Season 3, Episode 7;Host:Mary Kay Place, with Willie Nelson and Andy Kaufman

 

Aired December 10, 1977.

Network Announcement:
Don Pardo announces that "Grizzly Adams Sets Fire To His Head will not be seen this week, so that NBC may present the following special program." 

Cold Opening:"Pep Rally"
This week's host Mary Kay Place says NBC asked her to host because she could "pump some pep" into the show, due to the cast's lack of energy. All of the Not Ready For Prime Time Players are there, except for John Belushi. Place says his absence is another sign that the show needs more pep.

Belushi finally shows up. Jane Curtin agrees with Mary Kay about John's negative attitude. Belushi says they're both fascists, he belittles Place and dismisses the whole premise of her "cheerleader metaphor." The host begins to cry, which makes John apologize and reconsider his opinion about pep. Belushi says "maybe if EVERYBODY had a little more pep, there’d be less suffering in the world!"

The rest of the cast agrees and they hold a pep rally in Studio 8H, with a marching band playing the SNL theme...

...and a big "Saturday Night Live" sign at homebase. 

One by one, the cast jumps through the sign, followed by Mary Kay. After they form a pyramid, the host leads them in this cheer:"Jump to the left, jumpt to the right, live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Monologue:"Mary Kay's diary"
Place says it's been a crazy week and she's kept a diary during the production. She previously kept a diary in 8th grade and proceeds to read diary entries about middle school crushes and other adolescent topics.

Commercial:"Hey, You!"
Not all women are looking for Mr. Right. That's why Olfalo created Hey, You! perfume, so you can attract "that special someone you never expect to see again."

"Hey You!" is the perfume for one-night stands. 

Talk show:"More Insects To Worry About"
Jane Curtin interviews Dr. Haskell Lack (Belushi) about dangerous insects who are about to menace North America. He says the African Lens Beetle hatches eggs while nestled behind contact lenses. The beetles' mating process takes place in peoples' underwear.

"Total Womanhood Workshop"
Maribel Morgan (Place) teaches a workshop in "Total Womanhood." She says Total Womanhood makes every husband adore his wife "if she is willing to give up being a person." 

The workshop ends with a play-acting portion, where Dickie Nell (Gilda Radner) and Gayvette (Laraine Newman) act out a conversation between a husband and wife.

Willie Nelson:"Whiskey River" and "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain"
Willie Nelson sings "Whiskey River," which was written by Johnny Bush and Paul Stroud. Bush's 1972 recording of the song reached #14 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. Nelson's recording of "Whiskey River" appeared on his 1973 album Shotgun Willie. 

A live version, from Nelson's album Willie and Family Live , was released as a single in 1978 and reached #12 on the Country chart. 

Nelson then sings "Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain," which was written by Fred Rose and first recorded by Elton Britt in 1946. Nelson's version appeared on his 1975 album Red Headed Stranger and reached #21 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #1 on the Country chart.

"Weekend Update"
Anchors Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd report on the day's top stories, which include:
"Under a federal government prisoner exchange treaty with Mexico, Americans in Mexican prisons are being sent back to prisons in the United States. "

"The first group arrived in California yesterday, in keeping with the goodwill and spirit of the holiday season, the U.S. is sending Mexico an equal number of Santa Clauses, who will be thrown into Mexican prisons in time for Christmas."

A urologist has performed an operation to reattach the severed penis of a college student. "The lucky student reportedly commented that he’s glad to be back in school and able to cram for his midterm exams."

Correspondent Laraine Newman presents a special report on lie detection. She demonstrates examples of facial expressions that indicate a person is lying. 

CBS commentator Eric Sevareid (Bill Murray) has been forced to retire because he reached the network's mandatory retirement age. Severeid delivers a commentary about the pros and cons of mandatory retirement. 

Movie:"Married In A Minute"
In this film, four women (Place, Curtin, Newman, Radner) arrive in New York in 1961, where the available bachelor to bachelorette ratio is 35 to 2. 

