Aired May 15, 1976.
Cold opening:"Chevy falls too soon"
When the show begins, Chevy Chase is laying on the floor and yells out "Live, from New York," but he's cut off by the show's director Dave Wilson before he can utter the show's traditional opening phrase.
The director says the clock in the control room is a minute fast, so Chevy must perform the fall again. He's frustrated because the fall was the ending of a sketch that involved other cast members who are now too busy preparing for the show. Chase eventually does what Wilson wants and sets up a ladder, climbs the ladder until it falls on a card table, which throws Chevy to the floor. He then announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
Monologue:Dyan's Dream Part 1:
Host Dyan Cannon performs a song about how every one of her dreams has come true...except one.
The one dream that hasn't come true is her dream of a shirtless man riding out of the middle of the ocean riding up to her on a white horse, picking her up and carrying her away! Cannon believes that dream will come true before the episode ends.
Commercial:"Sugar-Free Zing"
Elaine Szigeti (Laraine Newman) participates in new Sugar-Free Zing's blind taste test. A glass of Zing is placed next to a glass of...phlegm.
"Hearing Test":
A hearing test is interrupted by an armed robbery.
"Delivery Boy":
When a woman named Angela (Cannon) is caught cheating on her husband (Dan Aykroyd) with another man (Chase), she tells a series of elaborate lies in order to cover up her transgression.
Talk show:"Vacationland Adventure"
Jane Curtin interviews Piotr Saluga, head of the Bulgarian Tourist Bureau, who is promoting "the exotic pleasures of Bulgaria, the Baltic Playland." He shares a film of his home country during wintertime.
Dyan's Dream Part 2:
While speaking in a hoarse voice, Dan Aykroyd tells Cannon that he is her dream come true. She points out that she was looking for a man on a horse, not "a man who is hoarse."
Leon and Mary Russell:"Satisfy You"
The husband-and-wife duo Leon and Mary Russell perform a song (written by Leon) from their Wedding Album LP, which was released in April of 1976.
Next week:
Gilda Radner tells Laraine Newman that Buck Henry will be hosting next week's show. Newman says Henry is "disgusting," not realizing that Buck is standing right behind them.
"Weekend Update":
Chevy Chase reports on the days headlines, which include:
Presidential candidate Ronald Reagan announces that if elected, he will not return the Panama Canal to Panama and that he will open the canal to vehicular traffic.
Correspondent Laraine Newman interviews gas station attendant Maynard Spees (Garrett Morris), who claims to be the heir to eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes' fortune.
Plus, "News For The Deaf" presented by Garrett Morris.
Commercial:"Florida Orange Juice"
Singer/pitchwoman Anita Bryant spreads "the good word about orange juice" in war-torn Beirut, Lebanon and winds up in front of a firing squad.
"Funeral":
When a minister (Chase) is delivering a eulogy, he's hit with an awful case of the hiccups. The mourners try every method they can think of to make it stop.
Dyan's Dream Part 3:
Garrett Morris says he's the answer to Dyan's dream when he walks up to her dressed as a pimp accompanied by two white women (Newman and Radner). Cannnon reminds Garrett that she said "white horse."
Film by Gary Weis:
Weis interviews a recently-married couple on their honeymoon and private detectives who investigate spouses suspected of infidelity.
Commercial:Ray Waddmaker's Bathwater Of The Stars:
Written by Michael O'Donoghue.
Ray Waddmaker (Aykroyd) and Cindy Cleavage (Cannon) shill for Waddmaker's company, which sells bottles of water made from celebrities' bathwater.
Commercial:"U.S. Marine Corps":
An actor (Chase) in a commercial for the Marine Corps keeps flubbing his lines, which leads to him being beaten repeatedly.
Leon and Mary Russell:"Daylight"
The Russells perform another song from Wedding Album. "Daylight" was written by Bobby Womack and Harold Payne and was first recorded by Womack in 1975.
Near the end of the song, Joe Cocker (Belushi) arrives and helps them finish the song.
"Johnny Angel":
A teenage girl named Ann (Cannon) tells her parents (Radner and Belushi) she wants them to meet her boyfriend Johnny. When three members of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club arrive, she introduces all three as her boyfriend "Johnny Angel" and then performs the song of the same title, while the Angels trash her living room and beat up her parents.
"Johnny Angel" was written by Lyn Duddy and Lee Pockriss. It was first performed on The Donna Reed show by Shelly Fabres. Her recording of "Johnny Angel" reached #1 on Billboard Pop chart in 1962.
Commercial:"Cresk Toothpaste"
Written by Alan Zweibel.When Claire (Radner) tells her grocer Mr. Goodman that her son has recently died, Goodman recommends that he use Cresk Toothpaste, since "his body will decay, but his teeth won't."
Dyan's Dream Part 4:
John Belushi rides up to Cannon on the back of his friend Horace (Alan Zweibel) and says he's her dream come true. Dyan points out that she said "horse" not "Horace."
Home Movie:"Hubcap Thief"
See what happens when a car drives away while a thief is trying to steal its hubcaps!
Goodnights:Dyan's Dream Part 5:
Dyan and the cast are assembled onstage to say goodnight.
Cannon says she's disappointed that her dream didn't come true. Suddenly, a shirtless Chevy Chase rides up to Cannon on a white horse!
Cannon gets on the horse and they ride off!
Notes about this episode:
Younger readers of this blog may not be familiar with Dyan Cannon, but she was nominated for three Academy Awards and was a prominent star of film and TV in the 1970s and 80s.
The "Johnny Angel" sketch prompted the real Hell's Angels to visit SNL's offices and demand their "colors," the skull insignia used in the sketch, seen here on the back of the jackets:
The Angels asked for their colors and threatened to get violent if they didn't get them. Dan Aykroyd (who designed the costumes) personally returned the colors and showered them with respect and admiration. This led to good relations between the show and the motorcycle club and the Angels frequently showed up in SNL's audience for a while. [1]
Leon Russell played piano, guitar and served as musical director in Joe Cocker's touring band and also produced Cocker's second album. