Watching bloopers is one of the funniest ways I like to pass the time. Seeing famous actors and actresses mess up and goof around is so refreshing, and they always leave me in stitches.
But anyone who has ever been in front of the camera, famous or not, will tell you bloopers can get a little out of hand. I once had a line in a school play and I was so nervous I ended up just laughing instead of saying my line. I was five, so everyone laughed with me, but it still sticks in my brain.
Jack and Sonja Palmer, who have been married for 57 years, were in a commercial for Dysart's, a Maine-based diner, and their bloopers were so ridiculous they were turned into a sketch on Saturday Night Live!
In the ad, Jack had to say "buttery flaky crust" but he just couldn't do it. Sonja looked like she was going to up and quit the commercial every time her husband messed up! The day they were filming, the restaurant was open for business. With so many people around, it's not hard to imagine why they were so distracted.
"We were sitting over there by the cash register, and there were waitresses around looking at us," said Sonja. "It isn't as easy as people think it is."
"I just couldn't remember my lines," Jack said. "A few more minutes, and it would have been murder. Every time I looked over she had that look in her eye."
"I said, "˜Jack, crispy means the crust is hard. Flaky means it's nice," Sonja said.
At one point, Sonja tried taking over the line but even she couldn't get through it!
The Reputation
The producer of the commercial, Ric Tyler, didn't seem to care that the couple couldn't get it together. In fact, he knew about that from the get go. He had worked with Jack and Sonja on an ad for the Maine soft drink Moxie years before.
"That one did not come out very good, so I was surprised he asked us again," said Sonja. "We didn't do too good this time, either."
"We murdered the Moxie one, so we thought we'd murder another one," said Jack. "She did pretty good, but I really messed it up. It was another tongue twister."
Tongue twister or not, Tyler decided to turn the outtakes into their own video and posted in on YouTube. The video went viral, and Jack and Sonja were suddenly internet sensations.
The Fame
"People say we're famous, and I don't like that. We're just ordinary people," said Jack. "Kids come up to me and say "˜baked in a buttery, flaky crust' and then say "˜Ha, I got it!' I say it in my sleep now. And I still screw it up."
"Hundreds of people have come up to us," said Sonja. "Some folks from Arizona called in to order a chicken pie, and they said it because of us."
"What amazes me the most is teenagers. I met four boys in their 20s here, and they come up to me and asked if they could have their picture taken with me," Sonja gushed. I thought they were kidding, but they said "˜No ma'am, you're so popular. We really want to have our picture taken with you.' I couldn't believe it."
"You really meet so many nice people," Jack continued. "People ask me for my autograph, and I say "˜You've got to be joking.' Let her do it. She's got good handwriting... She's put up with foolishness for so long, she deserves a medal."
The Parody
Six years after the initial video went viral, Jack and Sonja found themselves in the middle of fame once again, with Saturday Night Live parodying their video. Kate McKinnon and Will Ferrell portrayed the happy couple, and even though Sonja thought McKinnon "looked a little older" than her in the clip, overall they thought it was great.
"They did good as far as I'm concerned," Jack said of the parody. "Especially with what they had to work with. Fantastic."
It's funny to think that something so trivial as not being able to say "buttery flaky crust" could turn people into internet stars, but I guess that's what we deal with in 2018.
[H/T: Bangor Daily News, Vanity Fair]
