# Assemble your SNL Dream cast **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 5, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096 "2005-03-05T17:13:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/21 "2005-03-06T22:33:23Z")
Great topic! 1. Phil Hartman 2. Gilda Radner 3. Dana Carvey 4. Dan Ackroyd 5. Bill Murray 6. Mike Myers 7. Jan Hooks (Hooks and Hartman? Delicious!) 8. Jon Lovitz 9. (Eddie Murphy) Gosh I can’t fathom how any such list could be compiled without Phil Hartman. The man was the _ne plus ultra_ of ensemble comedy! ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2005, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/22 "2005-03-06T22:42:27Z")
> [@choie](#): > > Gosh I can’t fathom how any such list could be compiled without Phil Hartman. The man was the _ne plus ultra_ of ensemble comedy! I agree. I think Farley, Murray, and Hartman (the first three on my list) are the only absolute essentials. Most of those other chumps are replaceable. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/23 "2005-03-07T01:29:14Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Saturday Night Dead: > > John Belushi > Gilda Radner > **John Candy** > Phil Hartman > Chris Farley John Candy? He was on SCTV, not SNL. I don’t have an ultimate cast, but if I did, Horatio Sanz would be on it. He makes me laugh my ass off. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/24 "2005-03-07T04:33:55Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Saturday Night Dead: > > John Belushi > Gilda Radner > (deleted, error) > Phil Hartman > Chris Farley Michael O’Donoghue. Writer from the first five seasons, frequent on-air performer for first five seasons (most notably as the evil “Mister Mike” and his “celebrities with long steel needles plunged into their eyes” impersonations). He was the first person to appear on the show, as the English instructor teaching John Belushi such phrases as “I would like to feed your fingertips to the wolverines.” ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/25 "2005-03-07T13:46:21Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > Michael O’Donoghue. Writer from the first five seasons, frequent on-air performer for first five seasons (most notably as the evil “Mister Mike” and his “celebrities with long steel needles plunged into their eyes” impersonations). He was the first person to appear on the show, as the English instructor teaching John Belushi such phrases as “I would like to feed your fingertips to the wolverines.” How could I have forgotten O’Donoghue? He was a man with a foppish exterior and a very sick, twisted psyche. When Mademoiselle magazine cropped half him out of a photo of the SNL cast, he wrote them: I’d like to come over there and kick you all in the c\*nts if it wouldn’t spoil the shine on my shoes. ---
**Author:** ![chrissysissystar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5e9695/32.png) [@chrissysissystar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrissysissystar)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/26 "2005-03-08T04:45:50Z")
My list: Phil Hartman - best mimic they EVER had Mike Myers - brilliant mind Molly Shannon - willing to fling herself ass over teakettle into every skit Jane Curtin - solid, snarky centering presence Gilda Radner - vulnerable, risk taking, hilarious Amy Poehler- wise ass nonpariel Dan Ackroyd - another brilliant mind Tim Meadows - he does it for me with “The Ladies Man” Darrell Hammond - second best mimic Horatio Sanz is not funny. The only reason he’s still on is that they can’t find another “fat guy”. ---
**Author:** ![DocJon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f6c823/32.png) [@DocJon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocJon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/27 "2005-03-08T05:12:43Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > How could I have forgotten O’Donoghue? He was a man with a foppish exterior and a very sick, twisted psyche. When Mademoiselle magazine cropped half him out of a photo of the SNL cast, he wrote them: I’d like to come over there and kick you all in the c\*nts if it wouldn’t spoil the shine on my shoes. HAHAHAHAHA! It’s been a LONG time since I’ve thought of that quote. So wrong, so rude, so funny! “And now, Gig Young’s groceries.” [http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:a9cI09d4s04J:www.geocities.com/emruf3/mondo.html+Gig+Young's+groceries&hl=en](http://64.233.179.104/search?q=cache:a9cI09d4s04J:www.geocities.com/emruf3/mondo.html+Gig+Young%27s+groceries&hl=en) -DocJon ---
**Author:** ![Pensandfeathers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Pensandfeathers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pensandfeathers)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/28 "2005-03-08T07:40:53Z")
I seem to be the only one who HATED Norm McDonald on Update. He wasn’t funny, at all. I’ve seen too money skits where it was practically dead the entire time, and few times where his “jokes” actually got negative reactions from the crowd. It was hard to watch the man bomb that consistantly. The only person I think could have possibly been worse was Colin Quinn. Ugh. However, I do love Norm’s Burt Reynolds. My favorites for Update? Kevin Nealon and Dennis Miller. The Tina Fey/ Jimmy Fallon team was pretty good too. When it comes to my cast list - I’m just going to post the major players from my favorite SNL time period, 1986-1994. The show has been pretty horrible since 1995. Dennis Miller Al Franken Dana Carvey Phil Hartman Jan Hooks Victoria Jackson Jon Lovitz Kevin Nealon Mike Myers Chris Farley Tim Meadows Adam Sandler Rob Schneider David Spade Julia Sweeney I know thats way more than 9, but I can’t in good conscience remove any of those people. Besides, according to [this](http://www.saturday-night-live.com/snl/castsbyseason.html), more than 9 people have been involved in one cast. ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/29 "2005-03-08T08:14:45Z")
I haven’t looked at everybody else’s answers yet, so somebody may have the same list, but here’s mine: Bill Murray Phil Hartman Mike Myers Jon Lovitz Gilda Radner Chris Farley Jan Hooks Norm MacDonald (Update Anchor) ---
**Author:** ![Pensandfeathers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Pensandfeathers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pensandfeathers)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/30 "2005-03-08T08:58:28Z")
> [@Pensandfeathers](#): > > I seem to be the only one who HATED Norm McDonald on Update. He wasn’t funny, at all. I’ve seen too **money**. Crap, I can’t believe I didn’t catch that. I mean, _many_. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 9:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/31 "2005-03-08T09:57:42Z")
None of these hacks– Will Feral David Spade Adam Sandler Tim Meadows Molly Shannon Rob Schneider Jimmy Fallon - a whole bunch of other low-rent hacks that nobody ever even really noticed Keepers– Chevy Chase Bill Murray Dan Ackroyd Dennis Miller Gilda Radner Phil Hartman Chris Farley Al Franken Mike Myers Dana Carvey (maybe) Big names I wouldn’t keep but who are still talented– Chris Rock John Belushi Eddie Murphy Norm McDonald Martin Short ---
**Author:** ![woodstockbirdybird](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/woodstockbirdybird/32/7905_2.png) [@woodstockbirdybird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/woodstockbirdybird)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/32 "2005-03-08T10:28:31Z")
> [@I Love Me](#): > > Big names I wouldn’t keep but who are still talented– > > Chris Rock > John Belushi > Eddie Murphy > Norm McDonald > Martin Short Yeah, I’m pretty surprised anybody included Chris Rock - I like him now, his stand-up, but he totally sucked on _SNL_. Really weak material and delivery there - he always looked like he was trying not to laugh at his own jokes. ---
**Author:** ![SolGrundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@SolGrundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SolGrundy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/33 "2005-03-08T19:34:42Z")
1. Phil Hartman 2. Will Ferrell 3. Maya Rudolph 4. Jan Hooks 5. Gilda Radner 6. Bill Murray 7. Christopher Guest 8. Mike Myers 9. Fred Armisen Featured: Molly Shannon, Sarah Silverman, Darrell Hammond, Tracy Morgan Weekend Update: Tina Fey Hosting would alternate between Alec Baldwin, Lucy Lawless, Alec Baldwin, Christopher Walken, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin, Tom Hanks, [random celebrity of the moment], Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin. ---
**Author:** ![LindyHopper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@LindyHopper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LindyHopper)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096/34 "2005-03-08T23:28:47Z")
Hmm…OK: (I’m following **SolGrundy** ’s paradigm–I realize it’s technically against the rules, but it gives me more choices. If that’s a problem, just cut out the “Featured” section and replace Jon Lovitz with Tina Fey–I gotta have her on there.) John Belushi Gilda Radner Jane Curtin Dan Aykroyd Jon Lovitz Phil Hartman Bill Murray Mike Myers Eddie Murphy Featured: Al Franken, Norm MacDonald, Christopher Guest, Janeane Garofalo Update: Tina Fey [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/assemble-your-snl-dream-cast/293096.md?page=1)