Whether or not you’re a fan of The Rocky Horror Image Present or Clue or the celebration of kid endangerment that’s Dwelling Alone 2: Misplaced in New York, it’s just about unattainable to not love Tim Curry, the legendary actor who turned 78 on Friday. He even confirmed up in a few episodes of Roseanne, taking part in one among Dan’s sketchy mates who is unfortunately by no means revealed to be Pennywise the Clown in disguise.
Far less-celebrated is Curry’s one and solely Saturday Night time Stay look, although he bailed the present out of a historic catastrophe.
Curry hosted in December 1981, an episode that additionally featured Meatloaf because the musical visitor. The 2 even appeared in a sketch collectively, wherein they hawk Rocky Horror-themed merchandise at “Tim and Meat’s One-Cease Rocky Horror Store.”
However Curry’s large present was practically utterly derailed because of a petty community govt and a shit-disturbing author.
We’ve talked earlier than about Michael O’Donoghue, SNL’s first head author, who additionally appeared within the very first sketch that ever aired.
O’Donoghue returned to SNL in 1981, however it didn’t final lengthy. He was fired after writing a protracted sketch wherein the beleaguered NBC CEO, Fred Silverman, was holed up in an underground bunker, identical to Hitler in his last days. In keeping with SNL author David Sheffield, information of “Silverman’s Bunker” quickly discovered its technique to Silverman himself, who actually was hiding out, however in Hawaii, not in a bunker.
Silverman demanded to ship him footage of the rehearsal “at an NBC affiliate in Honolulu,” then ordered them to scrap the sketch altogether. “The sketch didn’t make it to air, and that’s why Michael stop ± or put himself within the place to be fired,” mentioned author Eliot Wald.
This all occurred on the day earlier than the episode, leaving a whopping “15-minute gap within the present” (that will need to have been some Hitler sketch). The despondent writers gathered collectively; in desperation, Sheffield turned to Curry and requested, “Don’t you do Mick Jagger?” Curry responded: “Sure, I do.” After demonstrating his “hilariously humorous” impression of the Rolling Stones frontman, Sheffield and his writing accomplice Barry Blaustein “stayed up all night time” writing a sketch wherein Mick Jagger is the host of a cheesy community selection present, with company like Frank Sinatra (performed by Joe Piscopo).
Curry’s impression is hilarious, although the sketch isn’t precisely one of many present’s greatest, most likely as a result of it goes on for practically 14 minutes. Nevertheless it did its job and stuffed the time that had been left vacant by O’Donoghue’s canceled sketch. And it might be argued that “The Mick Jagger Particular” was a precursor to “The Barry Gibb Discuss Present,” which equally featured an actual life music celebrity as an unlikely TV host.
In a simply world, Tim Curry can be internet hosting The Tonight Present proper now.
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