Mr. Bill

Last updated

Mr. Bill is a clay figurine star of a parody of children's movies shows created by Walter Williams in 1974. [1] [2] The Mr. Bill showing got its start on Saturday Night Live as a series of Super 8 films sent in response to the show's request for home movies during the first season. [3] Mr. Bill's first appearance occurred on the February 28, 1976 episode.[ citation needed ] After five submitted films, Williams became a full-time writer for the show in 1978 and wrote more than 20 sketches based on Mr. Bill.[ citation needed ]

Contents

A rubber Mr. Bill doll SNL MrBill Doll.jpg
A rubber Mr. Bill doll

Each Mr. Bill episode started innocently but quickly turned dangerous for Mr. Bill and his dog Spot. He would suffer various indignities inflicted by "Mr. Hands", [4] a man seen only as a pair of hands (originally performed by Vance DeGeneres). [5] Sometimes the abuse came from Sluggo, another clay character, which Mr. Hands usually jokingly brands as one of Mr. Bill's "best friends".[ citation needed ] A running gag in the sketches is whenever Sluggo would make his appearance, Mr. Bill would get worried and say, "He's gonna be mean to me!", to which Mr. Hands often gives him reassurance by responding with, "No!".[ citation needed ] The violence inevitably escalated, generally ending with Mr. Bill being crushed or dismembered while squealing "Ohhhh noooooooooooooo!" in a falsetto voice.[ citation needed ]

The concept for Mr. Hands came from Williams' observation that children's cartoons in the 1970s were so static, he expected the artist's hands to enter the screen at any moment and physically start moving the drawings around. [6]

Initial Saturday Night Live sketches featuring Mr. Bill were self-contained episodes with no direct continuity, with the earliest installments featuring higher-pitched character voices.[ citation needed ] After Walter Williams joined SNL's writing staff in 1978, Mr. Bill formally moved to New York at the start of the season. Later sketches saw Mr. Bill become aware of Mr. Hands and Sluggo's mistreatment, with the 1979–80 season harboring an extended story arc where Mr. Bill lost his home, sought psychiatric help, attempted to get Mr. Hands and Sluggo arrested, and was ultimately thrown into prison.

Williams left Saturday Night Live after that season, but Mr. Bill returned for a Christmas short film in December 1980, as well as the sixth-season finale, where guest Chevy Chase found Mr. Bill in a garbage can.[ citation needed ] The last Mr. Bill sketch on SNL aired early in the 1981–1982 season, where Mr. Bill moved to Los Angeles.[ citation needed ] After SNL, Mr. Bill has appeared on numerous other television programs and advertisements, including regular new sketches on the USA Network series Night Flight in the 1980s and the Fox Family Channel series Ohh Nooo! Mr. Bill Presents in the 1990s.[ citation needed ]

Characters

  1. February 28, 1976 (The Mr. Bill Holiday Special) [9]
  2. October 16, 1976 (Mr. Bill Goes To A Party)
  3. January 22, 1977 (Mr. Bill Goes To A Magic Show)
  4. March 25, 1978 (Mr. Bill Goes To The Circus) [3]
  5. April 8, 1978 (Mr. Bill Pays His Taxes)
  6. October 14, 1978 (Mr. Bill Goes To New York) [3]
  7. October 21, 1978 (Mr. Bill Moves In)
  8. November 18, 1978 (Mr. Bill Goes Fishing) [3]
  9. December 2, 1978 (Mr. Bill Is Late)
  10. January 27, 1979 (Mr. Bill Goes To Court)
  11. February 24, 1979 (Mr. Bill Shapes Up)
  12. March 17, 1979 (Mr. Bill Is Hiding)
  13. May 12, 1979 (Mr. Bill Runs Away)
  14. May 19, 1979 (Mr. Bill Goes To The Movies) [3]
  15. May 26, 1979 (Mr. Bill Visits Saturday Night Live; cold open)
  16. October 13, 1979 (The All-New Mr. Bill Show)
  17. November 3, 1979 (Mr. Bill Stays Home)
  18. November 17, 1979 (Mr. Bill Builds A House)
  19. January 26, 1980 (Mr. Bill Gets Help)
  20. April 5, 1980 (Mr. Bill Strikes Back)
  21. May 10, 1980 (Mr. Bill Gets 20 Years In Sing Sing)
  22. December 20, 1980 (Mr. Bill's Christmas Special)
  23. April 11, 1981 (cold open with Chevy Chase)
  24. October 17, 1981 (Mr. Bill Goes To L.A.; final appearance) [3]

