Molly Shannon is so excited to return to “Saturday Night Live,” she showed up three days early. In anticipation of her hosting gig this Saturday, she asks in a promotional clip, “Where is everyone?”
A crew member replies, “They don’t come in until Saturday.”
“It’s OK. I’m just gonna wait back here for the next few days so I’m ready for the big show,” Shannon, who was a main cast member on “SNL” from 1995 to 2001, replies. She also returned to host in 2007.
Shannon has gone on to star in “Other People,” “The White Lotus,” and “Divorce,” among many other roles. But fans of the actress and comedian remember her time at “SNL” well.
Here are five of Shannon’s iconic characters we can’t forget.
Mary Katherine Gallagher
Little Drummer Boy - Whitney Houston (Live on Saturday Night Live)
Shannon’s Mary Katherine is a teenage Catholic school girl who swings between hyperactive and shy, but ultimately knows she’s a “superstar.” The time she competes in a sing-off with Whitney Houston is classic. Mary Katherine was the star of the 1999 movie “Superstar,” starring Shannon and Will Ferrell.
Sally O’Malley
Sally O'Malley's Rockette Open Audition - SNL
Shannon’s Sally O’Malley is “50 years old!” She can stretch and kick and shimmy and kick again. The time she tries out for the Rockettes wearing her signature red two-piece and her animal print purse is a classic.
“When do I start?” she asks.
“The Courtney Love Show”
The Courtney Love Show - Saturday Night Live
Shannon was brilliant as retro Courtney Love, complete with a silk nightgown and a messy blonde wig in a sketch called “The Courtney Love Show,” where she would interview celebrities but would have to lay down when she felt tired.
Terry Rialto on NPR
NPR's Delicious Dish: Schweddy Balls - SNL
In “The Delicious Dish,” Shannon played a smooth-voiced radio food show host with Ana Gasteyer. The two would innocently use risqué double entendres without realizing they weren’t really describing food.
Southern Gals
Southern Gals - Saturday Night Live
Shannon is fantastic as a Southern woman who is visiting New York with her girlfriends. She’s thrilled by “the lady in Times Square” who brushed her hair then “squatted down to take a little pee.” She describes seeing “The Lion King” on Broadway, but likes the movie better. When a rat sits on her shoulder in a pizza place, she charmingly says, “It looks like I made a little friend.”
Shannon hosts “SNL” April 8.
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