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Funeral Singer

Mad TV 1996 Season 2 Episode 21

SKETCH-O-VISION

A VERY GOOD USE OF YOUR TIME.

The setup

A grieving record-label boss can't even bury his wife in peace when the woman hired to sing at the service uses it to pitch her demo tape.

Watch on YouTube

Watch onYouTube

Community rating

– / 10

The premise

Here’s the bit.

At a church funeral, the priest introduces the widowed Richard Remington to the woman who will lead the service in song. Realizing he runs a record label, she badgers him about the demo tape she mailed him, suggests a drink after the burial and explains that her nightclub act usually calls for a far more revealing gown. She opens with a solemn spiritual that slides into a pop cover, then launches an upbeat song of her own dedicated to him, strutting around the open coffin, serenading him in the front pew and ignoring the priest's attempts to stop her. When she finishes, Remington holds up her tape, calls the performance beautiful and promises to sign her, and the whole congregation breaks into a celebration.

The funny people

Meet the cast. 4

Highly quotable.

I wrote, 'Open in a hurry, talent inside.'

I just have to dress this way for funerals because someone's dead, like your wife.

You see, Father, at least today wasn't a total loss.

Behind the scenes

The people who made it.

John Blanchard
Director
Episode director per IMDb tt0639064

A little extra

Notes from the archive.

The pop song she covers mid-service is Nick Gilder's 1978 hit Hot Child in the City.

ScriptEnglish · 27 turns

Automatically generated script; wording may contain errors. Speaker labels are inferred.

00:01
Priest
We're all with you in your time of loss. How difficult it must be to lose one's wife.
00:07
Richard Remington
She was everything. She was my life.
00:10
Priest ?
Yes. Ah, Devery. Devery will be leading the services in song. Devery, this is Mr. Remington.
00:18
Richard Remington
Hello, Devery.
00:19
Singer
Hello, Mr. Remington. Mr. Remington, I'm very sorry about your wife.
00:24
Richard Remington
Thank you, Devery. Thank you very much.
00:26
Singer
Oh, you're very welcome, Mr. Remington. Mr. Remington, are you Richard Remington?
00:30
Richard Remington
Yes.
00:31
Singer
Of Deftone Records?
00:33
Richard Remington
Yes.
00:34
Singer
Did you get my tape?
00:35
Richard Remington
Excuse me?
00:36
Singer
I'm Devery Williams. I sent you a tape the other day. Did you get it? I wrote, Open in a hurry, talent inside. Did you hear it? Mr. Remington, I am a really good singer. I mean, did you listen to the tape? If you heard it, I know you'd love it. Did you hear it?
00:47
Priest ?
Devery.
00:48
Singer ?
Okay, Mr. Williams, maybe we can get a drink after the funeral. I could get you some casingles.
00:53
Priest ?
Devery! Go and see.
00:54
Singer
Okay. Mr. Remington, when I do a nightclub act, I usually wear a really sexy gown with a low-cut front. I just have to dress this way for funerals because someone's dead, like your wife.
01:05
Richard Remington ?
Never mind. This is a funeral. Go on, sing.
01:07
Singer
Okay, sorry. Mr. Remington, you just sit right up front.
01:12
Richard Remington
I am sitting up front. Right. I'm sitting up front.
01:20
Singer
Swing low sweet cherry. Sweet chariot Uh, coming forward to carry me home Carry Carry me home to a hot child in the city Follow me. Hot child in the city Yeah, yeah, running wild and looking pretty Cause I'm a hot child in the city Thank Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you very much. That was Hot Child in the City, covered by me, Debra Williams. and now for a change of pace I'd like to do a little number that I wrote myself and it goes out to a very special new widower and I think you know who you are hit it
02:13
Organist ?
hit what?
02:18
Singer
this doesn't get any better than this my life is so blessed and so great well just keep them then forward there's no need to Don't you hesitate And baby you can bet I'm in a state of bliss Keep on smiling every day Well I'm the happiest girl in the whole wide world And I'm most peculiar My music it will roll ya Most peculiar
02:54
Richard Remington
Young lady, that was just beautiful. I am going to sign you to my label.
03:03
Singer
Oh, my God, thank you, Mr. Remington.
03:05
Richard Remington
You see, Father, at least today wasn't a total loss.
03:08
Priest ?
Oh, yes. Yes! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Yeah!