Robert Smigel

Writer / Performer / Producer


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About
About this interview

In his nine-hour interview, Robert Smigel talks about his early life and family and growing up in Manhattan. He recalls wanting to be a comedian from an early age but instead pursuing a career as a dentist (following in his father's footsteps). He details how he started doing stand-up after entering a contest while still studying to be a dentist. He traces his career from comedy writer, to being scouted by Saturday Night Live writers Al Franken and Tom Davis while performing at the Player's Workshop at Second City in Chicago. He discusses in-depth his long tenure at Saturday Night Live, many of the memorable sketches he worked on, and other SNL writers he worked with such as Bob Odenkirk and Jim Downey. Smigel talks about working alongside SNL performers Dana Carvey, Jan Hooks, Adam Sandler, Steve Martin, and Phil Hartman, among others. He talks about the now-infamous "Nude Beach" sketch which was later cut from subsequent SNL episodes. Smigel details writing the "Bill Swerski's Superfans" sketch and coming up with "Da Bears" catchphrase. He talks about leaving SNL to produce Late Night with Conan O'Brien and discusses many of the memorable sketches from that show including "Clutch-Cargo" and "In the Year 2000." He talks about many of the writers he worked with including Dino Stamatopoulos, Louis C.K., Stephen Colbert, and Steve Carrell. He talks about producing The Dana Carvey Show. He discusses the challenges of producing the show. Smigel also discusses a pilot he made with Conan O'Brien called Lookwell, starring Batman's Adam West. Smigel talks about the genesis of his most-famous character, "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" (who makes a cameo during the interview). He details many of "Triumph's" best-loved sketches and interviews including filming fans outside a Star Wars premiere and roasting Eminem during the MTV Video Music Awards. He talks about his return to Saturday Night Live with the animated sketch segment "TV Funhouse" and the spin-off television series of the same name. Smigel details the concept behind and writing of many Funhouse sketches including "The Ambiguously Gay Duo," "X-Presidents," "Christmastime for the Jews," and "Conspiracy Theory Rock!". He shares his inspiration for founding the fundraising specials Night of Too Many Stars, which has raised millions for autism. He discusses political humor and covering the 2016 presidential campaigns. Finally, "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" closes out the interview. Dan Pasternack conducted the interview in partnership with the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College over two days, on November 19 and December 20, 2019 in New York, NY.

All views expressed by interviewees are theirs alone and not necessarily those of the Television Academy.

"Intent matters. It matters in crime and it matters in comedy."

People Talking About ...
Highlights
Robert Smigel on the TV specials he founded as a fundraiser for autism, Night of Too Many Stars, and one moment in particular with Jodi DiPiazzi and Katy Perry singing "Firework" and why that moment encapsulated what he was trying to do with the specials -- to help people with autism connect to the rest of the world
05:27
Robert Smigel on coming up with the "Get a life" line for William Shatner in the Saturday Night Live "Trekkers" sketch about Star Trek fans
02:06
Robert Smigel on the sketch "Bill Swerski's Superfan's" about the Chicago Bears fans that he wrote for Saturday Night Live with George Wendt, and on coming up with "da Bears" catchphrase
06:04
Robert Smigel on how the Peanuts Christmas specials were important to him as a child; on his parody of the Peanuts for his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch on Saturday Night Live, and on how it surprised him when the audience responded to the ending of the sketch with such genuine emotion
04:38
Robert Smigel on "Triumph" roasting Eminem on the MTV Video Music Awards
07:09
Robert Smigel as "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" on the lack of diversity in late-night television
02:17
Full Interview

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Chapter 1

On his childhood in New York City's Upper West Side, on his father's cosmetic dentistry business and style of humor; on his mother and her toothpaste business
On his early interest in the Felix the Cat cartoons and imitating the cat's voice; on being the class "instigator"
On being admitted to Cornell University for pre-med in order to become a dentist like his father; on wanting to be a comedian since he was three years old; on his early influences being comedians like Red Skelton, and television shows like Mister Ed; on wanting to be involved in theater and writing or performing
On trying stand-up comedy for the first time as part of a contest to perform at the Comic Strip; on his comedic influences such as Andy Kaufman and David Letterman; on comedy that commented on the form itself; on his early stand-up act; on catching the "comedy bug" after winning a comedy stand-up contest; on his first appearance performing at the Comic Strip; on being interested in comedy that "tore everything down and made fun of itself"
On meeting Tim Kazurinsky who introduced him to Second City; on taking a hiatus from dental school; on his love of Chicago and how the experience at Second City helped build his confidence as a comedian; on gravitating towards sketch comedy over improv; learning how to develop writing sketch comedy from the players at Second City; on his early sketch comedy ideas; on meeting Dan Crowley in Chicago and joining his comedy group (All You Can Eat); on honing his comedic voice

Chapter 2

On Al Franken and Tom Davis, who were the new producers on Saturday Night Live, coming to see a show Smigel had written and performed in called "All You Can Eat and the Temple of Doom"; on Lorne Michaels from Saturday Night Live coming to Chicago to see Smigel's show; on auditioning for SNL for Lorne Michaels; on joining the writers room of SNL; on his working relationship with Lorne Michaels, who had just returned to SNL after a hiatus
On the writers' room at Saturday Night Live when he joined in 1985; on the experience of his first week on the show and learning that even the funniest sketches in the room may bomb in front of a live audience; on what it meant to him to be part of a show he grew up watching; on being a comedy “nerd”; on feeling like he didn’t fit in; on Jim Downey (writer) at SNL; on the importance of the first read-through at SNL for a writer
On Saturday Night Live writers Jim Downey, George Meyer, and Jack Handey; on when Chevy Chase hosted SNL; on Chevy's controversial sketches and his take on "Weekend Update"; on some of the cast members who were on SNL during his tenure, like Joan Cusack; on Damon Wayans being fired from SNL; on Andy Breckman who was a writer at SNL at the time and his "Mr. Monopoly" sketch; on Damon Wayans' portrayal of a gay character in the sketch which was not written in; on Lorne Michaels firing Damon Wayans for going rogue on live TV; on why SNL is special as a live broadcast rather than pre-taped; on SNL hitting its peak with Tina Fey’s impression of Sarah Palin
On writing about the ending of SNL while being aware the show was under threat of being cancelled; on Tom Hanks guest-hosting on the show, on the bit with Tom Hanks with three guys who sounded like Jerry Seinfeld (a swipe at that style of conversational comedy) saving his role on the show (1985-86 season); on a cliffhanger sketch about the end of SNL he wrote for the season finale in May 1986 with Billy Martin setting the studio on fire and Lorne Michaels (as himself) only saving Jon Lovitz but sending the writers straight into the flames; on Jim Downey’s contribution to the sketch putting a "?" next to each player's name in the end-crawl; on changes that Lorne Michaels made to SNL when they did return for the next season; on being prepared to be fired from SNL at the time; on moving back to Chicago and doing a sketch show with Bob Odenkirk; on conceiving the “In the Year 2000” bit then; on being asked to return to SNL after getting endorsements from Jon Lovitz, A. Whitney Brown, and Dennis Miller; on the Season 11 (1985) finale sketch which he was proudest of writing
On his second year at SNL (1986-87), and on changes to the writers' room and cast; on Carol Leifer and E. Jean Carroll being some of the few women writers on SNL at the time; on castmember Jan Hooks' versatility; on the first show back his second season and the sketch "Game Show Psychic" with Dana Carvey and Jan Hooks; on how SNL was a completely different show with the new cast; on Dana Carvey's "Chopping Broccoli" sketch; on his collaborations with Dana Carvey and working on Carvey's impressions of Johnny Carson, Regis Philbin, and the McLaughlin Group; on writing for Phil Hartman as Ronald Reagan (as an evil mastermind) and changing up the way the show and others had done Reagan impressions in the past (portraying him as a dimwit)

Chapter 3

On writing sketches about then-President Ronald Reagan (with Phil Hartman as Reagan) on Saturday Night Live; on his Ross Perot/Admiral Stockdale sketch about the 1992 presidential campaign which he co-wrote with Bob Odenkirk; on Dana Carvey's impression of then-President George Bush; on the writing duo of Al Franken and Jim Downey; on Adam McKay joining the writing staff on SNL; on Will Ferrell’s impression of George W. Bush; on Jim Downey’s return to SNL for the Al Gore debate sketch, featuring the classic line “lock box”; on Jim Downey not wanting to focus on skewering the laughs towards one side of the political spectrum, but wanting to focus just on the comedy
On Bob Odenkirk joining the writing staff at Saturday Night Live, and on Odenkirk’s tenure at SNL; on Odenkirk’s "Matt Foley" sketch for Chris Farley; on Conan O'Brien's contributions to SNL; on some of the classic sketches Smigel wrote for SNL such as "Trekkers," Steve Martin's monologues, "Nude Beach," and "Bill Swerski's Superfans"

