Who Was The Best SNL Host?
06-23-03, 05:00 PM
#26
DVD Talk Legend
Originally posted by endlessmike
my favorite is easily charleton heston, if only for the skit where he was the 80 year old bag boy at the supermarket
steve buscemi was excellent too
my favorite is easily charleton heston, if only for the skit where he was the 80 year old bag boy at the supermarket
steve buscemi was excellent too
06-23-03, 05:58 PM
#28
Moderator
Originally posted by Jobronie
That's also considered either the introduction of or the first mainstream use of the phrase "Get a life!"......
That's also considered either the introduction of or the first mainstream use of the phrase "Get a life!"......
Add me to the list of Rob Lowe fans. He is always what I think of when Dateline is on. Overall though, I'll go with Walken. I also really liked Dana Carvey in his hosting gigs.
06-24-03, 06:21 AM
#31
DVD Talk Legend
Of the last several years: the Jim Carrey episode is the only one that had me rolling throughout the entire 90 minutes.
I really wish he would find a way to host again.
I really wish he would find a way to host again.
12-05-08, 09:29 AM
#34
DVD Talk Limited Edition
12-05-08, 10:08 AM
#37
DVD Talk Limited Edition
Steve Martin
12-05-08, 10:56 AM
#38
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Another vote for Christopher Lee. And an honorable mention for Strother Martin.
Ian McKellen was great, too (especially when he played Maggie Smith on Weekend Update).
Ian McKellen was great, too (especially when he played Maggie Smith on Weekend Update).
12-05-08, 02:14 PM
#39
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12-05-08, 08:07 PM
#40
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I thought John Travolta was excellent when he hosted in the early 90s. I think it was the Garafalo/Elliott year (1993?) that was pretty terrible.
Carrey was outstanding.
Since Shatner has been mentioned for good reason, I must confess I loved the Patrick Stewart episode. Phil McCracken (Scottish therapist), sexy cakes, and The Love Boat: The Next Generation are all favorite memories.
I'd say Norm MacDonald was the best former cast member host, if only for the monologue they so richly deserved.
At the end of the day, it's Baldwin followed by Martin followed by Walken followed by Hanks in my book. I think Goodman is a step below those four but still quite good. The volume of work overcomes the brilliant individual shows by some others.
I put Baldwin at the top because he has killed every episode I have seen him in. Even his Palin-Fey cameo was great.
Carrey was outstanding.
Since Shatner has been mentioned for good reason, I must confess I loved the Patrick Stewart episode. Phil McCracken (Scottish therapist), sexy cakes, and The Love Boat: The Next Generation are all favorite memories.
I'd say Norm MacDonald was the best former cast member host, if only for the monologue they so richly deserved.
At the end of the day, it's Baldwin followed by Martin followed by Walken followed by Hanks in my book. I think Goodman is a step below those four but still quite good. The volume of work overcomes the brilliant individual shows by some others.
I put Baldwin at the top because he has killed every episode I have seen him in. Even his Palin-Fey cameo was great.
12-05-08, 08:40 PM
#44
Moderator
That Shatner episode also featured the last Sweeney Sisters appearance as Nora Dunn's character was going to go off and marry Shatner's character. As for the "Get a life!" comment, yeah, he caught some flack for it until the late 90s when geeks got a sense of humor about themselves. I own Shatner's Trek-based autobiography (a fun read) and its entitled, "Get a Life!" of course. 
The Fred Savage episode has him home alone playing with a gun, a great Church Lady sketch with Fred as the Church Lady's niece, a sketch in which Pat Stevens (Dunn) humiliates her daughter (Victoria Jackson) in front of Fred playing himself, and during his monologue he hits puberty and an adult voiceover a la The Wonder Years speaks over the action. Oh yeah, and Technotronic was the musical guest ("PUMP up the JAM, pump it UP!...") so this episode was perfect for this then-eleven-year-old kid.
The George Wendt / Francis Ford Coppola episode of the 1985 season which apparently everyone hates but me was hilarious, especially when Coppola had Anthony Michael Hall shot with live ammo because it was live television ("I'm eighteen! You're sick!")
I remember when Gary Shandling hosted and there was a sketch that Gary keeps ruining by breaking character and deconstructing the humor and praising the cast (it's all a gag). Jan Hooks is hilarious as a really mad version of herself.
