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Saturday Night Live season 15

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Saturday Night Live
Season 15
The title card for the fifteenth season of Saturday Night Live.
No. of episodes20
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseSeptember 30, 1989 (1989-09-30) –
May 19, 1990 (1990-05-19)[1]
Season chronology
← Previous
season 14
Next →
season 16
List of episodes

The fifteenth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 30, 1989 and May 19, 1990.[1]

This season saw the first appearances of three frequent SNL hosts: John Goodman,[2] who auditioned to be a cast member on SNL during the 1980–81 season[3][4] and frequently appeared on SNL in the mid-1990s as Linda Tripp; Christopher Walken;[5] and Alec Baldwin[6] (who later surpassed Steve Martin as the most frequent SNL host).[7]

A live special commemorating fifteen seasons of SNL was aired on September 24, 1989, before the start of the season.[8]

Cast

[edit]

The season would be the final for Jon Lovitz and Nora Dunn. Dunn, in protest of the Andrew Dice Clay-hosted episode due to the comedian's misogynistic content, decided to boycott the episode in the hopes that Lorne Michaels and other producers would rescind Clay's invite.[9] However, in the days leading up to the episode, press reports announced that Dunn would not be returning for the next season, which Dunn saw as a preemptive move by the show in response to her boycott.[10] After the incident, she left the show in earnest, with Michaels describing it as Dunn's choice.[11] Lovitz had wanted to return for next season, but the filming of his movie Mom and Dad Save the World meant he would have to miss the first few episodes of season 16. Michaels gave Lovitz the ultimatum of filming the movie or remaining in the cast, with Lovitz choosing the film.[12]

Cast roster

[edit]

bold denotes Weekend Update anchor

Writers

[edit]
Main article: List of Saturday Night Live writers § season 15

Episodes

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Main article: List of Saturday Night Live episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		HostMusical guest(s)Original air date
2671Bruce WillisNeil YoungSeptember 30, 1989 (1989-09-30)

2682Rick MoranisRickie Lee JonesOctober 7, 1989 (1989-10-07)

  • Rickie Lee Jones performs "Satellites" and "Ghetto of My Mind".[13]
  • Mr Subliminal debuts on Weekend Update.
2693Kathleen TurnerBilly JoelOctober 21, 1989 (1989-10-21)

2704James WoodsDon HenleyOctober 28, 1989 (1989-10-28)

2715Chris EvertEurythmicsNovember 11, 1989 (1989-11-11)

2726Woody HarrelsonDavid ByrneNovember 18, 1989 (1989-11-18)

2737John Goodmank.d. langDecember 2, 1989 (1989-12-02)

2748Robert WagnerLinda Ronstadt & Aaron NevilleDecember 9, 1989 (1989-12-09)

2759Andie MacDowellTracy ChapmanDecember 16, 1989 (1989-12-16)

  • Tracy Chapman performs "Give Me One Reason",[13] which wouldn't be released until 1995, and "All That You Have".[13]
  • Al Franken's son Joe appears during Weekend Update in a take-off of Franken's "Al Franken Decade" bit, in which the 1990s are referred to as the "Joe Franken Decade".
  • Jon Lovitz portrays Hanukkah Harry.[14]
27610Ed O'NeillHarry Connick, Jr.January 13, 1990 (1990-01-13)

27711Christopher WalkenBonnie RaittJanuary 20, 1990 (1990-01-20)

27812Quincy JonesQuincy Jones
Tevin Campbell
Kool Moe Dee
Big Daddy Kane		February 10, 1990 (1990-02-10)

  • Quincy Jones' monologue consists of a performance of Dizzy Gillespie's "Manteca" by an expanded SNL Band. Jones dedicated the performance to Nelson Mandela, who was released from prison in South Africa the next day after having been imprisoned for 27 years.
  • Jones joins the musical guests in performing "Back on the Block" and "Wee B. Dooinit".[13]
  • Kool Moe Dee, Melle Mel, and Jones' son Quincy Jones III appear in the "Crown Heights" sketch.
  • This episode contains the largest number of musical guests in an episode, with a total of ten: Tevin Campbell, Kool Moe Dee, Big Daddy Kane, Melle Mel, Quincy Jones III, Andraé & Sandra Crouch, Siedah Garrett, Al Jarreau, and Take 6.
27913Tom HanksAerosmithFebruary 17, 1990 (1990-02-17)