Chapter 4

On watching auditions by Saturday Night Live cast members Adam Sandler and Chris Rock; on connecting with Adam Sandler early on and working on sketches with him; on Smigel and Al Franken being the only Jewish writers or cast members on staff for a long time before Sandler arrived; on what made Sandler’s comedy stand out from the other comedians; on some specific sketches he worked on with Sandler; on Smigel's style of humor being more dry and conversational and killing in read-through, but being hard to pull off in front of an audience; on Kristen Wiig’s mastery of manifesting “small” subtle comedy live in the room; on working on the SNL commercial parody: "Schmitts Gay" beer commercial, with Adam Sandler and Chris Farley; on working with Sandler on songs like “She Comes Home to Me”
On Chris Farley getting fired from SNL and his addiction issues; on his feelings about how more could have been done to help Farley; on working with Sandler on his tribute song to Farley; on the bonding experience at Saturday Night Live for people who work on the show; on his decision to leave SNL; on Conan O’Brien leaving SNL; on Lorne Michaels wanting Dana Carvey to take over David Letterman’s Late Night slot; on Conan O'Brien turning downing producing the late-night show slot because he wanted to be an on-camera performer again; on why Smigel wanted to produce a late-night show; on Conan auditioning for Lorne Michaels to take over Late Night; on leaving SNL to produce Conan’s late-night show; on hiring Louis C.K. to be a writer on the show; on wanting to have a style for Late Night which was the opposite of David Letterman’s style but invoking his name in the first episode; on wanting to go right to where the “stress” is in humor; on the show getting better after he left; on sketches like "Actual Items," "Headlines," "In the Year 2000," and "Clutch-Cargo"; on the "Masturbating Bear" sketches and dealing with NBC's Standards & Practices on the show
Robert Smigel as "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog"

Chapter 5

On a television pilot he did in 1991 with Conan O’Brien called Lookwell; on Smigel's love of Batman and Adam West (who played "Batman" on the original TV show); on Adam West having to audition for the role; on Conan O'Brien leaving the writers' room on The Simpsons; on Conan’s audition for Lorne Michael to be host of the Late Night show spot in 1993; on the format of Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on producing the show
On the format of Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on his initial reluctance to produce Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on how the show was received by critics initially; on Andy Richter and how the role of a sidekick for Conan came about and other people who were considered for the job; on the Clutch Cargo-style bits (which consisted of a still image of a celebrity and the mouth of a real person, with Smigel as the mouth impersonating them); on some of his memorable impersonations for the Clutch Cargo sketches; on why the Clutch Cargo sketches worked and what made them funny; on his impersonation of Arnold Schwarzenegger; on his impersonation of (former Senate Majority leader) Bob Dole in the Clutch Cargo sketches
On not knowing if Late Night with Conan O'Brien was viable and the stresses of producing the show; on his self-effacing personal style; on having fake guests on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on first doing a voice as a dog character which would eventually become "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog"; on the popularity of "Triumph"; on doing the first remote shoot with the "Triumph" character at the real Westminster Dog Show; on the now-infamous sketch with "Triumph" roasting fans at a Star Wars movie premiere; on the line "Triumph" uttered at the Star Wars premiere to a fan dressed as "Darth Vader" ("And which one of these buttons calls your mother to pick you up?”) being one of the funniest lines he wrote as "Triumph"

Chapter 6

On his favorite "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" remote shoots for Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on filming at a hot dog stand in Chicago's Lincoln Park called the Wieners Circle; on using Jack McBrayer on the shoot; on getting customers at the Wieners Circle to volunteer to get vomited on by "Triumph"; on how much of the "Triumph" sketches are pre-written and how much are improvised
On "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" roasting Jennifer Lopez and Eminem at the MTV Video Music Awards; on the decision not to let Eminem in on the joke in advance, and on how the artist Moby got involved; on making sure that the cameraman never showed Smigel’s face when he was doing the "Triumph" bits; on producers at MTV being too nervous that Smigel was in actual danger and not letting him continue the bit backstage; on how he considers himself to be just "working for 'Triumph'" and the disconnect between himself and the character of "Triumph"
On why he left Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on what made that show unique; on how getting married changed his perspective; on movies he pitched based on some of his Saturday Night Live sketches; on The Dana Carvey Show; on the sketch about President Gerald Ford that never aired during his tenure at The Dana Carvey Show but finally aired as a sketch on Saturday Night Live

Chapter 7

On his work with animation, first on The Dana Carvey Show and later on Saturday Night Live; on writer Dino Stamatopoulos making suggestions for Smigel’s idea around the "Cluckin' Chicken" and working on a Superhero parody of Batman and Robin as "The Ambiguously Gay Duo"; on hiring J.J. Sedelmaier for the "Cluckin’ Chicken" animation; on using Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell who were writers on the show as the voices of "Ace" and "Gary" the "Ambiguously Gay Duo"; on his changed relationship with Lorne Michaels when he returned to SNL; on how the "TV Funhouse" animated sketches on SNL came about; on the catchphrase “Come back here with my show” mimicking Lorne Michaels on "TV Funhouse"; on impressions of Lorne Michaels by himself and others including Tom Hanks and Mike Meyers; on the sketch "Fun with Real Audio" on Saturday Night Live
On his animated holiday sketch "Christmastime for the Jews" on Saturday Night Live; on how he got (Phil Spector singer) Darlene Love to sing for the sketch; on the "Journey to the Disney Vault" animated sketch with animator Robert Marionetti; on how the sketch was intended to make fun of racists and "intent should matter in comedy"; on the autonomy he had doing the animated "TV Funhouse" sketches for SNL; on a controversial sketch he based on Michael Jackson; on "Conspiracy Theory Rock!" (as a parody of Schoolhouse Rock); on the influence that the Peanuts Christmas specials had on him as a kid; on the parodies he did on A Charlie Brown Christmas; on his involvement with the 25th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live; on the animated sketch "Life of a Catchphrase" he created for "TV Funhouse" on the 25th Anniversary show; on his affection for Lorne Michaels

Chapter 8

On the Saturday TV Funhouse animated series he created; on pitching the show to Fox and then Comedy Central; on the show’s host Doug Dale; on the Anipals puppets; on a Dino Stamatopoulos' idea for a cat couple giving birth to live kittens on the show; on the writers' strike (2007) being the reason he stopped making the animated "Funhouse" sketches for Saturday Night Live
On the special Night of Too Many Stars coming about due to his own son's autism; on the show being a fundraising telethon for autism; on the talent he was able to procure for the specials including Paul Rudd and Katy Perry; on a notable moment on the special with a woman with autism performing on the show
On the show Jack and Triumph he created with the puppet dog and Jack McBrayer; on Donald Trump's presidency and how Triumph was able to interact with conservative politicians like Mike Huckabee; on "Triumph" being able to poke fun at people on both sides of the political spectrum
On his writing process; on whether you can teach someone to be funny; on the kinds of comedy in which Smigel is interested; on his proudest achievement; on how he would like "Triumph" to be remembered in an "In Memoriam" segment; on career regrets

Chapter 9

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog is interviewed
Shows

Charlie Brown Specials

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Robert Smigel on how the Peanuts' A Charlie Brown Christmas specials were important to him as a child; on his parody of the Peanuts for his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch on Saturday Night Live, and on how it surprised him when the audience responded to the ending of the sketch with such genuine emotion (he thought it would be poignant, but still garner a “sad laugh”); on the device for the sketch based on the Peanuts kids waving their arms around "Charlie Brown’s" Christmas tree and magically transforming it in seconds in the original Peanuts special
04:36

Jack and Triumph

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Robert Smigel on his show Jack and Triumph featuring Jack McBrayer with "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog"
04:50

Late Night with Conan O'Brien

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Robert Smigel on leaving Saturday Night Live; on Lorne Michaels wanting Conan O'Brien to produce the Late Night weekday slot first held by Steve Allen and later Jay Leno; on Lorne initially wanting Dana Carvey to host the show; on Conan O'Brien turning down producing the late-night show slot because he wanted to be an on-camera performer again; on Conan auditioning for Lorne Michaels to take over Late Night on Lorne's involvement with Conan's show Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on hiring Dino Stamatopoulos and Louis C.K. as writers on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on Tom Brokaw's cameo on the show; on the first episode and the tone being very dark
21:10
Robert Smigel on the genesis of Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on wanting it to be the opposite of David Letterman’s style but invoking his name in the first episode; on wanting to go right to where the “stress” is in humor; on Tom Brokaw’s cameo on the show; on the very dark humor present in the first season of the Late Night show; on the "Actual Items" bit on the show
05:46
Robert Smigel on the sketch "In the Year 2000" that he wrote for Late Night with Conan O'Brien and on the inspiration coming from 60s television shows like The Jetsons; on the Clutch Cargo sketches which involved cutting out out lips from a still photograph and re-enacting the mouth through the photo (it was Smigel’s mouth); on his impressions being more "impercisions" than impressions of famous people like President Bill Clinton
04:51
Robert Smigel on the genesis of the Conan sketch "Masturbating Bear" which Brian Reich developed; on the bear bit being funnier due to the limitations put on it by Standards & Practices
01:44
Robert Smigel on having Adam West as a guest on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and on other bits he came up with for West
02:42
Robert Smigel on switching roles from writer to producer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on producing a five-day-a-week show; on the format of the show; on what Conan brought to the show's dynamic
04:16
Robert Smigel on Andy Richter and how the role of a sidekick for Conan on Late Night with Conan O'Brien came about; on how Richter was originally hired as a writer; on why it clicked between Conan and Andy; on how Stephen Colbert was also considered as Conan’s sidekick; on how NBC hated Andy as a sidekick initially; on what made a good sidekick for a personality like Conan’s
06:30
Robert Smigel on the Clutch Cargo-style bits he and Dino Stamatopoulos devised for Late Night With Conan O"Brien (this technology consisted of a still photo image of a celebrity paired with a real person’s mouth voicing an impersonation of them); on how Smigel came to be the mouth on the Clutch Cargo sketches; on his impression of President Bill Clinton; on doing this sketch live being one of the most exciting moments in his career
04:05
Robert Smigel on what made the Clutch Cargo sketches work on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on his Arnold Schwarzenegger Clutch Cargo impersonation; on Arnold reminding him of Desi Arnaz
02:14
Robert Smigel on his Bob Dole Clutch Cargo impression on Late Night with Conan O'Brien being his favorite; on talking about the Senator in the third person; on Dole being the funniest person he ever got to play; on doing a different version of the impression when he did Dole on The Dana Carvey Show
03:17
Robert Smigel on the stresses of producing Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on some of the challenges he faced as a producer; on his self-effacing personal style; on discontinuing "fake guests" on the show; on Don Ohlemeyer being a big supporter of the show; on a fake guest bit he did with Conan writer Louis C.K. about fake dog trainers; on this being the first time he did the dog-voice (a precursor to Smigel's "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" character); on the genesis of his puppet character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" when he was producing Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on "Triumph" first uttering the phrase “for me to poop on”; on the dog’s gold bow tie and cigar; on the cigar prop; on doing a deadpan stare as "Triumph" in the vein of comedian Myron Cohen; on "Triumph" being able to do what Conan couldn't as a "nice host"; on the popularity of "Triumph"; on doing the first remote shoot with "Triumph" character at the Westminster Dog Show and how they were able to sneak into the show which did not want them filming there; on improvising the remote bits with "Triumph"; on being invited onto Hollywood Squares as "Triumph"; on going to a Bon Jovi concert; on "Triumph" filming the sketch outside a Star Wars movie premiere in New York City
25:46
Robert Smigel on why he left Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and on what made that show unique
06:05

Lookwell

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Robert Smigel on the never-aired pilot he produced with Conan O'Brien called Lookwell, starring Adam West of Batman-fame
14:20

MTV Video Music Awards

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Robert Smigel on Triumph roasting Jennifer Lopez and Eminem on the MTV Video Music Awards, and on the decision not to let Eminem in on the joke in advance; on the decision to include the artist Moby on the joke; on making sure that the cameraman never showed Smigel’s face when he was doing the "Triumph" bits; on wanting to continue the bit but MTV being too nervous that he was in danger and not letting Smigel backstage
08:37

Mister Ed

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Robert Smigel on being influenced by television shows like Mister Ed and the talking horse (which may have influenced his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog")
01:33

Night of Too Many Stars

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Robert Smigel on the origin of the Night of Too Many Stars television specials, a fundraiser for autism, and on Paul Rudd's appearance on the special
12:56
Robert Smigel on the Night of Too Many Stars special featuring Katy Perry and Jodi DiPiazza singing “Firework” and how that moment encapsulated what he was trying to do with the specials -- to help kids with autism feel connected to the world around them
05:36

