Martin Short joins Five-Timers Club in Christmas episode

Holly jolly holiday greetings, Conehead nation – it’s SNL in Review: the 50th season anniversary recap. And tonight is – in a season of already deeply special moments – a particularly special episode, the Christmas show. The show that is closing out 2024. The show that unofficially rests one era of American politics, and beckons the next Trump term. Oh, and it is Martin Short’s official entrance into the Five Timers Club.

Short has specialized in December host gigs since he co-hosted with his Three Amigos pals Chevy Chase and Steve Martin way back in 1986. His last hosting gig was also with Martin, also in December. We have seen him pop up via cameo appearances several times over the years, including last April during the Kristen Wiig episode. My favorite cameo: when Justin Timberlake hosted SNL for the fifth time in 2013, Short appeared as a waiter in the Five-Timers Club sketch. Now, he is a member. Rejoice. 

I am joined tonight by the best of the best, former SNL cast member Gary Kroeger. He recalls that he “first met Marty at SNL in 1984. I was kept on, along with Jim Belushi, Mary Gross and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, as more or less an SNL foundation because Dick Ebersol had made the rather ingenious decision to put Marty, Chris Guest, Billy Crystal, Harry Shearer, Pamela Stevenson, and Rich Hall onto the show. If you have to replace Eddie Murphy, that’s a pretty good line up. I wasn’t pleased to lose my best friend Brad Hall, or Tim Kazurinsky or Robin Duke, however. I hadn’t been watching SCTV in recent years and didn’t know Marty’s work very well. I wondered if he was going to cut into the turf I thought I was finally carving for myself on SNL. Well, long story ‘short’ I quickly realized that Marty was brilliant and there would be no competition. Ed Grimley paved the way to an understanding that Martin Short lives in another dimension. Watching Marty create characters that lived both in reality and also only his head, was a masterclass in spontaneous creation. I was happy just having the best seat in the house.”

More from Gary: “Marty is one of the nicest, most down to earth, generous performers around. He was a real human being, empathetic, always giving whatever time was asked of him. Needless to say, I admired him very much. After that season, I only saw Marty at SNL reunion shows, and one time around 2003. I was on a lot in Hollywood where I was doing audience warm-up for several shows – a great freelance gig between acting jobs – and Marty was there shooting the first season of Jiminy Glick. He gave me a warm hug and he told me about Jiminy. I laughed and said to him, in all seriousness: ‘America should just cut to the chase and make you a national treasure.’ He looked at me as if I was being sarcastic, but I wasn’t. I meant it. Still do.”

Hozier is our musical guest tonight – scroll down to read the recap!

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Cold Open

Cameo overload! As expected, Short gets inducted into the Five Timers Club – this time from Tom Hanks and Paul Rudd! Short and Rudd do the famous “You’re Great!” handshake – Tina Fey then Alec Baldwin follow. Scarlett Johansson asks Hanks whether his gift this year is another book on World War II. He meekly replies, “No, outer space.”

A drunk Kristen Wiig is next, and Short himself laments this premise solely exists for a cheap ratings boost. With that, her Bridesmaids co-star Melissa McCarthy appears, as does Emma Stone. I love McCarthy’s pratfall. Short’s old FOX sitcom co-star John Mulaney says congratulations, and they joke about the show’s failure. 

Want a self-deprecating Jimmy Fallon cameo? Here you go!

Monologue

Short jokes about Matt Gaetz and being forced to play an elf ten times tonight. He says he and Lorne are like Trump and Elon Musk without the sexual tension. 

Short’s lucky number is 5. He is a Five-Timer, and they are starting the fifth season of Only Murders in the Building. 

Sarah Sherman comes out, she is full of holiday dread. She is joined by other cast members, who ask that he cheers them up. This triggers a fun song about anxiety this time of year. I love this because he moves around the studio – reminds me of the classic monologue songs of yore. (We even get a Lorne cameo! Though, I don’t recall any Fallon kisses back then.) “Don’t smoke snow!”

