Whatever Happened to the Church Lady?

“Saturday Night Live” has been around for over 45 years. When it’s on, it’s on; when it’s off,…well, you know how the saying goes. Still one of my favorite characters from the show was The Church Lady, hilariously portrayed by Dana Carvey. This photo is from a 1988 episode with Morton Downey, Jr.

Over at Disneyland, it would appear that Church Lady made a surprise visit back in 1969:

Practically twins. The Church Lady’s talk show consisted of guests that she would judge and rebuke, to the delight of onlookers. One of my favorite episodes had her interviewing Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker (Phil Hartman and Jan Hooks) at the height of the Jessica Hahn scandal. Hooks practically walks away with the episode with her portrayal of the flamboyant Tammy Faye.

While comedians are often funny thanks to a good script, this video of Dana Carvey doing a stand-up routine proves that he was quick on his feet and able to deal with a drunken heckler…as the Church Lady:

Church Lady: what this troubled old world needs now more than ever.

See more Classic Movie and TV photos at my main website.

No Basement

In a classic scene from "Pee Wee's Big Adventure," the fraudulent fortune-teller, Madam Ruby (Erica Yohn), reveals that Pee Wee's bicycle has been hidden in the basement of the Alamo. After many comic twists and turns, Pee Wee finally makes it to San Antonio.



Here is the classic scene where a crestfallen Pee Wee learns the truth about The Alamo: THERE'S NO BASEMENT! Jan Hooks steals the scene as the all-too-real tour guide, Tina. NOTE: while the exterior was filmed at The Alamo in San Antonio, the interior tour shots were not. They were filmed north of Los Angeles at the Mission San Fernando Rey de España.

 

Before I visited San Antonio, everyone told me not to be disappointed by the size of the Mission Building. Up close, it looks imposing:



Take a few steps back, and not so much.



Nevertheless, the events that occurred here back in 1836 are monumental. The Battle of the Alamo was a 13-day siege where Mexican troops launched an assault on the Alamo Mission killing all of the Texian defenders. The battle inspired many Texans to join the Texan Army, which brought about the defeat of the Mexican Army at the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836, thus ending the revolution.

An important line was drawn here, commemorated by this plaque.



A rare interior shot of the Alamo:



Unless you go early in the morning or late at night, the surrounding property is typically very crowded with tourists. It is still a beautiful area worth seeing.





There may not be a basement, but of course there's a gift shop.





Somehow this Cinderella Carriage just doesn't seem to fit here.



See more of the REAL Alamo at my main website.