A character for the (Stone) ages.
Dating back to nearly the dawn of man, satire has existed.
Nowadays, political satires fromBorattoThe Daily Show are a cottage industry.
Phil Hartman as Cirroc the Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer on the March 14, 1992 episode of ‘Saturday Night Live.'.Al Levine/NBCU Photo Bank
But in terms of pure entertainment factor,Saturday Night Live’s Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer remains perfectly preserved.
It is a perfect showcase for its star, the legendaryPhil Hartman.
The premise combined several ideas writer Jack Handey conceived in 1991.
“It’s a little boy idea.
You think, ‘caveman’ and unfrozen guy that they pull out,” Handey reflected on a2008 podcast.
“I kicked around a couple of ideas for it.
This was during the apex of the show’s reliance on recurring characters.
He then went to law school and became: Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer.”
It also invites some of Handey’s trademarks.
He was rarely topical no “Family Guy”-style puns.
By leaning into the stereotype, Cirroc exploits himself, the ultimate sellout.
Therein lies the sketch’s brilliance.
“A lot of comedy is going the extra step.
An unfrozen caveman was funny, but that’s not enough,“Handey told theTimesin 2013.
Hartman possessed an innate, everyman quality that could be leveraged to mock the glib selfishness of regular people.
With Cirroc, soullessness never looked so appealing.
Phil’s brilliant voice also contributed greatly to the success.”
Cirroc’s closing arguments always centered around being a mere caveman, frightened and confused by modern life.
In the end, he always won.
It’s a wonderfully bitter comic statement.
But the real masterstroke comes in the first sketch’s preview of a future episode.
We cut to Cirroc at the podium of a political rally, joined by his wife and children.
Adoring fans are cheering him on as he again leaps into his “Just a Caveman” schtick.
In today’s world of politicians cloaking themselves in faux populism, it’s eerily resonant.
Chilling but also hilarious.
This iteration, Hartman’s last as a cast member, was spoken almost entirely in Spanish.
This sketch, featuring Will Ferrell, plays like a near-remake of the 1991 original.
It seemed after one hundred thousand years the concept had finally run its course.
Imitation, as they say, is the sincerest form of flattery.
What’s hard is playing the one character I’ve never had to play myself!”
For better or worse, Cirroc is the poster-child for the many camouflaged characters Hartman played over the years.
