In-depth profile of Jan Hooks' last years

I loved her on SNL and Designing Women.

I loved her, too. Looks like she was an alcoholic.

The article said she'd had some liver failure, but wouldn't stop drinking.

I remember people speculating she might be on prednisone, but I guess it was just alcohol poisoning.

Many years ago I remember people on DL posting that she had issues alcohol, and when she was still performing, with cocaine.

[quote]implication is her changed appearance was due to tons of booze

Actually, no. The article clearly states she had leukemia. She beat it but got throat cancer several years later.

Sad...

So many talented, funny people are very tormented.

Although her alcoholism already qualifies her as an Honorary Datalounger, this quotation makes it a Lifetime Achievement Award:

[quote]Her brother recounted her reasons for staying single and shirking motherhood. When a nurse had broached the subject, he said, Jan told her: “If I had gotten married, I’d be in prison right now. If I’d had kids, I’d be on death row.”

I really wish Jan had consulted me first.

OP, thanks for posting this

R9 Leave it to the experts.

This broad hit it out of the park every time. Truly funny in everything I've seen her in.

was she a closet case? a lot of signs are there

No. She had an affair with Phil Hartman. And while she assuredly had issues prior to his death, I think that his dying is what really pushed her over the edge.

No, she had the affair with Nealon. But she loved Phil very much.

R8, that quote is the best! Ballsy lady who lived and died on her own terms.

I'm trying to quit smoking. This article sure helps... damn! Poor woman.

As awful as Dunn was (and is) to deal with, Hooks was the real deal- a pure cunt, through and through.

[quote] The article clearly states she had leukemia. S

The article clearly states she overcame leukemia years before her death.

People with leukemia look pretty good. They're getting treatment. Alcoholics look bad.

She was my favorite SNL performer of all time, but, by all accounts, she was a real piece of work to deal with.

Even her brother and former lover, while speaking about her after her death, get barely two words out before saying how difficult she was.

And I remember in that LIVE FROM NEW YORK book, most of her castmates did not like working with her.

R15 she dated Kevin Nealon, but the rumor always was that after they broke up she had an on/off affair with Phil for years. This has been discussed many times here and elsewhere. When she died, I remember reading a post on IMDb from someone who had been in contact with a makeup artist from SNL. They said Jan blamed herself for what happened to Phil, which is why I was surmising that his murder was the breaking point for her. I think that post might still be available, I'll try to find it later when I'm not on mobile.

[quote]Jan blamed herself for what happened to Phil

Why? Was she even in LA?

I think she thought that if she had been with him, he wouldn't have been with the other woman who was crazy and a cocaine-freak, but also a killer.

I thought she was hot back in the day.

it's a well-written article. I might go ahead and pick up his book on Phil hartman

I found the link. I think the author is suggesting that she blamed herself because she believed Brynn either suspected or found out that something was going on between her and Phil.

Thank you, r26.

Sad, r26 -- Jan could have done nothing either way because Brinn was a nut.

I first saw her in 1981 on TBS Tush Show.

I always felt some weird misplaced pride when I witnessed her rise.

Phil Hartman already had the fourth Mrs Hartman lined up. That's how he did things. Third Mrs Hartman decided he wouldn't do to her what she and he did to Number Two. Jan Hooks was not in the running to be Mrs Hartman 4.0. Phil had another model waiting in the wings.

How sad to want to become an alcoholic recluse. But in those days, most SNL women had nothing to look forward to after being on the show. It was the career highlight of their lives, with the exception of Jane Curtain who was an old school pro who could sing, dance, act and not give two shits about John Belushi and nasty Michael Mc Donogh's misogyny.

Kevin Nealon was a nonentity and look at how much work he got after SNL. He's still doing drug commercials with his $5 wig on, but where are Cheri Oteri, Molly Shannon, Julia Sweeney? Nora Dunn has some kind of reputation for being weird, but she sure seems normal to me. Let's compare her to the world's biggest asshole, Chevy Chase. She's nowhere near the asshole he is and was, but she can't get decent work. Ana Gasteyer hasn't had anywhere the career or no-talents Adam Sandler and Rob Scheider.

Until SNL was accused of sexism (and proven to be sexist) by the book on SNL by the LA Times critic, there hadn't been any female head writers . Lorne Michaels quickly put Tina Fey in that spot and played up her role as head writer to the press. After Will Ferrell bludgeoned his way to becoming famous, Michaels allowed Kristen Wiig to do the same thing saying, "See? It's not just an alpha male thing!! We have alpha females, too!"

I think both Jan and Nora were in the right place at the wrong time.

[quote]Jane Curtain who was an old school pro who could sing, dance, act and not give two shits about John Belushi and nasty Michael Mc Donogh's misogyny.

Yet when John went off the deep end with drugs, it was Jane who went to Lorne to try to get John some help. Lorne just skittered away in that Jewish way of theirs.

[quote]Phil Hartman already had the fourth Mrs Hartman lined up. That's how he did things. Third Mrs Hartman decided he wouldn't do to her what she and he did to Number Two

As per "You Might Remember Me," he didn't meet Brynn until after he and his second wife divorced. His second wife, Lisa, was interviewed extensively for the book and she certainly didn't hold back, so I think she'd have mentioned it if Brynn had been waiting in the wings.

I heard that her relationship with Phil was one of missed timing. Whenever he was single she was in a relationship and vice versa. Apparently Brynn was very suspicious of Jan and largely drove her off. Phil's death sent Jan over the edge. Her biggest missed opportunity.

I loved Jan and Cheri Oteri. Molly Shannon has had a decent career, she can act at least.

I'm sorry but she stunk in Designing Women. She was just not funny at all.

R35 It wasn't her fault that Designing Women got so bad when she joined. After Delta Burke and Jean Smart left, the creators and writers were unable to keep things afloat. It's a mystery why they made Jan's character such a dimwitted hayseed, when Jean Smart played her sister as sweet and naive but smart, too.

Julia Duffy's career was also damaged by the show through no fault of her own.

Pity Jan wound up playing a version of Victoria Jackson,

R37 Her character wasn't as stupid as Victoria Jackson. She played an idiot but not a bigoted idiot.

Jan reminds me a bit of Tiffani Sedaris in this profile.

Her looks changed so drastically. It's said she stayed upstate after 9/11. I guess it was kind of the straw that broke the camel's back. Smoking became pretty much impossible in NYC, too. If people smell your tobacco smoke, they complain to building management.

I guess she drank to steady her nerves. She said she was terrified of going onstage. With underlying anxiety like that, being a smoker who was shunned in the city and watching a terrorist attack that took down two skyscrapers downtown might push you over the edge.

The drinking and smoking did not help matters in regard to her looks, but she was also sick for a very long time. She had breast cancer in the 90s, and then as it said in the article, leukemia and ultimately throat cancer. She was pretty much sick on and off for about 18 years. When you think of all that and then add in her lifestyle, it's a miracle she lived as long as she did.

[quote]I guess she drank to steady her nerves.

That's what you alcoholics call it; the rest of us call it being an alcoholic.

She's human. Beautifully so.

I have nothing but love for her.

[quote] That's what you alcoholics call it;

I don't drink. Alcohol does nothing for me except give me reflux.

Her appearance at SNL's 25th anniversary special was heartbreaking; during the Hartman tribute intro, she barely kept it together, and her costars practically had to hold her up.

"When you think of all that and then add in her lifestyle, it's a miracle she lived as long as she did."

Pretty sure all that was tied right into her lifestyle. How do you think cancer happens?

Doubtless yes, R46, but I assume she also had a predisposition to it since her mother died of cancer. I'm pretty sure I heard that her aunt died of it too.

[quote]This broad hit it out of the park every time. Truly funny in everything I've seen her in.

I agree 100%. She was a truly gifted comedienne, and god could she rock a Southern accent like nobody else.

When Jane guested on 30 Rock a few years ago, she still had it. She was hilarious, never lost a bit of her comedic talent. Like many talented people it seemed like she was a lonely person with issues and it's such a shame she died at such a relatively young age. I just loved her in everything she did.

I think this is her house upstate. Such a shame to lose a talent so young. I was so glad to see her on "30 Rock".

Wow, what a crappy house, R49. So depressing.

I was wondering how she was able to afford an upstate house. Now I know!

[quote]She had breast cancer in the 90s

How do you know this, R41?

I think the house is really pretty. Simple and the lot is gorgeous.

On an episode of DW, Carlene was talking about what a theme song for her life would sound like and then described how the song would look in a video or opening credits. She started singing a few words of it and it was something like "doing it the best I can-an-an..." It was hysterical and can't find a clip of it online.

Does anyone remember this scene? Can you you find it anywhere online?

Datalounge is the only place on the whole internet where a thread on Jan Hooks would get so much attention. Love you guys!

Thanks for the laughs, Jan.

Clearly anyone who drinks to the point of liver problems is an alcoholic, regardless of why someone drinks. It's rather fatalistic to chain smoke after health issues like cancer. Jan seems like someone just not to keen on living. Sad.

r54, When Jan Hooks died last year we had a huge thread and there wasn't one single negative comment. I don't believe I've ever seen a thread on DL that was 100% good things to say about someone. Everybody loved Jan Hooks.

It's sad that such a talented lady seemed to have so many personal demons, as Kevin Nealon alluded to in that article. To spend so many years just being alone in your house and drinking, I cannot imagine.

I think it's a pretty little house, too, and the lot is beautiful. It would be a great summer home. She didn't live lavishly, but she wasn't livng in squalor, either. Thanks for the laughs, Jan!

Depressed people often to to cure their loneliness with isolation.

I loved Jan Hooks. I loved Nora Dunn even more. Nora cracked me with her character Pat Stevens. Nora was a friggin hoot.

RIP to both Jan and Grantland.

That's a lovely property she had and the house is decent as well. Good bones as we say. I could see my partner and I enjoying summers there and working our asses off renovating and building other structures.

I don't see Jan's life as negatively as many of you. She lived as she wanted, she had the freedom to make her own decisions, she was financially stable and her brother loved and cared for her.

Some people just don't enjoy the company of others that much.

[quote]Some people just don't enjoy the company of others that much.

You make your, ur, HER choice sound as if it was made for noble reasons instead of alcoholism and a personality disorder.

"Wow, what a crappy house, [R49]. So depressing. "

Yeah, it's a real shithole. No one except pretentious twats like R50 should be forced to live in such filth and squalor.

R51 it was mentioned in one of the threads we had here after she died. Someone posted a bunch of messages from the old Usenet groups.

R53 Carlene's apartment!! It's on youtube, here's the link.

[quote]Nora Dunn has some kind of reputation for being weird, but she sure seems normal to me.

R30, A friend of mine had a little craft services/catering business many years ago, and once did a small job for Nora. They met on some shoot, and then Nora hired her for a little holiday afternoon open-house thing. She said Nora was extremely cool! When it was over, and my friend had packed up, Nora invited her to sit down and have a glass of wine and smoke a joint with them (her husband & a friend of theirs who was hanging around).

[quote]Some people just don't enjoy the company of others that much.

Oh come off it, Mary. Don't be so ridiculous. She gave up a successful career, turned down multiple offers for over a decade and all but disappeared off the face of the earth so she could smoke and drink herself to death. You make it sound like she "just liked her privacy" when she was clearly suffering from major, crippling depression and alcoholism.

It's very sad. If she had gotten some help, maybe she would have gotten her problems under control and she would still be alive today, free to live any life she wanted, in or out of the public eye, working or just living off her residuals. Do not sugar coat her death like she was some noble recluse who just wanted privacy. She actively avoided people (and potential heop) while her health spiraled from her self-destructive addictions. You do her memory a disservice to characterize it any other way.

[quote]I was wondering how she was able to afford an upstate house. Now I know!

Upstate New York is dirt-cheap compared with metro NYC.

My point was, R69, that I couldn't understand how she could afford to buy and maintain any property outside of a Detroit shack, considering that she hadn't worked in a million years.

This is one of the saddest threads I've read on Datalounge. I always enjoyed Jan Hooks. She was incredibly funny and had perfect comedic timing. I always thought she would be a huge star beyond SNL.

It's true what someone said above, nobody has a bad thing to say about Jan Hooks. She was extremely likable. And she didn't mug for the camera like some other SNL players past and present - she was always true to the character she was playing.

Nora on Jan's death:

[quote]I'm not ready to accept that Jan died, at 57. That's not fair. But neither is life. It's sorrowful, and there isn't one comedian worth her weight in salt if she doesn't understand that. No matter how long we are here, it's not long enough. But I always thought I'd see Jan again. I knew she wasn't well, but we always think things will get better. It takes a long time, a long history, to know that the best things, the best moments in life, are gone in what seems like a flash. She and I had our best moments together on television, and sometimes late at night in our offices where we were talking and not writing, and sometimes out in a so-so tavern in midtown Manhattan while we were drinking too much. She and I spent an evening with George Harrison in Lorne's office one night, drinking wine and playing records and listening to one of the Beatles, who was engaging and prolific, I remember her saying afterwards, "Did that really happen?" And I hear myself saying that now, as I read this piece. Did it?

Frau at r68 thinks everybody should live the way she does.

Hunter Thompson led a similar life. IMO there's nothing pathetic about either of them.

r29 I saw her on the Tosh show, as well. Her best bit was her "Tammy Jean and the Inspirational Recreational Vehicle". I always wished that she would bring the character to SNL. I was shocked to hear of her death. I hope she was where she wanted to be, with people she wanted around her, and that she was in no pain and went quickly. Jan, say hi to Joan River for me.

Helluva

I love that episode, R66! Especially the part about how she cleaned out the toothbrush cup real good.

Alkie @ R73.

I don't think this was a case of Jan just being Jan and happily living the way she wanted to live. I think this was about her developing coping mechanisms, however destructive, to soothe the emotional and physical pain she was in. The article did not detail anything she did in her later years that brought her genuine joy. I mean, she could have decided to be a total recluse and still found things to make her happy. She could have become an avid bird watcher, or built a stamp collection, or devoted all her time to raising goats. Whatever she fancied. Instead, she sat on her couch watching old movies and drank and smoked herself sick.

What her brother said at the end of the profile was very telling to me:

[quote] Most of us haven’t heard from her in years. But you know, maybe we can learn a lesson from that. If you’re feeling bad or lonely, please reach out. There are a lot of people right here that love you.

It sounds as if he knew that she didn't get the help she needed.

I believe Janet Charlton is the reason Phil is dead.

Why do you say that R78?

Because that week there was a blind item in Charelton's column. It was about a comedian who was into cross dressing and prostitutes and it sounded very much like Phil.

Also the day he died one of his good friends, very upset went on one of the Entertainment TV Shows and said there could be things about Phil that would come out but for the fans not to believe it. It was one of the oddest interviews I had ever seen.

[quote]It's true what someone said above, nobody has a bad thing to say about Jan Hooks.

Can you even read?

I remember Jan from the short-lived "Bill Tush Show" on TBS back in the day. Up until that show, TBS had had no original programming and had been almost exclusively sit-com reruns and sporting events. Jan was a stand-out even at that young age. I remember flipping around the TV dial and stopping when I heard her amazing, exaggerated Southern accent. She was doing a character (she may have been called Tammy Jean) who was probably based, at least in part, on Tammy Faye Baker. She'd talk passionately about the baby Jesus and the need for donating to HIS work - via THEIR ministry. But she got particularly passionate and emotional - angry and sad to the point of real tears - when she went on to talk about a MOST sensitive problem, "Someone, I won't say who.........has been parking in the space reserved for the Prayer Cadillac." My friends and I have used that line many times over the years in relation to religious hypocrites.

I thought it was one of the funniest, most outrageous (at the time), and most original comedy bits I'd ever heard. The Bill Tush Show didn't last long, but I, too, felt some kind of weird pride about Jan's success. Who breaks into show business from an independent UHF TV station in Atlanta, GA. She wasn't perfect but she had a spark of genius and she did some amazing things. Go well, Jan.

The Tush show's writers were Bonnie and Terry Turner.

When Jan got SNL, she got them hired on the writing staff, and they moved to NYC from Atlanta.

They went on to write and produce a ton: the Wayne's World movies, 3rd Rock from the Sun, That '70s Show.

