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1996: Harry Connick on MAD TV

In 1996 Harry Connick Jr. appeared in a sketch on MAD TV in a Baptist preacher sketch.

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harry-connick-jrIn 1996 Harry Connick Jr. appeared in a sketch on MAD TV in a Baptist preacher sketch.

In the sketch ‘Revs. LaMont Nixon Fatback’ and ‘Dr. Michael Cassidy’ talk about “the true meanin’ of Chrimmah”… all the things you can do with a “Hair Connick, Joonyah” Christmas CD when you’re all alone during the holidays.

Somehow I suspect it’s likely to be a bit of a talking point today after last night’s Hey Hey incident…..

Connick Jr. will also appear on Australian Idol this Sunday night.

56 Responses

  2. Harry Connick Jr is a Hpocrite !!!
    The Yanks think we ‘ just don’t get it ” – Na – They just don’t get our Humour.
    Marina Hyde from Britain’s Guardian newspaper & Kyra Kyles from Chicago Now , have No idea . Can’t even see the Funny side of Life – I Pity them!
    Bet the world doesn’t carry on when jokes are made about the Irish or the Scots !
    Now what about the TV show Harry appeared on in 1996 ? Not a problem ?

  3. Congrats TV Tonight members – we made SMH Online. Here is the quote:

    /Quote
    The video was also posted on Australian TV blog TV Tonight, where a debate has erupted about whether the MADtv skit was racist.

    Many pointed out that Connick jnr was not wearing “blackface make-up”, as last night’s Hey Hey performers had.

    “Harry isn’t painted with a ‘black face’ and he is doing the skit among african americans,” wrote Jenny on the blog.

    “The problem with the hey hey skit is that the performers had painted “black faces” and black wigs on which are errily similar to the blatant racist images used in America many years ago.”

    Another user, Jack, said those equating the Madtv video to last night’s performance did not understand what was offensive about the “blackface” skit last night.

    “By people comparing this, it’s apparent that many Australians don’t get what blackface is. No wonder why they are left scratching their heads about the whole incident. Get yourself informed folks!”

    User Ro wrote: “This is hardly ‘blackface’. No exaggerated racial images – black shoe polish faces and wollywigs. Obviously people still don’t quite understand that it’s not about impersonation.”
    /End Quote

  4. Epic fail Mr. Knox! You’ll really need to try again if your intent is to take some of the heat off of the Hey Hey show by defaming HC Jr.

    The example you provide here is not an example of “blackface” imagery. Harry is not wearing shoe polish on his face in an attempt to look like a gollywog doll.

    Please do a wikipedia search on blackface and you’ll see what folks were offended about.

  6. While there’s surely make-up involved here I take on board it’s a different degree to the minstrel-style blackface we saw last night. Clearly there are others who feel any white-turning-black is already taking things too far, and presumably the reverse. Definitions and perspective vary from person to person.

    Hey Hey’s error was all about context. Chris Lilley didn’t get slaughtered for playing either Jonah Takaluah or Ricky Wong because it had political points and was in a wider context. The Hey Hey sketch appeared to have little of this. It looks like 2009 has become the year of comedy under the spotlight.

  7. Connick isn’t in blackface in this – he’s not even doing a “black” voice. Why have you put this up again? To tell us Connick once appeared on a TV show?

  11. All Southern Baptist preachers are not black. In the skit, he isn’t black. A preacher send up, yes. Black, no. It’s as simple as actually knowing what you’re talking about and watching.

    So how are people thinking the clip shows up Harry Connick Jr as a hypocrite?

  12. 1996 != 2009.

    Times change… people change… politics change. What was “acceptable” back then isn’t now.

    Please lets not make this about him, when it should be about Channel Nine letting a racist skit go to air in 2009.

  13. Am I missing something? At no point in that video does Harry Connick Jr (or anyone else for that matter) appear in blackface. It looks to me like a parody of Southern preachers, one of whom happens to be black..

    All this is merely a distraction anyway. Whether or not Harry Connick Jr is a hypocrite is not the point. The Hey Hey sketch was not offensive because Harry Connick Jr said so. It was offensive because it featured five performers in blackface. If you don’t understand why that’s offensive, you need to do some research on this history of blackface and its cultural significance.

  15. @koverstreet. “…those that think it is perhaps don’t understand what racism is.” I can assure you that those of us appalled by the skit are well aware of what racism is, thanks. Could those who were amused by the skit and found nothing wrong with it please explain exactly what was so hilarious about it? I’m mystified by exactly what was so funny about it. Also, beyond the ugly stereotyping, it was plain bad taste to satirise a man who died so recently in tragic circumstances.

  16. Isn’t the whole problem with blackface the fact that it generally involved the performer engendering negative stereotypes of black people? I saw no evidence of this last night. But hey let’s get outraged anyway! It is the era of the TT/ACA driven nanny state!

  17. As far as I am concerned there is no difference – a white person still made himself up to be a black person. He’s a hypocrite and it’s as simple as that.

  18. The level of ignorance in the comments here over what isn’t racist or having no clue as to what blackface is and then calling HCJr a hypocrite is just… wow.

    It’s as sad as the producers thinking what passed back then is good for now.

  19. The difference is that this is realistic make up, not over the top unrealistic makeup i.e. blackface. Also worth noting is the cast of MadTV has black people in it.

  20. Bwahahaha this should end it now. Im sure Today Tonight would have been planning a massive show based on this tonight so it kinda throws a spanner at that.
    If its true HCJ was at the dress rehersals then it shows this is all a stunt

  21. Going to various BBs the general consensus seems to be it wasn’t racist and those that think it is perhaps don’t understand what racism actually is. At worst perhaps a foolish thing to do with an uber PC American as a judge but certainly not racist.

  22. Yea.. it was 13 years ago.. but so was that original sketch on hey hey.. I think the Hey Hey crew would have got caught up in the fact that they were going to be able to have a ‘blast from the past’ with that red faces part with the exact same group of doctors.

    I mean in their shoes, they wouldn’t have thought about it so much because it had already aired before. Yes times change.. but at the same time it shows just how politically correct we have been forced to become. I didn’t even give it a moments thought when i saw it, and i really don’t think there was any intention to discriminate or be racist in any way shape or form. If they could do it again, they wouldn’t let that bit go to air, but don’t let that one bit ruin what was an exceptional 3.5 hrs of TV.

  24. As others have pointed out, HCJ is not wearing blackface make-up in this skit. Yes, he has been made up to portray a black male, but not in the manner of a racially stereotyped blackface minstrel, ie black boot polish face make-up, golliwog wig, etc.

  25. Harry isn’t painted with a “black face” and he is doing the skit among african americans. The problem with the hey hey skit is that the performers had painted “black faces” and black wigs on which are errily similar to the blatant racist images used in America many years ago. Anyway so what if Harry impersonated an african american person 13 years ago that still doesn’t make the Red Faces skit ok. I think the problem is that Hey Hey producers were so swamped with work that they didn’t fully realise how racist the red faces skit looked. They were too busy and greedy trying to pack the Hey Hey show full of crap to really care about quality.

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