Bushra Griffith
In Season One, Episode Sixteen of Saturday Night Live, hosted by Anthony Perkins, Gilda Radner's character Emily Litella refers to Chevy Chase as Cheddar Cheese. This was one of the two reasons she earned a modest demerit in the episode, the other being that she quickly agreed to an affair with a guy who only had to say hi.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Context | Season one, episode sixteen of Saturday Night Live |
| Host | Anthony Perkins |
| Cast | Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner |
| Sketch | Emily Litella, played by Gilda Radner, calls Chevy Chase "Cheddar Cheese" |
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What You'll Learn
Emily Litella, a character created by Gilda Radner
Emily Litella, played by Gilda Radner, is a fictional character who appeared on Saturday Night Live (SNL) 26 times between November 15, 1975, and December 17, 1977. The character was based on Radner's childhood nanny, Elizabeth Clementine Gillies (aka "Dibby"), who was allegedly hard of hearing.
Emily Litella is an elderly woman with a hearing problem. She appeared on SNL's Weekend Update op-ed segment, introduced with professional dignity by the news anchors, who would sometimes cringe slightly in anticipation of the malapropisms they knew would follow. These sketches were, in part, a parody of the Fairness Doctrine, which at the time required broadcasters in the United States to present opposing viewpoints on public issues.
Attired in a frumpy dress, sweater, and Lisa Loopner eyeglasses, Litella would peer through her reading glasses and, in a high-pitched, warbly voice, read a prepared statement in opposition to an editorial that the TV station had supposedly broadcast. Midway through her commentary, it would become apparent that Litella had misheard or misunderstood the subject of the editorial. For example, she once expressed outrage at the Supreme Court's decision on a "deaf" penalty, believing it to be about deaf people when it was actually about the death penalty. When corrected, Litella would meekly turn to the camera and say, "Never mind!", which became a lighthearted catchphrase of the era.
Outside of SNL, Radner played the character briefly on The Muppet Show. In this episode, Miss Litella is found backstage by the stage manager, Scooter, complaining about appearing in something called "The Muffin Show." Scooter gently corrects her, telling her she will be appearing on "The Muppet Show," to which she replies, "Never mind." The character also appeared in Radner's 1979 one-woman off-Broadway show, Gilda Live, where she took on the role of a substitute teacher.
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Chevy Chase
Chase's portrayal of President Gerald Ford as a bumbling klutz became a favourite device of his, and helped form the popular concept of Ford as a clumsy man, despite the president having been a "star athlete" during his university years. Chase's skill at physical comedy was also evident in his memorable pratfalls while impersonating President Ford.
Chase was one of the original cast members of SNL, known as "The Not Ready for Primetime Players." He only stayed on the show for a little over a year, leaving in October 1976. However, he returned to host the show eight times (nine if counting a promotional trailer) over the years, more times than any other former cast member.
Despite his comedic talent, Chase has a reputation for being verbally abusive and difficult to work with. He was banned from hosting SNL due to his behaviour, and his talk show, "The Chevy Chase Show," was cancelled after five weeks. Chase himself has acknowledged that he doesn't "care" what others think of him and that he "likes who [he is]."
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Jane Curtin
Jane Therese Curtin, born on September 6, 1947, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is an American actress and comedienne. Curtin is of Irish ancestry on both her maternal and paternal sides. She is the third of four children born to Mary Constance (née Farrell) and John Joseph Curtin, who owned an insurance agency. Curtin attended Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart in Newton, from which she graduated in 1965. She then earned an associate degree from Elizabeth Seton Junior College in New York City in 1967. Subsequently, she attended Northeastern University from 1967 to 1968 before dropping out to pursue a career in comedy.
In 1968, Curtin joined the comedy group The Proposition and performed with them until 1972. She made her acting debut in Pretzels, an off-Broadway play written by herself, John Forster, Judith Kahan, and Fred Grandy, in 1974. The following year, a 27-year-old Curtin auditioned for Saturday Night Live (SNL), beating out competitor Mimi Kennedy. She became one of the original cast members of SNL, appearing on the show from 1975 to 1980. On SNL, Curtin frequently played straight-woman characters, often serving as a foil to John Belushi and Gilda Radner. She also anchored the "Weekend Update" segment from 1976 to 1980, paired with Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray during different periods.
