# SNL Presidential Reunion **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 3, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170 "2010-03-03T19:57:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/1 "2010-03-03T19:57:16Z")
Courtesy of [Funny or Die](http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f5a57185bd/funny-or-die-s-presidential-reunion?rel=player). 😃 Though you are missed, Phil Hartman ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/2 "2010-03-03T21:17:42Z")
Very cool. Jim Carrey did a good job, considering he’s the only outsider. Is Dan Ackroyd that fat now? ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/3 "2010-03-03T21:36:02Z")
Very cool to see all these ex-Presidents together! Who used to do Reagan anyway? Love Clinton’s leering at Michelle with the cigar. ETA: Never mind, just found it was Hartman who did Reagan. He is definitely missed. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/4 "2010-03-03T21:43:47Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > Who used to do Reagan anyway? I know Phil Hartman played him sometimes, [including in this classic sketch](http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/president-reagan-mastermind/2859/). (He also did a better Clinton than Darrell Hammond does.) According to Wikipedia, other SNL Reagans included Joe Piscopo and Randy Quaid. I didn’t think the sketch was that great. I liked Ford thinking Carter was dead, although I also wondered if maybe Carter ate Ford. 😛 I’m still not into Armisen’s version of Obama. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/5 "2010-03-03T21:59:53Z")
> [@SaharaTea](#): > > Very cool to see all these ex-Presidents together! Who used to do Reagan anyway? > > . Harry Shearer did Reagan the campaigner (decently) in the Spring of 1980. Reagan took office in SNL’s worst season, 1980-81. Charles Rocket did Reagan (horribly!) that year. Joe Piscopo did Reagan (poorly) a few times. Hartman only did Reagan a few times, but was brilliant when he did. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/6 "2010-03-03T23:07:45Z")
If only there were some famous actor who looked just like Reagan… Then they could have gotten him on board for the impersonation! ---
**Author:** ![Brandus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/898d66/32.png) [@Brandus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brandus)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/7 "2010-03-04T19:05:18Z")
I’m kind of confused… how did funnordie get all these people to do this? I didn’t think the likes of Ferrell and Carrey would roll out of bed without millions thrown at them. ---
**Author:** ![RandMcnally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b782af/32.png) [@RandMcnally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandMcnally)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/8 "2010-03-04T19:15:34Z")
> [@Brandus](#): > > I’m kind of confused.. how did funnordie get all these people to do this? I didn’t think the likes of Ferrell and Carrey would roll out of bed without millions thrown at them. If I’m not mistaken, Ferrell owns Funny or Die (he’s the one that did the baby landlord for the site). If that’s so, then I’m sure the others did it as a favor or something. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/9 "2010-03-04T19:33:17Z")
> [@Brandus](#): > > I’m kind of confused.. how did funnordie get all these people to do this? Do you think Dan Aykroyd is turning down gigs left and right? He’s selling booze these days. Dana Carvey hasn’t worked very much since his heart surgeries and Master of Disguise, and there’s probably not that much other demand for Darrell Hammond’s Bill Clinton impersonation these days. Some of the others are big names, but most of these people know each other from SNL, and they know the web site. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/10 "2010-03-04T19:47:39Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Very cool. Jim Carrey did a good job, considering he’s the only outsider. Oh, thank God. I thought I had missed something somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/11 "2010-03-04T19:57:48Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I know Phil Hartman played him sometimes, [including in this classic sketch](http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/president-reagan-mastermind/2859/). (He also did a better Clinton than Darrell Hammond does.) According to Wikipedia, other SNL Reagans included Joe Piscopo and Randy Quaid. > > I didn’t think the sketch was that great. I liked Ford thinking Carter was dead, although I also wondered if maybe Carter ate Ford. 😛 I’m still not into Armisen’s version of Obama. Not terribly funny, for the little bit I saw. Best wishes, hh ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2010, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/12 "2010-03-04T20:04:48Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Joe Piscopo did Reagan (poorly) a few times. Hartman only did Reagan a few times, but was brilliant when he did. I thought Piscopo’s Reagan was the best one ever. In the early sketches, it was from his POV. He got the voice perfect, and the conceit that Reagan thought that he was doing a movie, playing the President of the United States, was brilliant. Being told by his press secretary (who he thought was the director) “No more improvisations! Stick to the script!” was brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/13 "2010-03-05T06:37:35Z")
Clinton hitting on Michelle & the Bushes bickering was the best part. Ackroyd’s Carter (which was amazing 30+ years ago) and Carrey’s Reagan the worst. Chase as Ford- not great, but it never was & that was the charm of it. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/14 "2010-03-05T07:07:23Z")
For some reason I laughed outloud at “as Washington once said to Adams . . . Tagyoureit!” The guy playing Obama has the voice nailed but he didn’t quite capture the physical aspect of the character. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/15 "2010-03-05T07:36:23Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > Not terribly funny, for the little bit I saw. > > Best wishes, > hh I’m assuming you’re a bit younger. If you were old enough to be watching Reagan on TV in his second term at least – where even those of us who loved him were half cringing each time we saw him in an unscripted moment [Nancy (standing next to Ron, whispering): “_Doing all we can._” Ron, suddenly unbefuddled and smiling: “Doing all we can!”] – believe me, this sketch was _hilarious_. Oh, and [in the sketch] Reagan suddenly turning on Jimmy Stewart and snarling: “Jimmy! DON’T MAKE ME KILL YOU!” – That was worth the price of admission right there. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 8:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/16 "2010-03-05T08:58:44Z")
Shearer’s and Piscipo’s and (especially) Quaid’s Reagan were not good. I think they all only did him once each. Hartman’s was definitely the best. After that stupid Kitty Kelly book came out, he looks up after some ceiling plaster falls, “Oh, that’s just Frank and Nancy goin’ at it” What’s interesting is that, those of us who remember, Ackroyd used to do Carter _without shaving off his mustache!_ It was a simpler time back then… Although his Nixon was better (How’s that for old! Fortunately nobody on early SNL did Ike!!!) Chevy Chase never even tried to look like him. He’s such a caricature of himself now I can’t help but laugh at his Ford! Carvey’s Bush Sr. was always genius. No cheap, commie-liberal political jabs at all! Just pure humor. And Darrel Hammond’s Clinton was perfect. Drunken fratboy, 100%!! ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2010, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/snl-presidential-reunion/531170/17 "2010-03-05T11:16:55Z")
What surprised me about that was how awful it was. Stilted, cliched and largely poorly delivered. The “Washington to Adams” joke got the only real laugh from me. Ferrell and Carvey’s Bushes were excellent (as always) but everyone else - including Ackroyd and Carrey, and especially wossname doing Obama - was dire (Chevy Chase gets a pass for attempting a pratfall at his age, for old times’ sake).