Season 3, episode 19;Host:Richard Dreyfuss, with Jimmy Buffett and Gary Tigerman

Aired May 13, 1978.

Cold opening:"Paraquat"
100 tons of paraquat-treated marijuana is tracked from Mexico all the way to New York. 

Finally, it makes its way to NBC's Studio 8H, where a joint that contains paraquat is handed to Bill Murray. Murray takes a few puffs...

...then croaks out "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night."

Monologue:"Hamlet"
Host Richard Dreyfuss appears onstage, carrying his Best Actor Oscar and wearing an Elizabethan costume. He says John Belushi believed Richard Burton deserved the Oscar and mentions that Burton played Hamlet. Dreyfuss says he will perform a soliloquy from Hamlet. 

In the middle of this, Belushi comes onstage and berates Richard, accusing him of looking down on SNL's cast. 

"Cone Encounters Of The Third Kind"

Roy Neary (Dreyfuss) has built a sculpture with a cone on top, but can't figure out why. 

When Roy sees Beldar Conehead (Dan Aykroyd) on TV, he tracks down the alien, thinking Beldar's cone is connected to the sculpture. Unfortunately for both of them, in the midst of all this, the Coneheads' leader High Master Kuldroth (Belushi) arrives.

Introduction 1:
Dreyfuss appears onstage to introduce Jimmy Buffett. However, Richard gets distracted when he hears the Jaws theme and looks around to see where it's coming from.

Jimmy Buffett:"Son Of A Son Of A Sailor"
Jimmy Buffett performs the title track of his album Son Of A Son Of A Sailor, which was released on March 17, 1978.

"Sex Test"
Dreyfuss hosts a show that's "designed to promote good sexual health by dealing with some of the most common questions and misconceptions surrounding sex."

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

Jane apologizes for her past harsh reactions to Update contributors like Emily Litella, John Belushi and Roseanne Roseannadanna. Jane says that from now on, she will not lose her dignity or overreact to her fellow correspondents.

Stargazer Bill Murray criticizes the Academy Awards for giving the Best Actor Oscar to Richard Dreyfuss.

Correspondent Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda Radner) responds to a letter that asks if she believes in UFOs. Roseanne responds by telling how she stumbled on a pornographic movie at a drive-in theater. 

Since she's trying to be more tolerant, Jane does everything in her power not to let Roseanne get under her skin.

"Nick Springs"
Lounge singer Nick Springs (Murray) entertains and talks to guests in the Honeymoon Room at the Pocomont Hotel. During his set, Nick performs the following songs:

"Love To Love You Baby," which was written by Giorgio Moroder, Pete Bellotte, and Donna Summer. Summer's recording of the song reached #2 on Billboard's Hot 100.

"Poison Ivy" was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The Coasters' 1959 recording of "Poison Ivy" reached #1 on the R&B chart and #7 on the Pop chart.

"Hava Nagila" is a Jewish folk song written in 1918. It is traditionally sung during celebratory occasions. 

"Close Encounters Theme" was composed by John Williams and reached #13 on the Pop chart.

"Argument"
Judi (Newman) and her boyfriend (Dreyfuss) argue about a salad he just ate. As the argument proceeds, they keep pointing out things about each other that bother them.

Talk show:"The David Susskind Show"
In honor of Mother's Day, David Susskind interviews three celebrities and their mothers.

Introduction 2:

Dreyfuss begins to introduce Gary Tigerman, but once again, he hears the Jaws theme and gets distracted.

Gary Tigerman:"White Oaxacan Moon"
Gary Tigerman sings "White Oaxacan Moon." 

Father Guido Sarducci:
Fr. Guido Sarducci (Don Novello), rock critic and gossip columnist for the Vatican newspaper L’Osservatore Romano, talks about various religious topics, including the Pope's new encyclical and Jesus' stepbrother "Billy Christ."

Richard Dreyfuss:"Seduced"
The host performs "Seduced," which was written by Gary Tigerman. The song has been covered by several artists, including Peggy Lee and Leon Redbone. Dreyfuss sings the song while seated atop Paul Shaffer's piano.

Goodnights:
Richard (still seated on the piano) says "Thank you very much for coming, I hope you enjoyed the show!" Suddenly, the Jaws music starts playing and Dreyfuss is eaten by the Land Shark!

The Not Ready For Prime Time Players then surround Dreyfuss and the credits roll.

Notes about this episode:

As far as I can tell, based on my research, musical guest Gary Tigerman never released "White Oaxacan Moon" on any single or album. 

Classic moment:
Debut of Father Guido Sarducci-Don Novello's priest character would become an SNL mainstay during Seasons 4 and 5, appearing regularly on "Weekend Update." 

What stands out:
"Cone Encounters Of The Third Time"-Putting the Coneheads in a "Close Encounters" sketch with Dreyfuss makes perfect sense. It's also nice to see John Belushi portray Kuldroth again.

"Nick Springs"-A great "Nick" sketch, highlighted by his performance of the "Close Encounters" theme, with lyrics!

Roseanne Roseannadanna-Another solid Update commentary, made better by Jane Curtin's attempt to not get angry.

What doesn't work:In the "Paraquat" opening, John Belushi and Gilda Radner play Mexicans. Later, in "The David Susskind Show," Radner plays the mother of Leon Spinks. Neither of these sketches have aged well. 

