The Church Lady (named "Enid Strict") was a character created and performed by actor, writer and comedian Dana Carvey on the American sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live. Enid is a spoof of on-air, holier-than-thou Christian televangelists. She hosts the Christian-based, distinctly local-TV celebrity interview program "Church Chat."

Dana Carvey recalls that he was prompted by Lorne Michaels to introduce the character (when it was still in SNL rehearsals) at a Neil Young concert at Madison Square Garden, which Church Lady interrupted, fussing and fuming: "What are we doing here? What's all this noise?"

The SNL character was immediately recognizable and even spawned some catch phrases (see below,) but she was never incorporated into a feature length film. On the set of "Church Chat," with its rectory desk and bogus cellophane stained-glass, other cast members of SNL would appear as celebrities of the day, and sometimes, so would celebrities of the day. Church Lady would seemingly praise or soothe her guests during their time of crisis, only to blindside them with judgmental admonishments and damnation. She would always wear a pious, high-collared purple dress and old fashioned glasses.

One memorable sketch found child actor Fred Savage playing a religious friend of Enid's, Edna. Savage was dressed in a miniature version of Enid's outfit and glasses, and co-spoke all of the familiar admonishing catch phrases.

Popular catch phrases

• "Well, isn't that special?"
• "Now, who could it be? Could it be...Satan?!" most memorably, in a December broadcast, manipulating big letter-cards, and interviewing Santa.

External link

• E! Online