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- 6 weeks ago
Get ready to relive the unforgettable moments that skyrocketed Saturday Night Live sketches into comedic legend! From the iconic “More Cowbell” with Christopher Walken’s deadpan delivery to Chris Farley’s explosive “Van Down By the River” table smash, we dive into the exact scenes that etched these sketches permanently into pop culture. Join us for a hilarious trip down memory lane filled with laughter, unforgettable lines, and legendary laughs!
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00:00I believe that diplomacy should be the cornerstone of any foreign policy.
00:05And I can see Russia from my house.
00:08Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks
00:12for the exact moments when SNL sketches achieved legendary status.
00:23Number 10, Landshark Reveal, Jaws 2.
00:27Who is it?
00:28Mrs. Robyn.
00:30Who is it?
00:32Plumber.
00:35Plumber? I didn't ask for a plumber.
00:38When this sketch aired in November 1975, Jaws was still a standalone blockbuster.
00:44While Jaws 2 would ultimately be a straightforward sequel,
00:47the franchise only got sillier from there.
00:50Maybe not as silly as Landshark, but SNL inadvertently predicted Jaws jumping the shark.
00:56Oh, telegram, just a moment.
01:02Although the nasally voice that Chevy Chase puts on is instantly recognizable now, nobody
01:07knew what to expect when Gilda Radner first approached her door, asking who was on the
01:12other side.
01:13In retrospect, the music should have been a dead giveaway, but the idea of a shark bursting
01:18through one's door just seemed too ridiculous.
01:36Not for SNL, giving the audience an early taste of the irreverent comedy that helped define the series, turning Landshark
01:44into an icon.
01:45Would you mind opening the door, please, ma'am?
01:47Uh, sure. Just a second.
01:58Number 9. I am Gumby, The Uncle Tom Show.
02:03Some know Gumby best as a friendly lump of green clay.
02:06To others, he's a chain-smoking, outspoken celebrity who emerged as one of Eddie Murphy's standout SNL characters.
02:26What some may not know is that Murphy's Gumby actually made his debut on another recurring sketch, The Uncle Tom
02:33Show, starring Joe Piscopo.
02:35While Uncle Tom never really took off as a character, Gumby certainly did.
02:40Appearing as one of Tom's guests, Gumby discusses breaking down color barriers and his tell-all book about the cartoon
02:47industry's dirtiest secrets.
02:49I'm not afraid to sit here on your show, Tom, and tell you who got the way they were from
02:54the casting couch in this business.
02:55For instance, Betty Boop. She was on the casting couch.
03:04What cements it as one of the most influential sketches during Murphy's SNL tenure is a catchphrase that would also
03:11provide the title of Gumby's book.
03:27Murphy is Gumby, dammit.
03:29Number 8. No One Can Resist
03:32NPR's Delicious Dish, Shweaty Balls
03:35Are you, Margaret Jo, going to leave any treats out for Santa this year?
03:39Oh, absolutely. I always do.
03:40I like to leave Santa some tap water and rice.
03:46If Santa's anything like me, Christmas foods really wreak havoc on the old digestive system.
03:50The Delicious Dish was a recurring sketch featuring Anna Gasteyer's Margaret Jo and Molly Shannon's Terry.
03:56While the sketch was already a memorable send-up of public radio, Alec Baldwin's 1998 guest spot propelled it to
04:04legendary territory.
04:06Baldwin plays Pete Shweaty, who has cooked up a special Christmas treat, his balls.
04:11Tell us about your balls, Pete.
04:15Well, over at Season's Eatings, we have balls for every taste. Popcorn balls, cheese balls, rum balls, you name it.
04:23Wow. My mouth's watering just thinking about those things.
04:26This leads to an assortment of innuendos, all delivered in the most oblivious, understated manner.
04:32Just when it seems the sketch has exhausted every possible double entendre,
04:36we're reminded that Baldwin's character's surname is Shweaty.
04:40I have to say, your balls are so tender.
04:44Well, there's no beating my balls.
04:47They're made from a secret Shweaty family recipe.
04:54In other words, they're munching on his Shweaty balls, which no one can resist.
04:59If the sketch solely relied on the word balls, it'd still be funny.
05:03But inserting Shweaty made for an all-timer.
05:06Hey, quick plug. If you order from Season's Eatings now, we can still send out a special Shweaty ball sack
05:13in time for Christmas.
05:14Ooh, great idea. My niece would love a sack of Shweaty balls.
05:19Number 7. Giggling Gosling, Close Encounter
05:22Sometimes breaking solidifies a sketch as legendary.
05:26In this case, the host's response is the clear highlight.
05:29Three individuals experience a close encounter, with Kate McKinnon's Miss Rafferty having the most, let's say, colorful description.
05:38These fancy cats are seeing God.
05:41Meanwhile, I'm starting phase two, which is me sitting on a stool,
05:45while 40 gray aliens take turns gently batting my knockers.
