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{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2024}}{{Short description|Fictional character}} |
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{{Unreferenced|date=December 2009}} |
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'''Canteen Boy''' is a recurring ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' character played by [[Adam Sandler]]. Canteen Boy is a naive, childlike assistant scoutmaster with an acute attention to detail. He is always seen with a full scout's uniform and a canteen around his neck. |
'''Canteen Boy''' is a recurring ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' character played by [[Adam Sandler]]. Canteen Boy is a naive, childlike assistant scoutmaster with an acute attention to detail. He is always seen with a full scout's uniform and a canteen around his neck. Canteen Boy is routinely mocked by other characters in the sketch, who are well aware that their jokes will be lost on the character. It appears he lacks self-confidence, such as in one instance when he is called an idiot, he responds by calling the bully an idiot in return, only to claim he said nothing when the bully threatens him. His revenge toward these bullies often ties into his skills as an outdoorsman. Canteen Boy is a master at snake-calling, and he enjoys the television show ''[[seaQuest DSV|Seaquest]]''. He has also said in passing that he very much admires [[Cheryl Tiegs]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Butler |first=Bethonie |date=May 3, 2019 |title=Adam Sandler returns to 'SNL' |url=https://www.telegram.com/story/entertainment/2019/05/03/adam-sandler-is-hosting-snl-for-first-time-will-he-bring-back-canteen-boy/5266463007/ |access-date=April 22, 2024 |work=The Washington Post |via=Telegram & Gazette |ref=WaPo}}</ref> A sketch would often end with either Canteen Boy finding a snake or his tormentors having to run away from a sudden onslaught of snakes. Sandler later stated that there is nothing wrong with Canteen Boy, rather he is "someone who has been in the Scouts too long". Although the word 'boy' in the character's name suggests he's a child, it has been made clear that Canteen Boy is actually a 27-year-old man who still lives with his mom and is still active in the Boy Scouts.<ref name=":0" /> Since he is overage to be an active Scout, he is actually a Scout leader. However this was contradicted in a brief bit where [[Chris Farley]] plays a fellow Scout, and it is assumed Farley was meant to be a teenager. |
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The season 19 Valentine's Day episode hosted by [[Alec Baldwin]] and [[Kim Basinger]] had a sketch where Baldwin played Mr. Armstrong, a scoutmaster who made overt sexual advances toward Canteen Boy. NBC received many complaints about the skit, saying that it was [[homophobia|homophobic]] and trivialized [[pedophilia]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cader |first=Michael |url=https://archive.org/details/saturdaynightliv00cade/page/179/mode/1up |title=Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years |last2=Baskin |first2=Edie |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |year=1994 |isbn=978-0395708958 |pages=179 |chapter=Letter from NBC Standards and Practices}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Aquino |first1=Tara |date=April 9, 2015 |title=The 10 Raciest 'Saturday Night Live' Moments of All Time |url=https://www.vh1.com/news/l2klug/raciest-saturday-night-live-moments |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220518105847/https://www.vh1.com/news/l2klug/raciest-saturday-night-live-moments |archive-date=May 18, 2022 |access-date=July 25, 2015 |work=VH1.com}}</ref> Actual molestation did not occur, as Canteen Boy had clearly understood what was happening and was ill at ease with Mr. Armstrong's attitude. The sketch ends with Canteen Boy running off into the woods. The controversial sketch became the subject of Baldwin's monologue the next time he hosted on December 10, 1994.<ref>{{Cite web |title=12/10/94 Alec Baldwin’s Monologue |url=https://snltranscripts.jt.org/94/94hmono.phtml |access-date=April 22, 2024 |website=SNL Transcripts |ref=Monologue}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news |last=Vineyard |first=Jennifer |date=2019-09-27 |title=‘S.N.L.’ Is Sorry: A Brief History of the Show’s (Sort Of) Apologies |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/27/arts/television/snl-apologies.html |access-date=2024-04-22 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |ref=NYT}}</ref> |
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Although the word 'boy' in the character's name suggests he's a child, it has been made clear that Canteen Boy is actually 27 years old. Nevertheless, an episode where host [[Alec Baldwin]] played Mr. Armstrong, a scoutmaster who made overt sexual advances toward Canteen Boy, stirred up much controversy due to its implications of [[pedophilia]]. Canteen Boy had clearly understood what was happening or was ill at ease with the attitude, as he runs off into the woods. The infamous sketch became the subject of Baldwin's monologue the next time he hosted on December 10, 1994. |
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In the VHS ''Best of Adam Sandler'' release, a disclaimer is added that explicitly states that Canteen Boy is 27 years old and that the sketch is based on actual events (with some elements added in for dramatic effect).<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> This disclaimer has also been put in the NBC 90-minute rerun, the version shown on the ''Best of Alec Baldwin'' DVD, and versions shown on NBC's ''SNL'' app as well as on Netflix and Hulu. The 60-minute version shown on some cable channels omit the sketch. |
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Another recurring character on ''Saturday Night Live'' which had pedophilia connotations was frequent host [[Buck Henry]]'s [[Short-lived recurring characters on Saturday Night Live#Uncle Roy|Uncle Roy]], but that didn't get as much criticism for content as the infamous "Canteen Boy and the Scoutmaster" sketch did. |
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Sandler later reworked Canteen Boy by amalgamating him with [[Cajun Man]], another SNL character played by Sandler. Both characters were merged into the protagonist of Sandler's 1998 film ''[[The Waterboy]]''.<ref name=":0" /> |
