‘SNL’s’ Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer is the Perfect Distillation of the Brilliance of Phil Hartman

You can learn a lot about a person by their favorite Saturday Night Live cast member. As we inch closer and closer to 50 years of “Live from New Yorks,” the venerable late-night staple has produced an overwhelming number of options. Many fans will go with a traditional selection — Will Ferrell, Eddie Murphy, Chris Farley, Kristen Wiig, Bill Murray — but I’ve always leaned towards the comedic versatility of Phil Hartman. Time and nostalgia often combine to lionize the past, add an extra dose of luster to someone’s biography, but that’s not the case when it comes to Hartman’s virtuosic comedy career. During his tenure on SNL, Hartman was the glue, the panacea for a bad sketch. Post SNL, the comedian thrived on NBC’s critically-adored yet culturally-underrated sitcom NewsRadio and excelled in guest starring roles on shows like The Simpsons and 3rd Rock from the Sun. There’s no question that Hartman’s prodigious talent and everyman charm would have led to a revelatory second act, but his career was tragically cut short.

There’s no shortage of options for Saturday Night Live’s The Best of Phil Hartman DVD, but I’ve always been partial to the absurd charms of “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer.” Created by sketch comedy maestro Jack Handey, the premise of the bit is deceptively simple. Hartman portrays a prehistoric caveman, Keyrock, who fell into a crevasse 100,000 years ago. In 1988, he was discovered by scientists, went to law school, and became Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer.

When you stop to analyze it, “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” shouldn’t have worked, but comedy is a mysterious alchemy. There’s no bulletproof blueprint to making people laugh, but with a premise this unusual the line between legendary favorite and forgettable bomb is razor thin. This sketch succeeds because of Handey’s writing and Hartman’s performance. Sketch comedy is about subverting expectations. Keyrock isn’t your typical caveman; he’s a slick-talking lawyer who artfully uses his perceived lack of refinement to engender sympathy from others. During the Zanderville City Council sketch from 1992, the council notes that Keyrock’s proposed housing development would have severe detrimental effects on both the environment and wildlife. Keyrock delivers a condescending laugh and states that in his time he couldn’t “afford to worry about a few ducks.”

“Maybe we were just cavemen, but with us, people came first.” How can you argue against that? Mr. Keyrock* is just a caveman. Our world frighten and confuses him.

Keyrock is a swindler, but thanks to Hartman’s innate charisma, he’s a beguiling swindler. The character works because he’s unabashedly, unapologetically manipulating the system. Keyrock possesses an unassuming Ferris Bueller-esque charm, and that magnetic captivation derives from Hartman’s inherent warmth and likability. You know he’s deceiving you, but you just can’t stay mad at the lovable scamp. From the theme song to the fake commercials to the previews for future episodes, “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” is the nexus of silly and brilliant.

And the same can be said about Phil Hartman.

There will never be another Phil Hartman. He may be gone, but sketches like “Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer” are just one of the many reasons why he’ll never be forgotten.

* “It’s just Keyrock, your honor.”

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