They're millionaires now, because of Jan.

R83, what an odd, lovely coda for the thread.

It makes me want to not return and read more comments. (But I will.)

Speaking of Bonnie and Terry, they were also on Tush with her. I wonder if she stayed in touch with them.

This is my favorite Tammy Jean sketch.

Here's Jan with the Turners and Bill Tush.

"My eyes have seen it ... and it is large."

R80, that's really interesting. I read the Phil Hartman book by Mike Thomas and it didn't mention anything about Janet Charleton or cross-dressing...

If only Phil and Jan had hooked up (no pun intended), they might both be alive today.

[quote]Even her brother and former lover, while speaking about her after her death, get barely two words out before saying how difficult she was.

Her brother was her former lover too???

possibly repressed les?

I miss SNL and I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when she did Tammy Faye. I can relate to Ms Hooks. Sometimes the world and various circumstances just make you want to 'get out of the fast lane.'

Especially the way the world and 'politics' are unfolding these days.

Her Tammy Faye was indeed sublime. This whole skit is BRILLANT. All of them, every thing about it.

It was mentioned that Jan hated being famous, and it was her own choice to slow down. She was still getting good offers but apparently couldn't be bothered. Perhaps she thought that fame and all the bullshit that goes with it would be psychologically unhealthy for her and she wanted to preserve her sanity. She certainly wouldn't be the first performer who felt that way.

In any event, she was sublimely talented and I'm glad she shared that talent with us.

Her caricature of the elderly, addled Bette Davis was hilarious, and somehow she didn't come off as mean.

Yes, Jan as the elderly Bette Davis was very funny.

FWIW I would love to spend the remainder of my days mildly stewed, smoking cigarettes and watching old movies. It could be in a city or a small isolated town. Though I would prefer a milder climate than upstate NY. Pperhaps Jan preferred the changing seasons. I would also like to die before I became too old and decrepit and wracked with pain.

Sounds like her friends and family loved her, she was successful in a career of her choice and lived and died as she choose. Aside from her illnesses, Jan's life and death do not sound so awful to me.

I agree, r95

Sweet, sweet Jan. Loved her Bette Davis

"And NOBODY! NOBODY could make a waffle like Bert Lahr!"

When Jan appeared on 30 Rock a few years ago, she was very bloated and unhealthy-looking. I wondered at the time if there was an alcohol problem.

I've always felt terrible for Hooks, Nora Dunn and Ana Gasteyer, all three of whom were/are incredibly talented and should have had bigger careers after SNL.

This is the other sketch with Jan as Bette Davis.

"I would like a DRINK!"

The scene that always comes to mind is Jan as Tammy Faye busting out of prison with Nora Dunn as Leona Helmsley and Tammy Faye saying "Oh Lord, this is the only thing i ask of you ... let this witness die!"

r101 I've searched for that skit online but can't find it. I remember it being very funny.

I've always loved this publicity photo of Jan and Nora Dunn as the Sweeney Sisters. The poses and facial expressions are priceless.

Demonic raisins I rebuke you!

All her house needs is a little white vinyl siding to perk it up a bit.

59 is absolutely correct.

R95 I agree 100%.She gave herself permission to whatever she liked.I'd rather go younger and have a few good years.Its kind of like that movie"Leavin' LasVegas" .I could think of way worse ways to go.

R90 I found this picture and two posts down someone put up the video of Tammy Faye.She won me over wiyhhtgat impression, also.

She didn't care about staying busy with work. She didn't seem to have any close relationships and just wanted to be alone with her "pets." She wouldn't stop drinking and smoking. It sounds like she didn't care whether she lived or died. She must have been very depressed. Why didn't she get help? I guess she didn't want any.

Comedians tend to be very disturbed people and she's just another example of that. Such a talented, funny woman....but her life was unbearably sad.

I wonder what her childhood was like? How was she so hardened about not wanting a husband or children at such a young age? It would interesting if her brother and farmhouse friend collaborated with a writer so her fans could learn more about her.

I know she dated men so did I, but how do u know she was not closeted?… I adore her !!!

Jan as Bette Davis was fucking amazing. I agree with the above poster who said that she was truly funny in everything she ever did, she never hit a bad note.

R9 = try-hard embarrassment to DL

I'm with you r43!

I'd love for someone to write a book about her, R109. It feels like there's still so much more to her story. In the article, Kevin Nealon said that Jan had issues with a lot of different things, but did not elaborate on what those were. She seemed tormented, and while I enjoyed reading this profile, it did not get into what was tearing her apart.

Not a beauty queen type, but still beautiful.

The show owed her a tribute like the one for Gilda Radner -- Jan was even more versatile. One of the best performers ever on SNL.

She didn't need companionship. She amused herself. To some,me included,relationships are more trouble than they are worth.She could eat,drink and go wherever she wanted.It's embarrassing to be sickly around someone

It sounds like a great way to go if you ask me.She had a death sentence and just rode the wave until she could no more.Money,old movies,delicious food and unlimited booze.,where do I sign up for this death package. .

R114 Brilliance drives some people mad.She was amazing and I'd love to learn what made her tick and what those dark clouds brewing under the surface were about. If you can win DL over,you've got a strange magic.

I'm thinking the farmhouse friend would be the only one that could do it.I don't think she was that into Kevin Nealon.She met her match with Phil and I could see how she fell for him.He had the same darkness she had underneath,though. Could you imagine them as a couple,they would have been incredible.

List of Characters-I don't remember the Ann Margaret,but I bet it was funny- characters included Candy Sweeney of "The Sweeney Sisters". She performed notable impressions of Bette Davis, Ann-Margret, Betty Ford, Nancy Reagan, Sinéad O'Connor, Jodie Foster, Tammy Faye Bakker, Kathie Lee Gifford, Kitty Dukakis, Diane Sawyer and Hillary Clinton.

This has a clip of Phil playing playing Frank Sinatra with Jan playing Sinead O'Conner and Billy Idol.One of the most hilarious skits ever.

This article has most in-depth information I've found so far.Her family sang "The Trolley Song" at her funeral,which iithought was great.She didn't live beyond her means and seemed t know herself really well.

She had 66 acres in addition to the farmhouse.She was no dummy.She was losing her voice and facing being mute.That's similar to an athlete losing their legs.

R109, you don't have to be "hardened" to not want a husband and children. She was a smart woman who knew herself well enough to know that the white picket fence thing wasn't for her.

And judging from the special snowflakes running amuck on our college campuses today, we'd be a lot better off if more people followed Jan's example.

This has been stuck in my head all morning from this thread...Her and Nora..What a team!

Clang, clang, clang went the trolley Ding, ding, ding went the bell Zing, zing, zing went my heartstrings From the moment I saw him I fell

R121 I guess I shouldn't have used hardened.I meant rebel against everything her peers were probably doing.She is a shining example of "follow your heart". She's a puzzle and I'm curious as to why she knew she wanted to be alone at such a young age.It took me 20 years to learn I'm better alone.I wish I had the fortitude she did.

r101, r102 for some unknown reason, that skit (which I loved) has been pulled from everywhere. The episodes of SNL on Hulu are severely cut and that sketch was missing from the Rick Moranis episode. I don't remember anything in it being so outrageous....just funny impersonations of Zsa Zsa, Leona, Jim and Tammy.

I can remember that skit r124, as well as a few others of Jan's that are nowhere online. I've only been able to find a couple of Sweeney Sisters sketches and there were quite a few of those. I have no idea why Lorne is so stingy with putting so many SNL sketches online.

Could the absense of the Sweeney Sister sketches be because of the music rights to all the songs they sung in them?

Paul Simon hosted one night. The Sweeney Sisters treated him and us all to their version of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" When the chorus came around Jan was standing in Paul's face, screaming......like a bridge ova troubled water...Paul holding back his laughter She was a good one, she was a bright light on that show.

r127 the full skit isn't online, but there is this snippet with the part you mentioned.

I saw on Twitter that Mike Thomas found our thread. Mike, if you're reading this, thank you for the article. Would you please consider writing a full length biography on Jan? As you can see, her fans continue to be fascinated by her.

R124 That sketch was called The Big Bitch Bull Dyke Bust-Out of '89.

