Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary Special

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"Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary Special"
Saturday Night Live episode
Directed by Beth McCarthy-Miller
Narrated by Don Pardo
Produced by Lorne Michaels
Original air dateSeptember 26, 1999 (1999-09-26)
Running time2 hr 41 minutes
List of episodes

"Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary Special" (also billed as "Saturday Night Live 25") is a three-hour prime-time special that aired on September 26, 1999, on NBC, celebrating Saturday Night Live 's 25th year on the air, having premiered on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. [1] [2] The New York Times wrote of the special, "In defiance of both time and show business convention, SNL is still the most pervasive influence on the art of comedy in contemporary culture." [3]

Contents

This special was preceded by the 15th Anniversary Special (1989) and preceded by the 40th Anniversary Special (2014). The 25th special received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations including a win for the Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special and a Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Best Comedy/Variety – Specials. [4]

Synopsis

Summary

SketchNotes
Cold Open Bill Murray opens the show with a musical melody and talks to audience members Jerry Seinfeld, Michael Douglas, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Drew Barrymore, Garrett Morris, and Paul Shaffer. Dan Aykroyd and Lorraine Newman appear as Mr. Chief Redsky and his niece Natasha.
Opening Monologue Chris Rock delivers the opening monologue
Schmitt's Gay sketch Adam Sandler and Chris Farley appear in a pre-taped sketch
"Questions from the Audience" segment Tom Hanks answers questions from the audience including Garth Brooks, Jon Lovitz, Christopher Walken, Sarah Michelle Gellar,
James Van Der Beek, and Victoria Jackson.
Montage of Will Ferrell sketches Tom Hanks introduces a sketch of sketches featuring Will Ferrell
Tribute to the first 5 years of SNL The Three Amigos reunion with Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase reunite to present a tribute to the first 5 years of SNL
Tribute to John Belushi Dan Aykroyd and Lorraine Newman present a tribute to fellow cast member John Belushi
Introduce the Eurythmics Jerry Seinfeld and David Bowie introduce Eurythmics as they are the respective host and musical guest for the following weekend
Tribute to Gilda Radner Molly Shannon and Cheri Oteri present a tribute to former cast member Gilda Radner
Fernando Lamas sketchBilly Crystal reprises his role as Fernando Lamas and makes jokes towards Steve Martin, Chris Rock, Susan Sarandon, Gary Busey,
Glenn Close, Susan St. James and Danny DeVito.
Dr. Evil Sketch Mike Meyers, Lorne Michaels, Tim Meadows, and Kevin Spacey act in a pre-taped sketch where the discuss the creation of Dr. Evil.
Montage of clips 1985-1990 Mike Meyers introudces a montage package of clips from 1985 to 1990.
Tribute to Phil Hartman Mike Meyers, Jon Lovitz, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, Kevin Nealon, and Dennis Miller present a tribute to Hartman
featuring the pre-taped short film “Love is a Dream” featuring Hartman and Hooks.
"Behind the Scenes" montage Jimmy Fallon presents a pre-taped Behind the Scenes at SNL montage
Tribute to the writers Adam Sandler, Jim Downey, Robert Smigel, and Tim Hurley present a tribute to the writers
Montage of clips 1990-1995 Lily Tomlin and Candice Bergen present a montage of SNL clips from 1990 to 1995.
Tribute to Chris Farley David Spade presents a tribute to friend and former cast member Chris Farley
"The Culps" Musical sketch Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer reprise their roles as Marty and Bobbi Mohan-Culp.
Weekend Update tribute Chevy Chase, Dennis Miller, Norm MacDonald introduce a montage to Weekend Update.
"TV Funhouse" cartoon Alec Baldwin introduces a new TV Funhouse cartoon by Robert Smigel honoring Lorne Michaels
Hans and Franz sketchPre-taped sketch Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon reprise their roles as Hans and Franz
Musical performance Garrett Morris and Tim Meadows introduce Rev. Al Green who sings "I’m Still In Love With You".
SNL Goodbyes Dan Aykroyd, Jon Lovitz, and John Goodman invite the cast and crew to take a photo on stage

Musical performances

The show included musical performances by:

In Memoriam

Throughout the show following were paid tribute to:

Participants

All performers were credited as repertory: [5] [6] [7]

Audience members

Also in attendance included numerous actors, musicians, comedians, and celebrities such as: [8] [9] [10]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResultRef.
2000 Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Musical/Variety Beth McCarthy-Miller Nominated [11]
2000 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary SpecialWon [12]
Outstanding Directing for a Variety or Music Program Beth McCarthy-MillerNominated
Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program N. Joseph DeTullio, Eugene Lee,
Keith Ian Raywood, and Akira Yoshimura
Nominated
Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Special Michael Bennett, Steven Cimino, Carl Eckett,
Eric A. Eisenstein, Frank Grisanti, Jan Kasoff,
James Mott, Stephen Murello,
Susan Noll, and John Pinto
Nominated
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety Series or Special Robert Palladino, Bill Taylor, Chris Seeger,
Marty Brumbach, and Jay Vicari
Nominated
2001 Writers Guild of America Awards Best Comedy/Variety – Specials Tina Fey, Anne Beatts, Tom Davis, Steve Higgins,
Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Paula Pell,
Paul Shaffer, T. Sean Shannon,
Michael Shoemaker, and Robert Smigel
Won [13]

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References

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