Saturday Night Live: The Complete Second Season, 1976-1977 (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been looking forward to this release as it includes the guest hosting performance of my favorite Jack Burns! It is terrific that they are finally getting full seasons out of SNL instead of compilation best of sets so that those, like myself, who want an episode featuring a legend (or perhaps a forgotten personality) from the past can get it in awesome DVD quality instead of settling for grainy unofficial recordings. There are lots of legends from the '70s guest hosting in this season including Vikings QB Fran Tarkenton. Revisit or perhaps see for the first time the SNL days with Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Laraine Newton, Dan Aykroyd etc. For a sneak peek at the best SNL episode ever (that just so happens to be on this season set), check out my webpage "Jack Burns Hosts Saturday Night Live."
Here's what's on this season:
1. Lily Tomlin/James Taylor (First aired: 9/18/1976)
Sketches include "Lily Won't Rehearse," "Debate '76," "The Muppet Morgue," "The Phone Company," "Women In Literature," "Tess DiSenzo," "Judith Beasley," "Television Viewer" (film), and "The Antler Dance." James Taylor performed "Shower the People," "Roadrunner," and "Sweet Baby James."
2. Norman Lear/Boz Scaggs First aired: 9/25/1976
Sketches include "Gilda's Fall," "Norman Fell's Actors" (film), "Jimmy Carter's Libido," "The Snakehandling O'Sheas," "Chevy's Girls," "Joseph Franklin's Metric Week," "Yankee Doodle Slapstick" (film) "Abusive Divorce Lawyer," "Rhodesian Peace Talks," "Norman's Joke," and "Spanish Peanuts" (film). Boz Skaggs performed "Lowdown" and "What Can I Say."
3. Eric Idle/Joe Cocker and Stuff (First aired: 10/2/1976)
Sketches include "Hospitalized Chevy Confronts An Impostor," "Designer Babies," "KLOG Deejay," "The Killer Bees," "Cufflinks of the Gods," "Drag is Not Funny," "Dragnet," "Drag Racing Today," "Jacques Cousteau," and "Ken Norton is Better Than Muhammad Ali." Joe Cocker and John Belushi perform "Feelin' Alright."
4. Karen Black/John Prine (First aired: 10/16/1976)
Sketches include "Chevy Returns," "Baba Wawa at Large," "Debate '76," "Triple-Trac," "A*M*I*S*H," "Cancer-Free Cupcakes," "Love, Russian Style," "Nightclub Owner" (film), "The Lunch Counter Reunion," "Mr. Bill's Stunt" (film), and "Ode to American Coinage." John Prine performed "Hello In There," "The Bottomless Lake," and "Ten Cents a Dance."
5. Steve Martin/Kinky Friedman (First aired: 10/23/1976)
Sketches include "Yankees Lose," "Speak Out For Milk," "Jeopardy 1999!," "Fido-Flex," "Beatnik Bar," "Looks At Books," "Autumn in New York" (film), "Ted Baxter Kills Mary Richards," "Mysteries In Medicine," and two monologues by Steve Martin. Kinky Friedman performed "Dear Abby."
6. Buck Henry/The Band (First aired: 10/30/1976)
Sketches include "Trick or Treating Land Shark," "Not For First Ladies Only," "Samurai Stockbroker," "Garrett Morris' Roots," "Debate '76," "Super Bat-O-Matic 77," "The OintMENt," "Mr. Mike's Least Loved Bedtime Tales," "Buck's Halloween Costume" (film), and "Houdini's Ghost." The Band performed "Life is a Carnival," "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down," "Stage Fright," and "Georgia on My Mind."
7. Dick Cavett/Ry Cooder (First aired: 11/13/1976)
Sketches include "Chroma-Trak Girl," "Puppy Uppers and Doggie Downers," "Nixon's Watergate Frame-up," "The Marines," "Crossroads," "Grandparent Bees," "Mr. Mike's Least Loved Bedtime Tales: 'The Blind Chicken'," "Mobile Shrink," "How Things Work," "Paramount Novelty Store" (film) and "Franken & Davis' Funny Word Survey." Ry Cooder performed "Tattler" and "He'll Have To Go."
8. Paul Simon/George Harrison (First aired: 11/20/1976)
Sketches include "Paul's Monologue Worries," "Quarry," "Baba Wawa At Large," "The Twilite Zone," "Crackerbox Palace" (film), "The Story of Billy Paul," "Tomorrow with Tom Snyder," and "This Song" (film). Paul Simon performed "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover," "Here Comes The Sun" and "Homeward Bound" (with George Harrison), "Something So Right" and "Bridge Over Troubled Waters."
9. Jodie Foster/Brian Wilson (First aired: 11/27/1976)
Sketches include "Phasing Out Gilda," "Pilson's Feedbag Dinners," "Bee Peter Pan," "Puberty Helper," "Metal Detector," "What Kinda Guy Watches Saturday Night?," "Laraine's Little Known Talent," "Don Pardo: The First 50 Years," "Jodie's Teacher," "Kids' Dreams" (film), "The King Kong Dirge," "I'm Not Black," and "Mr. Mike's Least-Loved Bedtime Tales: The Little Train That Died." Brian Wilson performed "Back Home," "Love is a Woman," and "Good Vibrations."
10. Candice Bergen/Frank Zappa (First aired: 12/11/1976)
Sketches include "Patty Hearst At Home," "Jimmy Carter Can't Keep His Promises," "Santi-Wrap," "Consumer Probe," "The Right to Extreme Stupidity League," "FX-70 Cheese Slicer," "The Killer Trees," "Adopt John Belushi For Christmas," and "Let's Kill Gary Gilmore For Christmas." Frank Zappa performed "I'm The Slime" (featuring Don Pardo), "Lagoon" (featuring Samurai Futaba), and "Peaches & Regalia."
11. Ralph Nader/George Benson (First aired: 1/15/1977)
Sketches include "Ralph Cuts Loose," "Badmouthing Grandfather," "Dress Rehearsal for Execution," "Carter's Confederate Takeover," a performance by Andy Kaufman, "Baba Wawa Talks to Herself," "The Coneheads at Home," "Youth Asks The Questions," "Garbage" (film), "Testing Inflatable Dolls," and "Ambassador Training Institute." George Benson performed "Masquerade" and "Gonna Love You More."
12. Ruth Gordon/Chuck Berry (First aired: 1/22/1977)
Sketches include "Belushi's Too Sick," "Barbra Streisand," "Emily Litella's Sister," "Tomorrow with Tom Snyder," "Little Old Ladies of The Night," "Babysitter Sex Expert," "E. Buzz Miller," "Crazy Frank Commercial," and "Mr. Mike's Least-Loved Bedtime Tales." Chuck Berry performed "Johnny B. Goode" and "Marie & Carol."
Special. Live from the Mardi Gras (First aired: 2/20/1977)
Live from the Mardi Gras, it's Saturday Night on Sunday! The cast of SNL participate in the annual festivities in New Orleans. Jane Curtin and Buck Henry (try to) provide commentary on the Bacchus parade, while Randy Newman performs four times. Penny Marshall appears with the Mystic Krewe of Apollo drag ball, and Eric Idle gets a cushy cameo reporting where nothing is happening.
Guest stars: Garrett Morris (Himself), John Belushi (Himself), Don Pardo (Announcer), Dave Wilson, Penny Marshall (Herself), Buck Henry (Himself), Eric Idle (Himself), Randy Newman (Himself) , Henry Winkler (Himself)
13. Fran Tarkenton/Leo Sayer (First aired: 1/29/1977)
Sketches include-- Locker Room Pep Talk, Swiss Army Gun, Amputated Football Player, Black Perspective, "Grand Stand", Rhonda Weiss, Community Appeal, Anabolic Steroids Cereal, Amy Carter and the Secret Service, The Hotel Room.
14. Steve Martin/The Kinks (First aired: 2/26/1977)
Sketches include-- Steve Martin's Ego Trip, Happy Feet, The Coneheads, Celebrity Weightlifting, Dr. Breadloaf Quickloss Diet Book, Pulling the Plug, Hollywood Bingo, Plenty in Common, Roots II
The Kinks performed "You Really Got Me Going," "All Day And All of the Night," "Well-Respected Man," "Lola" and "Sleepwalker."
15. Sissy Spacek/Richard Baskin (First aired: 3/12/1977)
Sketches include "Dave Wilson's Dead," "Burger Master," "Ask President Carter," "How Your Children Grow", "Belushi's Olympic Dream," "Baton Twirling" (film), Gidget's Disease," "Bad Playhouse," "White Trash Couple," and "Sissy's Performances" (film). Richard Baskin performed "Only I Love You" and "City of One-Night Stands."
16. Broderick Crawford/Dr. John, The Meters (First aired: 3/19/1977)
Sketches include-- "Goodbye Saccharine", Samurai Hit-Man, "Mel's Hide Heaven", Bill Murray--The New Guy, Lucy Ricardo's Nuke Job, "Highway Patrol", "Baba Wawa At Large", Nixon and J. Edgar Hoover.
17. Jack Burns/Santana (First aired: 3/26/1977)
Sketches include "Belushi Refuses to Say 'Live From New York'," "The Coneheads," "Marine Wedding," "The Untouchables," "The Story of The Squatters," "Ask Big Daddy," "Washed-Up Comedy Writer," "Suicidal Businessman," and "Old-Fashioned Pharmacist." Santana performed "Black Magic Woman" and "Europa."
18. Julian Bond/Brick (First aired: 4/9/1977)
Sketches include-- Emily Litella's New Love, Lowell Brock, Black Perspective, "Dr.X, Family Counselor", Right On Afro Lustre, Great Moments In Motown, Creeley's Soup, Bad Cinema, George Wallace, Julian and Andrew Young Talk With President Carter.
19. Elliott Gould/McGarrigle Sisters, Roslyn Kind (First aired: 4/16/1977)
Sketches include "Brezhnev Wants to Appear on Carson," "The Coneheads At Home," "You've Come A Long Way, Buddy," "Nick at Breezy Point Lodge," "United Face Bank," "Sports Fights" (film), "ATM Security Tests," "Natural Causes Restaurant," "Puppet Affair," and "Pilson's Feedbag Dinners." Kate & Anna McGarrigle perform "Kiss & Say Goodbye" and "Heart Like a Wheel"; Roslyn Kind performed "I'm Not Anyone."
20. Eric Idle/Neil Innes, Alan Price (First aired: 4/23/1977)
Sketches include "Potato Torture," "Save Great Britain Telethon," "The American Dope Growers Union," "The Nixon Interviews," "Body Language" (film), "Oxxon," "Sherry the Flight Attendant," "Plain Talk," "Heavy Wit Championship," "Bill Murray's Bad Childhood Memories," and "The Battle of Britain". Alan Price performed "Poor People" and "In Times Like These." Neil Innes performed "Cheese & Onions" (as Ron Nasty) and "Shangri-La."
21. Shelley Duvall/Joan Armatrading (First aired: 5/14/1977)
Sketches include "Bee Sketch is Pre-Empted," "Video Vixens," "Badly Disguised Bank Robber," "Viva Las Vegas II," "Baba Wawa At Large," "Feuding Couple," "Bad Ballet," "Night of...Read more›

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For over three decades, Saturday Night Live has been the source of young comedic talent and helped to launch the careers of countless performers, making them household names.Still considered iconic for their live performances from Studio 8H in New York, the original cast of SNL (including Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner and John Belushi) set the tone for years to follow with their irreverent, edgy humor. They combined anti-establishment political satire with rock-and-roll attitude for a show that spoke to the youth of the 1970's, turning it into an instant sensation.Although only the second year on the air, the 1976-1977 season turned out to be the last for Chevy Chase, but the first for a young comedian named Bill Murray.The complete second season of SNL contains legendary musical performances by artists Joe Cocker, The Band, Brian Wilson, Paul Simon, George Harrison, Frank Zappa, Chuck Berry, The Kinks, Santana and Tom Waits and classic appearances by hosts Lily Tomlin, Norman Lear, Steve Martin, Dick Cavett, Jodie Foster, Candice Bergen, Ralph Nader, Fran Tarkenton, Sissy Spacek, Elliott Gould and Shelly Duvall.
