Saturday Night Live (season 12)

Saturday Night Live (season 12)
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	20
Release
Original network	NBC
Original release	October 11, 1986 – May 23, 1987

The twelfth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 11, 1986, and May 23, 1987.

History

Many of season 11's cast members were fired, except for Nora Dunn, Jon Lovitz, featured player A. Whitney Brown, and Weekend Update anchor Dennis Miller. Al Franken was rehired as a writer. The rest were relative unknowns, led by Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Victoria Jackson, and Kevin Nealon.^[1] Hartman helped write sketches in season 11's Thanksgiving episode hosted by Pee-wee Herman, and appeared in a sketch as a Pilgrim.

The first show of the 1986–87 season opened with Madonna, host of the previous season opener, reading a "statement" from NBC about season 11's mediocre writing and bad cast choices.^[2] According to the "statement", the entire 1985–86 season was "...all a dream. A horrible, horrible dream."

The season included "Masterbrain", a skit written by Jim Downey and Al Franken, in which Phil Hartman portrayed two sides of Ronald Reagan; 25 years later Todd Purdum called the skit "surely among the show’s Top 10 of all time."

Cast

Repertory cast members Dana Carvey Nora Dunn Phil Hartman Jan Hooks Victoria Jackson Jon Lovitz Dennis Miller

Featured cast members A. Whitney Brown Kevin Nealon

bold denotes Weekend Update anchor

Writers

This season's writers were Andy Breckman, A. Whitney Brown, E. Jean Carroll, Tom Davis, Jim Downey, Al Franken, Jack Handey, Phil Hartman, George Meyer, Lorne Michaels, Kevin Nealon, Herb Sargent, Marc Shaiman, Rosie Shuster, Robert Smigel, Bonnie Turner, Terry Turner, Jon Vitti and Christine Zander. Downey also served as head writer.