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In the VHS 'Best of Adam Sandler' release, a disclaimer is added to make it clear that 'Canteen Boy' is an adult. This disclaimer has also been put in the NBC reruns of the episode that contains this sketch (the 60-minute reruns edit out this sketch entirely). |
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==List of |
==List of appearances == |
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* March 13, 1993 host: [[John Goodman]] |
* March 13, 1993 host: [[John Goodman]] |
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* April 10, 1993 host: [[Jason Alexander]] |
* April 10, 1993 host: [[Jason Alexander]] |
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* February 12, 1994 host: [[Alec Baldwin]] and [[Kim Basinger]] |
* February 12, 1994 host: [[Alec Baldwin]] and [[Kim Basinger]] |
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* May 14, 1994 host: [[Heather Locklear]] |
* May 14, 1994 host: [[Heather Locklear]] |
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* December 10, 1994 host: |
* December 10, 1994 host: [[Alec Baldwin]] (on Baldwin's monologue reenacting a more politically correct version of the notorious Canteen Boy sketch)<ref name=":1" /> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches]] |
* [[Recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches|Recurring ''Saturday Night Live'' characters and sketches]] |
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* [[The Waterboy]] |
* [[The Waterboy|''The Waterboy'']] |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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{{Saturday Night Live}} |
{{Saturday Night Live}} |
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[[Category:Saturday Night Live sketches]] |
[[Category:Saturday Night Live sketches]] |
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[[Category:Saturday Night Live in the 1990s]] |
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[[Category:Saturday Night Live characters]] |
[[Category:Saturday Night Live characters]] |
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[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1993]] |
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[[Category:Scouting in popular culture]] |
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Revision as of 13:43, 22 April 2024
Canteen Boy is a recurring Saturday Night Live character played by Adam Sandler. Canteen Boy is a naive, childlike assistant scoutmaster with an acute attention to detail. He is always seen with a full scout's uniform and a canteen around his neck. Canteen Boy is routinely mocked by other characters in the sketch, who are well aware that their jokes will be lost on the character. It appears he lacks self-confidence, such as in one instance when he is called an idiot, he responds by calling the bully an idiot in return, only to claim he said nothing when the bully threatens him. His revenge toward these bullies often ties into his skills as an outdoorsman. Canteen Boy is a master at snake-calling, and he enjoys the television show Seaquest. He has also said in passing that he very much admires Cheryl Tiegs.[1] A sketch would often end with either Canteen Boy finding a snake or his tormentors having to run away from a sudden onslaught of snakes. Sandler later stated that there is nothing wrong with Canteen Boy, rather he is "someone who has been in the Scouts too long". Although the word 'boy' in the character's name suggests he's a child, it has been made clear that Canteen Boy is actually a 27-year-old man who still lives with his mom and is still active in the Boy Scouts.[1] Since he is overage to be an active Scout, he is actually a Scout leader. However this was contradicted in a brief bit where Chris Farley plays a fellow Scout, and it is assumed Farley was meant to be a teenager.
The season 19 Valentine's Day episode hosted by Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger had a sketch where Baldwin played Mr. Armstrong, a scoutmaster who made overt sexual advances toward Canteen Boy. NBC received many complaints about the skit, saying that it was homophobic and trivialized pedophilia.[2][3] Actual molestation did not occur, as Canteen Boy had clearly understood what was happening and was ill at ease with Mr. Armstrong's attitude. The sketch ends with Canteen Boy running off into the woods. The controversial sketch became the subject of Baldwin's monologue the next time he hosted on December 10, 1994.[4][5]
In the VHS Best of Adam Sandler release, a disclaimer is added that explicitly states that Canteen Boy is 27 years old and that the sketch is based on actual events (with some elements added in for dramatic effect).[5][1] This disclaimer has also been put in the NBC 90-minute rerun, the version shown on the Best of Alec Baldwin DVD, and versions shown on NBC's SNL app as well as on Netflix and Hulu. The 60-minute version shown on some cable channels omit the sketch.
Sandler later reworked Canteen Boy by amalgamating him with Cajun Man, another SNL character played by Sandler. Both characters were merged into the protagonist of Sandler's 1998 film The Waterboy.[1]
List of appearances
- March 13, 1993 host: John Goodman
- April 10, 1993 host: Jason Alexander
- October 9, 1993 host: Jeff Goldblum
- October 30, 1993 host: Christian Slater
- February 12, 1994 host: Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger
- May 14, 1994 host: Heather Locklear
- December 10, 1994 host: Alec Baldwin (on Baldwin's monologue reenacting a more politically correct version of the notorious Canteen Boy sketch)[5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Butler, Bethonie (May 3, 2019). "Adam Sandler returns to 'SNL'". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 22, 2024 – via Telegram & Gazette.
- ^ Cader, Michael; Baskin, Edie (1994). "Letter from NBC Standards and Practices". Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin. p. 179. ISBN 978-0395708958.
- ^ Aquino, Tara (April 9, 2015). "The 10 Raciest 'Saturday Night Live' Moments of All Time". VH1.com. Archived from the original on May 18, 2022. Retrieved July 25, 2015.
- ^ "12/10/94 Alec Baldwin's Monologue". SNL Transcripts. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
- ^ a b c Vineyard, Jennifer (September 27, 2019). "'S.N.L.' Is Sorry: A Brief History of the Show's (Sort Of) Apologies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 22, 2024.