Tag: Norm MacDonald

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 10 – Norm MacDonald

My top 50 list of SNL cast members has been populated with numerous performers who sat behind the iconic Weekend Update desk: Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Dan Aykroyd, Dennis Miller, Kevin Nealon, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Colin Jost, and Michael Che. As we enter the top 10 of this countdown, we arrive at the final Update anchor. That means it’s the one I thought did it the best and that is Norm MacDonald.

The Canadian stand-up brought his flawless timing and devil may care attitude to the news desk. It could rightly be said that his Update was the last time SNL felt a little dangerous and that’s thanks to him and Jim Downey, his legendary Update cowriting partner.

No one could deliver a joke quite like Norm. Like Johnny Carson, you often laughed harder when they didn’t land due to his reaction. MacDonald’s relentless mocking of O.J. Simpson during his murder trial infuriated NBC exec Don Ohlmeyer, who was a friend of the disgraced football star. In fact, it is allegedly what got him fired from Update (a colossal error in judgment).

Norm’s contributions to SNL went beyond the signature segment airing after the musical guest’s first song. He had great impressions of Larry King and Senator Bob Dole and delivered a rather biting take on David Letterman, his comedic idol. Then, of course, there’s his 70s era Burt Reynolds who would appear on Celebrity Jeopardy.

You could spend hours going down a YouTube rabbit hole watching Norm be hilarious and I certainly have. Most of his couch work on Conan O’Brien’s shows will split your sides. The late great MacDonald did the same on SNL. #9 will be up soon!

Norm MacDonald

Years on the Show: 1993-98

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 14 – Chevy Chase

Coming from the National Lampoon Radio Hour like his costars John Belushi and Gilda Radner and his eventual replacement Bill Murray, Chevy Chase was the original breakout sensation on Saturday Night Live. He was the first person to say “Live from New York, It’s Saturday Night!”. The future star of comedy classics including Caddyshack, Vacation, and Fletch also was the initial anchor giving us the fake news on Weekend Update. And there’s that iconic Landshark sketch. And another with Richard Pryor. And his bumbling Gerald Ford which kickstarted 50 years of unforgettable POTUS impersonations.

With his opener “I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not”, it helped millions of viewers learn his name and brilliant deadpan delivery immediately. Chase’s quick rise to fame kept him on the show just a handful of episodes into season #2. Yet if it not for him, the Norms and Tinas, Colins and Michaels, Jimmys and Seths wouldn’t have followed. #13 will be up soon!

The Top 50 SNL Cast Members of All Time: Number 30 – Adam Sandler

He’s unquestionably had one of the most successful post SNL film careers of any cast member in the last half century. It’s kind of crazy these days to recall that nearly 30 years ago, Adam Sandler was fired from the program after five years on air as it was suffering from poor reviews and dwindling ratings by the mid 90s.

Sandler brought a unique sensibility to SNL with his purposely unformed and frequently hilarious characters like Cajun Man and Opera Man and the seriously bizarre Canteen Boy. Some of his best work was done with Update anchor Kevin Nealon and Norm MacDonald looking on. Perhaps the pinnacle of his time was alongside Chris Farley in sketches involving Gap Girls, lunch ladies, and restaurant reviews.

I recognize Sandler might be higher on the list of others and I’ll confess that (like with his movie catalogue) I find him to be hit and miss. Yet there’s no question the highs are considerable.

Adam Sandler

Years on the Show: 1990-1995

Fall Review

I wouldn’t say I love Scott Mann’s low budget survival tall tale Fall, but it admirably generates suspense in spurts. This begins in Cliffhanger fashion with a loved one plummeting to their grisly demise. The late great Norm MacDonald had a joke about cliff divers and it applies with climbers. He said there’s two types of participants in such an activity: Grand Champion (because you survived) and “Stuff on a Rock”. Mason Gooding’s Dan is the latter. Wife (Grace Caroline Currey) and best friend Hunter (Virginia Gardner) witness the tragedy during their mountain ascension attempt.

Nearly a year later, mourning Becky has shutoff contact from friends and family (including concerned dad Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Hunter, meanwhile, is a minor Instagram star (60k followers) who goes by Danger D and treats her viewers to various daring exploits. Her solution to help Becky out of her (often drunken) funk is to recruit her on an adventure. The two will scale a decommissioned 2,000 foot TV tower in the desert and document it. At the top, Dan’s unopened ashes will be scattered.

That doesn’t all go as planned. Fall probably sets the record for number of loose bolt shots in a recent motion picture. While Becky and Danger D get to the top, the rickety and rusted ladder gives out and there’s no way down. The rest of this is devoted to figuring out a way to descend.

At least… most of it is. At 107 minutes, there’s some fat that could’ve been trimmed. There’s extraneous relationship dynamics that don’t add much. This might have been more effective at a leaner 85-90 minutes. For a film that incorporates the 80s hair metal hit “Cherry Pie”, it doesn’t always (ahem) warrant the running time.

When there’s vultures to avoid or operating the drone they brought to be their savior or getting their phones to charge, the survival mechanics of the screenplay can be absorbing. The decently convincing cinematography and commitment of the lead actresses are pluses. The occasional padding courtesy of the script prevents this being a big winner. It’s not stuff on a rock either.

**1/2 (out of four)

Oscar Watch: Klaus

2019 is shaping up to be the breakout year for Netflix when it comes to awards visibility with legitimate Best Picture contenders like The Irishman, Marriage Story, and The Two Popes. A smaller story is that it might have a contender in the Animated Feature race with the just released Yuletide comedy Klaus. It comes from director Sergio Plablos, who’s best known for creating the Despicable Me franchise. The voice cast includes Jason Schwartzman, J.K. Simmons, Rashida Jones, Joan Cusack, Will Sasso, and Norm Macdonald.

In order to nab a nomination, Klaus looks to compete for the fourth or fifth slot as I believe three are already spoken for by higher profile theatrical release sequels – Toy Story 4 (the front runner), Frozen II, and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Other efforts vying for those slots include Weathering with You, I Lost My Body, Missing Link, Abominable, and (perhaps) the yet to be released Spies in Disguise. 

The pic currently sports a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and that’s actually higher than the number (82%) for Frozen II. Yet Disney should have little trouble getting that about to be massive blockbuster in the mix.

Bottom line: I wouldn’t count Klaus out, but competition is significant. My Oscar Watch posts will continue…