Of all the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players from Saturday Night Live, who knew that Jane Curtin was going to be the one to have the most consistent and sustainable entertainment career? Think about it: John Belushi and Gilda Radner are dead, Lorraine Newman and Garrett Morris have fallen off the face of the earth, and Chevy Chase and Dan Aykroyd show up as guest actors on TV from time to time, but that's about it. Curtin, on the other hand, had hit sitcoms in the '80s (Kate & Allie) and the '90s (Third Rock from the Sun) and continues to get interesting roles in new shows, the last of which was the crazy mother in last year's failed ABC comedy Crumbs.Well, now she's back in another ABC comedy pilot, called Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office. She plays the feared assistant of a nice woman who tries to make it in corporate America (Jayma Mays). I can see her in that kind of role; Curtin has always been good at playing the prim and proper woman who has a streak of something sexy or mean or evil underneath.
Why has she been so successful? Here's a thought: according to many accounts, Curtin was the only one of the original SNLers who had a home life, and didn't participate in the cast's druggified reindeer games that later became so legendary. So, while at the time she was probably considered a prudish snob, it looks like she just had her head screwed on straight. It's amazing to see how these things turn out, don't they?
(By the way, I don't count Bill Murray as part of the original cast. He came along in season two. My blog post, my rules.)
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-20-2007 @ 3:25PM
Craig said...
So basically this is just a knockoff of The Devil Wears Prada, right?
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3-20-2007 @ 3:30PM
BC said...
It may be admirable that Curtin went on to a lengthy career on TV, but just because it's a TV blog it's unfair to knock Aykroyd and Chase for not appearing on TV, since they went into movies and had some rather big hits. Or are actors only successful if they appear in the medium you write about?
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3-20-2007 @ 4:05PM
Barry said...
I know Bill Murray's not one of the ORIGINAL original Not Ready for Prime Time Players, but he might as well have been, and he's arguably had a longer and more prolific film career than any of them.
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3-20-2007 @ 4:50PM
RJH said...
My thoughts exactly, BC. Joel eliminates most of the cast as being ineligible for some reason, then applauds Jane. OK, Jane has always been one of my favorites too, but I can't understand writing off Gilda's and John's talent just because they're dead. I'm sure both of them would have continued successfully if living. Dan and Chevy would certainly rank as successful "entertainers" for most people. What DID happen to Lorraine and Greg? I've seen Greg very occasionally; Lorraine never.
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3-20-2007 @ 5:41PM
matthew said...
Oh, shit. I thought she was dead ... :/
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3-20-2007 @ 7:53PM
Tor said...
Laraine - now a voice actress ("Danny Phantom")
Garrett - still working, such as a great bit on a recent "Family Guy"
BTW, I found Jayma Mays quite appealing in [i]Red Eye[/i] (shame about [i]Epic Movie[/i], though). This sounds like a good show for her.
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3-21-2007 @ 8:50PM
GhaleonQ said...
*worships her as a sort of demi-goddess*
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3-22-2007 @ 11:41PM
Seth said...
Whats really odd about Jane Curtin is that she does not do interviews, period (someone please correct me if im wrong). She didnt even have coverage in the first major SNL book - it just had a picture of her and said 'Jane Curtin does not give interviews'
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