Saturday Night Live

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Robert Smigel on the writers' room at Saturday Night Live when he joined in 1985; on the experience of his first week on the show and learning that even the funniest sketches in the room may bomb in front of a live audience; on when he first started writing on SNL and what it meant to him to be part of a show he grew up watching; on being a comedy “nerd”; on feeling like he didn’t fit in; on not knowing what kinds of sketches Lorne wanted him to write; on the early sketches he was writing being more oddball
09:32
Robert Smigel on the Saturday Night Live writer Jim Downey as an inspiration for him when they were both staff writers at SNL; on the importance of the first read-through at SNL for a writer; on Jim Downey coming out of the comedy school at The Harvard Lampoon and how that impacted his humor
09:59
Robert Smigel on Chevy Chase's return to Saturday Night Live as the show's host in 1986 and his unique take on the "Weekend Update" segment; on Jon Lovitz being the breakout star of that season; on Dennis Miller on "Weekend Update"; on some of the other SNL performers who were on the show during his tenure like Randy Quaid, Joan Cusack, Robert Downey, Jr. and Victoria Jackson; on the change in the cast when Dana Carvey and Jan Hooks came on the show;
06:22
Robert Smigel on Damon Wayans being fired from Saturday Night Live after going rogue on the live show; on the special and volatile nature of the show being live as opposed to pre-taped; on SNL hitting its peak stride with Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin in 2008
05:00
On writing about the ending of Saturday Night Live while being aware the show was in threat of being cancelled; on Tom Hanks guest-hosting on the show; on the bit with Tom Hanks with three guys who sounded like Jerry Seinfeld (a swipe at that style of conversational comedy) saving his role on the show (1985-86 season); on a cliffhanger sketch about the end of SNL he wrote for the season finale in May 1986 with George Martin setting the studio on fire and Lorne Michaels (as himself) only saving Jon Lovitz but sending the writers straight into the flames; on Jim Downey’s contribution to the sketch putting a "?" next to each player's name in the end-crawl; on SNL coming back for another season but with some major cast and crew changes
08:46
Robert Smigel on Dana Carvey's "Chopping Broccoli" sketch on Saturday Night Live; on Dana Carvey as a performer and his collaborations with Smigel; on contributions from writers Bonnie and Terry Turner; on some of Carvey’s sketches and impressions; on working with Carvey on his Johnny Carson impression, and on The McLaughlin Group impression being one of Smigel’s favorite sketches that he wrote; on Carvey's Regis Philbin impression; on “finding the music” in an impression with Carvey; on writing for Phil Hartman as Ronald Reagan (as an evil mastermind), and on changing up the way the show and others had done Reagan impressions in the past
09:31
Robert Smigel on his second year writing on Saturday Night Live; on changes to the writers' room and cast; on castmember Jan Hooks' versatility; on the first show back his second season and the sketch "Game Show Psychic" with Dana Carvey and Jan Hook, and on how it was a completely different show with the new cast
06:01
Robert Smigel on the political satire sketches he wrote for Saturday Night Live during the Clinton presidency; on the Stockdale vice presidential debate sketch; on observational humor on the show; on Dana Carvey's impression of President George Bush
04:46
Robert Smigel on the writing duo of Jim Downey and Al Franken on Saturday Night Live; on Adam McKay joining the writing staff of SNL and how the show's writing was changing in the 1990s; on the political sketches on SNL during the Bill Clinton presidency; on Will Ferrell’s impression of George W. Bush; on Jim Downey’s return to SNL for the Al Gore presidential debate sketch in 2000 featuring the classic line “lock box”; On Downey not wanting to focus on skewering the laughs towards one side of the political spectrum, but wanting to focus just on the comedy
09:25
Robert Smigel on the "Matt Foley Motivational Speaker" sketch with Chris Farley written by Bob Odenkirk, and on the "Chippendales" sketch with Farley written by Jim Downey
01:17
Robert Smigel on his 1986 Saturday Night Live sketch "Trekkers" co-written with SNL writer George Meyers; on his attitude towards nerds in general; on the "Get a Life" line on the "Trekkers" sketches with William Shatner of Star Trek; on the holiday monologue sketch he wrote for Steve Martin
05:20
Robert Smigel on writing the Steve Martin opening monologue "I'm not gonna phone it in tonight" on Saturday Night Live (December 14, 1991); on always being on-set for the sketches he wrote for SNL
03:39
Robert Smigel on the Saturday Night Live sketch "Nude Beach" (he had written the sketch the summer before and came back to SNL in the fall to find that NBC had dissolved the Standards & Practices department so they were able to get away with saying “penis” on air - the episode would become one of the most controversial episodes to air on the show
06:32
Robert Smigel on writing the "Bill Swerski's Superfans" sketch about the Chicago Bears fans for Saturday Night Live in 1991; on coming up with "da Bears" catchphrase; on writing the sketch for Phil Hartman but Jim Downey talking Smigel into appearing in the sketch instead of Joe Mantegna because his Chicago accent was more authentic and would set a "metronome" for the sketch; on writing another sketch for George Wendt as Bob Swerski; on doing a sketch “The Quiz Show” about "da Bears" versus "da Bulls"; on the real Mike Ditka's (of the Chicago Bears) take on the sketches
18:09
Robert Smigel on the tribute song Adam Sandler performed in honor of Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live, and on the bonding experience of Saturday Night Live for people who work on the show
05:40
Robert Smigel on what he learned from producing The Dana Carvey Show; on one of the funniest sketches he was involved in on The Dana Carvey Show, about Gerald Ford, that was never aired until Smigel and Dana Carvey revived it later for Saturday Night Live; on the inspiration for the sketch which was hearing news anchor Dan Rather pre-recording an obituary for Ronald Reagan (who was still alive at the time); on having to fight to get the sketch aired on SNL; on why he had trouble getting his sketches on SNL; on finally being able to get the Gerald Ford sketch on the air only when Dana Carvey came back to host Saturday Night Live in 1996
08:17
Robert Smigel on the animated sketches he created for Saturday Night Live; on the "Cluckin' Chicken" piece which he first created for The Dana Carvey Show and later brought to Saturday Night Live; on Adam Sandler as the voice of the "Cluckin' Chicken"; on hiring animation director J.J. Sedelmaier for these pieces; on why he turned to animation as a vehicle for comedy; on wanting to be a cartoonist
03:51
Robert Smigel on his return to Saturday Night Live with his "TV Funhouse" animated sketches, starting with the sketch "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" and then "The X Presidents" voiced by Jim Morris; on how the "TV Funhouse" animated sketches on SNL came about; on using Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell as the voices of "Ace" and "Gary" in the "Ambiguously Gay Duo" sketches; on mimicking Lorne Michaels for the catchphrase “Come back here with my show” on "TV Funhouse"; on impressions of Lorne Michaels by himself and others including Tom Hanks and Mike Meyers
12:37
Robert Smigel on his animated holiday sketch "Christmastime for the Jews on Saturday Night Live, and on getting Phil Spector singer Darlene Love to sing the song for the sketch
02:08
Robert Smigel on the animated sketch "Journey to the Disney Vault" for Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse" animated sketches; on working with animation director Robert Marianetti, who came up with the idea of having skeletons in the Disney vault; on using a songalike of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" in the piece; on the piece being a racy piece but the point was that it was making fun of racist people; Smigel's feeling that “intent should matter in comedy- if it matters in crime, it matters in comedy”; on his autonomy making "TV Funhouse" cartoons; on a controversial sketch he made about Michael Jackson
05:36
Robert Smigel on the "TV Funhouse" animated sketch “Conspiracy Theory Rock!” (as a parody of Schoolhouse Rock) which poked fun at GE (NBC’s parent company); on getting notes back about the sketch from Standards & Practices; on the sketch airing on SNL as NBC president Bob Wright happened to be watching and his reaction to the sketch; on this sketch never re-airing; on SNL assistant director Robert Caminiti letting Smigel know the sketch had been pulled; on Lorne Michaels' continued support for Smigel's sketches despite the backlash; on J.J. Sedelmaier coming back to animate the "Conspiracy Theory Rock" sketch and getting original artists who had worked on Schoolhouse Rock to animate the piece
07:14
Robert Smigel on his involvement with the 25th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live in 1999; on the animated sketch "Life of a Catchphrase" he created for "TV Funhouse" that aired during this special; on another "TV Funhouse" sketch he wrote for the special which aired later on the "X Presidents" episode; on his penchant for making fun of SNL producer Lorne Michaels and his deep affection for Lorne; on the special celebrity audience that was present for the anniversary show
11:48

Simpsons, The

View Show Page
Robert Smigel on not being a super enthusiastic personality; on watching an episode of The Simpsons about their character "Krusty the Klown," and on identifying with the premise of being a person who wallows in his creativity rather than rejoicing in it
02:18

TV Funhouse

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Robert Smigel on the Saturday TV Funhouse animated series he created; on pitching the show to Fox and then Comedy Central; on the show’s host Doug Dale; on the Anipals puppets; on Dino Stamatopoulos' idea for a cat couple giving birth to live kittens on the show
09:33

The Dana Carvey Show

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Robert Smigel on how The Dana Carvey Show came about on ABC; on putting together the writing staff for that show; on writers Charlie Kaufman, Jon Glaser, and Steve Carrell; on Carrell’s contribution to the sketch “Germans Who Say Nice Things”; on the “Idiot Pranksters” sketches written by Louis C.K.; on the individuality of comedy ideas; on writer Stephen Colbert; on a sketch with Colbert and Carrell that wound up getting them both hired on The Daily Show; on Dana Carvey's signature characters from SNL and why they did not transfer over to own new show
19:00
Robert Smigel on the controversial opening sketch for the pilot episode of The Dana Carvey Showwhere a fictionalized President Bill Clinton breastfeeds a baby; on not realizing the show that preceded Carvey’s (which was Home Improvement) was a show that kids watched since Smigel himself had never watched it before; on the inevitable backlash to the first episode which Smigel had called resulting in a “cruel prank” on the unsuspecting audience; on the show's sponsor, Taco Bell, and its reaction to the pilot; on how the show was initially received (by getting thousands of complaints); on producer George Schlatter being an early supporter of the show
09:04
Robert Smigel on what he learned from producing The Dana Carvey Show; on one of the funniest sketches he was involved in on The Dana Carvey Show, about Gerald Ford, that was never aired until Smigel and Dana Carvey revived it later for Saturday Night Live; on the inspiration for the sketch which was hearing news anchor Dan Rather pre-recording an obituary for Ronald Reagan (who was still alive at the time); on having to fight to get the sketch aired on SNL; on why he had trouble getting his sketches on SNL; on finally being able to get the Gerald Ford sketch on the air only when Dana Carvey came back to host Saturday Night Live in 1996
09:56
Robert Smigel on the animated sketches he created for Saturday Night Live; on the "Cluckin' Chicken" piece which he first created for The Dana Carvey Show and later brought to Saturday Night Live; on Adam Sandler as the voice of the "Cluckin' Chicken"; on hiring animation director J.J. Sedelmaier for these pieces; on why he turned to animation as a vehicle for comedy; on wanting to be a cartoonist
12:25
Topics

Bill Clinton

View Topic
Robert Smigel on the Clutch Cargo-style bits he did on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (this technology consisted of a still photo image of a celebrity paired with a real person’s mouth voicing an impersonation of them); on how Smigel came to be the mouth of the Clutch Cargo sketches, and on his Clutch Cargo impersonation of President Bill Clinton
03:46

Censorship / Standards & Practices

View Topic
Robert Smigel on the genesis of the Late Night with Conan O'Brien sketch "Masturbating Bear" which writer Brian Reich developed, and on the bear bit being funnier due to the limitations put on it by Standards & Practices
01:40
Robert Smigel on his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch on Saturday Night Live skewering NBC's parent company GE; on getting notes from Standards & Practices at NBC to tweak his "Conspiracy Theory Rock!" sketch; on the sketch airing on SNL just as NBC president Bob Wright happened to be watching; on this sketch never re-airing; on SNL assistant director Robert Caminiti letting Smigel know the sketch had been pulled; on Lorne Michaels' continued support for Smigel's sketches despite the backlash; on the sketch's continued popularity; on J. J. Sedelmaier getting original artists who had worked on the original Schoolhouse Rock to animate "Conspiracy Theory Rock"
05:26

