TV Funhouse | |
---|---|
The TV Funhouse Panel at Comic-Con in 2008. L to R: Robert Smigel (with Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog), Dino Stamatopoulos, Bob Odenkirk and Tommy Blacha with Doug Dale on laptop screen
|
|
Also known as | Saturday TV Funhouse |
Created by |
Robert Smigel Dana Carvey |
Starring |
Doug Dale Robert Smigel Jon Glaser Dino Stamatopoulos David Juskow Tommy Blacha Frank Simms |
Theme music composer | Steven Gold |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language(s) | English |
No. of series | 1 |
No. of episodes | 8 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) |
Robert Smigel Dino Stamatopoulos Lou Wallach |
Producer(s) |
Samantha Scharff Tanya Ryno, for SNL |
Running time | 22 Minutes |
Release | |
Original network | Comedy Central |
Picture format | NTSC 480i |
Audio format | Monaural |
Original release | December 6, 2000 | – January 24, 2001
Chronology | |
Related shows | Saturday Night Live |
External links | |
Website | web |
Saturday TV Funhouse was the title of a recurring skit on NBC's Saturday Night Live featuring cartoons created by SNL writer Robert Smigel.
It was also spawned a spinoff series, TV Funhouse, that ran on Comedy Central. "TV Funhouse" frequently satirizes public figures and corporations, as well as featuring some cartoons exclusive to this skit. When featured in an episode of Saturday Night Live, it was listed in the theme song as "A Cartoon by Robert Smigel".
In between the host segments, TV Funhouse would show parodies of either 1950s educational films or cartoons most frequently drawn in the flat, limited-animation style of Saturday morning Hanna-Barbera/Filmation cartoons of the 1970s and 1980s. Another frequent target is the classic 1960s "Animagic" stop motion animated holiday specials of Rankin/Bass.
The animation was originally produced by J.J. Sedelmaier Productions for three seasons until Wachtenheim/Marianetti Animation, in association with Tapehouse Toons, took over primary animation production duties. If TV Funhouse is featured in an episode of Saturday Night Live, it is mentioned in the opening narration as "a cartoon by Robert Smigel." When featured on Saturday Night Live, the opening features an SNL bumper featuring the host of that week's show) being torn by a small white dog revealing the TV Funhouse screen underneath. A caricature of executive producer Lorne Michaels appears, sees the dog, and yells "Come back here with my show!" before going after the dog. The closing features Lorne Michaels still grappling with the dog over the torn piece of the bumper.