Segments are rated on a scale of 1-5 stars
COLD OPENING
Frank Reynolds (HAS) presents presidential consolation debate highlights
— Lot of great lines from Harry during his intro.
— I’m still not quite sure what to make of Jim Downey’s George Bush impression.
— That being said, Jim’s Bush speech had a whole bunch of funny lines.
— Bill’s speech was okay, but not as amusing as Jim’s.
— Paul smushing actual slices of a pie onto the pie chart is hilarious.
— Harry gets the final LFNY of the original SNL era??? That’s surprising. While it’s hard to complain about Harry Shearer getting ANY airtime on the show, it really feels like one of the original cast members should’ve gotten the final LFNY.
— Very solid cold opening overall.
STARS: ****
MONOLOGUE
host introduces (DOP) & other supposed castmembers of SNL’s sixth season
— Buck mentions this is SNL’s 106th episode and the 103rd time he’s hosted. I really liked that line.
— He addresses rumors that tonight’s episode might be the last SNL ever, and announces SNL will be back again next season!…but NOT with the same cast. There will be a new replacement cast, who he’s about to introduce.
— The audience laughs at Buck referring to the show’s “former producer”, as if that were a joke. I guess they’re not aware that Lorne really IS leaving.
— Buck says he’s looking forward to working with SNL’s new producer in the years ahead. Unfortunately, that never ended up happening, as tonight’s episode turns out to be Buck’s final time hosting. I recall hearing he declined any future hosting offers out of respect to the original cast. He’s never even made so much as a cameo in any future episodes, not counting specials like SNL’s 15th anniversary show (where he does a segment with Steve Martin).
— Hey, it’s the creator of the Mr. Bill shorts, Walter Williams. (third screencap above)
— I recall hearing that the black woman in this is Yvonne Hudson. Now that I’m watching this monologue for myself, that’s definitely NOT her. It would’ve been hilarious if it were her, though, considering she DOES actually end up joining the cast next season.
— Unless I’m mistaken, this is Don Pardo’s very first onscreen appearance on SNL. I love how his fake name in this is “Ron Waldo”, and how he introduces himself by doing a Don Pardo imitation. Since audiences at the time probably had no idea what Don looked like, I wonder if they even realized he’s the real Don Pardo or if they just assumed he’s someone who can do a really good impression of Pardo’s voice.
— Overall, I loved this monologue and found it very fun being introduced to the fake new cast.
STARS: ****
ROYAL PARTY
eponymous noblemen mingle at a party thrown by Lord Salisbury (HAS)
— Ah, here’s a legendary sketch from this era.
— All the nobles’ last names and how they allude to various now-famous inventions is very well-written.
— Funny with Bill as the Earl of Sandwich lamenting that “nothing’s been named after my family”.
— Garrett’s delivery of “Lord and Lady Douchebag” KILLED me.
— Harry’s “Where the devil are those Douchebags?” line was great.
— Very funny hearing “douchebag” constantly being casually delivered in such dignified 18th century voices.
— Ha, Gilda as Lady Douchebag requesting vinegar and water as food dressing.
— Loved Bill delivery of “Douchebaaaaag, how are ya!” From my past viewings of clips from this sketch, I had remembered Bill giving Buck a noogie after saying that line, but now I see that never actually happened. It DOES seem like a very Bill Murray thing to do, though.
— Bill: “Lord Douchebag, just what kind of invention are you sitting on?”
— And already, we’re out. That sketch was the perfect length, and is just one of many reasons why this is such a fantastic classic sketch.
STARS: *****
COW MINDER’S DAUGHTER
rise & fall of Indian singer Govinda Lynn (LAN)
— Laraine playing a character who turns down being a model because models starve themselves. I can’t help but notice a whole bunch of irony there.
— The initial shot of Gilda cracked me up.
— Not really sure what the point of this sketch is so far.
— Yeah, I’m coming to the realization that this sketch ain’t goin’ anywhere that I’m gonna like.
— Did something go wrong? All of a sudden, there’s a lot of awkwardness and stretched-out pauses between Bill and Laraine after Bill called for the cows, and Bill looks like he’s trying not to laugh. (last screencap above) What’s that all about?
— Overall, wow, I did not care for this sketch at all. Maybe it would’ve helped if I had ever seen “Coal Miner’s Daughter”, the movie that this was spoofing.
STARS: *½
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Andrew Gold performs “Kiss This One Goodbye”
WEEKEND UPDATE
Jack Perkins (HAS), (Richard Belzer), others on Walter Keane art exhibit
Chico Escuela gives himself credit for baseball strike resolution
Roseanne Roseannadanna travels from volcanoes to Gloria Vanderbilt’s itch
— Here we go, the final Curtin/Murray Weekend Update.
— *sigh* I’m gonna miss hearing Jane saying her “I’m Jane Curtin and here now the news” intro. I’ve gotten so used to hearing that in every Update these last four seasons.
— Loved Bill’s random “Anita Bryant…… is available” bit. I also like how a few people in the audience audibly booed as soon as her picture showed up on the news screen.
— The bit with Bill snapping a Polaroid directly at the camera facing him was just plain strange, and got very little reaction from the audience. I also didn’t get what he meant with his “So I won a bet, big deal” ad-lib afterwards.
— What the–? Now Bill’s aforementioned photo-snapping bit has screwed up the screen. The flash from his Polaroid seems to have left an awful yellow-brownish spot onto the middle of the screen. (you can see it the the fourth and fifth screencaps above) Yikes. I’m guessing Bill forgot to turn off the flash on the camera before snapping the picture.
— And now, we go straight from that Bill/camera bit to a Harry Shearer commentary that strangely begins with NO applause from the audience. Wow. Maybe the audience was just thrown off by whatever the hell that Bill/camera thing was supposed to be.
