European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 12, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 16 the stars and stripes wednesday March 12, 1986 saturday night live 1986 bedtime for gonzo television by Mark swed United press International t he critics cannot be stifled any longer kill saturday night live. Kill it dead. Pull the plug flush it trash it kiss it the idea that saturday night live is taking some heavy flak controversy has been something of a warm feeling for Abc s saturday night live since it came alive at 11 30 p.m., oct. 11, 1975, in new York. Just a Flicker of time passed before Chevy Chase Dan Aykroyd John Belushi Gilda Radner Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris were collectively revered by a generation As the modern Day equivalents of Milton Berle or George Burns. They were master paddlers of humor and the show clicked time and again. Battles Between network censors producers cast members and guest hosts just added to the legend. Over the years through the cast changes and even Belushi s death saturday night live still sizzled with creativity and originality. It was the in show to watch on any network much like the David Letterman show is the in show today. But As the show evolved from renegade outlaw series to comedy institution something was lost. It has never been More apparent than this season with a new cast and an old producer lome Michaels Riding Shotgun Over a dead horse. Nothing can ease the Low blows not Mick Jagger the bad boy of Rock not even Madonna the holy roller of pop not president Reagan s son especially not president Reagan s son in his underwear. It is an embarrassment not Only to Abc but to television. It s time someone showed some mercy and pulled the plug a to guide reviewer wrote after first son Ron Reagan stripped to his skimpy fruit of the looms and opened the show with a Takeoff of Tom cruise s strut in the movie risky business. In a letter to Abc entertainment president Brandon Tartikoff noted writer and broadcaster Henry Morgan called the feb. 8 show so unrelieved by shocking that it embarrassed me to think that it could be aired in my three original . Cast members Bill Murray left Jane cur Fin and Garrett Morris. Country. No adult nor even Bright child can be found to say no to the apparently retarded writers " hold on. Morgan is just getting warmed up. Since the reeking Bordure manure of the creative department is matched by the ineptitude of the cast one can conclude that the network itself is in the hands of you say saturday night live has taken heat before sure enough. But the Savior was always next week s show which soothed egos bruised the week before or fell Back within the censor s Frame of taste or stomped All Over the funny Bone again. This season there has been no next week to look Forward to. When big name hosts like Madonna and Reagan wind up wallowing in the . Wasteland it is time for saturday night to make peace with itself and die gracefully honorable with no Chance of another Frankenstein like rebirth. Before we cremate the remains a quiet moment of reflection is in order. Every . Fan remembers Belushi wiggling his antennae in circles As the killer Bee swishing his sword through sets As the Samurai or the Way he said Pepsi no it was great when Bill Murray gave Mother Mary Radner a Boogie in the nativity scene when Aykroyd and Curtin consumed mass quantities of Beer and potato chips As the boneheads when Joe Piscopo did Sammy Davis jr., when Eddie Murphy did gumby Stevie wonder and buckwheat. Those were the Days. There is enough history to saturday night live that a couple of crazy Guys have written a Book saturday night a backstage history of saturday night live in which authors Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad chronicle the Rise and fall and subsequent resurrection. It s Nice to discover the inside scoop that Radner was bulimic that Belushi was constantly borrowing Money that Newman was probably anorexic that Curtin was Normal that Murray beat up Chase that Aykroyd had webbed feet but eyeing jokes is not the same As hearing them live. And this season there has been a Black Hole where the laughs used to be warehoused. It has been a Long time since any network created the space for a show like saturday night live maybe an even longer time before it will happen again. Reruns will help but saturday night live s strength was the fact that it was contemporary and 10-year-old reruns do not make for timeliness. It is hard to live up to one s past and that is the final Nail in the coffin for the current cast of . Characters. The Best is impossible to beat. So Farewell saturday night live. It s been real. Well mourn the loss of laughs. Mercifully it was a slow death but the Tombstone is already inscribed saturday night live 1975-1986 rest in peace Denzel Washington St. Elsewhere Star is versatile actor by Bob Thomas associated press growing up. As the son of a pentecostal minister Denzel Washington s movie going was limited. So was his exposure to entertainers. My father was Down on the movies. His idea of something worthwhile were the King of Kings the ten commandments and 101 dalmatians the actor recalled. For music the Nutcracker suite his Mother was a gospel Singer before he was born. But there were no actors in the family. And i knew no actors he said. It s a wonder i Ever went As it turns out Denzel Washington has proved at age 31 to be one of the most versatile of the new acting generation. He demonstrates that Talent As or. Phillip Chandler on the Abc series St. Elsewhere. Last year he registered strongly As a tenacious go in the critically acclaimed film a Soldier s Story. He can currently be seen As the cooly insidious Media consultant in Sidney Lumet s Power. I Haven t told my father about Power and i Hope he does t see it especially because of the one four letter word i said Washington said. But then i had a lot of four letter words in a Soldier s Story. He saw the movie and did t say anything about Denzel Washington s career belies the traditional Saga of waiting tables while Hunting roles. Although he had limited exposure to films and plays his neighbourhood gave him the proper training. I grew up in mount Vernon n.y., right on the Edge of the Bronx. In fact the Bronx started across the Street from where i lived he said. It was a Good background for somebody in my business. My friends were West indians Blacks Irish italians so i Learned a lot of different at Fordham University Washington studied journalism but ideas of becoming an Ace reporter soon faded. One of our exercises was to cover the new York City Council meetings he said. That was enough to convince me that journalism was t As exciting As i he drifted into an acting workshop and was fascinated but underwent no great that did t come until a summer Camp of the Myca he said. I had grown up in the organization and had worked As a Leader. I organized a Talent show and someone told me you seem real natural on the stage did you Ever think of becoming an actor Bino that s All it took. Back at Fordham i played the Lead in Eugene o Neill s the emperor Jones and i got Good feedback from that. Even before i graduated i was cast in a television film Wilma the Story of the runner Wilma Rudolph. That was eight years ago and i be been working Ever Washington appeared in several plays the to miniseries flesh and blood and played George Segal s Long lost son in the 1981 movie Carbon copy. His biggest break came with the negro ensemble company s off Broadway production of a Soldier s play. Norman Jewison made it into the movie a Soldier s Story starring Howard Rollins. I got the role on the first Day of rehearsal Washington recalled. I Don t know whether another actor had been fired i never asked. If one was fired somewhere out there an actor is Washington took a leave from St. Elsewhere to film a. Soldier s Story otherwise he has appeared in every segment of the series four seasons. It s an Ideal situation allowing him to pick and choose his off season assignments such As Power. The Job came with one phone Call the actor said whether Sidney Lumet had seen a Soldier s Story or St. Elsewhere i did t ask. When something like that happens you go with the flow. The primary reason for taking Power was to work with Sidney and Gene Hackman. Even though i had no scenes with Gene just being Able to watch him was enough. The script the writer is Young and he was obviously inspired by the idea of High powered political consultants and the lifestyle. He did t write rounded characters so the actors had the Challenge of breathing life into their the movie has had its share of negative reviews but Many critics have applauded Washington and Hackman s portrayal of a boozing Media consultant during this year s hiatus from St. Elsewhere Washington plans to direct a local play starring his wife Pauletta Pierson. They have a 2-year-old son John David. The Only film roles i be been offered Are woman beaters and pimps and scared Black boys he said i be never played a not because it s a cause with me but because the roles Are always stereotyped besides i Don t Ever want to do anything that would Embarrass my Mother and
