Tuesday, October 28, 2025

"Swing, Baby -- You're Platinum!"

From SNL in 1991, please enjoy the late great Phil Hartman as he hosts the Sunday morning panel show I only wish had actually existed -- The Sinatra Group!!!

I've referenced the joke in today's title on a couple of occasions in the past -- most recently in yesterday's musings on the new Springsteen movie -- but you could have knocked me over with a feather when I did the research and discovered I'd never actually posted the sketch itself.

Which is only a) one of the funniest SNL bits of all time and b) perhaps the most hilarious parody of pop-star pretentions ever witnessed by sentient mammalians anywhere.

We should add that it gets special bonus points for 1) Hartman/Sinatra intro-ing Sinead O'Connor as Uncle Fester and 2) Sting's impression of Billy Idol's snarl.

7 comments:

paulinca said...

Sinbad O'Connor! And Sting's snarl... :)

steve simels said...

Hartman was freaking brilliant. 😎

MJConroy said...

Yeah, Hartman was brilliant, and Sting was great too.

wardo said...

I read somewhere that Robert Smigel wrote this sketch specifically to use the line about "chunks of guys like you". Another favorite: "Steve, kick his ass."

steve simels said...

I should have guessed Smigel wrote it. 😎

Alzo said...

Great sketch- but as a long-time fan of 'The McLaughlin Group,' I have to note that Hartman's Sinatra was much less of an imperious bully than the original.

steve simels said...

The real Sinatra was a mensch. 😎