Sketches are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars
COLD OPENING
wheelchair-bound (CHC) briefly regains his ability to walk, then falls
— Chevy slowly coming to the realization that he had just walked was pretty funny.
— I’ve seen funnier pratfalls from Chevy, but this was still a fairly funny ending gag. I like the simplicity of these early cold openings.
STARS: ***
OPENING MONTAGE
— Hey, Michael O’Donoghue’s back in the cast list, after being taken out of it in the previous episode. George Coe’s still missing from it, though. I guess the plan so far is for Coe and O’Donoghue to only be credited in episodes that they actually appear in.
— Also, after listing the cast alphabetically in the previous episode’s opening credits, SNL does something a bit strange tonight: the cast is mostly still listed alphabetically, except for Gilda, who’s name is put between Chevy and Jane for some reason:
MONOLOGUE
host lives out his dream by portraying a smarmy lounge singer
— Hmm, a specially-decorated stage with floor lights. This should be interesting.
— I’ve always been curious to see this, after Robert DeNiro built it up as this strange experimental piece when he talked about it in SNL’s 40th anniversary special.
— The “This is not Irving Berlin, but Rob doesn’t know it” caption gave me a good laugh.
— Reiner’s giving a very committed performance to this.
— Interesting ending with him actually dropping character and taking off his wig.
STARS: ***
NATIONAL PANCREAS ASSOCIATION
a trip to the doctor (DAA) reveals that (JOB)’s pancreas is on the fritz
— Are John and Gilda playing the same couple from the home security sketch in the first episode? They appear to be wearing the exact same clothes from that sketch.
— Dan is pretty funny as the doctor.
— So refreshing to actually see several cast members in this, by the way, after the Paul Simon episode where they were virtually non-existent.
— How is John able to go from set-to-set so fast? Though it did seem like Dan was stalling a bit at the beginning of the doctor’s office scene to give John time to make it to the set. This is one of the things I’ve always loved about SNL being a live show.
— Overall, this was nothing really noteworthy, but it had a certain charm to it that I liked, partly due to the performances.
STARS: **½
FASHION DON’TS
host & Penny Marshall [real] emcee a fashion show of style mistakes
— This sketch has a weird but fun structure.
— LOL at the way Garrett’s walking.
— The Aykroyd/leisure suit bit was really good.
— Still feels strange seeing O’Donoghue among the cast.
— O’Donoghue’s bit, however, was a funny ending to the sketch.
STARS: ***½
GOLDEN NEEDLES
(GEC) pitches surgery-free healing via Golden Needles voodoo acupuncture
— Oh, so George Coe IS in this episode after all. Wonder why he wasn’t in the opening cast list tonight. I guess after the season premiere, they’ve ALREADY relegated him to only making non-credited appearances.
— His pitchman delivery isn’t bad in this and he comes off believable in this role, but he doesn’t seem to have quite the comedic touch that someone like Aykroyd, Harry Shearer, or Phil Hartman would’ve given this sketch. I think I’m starting to see why this guy didn’t last long on the show.
— The concept of this ad is decent.
STARS: ***
ANDY KAUFMAN
Andy Kaufman [real] lip-syncs “Pop Goes The Weasel”
— Oh, geez, already they’re trying to replicate the success of the classic Mighty Mouse bit from the first episode, right down to him coming out in the exact same outfit.
— I’ve never seen this one before, except for a very brief clip in an Andy Kaufman documentary.
— He’s lipsyncing the WHOLE song this time? Where’s the joke in doing that?
— Oh, wait, it is pretty funny seeing him lipsync the dad’s non-singing dialogue while having that cheesy “1950s dad” expression on his face.
— This is paling terribly in comparison to the Mighty Mouse bit and feels below standards compared to the usual weirdness I love from Andy. However, I’m still finding myself laughing. I guess Andy can crack me up doing ANYTHING.
— Great bit towards the end with the record temporarily stopping but him still bopping along, then miming the “pop” sound effect with flawless timing right as the song came back on.
STARS: ***
DANGEROUS BUT INEPT
Squeaky Fromme (LAN) is unable to shoot JAC
— Haha, I’m really liking Laraine’s performance.
— Overall, quite a bizarre little mini-sketch, but I definitely enjoyed it.
— I love how short and to-the-point a lot of SNL’s early live sketches are.
STARS: ***½
FELINA CAT FOOD
in-store test proves Felina Cat Food is indiscernible from regular tuna
— Okaaaayyyy……
— Well, THAT just came and went without any visible punchline. What exactly WAS the joke here?
