Season 4, episode 3;Host:Frank Zappa

Cold opening:"NBC's new image"
NBC's CEO Fred Silverman (John Belushi) addresses viewers about changes he plans to implement. He says he wants to take NBC in the direction that America wants to see. Silverman says that his research indicates that what the people want to see is Frank Zappa. 

He says NBC has signed Zappa to an exclusive contract and that Frank will star in his own sitcom. Silverman closes by saying "here tonight, to unveil NBC’s new look, Frank Zappa! Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!"

Monologue:"Dancin' Fool"
In lieu of the usual monologue, Frank Zappa performs "Dancin' Fool," which appeared on his 1979 album Sheik Yerbouti. "Dancin' Fool" was released as a single and peaked at #45 on Billboard's Hot 100.

"The Coneheads At Home"
Beldar Conehead (Dan Aykroyd) and his wife Prymaat (Jane Curtin) meet their daughter Connie's (Laraine Newman) date for the night, Frank Zappa. 

"Home prison"
Written by Brian McConnachie.
A family keeps prisoners in their home in exchange for money from the state. It seems to be going okay until a riot breaks out in the linen closet.

"Weekend Update"
Anchors Jane Curtin and Bill Murray report on the top news stories of the day.

In "Celebrity Corner," Bill interviews Sid Vicious (Brian Doyle-Murray) and his mother Anne Beverly (Newman) about Sid's recent arrest for killing his girlfriend. 

Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello) reports on the recent pope election.

In Point/Counter-Point, Jane and Dan Aykroyd debate test tube babies.

Frank Zappa:"The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing"
Zappa sings "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing," which later appeared on his 1981 album You Are What You Is.

"Night On Freak Mountain"
While driving through the mountains during a rainstorm, Zappa crashes his car and seeks refuge in a house. It turns out to be the home of two burned out hippies named Jason (Aykroyd) and Sunset (Newman). They want Zappa to get high with them, but are shocked when he tells them he doesn't do drugs. 

Talk show:"Woman To Woman"
Career woman Connie Carson (Gilda Radner) interviews Mrs. Henry Post (Curtin) about what it's like to be a housewife.

Franken and Davis Show:
Tom and Al say that in addition to being a comedy team, they're also "international communist revolutionaries" and they call for the violent overthrow of the U.S. government.

Since they believe nothing can be changed through democratic means, they perform a sketch that shows how all candidates who run for office are corrupted by the process.

Frank Zappa:"Rollo"
Zappa conducts his band and the SNL band in a performance of "Rollo." This was released as part of an instrumental titled "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast," which appeared on the album You Can't Do That Onstage Anymore, Vol. 1. 

During "Rollo," Zappa is accompanied by the Samurai (Belushi). 

"Mr. Bill Show"
Written by Walter Williams.
Mr. Bill moves into his new penthouse apartment. He is enjoying himself until he's visited by his interior decorator, Mr. Sluggo. 

Goodnights:
Zappa appears on homebase and says they've come to the end of the show. He's then joined onstage by Sunset and Jason, who ask if they can "crash" on the stage. 

The cast then joins Zappa, each one shaking his hand as they step onstage, and they surround the host. Zappa then says "goodnight."

Notes about this episode:

I tend to avoid behind the scenes stuff here, but this episode has such a bad reputation that I feel like I have to address it. Writer Don Novello had this to say about working with Frank Zappa:
"With Zappa what happened was we had a terrible dress rehearsal and what was he going to do? What he did, not telling anybody, was he turned into Dean Martin. The approach he took was, he read the cards like he was reading the cards—he made a point of it. He was obviously reading the cards. That was his approach to the humor. No one else in the sketches knew it. It was real bad." [1]

This meant that Zappa had a wooden delivery in every sketch he acted in. 

