Saturday Night Live - The Best of Saturday TV Funhouse (1975)

TV Dud House

Possibly the biggest let down yet. Now I know why they kept the discription so vague. The phraseing to watch out for here is "best of" and not complete. I expected a copulation dvd and got a small sampling of what I thought would be on the disk. Why even bother to rip off what few people may even be interested in this, did they think they where going to get enough customers for a box set? Don't waste your money on this limited poor showing, it will only leave you wanting the episodes you thought should be on the DVD. I bought this as a gift too, made me look bad.
January 1, 2008

Better Than Your Average SNL Special.

The comedy at Saturday Night Live comes and goes in spurts and currently (Jan. 2007) it is rare for an episode, let alone an entire season, to be all that funny. However, for over a decade there is one portion of the show that has remained consistently funny and that is when one of Robert Smigel's Saturday TV Funhouse cartoons air. The Saturday TV Funhouse cartoon first began showing up on SNL in the mid-1990s. The cartoons have always been a welcome break in the usual format of the show and when first seen brought a new dimension of comedy to the famed sketch-comedy series, the type of witty satire that first made SNL a staple of American culture.

THE BEST OF SATURDAY TV FUNHOUSE was a special that aired on SNL in spring of 2006. The special was a collection of some of the best Saturday TV Funhouse cartoons ever. From the Award-winning (I think it was even nominated for an Emmy) "Saddam and Osama" to the Ambiguously Gay Due and X-Presidents cartoon, THE BEST OF SATURDAY TV FUNHOUSE DVD is filled with hilarious, short snippets of satirical animation that both critique and comment on our society and culture. Some of the cartoons are nothing more than teasing nostalgia, such as the "Globetrotters Christmas" episode (found on the special features) or "The New Adventures of Mr. T." Others are clearly aimed at ridiculing powerful corporations in attempt to awaken public awareness, such as the many Disney parodies found on the disc--"Inside the Disney Vault" and "Titey" are the best of these--and the Schoolhouse Rock spoof, "Conspiracy Theory Rock" that shows the corruption of powerful media companies such as NBC. Other gems on the disc include "Smurfette" and "The Narrator That Ruined Christmas" and the delightful "Santa and the States" found on the special features.

There are many, many, many funny cartoons found on this disc. It's something that anyone whom is a fan of good SNL or satirical animation, e.g. THE SIMPSONS, SOUTH PARK, or ROBOT CHICKEN, will probably enjoy. I enjoyed almost all of the cartoons on the disc. However, I only purchased the disc because of one cartoon that is contained: "Fun With Real Audio Christmas". As Robert Smigel points out on the commentary, this is the most popular Saturday TV Funhouse cartoon of them all. The cartoon involves Jesus and the Peanuts, but its message is universal and isn't just limited to Christians are Charles Schultz fans. I remember watching the cartoon the first time it aired. Watching SNL was a rare occurrence for me then, but for whatever reason I saw the "Fun With Real Audio Christmas" and it stuck to me. Like the images from certain television specials, lines from popular movies, are snippets of overplayed songs, the cartoon has always remained with me. This DVD is worth owning for that one little cartoon alone and everything else is just bonus.

The DVD includes over an hour of extra cartoons, some of which are even better than the ones in the main feature. The entire main feature has a commentary mostly with Smigel and his chief animators. However, other guests, such as Steve Carell and Stephen Colbert, also comment at parts. Surprisingly, most of the extra cartoons also include commentary. January 18, 2007

Outrageous

'A fine collection of cartoon humor as Robert Smigel attempts to offend everyone possible. Some of this is almost cruelly funny. I had seen most of these over the years and now enjoy holding them on one collection. The SNL "Best of Commercial Parodies," is a comparable bookend collection. Enjoy. January 13, 2007

A Must Own for Any SNL Fan

Saturday TV Funhouse has consistently been the best part of SNL for the past few years now. Focused, topical, biting, smart, and hilarious, Robert Smigel and company knock it out of the park on a regular basis. So naturally, when I saw that Universal was releasing a DVD of the special that Smigel prepared for an off week in 2006, I jumped at the oppurtunity to add it to my collection.

Simply put, it's one of the smartest DVD purchases I've ever made. Not only for the program, highlights of which include 'Saddam and Osama' and 'The X-Presidents,' but for the additional HOUR of extra cartoons (including the controversial 'Conspiracy Theory Rock') and the "All-Star" commentary, which is one of the best I've ever heard: it's intelligent, insightful, and funny in its own right.

This is a must own for any fan of Robert Smigel, TV Funhouse, or SNL period. December 28, 2006

Where is the first Michael Jackson cartoon?

...the one where he's trying to catapult himself into the kiddie pool in the compound and ends up reaming himself (to his delight) on the flagpole? The one with Marlon Brando? What kind of rights issues kept that one off the DVD, but not the second one that's in this collection. Also, I hope the Speed Racer parody with George Clooney and the Paparazzi can clear rights sometime in the future. Otherwise, an essential companion to the season sets, which won't be getting around to the Funhouse-era anytime soon--perhaps ever. December 22, 2006

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