28014Fred SavageTechnotronicFebruary 24, 1990 (1990-02-24)

28115Rob LoweThe PoguesMarch 17, 1990 (1990-03-17)

  • The Pogues performs "White City" and "The Body of an American".[13]
  • Chevy Chase appears during the goodnights.
28216Debra WingerEric ClaptonMarch 24, 1990 (1990-03-24)

28317Corbin BernsenThe SmithereensApril 14, 1990 (1990-04-14)

28418Alec BaldwinThe B-52'sApril 21, 1990 (1990-04-21)

28519Andrew Dice ClayJulee Cruise
Spanic Boys		May 12, 1990 (1990-05-12)

  • Julee Cruise performs "Falling".[13]
  • Spanic Boys performs "Keep On Walking".[13]
  • The show was broadcast on a seven second delay.[16]
  • Nora Dunn and scheduled musical guest Sinéad O'Connor boycotted this episode in protest of host Andrew Dice Clay's jokes about women. Julee Cruise and Spanic Boys both were quickly booked to replace Sinéad O'Connor. Nora Dunn's contract was not renewed at the end of the season.
28620Candice BergenThe Notting HillbilliesMay 19, 1990 (1990-05-19)

Special

[edit]
TitleOriginal air date
"15th Anniversary Special"September 24, 1989 (1989-09-24)
A special celebrating the 15th anniversary of the show. A long list of cast members, guest hosts, and other special people honor the show's anniversary. Chevy Chase and Garrett Morris appear in the cold open, debating about whether or not Chase is too old to open the show with a pratfall (as he had routinely done when he had been a cast member). Tom Hanks performed the opening monologue, which pokes fun at the cliches of SNL opening monologues in general. Prince[17] and Paul Simon perform. Vintage musical clips include performances from David Bowie and Elvis Costello.[17] John Belushi and Gilda Radner receive tributes in the special. Among the guest hosts was Robin Williams, Mary Tyler Moore and O. J. Simpson. This was the final appearance of Buck Henry on SNL, who was the most frequent host during the original 70s run of the show.

References

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  1. ^ a b "Saturday Night Live - Official Order - Season 15". TheTVDB.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  2. ^ "John Goodman, k.d. Lang". Saturday Night Live. Season 15. Episode 8. December 2, 1989. NBC.
  3. ^ Shales & Miller 2002, p. 343.
  4. ^ Renae, Kirstie; Gazal, Carolina (September 23, 2021). "14 celebrities who got rejected by 'Saturday Night Live' and went on to become famous in their own right". Insider. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  5. ^ "Christopher Walken, Bonnie Raitt". Saturday Night Live. Season 15. Episode 11. January 20, 1990. NBC.
  6. ^ "Alec Baldwin, The B-52's". Saturday Night Live. Season 15. Episode 18. April 21, 1990. NBC.
  7. ^ "Stars Who've Hosted SNL The Most Number of Times". Ranker. November 25, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  8. ^ Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary. NBC. September 24, 1989. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Perrin, Dennis (September 9, 2015). "When Andrew Dice Clay Came to 'SNL' and Controversy Followed". Vulture. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  10. ^ Shales & Miller 2002, pp. 337–340.
  11. ^ Endrst, James (September 29, 1990). "Ho-hum! 'Saturday Night Live' kicks off 16th season". Hartford Courant. p. B10. Retrieved May 22, 2024 – via The Pittsburgh Press.
  12. ^ Shales & Miller 2002, p. 325.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 124–127. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
  14. ^ Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 120. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
  15. ^ "How I Met Your Mother monologue". YouTube. October 22, 2013. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  16. ^ Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 264. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
  17. ^ a b "1989 Yearbook - September". Rolling Stone. December 1989. p. 120.

Works cited

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