In the cold opening, John Belushi plays Fred Silverman. Silverman may be unfamiliar to younger visitors of this site. In the 1970s, Silverman served as head of programming at CBS and then ABC. His programming ideas led to great ratings success for both of those networks. He was then hired by NBC in June 1978, a few months prior to this episode. In his time at NBC, Silverman failed to get the network out of third place and some of his new programs were high profile failures. This made him the subject of ridicule on Saturday Night. Belushi would portray Silverman several more times during Season 4. 

Fred Silverman in 1978.

Classic moment:
Father Guido Sarducci's first "Weekend Update" appearance-Fr. Guido would become an "Update" fixture during Seasons 4 and 5. 

What stands out:
Frank Zappa's musical performances-Like Devo in the previous episode, Zappa's music wasn't something that was shown on network television at this time. I especially enjoyed "Dancin' Fool." 

What doesn't work:
Zappa in sketches-In addition to blatantly reading cue cards, Zappa mugs for the camera during "Night On Freak Mountain." The cast tries their best, but Zappa sucks the energy out of all of his sketches.

"Home prison"-I didn't laugh at all during this sketch. I don't know if it was referencing something in the news at the time or just going for absurdism, but it didn't work.

J.A. Morris' rating:

Zappa is one of SNL's weakest hosts so far. While his music is good here, his appearances in sketches made this episode a tough one to watch.

2 stars.

[1] Source:
Miller, James Andrew and Shales, Tom. Live From New York The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. Little, Brown, 2003, p.169.

Season 4, episode 2;Host:Fred Willard, with Devo

Aired October 14, 1978.

Cold opening:"Yankees game"
Honker (Bill Murray), wearing a New York Yankees hat, is seated in Saturday Night's studio audience. He tells the woman beside him that he works for the Yankees. 

As Honker continues, it's obvious that he's drunk and believes he's sitting in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium. Honker eventually realizes where he is and announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Monologue:"One Night"
Host Fred Willard appears onstage wearing an Elvis costume. He sings "One Night," which was written by Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King and originally recorded by Smiley Lewis. His version reached #11 on the R&B chart. Elvis Presley's recording of the song reached #4 on Billboard's Hot 100. 

The host says his Elvis performance was inspired by an Elvis impersonator he recently saw.

Willard then talks about how people ask him if he's as dumb as the character he played on Fernwood Tonight.

Commercial:"Two Guys Who Are Lawyers"
Now that lawyers can advertise on television, the Two Guys Who Are Lawyers law firm (Willard and Dan Aykroyd) asks potential clients "to shop around, and you will agree that we Two Guys undersell all our competitors and give you the BEST legal services for your money!"

"Stunt Man"
During a film shoot, stunt man Cliff Preston (John Belushi) keeps getting injured in progressively worse ways.

Devo:"(I Can't Get No)Satisfaction"
Devo performs "(I Can't Get No)Satisfaction," which was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and released by the Rolling Stones in 1965. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Devo's version appeared on their 1978 album Q:Are We Not Men? A:We Are Devo! and was released as a single. It peaked at #41 on the UK Singles Chart.

"Weekend Update"
Anchors Jane Curtin and Bill Murray report on the top news stories of the day.

In "Celebrity Corner," Bill interviews Lucille Ball (Gilda Radner) and her husband Gary Morton (Alan Zweibel).

In "Strictly Speaking," Update Station Manager Dan Aykroyd comments about the current state of football cheerleaders' clothing. 

"5 AM phone call"
Mary (Laraine Newman) is woken up by an early phone call for her ex-boyfriend David, who has moved out. With a man (Willard) lying next to her in bed, Mary later calls David and appears to enjoy the conversation.

Talk show:"On The Spot"
Joan Face (Curtin) interviews Irwin Mainway (Aykroyd), who owns the company that provides school lunches. The sleazy Mainway's lunches include black coffee, cigarettes and dog milk. 

"Mr. Bill Show"
Written by Walter Williams.
Mr. Bill travels to New York City and visits tourist attractions like Macy's and the Empire State Building.

