The Fline Swu Shot
29 Apr
I spent several hours on the Internet tonight trying to track down a video clip or transcript of a Saturday Night Live skit about Fline Swu (or Swine Flu) from 1975. Doug swears that’s where the nickname for Swine Flu came from and I’m dying to see the original skit. I tried searching every which way and it doesn’t seem to exist online or maybe at all. Sometimes Google doesn’t have all the answers.
In the process, however, I found this gem: a public service announcement from the 1970′s about the Swine Flu. The second part, where the man kisses everyone in the family and his mother’s friend dies as a result is funny because the background narrator is speaking as if she’s selling a household cleaning product instead of a vaccine for a virus. Slate Magazine explained this week that if you did get the vaccine in 1976 and didn’t die from an allergic reaction to it, you probably do have some immunity to this virus, but keep washing your hands anyway.
Good points – This is assuming that you were born by 1976!
Many of us were not. Personally I wasn’t born until 1978 so I am still worried. Let’s hope you can find the skit as laughter is always the best medicine. I too am washing my hands a lot and trying not to acquire a diagnosis of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Would this be worse than influenza – hmmmmm-
I was born in 1977, so missed out on the vaccination (and the SNL skits) too. It is worrisome, and I don’t really mean to make light of it (I don’t want to be sick or have others sick) but humor does help the immune system. Keep washing your hands! Janelle
SNL veteran Jane Curtain was doing the SNL news satire, and she breifly bobbled the “Swine Flu Shot” story, saying ‘F-Swine Flu’… or Fline Swu!
A good and funny recovery.
Thank you for clearing up the mystery! Doug (my husband) guessed it was from weekend update but I couldn’t find confirmation. Cheers!
I seem to remember that skit as well.
The flu shot is useless for now