The End Of An Error. 3.

Well, the total is now up to nineteen (or so).
The number of times I laughed out loud over something I saw over the last forty years (or so) on "Saturday Night Live"
Be aware that this is purely subjective.
Here are some of them, in no particular order:

1-Samurai Deli.

One of a series of Belushi "Samurai" sketches.
Usually with Buck Henry playing straight for him.
Henry added to the laughter enormously.
I seriously doubt that it would have been as funny without him.
I think "Samurai Deli" was the first one.
And as usual, they beat the premise into the ground with subsequent sketches.

2- The Greek Diner.

The sketch that gave us "Chee-burgy, chee-burgy, chee-burgy, chee-burgy...."
Belushi really shined in that one.
Then, of course, they kept redoing the sketch, and it became diminishing returns.

3- Albert Brooks' Famous Comedians School.

He did a series of short films early on in the series, all good, but nothing as funny as the Famous Comedians School.
I had first seen it as an article in, I think, Esquire Magazine.
And it was hilarious there.
It translated very well to film, unfettered by Lorne's input.
Lorne seemed to know when not to get in people's way.
Especially if they weren't his underlings.

4- Negro Leaguers.

Billy Crystal and Christopher Guest in a short film where they portrayed two now ancient Negro League baseball players.
At least as impressive as it was funny.

5- The Joe Franklin Show.

Billy Crystal doing his devastating impression of Joe Franklin, with Christopher Guest doing his devastating impression of Alan Arkin, capturing all the inherent dopiness of the Joe Franklin Show.

6- Fernando's Hideaway.

Billy Crystal's hilarious, mostly improvised impression of Fernando Lamas, fracturing the language as he interviewed a guest.
A lot of people think that he broke this character in on SNL, but I remember him doing it on his own comedy hour on NBC a couple of years earlier.
I think he also did it with Johnny Carson before SNL.

7- Nathan Thurm and Mike Wallace.

Martin Short at his best, as the nervous and obviously guilty, with everything to hide, Nathan Thurm, and Harry Shearer doing his dead-on Mike Wallace impression in full interrogation mode.

8- Martin Short as Ed Grimley, when Howard Cosell guested and was made up to look just like Ed Grimley.

Howard was always a good sport.
Martin Short brought this character with him from SCTV.
This was one character that withstood the constant repetition.

These last five entries were all done in the 1984-85 season.
One that Lorne Michaels was not there for.
Lorne returned the next season.
And all of the great cast members from the 84-85 season, Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer, Martin Short, and Christopher Guest, promptly left.
It was the show's only great season, and Lorne Michaels had nothing to do with it.
If he was there at the time, he never would have hired those guys, because he couldn't control them, or treat them like indentured servants.
And if he did, none of them would have stood for it.

I'll get to the rest of my pleasant experiences with SNL next time.

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