"Bobbi Farber"
While preparing a chicken dinner, Bobbi Farber (Radner) talks to her mother on the phone. 

"Crossroads"
A minister (Willard) tells the story of Moab (Belushi), an ancient Israelite who was confused about which god to pray to. 

"Scotch Boutique"
Written by Don Novello.
At the Scotch Boutique, the only product sold is Scotch tape. The store is operated by Mr. Rocker (Willard) and his wife Jenny (Radner). 

After two months of struggle, Jenny begins to question the wisdom of a tape store, which was her husband's dream. This causes tension between them.

Devo:"Jocko Homo"
Devo performs "Jocko Homo," which was the B-side of their first single. "Jocko Homo" was then re-recorded and appeared on Devo's Are We Not Men album.

Goodnights:
Willard, surrounded by the cast and Devo says "Goodnight, thank you!" and the credits roll.

Notes about this episode:

According to Fred Willard, Muhammad Ali was originally scheduled to host this episode, but he backed out. Here's the interview where he discusses that and his experience hosting SNL:

Devo's second performance is preceded by a short piece of film. This is a clip from Devo's short film The Truth About De-Evolution. Here's a screenshot from the film:

What stands out:
"Two Guys Who Are Lawyers"-A great parody of lawyers' TV ads, which were very new when this episode aired. 

Devo-Both of Devo's performances are fun to watch. Their music was not something you generally saw on network television in 1978. 

"Scotch Boutique"-A nice, quiet "slice of life" sketch built around a store that only sells tape.

What doesn't work:
"Strictly Speaking"-I'm a big Dan Aykroyd fan, but I was underwhelmed by this "Weekend Update" commentary. I think Aykroyd's "angry" newsman persona works best when paired with Curtin, not in a solo piece.

J.A. Morris' rating:
Fred Willard is a good host, Devo's two performances and the aforementioned sketches make this a solid, memorable episode.

3 stars.

Season 4, Episode 1;Hosts:The Rolling Stones, with Mayor Ed Koch

Aired October 7, 1978.

Cold opening:Garrett Morris:"I Love You (Three Little Tones)"
Sometime in the1930s in studio 8H of the NBC/RCA building, a radio announcer (Dan Aykroyd) introduces Howard Shore and the National Broadcasting Orchestra. The orchestra is fronted by vocalist Garrett Morris, he's backed by three singers (Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner). Garrett sings "I Love You (Three Little Tones)," a love song dedicated to the NBC chimes.

When Morris' song is over, the announcer walks up to the mic and says "And now, live from New York, it’s Saturday Night."

Monologue:"Certificate Of Merit"
New York Mayor Ed Koch walks onstage and announces that he's there to present a Certificate Of Merit to John Belushi. Since John's movie Animal House is breaking box office records and SNL is the highest rated late night series, Koch wants to thank him making New York "a vital, creative center."

Belushi walks out to accept the certificate and can't hide his anger and disappointment. He believes he deserves the Key to the City. 

Commercial:"Autoscent"
Autoscent is the perfume for your car's exhaust pipe.

Talk show:"Tomorrow show, with Tom Snyder"
Tom Snyder (Aykroyd) interviews Mick Jagger. When Snyder compliments Jagger's dance moves, Mick asks Tom show off his own dancing abilities. 

"Nerds Norge"
Written by Anne Beatts and Rosie Shuster.
When the Loopner's Norge refrigerator breaks, a repairman comes to work on it. Lisa (Radner) and Todd (Bill Murray) are very amused by the repairman's...pants.

During the sketch,Todd sings two songs that parody the song "Grease." It was recorded by Frankie Valli and written by Barry Gibb for the soundtrack of the film of the same title. "Grease" reached #1 on the Billboard chart in 1978. 

"Olympia Cafe"
Written by Don Novello.
The Olympia's owner Pete returns from a trip to Greece and finds a lot has changed in his cafe.

"Weekend Update"
Update anchor Jane Curtin opens the broadcast by welcoming her new co-anchor, Bill Murray.

