The Chris Farley Show
The Chris Farley Show was a sketch from the American comedy TV series Saturday Night Live, which involved comic actor Chris Farley, as a parody of himself, interviewing various celebrities. Rather than ask his guest questions that had any popular significance, or allow his guest to plug a current project, he would invariably act nervously, and simply describe scenes from a film in which the guest actor appeared (or occasionally films that had nothing to do with the guest). After asking the performer whether he remembered this particular event, Farley would relate, "That was awesome." Other times, he would ask questions that were of little relevance, or made no sense at all. Invariably, he would say something he regretted and would smack his head and call himself an idiot. The skit accentuated Farley's shyness for comic effect.
Sketches
Guest | Original Air Date |
---|---|
Jeff Daniels | October 5, 1991 |
Martin Scorsese | November 16, 1991 |
Paul McCartney | February 13, 1993 |
Jeff Daniels
Jeff Daniels was the first ever guest of The Chris Farley Show when it premiered on October 5, 1991. Daniels was appearing to promote his newest movie, The Butcher's Wife. Daniels gives mostly yes or no answers to Farley's questions regarding whether or not he remembers certain scenes of movies. The episode also features a question from a caller, who mimics Farley's "d'you remember" questions. Eventually, Farley and the caller ignore Jeff Daniels and reminisce about the previous episode, in which the same caller asked Arnold Schwarzenegger a question.
Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese was the second guest on the show. Originally aired on November 16, 1991, Scorsese appeared to promote his film Cape Fear. As with the first sketch, Farley introduces himself, stumbles over his words, and eventually discusses action movies with his guest before taking a caller.
Paul McCartney
In the third and final Chris Farley Show sketch aired on February 13, 1993, Paul McCartney, that night's musical guest, was the guest on Farley's show. Farley acted awestruck and giddy in the former Beatle's presence, repeatedly asking ridiculous questions, typically starting with "Do you remember when you were in The Beatles?" or "That was a hoax, right?" in reference to rumors of McCartney's death, to which he gives one (or few) word answers. At one point, Farley arbitrarily asks the legendary songwriter, "Did you see Terminator?" This is the only Chris Farley Show sketch not to feature a guest caller.
Biography title
A biographical novel named after the sketch, The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts was released on May 6, 2008 and was co-written by Tom Farley, Jr. (Chris Farley's brother) and Tanner Colby. It features anecdotes by his friends and family. The novel was named Amazon Best of the Month by Amazon.com in May, 2008. Co-author Colby is also credited with co-writing John Belushi's biography, Belushi: A Biography. Farley was notorious for following in the footsteps of Belushi, both dying at age 33 from drug-related heart attacks.
External links
- Chris Farley Show transcript - Paul McCartney interview
- Official Website for A Biography in Three Acts
- Martin Scorsese video clip
- Jeff Daniels video clip
- Paul McCartney video clip
- Chris Rock interview