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How Chevy Chase, SNL, and One Pratfall Changed a Presidential Election
Manage episode 482932249 series 2943947
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the brand-new Saturday Night Live first took the airwaves by storm, it was Chevy Chase’s clumsy impression of Gerald R. Ford—an All-American athlete turned commander-in-chief—that changed how Americans saw their president. The sketch also shaped the future of political satire, presidential impersonations, and even the 1976 election itself. Peter Funt, author of Playing POTUS: The Power of America's 'Acting Presidents', tells the story behind one of comedy’s most consequential impressions.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3499 episodes
Manage episode 482932249 series 2943947
On this episode of Our American Stories, when the brand-new Saturday Night Live first took the airwaves by storm, it was Chevy Chase’s clumsy impression of Gerald R. Ford—an All-American athlete turned commander-in-chief—that changed how Americans saw their president. The sketch also shaped the future of political satire, presidential impersonations, and even the 1976 election itself. Peter Funt, author of Playing POTUS: The Power of America's 'Acting Presidents', tells the story behind one of comedy’s most consequential impressions.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
3499 episodes
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