STARS: *
THE LOCKERS
Toni Basil, Fred Berry, other Lockers [real] dance around Studio 8H
— Just now, as one of the Lockers is making his entrance, I can see the set for the pancreas sketch from earlier, and now I understand how Belushi was able to quickly go back-and-forth from the living room set to the doctor’s office set: they were both actually just one set, but with different-colored walls to make them look like two individual sets.
— THAT’S the “Mickey, Mickey, you’re so fine” girl? Really???
— Hey, it’s Rerun!
— And hey, during his solo dance, he unintentionally kicks one of the floor lights into the audience! Ha, just now, I spotted a lady in the audience pick the light up and just look at it confusedly.
— I won’t give this a rating, but this sure was fun to watch.
WEEKEND UPDATE, PART 1
at the Blaine Hotel, kidnappers use DOP to voice their demands
— I liked the randomness of the Sirhan Sirhan joke.
— Hmm, didn’t realize that the Blaine Hotel bit with Laraine from the first episode’s Update ended up being a recurring segment.
— I didn’t get Laraine’s joke about the kidnappers calling themselves “Blowfish”. The audience liked that joke a lot, so I’m guessing it was a topical reference.
— Oh, wow, I love this bit with an unseen Don Pardo being held hostage and reading off a list of the kidnappers’ demands in a “gameshow announcer” manner.
— “Still to come”? Ah, I see this is another Update that’s going to have a break in the middle for a fake ad.
MIDDLE AMERICAN VAN LINES
Middle-American Van Lines moves people, not possessions
— Eh, movers moving people as furniture is a pretty corny, kinda-outdated (even for the 70s) joke.
— I did kinda like the little detail at the end with the teddy bear being left behind, though.
STARS: **
WEEKEND UPDATE, PART 2
with GAM’s help, CHC repeats the top story for the hard-of-hearing
— Was it really necessary to the repeat the ‘guests of SNL stay at the Blaine Hotel’ bit from the first episode? It was hilarious the first time, but that kind of joke doesn’t work with repetition. The studio audience apparently agrees with me, judging from their tepid response to the bit.
— Did I just see the picture in the news screen jump suddenly in the middle of Chevy’s joke?
— Ah, the very first appearance of the classic “news for the hard of hearing” routine. Always funny, and a good way to end this Update.
— We’re three episodes in, and interestingly, there has yet to be an Update guest correspondent who does a commentary at the desk. I wonder when we get our first one.
STARS (FOR BOTH WEEKEND UPDATE HALVES): ***½
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE (JOE COCKER)
spastic Joe Cocker (JOB) sings “With A Little Help From My Friends”
— Oh, THIS famous Belushi sketch! I had no idea this appeared so early in the show’s history.
— Haha, Belushi’s already making me laugh hysterically before he’s even started singing. The close-up of his insane facial expressions and gestures is KILLING me.
— Wow, he’s doing an excellent vocal impression of Cocker.
— Loved the sudden spinning fall to the ground, then him rolling around on his stomach.
— Overall, just… wow! What else can I say? This was fucking perfect and well-deserving of its status as an all-time classic.
STARS: *****
JIM HENSON’S MUPPETS
Ploobis discovers his son Wisss (Richard Hunt) has been smoking craters
— The initial sight of that puppet smoking craters was good for a laugh.
— LOL, everything about this is so 70s, from the drug premise to all the ‘hippie speak’ from the son.
— Another terrible punchline from The Mighty Favog. I’m starting to realize that he’s probably my least favorite aspect of these Muppets sketches so far.
STARS: **
DROOLERS ANTI-DEFAMATION LEAGUE
Droolers Anti-Defamation League representative (CHC) promotes awareness
— The way Chevy looks in those glasses & mustache is already making me chuckle.
— Oh, man, this is gross, but pretty funny so far.
— Loved how Don Pardo was randomly mentioned as one of the famous droolers.
— Ha, Chevy’s starting to crack up. I guess you can pinpoint this as the very first instance of character-breaking on SNL.
— At first, I was wondering how he was able to speak so clearly while drooling, but now he’s starting to flub some lines and mispronounce words. I guess his laughing has thrown off his ability to speak clearly while drooling.
— The ‘sealing envelopes’ line was great. That and Chevy’s breaking boosted the sketch’s rating a bit.
STARS: ***½
SQUARE DANCE
a deranged, sadistic hoe-down caller (DAA) torments square dancers
— Haha, this is really twisted so far.