Characters & Catchphrases

View Topic
Robert Smigel on the sketch "Bill Swerski's Superfans" about the Chicago Bears fans that he wrote for Saturday Night Live
01:04
Robert Smigel on writing the "Get a life" line for William Shatner on the classic Saturday Night Live sketch "Trekkers" in which Shatner says the line to some Star Trek superfans
02:17
Robert Smigel as "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog"
01:33
Robert Smigel on his Bob Dole Clutch Cargo impression on Late Night with Conan O'Brien being his favorite; on talking about the politician in the third person; on Dole being the funniest person he ever got to play; on doing a different version of the impression when he did Dole on The Dana Carvey Show
03:17
Robert Smigel on "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" filming a sketch outside a Star Wars movie premiere in New York City for a bit on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on roasting the Star Wars fans; on his process creating the "Triumph" sketches and how much is improvised and how much is written; on the funniest line Triumph ever said, for the Star Wars sketch ("Triumph" says to a fan dressed as "Darth Vader" "And which one of these buttons calls your mother to pick you up?”)
05:13

Creative Influences and Inspiration

View Topic
Robert Smigel on wanting to be a comedian since he was three years old, and on his early influences being comedians like Red Skelton, and television shows like Mister Ed and Saturday Night Live, but on deciding to become dentist like his father because he didn't think it was possible to have a career as a comedian
06:01
Robert Smigel on coming up with the idea for his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" for Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on the character first saying “for me to poop on”; on the dog’s gold bow tie; on the cigar prop; on doing a deadpan stare as "Triumph" in the vein of comedian Myron Cohen; on the character being a good catharsis for the audience since Conan is super polite and "Triumph" is the opposite
06:38

Donald J. Trump

View Topic
Robert Smigel on having his puppet "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" cover the 2016 presidential campaigns, and on "Triumph's" interview with then-Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee
02:55

First Big Break

View Topic
Robert Smigel on Dan Crowley inviting him back to Chicago and Second City and eventually joining his comedy group (All You Can Eat) as Dan's replacement, and on Al Franken and Tom Davis, original writers from Saturday Night Live, coming to Chicago to see a show he had created, "All You Can Eat and the Temple of Doom"
09:19
Robert Smigel on the "modern" type of "so bad it's good" comedy he was interested in early in his career; catching the comedy bug after performing and winning a comedy stand-up contest at NYU; "I was stung, I was infected"; on getting to perform at the Comic Strip in New York City; on his closing bit as Ronald Reagan (foreshadowing a later TV Funhouse sketch "The X Presidents"); on getting more gigs after that; on being a fan of comedy that "tore everything down and made fun of itself"; on being introduced to The Second City by Tim Kazurinsky
15:14
Robert Smigel on the first show of Saturday Night Live he was hired to write for; on a sketch he wrote for Madonna when she hosted Saturday Night Live in 1985 where she portrayed a Spanish variety show hostess; on his recollections of that show; on what he learned about writing a successful sketch for the show; on what it meant to him to be part of SNL- a show he grew up watching; on being a comedy nerd coming to the show and feeling he was not fitting in
05:41

Gerald Ford

View Topic
Robert Smigel on one of the funniest sketches he was involved in on The Dana Carvey Show about President Gerald Ford that never aired until Smigel and Dana Carvey revived it later for Saturday Night Live; on the inspiration for the sketch which was hearing news anchor Dan Rather pre-recording an obituary for Ronald Reagan (who was then still alive) which they overheard; on this experience inspiring them to do a bit with Dana Carvey portraying news anchor Tom Brokaw announcing that President Gerald Ford had died; on having to fight to get the sketch aired on SNL; on why he had trouble getting his sketches on SNL; on finally being able to get the Gerald Ford sketch on the air only when Dana Carvey came back to host Saturday Night Live in 1996
08:06

Memorable Moments on Television

View Topic
Robert Smigel on "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" roasting Jennifer Lopez and Eminem at the MTV Video Music Awards
08:37
Robert Smigel on one of the funniest sketches he was involved in on The Dana Carvey Show about Gerald Ford, which was never aired until Smigel and Dana Carvey revived it later for Saturday Night Live
08:06

Pivotal Career Moments

View Topic
Robert Smigel on wanting to be a comedian since he was three years old, and on his early influences being comedians like Red Skelton, and television shows like Mister Ed and Saturday Night Live, but on deciding to become dentist like his father because he didn't think it was possible to have a career as a comedian
06:01
Robert Smigel on Dan Crowley inviting him back to Chicago and Second City and eventually joining his comedy group (All You Can Eat) as Dan's replacement, and on Al Franken and Tom Davis, original writers from Saturday Night Live, coming to Chicago to see a show he had created, "All You Can Eat and the Temple of Doom"
09:19
Robert Smigel on the "modern" type of "so bad it's good" comedy he was interested in early in his career; catching the comedy bug after performing and winning a comedy stand-up contest at NYU; "I was stung, I was infected"; on getting to perform at the Comic Strip in New York City; on his closing bit as Ronald Reagan (foreshadowing a later TV Funhouse sketch "The X Presidents"); on getting more gigs after that; on being a fan of comedy that "tore everything down and made fun of itself"; on being introduced to The Second City by Tim Kazurinsky
15:14
Robert Smigel on the first show of Saturday Night Live he was hired to write for; on a sketch he wrote for Madonna when she hosted Saturday Night Live in 1985 where she portrayed a Spanish variety show hostess; on his recollections of that show; on what he learned about writing a successful sketch for the show; on what it meant to him to be part of SNL- a show he grew up watching; on being a comedy nerd coming to the show and feeling he was not fitting in
05:41
Robert Smigel on his Bob Dole Clutch Cargo impression on Late Night with Conan O'Brien being his favorite; on talking about the politician in the third person; on Dole being the funniest person he ever got to play; on doing a different version of the impression when he did Dole on The Dana Carvey Show
03:17
Robert Smigel on coming up with the idea for his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" for Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on the character first saying “for me to poop on”; on the dog’s gold bow tie; on the cigar prop; on doing a deadpan stare as "Triumph" in the vein of comedian Myron Cohen; on the character being a good catharsis for the audience since Conan is super polite and "Triumph" is the opposite
06:38

Pop Culture

View Topic
Robert Smigel on the sketch "Bill Swerski's Superfans" about the Chicago Bears fans that he wrote for Saturday Night Live
01:04
Robert Smigel on writing the "Get a life" line for William Shatner on the classic Saturday Night Live sketch "Trekkers" in which Shatner says the line to some Star Trek superfans
02:17
Robert Smigel as "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog"
01:33
Robert Smigel on "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" filming a sketch outside a Star Wars movie premiere in New York City for a bit on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on roasting the Star Wars fans; on his process creating the "Triumph" sketches and how much is improvised and how much is written; on the funniest line Triumph ever said, for the Star Wars sketch ("Triumph" says to a fan dressed as "Darth Vader" "And which one of these buttons calls your mother to pick you up?”)
05:13

Television Industry

View Topic
Robert Smigel on the genesis of the Late Night with Conan O'Brien sketch "Masturbating Bear" which writer Brian Reich developed, and on the bear bit being funnier due to the limitations put on it by Standards & Practices
01:40
Robert Smigel on his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch on Saturday Night Live skewering NBC's parent company GE; on getting notes from Standards & Practices at NBC to tweak his "Conspiracy Theory Rock!" sketch; on the sketch airing on SNL just as NBC president Bob Wright happened to be watching; on this sketch never re-airing; on SNL assistant director Robert Caminiti letting Smigel know the sketch had been pulled; on Lorne Michaels' continued support for Smigel's sketches despite the backlash; on the sketch's continued popularity; on J. J. Sedelmaier getting original artists who had worked on the original Schoolhouse Rock to animate "Conspiracy Theory Rock"
05:26

Television and the Presidency

View Topic
Robert Smigel on the Clutch Cargo-style bits he did on Late Night with Conan O'Brien (this technology consisted of a still photo image of a celebrity paired with a real person’s mouth voicing an impersonation of them); on how Smigel came to be the mouth of the Clutch Cargo sketches, and on his Clutch Cargo impersonation of President Bill Clinton
03:46
Robert Smigel on having his puppet "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" cover the 2016 presidential campaigns, and on "Triumph's" interview with then-Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee
02:55

We Laughed

View Topic
Robert Smigel on "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" roasting Jennifer Lopez and Eminem at the MTV Video Music Awards
08:37
Robert Smigel on one of the funniest sketches he was involved in on The Dana Carvey Show about Gerald Ford, which was never aired until Smigel and Dana Carvey revived it later for Saturday Night Live
08:06
Professions

