 2010, 05:18 PM\']You don't know how many times I was peeved that there was no game-show material in Lake Placid or the Golden Girls.[/quote]
You forgot about Grab That Dough?! Dorothy tried out for Jeopardy! at one point too.

/Sis loved her Golden Girls.
[/quote]

You still haven't disclosed your Bea Arthur shrine to the board, Mike.

tpirfan28 · « **Reply #37 on:** May 10, 2010, 07:58:33 PM »

Apparently the next campaign is to have Carol Burnett host.

NickS · « **Reply #38 on:** May 10, 2010, 08:01:40 PM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'240615\' date=\'May 10 2010, 06:58 PM\']Apparently the next campaign is to have Carol Burnett host.[/quote]

Not a bad idea. Based on the last few years, can they campaign for better writers?

mmb5 · « **Reply #39 on:** May 10, 2010, 08:55:11 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'240603\' date=\'May 10 2010, 04:59 PM\']I could do with a lot less Kenan Thompson on the show as a rule (really, the three truly funny bits I've seen him do have been Bill Cosby on CJ!, Jean K. Jean (which was dumb at first but grew on me), and the Grady Wilson sex positions commercial on this season's opener.), but I would love (but do not expect) to learn that Betty's second "Wizard...of...ASS!" line was improved. It probably wasn't, but the comedic timing on that was masterful.[/quote]
Although What Up with That, the epitome of a barely-changing sketch, never fails to make me laugh. I hope on Keenan's last show the real Lindsey Buckingham shows up.

The over-analytical failed comedy writer in me would have liked the juxtaposition in the Scared Straight sketch to have some of the returning women be the prisoners. It would have taken it in a different direction.

Wizard of Ass could have been the game show parody.

--Mike

MSTieScott · « **Reply #40 on:** May 10, 2010, 10:17:09 PM »

Betty's monologue was great, but I very quickly got tired of nearly all of the skits relying on the "an elderly woman saying unladylike things is funny" gag (also, note to the writers: the "squirted" joke in the NPR sketch did not have a second, innocuous meaning). I liked the census sketch simply because the absurdity was a change of pace from all of the shock-value jokes.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #41 on:** May 10, 2010, 11:55:15 PM »

[quote name=\'mmb5\' post=\'240618\' date=\'May 10 2010, 08:55 PM\']Although What Up with That, the epitome of a barely-changing sketch, never fails to make me laugh.[/quote]
I was going to admit to that as well, since it's true, but because it invalidates my whole argument, I won't.

fishbulb · « **Reply #42 on:** May 11, 2010, 02:51:45 AM »

[quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'240615\' date=\'May 10 2010, 04:58 PM\']Apparently the next campaign is to have Carol Burnett host.[/quote]

The funny thing about that is, in the early years of SNL, they took pride in being everything that The Carol Burnett Show wasn't, and would put down some sketch ideas by saying "That's Carol Burnett." It would be quite an evolution if Carol were to host the show, and I'd be curious to find out what Lorne Michaels thinks of the idea.

chris319 · « **Reply #43 on:** May 11, 2010, 08:05:21 AM »

[quote name=\'TeppanYaki\' post=\'240616\' date=\'May 10 2010, 04:01 PM\'][quote name=\'tpirfan28\' post=\'240615\' date=\'May 10 2010, 06:58 PM\']Apparently the next campaign is to have Carol Burnett host.[/quote]
Not a bad idea. Based on the last few years, can they campaign for better writers?[/quote]
It is a bad idea. Betty's show demonstrated how lame the writing on SNL has become. She deserved much better material. Why put Carol on if the writing is so poor?

Quote

I very quickly got tired of nearly all of the skits relying on the "an elderly woman saying unladylike things is funny" gag

That's always been part of her stock in trade, the juxtaposition of a pure, wholesome figure doing ribald material (c.f. Match Game). But your point is well taken; it was becoming a one-note song. What was up with that Lawrence Welk sendup?

Quote

in the early years of SNL, they took pride in being everything that The Carol Burnett Show wasn't

In the early years SNL was funny enough to get away with that. No more.

I tuned out when they got to the musical act. As wonderful as it was seeing Betty, I'd had enough.

dale_grass · « **Reply #44 on:** May 11, 2010, 10:04:23 AM »

[quote name=\'MSTieScott\' post=\'240622\' date=\'May 10 2010, 09:17 PM\'](also, note to the writers: the "squirted" joke in the NPR sketch did not have a second, innocuous meaning[/quote]
Some muffins have a custard or jam filling. The only muffin of this type that I've bitten into was lemon poppyseed with lemon custard.

Author Topic: Betty White on "Saturday Night Live" (Read 10764 times)

fishbulb