A DINER SCENE THAT FEELS LIKE A MOVIE.
Some Saturday Night Live sketches are loud from the first second.
Others quietly pull you into their world and make you wonder where the scene is going.
“Brenda the Waitress” belongs firmly in the second category.
Originally aired on April 21, 1990, during Saturday Night Live Season 15, the sketch stars Jan Hooks as Brenda, Alec Baldwin as a mysterious cowboy, Phil Hartman as Earl, and Kevin Nealon as Roy.
JAN HOOKS AS BRENDA.
Jan Hooks immediately gives Brenda a completely believable personality.
She is friendly, sweet, confident, and seemingly comfortable working behind the counter of the diner.
At first, nothing feels particularly unusual.
The regular customers joke with her.
Brenda smiles and moves through the diner like this is just another ordinary morning.
But then the mysterious cowboy walks through the door.
Everything changes.
ALEC BALDWIN WALKS INTO THE DINER.
Alec Baldwin plays the cowboy with an unusual combination of confidence and mystery.
He does not need to shout to dominate the scene.
Instead, his character speaks with a calm intensity that completely changes the atmosphere around the counter.
The conversation between...
