Later this month, the 43rd season of Saturday Night Live will premiere on NBC, with Ryan Gosling set to host. Only twice before have James Bond actors been hosts: Pierce Brosnan in 2001 and Daniel Craig in 2012. But only Craig played the role of 007 in an SNL skit.
Winter is Coming
Nevertheless, James Bond (and Bond references) have been scattered across Saturday Night Live’s 42 seasons. Let’s take a brief look at the history of James Bond skits on SNL.
Midday with Jennifer Hicks
In 1986, during one of the show’s more infamous seasons (with an odd cast that included Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, and Robert Downey Jr.), Joan Cusack played a morning talk show host, in a skit titled “Midday with Jennifer Hicks.” Her guests on this mock show were three Bond villains, Goldfinger (host Jimmy Breslin), Blofeld (Jon Lovitz), and Largo (Randy Quaid). The three have teamed up to write a new book, Going for It: The Complete Guide to Global Extortion. But instead of discussing the book, the three villains end up focusing on the following question from Hicks:
"“If you had to do it all over again, how would you handle Bond?"
The responses drive the humor, as the three villains express their regret at not shooting and killing Bond when the opportunity had so easily presented itself. Largo says, “If James Bond manages to infiltrate your complex and you capture him, just kill him.” The sketch is met with wild appreciation from the live audience.
Bullets Aren’t Cheap
Two seasons later, host Steve Martin took a turn as James Bond in the wildly funny sketch “Bullets Aren’t Cheap” which also features Sting as a Bond villain. The premise of the sketch is that Bond must take his vacation on his own dime, and we learn that he is actually “tight with the dollar.” See for yourself:
Note that Bond is offered a Heineken and chooses the Corona instead!
Lease with an Option to Kill
In 1990, host Christopher Walken reprised his role as Max Zorin for this humorous encounter with James Bond, who has been captured ahead of schedule, before Zorin’s secret lair has been completed.
Today Is Never Yesterday
Ever wondered if James Bond has contracted any STDs, due to all of his sexual encounters with women? This 1999 skit, with host Garth Brooks, attempts to answer that question. Dr. Carlisle (played by Brooks) has some very bad news for our favorite secret agent (played by Chris Parnell): “I don’t know how you’ve done it, James, but you have 107 different venereal diseases.” Yikes!
Live Another Day
In this humorous take on Casino Royale, Bill Hader imitates Sean Connery’s Bond, who not only encounters LeChiffre, but also a redneck poker player named Dwayne Bodine (played by host Tim McGraw). It is Bodine’s reactions to Bond’s demeanor (and Bond girl Pussy Galore’s name) that bring out the laughs.
Bond Girls
When Daniel Crag hosted SNL in 2012, just prior to the release of Skyfall, he played 007 in a mock TV ad for the 50th anniversary boxed set of James Bond films. The ad offers clips of Bond girls never seen before. Craig, as Bond, has scenes with DIane Keaton (Melissa Bayer), Jodie Foster (Kate McKinnon), and Penny Marshall (Fred Armisen), among others.
Dr. Evil and Sam Smith
OK, so this cold open in December 2014 is not exactly a take on Bond, but its irony is noteworthy. Taran Killam, playing Sam Smith, is interrupted by a statement from Dr. Evil (reprised by Mike Myers) to discuss the North Korean hack of Sony Pictures. Why is this noteworthy? The Spectre script and storylines were released via that hack; Sam Smith would go on to sing the theme song for the film, and Dr. Evil, of course, is based on Blofeld. Enjoy: