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Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special

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"Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special"
Saturday Night Live episode
Promo card for SNL's 40th Anniversary Special
Special's promo card
Episode no.Season 40
Directed byDon Roy King
Narrated byDarrell Hammond
Original air dateFebruary 15, 2015 (2015-02-15)
Running time211 minutes (with commercials)
List of episodes

"Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" (also billed as "SNL40") 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.[1][2] The special was produced by Broadway Video and directed by then-series director Don Roy King. This special generated 23.1 million viewers, becoming NBC's most-watched prime-time, non-sports, entertainment telecast (excluding Super Bowl lead-outs) since the Friends series finale in 2004.[3][4][5][6] It is the third such anniversary special to be broadcast, with celebratory episodes also held during the 15th and 25th seasons.

The special was preceded on NBC by an hour-long SNL 40th Red Carpet Live, hosted by Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie, Carson Daly and Al Roker, who interviewed past hosts, current and previous cast members, and musical legends who had previously performed on the show.[7]

Synopsis

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The special followed the format of a typical Saturday Night Live episode, extended to 3½ hours instead of the usual 1½, and included a cold open, a monologue, sketches, a short film, commercial parodies, and musical performances. The sketches, most of which were revivals of sketches that appeared over the show's run, made reference to the show and its four decades on air, with the original cast members who appeared in those sketches reprising their roles along with numerous guest stars. A handful of commercial parodies, including "Colon Blow" and "Mom Jeans", reran as they originally appeared on the show. In order of appearance:

Sketches

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Sketch Notes
Cold Open number Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake appeared in the cold open, performing a "History of Rap"-esque musical number referencing famous sketches from the show's history. Rachel Dratch and Molly Shannon appeared as Debbie Downer and Mary Katherine Gallagher, respectively.
Opening Monologue Steve Martin hosted with featured cameos from Tom Hanks, Alec Baldwin, Melissa McCarthy, Chris Rock, Peyton Manning, Miley Cyrus, Billy Crystal, Paul McCartney, and Paul Simon, with the latter two performing an abbreviated duet of "I've Just Seen a Face".
"Super Bass-O-Matic 2150" sketch Dan Aykroyd and Laraine Newman acted, referencing a sketch originally done during the show's first season
"Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketch Performers included Will Ferrell (as Alex Trebek), Darrell Hammond (as Sean Connery), Kate McKinnon (as Justin Bieber), Alec Baldwin (as Tony Bennett), Norm Macdonald (as Burt Reynolds), Taran Killam (as Christoph Waltz), Jim Carrey (as Matthew McConaughey), and Kenan Thompson (as Bill Cosby). Eddie Murphy was asked to play Cosby but turned it down due to the 2014 allegations against Cosby.[8]
Audition montage Pete Davidson and Leslie Jones introduced a montage featuring the auditions of current and former cast members, along with a few celebrities who never made the cast, including Jim Carrey, Stephen Colbert, Zach Galifianakis, and Kevin Hart.
New York City clip montage Robert De Niro introduced vintage SNL clips dedicated to New York City. Alicia Keys performs "Empire State of Mind" during the montage.
Political humor clip montage Jack Nicholson introduced vintage SNL clips dedicated to the political humor and Presidential election sketches.
"The Californians/Total Bastard Airlines" Performers include Fred Armisen, Vanessa Bayer, Bradley Cooper, Bill Hader, Taran Killam, Laraine Newman (reprising her Sherry the Valley Girl character), David Spade, Cecily Strong, Taylor Swift, Kenan Thompson, Kerry Washington, Betty White, and Kristen Wiig
"Weekend Update" Jane Curtin, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler served as anchors with appearances by Emma Stone (as Roseanne Roseannadanna), Edward Norton (as Stefon), Bill Hader (also as Stefon), Seth Meyers, Melissa McCarthy (as Matt Foley), and Bobby Moynihan (as the Land Shark)
A tribute to Chevy Chase Former Weekend Update hosts Norm Macdonald, Seth Meyers, Kevin Nealon, and Colin Quinn introduced and gave tribute to the first Weekend Update host Chevy Chase who gave brief comments. Garrett Morris also appears during the tribute.
Comedic musical medley Maya Rudolph (as Beyoncé) and Martin Short introduced a musical medley featuring appearances by Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig (as Garth & Kat), Ana Gasteyer and Will Ferrell (as The Culps), Joe Piscopo (as Frank Sinatra), Dana Carvey (as Derek Stevens), Adam Sandler (as Opera Man), Kenan Thompson and Jason Sudeikis (as DeAndre Cole and Vance from the "What Up with That" sketches, alongside Cecily Strong and Sasheer Zamata as Poppy and Pippa), Steve Martin (as King Tut), Bill Murray (as Nick The Lounge Singer, alongside Paul Shaffer). Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi ended the medley as The Blues Brothers singing "Everybody Needs Somebody to Love" with all the performers onstage.
"Questions from the Audience" segment Jerry Seinfeld hosted with cameos from Michael Douglas, John Goodman, James Franco, Larry David, Ellen Cleghorne, Dakota Johnson, Tim Meadows, Bob Odenkirk, and Sarah Palin (whom Seinfeld jokingly mistook for Tina Fey).
"ESPN Classics" sketch Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis appeared reprising their roles as Pete Twinkle and Greg Stink
A tribute to Eddie Murphy Chris Rock introduced Murphy with a lengthy and loving tribute to him. The appearance by Murphy marked his first appearance on the show since departing as a cast member in 1984.[9] Many at the time were surprised that Murphy chose not to give a comedic monologue or reprise any of his characters. His remarks were described as being "brief" and "awkward" according to The Hollywood Reporter.[10]
Sports humor clip montage Derek Jeter and Peyton Manning introduced vintage SNL clips dedicated to sports humor.
A tribute to Tracy Morgan Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin (jokingly introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Alec Baldwin) gave tribute to Tracy Morgan who was unable to attend due to recently suffering injuries sustaining from his 2014 accidental traffic collision with a truck.
Pre-tapped sketches clip montage Louis C.K. made jokes before introducing the vintage SNL clips dedicated to pre-recorded sketches.
SNL Digital Short Zach Galifianakis introduced the SNL Digital short "That's When You Break" featuring Bill Hader, Chris Parnell, Andy Samberg, and Adam Sandler.
Wayne's World sketch Mike Myers and Dana Carvey reprised their roles as Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar with a cameo appearance from Kanye West.
SNL Goodbyes Steve Martin pulled Lorne Michaels up onstage as they began the famous SNL Goodbye to end the night with the rest of the entertainers.

