Anybody remember this old, frankly anti-gay SNL skit?

Cafe Society
1

A few weeks ago, somebody posted a thread about an old, somewhat misogynist SNL film set to the band Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice.” The other day I was having a conversation with a few friends, and nobody recalled this similarly un-P.C., somewhat troubling (nowadays) skit from the early 80s;

The gist is that two women (early 80s, so I’m pretty sure it was Mary Gross and Robin Duke) are hanging out at a singles bar. Robin Duke briefly flirts with a guy, and when he walks away tells Mary Gross that she likes him. Gross says “Yeah, nice enough, but c’mon! He’s gay!” Duke refuses to believe that and walks over to the end of the bar to flirt with him some more.

Gross then addresses the audience (or at least the women in the audience) and gives a PSA about spotting ‘gay guys’ and the warning signs to let you know you’re barking up the wrong tree.

As Duke and the guy exchange flirty banter, the camera periodically freeze-frames and Gross appears in a pop-up to point out the ‘tell-tale signs’, such as: “Notice the pinky finger sticking out as he holds his wine glass. And what REAL MAN drinks wine??”

When the guy makes a comment about how he’d like to see Duke’s dress come off, Gross remarks “Sure he’d like to see that dress come off her - so he can try it on!”

Just as it seems that the guy is about to invite Duke back to his place, Eddie Murphy sashays onto the scene and hissily screeches (to the guy) “you BITCH!” They are obviously a couple, have a quick spat, make up and walk off-stage arm in arm.

Duke is stunned and disappointed. Gross consoles her and reminds her “We’ve got a show to do.” And the two women strut off-stage arm in arm, suggesting that they are a lesbian couple (!)

I don’t recall the skit as being very funny (though ISTR Gross getting a few laughs from her homophobic comments), and the ending just doesn’t make any sense. But it is a very telling window into U.S. culture in the early 1980s (the still ultra-hip, edgy SNL making crude anti-gay humor.) Does anybody else remember this?

2

Yes, I remember that one. It was from the James Coburn episode (Feb 6/82). Here’s a transcript of the sketch - your memory of it is very accurate.

3

I definitely agree it’s a telling window, but SNLs ultra-hip and edgy days were behind it by 1982. That might seem like a nitpick, but the dynamics of the show by that point had really mutated, so I wouldn’t put it up as an example of cutting edge humor of the time.

4

Yes, I do recall the sketch but I don’t see anything anti-gay about it. Sure, it made fun of gays, but SNL made fun of everybody and everything. If the show had steered clear of gays as a subject of humor paradoxically that would seem more anti-gay, ie treating gays differently than everybody else.

5

In the early 1990s, there was a semi-ongoing one featuring Dana Carvey as “Lyle, The Effeminate Heterosexual”.

The best line was when a woman he was having an affair with called his wife to tell her, and she replied, “No, you aren’t. He’s gay!”

:smack:

I heard it was cancelled because men named Lyle were complaining about it.

6

Would Eddie Murphy’s classic (and to me, still hilarious) tirade warning parents to avoid letting their children play with Ken dolls lest they grow up to “live in the Village and skip to work” be considered offensive today? I ask that as a serious question, as I’m not a very PC person and constantly faux pas. I know full well that there are things I could say 30 years ago that I can’t say now, but I’ve never really been able to wrap my brain around exactly where the boundaries lie.

7

He once pulled down the pants on a Michael Jackson doll, and said, “Yep, anatomically correct!”

8

As explained in this thread it seems like the joke is about the woman not gay guys.

Woman 1 gets rejected so rationalizes the guy must be gay.
Woman 2 continues to get hit on by the guy but woman 1 spins it to prove he is gay.
Like most SNL skits they don’t know how to end it so surprise everyone is gay.
And scene.

9

Not anti-gay.

10

It was 1982, cultural attitudes were different. I’m sure in 30 years people will be offended by the way obese people and the mentally ill are portrayed in the media now.

11

It certainly plays on dated and negative stereotypes of gays (real men don’t drink wine, and gays all want to wear dresses).

12

Yeah, I’d say for the early 1980s, that’s probably a fairly tolerant portrayal, rather than the seething cauldron of homophobia that you’re thinking it was.

13

Compare and contrast with the 2002 version of SNL.

14

Is that supposed to be a lisp? You better watch it.

15

If you want a compare and contrast listen to Murphy’s “RAW”…or is it the other one?

16

But never Armenians. We’ll be fair game until the end of time.

17

And well you should for inflicting the Kardashians on us.

18

Tina Fey had Jane Krakowski in blackface some three times on 30 Rock. I’m sure people will find room to be offended in a lot less than 30 years.

19

I’d say it’s actually fairly progressive for the time - kind of an early take on the ‘all the good men are either gay or taken’ trope. Sure, the stereotypes are dated but even well-meaning entertainment can often fall back on stereotypes when trying to be more progressive. Will & Grace had a long hit run trading in gay cliches while still championing gay equality and ‘normalizing’ gays to a mass audience. I’m gay and have been offended by homophobic moments on SNL over the years but this is pretty innocuous.

20

I think it’s just satire to be honest.

Anyone remember Ambiguously Gay Duo?