Gothamist: Did SNL Rip Off Improv Everywhere?

Ed Z

Tue, 30 May 2006 11:11:06 -0500

Ripping off another writer's material is serious business. SNL has been accused of this-- and forced to pay for this-- before. (see 'Gasping for Airtime' by Jay Mohr). If I were Improv Everywhere (or Chuck from the post above), I'd get myself a lawyer.

Chuck

Wed, 17 May 2006 13:44:44 -0500

Yes they saw it and borrowed from it - they did the same thing for Laser Cats. I did a short film 6 years ago that was VERY similar to LC and ran on the web for 3 years. Mine was from a series of shorts about a cat that could shoot lasers from his atomic paw. The entire forst 20 seconds of SNL's version was IDENTICAL to my short - then they veered off into other territory.

Zach

Wed, 17 May 2006 12:28:03 -0500

"pulled a Kaavya Viswanathan"? That just rolls right off the tongue!

Parker

Wed, 17 May 2006 03:54:41 -0500

I don't really find lonely island blog to be a reliable source.

50centHAT

Tue, 16 May 2006 22:13:58 -0500

Part of the problem with SNL and its cast is that it is by the virtue of its having been on 30+ years, many of the casts grew up idolizing the SNL performers and skits. So, where you had the original cast breaking new comedic ground, and drawing their influences (or directly ripping off) from much broader areas, the NEW SNL can't help but canaballize itself. Whereas John Belushi doing "cheezboigey" was an almost literal copy of the cook at the Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, nearly every character now being done has to contend with the fact that it was directly influenced by the greats of previous SNL casts. 30 years of SNL which we have all seen and probably own on DVD is to blame, but in 1975 and even 10 years ago how many people were able to watch videos of Your Show of Shows or Ernie Kovacs, or any other of the things THEY were ripping off? Fill in your own examples, ad nauseum. ****End of Diatribe*** sorry.

mrShoes

Tue, 16 May 2006 21:19:28 -0500

If you think about it, the fact that Samberg is a player on SNL and that the similarity between videos is not just a passing one but practically overt, simply explains that they have co-opted the previous material of Andy and his crew. I mean is this really a revelation to so many of us? Whether or not it is a time weathered gag, good or bad....who cares?!

DC

Tue, 16 May 2006 21:03:49 -0500

What in the hell was Lorne Michaels thinking having Dane Cook host? That fucker directly rips off Louis CK amongst others (plenty to find on that via Google). You would think the SNL crew would have some sort of comedic integrity. Given this, it would not surprise me if they resorted to ripping off other improv groups...or if they help package books on Opal Mehta.

Ryan

Tue, 16 May 2006 20:33:35 -0500

According to the Lonely Island blog, this was shot during the week of the Alec Baldwin ep, which Chester says aired on December 3, 2005. Baldwin actually aired on December 10, with Dane Cook on December 3. So, either way, they shot it sometime between November 28 and December 10. According to Improv Everywhere, their short was shot on December 10. So, is it a ripoff? No.

pugsley

Tue, 16 May 2006 19:18:29 -0500

this would be a good reason to finally put SNL out of its misery. It was kind of funny twenty years ago, but was basically a pale nutless version of the old national lampoon radio & stage shows even then. now it serves as a gateway for people groomed to make lame movies based on a thin character with a catchphrase. cancel the show already.

Kaet

Tue, 16 May 2006 18:09:31 -0500

It seems like SNL rips off a lot of sketches these days. I saw a sketch similar on the State about the Mimes who were only pretending to flying on a plane and a real captain had to help the guy piloting land the plane. (that's a bad synopsis of it, but you get the point). and the answer to your question, yes, I think SNL might have ripped it off.

Brouhaha

Tue, 16 May 2006 18:02:02 -0500

Yes, Python all the way. The funnier sketch was the guy "scaling" the sidewalk like a mountain climber.

Monty

Tue, 16 May 2006 17:54:17 -0500

Yeah, I'm with the other posters. This is a way-old gag, and if I remember correctly, was in a number of Monty Python sketches as well. Not original. And in either case, not all that funny.

parnell

Tue, 16 May 2006 17:00:13 -0500

yo samberg, what's crackin!

gabe

Tue, 16 May 2006 16:30:21 -0500

don't you hate multiple comment posts? what kind of ass does that?

ryan

Tue, 16 May 2006 16:24:57 -0500

The improv everywhere skit was a lot funnier and better shot. I kind of doubt the SNL guys lifted the skit from them, though.

jason

Tue, 16 May 2006 15:54:33 -0500

I think the real similarity here is that they are both done on an NYC street with onlookers walking by and scratching their heads.

gabe

Tue, 16 May 2006 15:52:45 -0500

I'm with Reg! - the joke of standing on the edge of a 2-foot ledge has been around forever and has shown up everywhere from Laurel and Hardy movies, to Bill Irwin routines, to the Lyricist's Lounge TV Show. This isn't all that surprising as improv tends to fall into the same troupes and comedy has always made fun of the physical limitations of its own staging. Using a megaphone is novel, but it's all been seen before (not that wasn't funny - it was). Consequently, Jake, you need to enter a fourth option: "Another rendition of a time-honored gag."

gabe

Tue, 16 May 2006 15:35:09 -0500

gabe

Tue, 16 May 2006 15:34:26 -0500

pablo

Tue, 16 May 2006 15:33:16 -0500

SNL probably saw that skit on the same video sites when they were checking out all the buzz of "Lazy Sunday"

Mister Hanky

Tue, 16 May 2006 15:31:08 -0500

Those SNL guys aren't that funny, anyway. The whole Lzay Sunday thing had only like 2 good lines in it. Hype.

Bryan

Tue, 16 May 2006 15:29:51 -0500

Yes, I think anyone with prior knowledge of a television has seen that gimmick before.

J

Tue, 16 May 2006 15:09:47 -0500

Wasn't there a similar thing with "Bong Boy" on an old Upright Citizens' Brigade episode?

Reg!

Tue, 16 May 2006 14:39:45 -0500

Ive seen that whole 'Talk someone down from a fake ledge' skit before tho I would have sworn over the many decades of tv watching, so its not that original anyway.