“SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” the three-hour special commemorating the 50th anniversary of “Saturday Night Live” that aired this past Sunday night, made me laugh out loud more than many things I’ve watched in a long time. It was filled with so much nostalgic delight, a reminder of the incredible comedic power that’s been an integral part of this show since it first aired as “Saturday Night” on October 11, 1975.
It was also a reminder of the incredible Jewish talent both behind and in front of the camera, from showrunner Lorne Michaels and original castmember Laraine Newman to the many Jewish guests, stars and writers who have worked on the show throughout the years. We got to see Maya Rudolph, Vanessa Mayer, Billy Crystal, Jon Lovitz (at the American Girl Doll store), Robert Smigel standing outside in the cold with fellow writers and even a glimpse of Sarah Silverman in the crowd.
The show was full of fan service for those who’ve watched for decades and also genuinely funny (I should hope) for younger and fresher viewers, taking on current events in “Weekend Update” and in Steve Martin’s excellent opening monologue, which he jokingly referred to as “front loading.”
Still, even I, filled with unbridled love for the sometimes problematic show, grew a little weary as the hours dragged on. And so, for those who didn’t make it through but are particularly interested in the Jewish highlights, here are some of the best Jewish moments from behind the scenes and the special itself.
Larry David on the GlamBOT:
Before the event, on the red carpet, Larry David gave us all a mini episode of “Curb” when he walked in on Jerry Seinfeld and Jessica Seinfeld getting ready to take a picture at the famous E! GlamBOT, which typically makes celebs look beautiful and intriguing with its slow-motion capture but for Larry David, well, just watch:
Paul Simon opening the show with a classic:
Paul Simon was a musical guest during the first season of “Saturday Night,” and was also memorably part of the show’s first post 9/11 episode, so of course he had to be part of this special. Choosing him to open the show with Sabrina Carpenter felt particularly inspired, and their rendition of “Homeward Bound” was just so lovely.
Andy Samberg and Sarah Sherman singing about anxiety and IBS:
I know, saying that IBS and anxiety are Jewish things is a gross generalization, but having Andy Samberg, who along with the Lonely Island made some of the show’s best musical numbers, sing about how everyone on SNL, from Bowen Yang to Billy Crystal, has anxiety (and also IBS) while dressed like an ’80s pop star was simply incredible. Hearing Sarah Sherman rapping about the brain-to-butt connection made it even more amazing. Samberg also sings about “If These Pipes Could Talk” at the SNL bathroom, how working for Lorne Michaels may be worse than working in a coal mine, and how the people who work for the show populate half the therapists’ offices in NYC (which, let’s face it, are also pretty Jewish spaces).
Adam Sandler singing about Kanye:
No SNL reunion would be complete without the comedian behind the iconic “The Chanukah Song” getting on stage with his guitar and being his trademark Adam Sandler funny, earnest self. The Sandman paid tribute to the people behind and in front of SNL, singing about “50 years of writers seeing Spielberg in Lorne’s monitors/not laughing at the sketches that he obviously hated,” and those same writers getting drunk and telling everybody how terrible “Jaws” is. He then also sang, “50 years of finding out your favorite musician’s antisemitic,” a timely reference to Kanye and his ongoing antisemitic tirades, one can assume. He took on everyone’s favorite topic of nepo babies, singing about finding out that the intern you sent to fetch your laundry was Nora Ephron’s or Randy Newman’s kid. And of course, Sandler ended with a “thank you, Lorne.”
Tom Hanks eulogizing his ‘Sabra Price Is Right’:
Instead of an in memoriam segment, Tom Hanks eulogized a series of sketches that now seem in poor taste, including Adrien Brody’s cringe-inducing Rastafari impression, Chris Kattan as a gay Hitler and Hanks himself doing an impression of a smarmy Israeli salesman in the segment “Sabra the Price Is Right.”
The return of Linda Richman on Coffee Talk:
Jewish mom extraordinaire Linda Richman, played by the hilarious but not Jewish Mike Myers, also made an appearance in the special, joining the Bronx Beat ladies, played by Amy Poehler and Jewish comedy queen Maya Rudolph. Richman explained she was on her way back from Zabar’s where she was picking up some noodle kugel. She shared a friend’s unfortunate diagnosis of advanced shpilkes and how it, quite clearly, made her verklempt. She added that despite her own health concerns, she was going to pull through, adding a very superstitiously Jewish “pu pu pu.” As the Bronx Beat ladies said, “We are not worthy!”
The return of Laraine Newman to the SNL set:
Laraine Newman, the original castmember who recently opened up about how Barbra Streisand tried to confront her about her SNL impression at a bar mitzvah, returned to Studio 8H in a pretty hilarious sketch in which she meets up with Pete Davidson’s iconic Chad behind the scenes. While some viewers thought her pin looked like a Star of David, further investigation reveals it to be just a pretty brooch. Still, Newman, like her best friend in the cast, Gilda Radner, brought her Jewish identity to the fore quite a few times on SNL.
Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin paying tribute to Gilda Radner in the final credits:
Earlier in the evening, Adam Sandler mourned his friends Chris Farley and Norm McDonald in his tribute song to SNL’s casts, and Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin got to pay tribute to their late friend and original castmember in a really special way: holding up a picture of Gilda Radner as the cast gathered on stage for that finale moment. Martin Short paid tribute to that original cast and called out Curtin, Newman and Chevy Chase, who all held up a lovely picture of Radner. As Evelyn Frick wrote in Hey Alma, the fact that they insisted on broadcasting “her to nearly 15 million viewers… (an auspicious) 36 years after her death” is quite beautiful. May her memory be for a blessing.
As for Lorne Michaels, who got a final thank you, he looked, as Linda Richman would say, quite verklempt. Here’s to 120 years of SNL, at least.
