"SNL" Guests and Their Legendary Sketches Quiz

Answer: Richard Pryor

"Alright, Mr. Wilson, you've done just fine on the Rorschach... your papers are in good order... your file's fine... no difficulties with your motor skills... and I think you're probably ready for this job. We've got one more psychological test we always do here. It's just a Word Association."

--Chevy Chase as the Interviewer

On December 13, 1975, just weeks into the inaugural season, Pryor and Chase transformed a buttoned-up vocabulary test into one of the show's most notorious moments.

Beginning simply, the word association quickly turns racial as Chase's character throws out more and more charged words, with a visibly angry Pryor responding in kind. Finally, Chase in character drops the N-Word, and Pryor, with a steely glare and a subtle twitch, fires back ominously "DEAD honky." And thus was born one of the most daring and controversial sketches in the show's decades-long history.

Three generations on, it still stands as the only scripted "SNL" sketch to feature the N-Word (probably for the best) only growing more shocking with time. Pryor insisted on partner Paul Mooney's backstage writing in defiance of NBC's censors and refused to dilute a single line, leading to the infamous sketch we know today.

Fun fact: Pryor's character got the job.

Answer: King Tut

"Now when I die, now don't think I'm a nut
Don't want no fancy funeral, just one like old King Tut!
He could have won a Grammy.
Buried in his jammies."

--Steve Martin

On April 22, 1978, Steve Martin, already a star on the stand-up circuit, took the "SNL" stage in full pharaoh regalia to debut "King Tut." The cheeky tribute poked fun at the blockbuster "Treasures of Tutankhamun" museum tour. He would later record the song with a funky backing band billed as "The Toot Uncommons" (actually the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in disguise).

The single went gold, selling over a million copies and climbing into the Billboard Top 20. The live performance was a delightful spectacle: dancers in hieroglyph-inspired costumes and a grand sarcophagus reveal with saxophonist Lou Marini stepping out mid-song for a solo.

Martin later revived "King Tut" decades later in a bluegrass version, proving that ancient Egypt pairs well with banjo, I guess.

Answer: A camera

"So simple, anyone can use it!"

--Stevie Wonder as himself

The Kannon AE-1 spot is a parody of Canon's wildly popular AE-1 35mm SLR camera. So yeah, the joke product is a camera, and the joke is that even a blind man can use it.

Stevie Wonder gamely plays himself trying to take pictures on a tennis court, which turns into the visual gag: a famously blind musician attempting to frame a fast-moving tennis pro, with less than stellar results. It's good-natured, very goofy, and exactly the kind of self-aware humor "SNL" loved to run at the time.

Answer: William Shatner

"You've turned an enjoyable little job, that I did as a lark for a few years, into a colossal waste of time!"

--William Shatner as himself

The sketch, written by Bob Odenkirk and Judd Apatow, aired during William Shatner's December 1986 appearance on "Saturday Night Live", where he also played Oliver North ("The Mute Marine") in the cold open. Shatner plays himself at a Star Trek convention during a question-and-answer period with obsessed Trekkies.

After enduring a laundry list of extremely detailed questions, including the combination of the safe in episode 25 and how many saddle-bred horses he had on his farm, which he gets wrong (Shatner: "That mare had a foal?" Fan: "Tuesday."), he snaps and blurts out, "GET A LIFE, will you people? I mean, for crying out loud, it's just a TV show!"

The line has endured in pop-culture memory (Shatner later used the phrase as the title of one of his books), and the sketch is frequently cited in retrospectives about "SNL" and fan culture.

Answer: Alec Baldwin

"Well, over at Season's Eatings, we have balls for every taste. Popcorn balls, cheese balls, rum balls... you name it."

--Alec Baldwin as Pete Schweddy

Pete Schweddy was Alec Baldwin's holiday baker who visited the NPR parody "The Delicious Dish" in the December 12, 1998 episode of "Saturday Night Live." The sketch pairs Baldwin's straight delivery with Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon as the soft-spoken and easily amused hosts Margaret Jo McCullin and Teri Rialto, and is fueled entirely by absurd double entendres about Pete's festive treats: holiday balls. The bit became an instant classic and is one of the sketches most associated with Baldwin's frequent returns to host "SNL".

