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Emily Litella was a fictional character played by comedian Gilda Radner in a series of appearances on Saturday Night Live (SNL).
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Premise
Emily Litella was an elderly woman with a hearing problem who made regular appearances on SNL's Weekend Update op-ed segment in the late 1970s. Attired in a frumpy dress and sweater, Litella was introduced with professional dignity by the news anchors, who could sometimes be seen cringing slightly in anticipation of the verbal faux pas which they knew would follow.
Radner (as Litella) peered through her reading glasses and, in the character's trademark high-pitched warbly voice, read a prepared editorial addressing some public issue, becoming increasingly agitated as her statement progressed — only to discover in the middle of her commentary that she had misheard what the issue really was. A typical example:
- "What is all this fuss I hear about the Supreme Court decision on a "deaf" penalty? It's terrible! Deaf people have enough problems as it is!"
When the news anchor interrupted to point out her error (eg. "that's death, Ms. Litella, not deaf"), she would crinkle her nose, usually saying, "Oh, that's very different...", and then meekly turn to the audience, saying, "Never mind." When Litella played against news anchor Chevy Chase (whom she referred to as "Cheddar Cheese"), he was somewhat sympathetic to her; but when Jane Curtin took over the anchor role she would scold Ms. Litella on the air, to which Litella would reply, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again.... Bitch!".
Other misunderstood phrases included Saving Soviet Jewelry ("Jewry"), Endangered Feces (species), Violins (Violence) on Television, Busting (Busing) School Children, Presidential Erections (elections), Flea (free) Elections in China, Pouring Money into Canker (cancer) Research, the Eagle Rights Amendment (Equal Rights Amendment), Conserving our Natural Racehorses (natural resources); Youth in Asia (euthanasia); Sax (sex) on Television; and Making Puerto Rico a Steak (state): "..next thing you know, they'll want a baked potato with sour cream!".
Litella's answering machine message said: "Hello, This is Emily Litella. I'm not home right now, but I will call you back as soon as possible. Just leave your name, number and what time you called after you hear the sound of the Jeep."
History
Radner based Litella on her childhood nanny, Elizabeth Clementine Gillies, known as "Dibby," who was allegedly hard-of-hearing. The line "Never mind" became a light-hearted catch phrase of the era.
Outside of Saturday Night Live, Radner played the character briefly in episode 304 of The Muppet Show.
The character also appeared in Radner's 1979 one-woman off-Broadway show, Gilda Live, in which Litella took a job as a substitute teacher in Bedford Stuyvesant, replacing a teacher who'd been stabbed by one of his students, or "stubbed" as Emily claimed.
See also
External links
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