Next to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd, one of the best things to happen to rock
and roll in the ’70s was a late-night comedy show called Saturday Night.
The program made its auspicious debut on October 11, 1975 and instantly became
a watershed — a hip, irreverent marriage of comedy and music. Its amateurish
clumsiness and free-for-all, throw-caution-to-the-wind approach simply added
to its allure. Now available on DVD for the first time, Saturday Night
Live: The Complete First Season contains all 24 episodes in their original
90-minute format, adding up to more than 30 hours of hilarious characters and
memorable sketches, along with original musical performances by a roster of
chart-topping artists, and guest appearances by some of Hollywood’s most
acclaimed actors and comedians.
Back in 1975, seven performers came together as the Not Ready for Prime Time
Players to create a multiple the Emmy® Award-winning comedy showcase that
would become one of the most enduring and celebrated franchises in the history
of television. In that first season, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase,
Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris put their unforgettable
stamp on television comedy and shocked viewers with their smart and off-kilter
humor. The eight DVDs contained within feature all the unforgettable characters
and moments: the Killer Bees, the Land Shark, the Samurai, Bass-O-Matic, and
plenty others. The first episode tested the waters by working in stand-up routines
from George Carlin (the show’s very first host) and Andy Kaufman, along
with musical performances from Billy Preston and Janis Ian. Subsequent episodes,
while working the bugs out, usually began with Chevy Chase (when he was still
funny) taking one for the team via a stammering pratfall and the famous opening
line, ”Live from New York…it’s Saturday Night.” Throughout
the season, we are introduced to Weekend Update, Don Pardo, films by Albert
Brooks, Jim Henson’s Muppets, President Ford, human hair potholders, The
Dead String Quartet, painful rectal itch jam, Jerry Rubin selling protest wallpaper,
and numerous site gags and phony commercials. SNL hasn’t been the same
since.
In between the laughs, there was lots of eclectic music. Appearances by Randy
Newman, Esther Phillips, Phoebe Snow, Simon and Garfunkel, Abba, Loudon Wainwright,
John Sebastian, Gil Scott-Heron, The Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Kris Kristofferson,
Rita Coolidge, Patti Smith, Leon Redbone, Leon Russell, and Toni Basil (pre-Mickey)
all raised the bar on television’s relationship with the music community.
The rock and roll edge was well acknowledged by show’s cast, especially
Belushi, who embodied the lifestyle to the hilt. His impression of Joe Cocker
was startling in its accuracy. The wild comedian also played Beethoven with
a penchant for Ray Charles, the Samurai humming “Help Me Make It Through
The Night,” and a king bee singing, what else, “I’m A King
Bee.” And who could forget when producer Lorne Michaels showed up in front
of the camera for the first time with a modest proposal for the Beatles to reunite
for $3,000. Legend has it that John Lennon and Paul McCartney were together
in New York watching the episode and almost took a cab to NBC to accept the
offer. Saturday Night Live, now in its fourth decade, obviously has
had a cultural impact few other shows can claim. And watching the first season
drives that point home.
~ Shawn Perry.
