Who Was The Best SNL Host?
 

Me, I love Tom Hanks as a host. He has such great comic timing and delivery, and he really throws himself into the roles.

Christopher Walken is another fun host. Admittedly, he spends the entire evening reading off of cue cards, but he just has such a great time, and he does so many great characters.

Jerry Seinfeld was a surprisingly good host, especially when you consider he is not a "natural" actor. Steve Martin is always good. And who could forget the quirky humor of Ed Koch? (jk)

Who is your pick?

Hanks, Seinfeld, and Walken are all good. I'd add Alec Baldwin and John Goodman to the list.

Walken: he can take a weak/lame bit and just somehow make it work; I can't even begin to figure out how he does it, but he does. There is no way the Cowbell sketch would work as well as it does without his Bruce Dickenson. And in the same ep, the Census Taker sketch is just plain lame, but Walken turns it into a really funny bit.

Baldwin: he isn't afraid to do something incredibly dumb or stupid, which works even better when you add in his good looks and semi-dignified demeanor.

Hanks: just looks like he's having fun, which really comes thru in his performance. Here is one of the top stars in the world, and he keeps coming back to do stuff like the Sabra Shopping Network.....

Walken is hilarious. There was some bit back in the early 90's where it was a game show like Jeopardy and he was one of the contestants and I was *rolling* with some of his deadpan deliveries. The material wasn't even that funny but his delivery was a riot. And his scuzzy bachelor pad guy act is always good for a laugh.

Steve Martin has been good over the past decade or so but in the 70's and early 80's he was unbelieveable. There was this great dance bit he did with Gilda Radner on the old show that was just classic.

Hanks is the consumate professional. It doesn't matter if it's a Spielberg film or the SNL hosting gig...the guy goes all out. It doesn't hurt that he has superb comedic sensibilities.

Did you ever see Jim Carrey host? That's all I gotta say :)

Goodman is always great, as was Seinfeld, Dana Carvey and Chris Farley. But Carrey owned them all...

Jim Carrey. I always stop and watch whenever his episode is on.
The Roxybury brother skit was the best!

Carrey as the lifeguard. Best. skit. ever.

The Absolute Bests:
Jim Carrey
Jerry Seinfeld

The Greats:
Christopher Walken
and the ex-cast members. (ex: Chris Farley, Mike Myers, etc.)

Oh and an honerable mentions was Mculley Culken *sp? I though the did a pretty good job for his age. Plus he had a great opening sequence where it was Home Alonce scenario except with the SNL cast. Funny Stuff.

Damn -- I compeletely forgot about Alec Baldwin. He needs to be on the list if for no other reason than... well, I just can't get enough of his hot, Schwetty balls. :lol:

I've gotta say, though, I hate it when Goodman hosts. I dunno... I liked him on Roseanne, and in some of the Coen brother films, but he just seems a bit too... bombastic when he is on SNL.

(No, no, bombastic is the wrong word here. What is the word I am looking for... oh yeah, drunk! Yeah, he always seems pretty loaded up when he hosts... ;))

Rob Lowe was also hillarious. To this day, I can't listen to Stone Phillips on Dateline without hearing Rob Lowe. "The trampoline..." Classic...

Alec Baldwin is the best. He can turn some of the crappiest scripts into the funniest scenes. Odd that he doesn't do more comedy on film.

Remember his scene as the Scout leader and the Canteen boy. Schwetty balls was a classic skit too. There was another sketch were he was frenching everyone on the show. Hilarious!

Alec Baldwin as a Priest explaining how he eats Oreos to Julia Sweeny .
And Alec Baldwin as the redneck in the diner telling Jan Hooks she shouldn't give away her pie.

Classics.

D

Another vote for Baldwin.

Buck Henry. He was my 'first'... *sniff*

I'd have to say Christopher Walken(more cowbell!). He is just so natural at doing the skits, moreso than almost any other host I've seen. John Goodman also is an excellent choice--there must be a reason why he keeps getting invited back to host, right?

I loved the SNL that William Shatner hosted back in the 80s. 2 hilarious Star Trek spoofs and a great TJ Hooker spoof.

<BLOCKQUOTE> • Quoth ncmojo •<HR SIZE=1>Rob Lowe was also hillarious. To this day, I can't listen to Stone Phillips on Dateline without hearing Rob Lowe. "The trampoline..." Classic... <HR SIZE=1></BLOCKQUOTE>

Children's playtoy ... or vicious backyard killer? I too cannot think about either of them without this quickly coming to mind.

<BLOCKQUOTE> • Quoth Red Dog •<HR SIZE=1>I loved the SNL that William Shatner hosted back in the 80s. 2 hilarious Star Trek spoofs and a great TJ Hooker spoof.<HR SIZE=1></BLOCKQUOTE>

Still one of my favorite episodes. The Mute Marine, The Restaurant Enterprise, everyone in Bedford Falls beating the crap out of Mr. Potter.

"I understand life with the Enterprise's chief mechanical officer was somewhat turbulent ... kinda like living with a Mugatu!!!"

das

I used to record SNL episodes in the 80s and I think I still have the shatner episode on video cassette somewhere.
Shatner can be very very funny with the right material.

Jeff Goldblum
Jason Alexander
Matthew Perry
Jerry Seinfeld

Alec Baldwin.

The Baldwin/Paul McCartney episode is one of (if not the) best SNL episode ever. Classic skits from start to finish.

I'm surprised by all the love for jim carrey as host. While he was decent, I hardly felt that was a very good episode. Also, since he is a "one-timer", there aren't many skits with him in it (as opposed to Hanks, Baldwin, Walken, etc, who have all hosted 5+ times each)

I loved the episode with the Rock as the host. Not sure if the whole show worked, or just the Nic Cotrel skit, but I'd watch him on it again.

That's also considered either the introduction of or the first mainstream use of the phrase "Get a life!"......

And as someone mentioned, Rob Lowe was great. It really helps if the host can do a few REALLY good impressions (he did Shaggy Rogers). Kevin Spacey was decent for the same reason; he's a brilliant impressionist.

Almost warrents another thread on SNL Hosts Who Were Much Better Than You Expected.....

Comedy Central has been playing the one where Sean Hayes hosted. He was great in everything he was in. Totally got into every character. The sketch at Jeffrie's may have been one of the best I've ever seen. Greanted it was partially due to Horatio Sanz ("This is a genuine Looney Tunes jacket") and Will Ferrell riding into the scene. He was even great in what I think was Molly Shannon's last sketch, playing Sally O'Malley at a fashion show ("I've got some nice cameltoe here...)

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