Aired November 27, 1976.
Cold opening:"Gilda is being phased out"
Gilda Radner opens the show alone onstage and says she doesn't have much to do tonight since her showcase sketch has been cut. Radner tells her mother that she can go to bed since she won't be on much.
While Gilda is talking, a message scrolls onscreen that tells viewers Gilda is being phased out of the show. In fact, unbeknownst to Radner, this is her last episode.
Radner says that since she won't appear much, SNL's creative team said she could do the show's opening. So Gilda looks into the camera and announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
Monologue:"Saturday Night's youngest host"
Host Jodie Foster says that even though she's the youngest host ever at age 14, she's been treated like every other SNL host.
She says that since SNL started later than usual, she brought a note from her mother explaining why she was late.
Commercial:"Pilson's Feedbag Dinners"
Chevy Chase promotes Pilson's Feedbag Dinners, the bag you put on your face when you can't find time to eat dinner.
"Peter Pan Bees":
A teenage girl named Wendy (Foster) is visited in her bedroom by two bees who identify themselves as Peter Pan (Laraine Newman) and Tinkerbee (John Belusi). When they tell Wendy they've come to take her to the Land Of Lost Bees, she says she doesn't believe they're real. This causes Tinkerbee to collapse. If Peter Pan can't convince Wendy to believe in them, Tinkerbee will die!
Brian Wilson:"Back Home"
Musical guest Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys performs "Back Home." This song was written by Wilson and Rob Norberg and it appeared on the Beach Boys album 15 Big Ones, which was released on July 5, 1976.
Commercial:"Puberty Helper"
Foster and a pitchman (Dan Aykroyd) promote Rovco's Puberty Helper, a giant brown bag that "is enough to cover a full five years of agony" and help kids avoid "potentially damaging adolescent trauma."
"Airport Metal Detector":
Written by Dan Aykroyd.
When a man (Aykroyd) attempts to walk through an airport security check, he keeps setting off the metal detector, much to the consternation of the gate agent (Newman).
"Weekend Update":
Jane Curtin reports on the top news events of the evening, which include:
President-elect Jimmy Carter's transition office has released the names of 135 people, "most of them young, all of them Santa Clauses," who will help screen appointees for the new administration.
Outgoing Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made an appearance at Macy's Thanksgiving Parade.
And Curtin calls up Jimmy Carter and says that if he can answer her question he will win a complete denim wardrobe.
"What kind of guy watches Saturday Night?"
Chicago florist Steve Beshekas (Belushi) says he watches SNL because he enjoys the show's brand of "raunchy, sophomoric comedy."
Brian Wilson:"Love Is A Woman"
Wilson performs "Love Is A Woman," which was written by Wilson and his fellow Beach Boys Mike Love and Al Jardine. This song was the closing track of the Beach Boys' album The Beach Boys Love You, which was released April 11, 1977.
"Little Known Talents Of The Not Ready For Prime-Time Players"
Continuing Gilda Radner's "phasing out" from the opening, Radner says that her talents will not be on display during this segment and introduces Laraine Newman, who shows off her little known talents. These include performing the Looney Tunes theme with her lip and impersonating a chicken that's been possessed by the Devil!
An overview of the life and career of SNL announcer Don Pardo, including how he got hired by Lorne Michaels.
"Last Day Of 9th Grade"
On the last day of school, Jodie (Foster) tries to find a way to say goodbye to her favorite teacher Mr. Davis (Aykroyd).
Since she has nothing else to do on the show, Gilda Radner has put on her coat and is ready to go home. However, she learned that someone needed to introduce the short film by Gary Weis, so she introduces it.
Film by Gary Weis:"Children's Dreams"
Gary Weis gets kids to describe their dreams.
"The King Kong Dirge":
Written by Michael O'Donoghue.
Garrett Morris sings a song about King Kong, while motion picture stills of the 1933 King Kong movie are projected behind him.
When the audience applauds Morris' performance, the camera reveals that Gilda Radner is now sitting in the audience.
"I'm Not Black"
A woman named Jane (Curtin) has a shocking secret that she must reveal to her husband Richard (Morris):She's not black!
Written by Michael O'Donoghue.
Mr. Mike (Michael O'Donoghue) tells Foster the story of "The Little Train That Died," a twisted retelling of "The Little Engine That Could."
Mr. Mike (Michael O'Donoghue) tells Foster the story of "The Little Train That Died," a twisted retelling of "The Little Engine That Could."
Wilson, accompanied only by himself on piano, performs "Good Vibrations." This song was first released as a single by the Beach Boys on October 10, 1966. "Good Vibrations" reached #1 on Billboard's Hot 100.
Foster thanks the audience and says she's been told to fill time, so she says hello to all the people she knows and then introduces the cast.
Brian Wilson and the Not Ready For Prime Time Players join Foster onstage and Belushi slow-dances with Foster while the credits roll.
As she states during her monologue, Jodie Foster was the youngest host in Saturday Night's history. She would remain the series' youngest host until Drew Barrymore hosted the show at age 7 in 1982. Foster currently ranks as the 4th youngest person to host, behind Barrymore, Macaulay Culkin (11), and Fred Savage (13).
In her monologue, Foster mentions that the show started late and she references the Miss Teenage America pageant. This episode of SNL started later than usual because NBC's broadcast of the Miss Teenage America pageant ran long.[1]
John Belushi plays a character named "Steve Beshekas" in the "What kind of guy watches Saturday Night?" sketch. The real Steve Beshekas was lifelong friend of Belushi and they were both part of the West Compass Trio, a comedy troupe formed by Belushi. Beshekas passed away in 2011. [2] Here's a photo of Beshekas and Belushi:
What stands out:
"Metal Detector"-a hilarious sketch, Dan Aykroyd's exclamations of " I LOVE METAL! I NEED METAL!" make me laugh ever time I watch it.
"Don Pardo:The First 50 years"-a funny tribute to the talents of SNL's great announcer. Pardo himself does not appear in the sketch, which adds to the mystique of his voice.
"The "Phasing-Out" of Gilda Radner"-This episode is a reminder of how lovable Gilda Radner was. She has little to do in the show, but makes as strong an impression as any member of the cast simply by appearing as "herself" onstage.
"Mr. Mike's Least-Loved Bedtime Tales"-This was the first time Mr. Mike told one of his tales to someone else instead of just talking into the camera, which makes it better than previous entries.
What doesn't work:
It saddens me to say that Brian Wilson's performances are not very good. I say this as a big fan of Wilson's 1960s work when he was in the Beach Boys and I even saw him live a few years ago (and it was a great concert). "Good Vibrations" is one of my all-time favorite songs. This was not a good era for Wilson and his voice cracks during every song. Closing the show with a lackluster performance of "Good Vibrations" doesn't help.
Jodie Foster does a good job hosting for a 14 year old and comes off very likeable. The writers make good use of her age by putting her in sketches where she plays teenagers. The cast is great in this episode and everyone gets a moment to shine. Wilson's songs prevent me from giving it my highest rating.
.5
3 and a half stars.