— Dan’s maniacal performance is great, especially the sadistic wild laugh he keeps doing.
— Ha, Dan reacted to getting shot a few seconds BEFORE the gunshot sound effect even went off.
— Wow, what an insane little sketch overall. I loved it. I’m always a big fan of seeing Dan do crazy stuff like this.
STARS: ****½
MARK HAMPTON AND DENNY DILLON
nuns (Mark Hampton) & (DED) emcee a convent’s talent night
— Feels so strange seeing future cast member Denny Dillon appearing in such an early episode.
— We’re about a minute and half into this, and unfortunately, I haven’t been laughing at all. Neither has the studio audience. Man, this is dying so far.
— Okay, the audience seems to be getting more and more into it now. However, I am not.
— Overall, I really wanted to like this, but found almost no enjoyment. Maybe because ‘nun humor’ just isn’t my bag.
— I hope this isn’t the kind of stuff I have to look forward to seeing from Denny when we reach the 80-81 season.
STARS: *½
WHAT GILDA ATE
GIR rambles about everything she consumed that day
— This is another bit that I’m surprised to see appeared so early in the history of the show. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this sketch before, but I read about it and I assumed it didn’t appear until well into Gilda’s tenure on the show.
— I can already tell I’m going to like this. Gilda always has a way of making concepts like this funny.
— Yep, I was right. This got increasingly funny the more she went on and on. This may have been our very first glimpse of the Gilda charm that always helps makes segments like this work.
STARS: ***½
A FILM BY ALBERT BROOKS
“Operation”- a George Plimpton-ish stab at heart surgery
— Oh, the Albert Brooks surgery film. I heard about this before; supposedly, this has an unusual runtime of around FIFTEEN MINUTES, which sounds unbearable.
— Well, so far, not bad. I’ve been getting some laughs.
— I really like the part when they sudden realize the patient was never anesthetized and Albert goes “Why the hell is he awake?!?”
— Albert’s growing frustration with that one doctor is pretty funny.
— Okay, yes, this film is noticeably starting to get very long, but I’m actually enjoying this.
— Very nice ending.
— Overall, this was nowhere near as bad as I was dreading. For such a long film, I was surprisingly entertained the whole way through.
STARS: ***½
BEES
host is upset when The Bees ruin his dramatic scene
— Ah, a sketch using the homebase stage as a setting. I like that.
— WTF? The Bees?
— I like how starting with the Paul Simon episode, it’s become a running joke that everyone hates the Bees.
— Belushi’s “This is all the writers came up with for us” confession is great.
— Wow, Belushi acted the hell out of his whole rant. His performance is really making this sketch.
STARS: ****
GOODNIGHTS
— The goodnights in the first two episodes were already unconventional, in that neither of them had anybody on stage except the host and, in second episode’s case, special guest Bill Bradley. But, man, THIS episode’s goodnights are definitely our most unconventional yet – they technically don’t even count as “goodnights”. There’s no visual of a host standing on stage giving their thanks and then waving goodbye or ANYTHING – we’re literally only shown still shots from the opening montage with the ending credits scroll displayed over it, while the traditional goodnights music plays.
— Boy, it’s weird seeing an SNL episode end this way. Kind of an empty-feeling way to end a live episode; you’d think this was the end credits of a “Best Of” compilation or something.
_______________________________
IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— Overall, an enjoyable, pretty solid episode. It especially felt nice to see lots of comedy, after the musical performance-dominated episode with Paul Simon.
— There wasn’t much that I disliked in this episode, aside from the Denny Dillon nun act and a couple of subpar fake ads. Everything else was good for the most part; even the insanely-long Albert Brooks film managed to hold my enjoyment.
— Reiner did a fine job as host, though it felt like he didn’t do any actual “characters” aside from the monologue. But let’s remember that this IS only SNL’s third episode and they still hadn’t fully figured out how to really use the hosts yet. They are getting there, though: after all, Reiner was the very first host to actually change outfits/costumes throughout the show and act with the cast in various pieces.
— Chevy didn’t seem quite as dominant as usual tonight. We actually got to see some of the other cast members shine; Belushi especially had a pretty strong night, with his epic Joe Cocker performance and his great ranting in the Bees sketch.
— You can see the SNL that we’re familiar with slowly starting to take shape by this point, though they’re still not quite there yet.
My full set of screencaps for this episode is here
TOMORROW:
— Candice Bergen. This has often been said by many to be the first episode that feels like a typical SNL. I’m eager to see if that’s true.
