Friday A/V Club: Requiem for Jan Hooks

Two sketches from the late 1980s

Jan Hooks, who just died at age 57, is best known for her stint on Saturday Night Live in the late '80s. Watch this—it's one of the funniest sketches ever to air on SNL, and while Jon Lovitz is the star of the skit, Hooks is note-perfect in a supporting role as the plaintiff's mom:

And here she stars in a campaign-ad-that-should-have-been:

As far as I'm concerned, this was the show's true golden age. When you're assigning credit for that achievement, make sure Hooks and her characters get their share.

(For past editions of the Friday A/V Club, go here.)