18April1985 Father Guido Sarducci Goes to College (Showtime Network Special)

Viewers are treated to the Showtime network special "Father Guido Sarducci Goes to College," starring Don Novello as Father Sarducci. Original broadcast date: April 18, 1985. It was also released on home video. Synopsis: Father Guido Sarducci, the “gossip columnist” for the Vatican City newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, relates the goings-on at the Vatican to college audiences. Directed by Steve Binder. Written by Don Novello. Don Novello's episode on the "Cinemax Comedy Experiment" anthology series, "Father Guido Sarducci's Vatican Inquirer: The Pope Tour" (1987) is available here:    • 18Oct1987 Father Guido Sarducci's Vatican ...   Video clips of Don Novello as Father Guido Sarducci on other television shows are available on this playlist:    • Don Novello as Father Guido Sarducci   From Wikipedia: About Don Novello: Don Novello is an American comedian, actor, writer, singer, film director and producer. Novello was born on January 1, 1943, in Ashtabula, Ohio, the son of Eleanor Eileen Novello (née Finnerty), a nurse, and Augustine Joseph Novello, a physician. He is of Italian and Irish descent. Novello created the Father Guido Sarducci character in 1973 after finding a monsignor's outfit for $7.50 at a St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop. Novello performed on "The Smothers Brothers Show" in 1975, appearing as Sarducci. He also was with Pat Paulsen during Paulsen's "Presidential Campaign Tour" in the mid-70s as his "Campaign Manager." Novello appeared on NBC's "Saturday Night Live" as the character Father Guido Sarducci from 1978 to 1980 and 1985 to 1986. In the 1970s, Novello started to write letters to famous people under the pen name of Lazlo Toth (after Laszlo Toth, a deranged man who vandalized Michelangelo's Pietà in Rome). The letters, written to suggest a serious but misinformed and obtuse correspondent, were designed to tweak the noses of politicians and corporations. In 1980, under the name of Father Guido Sarducci, he sang lead vocals on the single release "I Won't Be Twisting This Christmas." Novello co-wrote tune with M. Davich. Novello made news around the world when he visited the Vatican in 1981 wearing the Father Guido Sarducci costume and, while taking photographs for a magazine article in an area where photography was prohibited, was arrested by the Swiss Guards along with his photographer (Paul Solomon), and eventually charged with "impersonating a priest." The charges were later dropped, and Solomon managed to protect the film from confiscation. In his stage show in Las Vegas and Reno with the Smothers Brothers, Sarducci rolled a wheelchair with a dummy in the robes of a cardinal. In the act, Sarducci explained he was the assistant of 108-year-old "Cardinal Dario Fungi." For a brief period in 1982, Novello was a producer on SCTV, a Toronto-based comedy show starring Martin Short, Joe Flaherty, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara. He was installed by NBC as one of a series of producers for the show's fourth season, and produced a total of nine episodes. In 1983, Novello had a cameo as Father Sarducci in the video for Rodney Dangerfield's comedy rap song "Rappin' Rodney" which was heavily played on MTV. In 1984 Novello wrote The Blade, a high school yearbook parody in which the students are represented by sheep. He also narrated Faerie Tale Theatre's third-season episode Pinocchio with Paul Reubens as the titular puppet. Also in 1984, Novello appeared in the music video for the Jefferson Starship song "No Way Out." In 1990, Novello portrayed "Dominic Abbandando" in the film "The Godfather Part III."