Gilda Live

[kybearfuzz]

As I was driving home this past weekend, I changed up the CD’s in my CD player. Yeah, I know, how archaic is that nowadays, but my iPod often gets static in some of the hilly parts of the drive, so CD’s give me a chance for clearer sounds. Typically, I put audiobooks in the CD player, but this time I put a mix of music and audiobooks.

One that I put in was the soundtrack to “Gilda Live!” which was Gilda Radner’s Broadway show back in 1980. It features most of her Saturday Night Live characters doing various skits as well as a couple of original songs like “Let’s Talk Dirty to the Animals.” While they are a bit dated in a sense, they do make me laugh out loud. They also make me remember SNL when I was really young. I only caught the earliest seasons of SNL in reruns, but I do remember watching Gilda during the 1979 season when I was all of six and got to stay up late on Saturdays.

It also saddens me a bit to listen to her work, knowing that there was really so little of it due to her untimely death in 1989. I often wonder what she’d be doing today if she were still around. She’d be 68 years old, but really that’s not very old these days, and I can imagine she’d be playing great parts on “Hot in Cleveland” or an Emily Litella-grandmother character on some sitcom. Even better, I can imagine her hosting SNL now and putting the new talent to shame. She really was wonderful.

Here is probably one of my favorite skits from “Gilda Live!” Those of you who know me and my work will understand why.

Comments

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

She was a rare and bright light!! Thanks for sharing this video! Decades after her star making stint on SNL, most of us remember Emily Littella, Rosana Rosanadanna and others of her truly inspired characters .. Oh, never mind:)

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I just finished reading "Live from New York," a 2002 book that was full of interviews about the behind-the-scenes stuff that went on at SNL from the beginning.

While they might rip on each other here and there, famous feuds and people with drug problems, etc., there was not one negative word from anyone about Gilda Radner. Everyone loved her and she was apparently one of the sweetest and genuine people they'd ever met. One touching part of the book was about Lorne Michaels who keeps a handwritten note from Gilda that just said "I love you" on his peg board.

[daddytodd.livejournal.com]

There was just one Gilda. I still miss her.

I recently saw the sketch where she's on the phone (tethered to the wall with a long curly cord) with her mother while preparing dinner. She was peerless in her timing, characterizations, and her ability to remember her lines while going through pretty demanding stage business. Damn, she was good.

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I agree!

One of my favorite skits was about "Extremely Stupid People" with Candace Bergen. Candace blew her line by forgetting Gilda's character's name and Gilda took that ball and ran with it through the rest, causing Candace to completely crack up.

[dendren.livejournal.com]

Gilda, what a treat she was. I love the thought of her appearing on Hot in Cleveland and such if she were alive today. Maybe her and Madelyn Kahn are hamming it up somewhere in the afterlife together, two great comics lost too soon!

This also makes me think about the way comic acts used to be put on record. I can't imagine listening to a comic act now, without the visuals, but I sure loved my old comedy records. I remember really loving the Bill Cosby one, with him going on as Noah. I must have listened to that a zillion times LOL

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

Ah, Madeline Kahn! "Flames... on the side of face..."

I can only imagine what a hilarious place the afterlife would be if they're all together.

And I wish she could have done a comedy album, that would have been amazing, though the Gilda Live from New York soundtrack is pretty close to what I'd have expected.

[mort-83.livejournal.com]

I remember watching her on SNL live. She really was a wonderful performer. I've read too, that she was universally loved by those she worked with. Truly sad that she died so young...

[kybearfuzz.livejournal.com]

I just think of all the really fun things she would have done had she got to hang around longer.