05:52Did y'all get the knocker stuff?
05:54As McKinnon recounts her too-close-for-comfort encounter,
05:57the reactions range from respectively keeping it together, to barely hanging in there.
06:03Then there's Gosling, who eventually gives up trying to conceal his smile.
06:08Having a giggle fest that overshadows the lines being said.
06:11The light laid me down like a baby in a meadow near my house.
06:15I was smiling and weeping. Tears of joy, sir.
06:19Alright, well now this missed me a little bit.
06:22As hysterical as the writing and McKinnon's delivery are,
06:25Gosling's inability to contain himself guaranteed that this sketch would go viral.
06:30It also ensured McKinnon would do everything in her power to make Gosling break whenever they co-starred in a
06:36sketch.
06:37So I had to just chill up there with my damn coot-coot and prune shoe hammered
06:42till the place opened up.
06:49Can't get enough SNL?
06:51Check out Miss Mojo's 24-7 live stream.
06:54Scan the QR code on screen to join us live for more hilarious TV fun.
06:59I felt every emotion in its purest form.
07:02It was amazing and I cried, sir.
07:04Number 6. Church Lady and Willie Nelson.
07:07Church Chat.
07:08Mr. Durang, do you hate Satan?
07:12Uh, actually I don't believe in Satan.
07:15Well, what else don't you believe in?
07:18America?
07:19Enid Strick, or the Church Lady as she's more commonly known,
07:23was perhaps the most quotable character that Dana Carvey portrayed on SNL.
07:27The Church Lady was also the first character Carvey appeared as,
07:31complete with her catchphrase,
07:33Well, isn't that special?
07:34While the character proved popular enough to appear in several more sketches that season,
07:39a guest appearance from Willie Nelson arguably took the Church Lady to another level.
07:44When you thank to all the girls I've loved before,
07:47just how many were there?
07:52Well, Church Lady, let's just say that I've been on the road a long time.
07:56At first, the Church Lady is her usual uptight self.
07:59Once Nelson gifts her a red cowboy hat and invites her to sing
08:03You Don't Bring Me Flowers with him,
08:05we get to see a different side of the character.
08:08You couldn't wait to love me.
08:11You used to hate to leave me.
08:14Now after loving me,
08:17late at night.
08:20With that duet,
08:21this sketch became something truly special.
08:24And not in a sarcastic way.
08:31We have a very special Wayne's World this week, okay?
08:34Garth's cousin Barry is a roadie for Aerosmith, right?
08:37And guess what?
08:38They're gonna be on the show.
08:39Oh, I can't believe they're actually here.
08:43Oh, oh.
08:45Wayne's World is something of a Cinderella story,
08:48going from a little sketch that aired towards the end of a 1989 episode
08:52to a cultural phenomenon.
08:54Of course, Wayne and Garth didn't become household names overnight.
08:58By the time Aerosmith dropped by, though,
09:00Wayne's World was more than worthy of the praise it achieved.
09:04Oh, no!
09:05Oh, no!
09:05My mom's there!
09:06She's talking to Aerosmith!
09:07Oh, no!
09:07I'm dying of death!
09:08Oh, she's gonna say something stupid!
09:09Oh, no!
09:09This is brutal!
09:11No, no!
09:12They're leaving!
09:12Oh, no!
09:12She's making them take the house to her!
09:14The Walk of Shane!
09:15The sketch commences with Wayne announcing that Aerosmith is going to be on the show,
09:20provided that Tom Hanks' Barry gets some airtime first.
09:24After initially only appearing on the Nook cam,
09:27Aerosmith finally comes down to the basement for a Q&A.
09:31Although it seems that socialism is in repose
09:34until you remove the Stalinist-era party apparatchiks,
09:37there will be no real change in the Soviet Union.
09:39No, I disagree, man.
09:41There's never been a blueprint for the dictatorship of the proletariat,
09:44so there's bound to be a mistake.
09:45The kicker, though, is hearing Steven Tyler belt out the Wayne's World theme,
09:50showing just how far this Cable 10 public access show had come.
09:54Wayne's World!
09:55Wayne's World!
09:57It's part of time!
09:59It's excellent!
10:01Chips go middle when we go down the street!
10:04Number 4.
10:05The Breaking Begins
10:07Debbie Downer, Disney World
10:09Ever since they found Mad Cow Disease in the U.S.,
10:12I'm not taking any chances.
10:15It can live in your body for years before it ravages your brain.
10:22For a live comedy show,
10:24there are really only a handful of sketches
10:26that caused pretty much the whole cast to break.
10:29So when one like Debbie Downer comes along,
10:31it's bound to be remembered decades later.
10:34You guys hear about that train explosion in Northern India?
10:39Media is so sensitive there, so secretive.
10:44Even if the sketch had gone off without a hitch,
10:47it'd still be well-regarded thanks to Rachel Dratch's
10:50bummer of a voice,
10:52impeccable use of the trombone sound effect,
10:54and that notion that Debbie can even turn a trip to Disney World
10:58into a downer.