I loved Jan too. She was on the show while I was in middle and high school. I changed schools 4 times from 87-93 and just lived for Saturday Night Live. Everything else was just BS!

Remember Tammy Wynette Sings the Classics? "Stand By Stand By Stand By Yerrrrrrrrr Maaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnn."

R129, yes, Mike Thomas, if you're reading this, please write a bio of Jan! The Greta Garbo of SNL who could have cashed in but instead decided "I vant to be alone"!!

I personally think the late 80's/early 90's were SNL's best years.

It's such bullshit she never got a Best of Jan Hooks DVD, like Tracy Morgan or David Spade or Alec Baldwin or Will Farrell (who got 3!).

R133 SNL has always been sexist.

Why does it always seem that the truly talented people who actually contribute worthwhile entertainment to the culture are fucked-up messes? The no-talents are always in our faces and seemingly everywhere, but the truly talented either die young or go off the rails. It's not fair.

Jan Hooks was one of the best comedic actresses ever. She was 100% funny in everything I ever saw her in.

“I think the saddest people always try their hardest to make people happy because they know what it’s like to feel absolutely worthless and they don’t want anyone else to feel like that.” - Robin Williams

I think there's a lot of truth to this sentiment. Great art often is born out of a lot of pain and suffering. It's the quickest tap into the raw human condition.

It is ridiculous that Cheri O'Teri has a BEST OF... collection, but Jan doesn't.

R137 I bet it has everything to do with Jan and Lorne not getting along.

Many of Jan's SNL skits are not online, either. Only one Sweeney Sisters sketch out of the many that she and Nora Dunn did is available.

"FWIW I would love to spend the remainder of my days mildly stewed, smoking cigarettes and watching old movies. It could be in a city or a small isolated town. Though I would prefer a milder climate than upstate NY. Pperhaps Jan preferred the changing seasons. I would also like to die before I became too old and decrepit and wracked with pain. "

Same here!!!!

Why are so obsessed with a C-list actress who ruined "Designing Women"?

R138, why didn't Lorne and Jan get along?

Every thread has its "why me so stupid" and R141 is this one's.

R142, Jan was in good company.

Jane Curtain couldn't stand Lorne either. Toward the end of her tenure, Gilda wasn't his biggest fan. Laraine Newman hasn't had much good to say about him either.

And Belushi thought Lorne was a total dipshit.

[quote]And Belushi thought Lorne was a total dipshit.

Finally! Something I like about Belushi. Lorne is a dipshit, especially the way he keeps getting in front of the camera.

How much do you think Lorne Michaels is worth?

[quote]Cheri O'Teri

Oh, dear.

I uploaded the Tammy Faye / Leona Helmsley / Big Bitch Bull Dyke sketch on to Vimeo. Sorry for the crappy quality and sound, but the original copy I cut it from was terrible.

Uggh, the beginning got cut off. Sorry about that, I'll try and upload it again a little later. But most of it is there.

R148 Thank you for doing that!

Victoria Jackson was surprisingly not awful as Zsa Zsa. I wonder how she felt about Jan Hooks making fun of crooked Christians.

No problem, R150. I'm replacing the video now with the full version, so give it about 20 minutes until it's back up.

Thank you, r148! I'd never seen that and it's really funny.

You're welcome, R153. Just to make things complete, I also uploaded the full version of the Sweeney Sisters with Paul Simon.

Thank you Mr. Uploader! I haven't seen these sketches in years and they're just as funny as I remember! Jan Hooks was a goddess of comedy.

God, that article is sad. She is one of those celebrities you want to go back in time and hug. I'd do the same for Jessica Savitch and Judy Garland. Couldn't fix their problems, but you just want to let them know they are appreciated.

I want Toonces videos thanks

[quote] rumor always was that after they broke up she had an on/off affair with Phil for years. This has been discussed many times here and elsewhere

I've been here since 1998 and no one "discussed" Phil Hartman having an affair with Juan Hooks even when he was killed. If you read a thousand articles about Phil Hartnan and read biographies about him, nowhere is there even a hint of an affair with Hooks. She was his "work wife" at SNL, because she often played his wife/gf, but she didn't have an affair with him.

Julia Sweeney, of all people, was very close to Phil and his wife. She would have at least hinted about an affair with a castmate if he'd been having one.

People on DL just make shit up all the time.

I first heard of a Phil-Jan affair on ASG back in the 90s.

[quote]I want Toonces videos thanks

There are a bunch of Toonces videos on the SNL website.

[quote]Thank you Mr. Uploader! I haven't seen these sketches in years and they're just as funny as I remember! Jan Hooks was a goddess of comedy.

You're welcome R155. Here's Miss Self Esteem USA. The sound gets particularly awful half way through, sorry about that. I wish I could fix it, but the copies I have of these episodes are all terrible.

R160, thank you! That gives me life on a lousy day. Jan looked so pretty in that sketch.

That Miss Self Esteem clip is amazing. Did SNL really show an 11-minute sketch?

Thanks R160. It's really wonderful to see these sketches again. I love Jan Hooks. She was a great comedic actress, not a simple sketch player.

[quote]That gives me life on a lousy day.

Aww, I'm glad it made you smile R160 and hope tomorrow is better for you.

[quote]Did SNL really show an 11-minute sketch?

Yes, they did! But of course this was back in the 80s, when people still had attention spans. Sometimes when I rewatch these old episodes I can't get over how different the show was. There used to be some really far-out, artsy short films they'd air in the second half, and so many of the sketches were longer, more thoughtful, with actual plots and not just punchlines. I guess times change and all that, but I really miss those days. MARY!!!

Guys, if there are any particular Jan sketches you want to see, let me know. I have a lot of her stuff. Not everything, but a considerable amount. If it's not already online and I have it, I'll try to get it up. The only issue is that Vimeo puts a cap on how much I can upload per week, and it's very small, so I can only post so much at a time.

I love you, R164.

I would love you forever if you posted the Jan Hooks diner waitress scene R164. I guess it is online elsewhere, but all NBC approved content is usually blocked in Canada I've noticed. Not the case on Vimeo. Anything else you post with Jan would be appreciated. R165 loves you more, but we all love you for this. Thanks.

I wonder if Jason Priestly's biopic of Phil Hartman will touch on his friendships with Hooks and Julia Sweeney.

[quote]Julia Sweeney, of all people, was very close to Phil and his wife. She would have at least hinted about an affair with a castmate if he'd been having one.

I think she would hinted at it too. Sweeney has said that at first she didn't like Brynn. She got to know Brynn over the years and said that Brynn was good with the kids.

R154, the blonde haired girl in your video who gets her cast signed is the wife and murderer of Phil Hartman. Didn't you know that?

[quote]I would love you forever if you posted the Jan Hooks diner waitress scene [R164]. I guess it is online elsewhere, but all NBC approved content is usually blocked in Canada I've noticed. Not the case on Vimeo. Anything else you post with Jan would be appreciated. [R165] loves you more, but we all love you for this. Thanks.

I didn't know NBC blocked content in Canada; a pox on them! I have your sketch all ready to go, R166, but I've exceeded my weekly storage allotment with that 11 minute Miss Self Esteem clip. It will go up next week for sure, though. I think Sunday is when they start over with storage limits.

I'm happy to be able to share clips, especially because I don't think that they'll ever release a "Best Of" compilation for Jan. Her talent should not be forgotten!

Also, Jason Priestley is making a Phil Hartman biopic!? How did that come about? Does someone have a link with details?

Yes, R169 I knew that. But I try not to think about it when I watch the scene!

Mr. Uploader, please don't stop uploading the Jan clips!

[quote]Also, Jason Priestley is making a Phil Hartman biopic!? How did that come about? Does someone have a link with details?

Priestly and Hartman became friends in the 90s after Priestly hosted SNL. Priestly announced the biopic last month. More details in the link.

Isn't Priestley now about the same age that Hartman was when he died?

If have you any clips of Jan as Sally Jesse Raphael, I'd like to see those again, please. "You're going to have to give me a minute here, people."

If you have any more Sweeney Sisters, please post those!

[quote]If have you any clips of Jan as Sally Jesse Raphael, I'd like to see those again, please.

I have 2 of them (were there more?) So next week it will be Sally Jesse for R174 and The Diner for our Canadian DLer.

