The following is a list of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between November 9, 1985, and May 24, 1986, the eleventh season of SNL.

Cabrini Green Jackson A Danitra Vance sketch. Debuted November 9, 1985.

Appearances Season Episode Host Notes 11 November 9, 1985 Madonna 11 November 23, 1985 Pee-wee Herman 11 December 21, 1985 Teri Garr 11 January 25, 1986 Dudley Moore 11 April 12, 1986 Oprah Winfrey 11 May 17, 1986 Jimmy Breslin

The Jones Brothers A Damon Wayans and Anthony Michael Hall sketch. Debuted November 9, 1985.

The Limits of the Imagination The Limits of the Imagination was a short-lived sketch featured on the 1985–1986 season. It featured Randy Quaid as "The Floating Head", a Rod Serling-like character who would introduce a creepy, Twilight Zone-esque story with a weak ending (or no ending at all). The title was also reminiscent of the 1960s sci-fi anthology The Outer Limits.

Appearances Season Episode Host Notes 11 November 9, 1985 Madonna In a loose parody of The Twilight Zone episode "The Hitch-hiker", Madonna plays a female motorist who is being followed by a crazy man (played by Jon Lovitz) living in the engine of her car. 11 December 7, 1985 John Lithgow Joan Cusack, Robert Downey Jr., Nora Dunn, and Terry Sweeney play restaurant patrons who are trapped at an "all-you-can-eat" fish restaurant where patrons are forced to eat everything on the menu. 11 January 25, 1986 Dudley Moore Dudley Moore plays a bad comedian who sells his soul to the devil (played by Jon Lovitz) in order to be popular. 11 February 8, 1986 Ron Reagan In a parody of several Twilight Zone episodes, notably "Person or Persons Unknown", Ron Reagan Jr. plays a man who is treated like a stranger by his wife (Joan Cusack), son (Robert Downey Jr.), and friends (Jon Lovitz, Damon Wayans, and Dan Vitale). 11 February 15, 1986 Jerry Hall Jerry Hall plays "Maggie the Cat" from Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, who traps and seduces a gay man (played by Terry Sweeney) in her hotel room. 11 May 10, 1986 Catherine Oxenberg, Paul Simon Young Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel (played by Robert Downey Jr. and Anthony Michael Hall) sell their souls to the Devil (Jon Lovitz) for success. Later, an elderly Paul Simon (who appears as himself) lives out his personal hell of listening to Muzak versions of his greatest hits while stuck in an elevator.

The Pat Stevens Show Nora Dunn played the host, a somewhat dim, shallow, ex-model who thought Vogue was literature. Debuted November 16, 1985.

Appearances Season Episode Host Notes 11 November 16, 1985 Chevy Chase 11 November 23, 1985 Pee-wee Herman 11 December 14, 1985 Tom Hanks 11 January 25, 1986 Dudley Moore 11 February 8, 1986 Ron Reagan 11 February 15, 1986 Jerry Hall 11 April 12, 1986 Oprah Winfrey 11 May 17, 1986 Jimmy Breslin 12 December 6, 1986 Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short 12 January 31, 1987 Paul Shaffer 12 April 11, 1987 John Lithgow 13 October 31, 1987 Dabney Coleman 13 February 20, 1988 Tom Hanks 14 October 8, 1988 Tom Hanks 14 November 19, 1988 John Lithgow 14 February 18, 1989 Leslie Nielsen 15 February 24, 1990 Fred Savage

Craig Sundberg, Idiot Savant An Anthony Michael Hall sketch. Craig Sundberg is a particularly blockheaded teenager who gets summoned to help with complex scientific problems; though seemingly completely stupid, Craig somehow consistently saves the day. Debuted November 16, 1985.

Tommy Flanagan, the Pathological Liar The Pathological Liar is a character created and portrayed by Jon Lovitz, pre-dating his work on SNL. (The character's first TV appearance was on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson in March, 1985.) The Liar often appeared on Weekend Update segments to share his farcical views, but was also used in full-length sketches and show openings. The character's name was Tommy Flanagan ( ) — not to be confused with the jazz pianist) — and he would tell outrageous whoppers in an effort to make himself seem important (such as his claim that he invented rock and roll). One recurring lie was claiming he was married to Morgan Fairchild, and thus had seen her naked, "more than once." His devious look, hand rubbing and nervous speech made it clear he was making up lies, one after the other, on the spot. After a particularly outrageous lie he would often use an old Humphrey Bogart line, "Yeah! That's the ticket!", as a catchphrase.

One of his biggest lies, however, would work to his great advantage. During the cold opening when Jerry Hall hosted, Flanagan claimed to be an old friend of her then-boyfriend Mick Jagger; when Jagger entered moments later, he shocked her by revealing that the two were longtime friends, and had actually spent the previous weekend together, while she had no idea of his whereabouts, on a fishing trip. As he and Hall got up to leave, Jagger told Flanagan, "I owe you for this one," before opening the show.

Appearances Season Episode Host Notes 11 November 16, 1985 Chevy Chase 11 November 23, 1985 Pee-wee Herman 11 December 14, 1985 Tom Hanks 11 January 25, 1986 Dudley Moore 11 February 15, 1986 Jerry Hall 11 February 22, 1986 Jay Leno 11 March 15, 1986 Griffin Dunne 11 March 22, 1986 George Wendt, Francis Ford Coppola 11 April 12, 1986 Oprah Winfrey 11 May 10, 1986 Catherine Oxenberg, Paul Simon 11 May 17, 1986 Jimmy Breslin 12 October 11, 1986 Sigourney Weaver 12 November 8, 1986 Rosanna Arquette 12 December 6, 1986 Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short 12 January 24, 1987 Joe Montana, Walter Payton 12 February 21, 1987 Willie Nelson 12 May 23, 1987 Dennis Hopper 14 April 1, 1989 Mel Gibson 23 November 8, 1997 Jon Lovitz

Master Thespian Jon Lovitz plays a ruthlessly ambitious, egomaniacal actor who spoke with a plummy "Shakespearean" English accent and often elicited the sympathy of other characters in the sketch, only to reveal the ruse by declaring his catchphrase, "Acting!" His arch-rival and mentor, Baudelaire (John Lithgow), often had the last laugh in the escalating one-upmanship, in reality childish pranks and paperthin disguises that they both fell for, ostensibly due to their brilliant acting. On the few occasions we actually see him act, it is clear that he is not as good as his reputation would have us believe, on occasion seeming completely oblivious to the concept of acting. The sketch debuted December 7, 1985 and appeared 13 times between 1985 and 1989.

In 2016, Lovitz stated that the character was based on Canadian actor William Needles The character was meant as a tribute, not a put-down: "He was the kindest, nicest man. A great actor," Lovitz tweeted. "I based (the) character Master Thespian a lot on him. He was the nicest teacher, ever."

Appearances Season Episode Host Notes 11 December 7, 1985 John Lithgow 11 January 25, 1986 Dudley Moore 11 February 15, 1986 Jerry Hall 11 March 22, 1986 George Wendt, Francis Ford Coppola 11 April 19, 1986 Tony Danza 12 November 22, 1986 Robin Williams 12 April 11, 1987 John Lithgow 13 December 19, 1987 Paul Simon 13 January 23, 1988 Carl Weathers 14 November 19, 1988 John Lithgow 14 December 10, 1988 Kevin Kline 14 February 25, 1989 Glenn Close

The Rudy Randolphs A Randy Quaid and Robert Downey Jr. sketch. Debuted December 7, 1985.

Appearances Season Episode Host Notes 11 December 7, 1985 John Lithgow 11 January 18, 1986 Harry Dean Stanton 11 March 15, 1986 Griffin Dunne

The Stand-Ups An ensemble sketch; Jon Lovitz appeared in all three "Stand-Ups" sketches, while Tom Hanks, Damon Wayans and Dennis Miller each appeared in two of the three. Several stand-up comedians talk backstage, drinking coffee before their set. Their patter is always delivered in an exaggerated stand-up style: "Hey! What's with half-and-half? If it's half-empty, is it quarter-quarter? I wanna know!" Debuted December 14, 1985.

Appearances

Season Episode Host Notes 11 December 14, 1985 Tom Hanks Three stand-ups: Tom Hanks (as Paul), Jon Lovitz (as Bob), Damon Wayans (as Keith) 11 February 22, 1986 Jay Leno Four stand-ups: Jon Lovitz (as Bob), Dennis Miller (character unnamed), Damon Wayans (as Keith) and Jay Leno (as Jackie Niles) 13 February 20, 1988 Tom Hanks Four stand-ups: Tom Hanks (as Bill), Jon Lovitz (as Bob), Dennis Miller (as Steve), and Dana Carvey (as Jeff). Tom Hanks reprised his Paul character from this sketch in a Cut For Time "Bruce Chandling" Weekend Update feature on October 22, 2016 (Season 42, Episode 4).

That Black Girl A Danitra Vance sketch. Debuted January 18, 1986.

Vinnie Barber A Jon Lovitz sketch. Debuted January 18, 1986.

Mephistopheles A Jon Lovitz sketch. Debuted January 25, 1986.

Appearances Season Episode Host Notes 11 January 25, 1986 Dudley Moore Debuted as part of a recurring Limits of the Imagination sketch 11 May 10, 1986 Catherine Oxenberg, Paul Simon 11 May 24, 1986 Anjelica Huston, Billy Martin 12 November 8, 1986 Rosanna Arquette 12 December 6, 1986 Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Martin Short 12 February 21, 1987 Willie Nelson 14 December 17, 1988 Melanie Griffith 14 February 18, 1989 Leslie Nielsen 15 March 24, 1990 Debra Winger 15 May 12, 1990 Andrew Dice Clay

The Big Picture A Weekend Update commentary segment, with A. Whitney Brown explaining how several seemingly-unrelated current news events fit into "The Big Picture". The segment was created by Brown and Mark McKinney.

Appearances Season Episode Host Notes 11 February 8, 1986 Ron Reagan 11 February 22, 1986 Jay Leno 11 March 15, 1986 Griffin Dunne 11 April 12, 1986 Oprah Winfrey 11 May 10, 1986 Catherine Oxenberg, Paul Simon 11 May 24, 1986 Anjelica Huston, Billy Martin 12 October 11, 1986 Sigourney Weaver 12 November 8, 1986 Rosanna Arquette 12 November 22, 1986 Robin Williams 12 January 24, 1987 Joe Montana, Walter Payton 12 February 14, 1987 Bronson Pinchot 12 February 21, 1987 Willie Nelson 12 April 11, 1987 John Lithgow 12 May 9, 1987 Mark Harmon 12 May 23, 1987 Dennis Hopper 13 November 14, 1987 Robert Mitchum 13 December 12, 1987 Angie Dickinson 13 January 30, 1988 Carl Weathers 13 February 27, 1988 Judge Reinhold 14 October 15, 1988 Matthew Broderick 14 November 5, 1988 Matthew Modine 14 December 10, 1988 Kevin Kline 14 January 21, 1989 John Malkovich 14 February 25, 1989 Glenn Close 14 May 20, 1989 Steve Martin 15 September 30, 1989 Bruce Willis 15 October 21, 1989 Kathleen Turner 15 October 28, 1989 James Woods 15 March 17, 1990 Rob Lowe 15 April 21, 1990 Alec Baldwin 15 May 19, 1990 Candice Bergen 16 October 27, 1990 Patrick Swayze 16 January 12, 1991 Joe Mantegna 16 February 9, 1991 Kevin Bacon 16 March 16, 1991 Michael J. Fox

Babette A Nora Dunn sketch, as she plays French sex kitten and international jet-setter Babette (“A sex kitten never dies; we just get fluffy”). Debuted February 15, 1986.

Appearances Season Episode Host Notes 11 February 15, 1986 Jerry Hall Weekend Update 11 April 19, 1986 Tony Danza Weekend Update 12 December 13, 1986 Steve Guttenberg Weekend Update 12 February 14, 1987 Bronson Pinchot 12 April 18, 1987 John Larroquette Weekend Update 12 May 16, 1987 Garry Shandling Teeny Café 13 October 24, 1987 Sean Penn Teeny Café

The Further Adventures of Biff and Salena The various mundane events in the lives of a seemingly mentally disabled couple (Jon Lovitz and Joan Cusack). Debuted February 22, 1986.

Actors of Film A Nora Dunn and Robert Downey Jr. sketch. Jimmy Chance (Robert Downey Jr.) and Ashley Ashley (Nora Dunn) gushingly and pretentiously discuss films and filmmaking. Debuted March 22, 1986.

Appearances Season Episode Host Notes 11 March 22, 1986 George Wendt, Francis Ford Coppola 11 April 12, 1986 Oprah Winfrey 11 May 24, 1986 Anjelica Huston, Billy Martin

References