With all due respect, Paul, my memory seems to tell me that Mary Gross, although frequently used in sketches and given a little more spotlight by being the anchor for what was called "SNL Newsbreak" in the first Ebersol season, was never the "star" female performer in that cast. In fact, despite the presences during the Ebersol years at one point or another of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Christine Ebersole and Pamela Stephenson, the decision by Ebersol to make "SNL" the Eddie Murphy/Joe Piscopo show (and in that last Ebersol season, the Billy Crystal/Marty Short/Christopher Guest/Harry Shearer show) pretty much marginalized the women on the show.
Mark Jeffries Saints Spotlight Editor [email protected] On Sun, May 20, 2012 at 9:56 PM, PGage <[email protected]> wrote: > On Sun, May 20, 2012 at 1:39 PM, Michael <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I am aware of the disdain thrown in Kristen Wiig's direction by >> certain TVONTV-ers, but her final go as a cast member on SNL was a >> genereally entertaining affair for at least one of us who enjoys her >> work. And it was a pretty fair episode in a wildly uneven season for >> the series. Host Mick Jagger was game for anything and generally did >> not embarrass himself in the sketches - even at his advanced age. (I >> think a gypsy family could be living in those creases on his face.) >> His musical segments benefited from teaming him with two terrific >> bands, Arcade Fire and Foo Fighters, on classic Stones tunes, not to >> mention a throwaway blues number done with the great Jeff Beck on >> guitar. Jon Hamm dropped by to do the recurring Lawrence Welk skit, >> Chris Parnell returned for a "Lazy Sunday 2" digital video rap with >> Andy Samberg. (Not as funny as the first time they did it.) There was >> a Steve Martin cameo in the labored "Californians" skit. And the last >> scene was a tearful farewell to Wiig by the entire cast and head >> honcho Lorne, choreographed to the Stones' "She's a Rainbow." Even ex- >> cast members Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch and Chris Kattan were on stage >> for the sign-off. Nice, if not as poignant as Phil Hartman's "Sound of >> Music" farewell to the show, or as antic as Tina Fey and Jimmy >> Fallon's good-bye "Grease" parody. No confirmation as yet on who else >> might not return to SNL next season, although Jason Sudekis and >> Samberg have been mentioned as possibly moving on to other things. >> Then again, neither of them has yet to garner an Oscar nom like Wiig. >> > > I don't hate Wiig, but I think she was *way* over exposed on SNL for a > couple of years (less so this season), and they relied much to much on > recurring bits from here that were far to thin to sustain the weight. They > really gave her a workout this week, which is fine I suppose, though seemed > a bit of a diss for the other cast members who are leaving. Still, the > emotion did seem genuine, and the end was nice. > > There is a kind of standing role on SNL for a female workshorse, who can > be in several skits a week, develop recurring characters, and basically > bring some of what they used to call "watercooler" moments to the show. > Working with the SNL cast list from wikipedia, I have put together my first > draft of the women who have filled this role over the history of SNL: > > A. Gilda Radner 1975 – 1980 > > B. Mary Gross 1981 – 1985 (I can't remember - I am giving the nod to > Gross, but perhaps it would have been Robin Duke from this cast?) > > C. Jan Hooks 1986 – 1991 > > D. Julia Sweeney 1990 – 1994 > > E. Cheri Oteri 1995 – 2000 > > F. Amy Poehler 2001 – 2008 > > F. Kristen Wiig 2005 – 2012 > > > I have left off lots of funny SNL women, who either were only on the show > 1-3 years, or played what I think was a different kind of role on the show. > > For my money Jan Hooks is a close second on this list only to Gilda > Radner, who I suppose there is no way not to make #1. I would Pohler #3. I > am maybe more of a Hooks fan than some, but it is hard for me to see many > who have observed the show over the entire length of its run disagreeing > that these are the top 3 female workhorse performers. Wiig is not in their > league, but she is in the next level, and I would put her with Cheri Oteri > (another performer who can divide a room pretty good between fans and > haters). Like Oteri, Wiig seems to have a rather limited range, so that we > kind of got the same thing from her across characters. Oteri worked with a > lot of strong male cast members, while Wiig sometimes had almost the full > weight of several seasons on her shoulders, so I would probably place Wiig > ahead of Oteri. In my book Sweeny and Gross (who probably do not even > really belong in this category, except I am identifying them as the > strongest female long term performers from their era) bring up the rear. > > > > > -- > TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "TV or Not TV" group. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected] > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected] > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en -- TV or Not TV .... The Smartest (TV) People! You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TV or Not TV" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/tvornottv?hl=en
