"Charlie, how are you feeling after you've been shot?" she asks. In a tag closing out the episode, host (and Dallas star) Charlene Tilton sits next to a wounded, wheelchair-bound Rocket. Ewing?" installment of prime-time soap opera Dallas. The sketch in question was an extended parody of the famous "Who Shot J.R. But it became a tipping point for a season already ravaged by critics and struggling to connect with longtime fans. So it's not like Rocket was coasting through this already-rocky stretch by February 1981, when the F-word episode aired. (Rocket's dialogue even included the N-word, leading to an especially awkward audience silence.) (According to A Backstage History, Rocket felt the writers were trying to intentionally sabotage the show the authors also write that Rocket "made no effort to disguise his condescension" toward Murphy.) Many of the sketches are now ranked among the worst in the show's history - the aforementioned book saves particular venom for one widely panned bit, "The Leather Weather Report," where Denny Dillon plays a dominatrix weather reporter who relishes inflicting pain upon Rocket's character, who's chained to the map.īut the season's most notorious sketch remains "Commie Hunting Season," a failed attempt at social commentary where angry men with Southern accents gear up to shoot Communists. He also took over as anchor of "Weekend Update," another showcase for his warped newsman persona.ĭespite the promise of some cast members, the creative crew struggled to find chemistry throughout Season Six. And the show put his charisma to good use: Building on his news background, he hosted a recurring bit called "The Rocket Report," playing an overeager on-the-street journalist. The producer was already a Rocket fan, familiar with a video he submitted to Michaels the previous year. But according to Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad's Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live, she envisioned Rocket, a former TV anchorman and reporter, as a "combination of Chevy Chase and Bill Murray." She found some quality names, including Joe Piscopo and the unknown Eddie Murphy. Instead, NBC promoted associated producer Jean Doumanian to be his replacement, a controversial move that prompted the entire cast to leave.ĭoumanian was left with a nearly impossible task: finding a new batch of talent with enough star power to replace the original group. The show's original executive producer, Lorne Michaels, left the sketch series with the intent of taking a year off - assuming they'd all pick back up upon his return. This wasn't the dismissal of a frivolous bit player - Rocket had been singled out as a potential breakout star in the 1980-81 season, a polarizing and bizarre period in SNL history. But in the wrong setting, it can stain a career - like in the infamous case of Charles Rocket, who was fired from Saturday Night Live soon after dropping an F-bomb during an episode on Feb. In the right context, cursing on the job can be cathartic. Posted on 12:15:21 AM PST by nickcarraway 40 YEARS AGO: CHARLES ROCKET FIRED AFTER DROPPING F-BOMB ON ‘SNL’ Other SNL cast members who left us too soon include Gilda Radner, Jan Hooks, and Charlie Rocket.Skip to comments. Perhaps the most tragic SNL passing was that of Phil Hartman, who perished at the hands of his own wife, Brynn Omdahl, in 1998. Chris Farley ("Da Super Fans," "The Chris Farley Show," "Matt Foley Motivational Speaker," etc.) also passed from substance use at the age of 33 in 1997. Sadly, he struggled with substance use for many years on March 5, 1982, he was found unresponsive in his Los Angeles hotel room at the age of 33. Who will you find on this list of SNL cast members who left us too soon? Known for hilarious sketches like Samurai Hotel and the Blues Brothers, John Belushi was a breakout star member of Saturday Night Live's original cast. Some of these hilarious comedians succumbed to cancer or other illnesses, while other SNL members suffered overdoses. The SNL curse has been attributed to the untimely passing of many SNL cast members. This list examines the tragic fates of all of the Saturday Night Live cast members who passed too soon.
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