[quote]If you have any more Sweeney Sisters, please post those!

I have a lot of Sweeney Sisters. I was able to fit in one of the shorter sketches with the little remaining storage I have this week, so this one is for you R175. This is the very first Sweeney Sisters from 1986, and you'll notice that Nora says her name is "Mary-Ann" instead of Liz. I wonder why they changed it. If anyone ever runs into Nora Dunn, please ask, because I'd love to know!

Thanks, r176! I haven't seen any of your clips in many years and they're still hilarious. Jan was such a gifted comedienne. Please keep posting.

It's funny, even though Jan hadn't been in the public eye in a long time, when she died a lot of people I knew who were old enough to remember her on SNL were really saddened by it. And so many DLers too. It was a reaction that you don't see very often when someone famous dies.

Candy's name is different in that first skit, too! Frannie!

Thanks for posting all these JHVCT!! I'm just catching up on the thread after a bout with the flu, and all these clips are awesome!

I remember one Sweeney Sisters sketch with Mary Tyler Moore as the third sister. JHVCT do you have that one?

Does anyone know the name of the song that Jan, as Tammy Faye Bakker, is singing in the prison break sketch?

[quote]Priestly and Hartman became friends in the 90s after Priestly hosted SNL.

Those Canadians--so clannish.

R180, the song is "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less" or alternately "Solid Rock."

R182, thank you, thank you!

I couldn't make out the words she was singing--maybe too many years of wearing earbuds. Now, I see it is "All other ground is sinking sand."

You're a doll.

I'm too lazy to read but if it hasn't already been said, I think I finally figured out why the Leona, Zsa Zsa and Bakker clip is pulled from everywhere. Phil Hartman gets shot in it. A little too close to art imitating life. Thanks for uploading it Mr. or Ms. Uploader!

[quote]I'm too lazy to read but if it hasn't already been said, I think I finally figured out why the Leona, Zsa Zsa and Bakker clip is pulled from everywhere. Phil Hartman gets shot in it. A little too close to art imitating life. Thanks for uploading it Mr. or Ms. Uploader!

I didn't think of that, but now you've mentioned it, I suppose that must be the reason. Probably not helping matters is the fact that it's called "The Big Bitch Bull Dyke Bust-Out of '89."

[quote]I remember one Sweeney Sisters sketch with Mary Tyler Moore as the third sister. JHVCT do you have that one?

Yes, I have it. I'm 99% sure I have all of the Sweeney Sisters sketches. This weekend I'll root around in my collection to make sure.

[quote]Candy's name is different in that first skit, too! Frannie!

Thanks for posting all these JHVCT!! I'm just catching up on the thread after a bout with the flu, and all these clips are awesome!

You're right! How did I not catch that? I prefer Candy & Liz over Frannie & Mary-Ann, but now I'm extremely curious as to why they were changed. Hope you're feeling better, R178.

[quote]It's funny, even though Jan hadn't been in the public eye in a long time, when she died a lot of people I knew who were old enough to remember her on SNL were really saddened by it. And so many DLers too. It was a reaction that you don't see very often when someone famous dies.

I noticed that reaction too. I was a huge fan of hers (obviously), but as she faded from view, she did from my life as well. When she died, I hadn't thought about her in many years, but it hit me so hard. I can only speak for myself, but I think the reason for that was because 1.) It was a reminder of my own youth, and the impermanence of things we think will stay with us forever and 2.) I saw a stark contrast between someone like Jan and the "stars" we're bombarded with ad nauseam today. There are so many people walking around, self-satisfied with their modicum of talent; proclaiming it daily on Twitter, Instragram, etc. And here was this girl, who had more talent than she knew what to do with, sitting at home all those years completely unaware that what little she shared, was so beloved.

Another thank you to the uploader!

Thanks for the amazing uploads. I never saw that early Sweeney Sisters sketch. Very cool.

What's the deal with Kevin Nealon's hair?

R185 that was a good summary of Jan's talent. She was a truly gifted performer and it's too bad her personal issues prevented her from working more. This seems to be a common issue with people who are exceptionally talented. As you pointed out, the no talents never fucking go away.

I love the story of how Martin Short convinced Hooks to come to his New Year's Eve party, during one of the times she was playing Dixie to Jiminy Glick. Everyone there was someone BIG and they all performed in some amazing or fun way for the party, as was tradition. Jan got up and did the whole courtroom testimony of Mayella from To Kill A Mockingbird and just broke everyone's heart AND made them laugh. Such a twisted choice. It's easy to picture Jan Hooks doing that scene. She was the hit of the night.

[quote]Victoria Jackson was surprisingly not awful as Zsa Zsa. I wonder how she felt about Jan Hooks making fun of crooked Christians.

Jackson probably bitched Hooks behind the scenes. She probably didn't even like the real Tammy Faye later on. Tammy Faye came out in support of gay rights due to the suicide of a gay relative. Tammy Faye and Jim's son Jamie is another gay rights supporter.

Those Sweeney Sisters sketches with Jan and Nora Dunn were fucking genius. That's real, genuine TALENT, people.

I live about an hour from her grave. I think I'll put some flowers on it.

Greetings everyone, I hope you're all having a nice weekend. My storage allotment has reset, so I'm back with more clips.

As promised, first up is The Diner for R166.

R193, do it for all the Dataloungers!

More to come after these messages. . . .

And here is some Sally Jessy Raphael for R174.

Next week will be the Sweeney Sisters with Mary Tyler Moore for R179 and either my second Sally clip or possibly a surprise clip if combing the first two put me over my upload limit.

It's a shame Victoria Jackson is such a hateful fundie, because I didn't think she was that bad on SNL. While she was nowhere in the league of Jan and Nora, she still had some funny moments.

Speaking of Victoria Jackson, I don't know if anyone's read this, but Christine Zander did an interview with Salon last fall. She said that Victoria was not political during her SNL tenure, despite being born-again. All of that came later. Christine said that at SNL 40 you could feel the hate that people had for her, and that Victoria didn't seem to understand where it was coming from.

She also says Victoria was really jealous of Jan and Nora, which I believe. I remember reading an article from the 90s (maybe it was Rolling Stone?) where she said she actually thought the two of them were plotting to kill her. The way it was described, it did not seem as if she was joking. I mean, she really believe the two of them were sitting around trying to think of ways to off her, and she even went to Lorne and told him this. That's probably when I first realized there was something not quite right with Victoria Jackson, because even if Jan and Nora couldn't stand her, I doubt either of them were thinking about making an attempt on her life.

Also interesting is that she (Christine) originally auditioned to be part of the cast, but Jan got hired instead of her, so she became a writer instead.

I wasn't a huge Jan Hooks fan, but I love this thread. And to the poster who is uploading the vids, thank you. You're a sweetheart.

"Look at him, he's sittin on that stool like he's doin it a favor." Thanks so much for the wonderful clips. I love Jan Hooks.

r195, there are dozens and dozens and dozens of free storage hosts.

I really think the diner sketch is one of the best they ever broadcast on SNL. Great balance of cast, humor and pathos as well as effective use of the host.

And of all of the lounge singer characters, I think the Sweeneys were the best.

Thanks, r197. I wish there were more snl books. I've read them all

I'm open to suggestions, R200 . I picked Vimeo because it seemed there was less risk of the videos being flagged and removed.

Mr. Uploader, thanks for uploading all the clips. Everyone else, thanks for a great thread, and for proving that, while DL isn't as grand as it used to be, it still has some great contributors.

I don't think I've ever scene the diner scene at R194. Great stuff. Hooks, as always, brilliant.

Good morning everyone! I hope you're all having a good weekend and that that those on the East Coast are safe and warm. I'm currently in denial about having to shovel my car out, so I thought I'd delay the inevitable a little longer by uploading a new video. This one is for R179. It's the Sweeney Sisters with Mary Tyler Moore aka "Audrey." Enjoy!

R206 Thank you for posting that. I'd never seen that. That was a really long medley -- it must have taken so much work to get right.

The work that went into those medleys was tremendous. Real talent.

I dumped my cocktail down the drain after reading this thread.

Why, r209?

[quote]It's a shame Victoria Jackson is such a hateful fundie, because I didn't think she was that bad on SNL. While she was nowhere in the league of Jan and Nora, she still had some funny moments.

