When I was a kid, the one thing I always looked forward to was the weekend. I knew that would be the one time I could get away with staying up late and my parents wouldn’t be able to tell me to get to bed because I had no school the next day. Finding things to do on the weekend was always easy and being the TV buff that I am (and still am to this day) was staying up on Saturday nights to catch Saturday Night Live. I would always love to catch crazy characters in sketches like “The Church Lady,” “Wayne’s World,” or even political sketches. Nothing was off limits. The show is currently in its 35th season of being on NBC and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. This week the DVD Patrol is doing a special one with some of the hosts who have worked on the comedy program and have gone on to have great careers in the movies. Some of them have even had hits with characters from the show itself. Sit back as we honor some of the best hosts that have graced the show over the years.
Steve Martin: “Roxanne” (1987) - Being polite to someone is always something you try to do everyday of your life. It can be pretty hard when someone has something that can be hard to ignore. C.D. Bates (Martin) happens to be one of those people. C.D. is a great guy and someone you would want to have as a friend but the only problem is he has a very long nose. The type that’s too tough to ignore. Just don’t get on his bad side on that subject. After C.D. meets Roxanne (Daryl Hannah, his problems don’t seem so bad. Now C.D.’s only hurdle is Chris (Rick Rossivich). Chris has just moved into town and is attracted to her but gets nervous around women so he recruits C.D to try and get together with Roxanne. Will this spoil C.D’s plans for his intended soulmate?
The Toddster’s Take- One of the best movies that Martin has ever done. Watching him deal with something physical and using humor to deal with it is a great way to live your everyday life. He’s such a natural comedian that it just comes easily to him. The movie flows very nicely and the rest of the cast makes Martin’s performance shine.
Tom Hanks: “Turner and Hooch” (1989) - If there is one thing that people love in the World, it’s their pets. Well, almost everyone. Scott Turner (Hanks) was a cop and good at his job. Even working in a small coastal town, Turner managed to keep on going even with a small case load. Turner’s friend Amos (John Mcintyre) was old and lived down on the docks but Turner always listened and treated him with respect. Amos had only one thing that Turner didn’t like- his dog Hooch. Hooch belonged to Amos and always liked to give people trouble especially Turner. After Amos is killed, Hooch may be a witness and now Turner has just gotten a new roommate. He’s in for the surprise of his life finding out just how much responsibility a dog is. Hooch may be the exeception to the role. Will Hooch help Turner find Amo’s killer and not kill each other in the process?
The Toddster’s Take- At this point in Hank’s career, he had done a lot of crazy comedies. This movie really showed his tender side. They say in show business that the two things you don’t want to work with are kids and animals. “Hooch” was really able to help Hank’s performance and the pet really brought something special to this movie.
Mike Myers: “Wayne’s World” (1992) - Wouldn’t it be a dream to have your own TV show where you could do whatever you wanted? Wayne Campbell (Myers) (no relation to the Toddster) has just that with his own cable access show that he hosts with his pal Garth (Dana Carvey). Wayne and Garth are a couple of guys who enjoy life and really like to party. The guys get a shot at the big time when TV Executive Benjamin Oliver (Rob Lowe) gets his eye on them and needs something on what he thinks may be the next big thing. Also, Wayne falls in love when he meets Cassandra (Tia Carrere). Unfortunately, Benjamin also has eyes for Cassandra. Is Wayne going to keep his show from changing and be able to keep the girl of his dreams both at the same time?
The Toddster’s Take- One of Myers’ characters from Saturday Night Live. Seeing characters like this transitioning from TV to Movies is always tricky. Myers and Carvey were able to pull it off with ease. As the movie went along, it’s just a lot of fun to watch the situations they get themselves into. A great movie for the collection.
