I got insanely excited when I saw the news that Betty White is really close to agreeing to host Saturday Night Live. There’s just something about a feisty, foul-mouthed, old lady that warms the cockles of my cold, cold heart. I really hope Lorne Michaels can seal the deal and get White featured on the show even if it is on a “women of comedy” episode. I’m certainly not going to argue against seeing the likes of Molly Shannon and Tina Fey back on the show for a night. They can’t do any worse than the current crew.
The whole episode got me thinking about what other veteran comedians I would love to see featured on the classic sketch comedy show.
Here’s my list:
- Gene Wilder: With all due respect to Johnny Depp (and that’s a lot of respect) there will only ever be one Willy Wonka in my heart, and that’s Gene Wilder. He’s a comedy legend, with a resume that includes classics like Young Frankenstein and The Producers. I think there’s a lot that he could bring to the show even at this stage in his life. It’s a shame that he’s pretty much retired.
- Mel Brooks: Wilder’s longtime cohort, his career’s seen a bit of a renaissance lately on Broadway, with a bunch of adaptations of his movies, including The Producers and Young Frankenstein. He showed that he still had some chops in front of the camera with his appearances on Mad About You, but that was over ten years ago. It would be interesting to see if he could still pull it off today.
- Bob Newhart: It wasn’t so long ago (1995) that Newhart hosted SNL, but I would love to see him back. I’ve always been a fan of his unique brand of awkward, subtle humor. He’s still working, appearing most recently in the Librarian television movies and Desperate Housewives, so maybe it could happen.
- Cloris Leachman: Another veteran of Young Frankenstein (can you tell I’m a fan of the movie?), Leachman is as feisty as ever, as her run on Dancing with the Stars showed. I would love to see her on SNL and maybe she’ll be part of the Betty White episode.
- Chevy Chase: He may not be as old as the rest of comedians I named, but with Chase starring in Community on NBC there is a realistic, if not likely, chance of seeing him back on the show that he helped pioneer. After all, he was the first man to say, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night,” so I think it would be fun to see him say it again 35 years later.
I know I must have left people out. What veterans would you like to see inject some life into SNL?
Photo Credit: NBC
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Clacked by Bob Degon
on Feb 23, 2010 @ 14:00 EST5EDT
For some reason I was thinking “seniors” when I saw “veterans” in the title, and I was kind of curious to see where the hell you were going with this one. My bad … although it still does kind of fit. :)
Or maybe military vets? Colin Powell, Norman Schwarzkopf …
Er, Bob’s list is much better.
It would be most excellent if the show put together some sort of all-alumni season or even just one night, where tons of old SNL alums came back for either new skits or to reprise their old favorites.
Tim Kazurinsky! Or… not so much.
While we’re on a “Young Frankenstein” kick, how about Teri Garr or Kenneth Mars? I realize that Mars isn’t as well-known as the others, but he’s a funny guy. I was even thinking about Tim Conway, but mainly because I thought just how great it would be to have Harvey Korman host SNL, but it’s too late for that.
I agree with you that Gene Wilder will always be the one and only Willy Wonka and that he’d be a great choice to host SNL. Also, any of the Python troupe would be welcome in my book. Along those lines, while he’s hardly a veteran I would very much enjoy seeing Rowan Atkinson showing SNL how to bring the funny. Someone need to.
You had some GREAT picks in there! I knew I missed a bunch of people. Garr, Conway (who recently guested on 30 Rock), and the Monty Python Crew would all be great choices.
Thanks, Bob. In all honesty, I like your picks better, especially Gene Wilder.
I still miss Harvey Korman. Damn you, Death!
For nearly the entire run of the series, I’ve always wondered why Dick Van Dyke never hosted the show. I’d love to see him do it. Chuck McCann would be another. In fact, Chuck could guest when Dick hosted, and they could do some of the routines they used to do together – Laurel & Hardy, Kramden & Norton – but with a 21st Century update….
(By the way – those routines with Dick Van Dyke can be seen at Chuck McCann’s website….)
I would love to see Gene Wilder host! I can’t believe he never has!
I would love to see Gene Wilder do anything. I can’t remember the last time I saw him in something new, which is sad because he’s always managed to entertain me no matter what he’s in.
Maybe it’s the name. I think I’ve enjoyed everything Gene Hackman’s been in, too.
You’ll never get a chance to see Chevy Chase hosting again, because he was banned from hosting by Lorne Michaels in 1997. And didn’t he host 8 times before ?
I agree that Tim Conway would be a great host. He is still working and still very funny.