Insomnia loves Gilda Radner not only for being a proud daughter of Detroit, Michigan, but also for being a counterculture hero as one of the best original members of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players when Saturday Night Live debuted in 1975.
Radner played outrageous characters like Roseanne Roseannadanna and even did spot-on impressions of celebrities ranging from Lucille Ball to Patti Smith. Radner brought a manic, physical energy to her performances, but, more importantly, she was a comedian whose joy always showed through her mask, and it endeared her to her audiences and fellow performers alike.
On the 25th anniversary of her death from ovarian cancer in 1989, here is Gilda as Roseanne Roseannadanna giving a commencement speech at Columbia University in 1980…
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