I also thought Victoria Jackson had some funny moments and was good as the go to cast member for playing goofy dumb characters.

I never thought Victoria Jackson was very talented, but I do give her credit. In the Live from New York book, she said that she got Jan the job on SNL because she told Lorne Jan was a genius.

She said the Jan hated her, but that Jan was a genius on SNL. Victoria now may be a mentally ill Christo-fascist, but that was a classy thing to say about someone who was a bitch to her.

Best thread ever.

Much love to the gentleman who posted all the beautiful jan Hook vids we'd otherwise never get to see.

Long live the Jan Hooks archivist! How about the Phil Hartman as Sinatra duets sketch? Jan doesn't have a big part of it, but I would love to see it if you have it Candy Sweeney! Jan Hooks deserved a best of compilation long before she died, but now those kind of things won't make Lorne a buck. YOU are providing it to a small but appreciative few. Many more would love it. "Bless you!"

Remember when the Sweeney Sisters sang to Mary Tyler Moore at the Emmy Awards? I think it is probably upthread. Mary was clearly embarrassed but eventually delighted. Was that before or after she had appeared as Audrey?

This information about Jan Hooks' life is sad and difficult to understand. As everyone has said, she was so talented and so funny. She was my favorite performer on SNL.

I just now watched and greatly enjoyed the SNL videos posted here. They're really making me laugh. One thing I noticed in the skit with the Sweeney Sisters and Paul Simon... it looks like Brynn Hartman is playing the audience member who has Paul Simon sign her cast, and she's shown a few times throughout the skit. If it is her, it's strange seeing her and Phil together on stage knowing what was going to happen a few years later.

[quote]Remember when the Sweeney Sisters sang to Mary Tyler Moore at the Emmy Awards? I think it is probably upthread. Mary was clearly embarrassed but eventually delighted. Was that before or after she had appeared as Audrey?

I remember when the Sweeney Sisters sang the opening song for the Emmys, which was doing several theme songs as torch songs. When Jan did "Marilla Gorilla" I nearly busted a gut!

[quote]Remember when the Sweeney Sisters sang to Mary Tyler Moore at the Emmy Awards? I think it is probably upthread. Mary was clearly embarrassed but eventually delighted.

Here it is:

I wonder why she didn't have a boyfriend a husband. She was pretty and seemed very sweet and likable. It's hard to reconcile how the article described her private personality with what her personality seemed to be. The article made me curious about her.

*or a husband

[quote]I'm too lazy to read but if it hasn't already been said, I think I finally figured out why the Leona, Zsa Zsa and Bakker clip is pulled from everywhere. Phil Hartman gets shot in it. A little too close to art imitating life.

That was Rick Moranis.

Phil Hartman plays the clerk who gets shot by Leona, (220).

And more:

R218 you were right the first time if she had a husband AND a boyfriend she might have had the will to keep living.

Wow, I've missed a lot here since Sunday. It's been a busy week, compounded by the realization that I am just too damn old to be shoveling, but I do want to get another clip up at some point since I have the space. R214 I'm blanking on that sketch; do you know the episode or the host for it? I have everything organized by date, so it would help me in finding it if you did.

The MTM Sweeney Sisters sketch was from March '89, and I believe the Emmy performance was in August '88. R216 the Magilla Gorilla part is my favorite!

It's interesting to me as well that Jan never ended up with anyone. I wonder if it was lonely for her later on in life when surely most of her friends must have been pairing off, getting married, etc. Of course since she spent so many years out of the spotlight, she certainly could have dated and we would never have known it. But the last time I remember hearing about her having a boyfriend was during her Designing Women years. Maybe a part of her felt like she had too many issues, medical and personal, to be with someone. Sometimes if people think they'll be bringing too much baggage to the table, it can make them not want to try and meet anyone. I've definitely been there before. Then again, maybe I'm just projecting my own experience onto hers..

R224 didn't she have pets? Some people are just content with the company of animals.

Indeed she did, R225. Two dogs. Maybe that was enough for her; lord knows pets are sometimes less of a bother than humans!

Speaking of dogs, are there any NYC DLers who got to see her in Sylvia? I've always been sad that I missed it.

R217 Many "stars" at the Grammy's didn't get the Sweeney Sisters. They didn't realize it was satire. So many people thought they were F-List entertainers and looked down on them, sometimes being rude.

Jan Hooks found this hilarious and enjoyed pissing off the insecure idiots. I love her for that.

Yes, when you look at the audience in that Emmys clip, a lot of them are really uptight and you can feel the hostility. Humorless fucks. Jan and Nora were brilliant. In spite of the audience's coldness, they kept right on going and didn't miss a beat. That must've been difficult. Jan's Magilla Gorilla was my favorite part too.

I noticed the link at R217 isn't the whole performance. Here's the whole thing, Magilla Gorilla included.

I'm not (214), but I think he or she might mean the Sinatra Group sketch from the episode Sting hosted in 1991. She plays Sinead O'Connor. Jan Hooks isn't in the Sinatra duets skit. Although, speaking of Sinead, I'd love to see the Sinead O'Connor Awards skit with Alec Baldwin, if you have it.

[quote]I miss SNL and I couldn't believe my eyes and ears when she did Tammy Faye.

Why couldn't you believe it?

If memory serves, Jan Hooks did an excellent impersonation of Susan Dey!

R214 I found the Sinatra Duets sketch on the SNL transcript site, and sadly I don't have it (Also, Jan's not in it.) Sorry!

R230 The Sinatra Group is on NBC/Hulu . I do have the Sinead O'Connor Awards. I've already cut it up, but it's pretty long and I don't have enough space at the moment. So look for it to be uploaded on Sunday!

R232 I'll try and find some Susan Dey for you.

In the meantime, I hope everyone will enjoy Waikiki Hockey with Wayne Gretzky and Jan as Ann-Margaret aka Susan Bradford aka "Kitten."

Kitten and the Great one was FUN. Jan did another great job. She was not subtle exactly but her impersonations are always nuanced send ups with a Hooks twist, she got the Ann-Margret moves exaggerated just right but was strangely kind of sexy still. I have never seen that sketch. SNL didn't need to overwrite or try hard for sketch endings in the Hooks Hartman Carvey Dunn Lovitz era. The caliber of the performers, the time and trust allowed them - they delivered with something more fully realized in character and mood that made even sketchy sketches work. Aloha.

JHVCT for President! (someone probably said that already). But seriously, my friend.......you must be one of the most beloved posters at DL......am I right people, or what?! I wish I had a bag of rice! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!

Thank you, JHVCT -- I've been enjoying these great clips, and will look forward to Susan Dey!

Wow guys, I'm all verklmept from the love! Never before have I experienced this kind of affection on Datalounge. The closest I remembering coming to it was when I started a semi-popular thread on glassware (or maybe it was fine china) a hundred years ago aka in the early 2000s. Yes, I am a big time Mary in case you haven't already guessed.

For R230, here's the Sinéad O'Connor Awards. I thought I'd have time to get this up yesterday, but life got in the way. Sorry for the delay.

I haven't had time to get my ducks in a row for the Susan Dey clip, but I assume you R232, I will make it happen.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week, I remain yours faithfully. . .

R232 I have a Susan Dey clip, but it's very long, so I can't upload it right now. I'll get it up over the weekend. FYI, Jan's part isn't very big in it.

However, I found another one on NBC's site where her part is much larger. Link below (hopefully you're in the US and can access it.)

I had a little space left, so I've managed to squeeze this clip in. It's the cold open from Oct 15, 1988 with Matthew Broderick as Dan Quayle and Jan as Nancy Reagan. Sorry that the beginning of the sketch is cut off; it was like this on the original that I have.

Thanks so much, JHVCT! Before those sketches, I didn't know how someone could "do" Susan Dey -- wasn't sure she really had any recognizable traits. But boy, does Jan Hooks nail her!

All of Jan's impersonations were spot-on brilliant. Her elderly Bette Davis has always been my favorite. I wish she had done Bette in more sketches.

Continued thanks JHVCT. I don't know from glassware but I love this thread! Your contributions are much appreciated.

