He's been a writer and a cast member on the show, and now, Adam Sandler will finally host an episode of "Saturday Night Live." Sandler is back at Studio 8H nearly 30 years after he joined the show, and people are wondering whether he'll resurrect some of his most famous characters and sketches Saturday night. Here's a look back at some of Sandler's most memorable (for better or worse) performances on "SNL."
Opera Man
Cape-wearing, Italian caricature "Opera Man" might be Sandler's most beloved "SNL" character. During this Weekend Update sketch in 1993, Sandler sang about Hillary Clinton, the lifting of the ban on gays in the military and then-Vice President Al Gore's terrible dancing. And though the headlines don't seem all that dated, some of the humor is -- like the sexist characterization of the former first lady.
The Hanukkah Song
There are dozens and dozens of songs about Christmas. But songs about Hanukkah? Not so much. On Season 20 in 1994, Sandler sang a song for all the Jewish kids who might feel left out during the holiday season. "When you feel like the only kid in town without a Christmas tree, here's a list of people who are Jewish, just like you and me," Sandler sings in this classic "SNL" moment.
The Herlihy Boy House-Sitting Service
In this commercial parody, the "Herlihy Boy," played by Sandler, pitches his house-sitting services, while Mr. O'Malley, played by Chris Farley, vouches for him with increasing fervor. The Herlihy Boy really, really wants to water your plants. And bring in your mail. And sleep in your bed. In the exact same position as you sleep. Nothing weird is going to happen.
Canteen Boy
"Canteen Boy" is another famous Sandler character. The bumbling, assistant scoutmaster appeared in several sketches, like the one where he stops by a garage sale in the video above. But one Canteen Boy sketch took a controversial turn. The sketch "Canteen Boy Goes Camping" featured Alec Baldwin as a scoutmaster who makes sexual advances toward Sandler's character. And though Canteen Boy had been depicted as an adult in other sketches (albeit a naive and childlike one), this one seemed to present him as a Boy Scout. Many viewers were angry, saying the sketch trivialized pedophilia and child molestation.
Lunch Lady Land
Sandler and Farley teamed up again in this memorable sketch about a lunch lady. Sandler chronicles the life of a lunch lady through song while the lunch lady, played by Chris Farley, performs an interpretative dance around him. The song takes a turn when we learn that several foods became angry and revolted against the lunch lady -- that is, until Sloppy Joe, played by Kevin Nealon, swooped in to save the day.
The Thanksgiving Song
Before the "Hanukkah Song," there was the "Thanksgiving Song." And by Sandler's estimation, turkey is the only thing about Thanksgiving that matters.
The Denise Show
In this sketch, Sandler plays Brian, the obsessive, stalkerish host of "The Denise Show" who is looking back on his relationship with his ex-girlfriend Denise five weeks after she broke up with him. Brian takes calls on Denise's whereabouts, calls and hangs up on her and her new boyfriend and muses about his past relationship.
Schmitt's Gay
In this parody of '90s beer commercials, Sandler and Farley play two dudes who find themselves in a lame house-sitting situation -- until Schmitts Gay beer turns it all into a raging house party. The horde of bikini-clad women typical in beer ads at the time is replaced in this sketch by a group of muscular, shirtless guys. But given that the punchline seems to be that the men are gay, the sketch hasn't aged particularly well.
