Caddyshack was the high point for Chevy Chase. It’s been downhill ever since.
I’ve never understood why Chase was SNL’s first breakout star when he really wasn’t that funny on the show. I get it that he was one of the first actors to rip a sitting president on TV, but his rendition of Ford was terrible and got old really fast. He really had no memorable characters on SNL although the land shark was cute for a moment. His “Look-At-Me” shtick on Weekend Update wasn’t that funny, either.
Aykroyd, Belushi, and even Garret Morris were far more funny, imo.
Belushi was comedic nitro-glycerin. The first episode I saw was the Rob Reiner hosted. I’ve watched most of them over the years. Some truly funny moments, but the best thing about is being where it is happening, while it is happening (except three hours tape delay) and feeling like a real part of it.
He had the openings, Weekend Update, and was the conventionally handsomest male cast member. That got him noticed and got him offers.
Fred Silverman was all set to go with a series starring Gilda Radner. He had everything set up to go except for one thing… Gilda didn’t want her own series, she wanted to stay on SNL.
He’s battled drug addiction, among other things.
In the early 1990s, he had a late night talk show that was so bad, it was cancelled on a single day’s notice.
When I saw him on the SNL 40th show I thought he looked like he was turning into Karl Rove.
He certainly did look like a prime Death Pool candidate.
He’s used “my back problem” euphemistically and tongue-in-cheek on interviews for his addiction problems over the years, but he also has had legitimate back problems. Dick Van Dyke actually said he felt partly responsible for Chevy’s drug problem because when he used to watch him do pratfalls on TV he’d think “You’re doing it wrong! You’re going to hurt yourself!” but never actually contacted him.
So it’s possible there’s also neurological damage.
It says on Wikipedia that the show ran a week after its cancellation, making fun of its failure.
It did? My local station simply stopped running it; it was even listed in the newspaper on the day it was cancelled.
At 71 no one is going uphill.
Me like.
Chase had quite a bit of style/charm, on the show. If you compare the humor back then vis-a-vis the humor now, you won’t recognize that stuff as being cutting edge, but, back then, most of it was. Or, at least delivered in ways that rocked many people with laughter. Chase had an amusing way of delivering stuff back then, and was charming and attractive. IIRC, there were some skits/lines about his being over-the-top handsome/hot, and, considering the rest of the cast, it was correct.
A lot of his movies sucked, but, again, he was about the best that could fit into a star template.
I can never tire of traducing or hearing mockery of the dung heap that he called a show. If you want to lynch anybody associated with it, PM me and I’ll bring the rope. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
(Joking, of course. But, I have a really poor memory for faces, in case somebody wants to lynch the purveyors of that abomination in front of me. And, I do have an abundance of rope at my home. Just sayin’. )
I didn’t see the show, but the interview is on youtube, and he just appears to be really out of breath and embarrassed about it. He;s clearly out of shape and needed to catch his breath before going on camera, but didn’t get the chance.
First I’ve seen the interview and yeah, he seems out of breath.
If I remember correctly, the pratfalls and Weekend Update were high points for the show, once it got going.
I went back and watched the first few episodes on Netflix and am amazed it stayed on the air. The NRFPT Players were barely there. It was like an hour and a half George Carlin special. Same with the Paul Simon. Christ, there were like 10 songs!
Chase, though a douche-bag, will always be Fletch to me.
But then, there’s this. My Boring Ass Life » Fletch F. Fletch
Fletch was the high point, no doubt.
As far as Chevy seeming out of it, you have to remember his whole persona was based on a certain aloofness that seemed charming on a younger man. At a certain age it becomes a little uncomfortable to watch.