— Uh-oh, now the aforementioned yellow-brownish spot on the middle of the screen is making poor Harry look like he has a yellow mouth. Geez.
— Richard Belzer!
— Belzer has the distinction of appearing in the first and last episode of the original SNL era. In the first episode, he was one of the jurors in the courtroom sketch that ended with Gilda receiving a note and thinking that John Belushi was making a pass at her, and now here he is in the last episode. A nice unintentional bookend to the era.
— Harry’s Jack Perkins commentary is a bit unusual with the heavy reliance on a pre-taped remote segment, but there’s a lot of good laughs here, especially from the ridiculous visual of presidential paintings with Keane eyes.
— Garrett’s Chico Escuela delivery is much better than the bizarre delivery he used last time Chico appeared.
— Normally I’d groan at the sight of Roseanne Rosannadanna appearing once again, but knowing this is the last time we’ll ever see her, I can’t complain. I’ve never disliked the character herself, just how much they overrelied on her shtick these last two seasons.
— Hmm, Richard Feder has written to Rosannadanna from Washington instead of his usual Fort Lee, New Jersey residence.
— Oh, it turns out Feder moved to get away from the hellhole that is New Jersey.
— Loved Rosannadanna’s complaint about Gloria Vanderbilt putting her good name “on every ass in America”.
— Rosannadanna’s story about Gloria Vanderbilt repeatedly scratching her crotch area in a movie theater is a riot! A lot of big laughs there. This is reminding me why I used to like Rosannadanna so much before they started overusing her.
— Tonight’s overall Update was a pretty solid way to end the Curtin/Murray era. I’m gonna miss this Update era, especially when I know how unstable this portion of the show is going to be the next few seasons during the non-Lorne years.
STARS: ***½
UNCLE ROY
mom (JAC) remains blind to the true nature of pedophilic “Uncle” Roy
— I can already tell from the set that we’re getting our obligatory Uncle Roy sketch. Actually, I shouldn’t say “obligatory”, since they surprisingly refrained from doing this character in Buck’s episode from earlier this season.
— For the first time ever, Uncle Roy’s entrance receive audience applause.
— They explain the absence of Dan Aykroyd’s character (Jane’s husband) by saying he’s in Cleveland at a convention.
— Uncle Roy and Jane point out a new glass coffee table in the living room. Ha, I just KNOW Ol’ Roy is gonna get mileage out of that table later in the sketch with the girls.
— I like the line about how Roy had the girls play “bobbing for bananas” last time he visited them.
— I also like the mention of Roy pretending to be a dog during his last visit and how he almost “buried [his] bone in [the girls’] backyard.” Nice double-entendre.
— Hilarious bit where Roy is able to tell which pair of panties belongs to which girl just by the smell.
— Ah, there’s Uncle Roy making use of the glass coffee table, by having the girls pretend to “ride on a glass-bottom boat” as he eagerly snaps pictures underneath the table.
— LOL at Buck’s panicked “I can explain everything!” when Jane returns unexpectedly early and sees what Roy is up to.
— Interesting turn this sketch has taken with Jane talking about a possible divorce between her and her husband, and Roy trying to save their marriage just so she won’t move away with the girls.
— After Jane says she wishes more families would have an uncle like Roy, the camera does a slow zoom-in on Buck telling Jane, while looking at the camera with a subtle grin, “Oh, there’s more of me than you might suspect…” (last screencap above), which is how the sketch ends. Heh, creepy and unsettling as fuck, but at the same time, I found it the perfect way to end the final Uncle Roy sketch.
STARS: ****
TRADER NICK’S
Hawaiian-themed bar of Nick “Lava” has music & waitress Iris de Flaminio
— Our final Nick the Lounger Singer sketch during Bill’s years as a cast member. He would later bring this character back a few times in some of his future hosting stints.
— I think I see Jane as Iris De Flaminio in the background. If so, they’ve been getting a lot of mileage out of this character these last handful of episodes, which is good since Jane debuted the character so late in her tenure.
— Akira Yoshimura! He’s been getting quite a lot of face time recently.
— Yep, Jane IS playing Iris. Interesting use of her in this sketch, as a waitress.
— Looks like we DO get an Yvonne Hudson appearance tonight after all! And she’s playing a character with her own name, too! “I’m Yvonne Hudson and this is my lovejones (points to Garrett).”
— Gilda’s sarcastic deadpan remarks to Bill were very funny.
— I absolutely love Bill’s singing of “Stairway to Heaven”.
— Overall, a very fine temporary final outing for this character.
STARS: ***½
WEEK IN REVIEW
tabloid journalists’ notions of newsworthiness vex (host)
— I like Bill’s almost-whispery speaking voice as the host, which is a dead-on imitation of some of the political panel shows like this.
— Buck is fairly funny as the only reasonable person at the table.
— Overall, for once tonight, I didn’t have much to say about a sketch. I didn’t find this sketch to be very good, and I got fairly bored with it after a while.
STARS: **
MOMMY BEER
hunters musically express their fondness for baby-bottles of Mommy Beer
— I cracked up at Tom Davis’ burly-voiced delivery of “You’ve been holdin’ out on us, ya rascal!”
— The nipple-topped beer bottle is a pretty funny visual.
— Haha, I like the blatantly obvious lip-synced harmonizing between the men, and their hammy gestures throughout the song.
— Very catchy commercial jingle.
— Funny part with a beer-less Bill whining “I want MY Mommy” and then babyish-ly sucking on the bottle when he finally gets one.
— Oddly enough, that sounds like Harry Shearer’s voice during the baritone parts of the lip-synced jingle.
— Great tagline from Buck: “She’s a bitch…. of a brew!”
— Fun sketch overall.
STARS: ***½
MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
Andrae Crouch & Voices of Unity perform “Can’t Nobody Do Me Like Jesus”
GOODNIGHTS
Studio 8H empties as the “On Air” sign goes out
— Buck gives a simple but very poignant “Goodnight……and goodbye.”
— *sigh* The final gathering of this cast. I have to admit, I’m starting to feel emotional. After watching and reviewing these first five seasons on a daily basis in chronological order the last few months, I’ve grown REALLY attached to this cast. It’s not easy for me to see them go.
— Ah, there goes the famous part of these goodnights, where Buck leads the cast and guests offstage and then we cut to their arrival backstage where they’re all shown walking past the camera. After a while, the camera slowly zooms in on the flashing “ON AIR” sign, then the flashing sign eventually turns off, which is the very last thing we see before the goodnights end. Beautiful. I’m honestly getting a little misty-eyed right now.
IMMEDIATE POST-SHOW THOUGHTS:
— The original SNL era ends with a surprisingly strong episode for this season. There were a lot of great sketches, a minimal amount of flops, and we got an all-time classic as the perfect centerpiece of the night (Lord and Lady Douchebag).
— Not only am I going to miss the hell out of this cast, but I’m also going to miss reviewing Buck Henry-hosted episodes. It’s amazing to think that over just the past few months, I’ve reviewed TEN Buck Henry episodes. Nobody else has ever hosted SNL with the frequency that he has in such a short amount of time. He was such a perfect host for this era of SNL, and always had such a likable and warm presence, no matter what role he was playing.
— Season 5 as a whole was a fairly bumpy road like I was prepared to see, but not quite in the way I was expecting. Despite a shaky first three episodes, which instantly had me worried, the remainder of the first half of the season was pretty smooth-sailing for the most part. When I reached the second half of the season, THAT’S when the trouble fully kicked in. The long string of episodes from Teri Garr to Rodney Dangerfield all ranged from forgettable to pretty awful, and the burnout from the writing staff was on full display. We started to finally get some good episodes after that, including one that pleasantly surprised me with how inspired it was (Strother Martin), but a somewhat frequent amount of underwhelming or iffy episodes still kept popping up. At least the season ended on a high note with a strong season finale.
— Well, I can now proudly say I’ve seen and reviewed every single episode from the original SNL era! It feels so great to accomplish that, considering I came into this SNL project of mine being nowhere near as familiar with the original era as a diehard SNL fan like me should be. I mean, I had seen a handful of episodes from each of the first five seasons, as well as lots of clips in highlight reels and “Best Of” compilations, but considering how well-versed I am in every SNL era from 1985-present, I had always been kinda ashamed that I hadn’t seen all that much from the legendary original years. Well, now I can officially say that I know this era VERY well after doing these daily reviews.
— And man, did I enjoy covering these first five seasons, familiarizing myself more with this wonderful cast, discovering this cast is even more talented and well-rounded than I had ever thought, witnessing the evolution of the era, tackling the more infamous episodes (Louise Lasser, Milton Berle, etc.), revisiting classic sketches, and discovering lesser-known gems. I came away from this era having much more love and respect for it than I’ve ever had. Before doing these reviews, I used to always argue that the original SNL was overrated whenever anyone would call it the best era ever, because I was of the opinion that despite how groundbreaking the original SNL was, that era was so inconsistent and VERY hit-and-miss due to how wildly experimental the show’s format was back then. I had felt that, in order to call an SNL era the best ever, it needs to be one that’s a little more consistent in how strong it was, which for me has always been the late 80s era. Well, after now reviewing the whole original era, I’ve seen that it was nowhere near as inconsistent or hit-and-miss as I had thought. Once the show found it’s footing sometime in 1976, the era was pretty smooth-sailing for a few years, particularly in seasons 3 and 4, which are two of the strongest SNL seasons of all-time and contain a surprisingly good number of flawless episodes that have no bad sketches. The era unfortunately ended on a fairly rough note with the disappointing season 5, but looking at this era as a whole, I would now say that it’s a close second to the late 80s as the best SNL era.
HOW THIS EPISODE STACKS UP AGAINST THE PRECEDING ONE (Steve Martin):
— a step up
My full set of screencaps for this episode is here
TOMORROW:
Well, folks, for the very first time in my SNL project, after going through five seasons of having the comfort of the original cast, I enter brand new territory…. and dangerous territory at that, because it’s the notorious season 6. Elliott Gould hosts the first episode.
According to Bill in the Shales/Miller book, he was chastised by the crew for shooting a flash bulb into the camera during Update. Didn’t realize that happened so late into the run, though.
Also, crew member and “new cast member” Lee Mayman is the RDJ lookalike you noticed in the “St. Mickey’s Knights of Columbus” sketches.
Great reviews overall, Stooge. Eager to see your take on the Doumanian/Ebersol years.
Congratulations on completing the first era! I look forward to Season Six. My guess is, you’ll find it’s not as legendarily bad as the mythology that’s grown around it. Doumanian’s reign is a definite step down, but people tend to forget that SNL, even at its best, is a laboratory of hits and misses.
And likewise and its worst it was not all bad.
A couple of things:
1. Andrew Gold was the musical guest because he was Laraine’s boyfriend at the time. He is best known as the composer of the Golden Girls theme.
2. The crall at the end of Cow Minders Daughter came up late causing Laraine and Bill to stall for time. That whole joke Bill told was stretching.
3. Jim Downey’s (who was a writer again from 1984 until 2010) George Bush was originally how Carvey did him in 87-88 season, until he got the nomination and Carvey saw more of him and created his own impression.
Andrew Gold also had a hit with the tune “Lonely Boy”, that I’m surprised that he didn’t play on this appearance.
Hey, as someone who just started watching all of SNL from season one all the way to today, I’m loving this guide/reviews! I hope you keep this going all the way, and I’ll be going all the way along with you!
excellent job on the first 5 seasons. I watched a ton of these episodes when they were first run and the nostalgia has been so much fun. It’s funny because I’d kinda forgotten how much I missed that original cast. They were all so good.
