Fuck Yeah Laraine Newman

The Unsung Heroes of Saturday Night Live: Laraine Newman

In honor of Saturday Night Live’s 40th birthday, I’m doing a COMPLETELY SUBJECTIVE series about the lesser-known (but no less important) cast members, writers, crew members, and staff of the show.

An original Not Ready For Prime Time Player, Laraine Newman broke ground on SNL more than many people realize. Her valley girl character (in its various forms) is often credited as one of, if not the first time the Californian “valley” accent was mocked on television. Without her, the very popular Coneheads wouldn’t be the same- she played Connie, the daughter, in all of its respective sketches, but did not reprise her role for the 1993 film (though she did appear in a different role).

Laraine was also a field reporter for Weekend Update, appearing even in the first installment to report on the murders in New York’s Blaine Hotel. Her straight-on, news anchor way of speaking gave her reports an element of faux-realism, making stories that much funnier.

Laraine notably disliked recurring characters, preferring to mix it up every week. While she was on the show for five whole seasons, she only created a small handful of them. She did a few impressions as well, including Barbara Streisand, Gloria Vanderbilt, and Shirley Temple.

From Laraine Newman’s fanpage (x)

38 MOST BEAUTIFUL SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE CAST MEMBERS