Musical performances

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The show included musical performances by:

In Memoriam

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Bill Murray introduced an "In Memoriam" tribute to late SNL cast and crew members (which also included an obligatory mention of Francisco Franco).

The following were paid tribute to:

Guest appearances

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This special assembled together a large list of current and former cast members, hosts, and musical acts from throughout the show's forty seasons.[2][11] Show creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels stated that every host and most musical guests were invited, plus any cast member or writer who had been on the show more than a year.[12] Ultimately, over a hundred in all were then confirmed to appear.[13]

In the opening sequence, 81 performers were credited. Unlike a regular episode, all performers were credited as repertory:[14][15]

Audience members

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Also in attendance included numerous actors, musicians, comedians, media figures, politicians, and celebrities such as:[16][17][18][19][20]

Production

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Of those former hosts, musical guests, former cast members and writers invited, the people who sent back an RSVP were then considered to be written for.[21] Dan Aykroyd was asked by Lorne Michaels about doing a "Bass-O-Matic" sketch, while Mike Myers and Dana Carvey requested to reprise Wayne's World.[22] Michaels stated that since different generations of former cast members were coming, they wanted to do sketches featuring mashups between different casts.[23]

Writer Jim Downey conceived the idea of Nick the Lounge Singer singing the theme to Jaws way back in the 1970s, but was never able to pull it off during Bill Murray's tenure on SNL. They were unsure if they could obtain the necessary copyright clearance to show footage of Jaws on a monitor in the background until they realized that, since NBC had already acquired the rights to Jaws with its purchase of Universal Pictures in 2002, they could just ask director Steven Spielberg, who was in attendance.[22]

Eddie Murphy was originally asked to play Bill Cosby in the "Celebrity Jeopardy!" sketch, but refused.[24]

Nora Dunn was asked to participate in the musical medley as Liz Sweeney, but refused because Jan Hooks (the other Sweeney Sister) had died.[25]

NSYNC were scheduled to appear in this special but their appearance was cancelled at the last minute.

Marketing and promotion

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A 15-second spot premiered during the Super Bowl XLIX broadcast and – along with two other 15-second clips – was uploaded on to the official Saturday Night Live YouTube page.[26][27][28] While the clips promoted appearances by Jon Hamm and Paul Rudd, neither of these occurred during the live show.[28] Numerous articles, features and interviews were published in the weeks prior to the broadcast.

VH1 Classic aired a 19-day marathon of SNL-related programming that ended on the day of the special, featuring notable episodes in a reverse chronological order (alongside theme blocks focusing on specific cast members, and films featuring them), concluding with the original series premiere.[29][30]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2015 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Variety Special Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special Won [31]
Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special Don Roy King Won
Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special James Anderson, Fred Armisen, Tina Fey,
Steve Higgins, Chris Kelly, Erik Kenward,
Rob Klein, Seth Meyers, Lorne Michaels,
John Mulaney, Paula Pell, Jeff Richmond,
Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, Tom Schiller,
Sarah Schneider, Marc Shaiman, Michael Shoemaker,
Robert Smigel, Emily Spivey, Kent Sublette,
Jorma Taccone and Bryan Tucker		 Nominated
Outstanding Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control for a Special Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special Nominated
Outstanding Lighting Design for a Variety Special Phil Hymes, Geoff Amoral, Richard "Rick" McGuinness Nominated
Outstanding Makeup For A Multi-Camera Series Or Special (Non-Prosthetic) Louie Zakarian, Amy Tagliamonti, Jason Milani,
Sarah Egan, Daniela Zivkovic, and Melanie Demitri		 Won
Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special Won

