I’m not a regular reader of the Corner, but I’ve found myself stopping by after each debate to enjoy a bit of schadenfreude. And, with apologies to Brian — this is his gig — it really just makes no goddamn sense:
Saturday Night Live recently did a terrific sketch on the bailout bill in Congress. Shortly afterward, the sketch â which had been available on NBC’s website â disappeared. The sketch mocked a wealthy couple who profited off subprime mortgages named Herb and Marion Sandler, and it turns out there really is a wealthy couple named Herb and Marion Sandler who made billions off of subprime loans, and speculation was that offending the real Sandlers was the reason for pulling the sketch.
So now the sketch is back up, without any mention of the Sandlers. But as the L.A. Times notes, what’s really curious is that the re-edited sketch removed any satirical references to Barney Frank’s involvement in creating the economic crisis:
In the original skit Sandler addresses Frank, saying, “And thank you Congressman Frank as well as many Republicans for helping block Congressional oversight of our corrupt activities.”
To which Frank replies enthusiastically, “Not at all!”
That’s all gone. I’d love to hear an explanation for that.
Okay, here’s an explanation: when you edit a character out of a scene, it’s awkward to leave in lines that have other actors interacting with that now-nonexistent character. I realize this may seem like kind of a technical point, but I assure you that even those of us who are not professional screenwriters can, with diligence, grasp the dramaturgical logic underlying NBC’s decision.
I’ve got no opinion of the decision to edit out the Sandlers, incidentally. Aside from the Barney Frank impression it was a pretty lousy sketch anyway — making it shorter is a generally good idea.
