Twilight Theatre

Funny how time warps our memories. The show Jim-499 was reviewing is NOT "Twilight Theater", but Steve Martin's much superior second television special called "Comedy is Not Pretty". I can not imagine how he got both mixed up. "Comedy is Not Pretty" aired in prime time, twice and once again in syndication. "Twilight Theater" aired during the Saturday Night Live late night time slot. "Comedy is Not Pretty" was almost entirely Steve Martin skits. "Twilight Theater" had just one brief appearance by Steve Martin in the first episode, and an even briefer appearance in the second.

But for those of you who saw both specials and years later your memories have mushed them together, her is a brief description of both. Comedy is Not Pretty opened with a prologue where the script for Steve's new special is substituted with a deranged script by a hunchback and/or mad scientist. It has the following skits: # The aforementioned steamroller PSA featuring Regis Philbin as the announcer

# Steve as a diver at the Olympics where he does a bunch of silly dives, and then pretends to drown to get better points from the judges.

# Steve outside a haunted house describing what it was like living there.

# A story on a mid-east country where everyone is a beggar, including the king who successfully begs for a piece of lint from the poorest man in the country.

# Steve as the worlds greatest lover giving tips that include throwing dog poop on the shoes of a girl you are breaking up with. Joyce Dewitt guest stars as his date.

# Steve as a scout master who gets his troop lost after only two seconds in the woods.

# Steve doing a 60 Minutes style story on Morley Safer, pointing out he is a Canadian and asking the question "If we had a war with Canada, who's side would he fight on?"

# A video for the song El Passo with Steve and chimpanzees playing the other characters.

Twilight Theater opens with a "Masterpiece Theater" type host ( Leslie Nielsen in at least one of the episodes ) who introduces several filmed comedy skits which include:

# A New Wave high school where one of the students keeps getting girls pregnant.

# A short Pee Wee Herman episode where he finds a baby chimp, and Steve Martin is an Italian organ grinder who claims the chimp is his and takes it back. Steve later returns the chimp because it is not his monkey. His monkey is one of those wind up toys that clangs symbols together.

# A drunk falls asleep and dreams that he is having a party in his pants with miniature people.

# The world premiere for the Tom Tom Club music video Genius of Love

I can not remember anything about the second Twilight Theater episode other than none of the skits were funny and Steve Martin in some brief skit where he is in his dressing room. The first one had it's charm, and a few memorable funny skits. I do not think Steve Martin had anything to do with these shows other than guest starring. They were both basically filler episodes for SNL. Other memorable filler episodes included "Rutles: All You Need is Cash", "Bob & Ray, Jane, Laraine & Gilda" and "Things We Did Last Summer".

Jim-499 wished the show he thought was "Twilight Theater" was on DVD. Well good news. Just today all of Steve Martin's television specials were released in a DVD box set. ( not including the Twilight Theaters, but including the entire "Comedy is Not Pretty" )

I watched this program when it first aired in 1982.I liked it so much that when it was rerun later that summer I taped it to watch again,because I was out when it aired again.I watched it several times over a two or three week period before taping over it.Probably the most significant thing about this show was it might very well have been the television debut of Pee Wee Herman.While I had already seen Paul Reubens' character in CHEECH & CHONG'S NEXT MOVIE,it was probably the introduction to a large segment of the world.The "Funky High School"segment was also funny,in a very weird way. Steve Martin starred in a hysterical sketch called "Auto Interruptus" as a radio talk-show addict who got a big surprise listening to his favorite show while he drove home from work.The music was supplied by Riders in the Sky & Devo's video for "It's a Beautiful World."I'd really like to see this one on DVD.All in all,a very entertaining piece of early '80's memories.

I watched this on TV in 1982 and still remember it. It was funny. One skit is like a public safety film on the dangers of drunk driving, with a voice over saying something like, "How many times have you seen this happen? A friend comes to your party, has too much to drink, and insists on during his steam roller home!" Steve Martin is the drunk, says, in a drunk slur, "I can drive. C'mon guys! Give me a break..." He then proceeds to run over a child who ran out in the street after his beach ball. Steve accidentally runs over him, runs back to see if the kid is okay only to find him literally flat as a pan cake with a Mr. Bill like, "No............" look on his face.

I seem to remember another skit about a cowboy rodeo rider that rides tortoises. "That's the way I want it...," says Martin the cowboy at the end of the skit.

A FUNNY show that I only saw once 23 years ago. Every one at work was talking about it the next day. They should release it on DVD or VHS.

From what I remember, there were two episodes of TWILIGHT THEATER, and NBC broadcast them on the Saturday NIGHT LIVE time slot in the place of reruns of the show. I remember the Steve Martin drunk steamroller driving segment, a parody of 1930's prison films(starring Bill Murray), a segment on "the first soap opera set in high school"(my words) and Michael York asking for contributions to keep TWILIGHT THEATER on the air(to which the subscribers get a button that says TWIT on it). At times, I look back at TWILIGHT THEATER when I look at the sad shape of late night TV today. Let me tell you, we didn't know how good we had it back then.

Somebody who remembers this show help me... Years ago, I watched a show that had me and my family in stitches every time it came on. For years I've been trying to remember the show where I saw a skit that was a spoof of Gone with the Wind. I was sure it had Steve Martin in it as Rhett (maybe). Scarlett is hiding a ham butt in her dress, and another character says, in a deep Southern drawl, 'Scarlett, give me that ham butt!' That's all I remember - that and laughing until my sides ached. My brothers and I used the 'ham butt' line frequently at dinner after that (Pass the salt, please. And Scarlett, give me that ham butt!). I stumbled on this title while looking at Leslie Nielson's acting credits. Could it be the source of the 'ham butt' line was this show? Now that I know the title, I've got to see if anyone's posted it on YouTube!