Kroeger notes that Short’s “SNL legacy is not unlike his SCTV legacy, which is not unlike his film and TV legacy that followed. An actor who surprises us by simultaneously rooting his characters in places we know while taking them to places we don’t. He is an inexhaustible source of energy and ideas willing to take a character to the edge of reality where one more wafer-thin step might be over the top. But he always knew when to stop short.” (I asked him what his favorite SNL Christmas moment was and he adds: “no favorite Christmas memory. except, of course for The Gumby Christmas Special where I was Donny Osmond to Julia’s Marie and we made out. That sketch still makes the rounds.”)

“Parking Lot Altercation”

The universal language of parking lot frustration! This is a repeat of the 2023 sketch where Mikey Day and Quinta Brunson had a traffic altercation. Meh.

“An Act of Kindness”

In this short film, a hard charging Heidi Gardner drops a gift on the street, and a disheveled homeless man (Kenan Thompson) helps her out. She decides to give Ricardo a “fresh start” – a shave, a gold watch. She takes him out to dinner. It’s lovely.

Here’s the pay-off – it’s Christmas Eve and she has missed her family! Her husband (Day) calls upset, and Kenan only escalates things. A funny riff on good intentions, with a mean final line about Fox News tossed in.

“Christmas Airport Parade”

Another familiar sketch prompt, this time a live broadcast of holiday travelers trying to get out of Newark. Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Paul Rudd cameo. This basic template has been seen a few times, so meh.

One reason to watch: Tom Hanks reprises his performance as Captain Sullenberger from the modern Clint Eastwood classic, Sully. He welcomes a group from Turkey.

Hozier performs “Too Sweet”

Gary Kroeger shares: “I love me some Hozier! ‘Take Me To Church’ got my attention years ago. I love the Irish tradition as it blends into rock. Van Morrison comes to mind in that vein. ‘Too Sweet’ is on my personal A rotation!”

“Weekend Update”

Bowen Yang plays a New Jersey drone and belts out a huge show stopper! Jost is at a loss for words. After Che tells a dark joke about suicide, Jost announces it is time for them to joke swap! He says he will do it in black voice so unlike in the past, he doesn’t get in trouble. Buckle up – and get ready for a ScarJo cameo!

Meanwhile, Che defends Jay Z and Diddy! Former cast member Patrick Weather thinks this is a bomb and remarks to me that this “sounds like a MJ concert. I feel like I have a bad seat and can’t hear from the crowd. Youthful high spirits become depressing under such circumstances.”

On the political humor, Kroeger comments: “To be honest, I’ve never been completely comfortable with the show’s Joe Biden take. Several funny impressions from different actors – Jim Carrey being the most surprising – but I never saw a nuanced take. Not in the way Trump has been done, or in the past with Dana’s George Bush, or even way back to Joe Piscopo as Reagan and Dan Aykroyd as Carter.  SNL does a commendable job of satirizing the right, the left, the blue, the red and the purple. While we all know the general climate there is progressive, they do a good job of calling attention to our idiosyncracies, as well.”

“Sábado Gigante Christmas Special”

Spanish-language game show Sábado Gigante is back with Marcello as host Don Francisco – they did this during the Nate Bargatze episode. Similar vibes, with Dana Carvey popping up for good measure.

Rudd enters from the audience. His character’s “English is very good luck!” – he missed his flight home and coming to this was his ticket.

Hozier performs “Fairytale of New York”

“Fairytale of New York” is a classic written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan which was originally a Pogues song featuring English singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a duet. Bill Murray memorably sang it in his 2015 Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas.

“Peanuts Christmas”

Short and Bowen Yang play the theater directors for Charlie Brown and his friends’ classic pageant. I like Dismukes as Schroeder. Kinda cute. 

Final thoughts

• Thank you Gary Kroeger! Check out his podcast and blog. Subscribe and Like!
• Also thanks to Patrick Weathers.

 “What did YOU think of the Martin Short SNL?”  See you in 2025!