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Host(s)	Musical guest	Original air date
214	1	Sigourney Weaver	(none)	October 11, 1986
Madonna appeared in the cold opening to read a statement from NBC about the 1985–86 season: "It was all a dream—a horrible, horrible dream." This was a reference to the famous ninth season of Dallas, which was later revealed to be a dream. Phil Hartman, Dana Carvey, Kevin Nealon, Victoria Jackson and Jan Hooks' first episode as cast members. Tina Turner was scheduled to be the musical guest, but backed out at the last minute. Buster Poindexter and the playwright Christopher Durang appear as special guests. Poindexter performed "Oh Me, Oh My", "Baby, It's Cold Outside", and "Smack Dab in the Middle."[3] First appearance of The Church Lady.[4] Dana Carvey (as Derek Stephens) sings "Chopping Broccoli".[5]
215	2	Malcolm-Jamal Warner	Run DMC	October 18, 1986
Run DMC performed "Walk This Way" and "Hit It, Run".[3] Guest appearances are made by Sam Kinison, Buster Poindexter, and Spike Lee as his Mars Blackmon character from She's Gotta Have It. First appearance of The Sweeney Sisters.[6]
216	3	Rosanna Arquette	Ric Ocasek	November 8, 1986
Ric Ocasek performed "Emotion in Motion" and "Keep on Laughin'".[3] The episode was actually recorded two weeks prior, but delayed due to NBC's broadcast of the legendary sixth game of the 1986 World Series between the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox; the aired version began with a taped segment in which Mets pitcher Ron Darling playfully apologized for the cancellation. Ric Ocasek appeared as himself in Church Chat.
217	4	Sam Kinison	Lou Reed	November 15, 1986
Lou Reed performed "I Love You, Suzanne" from 1984's New Sensations and "Original Wrapper" from 1986's Mistrial.[3] Guest appearance by porn star Seka.
218	5	Robin Williams	Paul Simon	November 22, 1986
Paul Simon performed "Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes", "The Boy in the Bubble", and "The Late Great Johnny Ace".[3] The first song featured Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Guest appearance by Art Garfunkel.
219	6	Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short	Randy Newman	December 6, 1986
Randy Newman performed "Longest Night" and "Roll with the Punches."[3] Chevy Chase acknowledges his recent stint in the Betty Ford Center in the monologue and cold opening, a sketch where klutzy people hold a support group meeting called Stumblebums Anonymous In a sketch written by Jim Downey and Al Franken, Phil Hartman portrays President Ronald Reagan as Masterbrain, a "sweet, befuddled old man in public, who in private becomes the hard-charging director of the covert operation to finance the Nicaraguan Contras" Guest appearance by Eric Idle
220	7	Steve Guttenberg	The Pretenders	December 13, 1986
The Pretenders performed "Don't Get Me Wrong" and "How Much Did You Get for Your Soul?".[3] Guest appearances by Penn & Teller and Buster Poindexter. Poindexter and Pretenders lead singer Chrissie Hynde performed "Rockin' Good Way."[3]
221	8	William Shatner	Lone Justice	December 20, 1986
Lone Justice performed "Shelter" and "I Found Love."[3] This show features a sketch where William Shatner, sick of Star Trek fans asking him inane questions, tells them to "Get a life!"[7] Comedian Kevin Meaney makes a guest appearance Special guest Buster Poindexter played "Zat You, Santa?"[3]
222	9	Joe Montana Walter Payton	Deborah Harry	January 24, 1987
Deborah Harry performed "French Kissin" and "In Love with Love".[3]
223	10	Paul Shaffer	Bruce Hornsby & the Range	January 31, 1987
Bruce Hornsby & the Range performed "The Way It Is" and "Mandolin Rain".[3]
224	11	Bronson Pinchot	Paul Young	February 14, 1987
Paul Young performed "War Games" and "The Long Run".[3] Guest appearances by Paulina Porizkova and Buster Poindexter, who performed with the SNL Band. Poindexter performed "Heart of Gold."[3]
225	12	Willie Nelson	Willie Nelson	February 21, 1987
Danny DeVito makes a guest appearance. Willie Nelson performed "Blue Eyes" and "Partners After All".[3] In a sketch, Nelson accompanies Victoria Jackson on "The Boyfriend Song".
226	13	Valerie Bertinelli	Robert Cray Band	February 28, 1987
Robert Cray Band performed "Smoking Gun" and "Right Next Door".[3] Bertinelli's then-husband, Eddie Van Halen, appeared in a sketch and plays with the SNL Band. Van Halen performed "Stompin' 8H."[3] Guest appearance by Edwin Newman.
227	14	Bill Murray	Percy Sledge	March 21, 1987
Percy Sledge performed "When a Man Loves a Woman".[3]
228	15	Charlton Heston	Wynton Marsalis	March 28, 1987
Wynton Marsalis performed "J Mood" and "Juan (E. Mustaad)".[3] The episode features a short film by future cast member Ben Stiller.
229	16	John Lithgow	Anita Baker	April 11, 1987
Anita Baker performed "Sweet Love" and "Same Ole Love (365 Days a Year)"[3]
230	17	John Larroquette	Timbuk 3	April 18, 1987
Timbuk 3 performed "Just Another Movie" and "Hairstyles & Attitudes".[3]
231	18	Mark Harmon	Suzanne Vega	May 9, 1987
Suzanne Vega performed "Luka" and "Marlene on the Water".[3]
232	19	Garry Shandling	Los Lobos	May 16, 1987
Los Lobos performed "Is That All There Is" and "One Time, One Night"[3] Tracey Ullman appeared in the filmed Hollywood Mom sketch Nell Campbell appeared in Tenny Café A number of sketches had Shandling breaking the fourth wall, referring to the style of the then-airing It's Garry Shandling's Show
233	20	Dennis Hopper	Roy Orbison	May 23, 1987
Roy Orbison performed "Crying", "Oh, Pretty Woman", and "In Dreams".[3]

References

1. Gendel, Morgan (30 September 1986). "Another Groundling Hops To 'Snl'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
2. http://snltranscripts.jt.org/86/86amadonna.phtml
3. Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 124–127. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
4. Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 214–217. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
5. Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. p. 120. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
6. Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 218–219. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
7. Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. p. 42. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.