Finally, I was always a fan of the episode hosted by Michael Jordan when he had to praise himself in front of Stuart Smalley.
Roseanne's episode was good, too, featuring a Misery parody (Roseanne is obsessed with Dana Carvey's Church Lady character) and a deadpan Kevin Nealon talking about how helpful the credit card customer service operator was while Roseanne explains how she told him to write himself a personal check and cram it ("She gave me several options.").
Of all the meta-mentions on the show about how many times people have hosted the show (seems like the longest-standing guys like Goodman and Baldwin can't host without mentioning how often they've done the show), of all of those acknowledgements my favorite has to be Tom Hanks getting into the Five Timers Club with Steve Martin, Paul Simon, and Eliot Gould (with no-longer cast member Jon Lovitz as the Five Timers Club butler). A close second would be when Kristie Alley hosted just after Cheers ended and the whole cast came onstage and determined they'd all hosted the show before (which prompted Kelsey Grammar to stammer, "Well, I, uh...").
The Fred Savage episode has him home alone playing with a gun, a great Church Lady sketch with Fred as the Church Lady's niece, a sketch in which Pat Stevens (Dunn) humiliates her daughter (Victoria Jackson) in front of Fred playing himself, and during his monologue he hits puberty and an adult voiceover a la The Wonder Years speaks over the action. Oh yeah, and Technotronic was the musical guest ("PUMP up the JAM, pump it UP!...") so this episode was perfect for this then-eleven-year-old kid.
The George Wendt / Francis Ford Coppola episode of the 1985 season which apparently everyone hates but me was hilarious, especially when Coppola had Anthony Michael Hall shot with live ammo because it was live television ("I'm eighteen! You're sick!")
I remember when Gary Shandling hosted and there was a sketch that Gary keeps ruining by breaking character and deconstructing the humor and praising the cast (it's all a gag). Jan Hooks is hilarious as a really mad version of herself.
Finally, I was always a fan of the episode hosted by Michael Jordan when he had to praise himself in front of Stuart Smalley.
Roseanne's episode was good, too, featuring a Misery parody (Roseanne is obsessed with Dana Carvey's Church Lady character) and a deadpan Kevin Nealon talking about how helpful the credit card customer service operator was while Roseanne explains how she told him to write himself a personal check and cram it ("She gave me several options.").
Of all the meta-mentions on the show about how many times people have hosted the show (seems like the longest-standing guys like Goodman and Baldwin can't host without mentioning how often they've done the show), of all of those acknowledgements my favorite has to be Tom Hanks getting into the Five Timers Club with Steve Martin, Paul Simon, and Eliot Gould (with no-longer cast member Jon Lovitz as the Five Timers Club butler). A close second would be when Kristie Alley hosted just after Cheers ended and the whole cast came onstage and determined they'd all hosted the show before (which prompted Kelsey Grammar to stammer, "Well, I, uh...").
Last edited by story; 12-05-08 at 08:44 PM.
12-05-08, 09:30 PM
#46
DVD Talk Special Edition
I really enjoy the "Mr. Short Term Memory" skits with Hanks. He really sells the short term memory loss bit.
Last edited by collven; 12-06-08 at 05:29 AM.
12-05-08, 11:00 PM
#47
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Baldwin, Walken, Hanks and Goodman are all legendary.
I'll add Kevin Spacey to the list of great hosts too. His first go round was fantastic, and his second one was decent too.
Other honorable mentions I haven't seen yet:
Bill Murray
Rudy Giuliani (probably the best political host)
Peyton Manning
Ben Affleck
I'll add Kevin Spacey to the list of great hosts too. His first go round was fantastic, and his second one was decent too.
Other honorable mentions I haven't seen yet:
Bill Murray
Rudy Giuliani (probably the best political host)
Peyton Manning
Ben Affleck
12-06-08, 07:15 AM
#49
DVD Talk Legend
Harvey Keitel was underrated.
I remember that bathroom sketch with Kevin Nealon and the island sketch with Pat.
Too bad E! never shows these classic shows
I remember that bathroom sketch with Kevin Nealon and the island sketch with Pat.
Too bad E! never shows these classic shows