Ratings

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The special drew 23.1 million viewers, becoming NBC's most-watched prime-time, non-sports, entertainment telecast (excluding Super Bowl lead-outs) since the Friends series finale in 2004.[3][4][5][6]

References

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  1. ^ Bradley, Bill (April 18, 2014). "'Saturday Night Live' Will Celebrate Its 40th Anniversary With A Three and a Half Hour Live Broadcast". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  2. ^ a b "NBC's 'Saturday Night Live' 40th Anniversary Special Set". Deadline. April 18, 2014. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Hibberd, James (February 16, 2015). "SNL anniversary breaks NBC ratings records". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Live from the Red Carpet: SNL 40th Anniversary Special - Saturday Night Live - NBC". NBC.
  5. ^ a b "'Saturday Night Live' 40th Anniversary Ratings: Show Dominates Night - Variety". Variety. February 16, 2015.
  6. ^ a b "Ratings - "Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special" Is NBC's Most-Watched Primetime Entertainment Telecast, Excluding Post-Super Bowl Programs, In More Than 10 Years - TheFutonCritic.com". thefutoncritic.com.
  7. ^ "Saturday Night Live listings". Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  8. ^ "Why Eddie Murphy Didn't Play Bill Cosby on 'SNL 40'". Variety. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  9. ^ Eddie Murphy returns to host SNL for first time in over 30 years. "In the decades since his departure, Murphy curiously stayed away from SNL, appearing only once — in 2015 — as part of SNL’s 40th anniversary special."
  10. ^ "'SNL' 40th Anniversary: Eddie Murphy's Brief Return Features Awkward Pause, No Character Reprisals". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Bradley, Bill (April 18, 2014). "'Saturday Night Live' Will Celebrate Its 40th Anniversary With A Three-Hour Live Broadcast". The Huffington Post. Retrieved May 18, 2014.
  12. ^ Rorke, Robert (February 14, 2015). "'Comedy is so clear': Lorne Michaels on 40 years of 'SNL'". New York Post.
  13. ^ "Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special Guest List Is Insane—Check Out Everyone Appearing!". E! Online. February 13, 2015.
  14. ^ Bacle, Ariana (February 15, 2015). "Here's the full list of who showed up on the SNL 40th anniversary special". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  15. ^ "Imaginary Forces - Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special - Opening Sequence". Vimeo. February 16, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
  16. ^ Zuckerman, Esther (February 14, 2015). "Here's who will be at the SNL 40th anniversary". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  17. ^ "SNL Audience: A Who's Who For The Record Books". Inside Edition. February 16, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  18. ^ "A Lot of Famous People Went to See SNL 40". Vulture. February 16, 2015. Retrieved February 16, 2015.
  19. ^ "Everyone you didn't see on stage at the 'SNL' 40th anniversary". Mashable. February 17, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
  20. ^ "'SNL' 40 Red Carpet: Past Stars, Current Cast Recall Favorite Moments, Working With "Childhood Heroes"". The Hollywood Reporter. February 15, 2015. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  21. ^ Rose, Lacey (February 4, 2015). "Lorne Michaels on 40 Years of 'SNL': Being "'Feared' Was Never My Goal"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  22. ^ a b Rowles, Dustin (February 19, 2015). "The Amazing Story Behind Bill Murrays Lost Theme From 'Jaws' On 'SNL 40'". Uproxx. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  23. ^ Steinberg, Brian (February 9, 2015). "Lorne Michaels on 40 Years of 'Saturday Night Live' and What the Future Holds". Variety. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  24. ^ "Eddie Murphy Rejected 'SNL40' Bill Cosby Skit: Norm Macdonald". NBC News. February 19, 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2015.
  25. ^ "Nora Dunn: "SNL is a traumatic experience. It's something you have to survive"". Salon. April 7, 2015. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  26. ^ SNL 40th Anniversary Special (1 of 3). February 1, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  27. ^ SNL 40th Anniversary Special (2 of 3). February 1, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  28. ^ a b SNL 40th Anniversary Special (3 of 3). February 1, 2015. Retrieved February 6, 2015.
  29. ^ Steinberg, Brian. "VH1 Classic To Run 433-Hour 'Saturday Night Live' Marathon". Variety. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  30. ^ Petski, Denise (January 14, 2015). "'Saturday Night Live' Mega-Marathon Set To Air On VH1". Deadline. Retrieved July 31, 2017.
  31. ^ "The Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special". Emmy Awards. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
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