Animation Professionals

View Profession
Robert Smigel on why he turned to animation and his early attraction to cartoons as a kid
00:55
Robert Smigel on one of his goals with The Dana Carvey Show being not too similar to Saturday Night Live; on writer Dino Stamatopoulos making suggestions for Smigel’s cartoon idea and working on a Superhero parody of "Batman" and "Robin" as "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" for The Dana Carvey Show (and later Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse"); on playing with ideas of homoeroticism and masculinity in writing the sketches
08:34
Robert Smigel on his "Fun with Real Audio" sketches (for Saturday Night Live) being the inverse of the Clutch Cargo animated device; on the first "Fun with Real Audio" sketch animating real audio clips between Larry King and Ross Perot
01:23
Robert Smigel on the animated sketch "Journey to the Disney Vault" for Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse"
02:17
Robert Smigel on his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch skewering NBC's parent company GE on Saturday Night Live
05:26
Robert Smigel on his parody of the Peanuts for his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch on Saturday Night Live
04:37
Robert Smigel on his involvement with the 25th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live in 1999; on the animated sketch "Life of a Catchphrase" he created for "TV Funhouse" that aired during that special
03:48

Comedian

View Profession
Robert Smigel on the "modern" type of "so bad it's good" comedy he was interested in early in his career; catching the comedy bug after performing and winning a comedy standup contest at NYU; "I was stung, I was infected"; on getting to perform at The Comic Strip in New York city; on his closing bit as Ronald Reagan (foreshadowing a later TV Funhouse sketch "The X Presidents"); on getting more gigs after that; on being a fan of comedy that "tore everything down and made fun of itself"
14:35
Robert Smigel on wanting to be a comedian since he was three years old
01:34
Robert Smigel on joining a sketch comedy program (The Players Workshop) at Second City in Chicago; on his love of Chicago and how the experience at Second City helped build his confidence as a comedian; on gravitating towards sketch comedy over improv; learning how to develop writing sketch comedy from the players at Second City like Dan Castellaneta; on his early sketch comedy ideas; on meeting Dan Crowley in Chicago and joining his comedy group (All You Can Eat) as his replacement; on Al Franken and Tom Davis, original writers from Saturday Night Live, coming to Chicago to see a show Smigel had created, "All You Can Eat and the Temple of Doom"
18:58
Robert Smigel on whether there is a disconnect between himself and his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" and how his identity merged with "Triumph’s" character; on his feeling "Triumph" has more irony and absurdity than an insult comic, which makes "Triumph" less biting or mean
03:29

Performers

View Profession
Robert Smigel on wanting to be a comedian since he was three years old
01:34
Robert Smigel on the "modern" type of "so bad it's good" comedy he was interested in early in his career; catching the comedy bug after performing and winning a comedy standup contest at NYU; "I was stung, I was infected"; on getting to perform at The Comic Strip in New York city; on his closing bit as Ronald Reagan (foreshadowing a later TV Funhouse sketch "The X Presidents"); on getting more gigs after that; on being a fan of comedy that "tore everything down and made fun of itself"
14:35
Robert Smigel on joining a sketch comedy program (The Players Workshop) at Second City in Chicago; on his love of Chicago and how the experience at Second City helped build his confidence as a comedian; on gravitating towards sketch comedy over improv; learning how to develop writing sketch comedy from the players at Second City like Dan Castellaneta; on his early sketch comedy ideas; on meeting Dan Crowley in Chicago and joining his comedy group (All You Can Eat) as his replacement; on Al Franken and Tom Davis, original writers from Saturday Night Live, coming to Chicago to see a show Smigel had created, "All You Can Eat and the Temple of Doom"
18:58
Robert Smigel on whether there is a disconnect between himself and his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" and how his identity merged with "Triumph’s" character; on his feeling "Triumph" has more irony and absurdity than an insult comic, which makes "Triumph" less biting or mean
03:29

Producers

View Profession
Robert Smigel on producing Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on hiring writers Dino Stamatopoulos and Louis C.K.; on wanting the show to be the opposite of David Letterman’s style but invoking his name in the first episode; on wanting to go right to where the “stress” is in humor; on Tom Brokaw’s cameo on the show; on the very dark humor present in the first season of the Late Night show; on the "Actual Items" bit on the show
06:52
Robert Smigel on the stresses of producing Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on his self-effacing personal style; not being a super enthusiastic personality; on watching an episode of The Simpsons about "Krusty the Klown" and identifying with the premise of being a person who wallows in his creativity rather than rejoicing in it
06:08
Robert Smigel on what he learned from producing the Dana Carvey Show; on one of the funniest sketches he was involved in on The Dana Carvey Show about President Gerald Ford, which never aired until Smigel and Dana Carvey revived it later for Saturday Night Live
09:52

Puppeteer

View Profession
Robert Smigel on whether there is a disconnect between himself and his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" and how his identity merged with "Triumph’s" character; on his feeling "Triumph" has more irony and absurdity than an insult comic, which makes "Triumph" less biting or mean
03:29

Writers

View Profession
Robert Smigel on his early ambition to be funny but not believing one could make a living at that profession; on early cartoon drawings he would make, but deciding early on to follow his father's footsteps to be a dentist instead
03:56
Robert Smigel on the writer Jim Downey and what he brought to the writers' room at Saturday Night Live, and on how Downey's tenure at The Harvard Lampoon impacted his humor
09:52
Robert Smigel on Dana Carvey as a performer on Saturday Night Live and his collaborations with Smigel and enjoying improvising while doing impressions; on contributions from writers Bonnie and Terry Turner; on some of Carvey’s sketches and impressions; on working with Carvey on his Johnny Carson impression, on The McLaughlin Group impression being one of Smigel’s favorite sketches that he wrote; on his Regis Philbin impression; on “finding the music” in an impression with Carvey
05:50
Robert Smigel on writing the "Get a life" line for William Shatner on the classic Saturday Night Live sketch "Trekkers" in which Shatner says the line to some Star Trek superfans, and on the sketch being a turning point in his writing career at SNL
02:48
Robert Smigel on the sketch "In the Year 2000" that he wrote for Late Night with Conan O'Brien and on the inspiration coming from 1960s television shows like The Jetsons; on the Clutch Cargo sketches which involved cutting out out lips from a still photograph and re-enacting the mouth through the photo (it was Smigel’s mouth); on his impressions being more "impercisions" than impressions of famous people like President Bill Clinton
04:49
Robert Smigel on the genesis of the Late Night with Conan O'Brien sketch "Masturbating Bear" which writer Brian Reich developed, and on the bear bit being funnier due to the limitations put on it by Standards & Practices
01:44
Robert Smigel on why the Clutch Cargo sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien worked and what made them funny, and on his Arnold Schwarzenegger Clutch Cargo impression
02:13
Robert Smigel on writing for his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on the Westminster Dog Show remote episodes with "Triumph"; on some of the best lines being improvised and not pre-written; on the remote bit where "Triumph" roasts fans of Star Wars outside the movie's premiere in NYC
07:39
Robert Smigel on coming up with the idea for his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" for Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on his wife getting him puppets for his birthday, which was coincidentally right when the Westminster Dog Show was happening; on the character first saying “for me to poop on”; on the dog’s gold bow tie; on the cigar prop; on doing a deadpan stare as "Triumph" in the vein of comedian Myron Cohen; on the character being a good catharsis for the audience since Conan is super polite and "Triumph" is the opposite
08:45
Robert Smigel on whether there is a disconnect between himself and his character "Triumph the Insult Comic Dog" and how his identity merged with "Triumph’s" character; on his feeling "Triumph" has more irony and absurdity than an insult comic, which makes "Triumph" less biting or mean
03:29
Robert Smigel on writer Dino Stamatopoulos making suggestions for Smigel’s cartoon idea and working on a Superhero parody of "Batman" and "Robin" as "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" for The Dana Carvey Show (and later Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse"); on playing with ideas of homoeroticism and masculinity in writing the sketches
06:11
Robert Smigel on his "Fun with Real Audio" sketches (for Saturday Night Live) being the inverse of the Clutch Cargo animated device; on the first "Fun with Real Audio" sketch animating real audio clips between Larry King and Ross Perot
01:23
Robert Smigel on the animated sketch "Journey to the Disney Vault" for Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse"
02:17
Robert Smigel on his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch skewering NBC's parent company GE on Saturday Night Live
05:26
Robert Smigel on his parody of the Peanuts for his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch on Saturday Night Live
04:37
Robert Smigel on his involvement with the 25th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live in 1999; on the animated sketch "Life of a Catchphrase" he created for "TV Funhouse" that aired during that special
03:48
Genres

