Aired February 18, 1978.
Network disclaimer:
An announcer (Don Pardo) tells viewers “The Little House on the Prairie Burns to the Ground” will not be seen tonight, so that NBC may present the following special program."
Cold opening:"A former President speaks to the nation"
Former Pres. Gerald Ford (Chevy Chase) addresses the nation on the Panama Canal Treaty. Ford gets confused and changes the subject to the Suez Canal.
Ford's wife Betty (Jane Curtin) drops by to deliver a bowl soup. She takes the opportunity to mention her support for the Equal Rights Amendment.
The ex-President then gets an easel and begins drawing on a map to demonstrate the importance of the canal. Ford trips over his easel and falls to the floor.
He then looks into the camera and exclaims "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
Monologue:"Chevy misses the applause"
Host Chevy Chase says the thing he's missed most since he left SNL is the applause. The crowd responds with a round of applause. He spends the rest of the monologue getting cheap applause by mentioning Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.
He says the best thing about live TV is its spontaneity. Or my accurately, the illusion of spontaneity, since everything he's been saying is printed on cue cards.
Commercial:"Moth Masher"
A pitchman (Dan Aykroyd) promotes a device that will crush moths "into a flat, easily portable size."
The Moth Masher hot press moth compactor presses moths into "thin plascticized wafers" that fit neatly into your wallet.
"Couple in bed"
After an evening of intimacy, a man named Terry (Chase) and a woman (Gilda Radner) talk about how it was for them. During their conversation, we learn that Terry wasn't entirely truthful about who he is and what he does for a living.
Billy Joel:"Only The Good Die Young"
Billy Joel performs "Only The Good Die Young," which appeared on Joel's 1977 album The Stranger. This song was issued as a single in May 1978 and peaked at #24 on Billboard's Hot 100.
"King"
In a docudrama about Martin Luther King Jr. (Garrett Morris), Pres. John F. Kennedy (Aykroyd) and his brother Bobby (Bill Murray) try to trick Dr. King into wearing a surveillance device.
"Weekend Update"
Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin report on the news of the day.
In the middle of the newscast, Aykroyd gets a call informing him that something bad has happened to his mother.
When Dan leaves the news desk, former anchor Chevy Chase takes his place. Chevy tries to get Jane to leave with another fake phone call, but she's wise to him.
Correspondent Laraine Newman reports on a Coal Mine strike in West Virginia and interviews Ray Floyd (Al Franken), a striking miner.
Correspondent John Belushi delivers a commentary about the recent Muhammad Ail/Leon Spinks fight. Belushi digresses and tells a story about a brawl he was part of several years earlier. He then asks Curtin if she could defend herself if someone attacked her. John then knocks down Jane and says "it's all yours, Chevy."
Chase is joined by Emily Litella (Radner) who says she hasn't been around because Jane doesn't want her on Update. A bruised Curtin returns and berates Chevy and Emily.
Plus, Garrett Morris delivers "News For The Hard Of Hearing."
"Baggage Inspection"
A rookie customs inspector named Whitfield (Chase) receives on-the-job training from his supervisor (Aykroyd).
Whitfield gets an opportunity to make a drug bust when a women (Newman) faking a pregnancy tries to get through customs.
Film by Gary Weiss:"The Voice"
While Laraine Newman shops for clothes, she hears a disturbing disembodied voice in her head that sings to her.
"Sermonette"
The Most Reverend Arch Bishop Maharishi O'Mulliganstein (Chase), of the Church Of Confusion, delivers a nonsensical sermon.
"Somewhere In France, 1944"
During World War II, American soldiers (Belushi, Chase, Morris) stop a jeep carrying men (Aykroyd, Murray) who they suspect are German spies. They submit the men to a series of questions that will determine whether or not they are Germans.
Billy Joel:"Just The Way You Are"
"Just The Way You Are" appeared on The Stranger and was released as a single in September of 1977. It peaked at #3 in the U.S..
"Endings"
Three British women (Curtin, Newman, Radner) drink tea and discuss Charlie's Angels. Chevy then interrupts the sketch and tells them to quickly wrap it up. They agree, but Chevy suddenly gets confused and feels stuck in the sketch.
We learn that he is in fact stuck in The Twilight Zone, which turns out to be a TV show watched by Truman Capote (Belushi).
Another series of endings to the sketch follows, including an appearance by the Land Shark (Chase)!
Goodnights:
Chevy says "it was very much fun to be back, good night everybody, thank you very much."
The camera then pans out to show that Chevy is playing a piano, surrounded by the cast as the credits roll.
Notes about this episode:
Regular readers know I generally focus only on the episodes and I avoid writing about the personal lives of the actors and writers. However, this episode is famous for an altercation between Chevy Chase and Bill Murray that occurred shortly before airtime. I'll just say that after re-watching this episode, I didn't notice any bad feelings from the fight carrying over into sketches.
At the end of the "Endings" sketch, Garrett Morris sings a few lines of "Shuffle Off To Buffalo." This song was written by Al Dubin and Harry Warren and introduced in the 1933 film 42nd Street, where it was performed by Ruby Keeler and Clarence Nordstrom.
Ephemera:
Here's a promo for this episode featuring Chase:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKP6_4Y3l5k
Chevy Chase becomes the first ex-cast member to return to host Saturday Night.
What stands out:
"Couple In Bed"-This sketch features great acting by Chase and Radner. It starts out like a "slice-of-life" piece, but then goes in a more absurd direction.
"Moth Masher"-Aykroyd delivers another great performance as a commercial pitchman.
What doesn't work:
"Weekend Update"-I felt like this went on too long and wasn't very funny. Just let Chevy return to "Update" and be done with it.
J.A. Morris' rating:
The backstage drama doesn't translate into onstage energy, so this feels like an average episode rather than a triumphant return for Chevy Chase.
2 and a half stars.