10:59By the way, it's official.
11:10I can't have children!
11:16Yet watching one cast member after another try to hide their laughter
11:20is a testament to just how hilarious the material is.
11:24The fact that even Debbie Downer herself can't keep a straight face
11:28puts a smile on ours, despite her negative news.
11:31I had a mole looked at recently,
11:33and the doctor told me that due to the extent of its irregular borders,
11:37I'm flirting with the melanoma.
11:41Number 3.
11:43Russia from my house.
11:45Sarah Palin and Hillary address the nation.
11:48I was so excited when I was told
11:51Senator Clinton and I would be addressing you tonight.
11:56And I was told I would be addressing you alone.
12:00On more than one occasion,
12:01SNL has merged satire with reality
12:04to the point that people had to Google
12:06whether the actual politician said that.
12:09We are almost out of time,
12:10so I will instead ask each candidate
12:12to sum up in a single word
12:14the best argument for his candidacy.
12:16Governor Bush?
12:18Strategery.
12:19Thanks to Will Ferrell,
12:21George W. Bush will forever be linked to strategery.
12:24Even if he didn't exactly say that.
12:27Likewise,
12:28Tina Fey might not have directly quoted Sarah Palin
12:30when she debuted her impression
12:32alongside Amy Poehler's Hillary Clinton.
12:35Palin did say you can see Russia from Alaska, however.
12:38So it wasn't a huge stretch
12:40when Fey said in her spot on Palin voice,
12:43And I can see Russia from my house.
12:45The sketch is a classic for a variety of reasons,
12:49but this line became so ingrained in the zeitgeist
12:52that we wouldn't be surprised
12:54if it influenced how at least a few Americans voted.
12:58It just goes to show that anyone can be president.
13:01Anyone.
13:02Anyone.
13:04Anyone.
13:05All you have to do is want it.
13:15Everything about Chris Farley's performance as Matt Foley
13:18is legendary.
13:19From the cheap suit and glasses
13:21to the way he repeatedly mentions
13:23the van down by the river that he calls home.
13:26I am 35 years old,
13:29I am divorced,
13:30and I live in a van down by the river.
13:34Yet one moment in particular
13:36sums up how unpredictable Foley,
13:39and by extension Farley, was.
13:41From his initial entrance,
13:43Foley is already an unhinged wildcard
13:45of caffeinated intensity.
13:47From what I've heard,
13:49you're using your paper not for writing,
13:51but for rolling doobies.
13:55You're going to be doing a lot of doobie rolling
13:57when you're living in a van down by the river.
14:02Just when you think he's reached his boiling point,
14:05Foley goes on a tangent
14:07about how he plans to shadow David Spade's Brian.
14:10Ironically, as Foley discusses
14:12getting back on the right track,
14:14he goes off the rails,
14:16turning the family's coffee table
14:17into a pile of broken wood.
14:19Here's you, here's Matt,
14:21there's you, there.
14:27Whoops-a-daisy.
14:29It's the wrecking ball on top
14:30of an unforgettable comedy milestone.
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14:59Number one.
15:00Got a fever.
15:02More cowbell.
15:03I put my pants on
15:05just like the rest of you,
15:06one leg at a time.
15:08Except,
15:09once my pants are on,
15:10I make gold records.
15:13All right.
15:14Here we go.
15:15Fear,
15:16don't fear the reaper.
15:17Take one.
15:18Roll it.
15:18Numerous factors go into making
15:20an SNL sketch legendary,
15:22more cowbell being no exception.
15:25That said,
15:26we don't think more cowbell
15:27would have worked nearly as well
15:29without Christopher Walken
15:30in the role of the Bruce Dickinson.
15:33Not a real guy, by the way.
15:34Fellas,
15:35it was sounding great,
15:36but
15:37I could have used a little more cowbell.
15:42So,
15:43let's take it again
15:45and Gene,
15:46really explore the studio space this time.
15:49The idea of a music producer
15:51being fixated on a song's use
15:53of the always essential cowbell
15:54is already a funny setup.
15:57Yet,
15:57only Walken could emphasize
15:59just how strange
16:00the request for more cowbell is
16:02while maintaining a deadpan delivery.
16:05You know,
16:05I can pull it back a little if you like.
16:08Not too much though.
16:08I'm telling you,
16:09fellas,
16:10you're gonna want that cowbell
16:12from the track.
16:13The one thing more quotable
16:14than those two immortal words
16:16is Walken speaking of the fever
16:18that has befallen him.
16:19The cure?
16:20We all know the punchline,
16:22but nobody says it better than Walken.
16:24Guess what?
16:26I got a fever.
16:28And the only prescription
16:29is more cowbell.
16:33Thank you, Bruce.
16:34What do you think
16:35is the most legendary moment
16:36in SNL history?
16:38Let us know in the comments.