Celebrities
Holy cow! A brief history of Will Ferrell’s Harry Caray impression
If ever there was a time when the country needed legendary sportscaster Harry Caray, this would be it. After the Chicago Cubs beat the Los Angeles Dodgers to head to the World Series, baseball fans everywhere could feel the impact of this moment. Could the Cubs go all the way? It’s a dream Caray kept dear to his heart throughout his tenure announcing the team’s games. And even though he’s no longer alive, Will Ferrell is here to keep that candle burning.
On Monday’s (Oct. 24) episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” Ferrell made a surprise appearance as Harry Caray, proceeding to bring back one of his more famous “SNL” impersonations. The vivacious sports announcer was definitely a legend and well known for his big personality and tendency to go off on random tangents.
For Ferrell, this character proved a fertile ground to exercise his improvisational chops. If you pay real close attention the some of the scenes below, you’ll be able to see the moment Ferrell goes off-book, throwing off his scene partners in the process.
So just when did Will and Harry become a match made in sports parody heaven?
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‘Hey, Norm!’ — A 1996 introduction
It was during the 1996 MLB World Series between the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves when Will Ferrell first brought Harry Caray to life on “SNL.” Joining Norm MacDonald during his “Weekend Update” segment, the legendary broadcaster spoke on the magnificence of baseball… before getting distracted by the magnificence of baseball stadium hot dogs.
1997, A Year in Review
It wasn’t long after his appearance on “Weekend Update” that Will Ferrell returned as Harry Caray to recap the events that transpired in 1997. Colin Quinn took over the news desk and, by the looks of things, not a lot changed. But really, if you were a hot dog and you were hungry, would you eat yourself?
‘Space, the Infinite Frontier’
After a while, having Harry Caray talk about baseball and current events became old hat for “SNL.” So leave it up to Will Ferrell to do the unthinkable and take the sports icon to space. Well, kinda. In “Space, the Infinite Frontier,” Ferrell took the sports broadcaster into Carl Sagan territory. The above segment, featuring Jeff Goldblum as Dr. Kent Waller, is the perfect example of how comfortable the actor had gotten with the character. Watch as he goes completely off-book leaving Goldblum dumbfounded.
The Ghost of Harry Caray
After nearly a decade, Ferrell brought Harry Caray’s ghost back to “SNL’s” “Weekend Update” desk. This time around, Seth Meyers held down the fort. Caray was brought in to discuss Manny Ramirez’s steroid scandal of 2009. Instead, he questioned the need for wallets in heaven, pondered how the predator monster would gel with other players on a baseball field and learned Pete Rose is definitely still alive… and not Asian.
Harry Carey on ‘Letterman’
Appearing on “The Late Show with David Letterman” to help send off the iconic late night host into retirement, Will Ferrell once again brought the legendary sportscaster to life. It’s a segment similar in tone to his recent appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” and makes us wonder, if the Cubs do win, will Ferrell keep the Harry Carey dream alive a bit longer? We sure hope so.