Saturday Night Live Season 1 Episode 4

After the previous Rob Reiner hosted episode, it was good to see the main cast finally get to show there personalities. For this episode I am hoping for them to build on the great of the previous episode. Tonight's host - Candice Bergen

• Chevy Chase is out as Gerald Ford in the cold opening, I say Gerald Ford - he looks and sounds a lot like Chevy Chase - he keeps doing forgettable things and bangs his head. He ends the bit tripping over some chairs.
• Host is Candice Bergen with musical guest Esther Phillips. We are also going to be treated to Jim Henson's Muppets and a film by Albert Brooks.
• Andy Kaufman is also here. The Not Ready For Prime Time Players is oddly missing half the cast.
• Candice Bergen is happy to be the first woman host, John Belushi, who apparently is in the cast tonight, comes out with Chevy Chase - Belushi is in bee clothing and just sat next to Bergen. Chase hits him with a script and Bergen feels sorry for Belushi. Belushi goes away but comes back to end the segment. Likeable sketch.
• Dan Aykroyd and Laraine Newman are in advert for becoming an ambassador but are only in the beginning. Parts of this advert are funny, which is more then can be sad for some adverts
• Aykroyd is in a messy CIA office (Department of Records). Garrett Morris comes in a citizen asking by law that he could see the file they keep on him. Aykroyd is good in the sketch playing the stressed bureaucrat. Aykroyd can't find a file even though Morris keeps listing all the criminal stuff he's done.
• Gilda Radner is home at home - wait, this is an awesome LAND SHARK sketch - this is one of the funny stuff, love how the shark tries to gets victims. Belushi looks awesome as the Hooper character. Laraine Newman up as the next victim... flowers? plumber? candy gram?... "I'm only a dolphin ma'am", Jane Curtin is the next victim, she is easily tricked, she think's it's her husband Walter, next scene Aykroyd and Belushi ring Walter in a funny bit. Candice Bergen is up next listening to a radio report, she as a mallet, she accidentally hits a JeohavsWitness with it... EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT sketch.
• Candice Bergen introduces Esther Phillips... Phillips sings "What A Difference A Day Makes" not sure I like it, she sounds like a dolphin (ironic considering the sketch that came before it).
• Chevy Chase doing Shakespeare? The jokes appears to be he as written in the words on the skull, which is ends up dropping and breaking, then just reading random bits from the bits he finds before he makes stuff up. 
• He goes straight into a Polaroid commercial (done on stage) with Candice Bergen dressed as a bee. Is this a legit advert I think so? Ends with a bad punchline that actually works.
• Advert now about ringing long distance, not sure of the joke here actually.
• Chevy Chase is on the phone at the beginning of Weekend Update, worrying a random girl is two weeks later, Chase does "I'm Chevy Chase and You're Not" for the very first time. More Gerald Ford jokes, and more jokes to do with Ford's White House staff. Good thing about live is when jokes don't hit the spot, there is a bit of silence, shows there still working out kinks. Most of the jokes hit the spot though.
• Advert with hands, I knew this was going to be "Triopenin", I'm not sure this is just a repeat of the advert from a previous episode, I think it is... but if it isn't it doesn't try anything new.
• Jane Curtin on Weekend Update to do an editorial on funds for New York City, Curtin is being really serious while Chase does faces mimicking her all the way through. Chase is very funny in this bit.
• News for The Hard of Hearing is back, just like any other Hard of Hearing bit, it's the same schtick anytime.
• Channel No. 5 with Candice Bergen playing Catherine Deneueve with a funny french actress. It ends with the Channel No. 5 being stuck to her head.
