Al Franken’s Parents Got Cut From An SNL Sketch | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

what's about the SNL days because people. love to hear about those times we're. we're gonna we're gonna time travel now. back to the year 1951. and you and I. worked on a radio show called Saturday. Night Live so uh you you mentioned Tom. and so Frank and Davis we would do this. show within the show called The Franklin. Davis show and we had my parents on uh. twice and once they got cut. your parents got cut between dress and. air it's rough and so the first time. they're on they just came on and I the.

character I played was me as an. right and so uh. wait that was a character that was that. was a character it's just like you. self-deprecate and paint yourself kind. of as an all the time yeah we. all know and we all know complete. opposite exactly 180 degree so that was. the whole premise here kind of so anyway. so I have my parents on and. um I sing a song to them hey Mom and Dad. this song is for you everything I sing.

it a different key better anyway so. um and I think and then my mom says this. reminds me of when they called from. school and said you'd your pants or. something like that Mommy am I gonna get. mad at her and my dad says stop yelling. at your mother and she's like crap your. pants this is right right and then I get. mad at him I'm an and I didn't I. kick my dad in the ass okay so that one. was on everyone loved it. next time I have mine Tom and I would do.

very dark stuff and in this one I think. um. I have them they're in dress they're uh. they're they're wearing uh stars of. David. and overcoats Circa 1930. five. Nazi Germany. and Tom and I are in gestapo outfits. right. look at the smile on your face wow this.

was Art. this was something you kind of could do. back then right you could do very dark. the the show Hallmark of the show it's. sometimes very dark especially after a. certain hour things could get very yeah. and Tom and I were always on after that. hour right and so the whole point was at. a certain point my dad goes Alan I I. can't do this. I decide. we rehearsed it and you know we've done. it all week why do you say now we're on.

the show we're live I just can't and my. friends I I can't go back to Temple. and do this sketch with you in the. Gestapo you know and then I get really. mad at him and yell at them and this. kind of ends that way yeah Bernie. berlstein famous uh what would you call. him manager no he was a manager but he. was even beyond that he's a man that. looked like Santa Claus and was a show. business Legend and had a big. Personality yeah he was a and uh. represented everybody including Lauren.

and just said to him he's watching a. dress and going you can't do this. so and I guess he was right and so I. think we could have done it but uh but. anyway so uh we get my parents get cut. and Lauren comes after up to me after. the show. I said out don't put me in the position. of cutting your parents ever again. were they upset that they were cut they. must have been a little bit but I mean.

they understood. I couldn't go like Lauren that's amazing. you cut us on the Gestapo Star of David. my parents as that's just the Tiffany. Iceberg with you you were constantly. pitching ideas that you loved to go. right up to the edge and sometimes over. it oh oh yes Miles and Miles Beyond were. you always like that well I think I just. came of age during a period where.

very dark humor was about. the opposite of it in other words that. you were exploring. really dark things in order to laugh at. how awful they were that's all yeah yeah. I went over a line at times and were you. on the show at Comic Killers okay so. this was Downy and I had this idea for. Jim Downey yeah head writer yeah uh for. uh it was a game show like Jeopardy but. it was called comedy Killers so the the.

categories were. uh the Holocaust the Kennedys uh cancer. yeah and so this is a joke I tell in my. act because. everything I'd ever done. when I ran for the senate in comedy it. was used against me yeah. and I told the joke from that sketch. that Rosie Schuster wrote and it was.

this would have been a bad gift for Anne. Frank right what is a drum set. oh oh God Jesus. so that's brought up now of course. you're running then for Senate. and uh how Franken told jokes about the. Holocaust yeah yeah. so I'd written a uh magazine article in. the late 90s saying that parents should. probably. um monitor what their kids get online.

and uh so but I wrote it satirically so. I said my son Joe did a great fourth. grade report last week on bestiality and. he downloaded a lot of great visual aids. and the kids in the class just love them. and it was Al Franken. dope jokes about beastiality. so we had to Chuck Schumer. was like monitoring my race I was.

running for the nomination at the time. yeah and he's going this is too much. baggage and. [Applause]. so my pulse we had to do focus groups to. see if this really was a problem and if. we could. you know overcome it and so she had the. focus group in and she the first. question she asked if you knew that Al. Franken told jokes about bestiality. would you be more likely to vote for him.

okay. it turned out less likely. but we discovered that. you know if you explain things that. minnesotans got irony. and they got you know what satire was. and so it wasn't a real problem and then. I went out. to show this great report saying it. wasn't a problem to Harry Reid and then. he asked me what joke could you tell. about the Holocaust. [Laughter].

[Music]. I said well it uh okay the joke was I. think a bad Hanukkah gift for Anne Frank. would have been a drum set and then. Harry started shaking. and I start thinking okay this is either. very good or very bad right and he just. thought it was the funniest joke you'd. ever. [Laughter]. so I was okay right after that oh I but. the best joke in comedy Killers the. sketch you remember was Final uh comedy.

killer like Final Jeopardy uh last it. was you know the ding ding ding ding. ding the long uh was uh the biggest. comedy killer of all time. Danny wrote this joke here it was what. was the assassination of Archduke. Ferdinand. how did this sketch play in front of the. audience great did it yeah.

it was what year was it I don't know it. was in the 80s I think that's probably I. think world war one was closer at that. time yeah people have forgotten it was. like you know 34 years closer or. something 35 years closer so everyone. was a big. you know oh that was terrible or and of. course started by the assassination of. Archduke Ferdinand Yeah by Gabriel.

princip I think shot him yes. interesting. Archduke Ferdinand was on his way back. he was he was leaving uh Sarajevo are. you doing a comedy killer yeah okay he's. leaving Sarajevo his driver took a wrong. turn really and his car kind of stopped. right in front of a cafe. Principe had his chance to shoot uh you. know the Archduke and hadn't done it but.

the the suddenly he's sitting in a cafe. consoling himself by having a cup of. coffee when this car pulls up in front. of that cafe. and who's in it but the Archduke and his. wife and he just puts his cup of coffee. down and steps out and kills them both. what an insane coinky dink. anywho we were doing comedy killers and. I wanted to keep going. well that that shows. something no nothing what what I'm sorry.

why do you suddenly have the balls to do. it if he was if he couldn't do it the. first I think he wasn't able I think he. didn't have a shot yeah he just couldn't. do it not said he like chickened out I. think his blood sugar was low but then. he had a donut and a cup of coffee and. then uh this guy in a big hat with. ostrich feathers and medals pulls up. right outside he read his horoscope too. and it was in favor of it yeah yeah yeah. yeah and the waiter said oh we're also.

serving gun today. I grabbed a gun and said I'll take one. of those and then the whole thing just. came together beautifully okay yeah.