Saturday Night Live (season 1)

Saturday Night Live Season 1
The Saturday Night Live title card as seen in the opening credits of the 1st season.
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	24
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Original run	October 11, 1975 – July 31, 1976
Home video release
DVD release date	December 5, 2006
Season chronology
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The first season of Saturday Night Live, the weekly late-night 90-minute American sketch comedy/variety show on NBC, aired during the 1975–1976 television season. Saturday Night Live premiered on October 11, 1975 and consisted of a total of 24 episodes, the last of which aired on July 31, 1976.

In 1974, NBC Tonight Show host Johnny Carson requested that the weekend broadcasts of "Best of Carson" (officially known as The Weekend Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson) come to an end (back then, The Tonight Show was a 90-minute program), so that Carson could take two weeknights off and NBC would thus air those repeats on those nights rather than feed them to affiliates for broadcast on either Saturdays or Sundays. Given Carson's undisputed status as the dean of late-night television, NBC heard his request as an ultimatum, fearing he might use the issue as grounds to defect to either ABC or CBS. To fill the gap, the network drew up some ideas and brought in Dick Ebersol – a protégé of legendary ABC Sports president Roone Arledge – to develop a 90-minute late-night variety show. Ebersol's first order of business was hiring a young Canadian producer named Lorne Michaels to be the show-runner.

Television production in New York was already in decline in the mid-1970s (The Tonight Show had departed for Los Angeles two years prior), so NBC decided to base the show at their studios in Rockefeller Center to offset the overhead of maintaining those facilities. Michaels was given Studio 8H, a converted radio studio that prior to that point was most famous for having hosted Arturo Toscanini and the NBC Symphony Orchestra from 1937 to 1951, but was being used largely for network election coverage by the mid-1970s.

When the first show aired on October 11, 1975 with George Carlin as its host, it was called NBC's Saturday Night because ABC featured a program at the same time titled Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. After ABC cancelled the Cosell program in 1976, the NBC program changed its name to Saturday Night Live on March 26, 1977 (and subsequently picked up Bill Murray from Cosell's show in 1977, as well). Don Pardo introduced the cast on the first show as the "The not for ready, prime time players" instead of their actual name as "The Not Ready For Prime Time Players."

The show was intended to have just six episodes. The original concept was for a comedy-variety show featuring young comedians, live musical performances, short films by Albert Brooks, and segments by Jim Henson featuring atypically adult and abstract characters from the Muppets world. Rather than have one permanent host, Michaels elected to have a different guest host each week (Albert Brooks was originally booked to be a permanent host, and claims it was his idea to have a different host each week). The first episode featured two musical guests (Billy Preston and Janis Ian), and the second episode, hosted by Paul Simon on October 18, was almost entirely a musical variety show with various acts. The Not Ready For Prime-Time Players did not appear in this episode at all, other than as the bees with Simon telling them they were cancelled and Chase in the opening and "Weekend Update". Over the course of Season 1, sketch comedy would begin to dominate the show and SNL would more closely resemble its current format.

The first cast member hired was Gilda Radner. The rest of the cast included fellow Second City alumni Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, as well as National Lampoon "Lemmings" alumnus Chevy Chase (whose trademark became his usual falls and opening spiel that cued the show's opening), Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris. The original head writer was Michael O'Donoghue, a writer at National Lampoon who had worked alongside several cast members while directing The National Lampoon Radio Hour. The original theme music was written by future Academy Award–winning composer Howard Shore, who – along with his band (occasionally billed as the "All Nurse Band" or "All Angel Band") – was the original band leader on the show. Paul Shaffer, who would go on to lead David Letterman's band on Late Night and then The Late Show, was also band leader in the early years. George Coe was hired because NBC wanted to have an older person in the cast.

Much of the talent pool involved in the inaugural season was recruited from the National Lampoon Radio Hour, an inventive, nationally syndicated comedy series that often satirized current events. Actors and writers from Radio Hour received much more exposure and recognition on Saturday Night.

Andy Kaufman made several appearances that were popular with the audience over the season, while The Muppets' Land of Gorch bits were very unpopular with the audience and would be dropped from the show in the following season.

This would be the only season for Coe and O'Donoghue. While Coe left the show all together, O'Donoghue would continue to work for the show as a writer.

Cast

Repertory cast members

• Dan Aykroyd
• John Belushi
• Chevy Chase
• Jane Curtin
• Garrett Morris
• Laraine Newman
• Gilda Radner

Former Cast Members-These Cast Members were featured on the first three episodes

• George Coe
• Michael O'Donoghue

Featured cast members

(none)

bold denotes Weekend Update anchor

Writers

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live writers#Season 1

The original writing staff included Anne Beatts, Chevy Chase, Tom Davis, Al Franken, Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Michael O'Donoghue, Herb Sargent, Tom Schiller, Rosie Shuster and Alan Zweibel.

Episodes

Episode Number	Date	Host	Musical Guest	Remarks
1	October 11, 1975	George Carlin	Billy Preston Janis Ian	This is the first episode of the series. The first sketch is John Belushi as a foreign man learning English which Andy Kaufman, later in his career, adopts as his Foreign Man character According to the cast list shown on screen, the Players include George Coe and Michael O'Donoghue. Future cast member Billy Crystal was scheduled to appear, but his stand-up segment was cut when the dress rehearsal ran long. Andy Kaufman's segment, which consisted of him playing the Mighty Mouse theme on a record player, survived editing cuts. On June 28, 2008, NBC cancelled a re-airing of the season 33 episode hosted by Ellen Page to air this episode following the death of George Carlin. Comedians Valri Bromfield and Andy Kaufman made guest appearances. Billy Preston performed "Nothing from Nothing" and "Fancy Lady." Janis Ian performed "At Seventeen" and "In the Winter."
2	October 18, 1975	Paul Simon	Randy Newman Phoebe Snow Art Garfunkel Jessy Dixon Singers	This episode contains an all-time record 11 musical performances. The Not Ready for Prime Time Players appear only as the Bees, in a sketch in which they break character while the host tells them their piece has been cut. Chevy Chase appears only in the cold opening and Weekend Update. Basketball player Connie Hawkins, sports commentator Marv Albert, and activist Jerry Rubin made cameo appearances. Most of the sketches were cut in order to extend Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel's musical set. They performed "The Boxer," "Scarborough Fair" and their then-new single "My Little Town." Paul Simon performed the songs "Still Crazy After All These Years," "Marie" and "American Tune" solo, and performed "Loves Me Like a Rock" with the Jessy Dixon Singers and "Gone at Last" with Phoebe Snow. Art Garfunkel performed the song "I Only Have Eyes for You." Randy Newman performed the song "Sail Away." Phoebe Snow performed the song "No Regrets." George Coe and Michael O'Donoghue are removed from the opening credits.
3	October 25, 1975	Rob Reiner		Rob Reiner is the first host to appear in full sketches with the regular cast. Denny Dillon appears as a "special guest" with Mark Hampton in a sketch as nuns running a parish talent show. Dillon would later become a cast member during the show's sixth season. Rob Reiner's then-wife Penny Marshall made three cameo appearances. Comedian Andy Kaufman made a cameo appearance. George Coe and Michael O'Donoghue's final appearance as cast members. Although they were no longer listed in the cast after this, Coe would continue to appear regularly until the end of the season and O'Donoghue would appear regularly until the end of the 4th season. George Coe is not listed in the opening credits. There was no billed musical guest for this episode. At host Reiner's request, John Belushi did his impersonation of Joe Cocker while performing "With a Little Help from My Friends" (which originated during Belushi's stint in National Lampoon's Lemmings). The show ended without a goodbye from the host or final credits. Credits were not created until the episode was rerun in 1978.
4	November 8, 1975	Candice Bergen	Esther Phillips	Bergen is the first woman to host the show. First appearance of the Landshark. Chevy Chase proclaims for the first time on Weekend Update, "I'm Chevy Chase... and you're not." Comedian Andy Kaufman made a cameo appearance. Esther Phillips performed the songs "What a Diff'rence a Day Made" and "I Can Stand a Little Rain."
5	November 15, 1975	Robert Klein	ABBA Loudon Wainwright III	ABBA makes two appearances, singing "S.O.S." on board the sinking "Titanic," and lip-synch their second number, "Waterloo." Captions informed the audience that "It's not their fault. The tapes didn't arrive from Sweden." Loudon Wainwright III performed the songs "Bicentennial" and "Unrequited to the Nth Degree." Host Robert Klein performed the song "I Can't Stop My Leg." First appearance of Emily Litella.
6	November 22, 1975	Lily Tomlin	Tomlin with Howard Shore & the All Nurse Band	Lily Tomlin is the first host to interact with the Muppets. She is also technically the first to host and be in the musical act, but the show was listed without a musical act. She performed the songs "St. James Infirmary Blues" and "Bee Bop."
7	December 13, 1975	Richard Pryor	Gil Scott-Heron	This episode had the first seven-second delay for "SNL." Pryor was first African-American to host "SNL." The West Coast airing of this episode bleeped out Richard Pryor saying "ass" during one of his stand-up routines. It has since been shown intact. Garrett Morris says "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" in this episode, one of only two Season One episodes in which the line is said by someone other than Chevy Chase. Pryor's ex-wife Shelley Pryor makes a cameo appearance. Gil Scott-Heron performed the songs "Johannesburg" and "A Lovely Day." The episode introduces the recurring catchphrase "Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead" during Weekend Update."
8	December 20, 1975	Candice Bergen	Martha Reeves The Stylistics	Candice Bergen became the first person to host the show a second time and the first to host more than once in the same season. Maggie Kuhn made a cameo appearance. Martha Reeves performed the songs "(Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher" and "Silver Bells." The Stylistics performed the song "You Make Me Feel Brand New." Candice Bergen performed the song "Winter Wonderland" with the cast (in which Garrett Morris sang the lead). The "Homeward Bound" short film from this episode was included in the prime-time special "SNL: Just Shorts."
9	January 10, 1976	Elliott Gould	Anne Murray	The first of Gould's six hosting stints. The last episode to feature a film by Albert Brooks. Paula Kahn made a cameo appearance. Anne Murray performed the songs "The Call" and "Boogie with You." Lorne Michaels makes his first appearance on the show. Future SNL cast member and writer (and future U.S. Senator) Al Franken makes an appearance along with future writer and occasional performer Tom Davis. Features the Interior Demolitionists sketch. This episode was submitted for the Emmy Award Consideration and won SNL their first Emmy in 1977
10	January 17, 1976	Buck Henry	Bill Withers Toni Basil	The first appearance of The Blues Brothers, in the Bees costumes, the first and last time the costumes would be used in the act. The first of Henry's ten hosting stints. Bill Withers performed the song "Ain't No Sunshine." Toni Basil performed the song "Wham."
11	January 24, 1976	Peter Cook Dudley Moore	Neil Sedaka	Don Pardo reads the names of the regular cast members during the opening credits for the first time. Cook and Moore are the first British performers to host and the first co-hosts. Neil Sedaka performed the songs "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" and "Lonely Nights."
12	January 31, 1976	Dick Cavett	Jimmy Cliff	Humorist Marshall Efron and Al Alen Petersen made cameo appearances. Jimmy Cliff performed the songs "The Harder They Come," "Many Rivers to Cross" and "Wahjahka Man." This was the second show to end without credits, as the show ran long with only the two bumpers appearing on the show before it ended. The ending was replaced with the closing credits from Cavett's second show in the following years.
13	February 14, 1976	Peter Boyle	Al Jarreau	The Shapiro Sisters dance and lip-sync the song "This Will Be." One of the sisters, Jenny, also appears in a sketch. Al Jarreau performs the songs "We Got By" and "Somebody's Watching You." Steven Spielberg makes an appearance in the audience while Peter Boyle sings a love song to his "wife".
14	February 21, 1976	Desi Arnaz	Desi Arnaz & Desi Arnaz Jr.	Though he is not the first host to perform musically on the show, Arnaz is the first host to be simultaneously credited as musical guest. Arnaz and his son performed the songs "Cuban Pete" and "Babalu." Actor Taylor Mead made a filmed cameo appearance.
15	February 28, 1976	Jill Clayburgh	Leon Redbone The Singing Idlers	A cappella group The Idlers and comedian Andy Kaufman made cameo appearances. Host Jill Clayburgh also appeared with these guests. This is Kaufman's fourth appearance Photographer and video artist William Wegman appears with his dog in Gary Weis's filmed piece. Leon Redbone performed the songs "Ain't Misbehavin'" and "Big Time Woman." The first appearance of Mister Bill in response to the show's request for home movies. Lorne Michaels makes his second appearance in a sketch, imploring Chevy to once again start the show with a pratfall.
16	March 13, 1976	Anthony Perkins	Betty Carter	This is the first episode to feature pictures of the cast in the opening credits. Betty Carter performed the songs "Music Maestro, Please / Swing Brother Swing" and "I Can't Help It."
17	April 17, 1976	Ron Nessen	Patti Smith Group	Ron Nessen, press secretary for President Gerald Ford, is the first political figure to host the show. Ford himself appears in a filmed segment during the cold opening where he opens the show with "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" after Chevy Chase's signature pratfall. Future cast member Billy Crystal appears on the show for the first time, performing a monologue. First appearance of Dan Aykroyd as talk show host Tom Snyder. Patti Smith Group performed the song "Gloria" and "My Generation."
18	April 24, 1976	Raquel Welch	Phoebe Snow John Sebastian	Lorne Michaels appears on air, offering the Beatles $3,000 to perform three songs. This episode was originally supposed to have a sketch called "Planet of the Enormous Hooters," where a woman (Raquel Welch) gets banned from a planet of women who all have enormous breasts, but the sketch was cut after dress rehearsal. A version of the sketch would finally be used on the season 14 episode hosted by Dolly Parton. Raquel Welch performed the song "Superstar" with John Belushi as Joe Cocker, as well as "It Ain't Necessarily So." Phoebe Snow performed the songs "All Over" and "Two-Fisted Love." John Sebastian performed the song "Welcome Back" with John Belushi as Joe Cocker.
19	May 8, 1976	Madeline Kahn	Carly Simon	Carly Simon performed the songs "Half a Chance / You're So Vain" in a pre-taped segment with Chevy Chase playing cowbell.
20	May 15, 1976	Dyan Cannon	Leon and Mary Russell	Leon and Mary Russell performed the songs "Satisfy You" and "Daylight," the latter of which featured John Belushi as Joe Cocker. Leon Russell would not appear on SNL again for almost 35 years, an unofficial show record.
21	May 22, 1976	Buck Henry	Gordon Lightfoot	Lorne Michaels appears again, offering the Beatles $3,200 and free hotel accommodations to perform three songs. Gordon Lightfoot performed the songs "Summertime Dream" and "Spanish Moss." A third song ("Sundown") is interrupted by John Belushi's Samurai.
22	May 29, 1976	Elliott Gould	Leon Redbone Harlan Collins & Joyce Everson	Leon Redbone performed the songs "Shine On, Harvest Moon" and "Walking Stick." Harlan Collins & Joyce Everson performed "Heaven Only Knows." The sketch called The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise written by Michael O'Donoghue, a parody of the Star Trek TV series involving the crew trying to deal with the show's cancellation in 1968 became an instant cult classic among Star Trek fans and science fiction fans in general.
23	July 24, 1976	Louise Lasser	Preservation Hall Jazz Band	Actor Michael Sarrazin made a filmed cameo appearance. Preservation Hall Jazz Band performed the song "Panama." The first live broadcast in SNL history to air in July.
24	July 31, 1976	Kris Kristofferson	Rita Coolidge	Rita Coolidge performed the songs "Hula Hoop" and "Eddie the Eunuch." Host Kris Kristofferson performed the aforementioned guest vocal and performed the song "I've Got a Life of My Own." Kristofferson later admitted that he was drunk during the live show. The second (and last) live broadcast in SNL history to air in July.

References

http://news.google.com/archivesearch?pz=1&cf=all&ned=us&hl=en&q=toledo+blade&cf=all

See also: History of Saturday Night Live (1975–1980)