Two Saturday Night Live Questions

[HeyHomie]

1. Who has been doing the announcing of late? AFAIK, Don Pardo hasn’t been the official SNL announcer in years.

2. Does SNL do re-takes? I know that it’s live, but here’s why I ask:

Last weekend, NBC aired a re-run of the April 5th episode with Anna Kendrick and Pharrell Williams. When I originally watched the episode last spring, I distinctly remember a mistake in the Little Mermaid sketch. Between Aidy Bryant, Anna, and the band, someone missed a cue and Aidy briefly broke character, before getting the sketch back on track.

However, when I saw the re-run, there was no mistake. So either NBC did some clever editing, or they did a re-shoot.

Anyone know the scoop?

[Telemark]

I believe they often film the rehearsals which are done just before they go live on the East Coast so they can use those for the rebroadcasts if they need.

[Jophiel]

The San Francisco Gate’s story on Pardo said he was still doing SNL intros until this past May’s season finale.

And he was an integral part of “Saturday Night Live” for almost four decades in his role heralding the cast’s names to kick off each show, which led former cast member Jimmy Fallon to comment later, “Nothing is like the moment when Don Pardo says your name.” He continued at “SNL” through the end of last season, when he performed the introductions on the finale in May.

It also says that he had retired to Arizona and was recording them from there for use in New York.

Pardo died at his home in Tucson, where he moved after retiring from “SNL,” said his daughter, Dona Pardo. Executive producer Lorne Michaels asked him to continue with the show, so he flew back and forth to New York for many years. In recent years, he recorded his introductions from his Tucson home.

[Tim_R.Mortiss]

Darrell Hammond filled in for him a couple times when he was out with a broken hip.

[Intergalactic_Gladiator]

I remember reading somewhere that Joe Piscoppo did as well one time.

[Thudlow_Boink]

Is it determined yet who will do the announcing going forward?

[Quimby]

On the Saturday of the live show they do a 2 hour dress rehearsal (you can get tickets to this. While I have never been to a live show I have been to a couple of these). It is two hours because they use this to figure out what sketches work and which ones don’t and cut them. They also tape some segments that will air during the live show (fake commercials etc.).

In the case of the Mermaid sketch they probably spliced in the version from the dress rehearsal that didn’t have the mistake.

Bonus trivia: back when I went (and probably still) they have two types of tickets: Band and Host. The Host seats are where the host does the monologue and the Band seats are where the band that week plays. Both times I went I was in the Band seats.

[fiddlesticks]

There was a show last season where someone on the cast filled in (badly) for Don Pardo and it generated some worry here about whether or not Don was on his deathbed then.

Some firings of cast members have been announced (Brooks Wheelen, Noel Wells, John Milheiser) but I don’t think this year’s full cast has been yet (it is usually around this time). My guess is they’ll address Don’s successor when they do the cast announcement.

[That_Don_Guy]

@HeyHomie

2. Does SNL do re-takes?

I think the most famous “retake” - that is to say, as pointed out earlier, use of rehearsal footage - is Sinead O’Connor singing “War”. In the rehearsals, she ended by holding up a photo of a child. On the air, however, she held up a photo of Pope John Paul II - and then ripped it apart, saying, “Fight the real enemy!” Subsequent airings use the rehearsal version.