Question on Mr. Lee and SNL

saruman12 · 27th September 2001, 04:55 PM

Hallo,
Thanks again for answering my questions.
I have a new one regarding Mr. Lee hosting Saturday Night Live.
Are there any descriptions about his appearence on the net or elsewhere ?
Did he have scenes with Bill Murrey,Dan Akroid,Gilda Radler or
John Belushi ? What Characters did he play on SNL ?
(I know he played "Death",there is a photo in this site)
Thank you for anwering.If you people can not anwer, thanks anyway.

Greg Harris · 27th September 2001, 07:24 PM

Oh yeah he played Death. and it was set in a graveyard I believe. Actualy we had a clip on the website. Did we juan?, or was that a dream? (Probably was actualy)

As for descriptions I have no idea, but so many people here will have descriptions I'm sure.

**Charles Prepolec** · 27th September 2001, 07:59 PM

Not having seen the SNL appearance in its entirety, a situation I hope to correct at some point, I can only quote what Jonathan Rigby has stated in Christopher Lee: The Authorised Screen History:

As well as hosting the show, Lee appeared in various sketches as Sherlock Holmes (shoving a ten-dollar bill up one nostril), Van Helsing (staking a copy of Richard Nixon's memoirs), Professor Higgins (trying to improve the mangled diction of Gilda Radner) and as Death himself, appropriating a puppy dog, but meeting his match in its girlish owner, Larraine Newman.

I hope that covers it. As you can imagine, the Sherlock Holmes bit is of particular interest to me.

Cheers,

saruman12 · 27th September 2001, 11:26 PM

Sounds very interesting.
Thank you for posting an answer.

Jill · 28th September 2001, 12:24 AM

If I recall correctly, I believe the Mr. Death skit was shot in the bedroom of the little girl, when Mr. Death visits her to explain why he had to take her puppy. It's been a long, long time ago, but I did see it when it first ran. If I'm wrong, I apologize, but I think that's right.

**Joe Skinnell** · 28th September 2001, 02:43 AM

You're 100% right Jill. There is a clip from the Death segment on the Many Faces of zChristopher Lee DVD.

**Maria Silbermann** · 28th September 2001, 04:09 PM

I will never forget the night that broadcast! I was 15 years old, and thrilled from head to toe! Mr. Lee did a monologue and had a couple of good ones: "You know, not all of my films play at 3 am on channel 9!" (independent station, NYC), and about The Three Musketeers, "...I 'played' with Raquel Welch!" He did a skit on My Fair Lady [Prof. Higgins] with Gilda Radner [as Baba WaWa] and Bill Murray [Pickerings]. It was cute, but he didn't sing! He played "Death" with Lorraine Newmann (she's a fan -- asked to have him as a guest host on the show) as a sympathetic character "...I must go to, em, Lebanon, I have some mopping up to do there." "I'll come and visit you on your 16th birthday! Oh, uh -- just kidding, Penny! [big laughs]."I wanted to be Mother Nature, but it didn't work! I couldn't tell butter from margarine." "When you are born, Mr. Life is there, and when you die, Mr. Death takes over." Like a Dad explaining things to his child. Meatloaf was the guest musical artist, he was fantastic -- if I recall correctly, he sang "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" and "Paradise by the Dashboard Light". Later, they did a skit about Nixon's autobiography, like a vampire who wouldn't die. He was the Van Helsing character, complete with German accent (with Jane Curtain as Maureen Dean). He drove a stake through the book! Lorraine and Jane brought him flowers in the closing credits, and he put his arms around them and presented the flowers back to them. Always a gentleman! How did I recall all these details? I made an audio tape of the show. It was great!

**Maria Silbermann** · 28th September 2001, 06:23 PM

I believe Dan Ackroyd played both Richard Nixon and Pickering on the SNL featuring Christopher Lee. I'm still looking for my audio tape, I hope my kids didn't destroy it!

MariaS.

**Christina Lee** · 28th September 2001, 06:44 PM

I too remember the show. Of course it was live and of course we didn't have a VCR so I can't see it again, but I do remember how fun it was seeing the show.

**Maria Silbermann** · 28th September 2001, 07:15 PM

Christina, does your father still have the original script, or did he have to turn it in after the show? That would be a lot of fun to look at again! Not many people had the VCRs or VTRs in those days. I used an old reel to reel videa recorder in a high school TV production class around that time. I wish I'd been able to record the show!

MariaS.

Jill · 28th September 2001, 07:59 PM

Maria, that brings back so many memories! I remember, too, when Mr. Lee introduced MeatLoaf, he said,
"Meet...Loaf! [pause]
Oh! MeatLoaf!"

By the way, I do have an old video of the other MeatLoaf appearance with Tim Curry. I'm an old Rocky Horror fanatic. This tape was part of an anthology of skits, made up for Rocky Horror fans.

**Christina Lee** · 28th September 2001, 08:26 PM

I don't know. I will ask him when I next see him. I wouldn't mind seeing it too.

**Domenick Fraumeni** · 29th September 2001, 12:53 AM

I remember staying up for that episode as well. I particularly thought the Nixon one was a riot.

The cable channel Comedy Central, in the states, plays old episodes of SNL, and I'm fairly positive that there is an excellent chance of this being rerun.

I'll see if I can find any info from their programming department on this.

**Charles Prepolec** · 29th September 2001, 01:03 AM

Yep, the old SNL episodes get repeated here in Canada as well, on the Comedy Network, unfortunately in a format abbreviated to a half hour only. That being said, I still haven't seen even the half hour version with Mr. Lee, but then again, I don't watch the repeats with any regularity, although that may have to change.