Looking forward to going through the 80’s….I barely ever watched the show then. Should be interesting.
The first three shows are shaky, agreed, but interesting. Whereas the stretch from Garr to Dangerfield feels burnt out before they rally for the last few shows of the year.
My idea for what season 6 cast would have been — had Lorne turned day-to-day over the Franken & Davis — based on who was around and already auditioning BEFORE Lorne went on vacation: Shaffer, Downey, Novello, Piscopo (not a typo), Valri Bromfield, Emily Prager, Yvonne Hudson, Gilda and/or Laraine
Wasn’t Piscopo supposedly on a reel of performers that was pulled together for the show after Belushi/ Aykroyd left in 1979? According to the Hill/ Weingrad book he was known to Brandon Tartikoff for appearing in the infamous “A Dog’s Life” pilot that was burned off that summer
I read a Piscopo interview in which he said Aykroyd was among those scouting his stand up, but I don’t think he said when.
According to Neil Levy, Lorne had six weeks to find replacements (for Dan). He scouted Paul Reubens who he said was “one note”, Piscopo, and saw videos of Rocket (that’s how Jean saw him). Gilda pushed for Martin Short, but he was already signed by ABC for the Associates. Finally, Al Franken mentioned Harry Shearer, who never let him forget it. Also, Andy Breckman lost out of the writer’s spot that went to the Gammill / Pross duo. He went to Letterman and then joined SNL in 1983.
As the cast starts leaving the stage, watch Bill Murray and Harry Shearer: I may be imagining things, but it looks like Jane or Gilda is about to step off stage (I forget which) and Bill pulls Harry back from leaving, giving him a kind of chastising look in the process. Weird.
Watching the episode, I think you may have misinterpreted what happened there. It looks to me like Bill and Harry were watching each other, then held hands stepping off together in either a pre-planned move or a friendly gesture (because they both reach for the other, and then raise them above their heads as stepping off the stage). From what Harry said in the uncensored history of SNL book, I got the impression that Bill and Gilda were the only two cast or crew he had any modicum of a friendly relationship with.
Here’s the tally of five star sketches from 79-80:
What the Hell is That? (Steve Martin)
Bad Clams (Buck Henry)
Dark Shadows (Martin Sheen)
Java Junkie (Ted Knight)
Jewess Jeans (Elliot Gould)
Monologue (Rodney Dangerfield)
Royal Party (Buck Henry)
Seven sketches. To be honest, more than I was expecting, though I don’t hate the season, it’s just that the most interesting stuff is found in the margins. I’ve sat with the sketch long enough to believe that Backer’s Audition is the true masterpiece of the season, containing what might be Murray’s finest performance. Also, justice for the Anchovy Council sketch. It’s no masterpiece, but I really love it.
Carson you are reading my mind in the unrecognized gems. I would add Stereo 105 (Hesseman), my beloved Joey Bishop, Dave’s Variety Store and maybe the French camp sketch from Strother Martin… a surprisingly strong episode that Stooge seemed to enjoy a lot, but somehow didn’t have any 5 stars
As a companion piece to Carson’s list, here’s an Honorable Mentions list compiled of all the sketches I rated four-and-a-half stars this season:
Shoe Store (Eric Idle)
The Black Shadow (Bill Russell)
Driving (Buck Henry)
Andy Kaufman (Ted Knight)
Substitute Judge (Rodney Dangerfield)
French Camp (Strother Martin)
Invasion Of The Brain Snatchers (Strother Martin)
Monologue (Steve Martin)
Stretch Marks (Steve Martin)
I don’t think this is a bad season either, definitely underwhelming though. The departure of both Dan and John was huge.
I’m surprised at the number of 5-star sketches as well. I feel that of the seven sketches the only one truly deserving of the 5-star is Royal Party (Lord and Lady Douchebag).
Now, I look forward to finding out if there are any 5-stars in Season 6. 🙂
It’s not a bad season, but I think the nature of the (better) humor changes more–I get more enjoyment out of the softer, more conceptual sketches than the recurring characters or more wild humor in years past. One of the interesting things about the better SNL periods/seasons is how the style of comedy changes–I like, say, seasons 4, 5, 10, 14, and 18 pretty well, but the styles are different.
For anyone interested, here are all the * and *1/2 star sketches starting with the first five years. (GW=Gary Weis)
Season 1
TRY-HARD 1-11 (Paul Simon) *
FELINA CAT FOOD (Rob Reiner) *
MARK HAMPTON AND DENNY DILLON (Rob Reiner) *1/2
LONG DISTANCE (Candice Bergen) *
BELL-HOP (Lily Tomlin) *
JIM HENSONS’S MUPPETS (Richard Pryor) *1/2
MEL’S CHAR PALACE, PART 3 (Candice Bergen) *1/2
JIM HENSON’S MUPPETS (Elliott Gould) *1/2
JIM HENSON’S MUPPETS (Buck Henry) *1/2
THE PARAMOUNT NOVELTY STORE-GW (Peter Cook & Dudley Moore) *
HAPPY HOUR (Anthony Perkins) *1/2
CATS & DOGS-GW (Anthony Perkins) *1/2
YOU GOT A BEE (Anthony Perkins) *1/2
BILL CRYSTAL (Ron Nessen) *
BISEXUAL MINUTE (Raquel Welch) *1/2
NIAGARA FALLS-GW (Dyan Cannon) *1/2
UNCLE CHARLIE’S SCHOOL-GW (Elliott Gould) *
MONOLOGUE (Louise Lasser) *1/2
LOUISE & DOG (Louise Lasser) *
DINER FILM (Louise Lasser) *
LOUISE LASSER RAMBLING PIECE (Louise Lasser) *
Season 2
TAYLOR MEAD-GW (Lily Tomlin) *1/2
REUNION (Karen Black) *1/2
MOBILE SHRINK (Dick Cavett) *1/2
WHAT KINDA GUY WATCHES SATURDAY NIGHT? (Jodie Foster) *1/2
KIDS’ DREAMS-GW (Jodie Foster) *
DIANA NYAD-GW (Candice Bergen) *1/2
LITTLE OLD LADIES OF THE NIGHT (Ruth Gordon) *1/2
THE LAST DAYS OF HOWARD HUGHES (Ruth Gordon) *1/2
NEW ORLEANS SOUL FOOD RESTAURANT-GW (Steve Martin) *1/2
BATON-GW (Sissy Spacek) *1/2
OUTTAKES (Sissy Spacek) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (Jack Burns) *1/2
MARINE WEDDING (Jack Burns) *1/2
THE STORY OF THE SQUATTERS (Jack Burns) *1/2
PATTI SMITH-GW (Julian Bond) *1/2
RHONDA’S BRIDAL SHOWER (Buck Henry) *1/2
Season 3
BIANCA JAGGER AND THREE OR FOUR OF HER CLOSE PERSONAL FRIENDS (Madeline Kahn) *1/2
AUTUMN IN NEW YORK (Madeline Kahn) *1/2
DAME EDNA (Madeline Kahn) *
THE PLAYBOY PHILOSOPHY (Hugh Hefner) *1/2
FRANKLYN AJAYE (Ray Charles) *1/2
LIFE AFTER DEATH (Buck Henry) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (Mary Kay Place) *1/2
SERMONETTE (Chevy Chase) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (O.J. Simpson) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (Jill Clayburgh) *
COLD AS ICE-GW (Christopher Lee) *1/2
MONOLOGUE (Michael Sarrazin) *1/2
SODOM CHAMBER OF COMMERCE (Buck Henry) *1/2
Season 4
NIGHT ON FREAK MOUNTAIN (Frank Zappa) *
MR. BILL IS LATE (Walter Matthau) *
EX-POLICE (Cicely Tyson) *
CICELY SINGS SICILY (Cicely Tyson) *
MONOLOGUE (Milton Berle) *1/2
THE WIDETTES (Milton Berle) *1/2
THE LAUNCHING PAD (Milton Berle) *
FARBERS RETIREMENT HOME (Milton Berle) *
SEPTEMBER SONG (Milton Berle) *
MONOLOGUE (Maureen Stapleton) *1/2
Season 5
HARDCORE II (Eric Idle) *1/2
THE CONTINUING CORRESPONDENCE OF ELEANOR ROOSEVELT (Bill Russell) *
MR. BILL STAYS HOME (Bill Russell) *
THE MYSTERY OF TOAD ISLAND (Buck Henry) *1/2
MR. BILL BUILDS A HOUSE (Bea Arthur) *1/2
MINOTA AM3 (Martin Sheen) *1/2
POLICE P.S.A. (Ted Knight) *1/2
YOU CAN’T WIN! (Chevy Chase) *
THE SUBWAY GENIE (Elliott Gould) *1/2
MANHASSET (Rodney Dangerfield) *1/2
ROAD TO MOSCOW (Rodney Dangerfield) *
AMERICA ON THE JOB (Rodney Dangerfield) *1/2
ROMAN VOMITORIUM (Burt Reynolds) *1/2
REAGAN DINNER (Steve Martin) *1/2
DEER CROSSING (Steve Martin) *1/2
COW MINDER’S DAUGHTER (Buck Henry) *1/2
Thanks for doing this, Vax. Please continue this for other seasons if you can.
Here are the average ratings for Season 5:
*may not represent review’s perception*
501: 6.5 (Steve Martin)
502: 6.5 (Eric Idle)
503: 5.5 (Bill Russell)
504: 6.9 (Buck Henry)
505: 6.6 (Bea Arthur)
506: 7.3 (Howard Hesseman)
507: 5.8 (Martin Sheen)
508: 6.1 (Ted Knight)
509: 5.6 (Teri Garr)
510: 5.9 (Chevy Chase)
511: 5.3 (Elliott Gould)
512: 5.9 (Kirk Douglas)
513: 5.7 (Rodney Dangerfield)
514: 5.8 (100th Episode)
515: 6.8 (Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss)
516: 5.2 (Burt Reynolds)
517: 7.0 (Strother Martin)
518: 6.5 (Bob Newhart)
519: 5.8 (Steve Martin)
520: 6.9 (Buck Henry)
Best Episode: 506 (Howard Hesseman)- 7.3
Worst Episode: 516 (Burt Reynolds)- 5.2
Season Average: 6.2
I’m curious what Vax Novier’s list of average ratings would look like if it was ranked from best episode to worst, so I’ll do it below:
506: 7.3 (Howard Hesseman)
517: 7.0 (Strother Martin)
504: 6.9 (Buck Henry 1)
520: 6.9 (Buck Henry 2)
515: 6.8 (Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss)
505: 6.6 (Bea Arthur)
501: 6.5 (Steve Martin 1)
502: 6.5 (Eric Idle)
518: 6.5 (Bob Newhart)
508: 6.1 (Ted Knight)
510: 5.9 (Chevy Chase)
512: 5.9 (Kirk Douglas)
507: 5.8 (Martin Sheen)
514: 5.8 (100th Episode)
519: 5.8 (Steve Martin 2)
513: 5.7 (Rodney Dangerfield)
509: 5.6 (Teri Garr)
503: 5.5 (Bill Russell)
511: 5.3 (Elliott Gould)
516: 5.2 (Burt Reynolds)
Biggest surprises:
— Howard Hesseman having the highest rating average of the season, though that was a really solid episode. I’m not sure what I expected to get the highest rating average of this odd season, though. I guess this season doesn’t have an episode that’s universally considered a true classic.
— Burt Reynolds having the lowest rating average of the season. Not a good episode, but if I could review the episode again, I’d probably go a little easier on that Vomitorium sketch. Similar to what I said above about the best episode of the season, I’m not sure what I expected to get the lowest rating average of this odd season. I knew it would be something from the rough second half of the season, though.
— Steve Martin 1 and Eric Idle, the first two episodes of this season, each having a decent rating average, considering I recall feeling those episodes were fairly weak ways to kick off the season.
— The Chevy Chase episode not having a lower rating average. Maybe Chevy’s disastrous hosting performance and that god-awful You Can’t Win sketch makes me remember that episode as being worse than I deemed it in my review.
— The 100th episode being ranked fairly low. I recall stating in my review that it was the first decent episode of the second half of this season. I guess that wasn’t saying much.
— The overall season average was higher than I (and probably other people) expected. The decent first half of the season probably helped a lot. By the way, you can really see from Vax’s list how downhill this season went in the second half. Geez, it took that half of the season FOUR MONTHS until they had their first episode with a rating average higher than the number 5 (Richard Benjamin and Paula Prentiss).
I was surprised by the rating for the Chevy Chase episode too and even went back several times to make sure it was right. It could possibly be because of the low number of ratable segments (9) with several having 4 stars (Pre-Chew Charlie’s, Talking Letter, even WU was above it’s usual ***)
R.I.P. Buck?
Completely heartbroken. I literally spent the last week chatting with multiple people about how he is my all-time favorite host and how little appreciation he gets as too many have forgotten him. I sure hope they run one of his greatest sketches as a tribute.
He and Steve Martin were for all intents and purposes cast members, and Buck was apparently heavily influential in setting the tone for the show in the early days.
I came into SNL through the Nick at Nite repeats, edited down to a half-hour and frequently containing the ‘greatest hits.’ So Buck truly was like a cast member to me. I was pleased when I finally watched the full versions and saw that the editing wasn’t generous to him – he was just as good, just as droll, just as perfect a straight man (always with the right amount of edge to avoid being a square), and was just the right type of mentor figure to balance the ‘wild and crazy’ cast. I can’t imagine SNL without him. I hope the show will remember him in some way, even if many today have no real idea of just how much he meant to the show.
Here are some short clips with him talking about SNL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrQZORhBNt8&t=2s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5RmkYUqePk
I did something stupid and did my personal rankings of Stooge’s five star pieces (with comments!). Don’t ask me why. I’ll try and do other eras some time too. Note: this is just Stooge’s five star pieces, so many of my personal favorites are not on here.
1. The Pepsi Syndrome (Richard Benjamin) 78-79
The best execution of a highly ambitious piece. An amazing setup, an incredible payoff, and delightful details throughout (Franken and Davis, Baba Wawa, Rodney Dangerfield!). An actual sketch comedy masterpiece.
2. The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise (Elliot Gould) 75-76
Another highly ambitious piece with a perfect payoff. The impressions are fun, but the meta-commentary is sublime.
3. Royal Party (Buck Henry) 79-80
I love how the setup to the big reveal actually seems like it’s good enough on its on. The rest is absolute gravy.
4. Andy Kaufman (Ralph Nader) 76-77
Foreign Man turning into Elvis and back is still one of the most truly intoxicating performance pieces I’ve ever seen.
5. Andy Kaufman (Art Garfunkel) 77-78
The Great Gatsby bit – Andy’s most sinister prank. I love it.
6. Joe Cocker (Rob Reiner) 75-76
Absolutely mind-blowing solo performance.
7. The Twilight Zone ( Rick Nelson) 78-79
Underrated gem. Slightly of its time what with referencing old sitcoms from the 50s, but a conceptual bulls-eye and Aykroyd is incredible throughout.
8. What the Hell is That? (Steve Martin) 79-80
So stupid, so simple, so funny.
9. Little Chocolate Donuts (Buck Henry) 77-78
Holding the cigarette while eating the donut does it for me.
10. Attacks of the Atomic Lobsters (Robert Klein) 77-78
Stoned ambition – a classic glimpse of the gonzo genius that defined the 77-78 season.
11. Dancing in the Dark (Steve Martin) 77-78
Pure slapstick joy.
12. The French Chef (Eric Idle) 78-79
Bloody perfect execution.
13. Swill (Madeline Kahn) 77-78
Great smarm by Billyplus a truly disgusting visual.
14. Final Days (Madeline Kahn) 75-76
Nasty political satire in a vein SNL would rarely if ever return to.
15. Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute (Margot Kidder) 78-79
A perfect choice of charcterization for Aykroyd.
16. Debate 76 (Lily Tomlin) 76-77
Remember when SNL’s debate sketches were actually good?
17. New Kid (Broderick Crawford) 76-77
A monumental moment for SNL’s most enduring star.
18. Beatle Offer (Raquel Welch) 75-76
Droll and smartly stupid. Funny in a way SNL is very rarely funny.
19. Winter Wonderland (Candice Bergen) 75-76
A joy to watch. I have this attached to some very strong SNL/Christmas memories.
20. Don’t Look Back In Anger (Art Garfunkel) 77-78
The best of a run of very strong Schiller pieces.
21. Royal Deluxe II (Steve Martin) 77-78
The shot of Garrett checking on the procedure from the driver’s seat gets me every time.
22. King Tut (Steve Martin) 77-78
So stupid. Peak goofball Steve Martin.
23. Monologue (Paul Simon) 76-77
Not sure why this still works for me, but a lot of it has to do with how perfectly Paul Simon plays his embarrassment.
24. Gary Gilmore (Candice Bergen) 76-77
So dark and nasty. A lost quality.
25. Andy Kaufman (George Carlin) 75-76
Overexposed, but still expertly performed.
26. La Dolce Gilda (Michael Sarrazin) 77-78
Awesome Fellini pastiche.
27. Monologue (Richard Pryor) 75-76
Standup ages weird, but Pryor largely holds up quite well.
28. Bad Clams (Buck Henry) 79-80
Love this sketch. An absurdist gem.
29. Nick Winters (Robert Klein) 77-78
The first big Lounge Singer sketch, but I think Murray gave better performances in later installments.
30. Super Bass-O-Matic 76 (Ron Nessen) 75-76
I find the fast talking pitchman routine of Aykroyd, Piscopo and Dave Thomas to have aged really weirdly, but the absurdity of this piece still holds up.
31. Word Association (Richard Pryor) 75-76
I mean, it’s a mega classic to the nth degree, but I still find the cultural critique element to be quite overblown and the big punchline to be a little limp. *shrug*
32. Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) 78-79
Belushi is fabulous and it’s a ton of fun, but I don’t know if I’m necessarily laughing a bunch.
33. Right to Extreme Stupidity League (Candice Bergen) 76-77
A GREAT blooper. A largely whatever sketch though.
34. Andy Kaufman (Candice Bergen) 75-76
Not Andy’s tightest concept, but I still enjoy it.
35. Hey You! (Mary Kay Place) 77-78
It’s very of its time, but still has some funny turns.
36. Endings (Chevy Chase) 77-78
Underrated no doubt. Chaotic fun that just doesn’t feel like a classic.
37. Jewess Jeans (Elliot Gould) 79-80
Gilda’s great, but it feels like the least of the great commercial parodies.
38. Santi-Wrap (Candice Bergen) 76-77
Lots of laughs, even if the concept is a little rinky-dink.
39. Perchance To Dream (Gary Busey) 78-79
Honker is a great character and this is a great showcase. No issues with this one, just doesn’t feel upper echelon.
40. What If? (Michael Palin) 78-79
I originally had this lower, but I do generally like it a lot. A lesser great sketch from 78-79.
41. Andy Kaufman (Mary Kay Place) 77-78
The conga one – not my favorite.
42. Consumer Probe (Candice Bergen) 76-77
The Consumer Probes were always very good. I don’t have any of them rated terribly highly though. Maybe I’m just overly familiar with them.
43. Godfather Therapy (Elliot Gould) 75-76
John and Laraine are great, though I never quite understood what the point of the sketch was. Feels like a Second City piece.
44. Richard Pryor Standup #2 (Richard Pryor) 75-76
Solid stuff from Pryor. Just solid.
45. Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber (Steve Martin) 77-78
For some reason this sketch checks all the right boxes, but it never did much for me.
46. Dark Shadows (Martin Sheen) 79-80
Same with this. Perfect execution, well-paced, well-performed. Technically great – just don’t love it.
47. Monologue (Rodney Dangerfield) 79-80
Sometimes I’m in the mood for Rodney, other times I’m not. Last time I watched this I was not in the mood for Rodney.
48. Beethoven, Part 3 (Lily Tomlin) 75-76
A fun conclusion to what I find to be a tepid runner.
50. The Killer Trees (Candice Bergen) 76-77
A little messy. I still generally like it, but I merely find it “good.”
51. Name The Bats (Michael Palin) 78-79
Great absurd concept, but the sketch is a mess.
52. Bride of Frankenstein (Madeline Kahn) 75-76
Great performance. Need to revisit. Unless it’s permanently wedged into my brain (like Winter Wonderland), these less-than comedic pieces will always get the shaft.
52. Homeward Bound (Candice Bergen) 75-76
It’s sweet.
53. Chevy’s Girls (Norman Lear) 76-77
A sort-of famous piece that sees the most talented members of SNL standing around asking “Where’s Poochie?”
54. Java Junkie (Ted Knight) 79-80
The greatest Peter Aykroyd performance, which is worth approximately nothing.
Oh, I should clarify, these is just for this five-year era.
No Miles Cowperthwaite?
OK, I’m going to start another thing because I (we) have a little time to kill.
Presenting my top 10 Season 1-5 sketches that did NOT receive five stars from Stooge:
1. Nerds & Milt (Richard Benjamin) 78-79
My second favorite sketch of the era. Also my second favorite sketch of the episode. I get that the sketch takes a little while to get to the great stuff, but the journey is worthwhile and the destination is maybe the single funniest moment of the entire era. So much of SNL’s lore is about single indelible moments that tap into the transcendent nature of great live comedy. The extended kiss and physical shenanigans is, to me, the perfect encapsulation of the special energy of not just Murray and Radner, but the entire early era of the show. This sketch is a masterpiece of performance and chemistry.
2. Impressionist Michael O’Donoghue (Buck Henry) 75-76
A joke that always tickled me. This bit not only captures O’Donoghue’s trademark darkness, but also the ability for that darkness to be, you know, actually funny.
3. Killer Bees (Elliott Gould) 75-76
OK, loving this sketch requires a certain erasure of the Gilda-Elliott wedding runner, but it’s probably SNL’s earliest example of meta humor and it’s still one of its funniest. Here, the “character” of Lorne is introduced amid a decent-ish Bees sketch. Everything breaks down and the real fun of dismantling the show – and the format of TV for that matter – begins. There are only a handful of examples of this kind of humor throughout SNL’s history. This is one of the earliest and still one of the best.
4. Backer’s Audition (Bea Arthur) 79-80
The secret masterpiece of the 79-80 season. This Shearer/Shaffer creation is long and ambitious, but also delightfully inane in a way that we wouldn’t see again until This Is Spinal Tap a view years later. Everyone is tremendous here, but Murray gives a career best performance with his “Burglar of Love” song. Shearer’s humor never found a home on SNL, but I am so grateful for the morsels of highly intelligent stupidity that is available. Outside of the Synchronized Swimmers sketch, this is his finest work on SNL.
