August 25, 2007

General Franscico Franco is still Dead

If you know that phrase your probably laughing right now.  If you don't - that was a phrase that Chevy Chase in the news because well, let's have Wikipeda explain.

After Franco's death, Chevy Chase, reader of the news on Saturday Night Live's comedic news segment Weekend Update, announced the dictator's death and read a quotation from Richard Nixon: "General Franco was a loyal friend and ally of the United States. He earned worldwide respect for Spain through firmness and fairness";[2] as an ironic counterpoint to this, a picture was displayed behind Chase, showing Franco standing alongside Adolf Hitler, both of them giving the "Nazi salute", a photo similar to the one shown here. From that point on, Chase made it clear that SNL would get the last laugh at Franco's expense. "This breaking news just in", Chase would announce-- "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead!"[3] The top story of the news segment for several weeks running was that Generalissimo Francisco Franco was still dead. Chase would repeat the story at the end of the news segment, aided by Garrett Morris, "head of the New York School for the Hard of Hearing", whose "aid" in repeating the story involved cupping his hands around his mouth and shouting the headline. The line was also a perceived slap at then-NBC Nightly News main anchor John Chancellor, who due to his background as a foreign correspondent, felt the network should weigh its news more heavily toward world events, keeping Franco's deathwatch at the top of the headlines. The gag ran until early 1976

Why am I mentioning this.  Well our generation has had a couple of figures that keep this gag alive.  First was Arafat.  The Wall Street Journal has a really good time with Arafat's death and they created a new pharse.  It is something like "Yassair Arafat is resting comfortably after dying in a French Hospital."  But the one that lives up to the Franco standard is Castro!  And, yesterday there was another death watch for Fidel. 
Unfortunately it has not panned out.  And it seems that Castro is still alive.

Posted by: Robert Woolwine at 10:31 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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