Gonna get me a shotgun and ..................................

OMG, I remember that SNL skit very well, and it was hilarious. (Garrett Morris is black, in case some of you are not familiar with him). In a later interview, Morris said that the skit was based on a real event that happened on live television on the Art Linkletter Show (probably in the early 1960s). An older white woman in the audience, a songwriter, was coaxed to come up on stage, sit at the piano, and sing what she considered to be one of her best songs. The one she chose started with the line "Gonna get me a shotgun and kill all the n*ggers I see." Wow. See Garrett Morris describe the moment here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uAkYNpkj1cw

Hard to believe. First of all. It wasn't live. Art Linkletter was video taped. Episodes were assembled for laughs etc. This entire Linkletter story is a fabrication.

Gosh, I haven’t thought of that bit in years. Now I’m going to walk around singing it to myself for the next few days…

^^ Goodclubrep, the Art Linkletter part didn't sound right to me, either, but that's what Garrett Morris said in the clip I linked to, so that's why I wrote it in my comment. My distant-and-fuzzy memory of a different interview with Morris is that he said it happened on Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour, which, being in the 1950s, probably *was* live. That would have been in an era when such blatant racism was, I assume, more common than it would have been during the slightly later era of Art Linkletter's show. Other than the Linkletter reference, I have no trouble believing that it really happened.

Anybody who is not old and stuck in the past would have seen recently Jenna Ortega’s scene at a Waffke House breaking up with her boyfriend before going off to college. If you missed it, purely one of the funniest skits this season. What clouds old peoples idea of funny is what they remember from their youth as the benchmark, and SNL is creating memoir yidats youth so the brand continues, not fit old fucks who will die in 10 years. I loved the Blues Brothers, that was talent, but to me SNL never was that funny until eddy murphy hit the scene. Chevy chase and Steve Martin were decent, but that frocking Andy Kaufman sucked short balls. Shows are akways funnier the second and third time seeing them since you have time to catch nuances, which several old people have a hard time picking up on when you’re stuck in the past.

@Eastvoaster, I can go with that. I know stories get cloudy with time.

Mate27, I agree that the Jenna Ortega Waffle House skit two weeks ago was hilarious. A lot of things on that episode were very funny, and the two performances by "The 1975" band were excellent. Your premise that us old fucks who are likely to die in ten years are stuck in the past and not currently watching SNL and/or not finding it funny is just wrong. I'm old enough that I watched the first SNL episode in real time when it aired in 1975, and while I have not seen every single broadcast since then, I have been a regular watcher all these years. The show has *always* been hit or miss -- a mixture of funny and unfunny stuff. While I think the writing has varied considerably in quality from year to year, the cast has *always* included some outstanding comedic actors (Andy Kaufman not withstanding). In addition to Eddie Murphy, SNL launched the careers of John Belushi, Mike Myers, Chris Rock, Tina Fey, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jimmy Fallon, Jimmy Kimmel, Adam Sandler, Amy Poehler, Chevy Chase, Dan Ackroyd, Bill Murray, Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Will Farrell... and that's just off the top of my head. However, as to your comment "SNL is creating memoir yidats youth so the brand continues," I will admit that I am too old to understand the meaning of that. Now, where's that pudding cup... :-)

Yeah Eastcoaster, not good at editing or reviewing my comments. Not going to invest time to details but SNL has always been funnier after time ticks by. Remember Belushi when he was a Dec athlete in the Olympics? I logged a lot of miles, and I downed a lot of donuts…. The physical comedians to me are the best, Chevy Chase as President Ford, Chris Farley in van down by the river, eddy murphy as Gumby/Mr Robinson, and my all time favorite Phil Hartman as the nfrozen caveman lawyer. Todays SNL writers feed too much into politics it gets exhausting considering their left leaning bias. Just stick to the basics, like that Waffle House skit and everybody will think they’re funny!

And nobody has mentioned Dan Aykroyd, who I think is the most talented comedian ever on the show.

^^ I mentioned blues brothers in my original response, for being absolute in their talents of dance music and singing along with the acting.

Mate27, I totally agree. Belushi and Ackroyd were great. SNL opened one broadcast in 1978 with Garrett Morris (mentioned above) introducing the Blues Brothers. At the end of the walk-on music, Belushi -- in all his schlubby portliness -- does a frickin' *cartwheel* and in the process doesn't even lose his fedora, sunglasses, or the gum he is chewing. Then as the band finishes the intro to "Soul Man," Belushi and Ackroyd break into dancing that showcases both Belushi's unexpected gracefulness and Ackroyd's comedic nerdiness -- and the rest is history. The clip still makes me laugh. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTWH1Fdkjow

Love the jazz hands!

Belushi’s samurai skits were also great comedy. Those skits would not even be considered today. The writer who wrote “Jane you ignorant slut” would be fired on the spot.

Lest we forget, SNL also had some horrendous, very unfunny cast members. Victoria Jackson Tracy Morgan Chris Kataan Cheri Oteri just a start

Chris Karan, yes I was not a fan of his. Tracy Morgan had a good run filling in a/stereotype roles. He added hood anger jokes, borderline filth. Cheri had the cheerleader alongside Will Ferrel, and the drunk clown makeup going. Victoria Jackson got caught during a bad period with low ratings. Kevin Nealon and Norm MacDonald were good, but Phil Hartman was my favorite!

Will Ferrell can be very funny - but I just despised that cheerleader routine. I hated it everyone they kept dragging it out