• Bergen introduces Andy Kaufman and uses the word genius. Andy Kaufman is doing the foreign man bit (so he speaks on SNL for the first time, obviously not with his real voice), he is talking about carrying a canon up the highest mountain, he cracks himself up (in character) telling this lame story, the story goes no where which is brilliant. Kaufman is doing imitations - Archie Bunker - which is bad, he has an awkward pose after Bunker forgetting who is doing next, so he does an bad dance then sings terribly, he asks to stop the tape then says I think we should turn off the TV asking I don't know if your laughing at me or with me, he says he's trying to do his best. He goes into crying which goes into playing bongos, this bit was EXCELLENT.
• Gilda is sat with Candice, Gilda talks to her about been pretty, Gilda wants to look at her face and find something wrong, Bergen says nobody likes the way they look. Gilda likes hearing when stuff goes wrong for Bergen to do with guys, it makes her feel like she's not strange. Cool interaction between the pair - like this bit like the previous episode, it's easy to fall in love with Gilda.
• Albert Brooks film, with fake trailers for new TV shows - MEDICAL SEASON set as you guessed it  an hospital, nails melodramatic soap opera drama pretty well - THE THREE OF US,  a man and wife  and her best friend live together and it makes for an whole lot fun, it's a sit-com, kind of funny it predicated Three's Company, a couple of years before it came out, except Three's Company was not about getting a threesome. BLACK VET - is about a black veteran from the Vietnam War becoming a vet (animal sort), and encounters racism in a small town, the jokes actually work better in this then the other. There is also bits on a Tuesday Night Club and Death of a Salesman entirely cast with children. Not bad, one of the better Albert Brooks bits.
• Midnight Probe talk show with Bergen playing the host, with Belushi and Aykroyd as Vietnam vets  (whats with two bits having Vietnam vets with them in a row), who are now Kiwi hunters. Not the most memorable of sketches but the performances make it work.
• Michael O'Donoghue is using a payphone to ring Laraine Newman at Trans American Airlines, he says he'd like to stick tacks in her, throw garbage at her face etc, all sorts of threatening stuff, she remains polite. Dark and funny.
• Those fucking Muppets in the land of Gort are back. It's do with an animal nearly going extinct, the main Muppet (I'm not going to bother trying to remember his name by this point), he seems to be having a bit on the side. The audience are barely reacting to any of this which I can't stay I blame them. Flat, worst part of the show by far.
• Belushi playing a king of foreign country (they don't actually name the country, it's not me not been bothered to try and name the place) and Bergen is interviewing him. Bergen seems to be bullying this nice King as soon as the camera is rolling. She cuts his tie, draws a beard on his face, ends up pouring coffee on his lap, stamps on his foot and even burns him.  She did it to get him angry so she threatens him with death so she got a good story. Good skit.
• Black Perspective with the only black cast member Garrett Morris who is interviewing soul sister Jane Curtin. I guess the joke here she is white and he doesn't seem to realize, he asks her which she prefers black etc and she gives a racist answer which makes Morris laugh. I liked their performances in this, good sketch.
• Pong sketch, with voice over, treating it like they are playing real tennis. Not a bad sketch.
• Dolphin Esther Phillips is back, better song then earlier, not sure what it's called.
• Candice Bergen is on stage with the cast been given roses off of all of them. Lots of hugs and kisses between them all.

