Posted on 12/15/2007 6:55:19 PM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
Ten years ago on Tuesday, Madison native and funnyman Chris Farley, 33, died from a drug overdose. He battled addictions while becoming a show business star. The anniversary will be quietly remembered by some -- has it really been 10 years?! -- but we wanted him to make us laugh again. Most of his best moments are available on DVD.
'SNL'
Farley performed as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live " from fall 1990 to spring 1995. (He later was a guest host.) His finest scenes, all available on "SNL: The Best of Chris Farley," include: Links • Remembering Chris Farley: A brother's book mark
1. The Chippendales audition
A muscular and tan Patrick Swayze competes with Farley in a dance-off to become one of the sexy Chippendales performers. Farley uses his bulk to its comic best matching Swayze 's slick moves.
2. "The Chris Farley Show"
A show within a show, Farley served as the awe-struck host who interviewed major celebrities. For Paul McCartney, all Farley could muster was this bumbling gem: "Remember when you were suppose to be dead and there 's all those clues that, like, uh, you play some song backwards and it says, Paul is dead. ' (pause) That was a hoax, right? "
3. Matt Foley, motivational speaker
Talking to two troubled "teens " (David Spade and Christina Applegate), Farley bursts into the room then later proclaims, "I live in a van down by the river. "
Eventually after Spade says he wants to be a writer, Farley scoffs, "Hey, I can 't see really good. Is that Will Shakespeare over there? "
4. Schmitts Gay beer commercial
A brilliant parody of sexist beer commercials with Farley and Adam Sandler as two gay housesitters who happily discover the swimming pool turns into a party ... with two dozen buff men.
5. Ice dancing
Farley 's agility made this flawless scene as he served as Nancy Kerrigan 's unlikely skating partner in Olympic competition.
6. "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson " parody
Carson, played by Dana Carvey, recalls a boozy 1970s show when Burt Reynolds and Dom DeLuise (Farley) wound up with their pants off and throwing pies in this mock clip.
7. Coffee commercial
A coffee commercial is filmed by substituting the customer 's chosen coffee with another brand. Farley learns of the switch and destroys the restaurant.
8. Lunch Lady dance
Adam Sandler 's songs were hit and miss, but he was saved in this number by Farley dressed in drag and dancing around him. (Farley recreated the moment to even more humorous effect when Sandler performed in 1994 at the Madison Civic Center.)
9. Tom Arnold parody
One of Farley 's real-life friends, Arnold is mimicked perfectly with his nervous ticks by Farley while sitting for an interview with guest host Roseanne.
10. Weather Channel monster
To illustrate a storm, The Weather Channel features a pro-wrestling type character named El Nino. "El Nino means " Farley shouts, then stammers, "the ... Nino. "
PHYSICAL FILM COMEDY
-- Falls on a coffee table at Marquette University party. "Tommy Boy "
-- Falls through balcony doors onto a hotel room coffee table. "Beverly Hills Ninja "
-- Falls down a mountain. "Black Sheep "
-- Gets repeatedly attacked by -- and punches -- nesting bald eagles who alternately knock him out of a pine tree and deposit him in the Pacific Ocean. "Almost Heroes "
-- Takes new "brother " Rob Lowe cow-tipping and ends up covered in mud and manure. As Lowe hoses him off at a gas station Farley dances and sings (from Flashdance ') I 'm a maniac, maniac on the floor ... ' " "Tommy Boy "
-- Poses as hibachi chef and attacks would-be assassin with two large gutted salmon. "Beverly Hills Ninja "
-- Exuberantly does a cartwheel and dance while covered in political buttons, scaring a prospective voter while canvassing in a grocery store parking lot. "I think it 's better if we bring the energy down a tad, " says Spade 's character. "Black Sheep "
-- In trying to prove his worth when an attractive woman comes to his dojo requesting help from a ninja, Farley 's character inadvertently sets a sacred scroll on fire, breaks a weapons rack, destroys a shrine of sacred ashes and jumps through a wall. Unfortunately for Farley in shooting he missed the breakaway part of the wall and the stunt landed him in the hospital. "Beverly Hills Ninja "
MEMORABLE FILM LINES
"Bees, bees in the car! They 're huge and they 're ripping my flesh off. They 're huge and they sting crazy. Your firearms are useless against them. " -- "Tommy Boy "
"Holy schnikeys! " -- "Tommy Boy "
"Holy shinto! " -- "Beverly Hills Ninja "
"Young fella, I 'm going to twist off your head and spike it onto the floors of a nightmare you can 't even imagine. " -- "Black Sheep "
"As a pimp I shall blend into Beverly Hills like MSG into miso soup. " -- "Beverly Hills Ninja "
STATE REFERENCES
"Tommy Boy"
Farley 's Character Tom Callahan graduates from Marquette.
There are mileage signs for Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Chippewa Falls.
During a montage, "Future 's So Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades " by former Madison group Timbuk3 is playing in the background.
A character says, "A thousand units to Oshkosh? Tommy, that 's fabulous! Your dad never sold a thousand in Oshkosh. "
"Black Sheep"
Farley 's character is phone canvassing for his politician brother when he says "Hope everything 's going great in your fine town of Avery-Atwood! "
"Beverly Hills Ninja"
Ink specialist Chet Walters mentions he 's a former University of Wisconsin lineman. While posing as Walters to outwit some counterfeiters, Farley utters this line, "I was standing there in a thong Speedo, hiking boots and a backpack. You try catching a ride on Aberg Avenue dressed like that in the middle of winter."
"Almost Heroes"
"I've seen a badger with paws as big as frying pans. And that 'd rip your face right off! Right off! Nothing you can do with that! "
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If you keep posting stuff like this, you’re going to end up eating government cheese and living down by the river in a van.
He was great in the movie Coneheads.
Damn, I didn’t even realize he was dead. I remember most of those SNL skits and always wondered what happened to him. Now I know.
I had to post it though. This guy was seriously the 2nd coming of Belushi.
Are you serious? ROFL. Too many of your namesake beers tonight or what? :-)
My wife and I are watching him now in a skit with Jeff Daniels. I was just recalling to her some of the scenes from Tommy Boy like ‘fat guy in a little coat’, ‘jo jo the idiot circus boy with a pretty new pet’, and ‘spanktra vision’.
As Newt Gingrich:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-nER-xk8ZA
Chippendales:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xu9mx_patrick-swayze-chippendale_dating
Matt Foley:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=acd9870fca
Now that I think of it, I do think I remember Chris Farley’s death. John Candy, another overweight comedian, died around the same timeframe and I think the two deaths kind of merged together in my brain.
“YEAH I’m not wearing any pants behind this organ.”
Sorry, I’ve failed to see the humor in any Farley performance so far. Of course, that holds with 90% of the SNL alumni...
A couple of friends of mine went to Marquette with Chris. They said that scene in the Frat house in Tommy Boy wasn’t much of a strech from his college days.
I agree with you about Chris! I think he was one of the least funny men around. He did not add much to SNL. I’m sorry he died but he brought that on himself. Seems like all the characters he did on SNL were the same. There have been a lot of funny people on that show but Chris wasn’t among my favorites. I still mourn Phil Hartman though. I thought he was a true talent and I was sorry to see him lost.
I'm with you. I enjoyed Candy's movies, but Farley was beyond disgusting and too juvenile.
just watched a bunch of his vids on youtube.
I miss that guy.
he wanted to be just like belushi. did snl, couple movies, died young of drug overdose.
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