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.
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.
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