Overall Thoughts - The best episode so far, Candice Bergen was the first host to go full throttle appearing in a number of sketches with the cast, there was also the brilliant Land Shark sketch as well as Andy Kaufman just been awesome. Albert Brooks film was not too bad, but I'm kind of waiting for him and The Muppets (who where a waste of time) to be out of the show.

Saturday Night Live Season 1 Episode 3

Episode number 3 is here, tonight's host is Rob Reiner, still on All in The Family at the time. Reiner would go on to direct some awesome movies and some pretty bad ones. This is an episode I have quite high hopes for, anyway let's get straight into this...

• Chevy Chase gets pushed in on a wheelchair by a nurse (Jane Curtin), he drops his lighter and stands up easily out of his wheelchair. He looks at the lighter and stands up to get it, realizing what he just did, he falls straight to the floor then does the "Live From New York..." bit
• Rob Reiner is the host with guests Penny Marshall and The Lockers, there's also The Muppets (noooooooooooooo) and a film by Albert Brooks (please be good, please be good)
• The Not Ready For Prime Time Players has Michael O'Donaughue added back to the line up.
• We're also getting Andy Kaufman, as well as Denny Dillon and Mark Hampton.
• Rob Reiner comes out been a bit all lounge singer. Reiner wears a weird wig. Reiner doing a cheesy voice he's going to some funky sounds for us. He introduces a random guy as Irving Berlin in the audience who is not Irving Berlin. He seems to believe Bob Dylan is dead and he's going to perform one of his songs "Blowin' In The Wind", such a cheesy fun version. 
• This segment was funny thanks to Reiner who is giving it 100%.
• Rob Reiner takes off the wig and reveals his real hair which is still weird to me even after all them All In The Family episodes I've seen, I just always think of him as a bald man.
• John Belushi and Gilda Radner are in a message from the National Pancreas Assocation. Dan Aykroyd is playing a doctor for Belushi. There chemistry is already shining through. But the sketch is not particularly funny.
• Rob Reiner is going to a fashion show, he says hi to his wife Penny Marshall who's in L.A. but as secretly been flown out, but he seems to know. Gilda Radner is wearing her underwear on the outside, she is wearing the wrong day (Thursday) which is funny, Laraine Newman still has her cellophane and hanger on. Garrett Morris is wearing furniture, he didn't have faith there would be a place to sit if needed, Jane Curtin is wearing a hamster head(?), don't wear a hamster head, you've got a face let's see. Dan Aykroyd is wearing a leisure suit, he's fashion mistake he's wearing a leisure suit, Belushi is wearing a beach suit and wearing lobster's on his forehead. Michael O'Donaughue is wearing top hat but also wearing toilet paper. Funny stuff, most involved where on top form.
• An advert for voodoo surgery. One of the funnier adverts I've seen so far.
• Reiner, still in the same suit from earlier introduces Andy Kaufman, he's got the record he's going to do Pop Goes The Weasel. He's miming to it, this is not as familiar to me as Mighty Mouse. It's especially funny when he pretends to be the Dad. Kaufman's expressions make this bit work
• Welcome to Dangerous But Inept presented by Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman as Squeaky from The Manson Family. Newman is entertaining as crazy. Short and sweet and funny.
• Cat food advert now, 2 casseroles, one prepared with tuna and the other with 40c of cat food, they do a taste test with a woman, he tells the one she prefers is with cat food. Not particularly funny.
• The Lockers, I'm not familiar with them, they seem to be a dance troupe with a funky edge, they've all got really good moves going on, I'm not usually usually fans of just dance bits, but these are cool in my book. Music stops and they continue dancing. I was impressed with the energy they brought.
• Chevy Chase with Weekend Update, more Gerald Ford jokes, jokes about Reagan (who is a former governor at this point). Another reference to Blaine Hotel with 3 kidnappers, they cut to Laraine who gets the announcer Don Pardo to read out there demands with reads things out like they are game show prizes.
• Advert about a moving company, they joke is they pack the people to move them house. Not too funny.
• Blaine Hotel joke about the guests staying is repeated here.
• Back to Weekend Update - Chase, makes another couple of jokes, Garrett Morris is now going to do the News For The Hard of Hearing, it's very short - this is probably the joke Morris is best known for on his show, and to be honest my opinion of Morris is he was the weakest of the original cast members, maybe going through these episodes might help change my mind.
• Rob Reiner excitedly introduces Joe Cocker, but wait a minute... that's John Belushi, doing an absolutely unbelievable impression. He nails the facial expressions down perfectly and as the voice to the matches too. Excellent
• How do you follow that? With "The Muppets" of course, the new character, the main Muppets son is actually a fairly entertaining addition. His son is on some sort of marijuana expy drug (with a bit of LSD in I'm guessing). This was a touch better then the other Muppet sketches, the jokes hit the mark a bit better.
• A public service message with Chevy Chase with a mustache and glasses, the PSA is about droolers and he's talking about how they are discriminated against, he's doing this while drooling, and there is absolutely loads coming down his chin, Chase nearly cracks up a couple of times. Short, sweet and funny.
• Dan Aykroyd is singing at a hoe down, which features some of the cast and Penny Marshall dancing, the lyrics suggest about hitting each other, ripping dresses and finally shooting each other. Crazy and funny.
• Rob Reiner introduces Mark Hampton and Denny Dillon, dressed as nuns, Hampton is on the organ. Dillon is reading announcements etc, it's not particularly funny and the audience so far seemed to be following my same opinion, there is barely a peep of laughter. I didn't really like it, I basically just wanted it to finish.
• Rob Reiner introduces a new segment "What Gilda Ate?", she randomly lists what she ate for each meal and snacks, she is adorable so I like it however it's kind of hard to watch knowing her problems with eating disorders which troubled her the rest of her life.
• Albert Brooks film - it's the open heart surgery film - my memory of seeing it first time is that it really dragged... Brooks gets somebody to agree to have him perform heart surgery on him for the camera.  Brooks, has doubt about doing the surgery, argues with a doctor etc, he takes an age to get to his points it seems like, but that is probably the idea behind it. THIS SEGMENT STOPPED THE SHOW DEAD IN IT'S TRACKS, it just went on on so damn long.
• Reiner and Penny Marshall are in a restaurant are having an affair and are arguing, he wants them to get married etc... but the bees for some reason have come down the stairs and are now sat behind them - there's now bee fiddle player and guitarist. Rob Reiner stops the sketch saying it's ridiculous saying he said that he didn't want to work with the bees, he goes on a rant saying they where horrendous in earlier episode. Penny tries to calm him down when says their ruining the show. Belushi goes up to him upset and says they have no choice that's all they came up for them, Belushi starts having a go at Reiner.Reiner feels terrible. Funny, funny stuff.
• No proper goodbyes just the credits...