[quote]Before those sketches, I didn't know how someone could "do" Susan Dey -- wasn't sure she really had any recognizable traits. But boy, does Jan Hooks nail her!

That was amazing. A bad sketch that just got interesting because of the low-key precision of her impersonation. The audience laughed a bit uneasily because it wasn't really funny, but Jan was so good. At the end she got scattered applause for how eerie it was.

AOTF: Her observational skills were insanely good! I feel like I would have had a blast just sitting around, people watching with her.

R241 Elderly Bette Davis is my favorite! I so agree that they should have done more of her. That part in "Video Will" where she says "He tells me I'm worth a lot of money," and then barks "WELL I DON'T CARE!" cracks me up every time. To this day, I will sometimes scream "WELL I DON'T CARE!!" ala Jan's Bette if the situation warrants it.

Posting a link to David Steinberg's podcast; he interviewed Kevin Nealon this week and they talked about Jan a bit. They discussed her stage fright (David apparently directed her on DW), her lack of vanity (she wasn't into clothes or appearance), and Kevin mentions he visited her grave a few months ago. The part about Jan starts at 8:12.

Tonight I will be posting more videos. I have that other Susan Dey clip that I mentioned up thread, and also Jan as Mary Jo Buttafuoco. . .and maybe one more surprise clip. We'll see how it goes!

I love this thread.

Oh, man, that "Sinead O' Connor Awards" clip is GOLD!! Especially with the benefit of hindsight -- most everyone they lampooned would become even *more* annoying, insufferable, or insane.

Also, a 9:46 minute skit! (was that a post-Weekend Update skit, JHVCT?). Perhaps a bit too long, with all of Carvey's skittery-dittery-doo, but it needed to build to the Sinatra/Hartman payoff. Perfect use of Farley, Spade & Sandler -- just look goofy, don't say anything.

Strangely enough, R246, it wasn't! It was one of the first sketches after the monologue. Times sure were different back then.

Ok, here's the link to Susan Dey on the Tonight Show. This is another longish clip, and Jan is only in the first portion.

. . .and Mary Jo "Crazy Teenage Bitch Tried to Kill Me!" Buttafuoco

Keeping with the theme, here's Masterpiece Theatre's "The House of Buttafuoco." I think Julia Sweeney is quite good in this, "It seems I've contracted a rather nasty case of herpes!"

And that's all for now. Next week maybe I'll do a Sweeney Sisters double header, unless you guys think that would be overkill and want me to mix it up.

Thanks as always JHVCT. I didn't see all of these at the time, I was not a child but young enough to be out most Saturday nights. Jan as Mary J. Buttofuoco make me laugh out loud! Double Feature Sweeney Sisters would be great. Post whatever you feel like. It's all good. thanks.

Jan is no longer with us, but this thread appears destined to live forever.

Good evening all! Hope this week is treating you well, that you're warm, and that you enjoy the next clip. This one is my favorite Sweeney Sisters sketch. Does it contain the greatest medley they've ever done? No, probably not. But as I've mentioned before in relation to this SNL era, it has an actual plot. It's not just punchlines and jokes. There's real emotion here and I love getting to see the more dramatic side of Candy and Liz. Jan and Nora were just so good together. It makes me sad that Jan didn't feel like she had it in her to do the reunion at that Marc Shaiman tribute, mainly because I feel like there was so much more that could have been explored in Sweeney Sisters land. When I die, I hope I come back to some alternate universe where the two of them are doing a Sweeney Sisters musical on Broadway. MARY, but I'm 3 glasses in tonight, so cut me some slack!

And now, the clip. . . (With Robert Mitchum as Candy's sugar daddy, "Dutch.")

Thank you for the clip.

Thanks, Jan Fan.

Loved it Jan Fan. Cheers!

Thanks as always, JHVCT, for a GEM that I'd never seen before.......but how in the hell did *ROBERT MITCHUM* end up on SNL???

Thanks again, JHVCT -- that David Steinberg podcast is really interesting, and that "Tonight Show" sketch a hoot! (Love that the band plays "The Partridge Family" theme as 'Susan Dey' walks off!)

Greetings, fellow Jan fans. Not sure if any of you are still following this thread, but I've uploaded a new video tonight. It's "The Garbo I Knew," with Alec Baldwin. I don't understand why this one isn't on the SNL website because I think it's a fairly popular sketch. But I suppose that episode had so many good ones ("The Diner," "Greenhilly" where Alec and Phil Hartman kiss!) that they felt they couldn't upload them all.

In any case, I'm sorry for my abrupt departure. I ended up having to do a bit of traveling, which always reminds me of DL in a roundabout way because each time I get on a plane I think about the flying threads here. Obnoxious passengers, misbehaving children, overhead bins crowded with luggage that people refuse to check, and of course the occasional seatmate who encroaches upon your space. Fun times! SNL should do a sketch about modern day air travel (or maybe they already have; I confess that I don't watch it anymore.)

I hope you're all well, and if by chance you still have this in your thread watcher, just know that I still have a few Sweeney Sister sketches left and I WILL get them up. As God is my witness! I have to take off again tomorrow, but when I return I'll get back on task.

Did Hartman's death push her over the proverbial edge?

I'm still here JHVCT and it was a pleasure to see the thread bumped. Especially since I didn't see some of the updates in Feb before the thread fell off my home page... (Aside: I hate that I can only see my 30 most recent watched threads on the redesigned home page. I know I can see all my watched threads by clicking the watch icon at the top of the page, but that always seems to crash my site.)

Do you happen to have the other Buttafuoco skits? For that entire show that DeVito hosted for SNL, they did skits for how each station would present the Amy Fisher story, PBS (The House of Buttafuoco), BET (Amy Fisher: One F'ed Up Bitch), FOX (Tori Spelling in The Amy Fisher story), etc. Would love to see the others if you have them.

I loved "Amy Fisher 10516"! Of course, OCD me got annoyed that they didn't get the zip code correct. 105 zip codes are Westchester (and possibly some of Rockland/Putnam/Orange) Counties. Long Island zip codes start with 110, 115, 117-119. (Plus 3 odd ones, 00501 and 00544 for the IRS in Holtsville and 06390 for Fishers Island.)

[quote]06390 for Fishers Island

Bitch had her own fuckin' island? Never told me.

JHVCT, you are just a ray of sunshine in this nest of rotted gila monsters! Thanks!

R260 and R261 yes I have that whole episode! I'm pretty sure it's intact, so when I get home next week I'll get something else from it up.

[quote] nest of rotted gila monsters

Haha! You gave me a laugh when I really needed one, R263. Thanks for that. I love being able to share these clips with you guys.

Good evening everyone, I'm back home! I've just uploaded the last two Amy Fisher sketches from the Danny DeVito episode. First up is Aaron Spelling's Amy Fisher 10516, where "Tori Spelling makes Drew Barrymore look like Amy Fisher!"

Next is BET's Amy Fisher: One Messed Up Bitch!

In case you missed it, the other two are already on my channel. I try not to give the clips their exact titles because I don't want Google to pick up on them and avert unwanted attention, so House of Buttafuoco is "A 12 Part Series" and the Unbelievable New Breakthroughs infomercial is "Mary Jo Buttafuoco."

Enjoy!

And to cap things off tonight, I uploaded the last Sweeney Sister's performance of the '86-'87 season. This was actually the final sketch of the season finale. I can't be sure, but I think Jan messes up a little at the end. Usually when they do the final note, Candy climbs up on harmony twice, but here she just holds the same note until the last second before finally hitting a higher note. Maybe they were trying something different, but it seems wrong to me, and the fact that it seems wrong means I've watched way too many of these.

I've got some space left, so there may be more from me later in the week. Until then, have a fine evening!

I agree r95 though I am not a drinker. I work in an office every day, I would love to retire from life somewhere like she did and do what I want.

I don't think she just retired and did what she wanted. She withdrew from life.

So it’s been awhile. I’m beginning to respect the level of commitment some trolls here have, because I am clearly not possessed of that kind of focus!

Anyway, I was cleaning out my hoarder’s style home this week and came across something I thought a few of you might enjoy. It’s Jan on The Tonight Show from August 1991 (Leno is subbing for Carson in this episode). This was right before she started on DW; she talks about it a bit in the interview, as well as her upcoming bit part in Batman Returns.