Re: the credits — I believe this episode ran long when it originally aired or didn’t have time for the credits, and I believe the credits seen here were created for a 1977-78 rerun (I think they use the same “computerized” layout/font that the credits in one part of season 3 used).
Also, the DVD removes this fake ad: http://snlarchives.net/Episodes/?1975102511
I love seeing your take on early SNL, Stooge. Keep it up!
Toni Basil is pretty incredible. In a way it’s a shame she only gets remembered as “that Mickey girl” because that was just one small thing she did on the side towards the tail end of her career. She should be remembered as one of the most famous dancers and choreographers in the history of movies.
I’m curious as to what the original plan was for Coe and O’Donoghue in the Not Ready For Prime Time Players. Neither of them appear on the Tomorrow show appearance that Lorne and the cast made before the premier, though in that interview Lorne mentions something about “hope for eight [cast members].” However, Coe does appear in the cast’s screen test tape (O’Donoghue does not).
In a 1983 interview with Judd Apatow, O’Donoghue is asked about being a cast member when SNL started. He replies, “I was for the first show, as a matter of fact. And then, I don’t know why I was eliminated from that slot. I think it was because Lorne was having some problems with Chevy. But I’m not a particularly good actor.”
Anyway, I just wonder about their status as cast members since they were both removed from the credits very quickly.
According to Hill and Weingrad, Coe was hired to play the roles of older men and then it was decided he wasn’t needed.
The 60-minute Filmways rerun package of the early 80s ran the credits over the square dance sketch
If I remember right (from Denny telling me about this) – she and Mark Hampton actually auditioned for the cast with that Nun sketch; and Lorne liked it enough that after they weren’t cast, he brought them back to do it anyway.
I just noticed, the Season One box cuts the Brooks film together as one piece. Partway through, it originally cut to Rob on stage saying “We’ll see how the operation went, right after this.” Or something similar.
Just about done re-watching this one; much better than I remembered. While Burgen’s remembered for being the first open minded host and episode 4 is remembered for being the first “real,” SNL show this one is what broke the mold and started that. Rob didn’t do that bad considering he had a panic attack after dress rehearsal and locked himself in his room. Not a great host by any means but he was game to see what he could do.
However I just find this show to be dark and have an odd vibe to it. Something didn’t feel right to it, maybe it was the time of the year or something. That voodoo commercial’s out of place for one, then the end just doesn’t end right. The timing was all screwed up and the show just stops after Belushi’s rant.. kind of a dark way to end it I must say.
I will say Reiner was right about Brooks’s film though that was a fun watch.
>>— Are John and Gilda playing the same couple from the home security sketch in the first episode? They appear to be wearing the exact same clothes from that sketch.
<<
I got the giggleshits at work at this line. it IS the exact same clothes. 😀
Penny Marshall talks a bit about the episode in this interview, including a sketch with John and Dan she couldn’t do because of the accent.
When Warner Home Video issued The Best of John Belushi on VHS tape in 1986, the Joe Cocker sketch was included but it faded out before he laid down on the floor and had beer sputtering out of his mouth! That last part I finally got to see when I got the first season set of “SNL” on DVD.
What’s odd about the Kaufman bit is that while the Mighty Mouse thing was done to an actual old record, I’m not sure if they didn’t create the “Pop Goes the Weasel” recording themselves — the girl sure sounds like Gilda to me.
Actually, it was from an old children’s record. You can hear the original recording on YouTube:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=pGgPWOX8A64
Hill and Weingrad say that Reiner was somewhat demanding behind the scenes all week, and felt that the show was going to be a disaster. Watch his facial reactions during the fashion show sketch: he looks extremely annoyed because one of the mics wasn’t working.
Also, during the monologue, there’s an audience caption of Irving Berlin… I think that’s future Letterman producer Barry Sand? Does anyone know for sure?
I was lucky enough to watch the original version of this a few days ago – beyond what was mentioned above with the Brooks film being split in half (the Reiner comment/commercial happens right before they go into surgery), and the Spearmint ad (is that on any of the DVD episodes or was that a rights issue?), the Muppet piece is also later in the episode – after Square Dance.
I would tend to agree with @Slash that the episode is not far off Candice Bergen’s in format. The Lockers piece is a little different (especially the decision to have them dance through the empty sets, which I love), but overall the biggest shift from the norm is Michael O’Donoghue being treated as a regular cast member. It most stands out in the Square Dance sketch. It makes you wonder what might have been, although that was never really where his talents laid.
