ellauri073.html on line 260: Matt Foley is a fictional character from the sketch comedy program Saturday Night Live performed by Chris Farley (1964-1997). Foley is a motivational speaker who exhibits characteristics atypical of someone in that position: whereas motivational speakers are usually successful and charismatic, Foley is abrasive, clumsy, and down on his luck. The character was popular in its original run and went on to become one of Farley's best-known characters. Farley named the character after one of his Marquette University rugby union teammates, who is now a Roman Catholic priest in the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights. Plans for a film version with Spade in a supporting role were shelved after Farley's death in 1997.
ellauri073.html on line 267: The character's debut performance (May 8, 1993) has been called one of the best segments in SNL history. The reception of the audience combined with visible stifled laughter from David Spade and Christina Applegate on stage added to the popularity of the sketch. Notable physical gestures from Farley included what Spade referred to as “the thing with the glasses” when Farley lifted his glasses on and off of his face commenting, “Hey Dad, I can’t see real good, is that Bill Shakespeare over there?” and perhaps the most defining gesture was one that Farley saved for the live performance when he alternated hands adjusting his trousers, grabbing the hilt of his belt with one hand and the back of his pants with the other.
ellauri073.html on line 269: In the sketch itself, Foley attempts to motivate two teens, played by Spade and Applegate, to "get themselves back on the right track" after the family’s cleaning lady finds a bag of marijuana in their home. Foley’s attempt to motivate them falls short when he repeatedly insists that they're "not going to amount to jack squat" and will end up “living in a van down by the river!” Foley attempts to endear himself to Spade's character by telling him they're "gonna be buddies" and that everywhere he goes, Foley will follow. Comparing himself to Spade's shadow, Foley jumps about where he's standing and then dives into the coffee table, though he picks himself up moments later. None of the other cast members knew that Farley was going to do this and their startled reactions are genuine. The sketch ends with Foley offering that the only solution to solve the family's problems is for him to move in with them. Horrified, Applegate begs him not to, vowing never to smoke pot again. Even so, Foley leaves the house to get his things from his van and the family locks him out, finally reconciling and admitting to how much they love each other.
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Spade

xxx/ellauri319.html on line 363: Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961), American author and creator of the "hard boiled" detective novel (notably, Sam Spade in The Maltese Falcon), contracted tuberculosis during World War I
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