Late Night

View Genre
Robert Smigel on the start of Late Night with Conan O'Brien
21:10
Robert Smigel on the Clutch Cargo-style bits he and Dino Stamatopoulos devised for Late Night With Conan O'Brien
04:05
People

Adam Sandler

View Person Page
Robert Smigel on watching auditions by Saturday Night Live cast members Adam Sandler and Chris Rock; on connecting with Adam Sandler early on and working on sketches with him; on Smigel and Al Franken being the only Jewish writers or cast members on staff for a long time before Sandler arrived; on what made Sandler’s comedy stand out from the other comedians; on some specific sketches he worked on with Sandler; on his style of humor being more dry and conversational and killing in read-through, but being hard to pull off in front of an audience
05:07
Robert Smigel on the sketches he worked with Adam Sandler on Saturday Night Live, including the commercial parody "Schmitts Gay" with Sandler and Chris Farley; on working with Sandler on songs like “She Comes Home to Me”
07:05

Adam West

View Interview Page
Robert Smigel on a television pilot he did in 1991 with Conan O’Brien called Lookwell; on Smigel's love of Batman and Adam West (who played "Batman" on the original TV show); on actor Adam West having to audition for the role; on hiring a detective show director instead of a comedy director (E.W. Swackhamer); on NBC executive Rick Ludwin; on Brandon Tartikoff leaving the NBC network and Warren Littlefield coming in, who was not as enthusiastic about the project; on not being able to impersonate Conan O’Brien
14:20
Robert Smigel on Adam West appearing as a guest on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and on other sketches he wrote for West
02:19

Al Franken

View Person Page
Robert Smigel on meeting Al Franken and Tom Davis, writer/producers on Saturday Night Live at the time, and on them coming to see a show Smigel had written and performed in called "All You Can Eat and the Temple of Doom"
03:28
Robert Smigel on who he joined on the writing staff at Saturday Night Live when he was hired by Lorne Michaels in 1985; on writers Al Franken and Tom Davis; on sketches Franken and Davis wrote for SNL
03:22

Andy Richter

View Person Page
Robert Smigel on Andy Richter and how the role of a sidekick for Conan came about; on how Richter was originally hired as a writer on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on why it clicked between Conan and Andy; on how Stephen Colbert was also considered as Conan’s sidekick; on how NBC hated Andy as a sidekick initially; on what made a good sidekick for a personality like Conan’s
06:29

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Robert Smigel on the Clutch Cargo sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, and on his Arnold Schwarzenegger impersonation
00:53

Bill Clinton

View Person Page
Robert Smigel on the Clutch Cargo-style bits he developed with Dino Stamatopoulos (this technology consisted of a still photo image of a celebrity paired with a real person’s mouth voicing an impersonation of them); on how Smigel came to be the mouth of the Clutch Cargo sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien
03:46

Bob Dole

View Person Page
Robert Smigel on his Bob Dole Clutch Cargo impression on Late Night with Conan O'Brien being his favorite; on talking about the politician in the third person; on Dole being the funniest person he ever got to play; on doing a different version of the impression when he did Dole on The Dana Carvey Show
03:17

Bob Odenkirk

View Person Page
Robert Smigel on Bob Odenkirk joining the writing staff at Saturday Night Live, and on Odenkirk’s tenure at SNL; on Odenkirk’s "Matt Foley" sketch for Chris Farley
05:47

Bob Wright

View Person Page
Robert Smigel on his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch on Saturday Night Liveskewering NBC's parent company GE; on getting notes from Standards & Practices at NBC to tweak his "Conspiracy Theory Rock!" sketch; on the sketch airing on SNL just as NBC president Bob Wright happened to be watching; on this sketch never re-airing; on SNL assistant director Robert Caminiti letting Smigel know the sketch had been pulled; on Lorne Michaels' continued support for Smigel's sketches despite the backlash; on the sketch's continued popularity; on J. J. Sedelmaier getting original artists who had worked on the original Schoolhouse Rock to animate "Conspiracy Theory Rock"
05:26

Brian Reich

View Person Page
Robert Smigel on the genesis of the Late Night with Conan O'Brien sketch "Masturbating Bear" which writer Brian Reich developed, and on the bear bit being funnier due to the limitations put on it by Standards & Practices
01:44

Chevy Chase

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Robert Smigel on Chevy Chase's tenure and reputation at Saturday Night Live; on controversial sketches Chase would do, and on his unique take on the "Weekend Update" segments which he hosted
03:36

Chris Farley

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Robert Smigel on the sketch "Matt Foley Motivational Speaker" with Chris Farley, written by Bob Odenkirk
01:17
Robert Smigel on Chris Farley and working with him writing sketches on Saturday Night Live; on Farley getting fired from SNL and his addiction issues; on his feelings about how more could have been done to help Farley; on working with Sandler on his tribute song to Farley; on the bonding experience of Saturday Night Live for people who work on the show; on Chris Farley's legacy in comedy
16:06
Robert Smigel on why Da Bears movie based on his "Superfans" sketch on Saturday Night Live didn't get made, and on Chris Farley's growing popularity at the time contributing to the movie not being made
01:22

Conan O'Brien

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Robert Smigel on Conan O'Brien's tenure on Saturday Night Live; on Conan's contributions as a writer on the show and how he inspired Smigel's own writing
05:06
Robert Smigel on leaving Saturday Night Live as a writer; on Lorne Michaels not wanting him to leave SNL; on Michaels wanting Conan O'Brien to produce the Late Night weekday slot first held by Steve Allen and later Jay Leno; on Michaels initially wanting Dana Carvey to host the show; on Conan O'Brien turning downing producing the late-night show slot because he wanted to be an on-camera performer again; on Conan auditioning for Lorne Michaels to take over Late Night; on Michaels' involvement with Conan's show
08:23
Robert Smigel on a television pilot he did in 1991 with Conan O’Brien called Lookwell; on Smigel's love of Batman and Adam West (who played "Batman" on the original TV show); on actor Adam West having to audition for the role; on hiring a detective show director instead of a comedy director (E.W. Swackhamer); on NBC executive Rick Ludwin; on Brandon Tartikoff leaving the NBC network and Warren Littlefield coming in, who was not as enthusiastic about the project; on not being able to impersonate Conan O’Brien
14:20
Robert Smigel on the working relationship he had with Conan O'Brien after the failed Lookwell pilot they had developed together, and on not being able to impersonate Conan
01:51
Robert Smigel on working with Conan O'Brien on Late Night with Conan O'Brien, on what made that show unique, and on Conan as a host
02:59

Damon Wayans

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Robert Smigel on Damon Wayans being fired from Saturday Night Live for improvising how he played a character in the sketch "Mr. Monopoly," written by Andy Breckman
04:21

Dana Carvey

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Robert Smigel on the "Chopping Broccoli" sketch on Saturday Night Live with Dana Carvey; on Dana Carvey as a performer on SNL and his collaborations with Smigel and enjoying improvising while doing impressions; on contributions from writers Bonnie and Terry Turner; on working with Carvey on his Johnny Carson impression; on Carvey's catchphrases; on Carvey's Regis Philbin impression; on "finding the music" in an impression with Carvey
06:45
Robert Smigel on Dana Carvey's signature characters and style of humor from his Saturday Night Live days and why he did not repeat those characters on The Dana Carvey Show
02:21
Robert Smigel on Dana Carvey's impression of Paul McCartney
03:42
Robert Smigel on one of the funniest sketches he was involved in on The Dana Carvey Show about Gerald Ford, which was never aired until Smigel and Dana Carvey revived it later for Saturday Night Live
08:19

Dino Stamatopoulos

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Robert Smigel on the Clutch Cargo-style bits he developed with Dino Stamatopoulos (this technology consisted of a still photo image of a celebrity paired with a real person’s mouth voicing an impersonation of them); on how Smigel came to be the mouth of the Clutch Cargo sketches on Late Night with Conan O'Brien; on his Clutch Cargo impersonation of then-President Bill Clinton; on doing this sketch live being one of the most exciting moments in his career
04:05
Robert Smigel on writer Dino Stamatopoulos making suggestions for Smigel’s cartoon idea and working on a Superhero parody of "Batman" and "Robin" as "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" for The Dana Carvey Show (and later Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse"); on playing with ideas of homoeroticism and masculinity in writing the sketches
06:11

