Hard to believe but in two years, “Saturday Night Live” will be officially over the hill when it celebrates its 40th anniversary. In that time, we’ve seen countless cast members impersonating celebrities and political figures. This gave me the idea to compile my personal Top 50 Best SNL Impressions. I’ll roll them out in five parts starting with numbers 50-41 and so on. If you’re an SNL fan, I hope you enjoy these posts and please feel free to tell me where I’m wrong, where I’m right, and who I left off. Without further adieu:

50. Kevin Nealon as Brent Musberger

Sometimes a simple little touch can make an impression hilarious. And Kevin Nealon taking his fingers to make his eyes smaller makes his take on sports analyst Brent Musberger genius.

49. Fred Armisen as Queen Elizabeth

Armisen, who leaves SNL after this season, did a brilliant take on the Queen. She’s the delicate and proper lady you would expect while at official functions, but a little different behind the scenes. She sounds more like a Sex Pistols band member behind the curtain. Great stuff.

48. Abby Elliot as Angelina Jolie

Elliot nails her Angelina impression, portraying her as someone whose curious nature goes into overdrive at the mention of the word “baby”.

47. Phil Hartman as Admiral James Stockdale

The incomparable Hartman makes his debut on the list with his unforgettable take on Ross Perot’s 1992 running mate. Funny thing is, Hartman’s performance as Stockdale wasn’t much more exaggerated than the actual guy in the debate.

46. Darrell Hammond as Chris Matthews

First time you’re seeing Hammond’s name, but it certainly won’t be the last. We’ll start with his spot-on impression of the “Hardball” host.

45. Jon Lovitz as Harvey Fierstein

Lovitz’s nailed the flamboyant actor and playwright and started a catchphrase at the time: “Is that so wroooooooong?!?!?”

44. Fred Armisen as Penny Marshall

I think the versatile Armisen only did the Hollywood director and “Laverne&Shirley” star a couple of times, but it was a riot.

43. Jay Pharoah as Will Smith

Pharoah is a newer cast member to the show and his specialty seems to be impressions. He’s got great takes on Denzel Washington, Chris Rock, Jay-Z, and others. His best so far is Will Smith.

42. Jan Hooks as Tammy Faye Bakker

Hooks is one of the most talented female cast members in the show’s history and her impersonation of disgraced evangelist Jim Bakker’s wife is perfect.

41. Kate McKinnon as Ellen DeGeneres

Another new cast member, McKinnon also seems to have a knack for impressions. Her Ellen DeGeneres is remarkable.

Coming next: Part Two, covering numbers 40-31!

In two years, “Saturday Night Live” will turn 40 years old. Lorne Michaels brilliant creation has certainly had its ups and downs through the years, but it remains the most important television comedy on the air, capable of influencing culture and politics on a level that few singular forms of entertainment can.

The show has also served as a major launching pad for its cast members going into film careers. There are countless examples of success. Eddie Murphy’s film catalog has grossed nearly $4 billion dollars domestically. Adam Sandler’s filmography clocks in at over $2 billion. Chevy Chase has seen wild success with the Vacation series, Fletch, and more. Bill Murray has starred in comedy classics from Stripes to Groundhog Day to an Oscar nomination in Lost in Translation. Mike Myers created the hugely successful Wayne’s World (from an SNL skit) and, of course, Austin Powers. Will Ferrell struck it huge in film, from Old School to Anchorman and beyond. In 2011, Kristin Wiig made a massive headlining movie debut with Bridesmaids, as did Jason Sudeikis in Horrible Bosses. There are many more examples.

However, it doesn’t always work that way for SNL alumni. So consider this an alternative movie history for cast members who never quite broke out in movies.

We’ll start with the films based on sketches that bombed. In 1994, Julia Sweeney took her popular androgynous character Pat to the big screen with It’s Pat. Filmgoers quickly sent back the message that they preferred that character in five minute segments, not feature length film. The producers didn’t even bother to give it a wide release. The result? It’s Pat grossed all of $60,000 at the box office. Long way from the success of The Blues Brothers and Wayne’s World.

In 2010, Will Forte brought his MacGruber character to the silver screen with disastrous results. It grossed only $8 million. Blogger’s note: MacGruber shouldn’t have gotten such a bad rap… it’s pretty damn funny.

Away from pictures based on sketches, let’s move on to alumni that just never broke out in film. Mary Gross was a cast member in the early-mid 80s. When she made her starring film debut in 1988’s Feds with Rebecca DeMornay, no one was watching to the tune of a $3.8 million box office take.

Victoria Jackson was a member of some wonderful casts in the late 90s and early 90s. Her attempt at film stardom, 1988’s Casual Sex?, didn’t register with moviegoers and it made just over $12 million. I also enjoyed the question mark in the title. Are we trying to convey an air of mystery?

Dana Carvey, one of SNL’s MVP’s, had a promising start with Wayne’s World. After that, it was pretty much all downhill. Films like 1994’s Clean Slate and Trapped in Paradise bombed. 2002’s Master of Disguise earned a respectable $40 million, yet it had the distinction of being one of the worst reviewed pictures of the year and Carvey has yet to star in a film since.

Chris Kattan had a long run as a cast member and did star with Will Ferrell in the mildly successful Night at the Roxbury, based on the SNL skit. When it came time for his close-up, 2001’s Corky Romano, it didn’t go over so well with a $23 million gross.

Jimmy Fallon was a wildly popular cast member whose gone on to the big things by taking over the “Late Night” franchise to positive results. However, when he tried to turn his SNL popularity into a film career, the result was 2004’s critically reviled Taxi with Queen Latifah, which underperformed with $36 million.

I could go on and on explaining the checkered movie history of Rob Schneider or Joe Piscopo or David Spade. For every Tommy Boy, there’s a Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo. For every Ghostbusters, there’s a Pure Luck with Martin Short. For every Talladega Nights, there’s a Hot Rod with Andy Samberg.

So while “Saturday Night Live” always has and always will be an influential gateway from TV star to film star, it doesn’t always work. Ironically, a cast member from one of SNL’s most hated seasons went onto possibly the most impressive film career. In the 1985-86 season, an entire new cast was brought in to revamp the show. This was met with awful results, both ratings wise and critically. Almost the entire cast was fired after that one year, but one particular alumni from that forgettable season has seemed to manage with a movie career. His name is Robert Downey, Jr.