"Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary Special" | |
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Saturday Night Live episode | |
Directed by | Beth McCarthy-Miller |
Narrated by | Don Pardo |
Original air date | September 26, 1999 |
Running time | 2 hr 41 minutes |
"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]
This special was preceded by the 15th Anniversary Special (1989) and preceded 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]
Sketch | Notes |
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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 Laraine 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 sketch | Billy 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 sketch | Pre-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 |
The show included musical performances by:
Throughout the show following were paid tribute to:
All performers were credited as repertory: [5] [6] [7]
Also in attendance included numerous actors, musicians, comedians, and celebrities such as: [8] [9] [10]
Edward Regan Murphy is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom as a movie star and he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. He has received several accolades including a Golden Globe Award, a Grammy Award, and an Emmy Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award. He was honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 and the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2023.
Julia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedian. Often described as one of the greatest performers in television history, she is widely known for her roles as various characters on Saturday Night Live (1982–1985), Elaine Benes on Seinfeld (1990–1998), Christine Campbell on The New Adventures of Old Christine (2006–2010), and Selina Meyer on Veep (2012–2019). Her list of accolades makes her one of the most award-winning actresses in American television history, and she has received more Primetime Emmy Awards and more Screen Actors Guild Awards than any other performer.
Lawrence Gene David is an American comedian, writer, actor, and television producer. He and Jerry Seinfeld created the NBC television sitcom Seinfeld, of which David was head writer and executive producer for the first seven seasons. He gained further recognition for creating and writing the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, in which he also stars as a fictionalized version of himself. David's work on Seinfeld won him two Primetime Emmy Awards in 1993, for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series; he was nominated 17 other times.
Christopher Crosby Farley was an American comedian and actor. He was a member of Chicago's Second City Theatre and later a cast member of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live for five seasons from 1990 to 1995. He went on to pursue a film career, appearing in films such as Airheads, Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja, and Almost Heroes. Farley was frequently known for his physical performance/comedy and athleticism. This was used to great effect during his time on Saturday Night Live, and continued through many of his films. From his early acting days and through the height of his fame, Farley struggled with obesity, alcoholism, and substance abuse. He died of a drug overdose at the age of 33.
Kenan Thompson is an American comedian and actor. He has been a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live since 2003, making him the longest-tenured cast member in the show's history. He was also the first regular cast member born after the show's premiere in 1975. Outside of SNL, Thompson starred on NBC's sitcom Kenan from 2021 to 2022.
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. 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.
Thomas Christopher Parnell is an American actor and comedian. First breaking through as a performer with the Los Angeles comedy troupe The Groundlings, Parnell found wider success during his tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 1998 to 2006. After leaving SNL, he played the role of Dr. Leo Spaceman on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock (2006–2013). Parnell is also a prominent voice actor known for his deep and distinctive voice. In animation, he voices the narrator on the PBS Kids series WordGirl (2007–2015), Cyril Figgis on the FX series Archer (2009–2023), Jerry Smith on Adult Swim's Rick and Morty (2013–present), and Doug on Fox's Family Guy (2019–2022). His work also extends into commercials, having voiced the Hamburger Helper mascot “Lefty”, appeared in advertisements as “America’s Dad” for Orbit Gum, and is most known for voicing "The Progressive Box" in a series of advertisements by the Progressive Corporation.
Steve Koren is an American writer/producer and screenwriter. Most notably, he has written for Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld, and Veep. He also wrote or co-wrote the movies Bruce Almighty, Click, A Night at the Roxbury, and Superstar.
George Edward Smith is an American guitarist. Smith was the lead guitarist for the duo Hall & Oates during the band's heyday from 1979 to 1985, playing on several albums and five number one singles. When Hall & Oates took a hiatus in 1985, Smith joined the sketch-comedy show Saturday Night Live, serving as bandleader and co-musical director of the Saturday Night Live Band.
Marci Klein is an American television producer best known for her work on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock. She has won four Emmy Awards. She is the daughter of fashion designer Calvin Klein.
The twentieth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 24, 1994, and May 13, 1995.
John Edmund Mulaney is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, Mulaney first rose to prominence for his work as a writer for the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from 2008 to 2013, where he contributed to numerous sketches and characters, including Stefon, a recurring character that he and Bill Hader co-created. Since his departure from SNL, Mulaney has hosted it several times, becoming a member of the SNL Five Timers Club in 2022.
Christopher Kelly is an American screewriter and director known for his work on Saturday Night Live (SNL), and writing and directing the autobiographical film Other People that premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. He has received five Emmy Award nominations for his work on SNL.
Sarah Schneider is an American writer, actress, and comedian. She got her start in entertainment as a writer and actress for the comedy website CollegeHumor before becoming a writer for the television sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, where she worked from 2011 to 2017, including a season as co-head writer alongside writing partner Chris Kelly. She has received eight Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for her work on SNL.
Marilyn Suzanne Miller is an American television writer and producer. She was one of only three female writers on the original staff of Saturday Night Live and was also a writer for such 1970s sitcoms as The Odd Couple, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, Maude, and Barney Miller.
Michael Che Campbell is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. Che is best known for his work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, where he has served as co-anchor on Weekend Update alongside Colin Jost, and the two were co-head writers from 2017 until 2022. Che and Jost co-hosted the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2018.
"Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" is a three-and-a-half-hour prime-time special that aired on February 15, 2015, on NBC, celebrating Saturday Night Live's 40th year on the air, having premiered on October 11, 1975, under the original title NBC's Saturday Night. It is produced by Broadway Video. This special generated 23.1 million viewers, becoming NBC's most-watched prime-time, non-sports, entertainment telecast since the Friends series finale in 2004. It is the third such anniversary special to be broadcast, with celebratory episodes also held during the 15th and 25th seasons.
Samaria Johnson, better known as Sam Jay, is an American comedian and writer. She is best known as a writer for Saturday Night Live (2017–2020), her Netflix comedy special 3 in the Morning (2020), and as the co-creator and co-star of the HBO comedy series Pause with Sam Jay (2021–2022) and the Peacock comedy series Bust Down (2022).
Nimesh Patel is an American comedian and television writer. In 2017, he became the first Indian American writer on Saturday Night Live.