Despite those odds, the women immediately receive marriage proposals from rich men and get cast in Broadway plays.

Andy Kaufman:"Foreign Man"
Andy Kaufman, playing his "Foreign Man" character, plays bongos...

...invites a member of the audience onstage...

...and sings the Quebecois children's song "Aoulette" in Foreign Man's native tongue.

Bad Musical:"Leeuwenhoek"
Host Leonard Pinth-Garnell (Aykroyd) presents "Leeuwenhoek," a bad musical about Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (Belushi), father of microbiology. 

Willie Nelson and Mary Kay Place:"Something To Brag About"
The host and musical guest perform a duet of "Something To Brag About," which was written by Bobby Braddock. The song was first recorded by Charlie Louvin and Melba Montgomery in 1970. 

Mary Kay and Willie's recording of "Something to Brag About" appeared on Place's 1977 album Aimin' To Please. It was released as a single and peaked at #9 on the Country chart.

"The Farber's Hanukkah"
Bobbi and Larry Farber have invited Larry's boss Dick (Murray) and his wife Beverly for dinner during Channukah. Bobbi explains the origins of Chanukkah to her "gentile" guests. 

While Bobbi is talking, we see a dramatization of the Chanukkah story, where Larry plays Judah Maccabee, hero of Channukah. 

"Goodnights"

Place appears on homebase says "I’ve had a GREAT time tonight, and I want to thank Saturday Night Live for having me here. I want to thank Willie Nelson and Andy Kaufman, and, of course, the Not Ready for Prime Time Players! Did y’all have a good time? Thank you for coming!" The cast then appears onstage and hugs Mary Kay as the credits roll.

Notes about this episode:
For those who aren't familiar with Mary Kay Place, she was a major star when this episode aired and has had an impressive career over the last five decades. Three months prior to hosting, Place won an Emmy award for playing Loretta Haggers on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman. In 1976, she recorded an album as Loretta Haggers, which reached #6 on Billboard's country chart. Place recorded another album (this time under her real name) in 1977. 

Album cover for Mary Kay Place's Aimin' To Please.

She appeared in high-profile films, including New York, New York, Private Benjamin, The Big Chill and Terms Of Endearment. Place also stepped behind the camera and directed episodes of M*A*S*H, Mary Tyler Moore and Friends. 

During "Weekend Update," Garrett Morris walks on wearing a bellhop uniform and yells "CALL FOR GARRETT MOORR-ISSS!" 

This is a reference to a long-running Phillip Morris cigarette ad that featured spokesman Johnny Roventini (dressed as a bellhop) shouting "CALL FOR PHILLIP MOORR-ISSS!" Here's a Phillip Morris commercial that features Roventini:

Garrett also wears the bellhop uniform in "Married In A Minute, " which immediately followed "Update." 

Classic moment:"Hey You"-One of SNL's best commercial parodies and something that frequently shows up in clip shows. 

What stands out:
Showcases for SNL's women-"Total Womanhood Workshop" and "Married In A Minute" aren't classic sketches, but both are fun and serve as nice showcases for the talents of Curtin, Newman and Radner. The "play-acting" portion of "Total Womanhood" was a highlight of the episode. Newman's portrayal of a man was very funny (her hat and wig made her look at bit like Harpo Marx).

"Farber's Chanukkah"-There weren't many depictions of Chanukkah when this aired, which makes it an important moment in TV history. Radner appears to get legitimately choked up when she says the Chanukkah blessing.

Mary Kay Place's duet with Willie Nelson-I always like it when the musical guest interacts with the host or cast. It makes the musical guests feel more connected to the rest of the show and "Something To Brag About" is a catchy Country song.

What doesn't work:
Mary Kay Place's monologue-I like the idea of a host reading their 8th grade diary, but it went on too long and didn't really go anywhere.

