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.
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| 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).
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.
This isn't a particularly strong episode. But it's worth watching for the Chanukkah sketch and "Hey You!"
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