David Spade stopped by Conan and the conversation turned to Chris Farley, their onscreen time in Tommy Boy and a ‘great heyday’ of SNL as Spade put it. Farley had a routine where he’d put on a tiny coat. Being a bigger guy, Farley would flail around in it for some topnotch physical comedy. Spade, in a previous Reddit AMA, gave some background on the routine:
“Chris was always doing that bit to me at work. We shared an office, and you had to walk through our office to get to Chris Rock and Adam Sandler’s office. So these 2 microscopic offices were back to back, and Chris’ desk was behind mine, and he didn’t really know how to write, or read really (kidding!), but he would come in bored, because I would have to write my sketches to try to get on but they would always let him on. So he would get behind me and be bored, everyone would write him sketches, and he would say “Davey… turn around,” and I said “iff this is Fat Guy in a Little Coat, I’m not turning around, it’s not funny anymore.” And he would say “No, i’ve got a whole new thing I’m doing.”
And then I’d turn around, and it would be him in my Levi jacket, and he would say “Fat guy in little coat! Don’t you give up on it!”
Check it out here.
Conan O’Brien talked about how him and Spade were writers on the show when Farley signed onto SNL. Spade and Farley clicked right away according to Conan. Spade mentioned how Farley would always put on Spade’s Levi’s jacket and make him turn around and look. “David, turn around,” Farley would plead to Spade.
Spade would say, “If this is fat guy in little coat, It’s not funny anymore. I don’t like it.” Farley would lie and say it wasn’t, that he was working on new material and he just wanted Spade to check it out. Reluctantly, Spade would turn around at which point Farley, wearing Spade’s tiny coat, would say, “Fat guy in little coat. DON’T YOU QUIT ON IT!” Hehe.
Too bad Farley’s not around anymore. Adam Sandler would for sure find a part for him in his movies.