Season 1, Episode 7, Host:Ricard Pryor, with Gil Scott-Heron, Shelly Pryor, Annazette Chase, Thalmus Rasulala and Katherine McKee.

Aired December 13, 1975.

Cold opening:
Garrett Morris tells Chevy Chase that Richard Pryor told him to open the show with the customary "fall of the week."  Chase takes umbrage saying it's his trademark.  When Garrett's fall-attempt fails, Chevy trips over a chair, falls over a table and takes a violent-looking fall, knocking himself out.  This gives Garrett the chance to say "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Monologue #1:
Host Richard Pryor talks about his experiences with women and how he feels when he takes LSD.

"Samurai Hotel":
Written by Tom Schiller and John Belushi.
A samurai (John Belushi) manages a hotel.

When he orders a bellhop (Pryor) to carry a guest's luggage upstairs, the bellhop objects and a sword fight ensues.

Gil Scott-Heron:"Johannesburg"
This Anti-Apartheid song was released earlier in 1975 on Scott-Heron's album From South Africa To South Carolina.

"Looks At Books:"
Jane Curtin interviews author Junior Griffin (Pryor), who disguised himself as a white man and went undercover to write the book White Like Me.

Commercial:"New Dad"
Repeat from Episode 1.

Police lineup #1:
A rigged police lineup guarantees Pryor will be selected as the perpetrator.

"Job Interview":
Written by Paul Mooney.
An employer (Chase) interviews a candidate (Pryor) for a janitorial job.  The interview consists of
word association questions and quickly devolves into a series of racial slurs.

"Pong":
Written by Alan Zweibel.
Two college students (Al Franken and Tom Davis) discuss the previous night's hockey game while playing video pong.

"White Family":
The bigoted patriarch of a family rants about "this black thing" and says"they're taking over" everything.

During breakfast, each member of his family undergoes a striking transformation.

"Weekend Update":
Chevy Chase's top story of the the night:"Generalismo Franciso Franco is still dead."

Plus, new Update contributor Emily Litella delivers commentary in opposition to "busting schoolchildren."

Commercial:"Spud Beer"
Repeat from Episode 6.

"Police Lineup #2":
Pryor in another rigged line-up, with a nun, a duck and a refrigerator!

"Assassin."
An assassin (Pryor) is briefed by his superior officer (Aykroyd) about an upcoming mission.

"Land of Gorch," featuring Jim Henson's Muppets.
King Ploobis (Jim Henson) is very drunk and tells Scred (Jerry Nelson) he drinks because he hates himself.

"Police lineup #3":
Pryor and three cops are in this last of the rigged lineups.

"Exorcist II":
Two priests (Pryor and Thalmus Rasulala) try to save a little girl (Laraine Newman) from demonic possession.

A Film by Albert Brooks:"Sick This Week":Brooks is sick in bed, so he sends in a film that shows how sick he is.  The doctor tells Brooks he is sick because he's doing the work of thirty men.

"JFK Conspiracy":
Pryor is talking to the audience when a man (Tom Schiller) runs out and starts talking about the Kennedy assassination.

Shelley Pryor:
Shelly Pryor (Richard's ex-wife) tells a story about two carousel horses from different backgrounds who fell in love.

Pryor Monologue #2:
Pryor tells jokes and stories about winos he knew when he was a kid in Peoria.

Gil-Scott Heron:"A Lovely Day"
This song was the closing track to Scott-Heron's then-new album and serves as the closing performance of this episode.  

Goodnights:
Pryor is joined by the cast at home base for goodnights.  He says "if you didn't watch the show, I hope you made love!"

Notes about this episode:
If you're wondering about the long list of guest stars in this episode, there's a story behind that.  Lorne Michaels so badly wanted Pryor to host that he caved in to Pryor's large list of demands.  Michaels considered Pryor to be "the funniest man on the planet" and knew that getting him to host would give SNL instant credibility.

Pryor didn't trust the cast of (then) unknowns, so he brought along actors Annazette Chase, Thalmus Rasulala and Katherine McKee (his girlfriend at the time) to increase the presence of African Americans on the show.  Gil Scott-Heron and Shelley Pryor were also booked at Pyror's insistence. [1]

The job interview sketch was written by Paul Mooney, Pryor's writing partner who joined the show's writing staff for the week.  NBC made Mooney go through a job interview, which he compared to an interrogation.  Mooney's unpleasant treatment inspired him to write this sketch, with Chevy Chase standing in for the NBC network executives. [2]

Spain's dictator Francisco Franco died on Nov 20, 1975, three weeks prior to this episode.  "Weekend Update"'s headline about Franco being "still dead" refers to the fact that news outlets reported that Franco was "still alive" while he lingered in a coma for several weeks. [3]

Classic Moments:
"Samurai Hotel"-This sketch introduced John Belushi's Samurai, one of SNL's most popular recurring characters.  This was the only time the samurai ever spoke English.

Emily Litella's first "Weekend Update" commentary-The first of about 20 commentaries from "Miss Litella."

"Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead."-This would become one of SNL's first catchphrases after Chevy Chase said it (or variations on it) during multiple editions of "Weekend Update."

What stands out?:
Pryor's monologues-Pryor's best material pre-dates the years when every comedian had an HBO stand-up special.  It's fun to watch him act out his comedy routines and he seems genuinely energized by the atmosphere of live TV.

"Job Interview"-An extremely powerful sketch with a palpable sense onscreen of tension.  It pulled back a curtain on racism that existed (and still exists today) in the American workplace.  Chase and Pryor deliver great performances here.

"Excorcist II"-Laraine Newman is very funny playing the little girl possessed, Pryor goes from terrified to defiant during the sketch.  Chevy Chase provides the little girl's "demonic" voice.

Gil Scott-Heron-both of his performances are excellent.  The first time I watched this episode (when I rented a VHS tape of it back in the 80s), I'd never heard of him and this prompted me to seek out more of Scott-Heron's music.  "A Lovely Day" is that rare song that sounds simultaneously sad and optimistic, a nice way to close the show.

J.A. Morris' rating:
The combination of Pryor's monologues and classic SNL characters makes this the strongest episode yet.

4 stars.

Footnotes:
[1]Saturday Night, by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingard, p.115.
[2]Furious Cool:Richard Pryor and The World That Made Him, by David and Joe Henry, p.171-173.
[3]"Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still dead," Wikipedia.

Season 1, Episode 6 Host:Lily Tomlin

Aired November 22, 1975.

Cold opening:
Pres. Gerald Ford (Chevy Chase) responds to New York City's economic crisis and Ronald Reagan's announcement that he will challenge Ford for the Republican Presidential nomination.

After accidentally pouring water on himself, Ford eventually trips over his desk, tumbles to the floor and announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Monologue:
Lily Tomlin reads a list of funny observations she's recently written down and delivers a cheer for New York City.

Beethoven #1:
Ludwig Van Beethoven (John Belushi) has been acting unusual and his wife (Gilda Radner) and maid Frieda (Laraine Newman) are worried about him.  Beethoven hasn't eaten in days.  When the women depart, Ludwig plays "Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree."

Lily Tomlin with Howard Shore and his All-Nurse Band:"St. James Infirmary Blues"
Tomlin and the house band (dressed as nurses) perform the folk blues standard "St James Infirmary Blues."  This song was made famous when Louis Armstrong recorded it in 1928.

Commercial:"Triopenin"
Repeat from Episode 1.

Jaws III:
The Land Shark is on the attack once again and no one is safe!

Bellhop:
When a couple (Garrett Morris and Jane Curtin) is trying to enjoy a private, romantic moment in a hotel room, a bellhop (Chase) busts in unannounced to deliver the day's newspaper...and proceeds to drop the paper all over the room.

Film:"Edith Ann Ice Skates":
Precocious five and a half year old Edith Ann (Tomlin), narrates a film of herself attempting to ice skate, while her dog Buster looks on.

"Beethoven #2":
Beethoven's wife is worried about Ludwig's health and mental state and tries to convince him to eat, to no avail.  When he's alone, he composes a new song called "My Fraulein."

