Gilda Live (1980)    Warner Bros./Comedy    RT: 90 minutes    Rated R (language)    Director: Mike Nichols    Screenplay: Anne Beatts, Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Don Novello, Michael O’Donoghue, Gilda Radner, Paul Shaffer, Rosie Shuster and Alan Zweibel    Music: Marvin Hamlisch, Cheryl Hardwick, Michael O’Donoghue and Paul Shaffer    Cinematography: Ted Churchill    Release date: March 28, 1980 (US)    Cast: Gilda Radner, Don Novello, Paul Shaffer, Rogue (Diana Grasselli, Myriam Valle and Maria Vidal).    Box Office: $2.2M (US)

Rating: ***

 In summer 1979, Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels staged a one-woman show starring SNL cast member Gilda Radner. A modest success, Gilda Radner Live on Broadway got rave reviews from audience members. During its run in Boston, director Mike Nichols (The Graduate) brought in a camera crew and filmed it for theatrical release. Retitled Gilda Live, it flopped at the box office when it came out the following spring.

 I didn’t see it on stage or at the movies, but I owned the record which I bought with some of my Christmas money. At 13, owing a comedy record with bad language is a big deal. Unfortunately, it disappeared from my collection (and all existence as far as I knew) a few years later. It wasn’t until years later that my brother and nephew admitted to “accidentally” breaking it and disposing of the evidence in an effort to avoid furious reprisal.

 Let’s get back to the business at hand. I got to see Gilda Live during an overnight visit to my favorite (older) cousin’s house the following year. I was already familiar with most of the bits, but it was great to put images to the words. My favorite part then was Gilda’s opening number, a bawdy little ditty entitled “Let’s Talk Dirty to the Animals” written by SNL alum Michael O’Donoghue. Officially, it’s the only reason Gilda Live got an R rating. However, I suspect the f-bomb dropped in the Emily Litella sketch played a part in it as well.

 Essentially, Gilda Live is a collection of comedy sketches mostly featuring Gilda’s famous characters from SNL- e.g. hard-of-hearing old lady Emily Litella, hyperactive 8YO Judy Miller, nerdy high schooler Lisa Loopner, brash and often gross Weekend Update reporter Roseanne Roseannadanna, troubled punk rocker Candy Slice, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci and “Jewish-American Princess” Rhonda Weiss.  They’re funny for the most part, although Judy Miller tends to be a bit much. In addition, she performs in bits created specifically for the show including “The Audition” in which she tap dances awkwardly while singing “I Love to Be Unhappy”. She closes the show with a sweet, nostalgic number about the night of her senior prom called “Honey (Touch Me with My Clothes On)”.

 While technically a one-woman show, Gilda Live co-stars Don Novello playing his Father Guido Sarducci character from SNL. He fills in the time between set and costume changes. We see him a few times throughout. He does one bit (“Kennedy/Lincoln Coincidenza”) almost entirely in Italian. He’s funny. He has a great dry sense of humor.

 HOWEVER, Gilda Live belongs entirely to its namesake, a gifted comedienne showing her full range of talents. She performs with exuberance and unbridled joy, feelings that are clearly shared by the audience who respond with warmth and laughter. Their love for Gilda is palpable. They even join in on singing “The Way We Were” during the Lisa Loopner sketch courtesy of lyric sheets included in the programs. My recent rewatching of Gilda Live was somewhat poignant. I felt sad knowing that she’d only be around ten more years before ovarian cancer took her away from us at 42. I still regard May 20, 1989 as one of the saddest days in entertainment history. It’s right up there with the death of John Belushi on March 5, 1982.

 Nichols does a pretty good job taking Gilda Live from stage to screen considering he merely filmed a few performances and put them together. He occasionally takes us backstage to see Gilda quickly change outfits for her next bit. It gives you a sense of the energy behind the show. Novello isn’t the only SNL colleague seen in Gilda Live. Paul Shaffer, SNL band member from 1975-80, shows up in a few sketches. G.E. Smith, musical director/band leader from 1985-95, appears in the Candy Slice segment. BTW, he’s also Gilda’s first husband. I’ll always remember him barely holding back tears on the SNL episode immediately following Gilda’s death.

 My own love for Gilda Radner is what makes me a fan of Gilda Live. Like all sketch comedy shows, some bits work better than others; however, none of them actually fail. Even the lesser ones works thanks to Gilda’s boundless supply of energy and good will. Although it came long before her passing, Gilda Live is a wonderful tribute to a comedy legend gone way too soon.