The Continental (Saturday Night Live)

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The Continental
Saturday Night Live character
First appearanceJanuary 20, 1990
Last appearanceFebruary 22, 2003
Portrayed byChristopher Walken
In-universe information
GenderMale
NationalityUnspecified country from Continental Europe

"The Continental" is a recurring sketch on Saturday Night Live (SNL) featuring Christopher Walken. The first sketch aired on the eleventh episode of the fifteenth season, January 20, 1990.[1][2]

History

It is a parody of

subjective camera, and Cesana spoke directly to women in the viewing audience. Cesana's show was subjected to many parodies, including Mad magazine's "The Countynental" (which was also the name used in a parody by Ernie Kovacs), Red Skelton's "The Transcontinental", and Floyd Vivino's "Ricardo Romantico."[citation needed
]

The premise of the SNL sketch is that Walken is a "suave

two-way mirror when the Continental is seen lighting up a cigarette.[citation needed
]

The Continental has both a periscope with which to "spy" on his upstairs neighbor and a collection of "erotic"

champagne or, as he calls it, champagna [ʃɑmˈpɑnjʌ], she invariably ends up throwing it in his face. The character also has the catchphrase of "Wow! Wowie-wow-wow-wow!" which is usually said at some point when the woman has physically shown she has no interest in him, only for him to become even more aroused by her "tempestuousness".[citation needed
]

In 2002, Walken was quoted as saying that he would like to do a Continental movie. "The problem with the Continental is that he never leaves his house. But it might be interesting to see the Continental go out and nothing works. He's a social catastrophe. I think that would be interesting."[3]

Phil Hartman

The voice-over at the beginning of the sketch is provided by Phil Hartman and has been used three times since his death in 1998.[citation needed]

See also

  • Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches

References

  1. ^ "Christopher Walken: The Continental". snltranscripts.jt.org. January 20, 1990. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  2. ^ "Christopher Walken's Saturday Night Live Appearances". celebratingchristopherwalken.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  3. .