J.A. Morris' rating:
This episode features multiple sketches with popular recurring characters and Richard Dreyfuss was a good host and a good sport with all the Oscars, Jaws and Close Encounters jokes. Another strong Season 3 episode.

4 stars!

Season 3, episode 18;Host:Steve Martin, with The Blues Brothers

Aired April 22, 1978.

Cold opening:"Don Kirshner's Rock Concert"
Don Kirshner (Paul Shaffer), host of Rock Concert, introduces the Blues Brothers, Elwood (Dan Aykroyd) and Joliet Jake Blues (John Belushi). Kirshner says "they are no longer an authentic blues act, but have managed to become a viable commercial product." 

The Blues Brothers then perform "Hey Bartender." "Hey Bartender" was written by Dossie Terry and first recorded by Floyd Dixon in 1955. The Blues Brothers recording of the song appeared on their live album Briefcase Full Of Blues, which was released on November 28, 1978.

When the song is over, Kirshner reappears onscreen and announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Monologue:"Typecast and magic"
Host Steve Martin says that because he performs comedy monologues and releases comedy albums, he has become typecast as a comedian. 

Martin then performs some magic tricks on a volunteer (Bill Murray) from the audience.

Commercial:"Hey You"
Repeat from Season 3, episode 7.

Festrunk Brothers:
Written by Dan Aykroyd, Marilyn Suzanne Miller and Steve Martin.
Czechoslavakian immigrant brothers Georg (Martin) and Yortuk Festrunk (Aykroyd) are waiting for two women they met at a party to come to their "swinging bachelor pad."  Their neighbor Cliff (Garrett Morris) tells the brothers that the women won't show up, which dampens the Festrunks' spirits.

"Theodoric Of York, Medieval Barber"
Written by Al Franken, Tom Davis, Jim Downey, with research by Emily Prager.
In 1303, a barber named Theodoric provides primitive medical treatment to local peasants.  With the help of his assistant Brungilda (Gilda Radner), he treats ailments using torturous techniques like bloodletting and leaching.

"Dancing In The Dark"
Conceived by Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Choreographed by Pat Burch.
In a disco nightclub, a man (Martin) locks eyes with a woman (Radner) sitting at a nearby table.  They get up and dance together, dancing wildly and acrobatically all over the SNL studio.

The music they dance to is "Dancing In The Dark." This tune was written by Arthur Schwartz and Howard Dietz for the 1931 musical revue The Band Wagon.

"Weekend Update"
Anchors Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd report on the day's top news stories.

Correspondent Garrett Morris brings marijuana to the Update desk to test it for paraquat. 

Plus, Dan and Jane have a Point/Counterpoint debate about federal funding of abortions.

Steve Martin with the Saturday Night Live Band:"King Tut"
The host performs "King Tut," which was written by Martin and released as a single on April 28, 1978.

The song reached #17 on Billboard's Hot 100 and it was also included on Martin's 1978 album A Wild and Crazy Guy.

"Betty and Harold":
Betty (Curtin) and her husband Harold (Belushi) tell each other about their extramarital affairs.

Film by Gary Weis:"Swan Lake"
Toni Basil choreographs a performance of Swan Lake that combines traditional ballet with street dancing. 

"Troff & Brew"
Written by Tom Davis and Dan Aykroyd.
During a business lunch, diners eat chili from feeding troughs and drink beer from a basin. 

"Nerds Science Fair"
Written by Anne Beatts and Rosie Shuster.
Lisa Loopner (Radner) and her friend Todd (Murray) compete in a science fair against Charles "Chaz The Spaz" Knerlman (Martin), who has built a plutonium bomb.  

The Blues Brothers"I Don't Know"
Jake and Ellwood perform "I Don't Know," which was written and recorded by Willie Mabon in 1952. The Blues Brothers recording of "I Don't Know" appeared on Briefcase Full Of Blues.

"Next Week In Review"
Maxine Universe (Laraine Newman) and a panel of her fellow psychics predict what will happen in the week ahead.

"Goodnights"
Martin says it's been a great show and praises the cast. 

The Not Ready For Prime Time Players then surround Steve and the credits roll. 

Notes about this episode:

This has been called one the greatest episodes in SNL history. Steve Martin said of the episode "it was like the peak of Saturday Night. It was the peak of me." 1

This was the episode that Saturday Night Live submitted to Emmy Awards voters. It lost to an episode of The Carol Burnett Show that also featured Steve Martin.

This was the third time Martin hosted during Season 3. No one else else has hosted that many times in a single season. 

Classic moment:
The debut of the Blues Brothers. "Jake and Ellwood" had served as Saturday Night's warmup act, but this was their first national exposure. Of course they would go on to record a #1 album and appear in their own movie. 

What stands out:
Pretty much everything. From the Blues Brothers opening, to the Festrunks to "Next Week In Review," this episode features one hit after another. My favorite sketch was "Theodoric Of York." 

What doesn't work:
Just a bit too much music-When you include the "Swan Lake" film, this episode contains five musical segments. A minor quibble in an otherwise great episode.

J.A. Morris' rating:
While I don't think this is the greatest episode ever (I prefer Steve Martin's January '78 episode), it's a great episode. It's strongly recommended and it gets my highest rating.

4 stars!

Source:
1Saturday Night, p.224:by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad