Season 15
Saturday Night Live
Overview
Saturday Night Live aired its fifteenth season during the 1989 - 1990 television season on NBC. The fifteenth season started off with a 15th anniversary special on September 24, 1989 and ended on May 19, 1990. 21 episodes were produced, including the anniversary special. Few changes happened before the start of the season. The only change was the absence of Ben Stiller. After being on the show for five episodes, Stiller left the show due to creative differences with Lorne Michaels. Mike Myers was upgraded to repertory status. This season saw the first hosting gigs of three celebrities who would go on to be frequent SNL hosts: John Goodman, Christopher Walken, and Alec Baldwin. This season is also notorious for an in-cast spat towards the end of the season. Nora Dunn staged a boycott over the host of the episode, controversial comedian Andrew Dice Clay. Dunn refused to appear in the episode because of Clay's profane jokes about women. The original musical guest for the episode, Sinéad O'Connor, joined Dunn in her boycott and canceled her scheduled appearance. O'Connor was replaced by Julee Cruise and The Spanic Boys.
Episodes
1. Bruce Willis/Neil Young
September 30, 1989
Sketches include: Thirtysomething, Wayne's World, Donahue, Home Improvement, New Leading Man, Sprockets, Bruce Willis: The Man and His Music
Guest Stars: Neil Young, Bruce Willis
2. Rick Moranis/Rickie Lee Jones
October 7, 1989
Sketches include: The Big Bitch Bulldyke Bust Out of '89, Honey I Shrunk Hans & Franz, Resorts International Hotel, Wild Horse, New Commissioner, Baby Talk, Word Busters
Guest Stars: Rickie Lee Jones, Rick Moranis
3. Kathleen Turner/Billy Joel
October 21, 1989
Sketches Include: Plug Away With Harvey Fierstein, Die Squaren Ost Berliner, Egg Man, Really Ordinary People, All About Deborah Norville, Lank Thompson: I'm A Handsome Man, 555-Toon, Maxwell House
Guest Stars: Kathleen Turner, Billy Joel
4. James Woods/Don Henley
October 28, 1989
Sketches include ""The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson,"" ""Yard-a-pult,"" ""Dracula and AIDS,"" ""Primetime Live,"" ""Ventriloquist Act,"" ""Falling in Love,"" ""Three Dudes Holistic Automotive,"" ""Hemsley Spook House,"" and ""Tonto, Tarzan, and Frankenstein.""
Guest Stars: Don Henley, James Woods
5. Chris Evert/Eurythmics
November 11, 1989
Sketches include ""Wimbledon,"" ""Oneupmanship,"" and ""Lothar of the Hill People.""
Guest Stars: Chris Evert
6. Woody Harrelson/David Byrne
November 18, 1989
Sketches include ""Jack Nicholson,"" ""Pumping Up with Hans & Franz,"" ""A&E Attitudes,"" ""Sprockets,"" and ""Three Very Lonesome Cowboys.""
Guest Stars: Woody Harrelson, David Byrne
7. John Goodman/k.d. lang & The Reclines
December 2, 1989
Sketches include ""It's a Wonderful Savings and Loan,"" ""Wayne's World,"" ""Cooking with the Anal-Retentive Chef,"" ""Toonces The Cat Who Could Drive a Car,"" ""The Mike Ditka Type-A Christmas Special,"" and ""The Referee Pitman Show"".
Guest Stars: K.D. Lang, John Goodman
8. Robert Wagner/Linda Ronstadt & Aaron Neville
December 9, 1989
Sketches include ""George Bush and Dan Quayle"", ""Yard-A-Pult,"" ""Messy Date"", ""Tales of the Runaway Boulder,"" ""Attack of the Masturbating Zombies,"" ""Rockefeller is Evil,"" ""A Betty Ford Straight Arrow Christmas"", and ""In the Middle."" Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville performed ""Don't Know Much"" and ""When Something Is Wrong.""
Guest Stars: Aaron Neville, Robert Wagner, Linda Ronstadt
9. Andie MacDowell/Tracy Chapman
December 16, 1989
Sketches included ""Interrupted PSA,"" ""Church Chat,"" ""The Night Hanukkah Harry Saved Christmas,"" ""Hal Jerome Tribute,"" and ""Before the Wedding."" Tracy Chapman performed ""Gimme One Reason.""
Guest Stars: Andie MacDowell, Tracy Chapman
10. Ed O'Neill/Harry Connick, Jr.
January 13, 1990
Sketches include ""George Bush,"" ""Bizilady,"" ""I Got What You Need,"" ""Wayne's World,"" ""The Nagging,"" ""Dennis Woo's Real Estate Fortunes The Easy Way,"" ""Ceaucescu's Wake,"" ""Lothar of the Hill People,"" and ""SNL in the 90's"".
Guest Stars: Ed O'Neill, Harry Connick Jr.
11. Christopher Walken/Bonnie Raitt
January 20, 1990
Sketches include ""The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson,"" ""Eternity,"" ""Hired Break-Up,"" ""The Continental,"" ""Attitudes,"" ""Lease With an Option to Kill,"" ""Hardbound""
Guest Stars: Bonnie Raitt, Christopher Walken
12. Quincy Jones
February 10, 1990
Sketches include ""Pumping Up With Hans and Franz,"" ""Century 21 Marriage Counselors,"" ""Toonces,"" ""Bob Waltman Special,"" ""Jazz Perspective,"" ""Reverend and Rabbi,"" ""Tonto, Tarzan, and Frankenstein,"" ""Soviet Central Committee,"" ""House Committee on Dials and Gauges"".
Guest Stars: Andraé Crouch, Siedah Garrett, Quincy Jones
13. Tom Hanks/Aerosmith
February 17, 1990
Sketches include ""Ivana Trump Pre-Nup"", ""Wayne's World,"" ""Tales of Ribaldry,"" ""Tradtional Irish Drinking Songs for St. Patrick's Day,"" ""The Mob,"" ""Singles Cruise,"" and ""Black History Minute."" Aerosmith performed ""Jamie's Got a Gun"" and ""Monkey On My Back.""
Guest Stars: Tom Hanks
14. Fred Savage/Technotronic
February 24, 1990
Sketches include ""Church Chat,"" ""Left Alone with a Gun,"" ""The Pat Stevens Show,"" ""Imaginary Friend,"" and ""Hooked on Sushi"" (film). Technotronic performed ""Pump Up The Jam.""
Guest Stars: Fred Savage
15. Rob Lowe/The Pogues
March 17, 1990
Sketches include "George Bush/Rob Lowe", "Irish Drinking Songs", "Church Chat", "Sprockets", "Arsenio Beckman Show", "Lambada Prison", "Helmet Head", and "Alexander's Fur World".
Guest Stars: Rob Lowe
16. Debra Winger/Eric Clapton
March 24, 1990
Sketches include ""Reagan Census Count,"" ""Wayne's World,"" ""Toonces the Cat Who Could Drive a Car,"" ""Calamity Jane,"" and ""Senate Record Labelling Hearings"", ""Weekend Update""
Guest Stars: Debra Winger, Eric Clapton
17. Corbin Bernsen/Smithereens
April 14, 1990
Sketches include ""Cable Shopping Network,"" ""Celebrity Lawyer Court,"" ""Hanukkah Harry,"" ""George F. Will's Sports Machine,"" ""His Face,"" ""Movers and Shakers,"" and ""Playgirl Models"".
Guest Stars: Corbin Bernsen
18. Alec Baldwin/The B-52's
April 21, 1990
Sketches include "Bush Talks to Nation", "Greenhilly", "The Environmentally Conscious One", "Sexual Tension Diner", "The Garbo I Knew", "Only In New York", "Nude Talk Show" and "Middle Aged Man". The B-52's perform "Cosmic Thing" and "Channel Z".
Guest Stars: Alec Baldwin
19. Andrew Dice Clay/Spanic Boys & Julee Cruise
May 12, 1990
Sketches include ""It's a Wonderful Dice,"" ""Diceman Employment Agency,"" ""Cooking With the Anal-Rententive Chef,"" ""What's Sex?"", ""DJ Tony Trailer,"" ""Jan Hooks Protest,"" ""Cool Mite,"" ""Ridiculous Bull,"" ""Kevin Nealon Protest""
Guest Stars: Julee Cruise, Andrew Dice Clay
20. Candice Bergen/Notting Hillbillies
May 19, 1990
Sketches include ""George Bush,"" ""Toonces The Cat Who Can Drive a Car,"" ""The Carsenio Show,"" and ""Wayne's World.""
Guest Stars: Candice Bergen
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