DR: IRWIN FLETCHER: Unfortunately, certain irresponsible members of the media are only too eager to turn these assassins into instant celebrities.
TED KOPPEL: Thank you, Doctor. Let’s take a look at the man who killed Buckwheat, John David Stutts.
NBC
Stutts was a vivid parody of assassin tropes, “described by those who knew him as a loner” and as “a quiet young man.” The difference? None of his acquaintances were surprised that Stutts was a murderer.
TED KOPPEL: Do you believe he killed Buckwheat?
MERCY SEAT BAPTIST CHURCH PASTOR: Oh, yes. Definitely. That’s all he talked about.
In high school, Stutts was president of the Future Assassins of America. His classmates voted him “Most Likely to Assassinate Buckwheat.” And the eyebrow-less Stutts himself didn’t put up much of a defense:
REPORTER: Mister Stutts, sir, did you kill Buckwheat?
JOHN DAVID STUTTS: Sure.
Finally, to complete the cycle of the modern assassin, Murphy killed John David Stutts as well, complete with a corporate sponsor.
ANNOUNCER: The death of John David Stutts has been brought to you LIVE by Mutual Life: Because you could die tomorrow. Just like John David Stutts.
NBC
As brilliant as the sketches were, the second part of the Assassination of Buckwheat almost didn’t happen.
“The censors were kind of unhappy,” says writer Barry Blaustein, noting network honchos were sensitive on anything remotely associated with the Kennedy assassination. “And we were like, ‘Oh, come on.’”
Ebersol fought back, even threatening to quit the show unless the sketch aired in full. The NBC censor, Cory Dunham “called [NBC CEO] Grant Tinker and Grant laughed in his face when he heard the story,” Ebersol says. “And Cory called me and said, ‘Never mind.’”
Through The Minefield