Overall Thoughts - This is closer to what Saturday Night Live is known for, cast members had moments to shine - Belushi and Radner show great moments of their personality. Rob Reiner was an enjoyable host, and one of the first to properly interact with the cast. There was still bad spots but they where totally related to non-cast members i.e Albert Brooks movie, Muppets (who weren't as bad here as the previous two episodes) and Dillon and Hampton.

Saturday Night Live Season 1 Episode 1

Saturday Night Live is still going strong after more then 35 years (or still rotting depending on people's opinion), now I'm a big fan of SNL, but the problem being based here in the U.K., TV channels when they've shown it have half arsed it at best. I have decided since I own the entire first season on DVD to start from the very start and decide from myself if the much loved original cast really do stand up to all the hype. I am going to try and do this every week so I don't get burn't out by it.

• The show starts with a cool sketch featuring Michael O'Donaghue and John Belushi, Belushi is trying to learn English from O'Donaughue but is teaching him stuff like "I'd like to feed your fingertips to the wolverines", O'Donaughue as a heart attack, and Belushi mimics him, we then cut to a stagehand played by Chevy Chase looking confused who utters the very famous lines "Live from New York... It's Saturday Night" for the very first time. This sketch was pretty short and sweet (coming in at about a minute and a half) but I think it help the set the standard that the show would be something different.
• wait a minute NBC's Saturday Night?
• Starring George Carlin with Janis Ian and Billy Preston, as well as film by Albert Brooks and also with Jim Henson's Muppets (sounds awesome!)
• The title sheet for The Not Ready For Prime Time Players seems weird, it's not in alphabetical order and George Coe and Michael O'Donaughe's names are also on their.
• Comedy from Valerie Bromfield and Andy Kaufman. One of these is not like the others.
• George Carlin comes out looking snazzy for him. He's doing a monologue, he's talking American Football, being from the UK I don't particularly stand the appeal but I'm sure the differences between that and baseball where very funny to a US watcher. This seems very safe for Carlin, I've seen and heard some of his material that as made me laugh until I hurt, not so much here so far. It ends and sadly it didn't raise any laugh from me.
• Dan Aykroyd's first appearance on the show with funny teeth with a kid and a wife who I don't recognize in a pre taped advert advertising New Dad. Chevy Chase already gets to make his second appearance of the show. I'm audience clap at the end, that's the only part you hear anything from the audience, I'm going to say it was mean't to be like that.
• Billy Preston singing comes Nothing From Nothing FUCK YES!!! I love this song. Cool performance.
• At about 10 minutes it's cool there's been a couple of sketches, a stand up act (Carlin's monologue was pretty much that) and a musical performance. Pretty cool so far.
• A courtroom scene, Jane Curtin is on the stand, Chevy Chase is playing the opposing lawyer (his 3rd appearance on the show so far), Garrett Morris playing her lawyer, it's about somebody saying something disgusting to her. She can't bring herself to say it so she writes it down. The judge is shocked as are Morris and Chase. It passes through the jury of Aykroyd, Belushi and finally the wonderful Gilda Radner who gives the most wonderful reaction. That appears to be Detective Munch himself Richard Belzer sat next her - he says nothing.
• Andy Kaufman!!! he's doing the Mighty Mouse bit, which I feel like I've seen a million times now, which never fails to raise a smile at the very least from me. It's his awkward movements that really make this bit work.
• George Carlin is back - he's not appearing in any sketches - just doing stand up bits. This bit is funnier because of better jokes (crowds in old movies, good underwear etc) just (and not surprisingly) clean and safe for him. Carlin's eyes look a bit glazed, let's just leave it at that...
• He introduces Janis Ian, with cool 70s hair and thankfully she's singing At Seventeen, that's two songs I really like...
• Victims Of Shark Bite up now - Jane Curtin is hosting this talk show with John Belushi doing the one armed man thing. He brought out his right hand to count which was funny stuff, and Curtin points out e as got an arm, Belushi tries to convince it was it's leg where it cut off but it's just the way he's sat
• Chevy Chase and Michael O'Donaughue doing an advert, O'Donaughue is Chase's wife despite not being in any drag so far and sporting a full beard. Funny for just how serious the performances are.
• Paul Simon is telling us he's hosting next week
• Now Weekend Update with Chevy Chase, and shockingly he didn't do "I'm Chevy Chase... and You're Not".