The Square Dance piece is probably my favorite part of the night, alongside the Lockers – just such a blast of fun insanity in the best Dan Aykroyd fashion.
Albert Brooks and the Muppets are both so out of place in these episodes, but I think the Brooks pieces have held up, while I just never can get into these Muppet segments.
Even on this watch Rob Reiner’s persona still mostly leaves me cold, but he doesn’t get in the way as much as I had remembered (and the monologue isn’t as long or difficult to bother with as I’d remembered).
I enjoyed Denny’s appearance, but I credit most of that to her performance…the material is just alright.
Knowing what we know about Gilda’s eating disorders, it’s difficult for me to enjoy these What Gilda Ate appearances, but they were undeniably important in endearing viewers to her and making them care about her in her own right, which was the key to the show becoming so prominent, moreso than being countercultural or shocking or what have you. Meanwhile Belushi goes the other way, with performances so high-voltage and charismatic you simply can’t take your eyes off him. Even early on you could see who the main draws were going to be once Chevy moved on.
RIP Shabba-Doo (of The Lockers).
https://deadline.com/2020/12/adolfo-shabba-doo-quinones-dead-dance-pioneer-breakin-star-was-65-1234662999/
One thought on Jane in Fashion Don’ts: I love that even though she’s covered with a hamster-head, I could easily envision her embarrassed expressions before she exits the stage.
Belushi had already done the Joe cocker impersonation as part of National Lampoons’s Lemmings: a filmed performance is up on youtube, see here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuBhwEgi8qU from 41:30 to 50:00, performing “Lonely at the Bottom of the Barrell”. note Chevy on drums and Christopher Guest on bass
Both the Hill/Weingrad book and Wired rip into Reiner’s performance in the monologue, but it’s not that bad and it’s an interesting attempt at doing something funny (Reiner didn’t have a persona or anything, so he couldn’t do what Carlin or Simon did). I think it stops before it gets too stupid (the book makes it seem like it lasted forever).
As many people have pointed out, Reiner’s less than genial relationship with the cast/crew made the Belushi sketch have some genuine bite to it, as opposed to the various sketches in which people shit on Steve Martin/Buck Henry.
I gotta say, the Lockers were pretty amazing (the band backing them up are also laying down some killer “wacka wacka” 70s groove). This form of street dance would seem to be the precursor to break dancing. Indeed, member Shabba Doo appeared in the two Breakin’ movies some years later. And we can now, of course, see where Fred Berry (Rerun) mastered the dancing style he broke into so often on Whats’ Happenin’. Toni Basil did amazing choreography (is she still?) and here she is post-Easy Rider (she appears in the Mardi Gras scenes) and before her musical guest appearance soon after this (well before Mickey).
I absolutely love the Kaufman bit on here. It’s not one of the better known ones, but Andy’s timing (and acting!) on it is incredible, to the point that one easily forgets he’s lip syncing the entire thing, as if he’s actually interacting with the record. Consider, for instance, that there are instances on the recording with no dialogue or sound, and Andy comes back in at the precise moment it starts back up. Is that June Foray doing the girl’s voice by the way? Sounds like her.
And Reiner’s lounge/saloon singer is really great. Interesting to know that DeNiro cited it. Was this genre getting mocked prior to this? I mean, he’s making fun of the established (Establishment?) entertainment with such a piece, so I’m not sure this generation had set its targets on it quite yet. We may look at it now and think that we’ve seen it a gazillion times by now, and clearly, it’s well-trodden ground. But this is before Bill Murray’s lounge singer (which I absolutely love) and the Sweeney Sisters (which I liked, but thought of as a kind of a rip off). Reiner’s take does have surreal quality, especially when he shoves the entire microphone into his mouth. LOL!
A couple of spotted actor ID’s in the Brooks film (both unconfirmed):
– Dr Bernard Millman, the British doctor I believe (going by voice and slightly by face) is singer/record producer Peter Asher of Peter and Gordon fame, also worked closely with Linda Ronstadt.
– More confident to say the anesthesiologist Dr Pat Souter is played by actor/writer Carl Gottlieb (member of Committee improv troupe, wrote for Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, co-wrote the script to Jaws). A film piece with Chevy and his then-fiancé Jacqueline Carlin that aired the next episode was conceived by Gottlieb and Rob Reiner.
Belushi was so good with his impersination of Joe Cocker that many people thought they forgot to include Cocker’s name as a musical guest.