5. Operation (Rob Reiner) 75-76
Speaking of genius-level comedians that never got their due on SNL. The rep on this Albert Brooks film is that it’s length and pacing badly threw SNL’s equilibrium out of wack in its third episode (the supposedly “disastrous” but actually quite fun Rob Reiner episode). Apparently Lorne was pissed at Brooks and somehow this piece is considered “not good.” Far from it. While more indulgent in terms of run time, Operation is probably the smartest piece that SNL aired during its first calendar year. More than most of SNL’s early humor, Brooks’ pieces still hold up nearly a half century later. This film in particular hints at the genius we would see in classic films like Real Life, Modern Romance and Lost In America.
6. AM-FM (Eric Idle) 76-77
The height of Dan Aykroyd’s powers. As the original cast’s most consistently strong castmember (give or take a misbegotten year as a Weekend Update anchor), Aykroyd was tasked with being the utility man’s utility man (before Phil Hartman created the role in hi own image). When Aykroyd was allowed to indulge, however, the results spoke to the true freak he really was. This solo piece from the essential 1976 Eric Idle episode, gives you a glimpse into the startling power and precision of Dan Aykroyd. It’s a brilliant piece that Aykroyd’s carries with unparalleled ferocity.
7. Lucy A-Bomb (Broderick Crawford) 76-77
I didn’t realize this wasn’t widely regarded as a classic. A very 70s SNL dark spin on a TV Golden Age classic. Morbid, but accessible, basically everything that’s great about SNL in this era.
8. Cold Opening (Candice Bergen) 75-76
The best Gerald Ford sketch. The best Chevy Chase fall. The best pure Cold Open sketch of the early era (non-Blues Brothers division).
9. Dragnet/Drag Racing Today (Eric Idle) 76-77
Eric Idle brings his form-defying, diverting Monty Python style to SNL and finds a willing co-conspirator in Aykroyd (who else?). The drag joke here is one thing, but the way SNL totally disrupts its own format is what sets this sketch apart and gives this episode its particularly exciting feel. This episode still holds up as one of the most inventive of the show’s storied, largely uninventive history.
10. The Decabet (Raquel Welch) 75-76
Another masterfully inventive sketch paired with a locked-in and precise performance from Aykroyd. This is low-key one of the best pieces of the first season, outranking some more widely praised sketches from the era.
Anyway, there’s my 10. There are more that I would also want to defend (I really think those Nick the Lounge Singer sketches got better), but I’d rather run with my elite group.
Man, I thought I was the only one that loves the Albert Brooks “Operation” film. That and “NBC Super Season” are two of the funniest things in the first season.
“8. Cold Opening (Candice Bergen) 75-76”
The one with the Christmas tree or the one from her first episode?
Here are the 25 highest-rated episodes from SNL’s Golden Age (1975-1980):
25: 4/19/80: Strother Martin / The Specials (7.0)
24: 4/16/77: Elliott Gould / The McGarrigle Sisters, Roslyn Kind (7.0)
23: 10/23/76: Steve Martin / Kinky Friedman (7.0)
22: 11/22/75: Lily Tomlin (7.0)
21: 11/4/78: Steve Martin / Van Morrison (7.1)
20: 4/8/78: Michael Palin / Eugene Record (7.1)
19: 1/28/78: Robert Klein / Bonnie Raitt (7.1)
18: 3/11/78: Art Garfunkel / Stephen Bishop (7.2)
17: 10/30/76: Buck Henry / The Band (7.2)
16: 9/25/76: Norman Lear / Boz Scaggs (7.2)
15: 12/8/79: Howard Hesseman / Randy Newman (7.3)
14: 10/14/78: Fred Willard / Devo (7.3)
13: 5/13/78: Richard Dreyfuss / Jimmy Buffett, Gary Tigerman (7.3)
12: 9/24/77: Steve Martin / Jackson Browne and The Section (7.3)
11: 11/20/76: Paul Simon / George Harrison (7.3)
10: 2/17/79: Rick Nelson / Judy Collins (7.4)
9: 12/13/75: Richard Pryor / Gil Scott-Heron (7.4)
8: 1/15/77: Ralph Nader / George Benson (7.5)
7: 4/7/79: Richard Benjamin / Rickie Lee Jones (7.6)
6: 3/17/79: Margot Kidder / The Chieftans (7.6)
5: 1/27/79: Michael Palin / The Doobie Brothers (7.6)
4: 12/9/78: Eric Idle / Kate Bush (7.6)
3: 3/10/79: Gary Busey / Eubie Blake and Gregory Hines (7.8)
2: 12/11/76: Candice Bergen / Frank Zappa (7.8)
1: 4/22/78: Steve Martin / The Blues Brothers (8.0)
Exactly 25 episodes rated 7.0 or above; 2 from season 1; 7 from season 2; 6 from season 3; 8 from season 4; 2 from season 5.
Five-Timers Individual Ranking
7.2 – Buck Henry/The Band (2.06)
6.9 – Buck Henry/Gordon Lightfoot (1.21)
6.9 – Buck Henry/Jennifer Warnes (2.22)
6.9 – Buck Henry/Tom Petty (5.04)
6.9 – Buck Henry/Andrew Gold (5.20)
6.6 – Buck Henry/Bill Withers (1.10)
6.4 – Buck Henry/Leon Redbone (3.06)
6.4 – Buck Henry/Bette Midler (4.20)
6.2 – Buck Henry/Grateful Dead (4.05)
5.3 – Buck Henry/Sun Ra (3.20)
I felt a little sad the first time I watched this too! Buck henry is my favorite host, and the three Uncle Roy sketches are masterpieces!
Anthony Peter Coleman, I believe he’s referring to the Christmas tree Cold Open when referencing the Candice Bergen ep from the first season.