Conan Remembers Some Of His Favorite Jim Downey “SNL” Sketches | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

you have such a musical ear I mean you. wrote a sketch you know those those. classic Hercules movies you know what. I'm talking about where they're dubbed. they're badly uh they're badly dubbed. and you can tell they're dubbed and the. the the lips don't quite match up and I. remembered uh I'm pretty sure uh it was. Bill Murray yeah in it and you were the. voice of the dubbing yes it was. um a Hercules. uh it was the return it's called The. Return of Hercules and I want always.

want to do a dubbing piece like based on. the old again for someone born when I. was in the 50s these Hercules movies. were constantly on because they they. just uh um they're on like Saturday. afternoon and and it was just the. hilariously bad dubbing and um so. uh it was uh Dana played like the evil. King David Carvey Anora Dunn was the. beautiful girl who is Hercules you know.

love interest and um and then it's Billy. as Hercules and um it was me and then. the sound booth was me Tom Davis and Jan. Hooks yeah and and I'm doing Billy's. voice and and another like a a guard or. something and Davis is doing the evil. King he's famous part and and then and. Jan was doing Nora's voice and so we. were doing it live and they were like. flapping their lips to sort of the.

actors are just moving their mouths yeah. yeah but but sort of trying to you know. it it had to sort of look like they. wanted to be 60 on it you know and so um. but it was just the whole premise was. that Hercules was was out of shape so I. don't remember too many of the details. but it was like um. it was this is Tom doing Dana's. character but uh the the evil King is. going. I will make you this offer you know if.

um. if you could uh uh if you could pass a. test with friends. and it's like and so and so then. Hercules what kind of test did you hit. did you propose. what kind of test do you propose it's. like do you see that Boulder no one it. is that giant bowler no one has ever. lifted it if you can lift that Boulder I. will spare the girl's life and then and. then I go and then I go. I'm sorry that Boulder is too large I.

can lift a smaller one. such a non- Hercules thing to say that. holder is true anyway like a smaller one. and so he's he pulls a muscle trying to. lift the Boulder and then so they may I. can't remember yeah but it was just it. was just like goofy stuff like um it's. Hercules disgusting he's like oh my God. the mighty Hercules I don't mean to be. cruel but you have really Let Yourself. Go and Hurricane's like I learned to my.

sorrow laities that that if you don't. keep up your exercise regimen the muscle. turns to fat. I later I basically was doing Lee Van. Cleef yeah yeah you know but basically I. later used Mike Myers asked me to do. that voice for Wayne's worlds I was the. voice of her father yeah of the girl's. father who was played by the actor James. Hong anyway that was my voice well.

[Music]. we're encroaching on your Arizona now. when you were doing the voice I was like. that sounds like the part in Wayne's. World where she's like trying to yeah. yeah uh so um. there was a piece that you did that I. think of as a quintessential Jim Downey. Peach and this piece this is when I was. there so this is in the late 80s early. 90s but you did a piece a commercial. parody it was for a bank that would just.

make change change Bank. it occurred to me there was something. that just delighted me so much and it's. very popular online and you can you can. you should go and check it out because. you're you star in the piece because no. one could do it as well as you and. you're the spokesperson for change bank. and it was you over explaining yeah yeah. what we do at change bank if you know if. you give us a five we'll give you four.

ones and four quarters we'll also give. you and and and breaking it down into. all the denominations and I remember. talking to Jack Handy about this and we. and he was like nobody loves to over no. one loves The Comedy of over explaining. more than Jim Downey telling you much. more than you need to know and it's a. very specific way. and there's a music to it you have a. musical ear for I mean that kind of. Comedy but it is something that always. made me laugh just.

deliberately wasting someone else's yes. yes yes like explaining something to. them that. needs no explanation to begin with but. we got it. right and so um and I've done a number. of pieces where that is like a thread. and and I was I remember I remember one. that I'm even sure if it got on but it. was uh when the Padres I think it was. like I was a big Cubs fan when the when. the Padres eliminated the Cubs in 1984.

uh 19 it was 1984. I don't know I I. don't care anyway okay but anyway the. the Padres and and the potties are owned. by Joan Kroc the Widow of Ray Kroc who. started McDonald's and uh so I guess it. was a sexist piece I'm sorry Sona but it. was a it was it was Joan Kroc and the. joke was that she didn't know anything. about baseball so she has to address the. team for the game that's like and and um. into the players. I can't stress this enough when you're.

at bad hit a home run hit a home run and. I'll tell you why I'll tell you why I. say that because I'll tell you why. because when you when you hit a home run. you get to run around all of the bases. yeah all of them you get to run you. don't know you don't have to stop at all. and and so and uh and the players are. like uh Mrs Croc I mean we like to get. started here you know. um and then so change Bank was just yeah.

it was and I wrote that. for Kevin Nealon yeah and and I. and I'm afraid like it was a case of. like I mean you know me I'm not I'm not. like like a bully kind of director guy. but. I was giving Kevin a lot of notes and. Kevin is like you know he was the most. beloved yes it remains I just saw him. yesterday. um everyone you know loved the guy and. and I even and I got even on Kevin's. nerves a little bit and not it wasn't.

like a blub I think because Jim maybe. maybe why don't you do it I mean you I. mean I'll be in it you know and and I. actually and I that was one of the very. few times where I I went like. you know actually. I mean I actually would be good for that. just because you need it doesn't hurt. for the it to be played by a person with. no camera presence. yeah yeah I just am I hand on the nerd I. was like the really talking a little too.

fast and too excited about something and. um and so that was I'm not I have this. theory that virtually anyone can act in. the right part yes and and there's a. genius in in recognizing what someone. would do really well and. um and and putting them in that right. position and and a great you know. there's a Continuum that ends say it you. know Daniel Day-Lewis say you know we.

can do pretty much anything you know. um and then I'm down more the other end. of that.