"Weekend Update"-This edition of "Update" felt a bit flat and, like the monologue, went on too long.

J.A. Morris' rating:
This isn't a particularly strong episode. But it's worth watching for the Chanukkah sketch and "Hey You!"

2 and a half stars.

Season 3, episode 6;Host:Buck Henry, with Leon Redbone and the Original Sloth Band

Aired November 19, 1977.

Network announcement:"The Waltons Eat Their Young"
Don Pardo announces "The Waltons Eat Their Young” will not be seen tonight so that NBC may present the following special program."

Cold opening:"Meet the contestants"
This episode opens in the locker room, where Garrett Morris and Gilda Radner are discussing the finalists for Saturday Night's Anyone Can Host contest. 

Their conversation is interrupted when the contestants walk in, introduce themselves and describe their backgrounds:

-Dave Lewis is a young unemployed man from Oregon.
-Deb Blair, a mother of three from Peoria, IL.
-Connie Crawford, a first year student at Vassar College.
-Gov. Dick Kneip, the governor of North Dakota.
-Miskel Spillman, an 80-year-old grandmother from New Orleans.

This week's host, Buck Henry walks in and introduces himself to the contestants. After they exchange pleasantries, Buck asks if they've seen the script. Connie says the script only gave them one line. When Buck asks if he can hear the line, the contestants respond in unison "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!" And the opening credits roll.

Monologue:
Buck walks onstage, accompanied by the Anyone Can Host crew. In lieu of the usual monologue, Henry asks each of them what makes them qualified to host.

Each would-be host has a letter on their sweater. Voters will select the corresponding letter on their ballots. 

Commercial:"Little Chocolate Donuts"
Champion Decathlete John Belushi promotes Little Chocolate Donuts. Belushi says "they’ve got the sugar I need to get me going in the morning." 

John adds:"That’s why Little Chocolate Donuts have been on my training table since I was a kid." 

"Samurai Psychiatrist" 
A patient (Henry) seeks therapy from a Freudian psychiatrist (Belushi) who also happens to be a samurai. The patient gets fed up and says the psychiatrist has wasted his time for three years. 

The samurai is crushed. He takes out a knife and aims it at his gut, suggesting he's about the commit suicide. His patient believes the samurai is bluffing, but he actually stabs himself!

"Stunt Baby"
On a film set, a director (Bill Murray) and actors (Henry, Jane Curtin) discuss the scene they're about to shoot. It's a movie about a couple that fights all the time and the husband hates his job. Their argument wakes up their baby, so the husband decides to take out his frustrations on the child. 

When he's about to abuse the baby, the director calls for the "stunt baby." The man proceeds to pummel the stunt baby (which is actually a doll). 

Public Service Announcement:"A.M.O.A. Sanitized Motel"
A spokesman (Dan Aykroyd) for the American Motel Owners Association (AMOA) celebrates the work of A.M.O.A. technicians, who sanitize motel rooms every day. 

He narrates a photo montage that shows how rooms are sanitized.

Leon Redbone and the Original Sloth Band:"Champagne Charlie"
Leon Redbone, backed by the Original Sloth Band, performs "Champagne Charlie," a 19th century music hall song that was introduced by George Leybourne in 1866. The song was composed by Alfred Lee with lyrics written by Leybourne. 

Redbone's version appeared on his 1978 album of the same name. 

"Weekend Update"
Anchors Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin report on the top news stories, which include:

"Presidential mother Lillian Carter was electrocuted last night trying to climb the protective fence around the White House; she got a jolt of 15,000 volts."

The family of missing Teamster Boss Jimmy Hoffa believes Star Wars robot R-2 D-2 is actually Hoffa, due to "certain mannerisms" and "vocal sounds which they say are strikingly similar to buzzes and clicks Hoffa used to make while eating."

Correspondent Laraine Newman interviews the Anyone Can Host contestants. Newman asks them questions, but interrupts the contestants before they can answer.