A few other notable things here: 1.)t She says she was named for Janet Leigh, who was her father’s favorite actress 2.)t She talks about owning two Jaguars, and I guess one of them ended up being the vehicle mentioned in the Grantland article. The one she left rotting in her garage. 3.)tI found a mention of this appearance in an old People Magazine profile of Meshach Taylor. It reads:

[quote]On a particularly tense day last season, there was a knock on the dressing-room door of Meshach Taylor, Designing Women's ex-con turned law student, Anthony Bouvier. It was new cast member Jan Hooks, in tears over a disparaging remark from a crew member about how nervous she had seemed on The Tonight Show the night before. Taylor invited her in, then disappeared. "Within 30 seconds," says Hooks, who plays guileless girl Friday Carlene, "that crew guy was literally on his knees before me, apologizing. Meshach had gone out and said to him, 'You know, I think you hurt somebody's feelings, and I don't think that was a very nice thing to do.' That's when I knew: This is my hero."

She absolutely comes across as nervous to me, and reading this makes me realize just how sensitive if she must have been if pointing that out caused her to dissolve in tears. I think her issues were not only with stage fright, but with how she was being perceived in general.

And that is all. Hope you're having a wonderful weekend, DL!

I was thinking about Jan last week and had to go back and read the Grantland article again.

So MARY but Jan's death was like having a portion of my childhood disappear.

Sounds like clinical depression, but drinking only makes it worse. A sad end.

Hi everyone. It’s been a long time since I visited this thread, but I thought I’d do so tonight since it’s the 2nd anniversary of Jan’s death (at least right now on the East Coast it is). Many months ago when I first started uploading clips, I promised that I would eventually get to all of the Sweeney Sisters sketches. I know this isn’t exactly timely, and I’m not even sure how many people still have this in their thread watcher, but I really wanted to come back and make good on my word.

There were 10 Sweeney Sisters sketches in all. I have 5 already uploaded, and I’ll be posting 4 more shortly. The only sketch I won’t be putting up is the “Bells Medley” where Liz gets engaged to William Shatner, since that one is already online somewhere else.

And now Skip, I’m going to take the room down for a minute. . .

For anyone still watching this thread, I just want to say it was a real pleasure to be able to share all of these clips with other fans. Jan has always been special to me, and when she died, I felt like a part of my youth died too. MARY! me for sure, but it really warmed my heart to see how many other people here loved and admired her talent in the same way that I did. So thanks for that, DL, and now on with the clips.

First up, live from the Baycrest Jewish Retirement Home, it’s Candy & Liz with Robin Williams (and Paul Simon, who comes in at the end):

The Sweeney Sisters performing for Chinese New Year. With Paul Shaffer.

The girls classing up the Brookfield Zoo Banquet with Charlton Heston.

And here they are down at Precinct 43. With Melanie Griffith as a hooker.

r18 = Victoria Jackson

R273 deserves a big "Clang-clang-clang" for his efforts. Bravo, sir!

Thanks so much for posting the Sweeney Sisters r273 While it still saddens me that Jan is gone, at least we've got video's like these to remember her comedic brilliance.

Thank you r276 for posting all those clips, even if I did stay up too late watching them!

More clips please JHVCT!

Thank you, R273! Love Jan & Sweeney Sisters! Genius!

Can you imagine how TREMENDOUS Jan & Phil would be, with this match-up, if they were still with us???

Seeing the humorless, seething, one false move and I'll bite your head off Nora Dunn bitching and snapping on a few different sets, Jan Hooks clearly was the upbeat, driving energy of the Sweeney Sisters.

The Chinese New Year skit, with the salute to the Far East via a medley, may be their most brilliant work ever. (They could never do it today because it's so politically incorrect.) At one point (@5:47)they start scatting to the tune of "March of the Royal Siamese Children" from THE KING AND I.

You're welcome, guys. I'm glad you enjoyed them.

R281 I'm out of space on my video allotment for the week, but maybe next week I can get some more up. As always, if there's anything in particular you want to see, leave me a request and I'll hunt it down.

R283 I hope both of them are mocking the hell out of these debates up in some afterlife sketch comedy show. It's salt in the wound of a beyond absurd election cycle that we're being denied their brilliance right now!

If anyone wants to see more of Jan's work when she was on Tush, someone on YouTube has uploaded a ton of clips. Including this random set of bloopers. Lots of stuff on that channel with both Jan and Bonnie Turner!

Moe Sweeney sisters: their farewell performance before their summer tour

The end of Candy and Liz? Say it ain't so!

(Liz and "Dutch" (Robert Mitchum), Candy's new boyfriend, openly hating each other is pretty hilarious.)

R284 care to elaborate? Have you worked with Nora? I'm curious if you had a bad experience with her, because someone either on this thread (I'm too lazy to go look) or another Jan thread said that either they or their partner or friend helped cater a party she threw, and she smoked a joint with them afterwards; seemed pretty cool and down to earth.

R287/R288 yep those are more clips from my channel. They're all on there now except for the Bells Medley, since that one is floating around the internet elsewhere.

I remember that thread when Jan died. I loved her talent as well

I agree with the comment upthread about how the women of SNL are often more talented, but the greatest career perks go to fools like Adam Sandler.

Nora Dunn was a perfect team with Hooks.

Candy and Liz and their elder sister Audrey (Mary Tyler Moore, back when she was sane).

When Liz was Mary Ann

This is not the famous Christmas "Bells" medley (which, musically speaking, is their most hilarious bit, and probably their best known one too), but here's their Christmas '87 medley:

LOVING ALL THESE! Thank you so much. One request- not sure if you have it.

The brilliant Sweeney Sisters Emmys opening had been posted above, but was taken down? Do you happen to have the whole thing?

Nora Dunn will always be a goddess to me if only because of Pat Stevens

R294 You mean the link above from uploadsociety? I got that to load for me, but it's sadly not the whole performance. I had another link in my bookmarks for the whole video, but it seems that one is down. Kicking myself big time for not having saved it. I'll keep looking around though and if I find it, I'll let you know.

People go on and on about Kristen Wiig like she's a female Chris Farley or John Belushi, but I think Jan Hooks and Molly Shannon are much funnier and talented.

Many years ago, a friend of mine catered an afternoon-holiday gathering at Nora Dunn's home (met her through craft services, on some project), and she said Nora couldn't have been nicer! After she cleaned up, Nora invited her to sit down, have glass of wine & smoke a joint with them -- which she did! (wouldn't you?)

Thanks so much, JHV!! It is the best thing to ever come out of the Emmys. I love that the audience resented them and they couldn't have cared less.

The Emmy-intro was SUBLIME!!

I remember your story, R298 you posted that in another thread before, right? It stuck with me at the time because I was thinking about how cool it would be to share some smoke with Pat Stevens!

R299 on a hunch, I just checked Facebook and someone has it uploaded there! Here's the link. Looks like he filmed it off a computer with his cellphone, so not great quality, but it's all I could find for now.

Excellent! Thank you! If you ever come across a better copy- well, you know.

Youre the best!

The opening post mentioned that Jan had moved to a farm house upstate. Out of curiosity, does anyone know exactly where upstate Jan lived?

Yes, I did tell this story before, R301/JHVCT -- good memory!

She lived in Bearsville.

Hi everyone. I was going to pop back to this thread in Nov. and upload some of Jan's Diane Swayer stuff from the '88 election, but given the insanity in the days leading up to the election, and the devastation that followed, I just couldn't. I'm still feeling pretty low, and I see that a lot of people on DL are also struggling this holiday season, so I thought I'd offer up a sadly appropriate (but still hilarious) clip. It's "The Global Warming Christmas Special," hosted by Carl Sagan (Mike Myers) and Dean Martin (Tom Hanks)! Jan plays Crystal Gale and duets with Phil Hartman's Isaac Asimov. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a hopefully better 2017. And if any of you have to deal with Trumpsters tomorrow, I'll be with you in spirit, drinking heavily.

She wore some great wigs on SNL. As did, Nora and Vic. If you have any wig stories/gags from them, please post.

not on xmas.

This was great. Thank you.

where is "bells?"

Here's Bells r310

Bump!

Gosh, she was a great actress