Film

The character's popularity spawned the 1986 live-action Showtime television film Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures , with Peter Scolari as Mr. Bill. [10]

A new Mr. Bill short film entitled Mr. Bill Goes To Washington premiered in theaters in 1993, preceding the movie Ernest Rides Again . The short, which sees Mr. Bill elected as President of the United States, was also featured on the Ernest Rides Again home video release.[ citation needed ]

Two new Mr. Bill home videos were released in the mid-1990s featuring new content, including 1996's "Ohh Nooo!!! It's Mr. Bill's 20th Anniversary", [11] and 1997 straight-to-video Ho Ho Noooooo!!! It's Mr. Bill's Christmas Special!, the latter featuring a guest appearance by former SNL contributor Don Novello as Father Guido Sarducci.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gilda Radner</span> American actress and comedian (1946–1989)

Gilda Susan Radner was an American actress, comedian, writer, and singer. Radner was one of the seven original cast members of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until her departure in 1980. In her routines on SNL, she specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, such as advice specialists and news anchors. In 1978, Radner won an Emmy Award for her performances on the show. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show on Broadway in 1979. Radner's SNL work established her as an iconic figure in the history of American comedy.

Father Guido Sarducci is a fictional character created by American comedian Don Novello. Sarducci is a chain-smoking priest with tinted glasses, who works in the United States as gossip columnist and rock critic for the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano.

<i>Weekend Update</i> Saturday Night Live parody newscast

Weekend Update is a Saturday Night Live sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typically presented in the middle of the show immediately after the first musical performance. Historically, one or two of the players are cast in the role of news anchor, presenting gag news items based on current events and acting as hosts for occasional editorials, commentaries, or other performances by other cast members or guests. In modern times, dedicated anchors are chosen among writing staff, often lead writers, in lieu of cast or featured players. Chevy Chase has said that Weekend Update – which he started as anchor in 1975 – paved the way for comedic news shows like The Daily Show and The Colbert Report.

<i>In Living Color</i> American sketch comedy television series, 1990–1994

In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series that originally ran on Fox from April 15, 1990, to May 19, 1994. Keenen Ivory Wayans created, wrote and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Television and was taped at stage 7 at the Fox Television Center on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael O'Donoghue</span> American actor and writer (1940–1994)

Michael O'Donoghue was an American writer and performer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buck Henry</span> American actor (1930–2020)

Buck Henry was an American actor, screenwriter, and director. Henry's contributions to film included his work as a co-writer for Mike Nichols's The Graduate (1967) for which he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He also appeared in Nichols' Catch-22 (1970), Herbert Ross' The Owl and the Pussycat (1970), and Peter Bogdanovich's What's Up, Doc? (1972). In 1978, he co-directed Heaven Can Wait (1978) with Warren Beatty receiving a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director. He later appeared in Albert Brooks' Defending Your Life (1991), and the Robert Altman films The Player (1992) and Short Cuts (1993).

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> American late-night live TV sketch comedy and variety show

Saturday Night Live (SNL) is an American late-night live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and streams on Peacock. Michaels currently serves as the program's showrunner. The show's premiere was hosted by George Carlin on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. The show's comedy sketches, which often parody contemporary American culture and politics, are performed by a large and varying cast of repertory and newer cast members. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest, who usually delivers the opening monologue and performs in sketches with the cast, with featured performances by a musical guest. An episode normally begins with a cold open sketch that was usually based on political events and ends with someone breaking character and proclaiming, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!", properly beginning the show.

Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created and produced by Lorne Michaels for most of the show's run. The show has aired on NBC since 1975.

Saturday Night Live is an American sketch comedy series created and produced by Lorne Michaels for most of the show's run. The show has aired on NBC since 1975.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roseanne Roseannadanna</span> "Saturday Night Live" character created and portrayed by Gilda Radner

Roseanne Roseannadanna is a character created and portrayed by Gilda Radner on Weekend Update in the early seasons of Saturday Night Live (SNL). She was the segment's consumer affairs reporter who, like an earlier Radner character Emily Litella, editorialized on current issues, only to go off-topic before being interrupted by the anchor. Unlike Litella's meek and apologetic character, Roseannadanna was brash and tactless. The character was based on Rose Ann Scamardella, a former anchorwoman on WABC-TV's Eyewitness News in New York City. The character also appeared later in Radner's live one-woman shows.

"The Nerds" is a series of sketches on American sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live. The protagonists of the sketch are Lisa Loopner and Todd DiLaMuca, whose repartée with one another would be the focus of the sketch, and regular character Mrs. Enid Loopner, Lisa's mother, in whose home the sketches were usually set. Virtually all the time Mrs. Loopner, a widow, would wear a housecoat. She often referred to her "wifely duties" concerning her late husband, and told Lisa Loopner to "...go warm up the Gremlin..." before they went out somewhere.

<i>Mr. Bills Real Life Adventures</i> 1986 American film

Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures is a 1986 comedy television film written by Walter Williams and directed by Jim Drake. The film was based on the "Mr. Bill" skits from the television show Saturday Night Live. Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures premiered on the Showtime cable television network in the United States on September 11, 1986.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mikey Day</span> American actor, comedian and writer

Michael William Day is an American actor, comedian and writer. Day was hired as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live before its 39th season in 2013. He was then promoted to on-air cast status and became a featured player during the show's 42nd season in 2016, later being promoted to repertory status beginning with the 44th season in 2018. He is also the host of the Netflix show Is It Cake? Day previously was an on-air correspondent for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno and The Jay Leno Show.

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> season 5 Season of television series

The fifth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 13, 1979, and May 24, 1980.

<i>Saturday Night Live</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 7, 1978, and May 26, 1979.

"What Up with That?" is a recurring sketch on the NBC television series Saturday Night Live. The sketch first aired in 2009. It stars Kenan Thompson as Diondre Cole, host of a talk show on BET. Supporting characters include the show's announcer, originally played by Will Forte, and later by Taran Killam and Mikey Day, Fred Armisen as Giuseppe, a Kenny G-like saxophone player, Jason Sudeikis as Vance, an overzealous track-suit-wearing backup dancer, and backup singers Pippa and Poppy, portrayed by Jenny Slate and Nasim Pedrad in season 35, Pedrad and Vanessa Bayer during seasons 36 and 37, Bayer and Cecily Strong in season 38, Strong and Sasheer Zamata during the SNL 40th Anniversary Special, Ego Nwodim and Melissa Villaseñor in season 45, and Villaseñor and Punkie Johnson in season 47. The sketch has incorporated unannounced cameo appearances by a number of celebrities. In addition to this, cast members frequently play roles adding to the chaos during Cole's performances, such as Paul Brittain and Abby Elliott's dancing performances as Vili Fualaau and Mary Kay Letourneau, a student and teacher who made news for their sexual relationship.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between September 18, 1976, and May 21, 1977, the second season of SNL.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between October 7, 1978, and May 26, 1979, the fourth season of SNL.

The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between September 26, 2009, and May 15, 2010, the thirty-fifth season of SNL.

References

  1. ↑ Lee, Wendy A. (June 2, 2008). "Mr. Bill Returns (in One Piece) to Pitch a Debit Card". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  2. ↑ "According to Walter himself, Mr. Bill was originally created in 1974, one year before Saturday Night Live created".
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Tropiano, S. (2013). Saturday Night Live FAQ: Everything Left to Know About Television's Longest Running Comedy. Applause. pp. pt270-271. ISBN   978-1-4803-6686-2 . Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  4. ↑ "Oh Noooooo! It's Mr. Bill's 20th Anniversary (1995)". Internet Movie Database . Retrieved 2008-06-04.
  5. ↑ "Ohhhhh, noooooooo! Mr. Bill lives!". UPI.
  6. ↑ Williams, Walter (1998-08-01). The Mr. Bill Show. Philadelphia: Running Pr. ISBN   9780894710858.
  7. ↑ Schuster, H.; Nance, S.; Fherenbach, K. (1992). SNL!: the world of Saturday night live. Pioneer Books. p. 79. ISBN   978-1-55698-322-1 . Retrieved February 5, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Whatever Happened To Mr. Bill From SNL?". 96.1 The Eagle. July 10, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  9. ↑ "SNL Transcripts: Jill Clayburgh: 02/28/76: The Mr. Bill Show". SNL Transcripts Tonight. October 8, 2018. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  10. ↑ Rosenberg, Howard (1986-09-10). "The First Arrivals on the Home Front". Los Angeles Times. p. 1, Calendar section. Retrieved 2015-03-17. And Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures is a clunker Showtime special starring Peter Scolari as a real-life version of the ever-clobbered 10-inch clay character of long-ago Saturday Night Live fame.
  11. ↑ Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. November 4, 1995. p.  84 . Retrieved February 10, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.