• The first couple of jokes where probably funnier way back in 1975. Plenty of Gerald Ford jokes, seems like one of the jokes was spoiled by the screen on TV. He hits the spot with the first home run joke - "the post office announced today it was going to issue a stamp commemoration prostitution in the United States - it's 10c stamp but if you want to lick it it's a quarter."
• Laraine Newman is on the field reporter which I don't care what the joke is supposed about a murder at the Blaine Hotel.
• Another fake advert, a tablet adverts "Triopenion" which explains the joke for you
• and now the joke makes sense, there's an adverts guests stay at the Blaine hotel from this show, now it's funnier.
• What's this? Look's puppet-y, this is not the Muppets is it?, where the hell is Kermit, Miss Piggy etc?, who are these impostors. This is the Muppets, the king sounds like Rowlf. None of these characters are that familiar, it's seems to be about an ugly king and his ugly wife (monster like) who have trouble conceiving; The audience are laughing at bits of it but it's just missing the spot - I never thought I would say it but Jim Henson AND The Muppets have stopped this show dead in it's tracks. The Mighty Babard (spelling) seems enjoyable (he does sounds like Fozzy though).
• There's not a lot I can say about these (impostor) Muppets, it ends with a (sort of) punchline that's just a bit weak.
• Another George Carlin stand up bit, this is certainly an usual set up from most future hosts in the fact he's had zero interaction with the cast so far. We get a cleaner but a closer to a George Carlin I know and love here.
• Albert Brooks film up now - The Impossible Truth - there is an interview with a blind taxi driver, sounds funnier on paper I guess. Israel and Georgia trade places, can't fault the performances in this bit just nothing hilarious. Oregon lowers the age of consent to 7 is more quaint, something could have been funny here and it sort of stops itself being hilarious. The Impossible Truth wasn't bad there just needed to be a bigger spark.
• Bee Hospital - love me some bees. This features all the faces of the cast for the first time this episode. The women get to play bee nurses, the males get to be expectant fathers, funny but short.
• Advent with Gilda Radner answering the phone to a guy I don't recognise (is it George Coe?) it's about a recruitment to be a phone line operator, not sure of the joke.
• And now Valerie Bromfield, whose pretending to be a teacher I guess. Whatever she is doing is kind of over the top but never truly funny. Now she's been a cheerleader I guess. Not very funny, shockingly she never came back but 
• Show Us Your Guns? Funny bit they go around getting people to show them their guns, a woman clipping their edges, a woman walking her child, gangsters, an old woman, a man mowing the lawn, a married couple (the wife with a tommy gun no less), the police man doesn't have a gun, he lost it... funny, funny stuff.
• George Carlin stand up again, now this is closer to George Carlin, maybe it's because on original airing it was very late. He's talking about Jesus and religion, he's cooking on all cinders here but still remaining clean. His best of his four bits.
• Another song from Billy Preston - "Fancy Lady" not so familiar with this one. I like it from the start though. Preston is actually very underrated for stuff he did.
• Next sketch John Belushi and Gilda Radner are a couple at home who get robbed in their home by Dan Aykroyd who is actually only doing a simulated burglary, he is trying to sell them on his company Trojan Horse, Garrett Morris shows up as his assistant. Aykroyd is doing one of his great fast talking performances, Radner and Belushi sadly mostly get to react in this sketch though the pair are good in this. Best lines "Would you like to be sexually assualted in your kitchen? - Radner's reply "Well it depends who...". I liked this sketch.
• Another advert starting in caveman days about men always wanting the closest shave. Now this bit is really lost on a modern audience, the joke is a third razor on a shaver, you get it because its not necessary.
• Another Janis Ian song, quite downbeat performance to end on.
• George Carlin is back on stage to say the goodnights, sans the cast, the Muppets and the singers. He embarrassingly advertised his brand new album out, and so it ends the first episode of Saturday Night Live, erm, I mean Saturday Night...
• A lot of people have 'Bud' as their middle name on the credits, wonder what that mean't...

Overall Thoughts - Obviously it's a show that was like nothing that came before it so it needed to find it's feet, there's bit that's don't work - Valerie Bromfield, The Muppets - but there's plenty that does - Andy Kaufman, the musical performances, most of Carlin's performance and performances from the NRFPTP already starting to shine.