One of Curtin's notable roles on SNL was in the "`Point-Counterpoint`" sketches, where she presented the liberal "Point" viewpoint against Dan Aykroyd's over-the-top right-wing "Counterpoint" journalist. Curtin's character would begin with a controlled liberal argument, only to be interrupted by Aykroyd's infamous line, "Jane, you ignorant slut," to which she would retort, "Dan, you pompous ass." Curtin was also known for her role in the Conehead sketches as Prymaat, the wife and mother of the Conehead family. She reprised this character in the 1993 film Coneheads.
After her five-year run on SNL, Curtin went on to star in the sitcom Kate & Allie (1984), winning back-to-back Emmy Awards for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. She then took on various film roles and later joined the cast of the hit series 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996–2001), portraying Dr. Mary Albright. Curtin has been referred to as the "Queen of Deadpan," and she was included on a 1986 list of the "Top Prime Time Actors and Actresses of All Time."
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Laraine Newman
Newman took her first improvisational theatre classes at age 15. After graduating from Beverly Hills High School in 1970, she auditioned for four acting schools in England, including the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art, but was not accepted to any of them. She then went to Paris to study mime with Marcel Marceau for a year. At the age of 19, she returned to the United States and moved to Los Angeles, where she did a brief stint at a secretarial school.
Committed to pursuing a career in performance, Newman became a founding member of the comedy improvisational group The Groundlings. She was also working for a booking agent who worked with rock bands, typing up contracts. Newman cites Eve Arden, Madeline Kahn, and Richard Pryor as her first major influences, saying, "They led me into my life of comedy, they led me into understanding 'The Art of Play'."
In 1975, after seeing her perform with The Groundlings, Lorne Michaels cast Newman in a Lily Tomlin Special and later as an original cast member of Saturday Night Live (SNL). During her five years on SNL, she became close friends with co-star Gilda Radner, although there was also a degree of rivalry between them. Newman's characters on the show included an angry Jewish poet, a flight attendant, an eccentric chef, and a British groupie.
Newman's career during the 1980s included appearances in films such as Wholly Moses, Voltar The Invincible, Perfect, and Invaders from Mars, as well as a small role in Woody Allen's Stardust Memories (1980). She also starred in the syndicated B-movie comedy series The Canned Film Festival in 1986, playing the lead role as Laraine the usherette. Newman has continued to work in film and television and has lent her voice to numerous animated projects. She has also written for various publications, including food magazines and cultural publications like McSweeney's, The Believer, and Esquire.
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John Belushi
Belushi's characters on SNL were diverse and eccentric, ranging from a samurai deli owner to a grumpy diner cook. One of his most iconic characters was Bluto Blutarsky in "Animal House", a hard-partying college fraternity brother. The role solidified Belushi's status as a rising comedy star and remains one of his most beloved characters.
In addition to his comedic talent, Belushi was also a skilled impersonator. He frequently impersonated celebrities such as Joe Cocker, Elizabeth Taylor, and Henry Kissinger. His impressions were so accurate and hilarious that they often left his cast members struggling to keep a straight face during sketches.
Belushi's career was cut short when he passed away in 1982 at the young age of 33. Despite his untimely death, his legacy continues to influence comedy and entertainment. He was posthumously honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
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Frequently asked questions
"Is this Cheddar Cheese?" is a line from an episode of Saturday Night Live (SNL). In the episode, Gilda Radner, playing the character Emily Litella, calls Chevy Chase "Cheddar Cheese".
Emily Litella is a fictional character created and performed by comedian Gilda Radner. She appeared 26 times on SNL's Weekend Update op-ed segment between 1975 and 1977.
In the episode, law enforcement types use a dance as a front to search for suspicious activity with the consent of their targets. They discover that Belushi's character has outstanding warrants.