"Weekend Update":
Chevy Chase reports on the evening's top stories, which include Pres. Ford accidentally stabbing himself with a salad fork.

Commercial:"Spud Beer"
Written by Al Franken and Tom Davis.
"Filled with the full, rich flavor of potatoes.  Spud, the beer brewed for people who can't taste the difference."

"Dear Patty":
A college student named Susie (Tomlin) writes a letter to her sorority sister Patty Hearst.

"Dregs and Vestiges" featuring Jim Henson's Muppets:
Written by Jerry Nelson.
Scred (Jerry Nelson) falls in love with Lily Tomlin and writes her a love letter.  She doesn't feel the same way, but she still likes Scred.  They sing a duet of Sonny & Cher's hit "I Got You Babe," which reached #1 in the U.S. in August of 1965.

Film by Albert Brooks:"The Impossible Truth"
Repeat from Episode 1.

Beethoven #3:
When the women walk away, Ludwig puts a pair of dark shades and performs Ray Charles' "What'd I Say!"

"What'd I Say"topped the Billboard R&B chart in 1959 and peaked at #6 on the Hot 100 Pop chart.

Hard Hats:
Written by Anne Beatts and Rosie Shuster.
A construction worker (Tomlin) teaches Jane, Laraine and Gilda how to sexually harass men who walk by construction sites.

Commercial:"Speed"
Written by Anne Beatts.
Ellen Sherman (Anne Beatts) is a nuclear physicist, housewife, mother and commissioner of consumer affairs.  How does she juggle all these tasks at the same time?  She takes Speed.

"Toni at the High School Dance":
Toni (Tomlin), a 1950s teenage girl interacts with her (unseen) friends at a dance. 

"Bee-Bop":
Tomlin is joined by several bees (Morris, Radner, Newman, Chase) and for some bee-bop singing.  The bees and Tomlin bid viewers goodnight in the middle of their performance.

Notes about this episode:
The characters Edith Ann, Susie and Toni were created by Lily Tomlin and portrayed by her in series like Laugh-In and in Tomlin's stand-up act.

Patty Hearst (mentioned in the "Dear Patty" sketch) was arrested with other members of the Symbionese Liberation Army on September 18, 1975, about two months before this episode aired and was charged with bank robbery and other crimes.

Writers Rosie Shuster and Anne Beatts had a difficult time casting the male "eye candy" for their "hard hats" sketch.  When Aykroyd reluctantly accepted the role, he said he felt naked and vulnerable, much like women who get catcalled in real life. [1]

In the Beethoven sketches, Gilda Radner's character refers to Ludwig as her husband.  In reality, Beethoven never married.

Head writer Michael O'Donoghue came up with the idea of dressing SNL's band in nurse uniforms. [2]

Classic moments:
Jaws III-The second "Land Shark" sketch is just as funny as the first.  This time the shark attacks the sheriff in addition to single women.

What stands out:
"Beethoven"-Belushi does a nice job singing "What'd I Say" and "My Girl," and shows off his eyebrows in this series of sketches.  Newman and Radner provide solid support as Beethoven's wife and maid.

"Hard hats"-This sketch may come across a bit heavy-handed today, but #MeToo and #TimesUp are showing that we still have a long way to go.  It's also a funny sketch with some great lines, especially Jane Curtin saying "Hey studmuffin, wanna make bouncy-bouncy?" to Aykroyd.

"Muppets"-This is my favorite SNL Muppets sketch so far.  Tomlin interacts nicely with Scred (performed by the great puppeteer Jerry Nelson) and their performance of "I Got You Babe" is sweet.

What doesn't work:
The rerun of Albert Brooks' film "The Impossible Truth"-A repeat already?

J.A. Morris' rating:
Episode 6 features some funny moments from the cast and Tomlin, especially the Beethoven bits.  It's a good, solid episode, but not a great one.

3 stars.

Footnotes:
[1]Saturday Night by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingard, p.115-116.
[2]Live From New York, by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales, p.75.