Eminem

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Robert Smigel on Triumph roasting Eminem on the MTV Video Music Awards
12:06

George Wendt

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Robert Smigel on Chris Farley and George Wendt in the Saturday Night Live "Bill Swerski's Superfans" sketches; on doing the sketch at Mike Ditka's roast; on the real Mike Ditka's (of the Chicago Bears) take on the sketches and on being roasted by SNL in general
06:36

Gerald Ford

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Robert Smigel on one of the funniest sketches he was involved in on The Dana Carvey Show about Gerald Ford, which was never aired until Smigel and Dana Carvey revived it later for Saturday Night Live
07:49

J.J. Sedelmaier

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Robert Smigel on hiring J.J. Sedelmaier to work on the animated “Ambiguously Gay Duo” sketches, and on the style of the sketch being based on 1960s cartoons like The Green Lantern
02:05

Jack Handey

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Robert Smigel on his fellow Saturday Night Live writer Jack Handey, who developed the sketch "Deep Thoughts"
00:40
Robert Smigel on the individuality of comedy ideas for some comedians, like Jack Handey
00:50

Jan Hooks

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Robert Smigel on the "Game Show Psychic" sketch on Saturday Night Live with Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks, written by Andy Breckman
00:48

Jim Downey

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Robert Smigel on Jim Downey as a writer on Saturday Night Live which Smigel joined in 1985; on Jim Downey being an inspiration for him when they were both staff writers at SNL; on the importance of the first read-through at SNL for a writer; on Jim Downey coming out of the comedy school at The Harvard Lampoon and how that impacted his humor
09:59
Robert Smigel on the writing duo of Jim Downey and Al Franken on Saturday Night Live and their different political points of view; on Downey not wanting to focus on skewering the laughs towards one side of the political spectrum, but wanting to focus just on the comedy and not political satire; on Downey's return to the show in 2000; on his later sketches becoming more counterpoint to the left-leaning sketches that predominant on the show
09:29

Kristen Wiig

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Robert Smigel on the subtle talents of Saturday Night Live cast member Kristen Wiig: going "small" but getting a huge response with her comedy
00:58

Lorne Michaels

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Robert Smigel on Lorne Michaels coming to see a show Smigel had written and produced, and auditioning for Lorne who had just returned to Saturday Night Live after a hiatus; on the act he performed with comedian Doug Bale for Michaels doing impressions of Howie Mandel and Pee Wee Herman as a take-off of the famous "Who's on First" bit; on getting hired on SNL by Lorne Michaels as a writer; on how Michaels was redefining the show
08:34
Robert Smigel on leaving Saturday Night Live as a writer; on Lorne Michaels not wanting him to leave SNL; on Michaels wanting Conan O'Brien to produce the Late Night weekday slot first held by Steve Allen and later Jay Leno; on Michaels initially wanting Dana Carvey to host the show; on Conan O'Brien turning downing producing the late-night show slot because he wanted to be an on-camera performer again; on Conan auditioning for Lorne Michaels to take over Late Night; on Michaels' involvement with Conan's show
09:07
Robert Smigel on how much Lorne Michaels liked the "Ambiguously Gay Duo" sketch that Smigel brought to Saturday Night Live; on Lorne Michaels’ return to SNL; on Michaels asking Smigel to return to the show; on pitching the “Saturday TV Funhouse” animated sketches to Lorne; on the "TV Funhouse" catchphrase “Come back here with my show” mimicking Lorne Michaels; on impressions of Lorne Michaels by himself and others including Tom Hanks and Mike Meyers; on a parody of Lorne Michaels which inspired the idea for a "Five Timers Club" recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live which Smigel wrote with Conan O’Brien
09:05
Robert Smigel on his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch on Saturday Night Live skewering NBC's parent company GE; on getting notes from Standards & Practices at NBC to tweak his "Conspiracy Theory Rock!" sketch; on the sketch airing on SNL just as NBC president Bob Wright happened to be watching; on this sketch never re-airing; on SNL assistant director Robert Caminiti letting Smigel know the sketch had been pulled; on Lorne Michaels' continued support for Smigel's sketches despite the backlash; on the sketch's continued popularity; on J. J. Sedelmaier getting original artists who had worked on the original Schoolhouse Rock to animate "Conspiracy Theory Rock"
05:26
Robert Smigel on his involvement with the 25th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live in 1999; on the animated sketch "Life of a Catchphrase" he created for "TV Funhouse" that aired during this special; on another "TV Funhouse" sketch he wrote for the special which aired later on the "X-Presidents: episode; on his penchant for making fun of SNL’s producer Lorne Michaels and his deep affection for Michaels; on the special celebrity audience that was present for the anniversary show
11:48

Louis C.K.

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Robert Smigel on some of the writers he hired for Late Night with Conan O'Brien including Louis C.K. and Dino Stamatopoulos; on wanting the show to steer clear of some of the reality-based humor that Conan's predecessors used like David Letterman; on Louis coming up with the "Actual Items" sketches
01:33
Robert Smigel on the “Idiot Pranksters” sketches written by Louis C.K. for The Dana Carvey Show; on his “counter-intuitive” style; on the individuality of comedy ideas for some comedians like Jack Handey and Louis C.K.
01:35

Madonna

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Robert Smigel on a sketch he wrote for Madonna when she hosted Saturday Night Live in 1985 where she portrayed a Spanish variety show hostess
01:02

Paul McCartney

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Robert Smigel on Dana Carvey's impression of Paul McCartney
03:42

Phil Hartman

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Robert Smigel on the "Game Show Psychic" sketch on Saturday Night Live with Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks, written by Andy Breckman
00:48
Robert Smigel on Phil Hartman's impression of Ronald Reagan (as an evil mastermind) on Saturday Night Live, and on changing up the way the show and others had done Reagan impressions in the past
02:34

Red Skelton

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Robert Smigel on wanting to be a comedian since he was three years old, and on his early influences - comedians like Red Skelton and TV shows like Mister Ed
01:33

Robert Caminiti

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Robert Smigel on his "TV Funhouse" animated sketch on Saturday Night Liveskewering NBC's parent company GE; on getting notes from Standards & Practices at NBC to tweak his "Conspiracy Theory Rock!" sketch; on the sketch airing on SNL just as NBC president Bob Wright happened to be watching; on this sketch never re-airing; on SNL assistant director Robert Caminiti letting Smigel know the sketch had been pulled; on Lorne Michaels' continued support for Smigel's sketches despite the backlash; on the sketch's continued popularity; on J. J. Sedelmaier getting original artists who had worked on the original Schoolhouse Rock to animate "Conspiracy Theory Rock"
05:26

Ronald Reagan

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Robert Smigel on Phil Hartman's impression of Ronald Reagan (as an evil mastermind) on Saturday Night Live, and on changing up the way the show and others had done Reagan impressions in the past
02:34

Stephen Colbert

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Robert Smigel on hiring writer Stephen Colbert for The Dana Carvey Show; on a sketch with Colbert and Steve Carrell that wound up getting them both hired on The Daily Show
05:02

Steve Carell

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Robert Smigel on the overhaul of the cast of Saturday Night Live in 1995 resulting in Steve Carrell becoming available; on Smigel auditioning Steve Carrell; on Carrell’s contribution to The Dana Carvey Show and the sketch “Germans Who Say Nice Things”
04:01
Robert Smigel on hiring writer Stephen Colbert for The Dana Carvey Show; on a sketch with Colbert and Steve Carrell that wound up getting them both hired on The Daily Show
05:02

Steve Martin

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Robert Smigel on writing the Steve Martin opening monologue "I'm not gonna phone it in tonight" on Saturday Night Live
03:39

Tim Kazurinsky

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Robert Smigel on being introduced to the Second City by Saturday Night Live's Tim Kazurinsky
02:04

Tom Davis

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Robert Smigel on who he joined on the writing staff at Saturday Night Live when he was hired by Lorne Michaels in 1985; on writers Al Franken and Tom Davis; on sketches Franken and Davis wrote for SNL
03:22

Tom Hanks

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Robert Smigel on Tom Hank's role hosting Saturday Night Live; on a sketch about the end of SNL that Smigel wrote and Hanks appeared in; on writer Jim Downey's contribution to the sketch
06:49

William Shatner

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Robert Smigel on the Saturday Night Live "Trekkers" sketch with William Shatner and the line "Get a life," directed at Star Trek nerds, and on loving nerds
05:18

All Interviews

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