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Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season, 1975-1976 (1975) Review

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(More customer reviews)For several years, I stayed up well past 2am on Saturday nights hoping to catch reruns of the classic, full SNL shows from 1975-1980. NBC was re-airing some of these great programs in their entirety (not "best of" packages) with few exceptions, starting in the late 1990s in most NBC outlets. Unfortunately, the original cast shows were the exception and the Dana Carvey and/or Will Farrell years were the norm. After several years, I managed to videotape about 25-30 original cast shows, but only about 4 from the first season.
Younger audiences unfamiliar with the original SNL will likely be surprised by a number of things in viewing this great collection. Firstly, for those of us who remember, SNL was the most weird and cutting-edge show to be found in those days. The concept of "late night" television was certainly not then what it is today either. There really is no "late night" anymore, what with hundreds of cable/satellite channels and the Internet to keep us entertained around the clock. In the '70s, however, late night was a wasteland of old movies and reruns. Most stations ended their broadcast day by about 1 or 2am (for the tech-geners, this means the three network stations, one public station and typically about 3 or 4 local stations). As far as the networks were concerned, Johnny Carson owned the airways after the local news; this was literally true in many ways. Although not on air during the weekend, Carson Productions was quite a powerful entity, owning many weekend program slots. Beyond local news & the Tonight Show, there was little interest in developing a "late night" program. Secondly, SNL had huge shock value for a culture that wasn't used to seeing risqué material paraded constantly on broadcast TV. For that stuff, most of us had to go to the movies for "un-edited" material. VCRs were not yet in every household and cable was only available in limited format in markets like New York. In the culture that was then, SNL's impact was enormous, providing essential "water cooler" chat on Monday morning. It was what people stayed home for on Saturday nights. It was really the only "hip" show on TV.
The Not Ready for Primetime Players were a product of the counterculture 1960s. Much of their humor - especially the now surprising amount of drug references - will seem not only brazenly un-PC (thank heaven!), but incredibly raw for those used to the, ironically, structured and institution-ized nature of the show today. In this sense, the first season shows will not only appear dated, but also register way over-the-heads of most younger viewers. SNL has always been and always will be a victim of instant-datedness, in large part due to one of their greatest attributes: topical comedy. Even some of us still familiar with the pressing issues of the 70s may have a hard time remembering every reference!
These earlier shows are also striking in their experimentation. The format we now know & love was at least two seasons in the making. The cast themselves were not considered as the main draw, amazingly enough, and their presence in the first few shows is remarkably sparse. In fact, the second episode is largely music-oriented. Many creative techniques were tried, and some fail miserably. Watch how poorly Abba (although a good performance) are incorporated into an already-in-progress Robert Klein skit. Fast forward past the Muppets if you will...or, if you found them humorous & innovative, as I did, marvel at Jim Henson's shocking (for him anyway) use of drug-related humor! No matter what the result, it's great to see a show daring enough to explore such diverse elements of entertainment, from short films, stand-up comedy, audience participation, to the even occasional use of dramatic device & pathos in the skits. All these things are largely verboten on the show today. Fondly remember a time when often obscure musical guests were chosen for their performance chops and uniqueness, and rarely their pop status, let alone how well they could lip synch (oddly this was not completely true with Abba...but that's a long story!). And of course, relish forever the genius blend of Chase, Belushi, Aykroyd, Radner, Curtain, Newman and the unsung Garret Morris.

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Nicknamed the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players," the original cast of Saturday Night Live ignited a comedy revolution with their mix of irreverent characters and satirical impressions of political figures and pop culture icons. From the premiere of this groundbreaking sketch comedy show on October 11, 1975, live from historic Studio 8H in New York City's Rockefeller Center, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Chevy Chase, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner launched themselves into instant stardom and were often referred to as "The Beatles of Comedy." Created by Lorne Michaels over three decades ago, Saturday Night Live has had the cultural impact and relevance that few shows can claim. Nowhere else can you see the complete first season of SNL, featuring hosts George Carlin, Rob Reiner, Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, Elliott Gould, Candice Bergen, or original musical performances by Simon & Garfunkel, ABBA, Patti Smith, Jimmy Cliff, and Carly Simon. And if you're curious as to how the original cast was hired, check out the DVD bonus features, which include the screen tests of each performer.

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