In Point/Counterpoint, Bill and Jane debate the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Correspondent Roseanne Roseannadanna reports on her recent visit to New York's Studio 54 nightclub. Her "report" devolves into a commentary about blisters.

The Rolling Stones:"Beast Of Burden,""Respectable,""Shattered"
The Rolling Stones perform three songs from their recent album Some Girls, which was released on June 9, 1978. All three songs were written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. "Beast Of Burden" was released as single on August 28, 1978 and it peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100.  

"Respectable" was issued as a single only in the UK, where it peaked at #23 on the singles chart.  

The Stones set closes with "Shattered," the fourth and final single released from Some Girls.  It reached #31 on the Pop chart.

Schiller's Reel:"Sushi By The  Pool"
Filmmaker Tom Schiller presents a Hollywood pool party where an actor (Desi Arnaz Jr.) conducts business while eating sushi. 

The party is going fine until Hal Holbrook runs down a nearby hill shouting "EARTHQUAKE!"

"Beatles reunion"
After bringing together Egypt and Israel to sign a peace treaty, Pres. Jimmy Carter says his next step will be reuniting John Lennon (Belushi) and Paul McCartney (Murray) to create a framework for the reunion of the Beatles.

Commercial:"Network Battle of the T’s & A’s."
This NBC ad promotes their upcoming "all-star celebrity sport spectacular: Network Battle of the T’s & A’s." It will feature a competition between "the biggest stars, with the biggest T’s, and the nicest A’s!"

"Dave Mable's Danger Probe"
Written by Dan Aykroyd.
"Danger Probe" host Dave Mable (Aykroyd) shows what happens when a Hari Krisna missionary (Belushi) and a mime (Radner) visit a brutal dictatorship. 

Goodnights:
Mayor Koch, surrounded by the Stones and the cast, appears onstage and says "Good night, and thank you."

Notes about this episode:

A sketch was cut from this episode because Keith Richards couldn't remember his lines. [1] Here's rehearsal footage of that sketch:

With this episode, Saturday Night Live dropped the "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" moniker for the cast. They were now just introduced as the stars of the show.

Mick Jagger would later appear on Saturday Night five more times, as a musical guest, host and in guest cameos. Keith Richards appeared during Season 14, fronting his side-band the X-Pensive Winos. However, this episode is the Rolling Stones only appearance on SNL to date.

For those too young to remember him, Ed Koch served three terms as mayor of New York from 1978 to 1990. He would later host Saturday Night during Seasons 8 and 9 and made an additional cameo in the 9th season. Koch passed away in 2013 at age 88. 

What stands out:
Cold Opening:"I Love You (Three Little Tones)"-I always enjoy when the show lets Garrett Morris sing. It's a great way to open Season 4.

Dan Aykroyd-He's all over this episode, from Tom Snyder to "Nerds Norge," to Jimmy Carter, to "Dangerprobe," Aykroyd practically carries the show.

"Nerds Norge"-In addition to the aforementioned Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin and Bill Murray are equally funny as Lisa, Enid and Todd, respectively. 

Roseanne Roseannadanna's report-Another great "Update" appearance of this character. It's made funnier by the fact that, for once, Curtin does not freak out at Roseanne. 

What doesn't work:
The Rolling Stones-Their performance is lackluster, especially Mick Jagger. His voice is a whispered croak and it cracks more than once. The Stones don't make much of an impressions in sketches either.

Garrett Morris in drag-He plays a waitress in the "Olympia Cafe" sketch and it's an empty role. Morris played women way too often in Seasons 2 and 3, this is not a great start for the fourth season. This sketch was Morris' only appearance after the cold opening. He deserved better from the writers.

J.A. Morris' rating:
The cast (especially Aykroyd) is in fine form this episode and Season 4 gets off to a good start. However, the Rolling Stones mediocre presence prevents me from giving it my highest rating.

3 and a half stars.