Plus, Babba Wawa reports on Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's visit to Israel. 

"Reunion In Kiev"
A woman named Anya (Radner) narrates her train ride from Vladivostock to Kiev. Anya flashes back to what happened the day before on the train. A waiter (Henry) then enters the scene and pours her a glass of wine. The waiter then flashes back to "yesterday," when he first laid eyes on Anya. 

The sketch descends into a series of flashbacks and flashforwards about what happened on the previous and following day.

"Mr. Mike's Rickey Rat Club"
Mr. Mike (Michael O'Donoghue) introduces the Rickey Rat Club, a fan club of Ratketeers dedicated to a real rat named Rickey.

Club leader Bucky (Henry) announces that Rickey Rat is not present because he is helping "science" and has been hospitalized. 

This prompts a lot of awkward questions from the Ratketeers.

"The Franken and Davis Show"
Al Franken and Tom Davis welcome their special guest, former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Tom mentions that Jackie saved his life the previous Thanksgiving when he nearly choked to death.

Film by Gary Weis-"Anyone Can Host Contestants visit Buck's Hotel Room"
Each contestant visits the host in his hotel room and tells Buck why they should host SNL. They all kiss up to Henry hoping he will help them win.

Leon Redbone and the Original Sloth Band:"Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone"
Redbone and his backing band perform "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone." Redbone's recording of the song appeared on his Champagne Charlie album. The song was published and written in 1930 by Sam H. Stept with lyrics by Sidney Clare.

Schiller's Reel:"Life After Death"
Filmmaker Tom Schiller gets on-camera statements from people who died and came back to life.

Goodnights:
The host and the Anyone Can Host contestants appear on homebase. Buck says the winner will host the December 17 episode. Henry displays the latest issue of TV Guide, which contains a ballot for the contest. Each contestant gets another chance to say why they should win.

The cast joins them onstage and Buck says "thank you all very much, and good night!"

Notes about this episode:
This was Buck Henry's fifth time hosting Saturday Night Live. This makes him the first member of SNL's mythical "Five-Timers Club." 

I got hold of a copy of the TV Guide issue that Henry holds up during goodnights. Here's a scan of the Anyone Can Host ballot:

"Little chocolate donuts" is a parody of a 1970s Wheaties commercial that featured footage of Caitlin Jenner winning the Olympic Decathlon. Here's that commercial:

In "Samurai Psychiatrist" the samurai actually follows through on his threat to kill himself. Maybe Belushi or Lorne Michaels was tired of the character? However, the Samurai appeared five more times before Belushi left the series.

What stands out:
Buck Henry-The host has to carry this episode, since so much of it involves working with the contestants who don't have acting experience. Henry was uniquely qualified to fill this role. He had a quirky everyman quality that (from what I can tell) made the contestants feel comfortable throughout the evening. 

"Little Chocolate Donuts"-Belushi is great in this classic commercial parody, which has shown up on lots of clip shows over the years.

What doesn't work:
"A.M.O.A Sanitized Motel"
I appreciate the concept here and Dan Aykroyd is fine as the narrator of this PSA. But it would've been funnier if we'd seen the sanitization process performed on stage, or even pre-filmed. All we get here is Aykroyd talking over photos of the motel cleanings. Also, Garrett Morris is once again put in drag in the photos. 

The cast disappears-The last three segments are the film by Gary Weis, a Leon Redbone performance and Tom Schiller's "Life After Death" film. None of the Not Ready For Prime Time Players appear in those segments. I realize the episode needed to be built around the contest, but I would've preferred another sketch that featured the cast instead of two films that include none of them.

J.A. Morris' rating:
This was my least-favorite of Buck Henry's hosting efforts, but it was a necessary episode in order pick a winner of the Anyone Can Host contest. Buck's interactions with the contestants, "Little Chocolate Donuts," and the Samurai sketch make it worth watching. 

2 and a half stars.