Part of the fun of growing up is being able to stay up late. And in those late night hours, particularly prior to streaming, you’d find things to watch on TV that you didn’t even know existed. One of those things, for me, was Saturday Night Live.
There’s a tendency for fans of SNL to name their favorite cast, and nine times out of 10, they pick the cast that was on when they first started watching. For me, that was the cast of 1997. I was 11, turning 12, and that cast included Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, Chris Kattan, Tracy Morgan, Tim Meadows, Darrell Hammond, and… Molly Shannon.
I always say that Molly Shannon looks like she would be related to me. That dark-haired, Irish Catholic woman who played awkward and crazy characters fed my appetite for comedy which made her one of my favorite cast members of all time. Molly was wild and fearless. She came up with realistic and familiar characters that really stood out in terms of look, delivery, and outrageousness. And I’ve been following her career ever since.
So, when I heard her plugging her memoir, Hello, Molly! on the podcast circuit, I ran out to Barnes & Noble, and picked up a copy. Below is my review of Hello, Molly!
Hello, Molly! plot summary
Hello, Molly! starts out with one of the earliest and, essentially, the most defining moment of Shannon’s life: the day that her family was involved in a tragic car accident that killed her mother, her baby sister, and her cousin. Molly was four at the time, and she and her older sister escaped with minor injuries. After their father, who was badly injured, recuperated, he was left to raise the two young girls, changing the trajectory of all of their lives in a split second.
The absent mother figure becomes a central theme of the story which delves into Shannon’s career in show business. As she develops her talents in college, creates a stage show for herself while waiting tables in California, and eventually landing a spot on SNL on her second try, Molly is catapulted to stardom which she then leaves behind to start a family, though she remains active enough in Hollywood to stay a household name and stretches her acting chops beyond comedy in order to play a diverse collection of characters, just as she always has.
The narration
Molly writes in her distinct, enthusiastic voice. Her voice is very eager and energetic, much like the way you hear her speak in interviews and on talk shows. She doesn’t try to be funny or turn her life story into a standup routine. Unlike her famously wacky delivery, her writing style, with the help of co-author, Sean Wilsey, is very simple and direct. If something is funny, it’s funny. If it’s sad, it’s sad.
The content
I found myself a little disappointed about how Molly’s more successful chapters were glossed over. She talks about auditioning for SNL and developing her signature characters, but she keeps most behind the scenes stories or relationships with her cast members pretty vague.
I was also hoping to hear more about the making of some of the SNL-based movies or the movies she filmed after she left the show. But even these were limited to a few quick anecdotes. She seems more intent on sharing her pre-fame years when she was developing her craft, deciding on a career in comedy, and hustling to break through.
It’s clear from both her legitimate and illegitimate tactics that Shannon is a hard worker. She doesn’t wait to be discovered. She doesn’t join The Groundlings or come up with standup sets. Shannon experiments, organizes, and markets herself to success. She writes about how she never hesitated to embarrass, shock, or even endanger herself. And her unique branding and self-starting attitude is admirable and inspirational to hear.
A father/daughter story
While the memoir begins with the loss of her mother, Molly’s story is ultimately about her relationship with her dad. Despite his drinking, temperamental attitude, and bizarre behavior, he was her biggest cheerleader and inspiration. So many of her characters are based on his quirks and his desire to be famous himself.
At the same time, it’s so interesting to hear how Shannon both worships her father and isn’t afraid to call him out on his parenting mistakes. Some of the behaviors and quirks that Molly readily accepts are ones that left me scratching my head. But it reminded me that all families have quirky traits that we don’t think are strange until an outsider tells us they are.
Yet, despite his imperfections, the chapters chronicling Mr. Shannon’s final months are a heartbreaking read. It’s scary to know that your parents are getting older, particularly the one who was left to raise you after the other dies. And I’ve been through enough dark days to know that a bomb can drop in the form of a life-threatening diagnosis, a serious injury, or a tragic accident. So, those chapters really hit hard for me in the most reassuring way. Because this time, Molly not only got time with her father that she didn’t have with her mother, but she also got to say goodbye.
A balance of good and bad
The thing about Molly’s memoir is that, like life, it does flipflop between success and failure, happiness and sadness. The stories she chooses to tell are an equal mixture of both to show how she learned to move on yet take her grief with her.
One of my favorite stories is about how, on a dare from her father, she and her friend, Anne, managed to sneak onto a plane and fly to New York City for the day. It shows her early risk-taking behavior and how that tenacity was crucial for her life as a performer and was encouraged by her dad.
I also loved the stories about the development of Mary Katherine Gallagher, one of the first characters I ever saw Molly play, and how it was developed from a stage show that she cleverly marketed in order to gain popularity and the attention of SNL talent scouts. These chapters really highlight her brilliant marketing skills and how hard she was willing to work towards her dream.
My recommendation
Hello, Molly! is ultimately right up my alley because of my 25+ year love of SNL, memoirs by comedians, and that balanced blend of darkness and light that lets me both laugh and cry. I knew going in to expect something earnest from Molly, and, until I heard her on her podcast, I didn’t know her backstory. So, to dive into the experiences that led her to becoming one of my favorite performers just made me like her even more.
The book, ultimately, is a love letter to her dad, warts and all. And with it comes a lot of attention that gets pulled away from the showbusiness stories that I was hoping for. But I feel like maybe she’s saving that for another book, now that the cathartic experience of letting out her personal show business journey has been told.
Buy it!
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Molly Shannon’s memoir sounds really funny! We’re glad that you were able to relate to her.