The sketch's blend of the ever-so-genteel NPR affect and unapologetic innuendo proved too tempting for Ben & Jerry, who released an ice cream flavor called "Schweddy Balls" decades later (yes, really), which only helped enshrine the sketch's odd, enduring memory.

Answer: Chippendales

"I mean, on straight dancing, in presentation, ain't no way I'm better than him!"

--Patrick Swayze as Adrian

The now-legendary "Chippendales Audition" sketch aired on October 27, 1990 (season 16, episode 4) with Patrick Swayze as Adrian and Chris Farley as Barney. The premise is simplicity itself: both men try to impress a panel of judges by giving their best male-dance-act performances to Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend." 300-pound (136 kg) Farley's explosive, wildly physical routine, followed by Swayze's smooth, trained moves, created a hilarious contrast and turned the sketch into an immediate classic.

Beyond the laughs, the sketch is often cited as a high point of the show's 1990s era and a showcase of Farley's physical comedy. The serious reaction of the judges (played by Kevin Nealon, Jan Hooks, and Mike Myers) only sharpen the absurdity of two very different performers trying to out-sexy each other.

Answer: More Cowbell

"Guess what! I got a fever! And the only prescription... is more cowbell."

--Christopher Walken as Bruce Dickinson

In this legendary sketch, Christopher Walken plays producer Bruce Dickinson while Will Ferrell plays Gene Frenkle, an overly enthusiastic (and very loud) cowbell player, during a recording of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult. As the band struggles to get the track right, Walken repeatedly insists that the song needs "more cowbell", his insistence turning the cowbell into the sketch's ridiculous, cure-all obsession.

The bit instantly became a pop-culture catchphrase and a career highlight for both performers, although Walken preferred it didn't. Will Ferrell's committed physical gags and Walken's strange obsessions combined to make "I gotta have more cowbell" one of the most enduring lines in "SNL" history.

Answer: Justin Timberlake

"A girl like you needs something real
I want to get you something from the heart
Something special, girl"

--Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg

The digital short was bleeped over 16 times, so I'm afraid there is no real way of knowing just what gift in the box actually was. Sorry. The sketch paired Andy Samberg with Justin Timberlake and premiered on the December 16, 2006 episode of "SNL". It immediately became a viral hit, thanks to its outrageous (albeit mysterious) premise, airtight production, and Timberlake's surprising comedic talent. The short later appeared on The Lonely Island's "Incredibad" album and helped earn the group's reputation for musical comedy.

In 2007, the song won the Emmy for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics, an award shared by the members of The Lonely Island and Justin Timberlake for their work on the piece. Its memory lives on in all our heart, much like the mystery of just what was in the box. I guess we'll never know.

And that's all I've got to say about that.

Answer: Black Jeopardy

"What is, not a damn thing.... My wife, she's a sturdy gal."

--Tom Hanks as Doug when given the clue, "Skinny women can do this for you"

"Black Jeopardy" first aired in 2016 with Tom Hanks as a guest contestant. The sketch imagines a version of "Jeopardy!" tailored for African-American contestants and typically blends cultural gags and topical humor. Hanks' character wears a conspicuous red MAGA hat, which sets up hilarious tension that is broken surprisingly when the others actually agree with him on a number of issues. Such a beautiful bridge-building exercise... until the host approaches Doug to shake hands and the latter flinches back instinctively. The sketch went viral, and remains an enduring satire on politics and race.

Answer: Taylor Swift

"How does he stay upright with that big fat head and none of them have the guts to take their shirts off in front of a girl"

--Taylor Swift, singing

It was indeed Taylor Swift, fresh off the release of "Red (Taylor's Version)". The Please Don't Destroy crew (Ben Marshall, John Higgins, and Martin Herlihy) pitched her on the idea of mercilessly roasting them in song, expecting at best a polite decline. Instead, Swift jumped in with both feet, happy to skewer their looks, charm, and romantic prospects while Davidson played hype man.

The sketch quickly went viral, racking up millions of views online. Swift's delivery of lines like comparing one of them to "sad Ron Weasley" proved she could land a comedic line as sharply as a breakup lyric. For the record, the "three sad virgins" took it like champs... mostly.