Aired February 28, 1976.
Cold opening:"Chevy won't do the fall."
Chevy Chase tells producer Lorne Micheals he's tired of opening the show with his customary "fall of the week" because it makes him look like a buffoon. Lorne tells him to get on stage and do the fall. After a visit to the main stage, Chevy resolves to tell Lorne once and for all that he won't perform the fall anymore. While leaning on Lorne's desk, Chevy slips, falls down then announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
Monologue:
Host Jill Clayburgh says that SNL announcer Don Pardo has helped her prepare for hosting the show, since Pardo has more experience in live TV than anyone. Pardo gets to show off the announcer skills he learned from years of working on game shows.
Great Moments In Herstory I:
Anna Freud tells her father Sigmund about a dream she had about...a banana.
Jill Carson:Guidance Counselor:
A high school guidance counselor (Clayburgh) attempts to help a seemingly-incorrigible student named Julio (John Belushi) give up a life of crime.
Leon Redbone:"Ain't Misbehavin":
The musical guest performs this jazz standard, which was written by Andy Razaf and Fats Waller in 1929.
"White Guild Relief Fund"
Garrett Morris tells white people that if they feel guilty about centuries of slavery and racism in America, they can send him their "white guilt money."
Great Moments In Herstory II:
Famous dancer Isadora Duncan (Clayburgh) asks her friend Eleonora Duse (Gilda Radner) if she should wear a short scarf or a long scarf.
"Weekend Update":
Chevy Chase's news includes:Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still valiantly holding on in his fight to remain dead.
And Emily Litella (Radner) delivers an editorial commentary opposing the "Deaf Penalty."
Commercial:"H & L Brock":
Sleazy accountant Lowell Brock (Belushi) tells viewers why they should take their taxes to his company instead of H & R Block.
The Singing Idlers:"Semper Paratus"
The Idlers, who are the official chorus of the United States Coast Guard, perform their official march song, "Semper Paratus." The lyrics were written by Francis Saltus Van Boskerck, with music by Homer Smith and Walton Butterfield
During the song, a list of "people dolphins are smarter than" scrolls down the screen.
Jill Clayburgh, with the Singing Idlers and Howard Shore's Shore Patrol:"Sea Cruise"
Clayburgh and Howard Shore's Shore Patrol Band (SNL's house band dressed as sailors!) join the Idlers for a performance of "Sea Cruise," which was written by Huey "Piano" Smith and recorded by Frankie Ford, whose version reached #14 on the Billboard chart in 1959.
Commercial:"Car Yummies"
An ad for a snackfood made for cars!
"Paying The Milkman":
Clayburgh announces that the Muppets are away, but in their place, a new play called "Paying The Milkman" will be performed by two hands (Chase).
Film by Gary Weis:"William Wegman"
Filmmaker William Wegman shows viewers that his dog Man-Ray is very intelligent.
Andy Kaufman:"Old McDonald Had A Farm"
Kaufman lip syncs a recording of the well-known children's song. He recruits members of the audience to lip sync various animal's parts in the song.
"Dinner Conversation":
Written by Tom Davis.
A woman (Clayburgh) and a man (Chase) ask each other what they're thinking about.
Leon Redbone:"Big Time Woman":
Redbone, backed by tubist Jonathan Dorn, performs this song, which was originally recorded by Wilton Crawley in 1931.
Great Moments In Herstory III:
In India,the young Indira Gandhi (Newman) is taught a lesson in pacifism from her father Jawaharlal Nehru (Belushi).
Home Movie:"Mr. Bill"
A film sent in by Walter Williams features Mr. Bill, a children's TV host made of clay. Mr. Bill is violently abused by his doctor, Dr. Sluggo.
Goodnights:"Grable And Lombard"
Classic Hollywood movie stars Betty Grable (Curtin) and Carole Lombard (Clayburgh) are pronounced "wife and wife" in a wedding ceremony. Clayburgh breaks character and says goodnight.
Notes about this episode:
Younger fans of SNL might not be familiar with Jill Clayburgh, who passed away in 2010. She was a major presence in films in the 1970s and early 80s and was nominated twice for the Best Actress Oscar. Clayburgh's last film appearance was the 2011 hit comedy Bridesmaids.
The "Grable And Lombard" bit at the end is a reference to Clayburgh's movie Gable And Lombard, which was released on February 11, 1976, two weeks prior to this episode. In the film (and in the sketch), Clayburgh played actress Carole Lombard.
In the second "Great Moments In Herstory" sketch, where Clayburgh plays Isadora Duncan, the joke about Duncan's scarves is related to her death. Duncan was killed when a long scarf she was wearing was caught in the wheel of the car she was riding in, which threw her out of the moving car.
Classic Moment:
"Mr. Bill"-The most historically important part of this episode is the debut of Mr. Bill who would appear in 21 short films on the show. "The Mr. Bill Show" would become one of the series' most popular recurring segments. The character's creator Walter Williams sent this in hoping it would be shown during SNL's "Home Movie" segment. Williams would send in five more films before he was officially hired to make short films for the show.
What stands out:
"Sea Cruise"-Clayburgh's performance of this song was a pleasant surprise. I'd never seen her sing before and Clayburgh does a nice job. Dressing the house band as sailors made the performance even more enjoyable.
Cold Opening-Chevy Chase stumbles, falls, gets up and falls again all over Studio 8H. It's a masterpiece of physical comedy.
"Car Yummies"-This commercial parody was short but it's a great example of Dan Aykroyd's absurdist streak.
J.A. Morris' rating:
Jill Clayburgh isn't a bad host, but this episode is a slight step down from previous episodes.
2 and a half stars.
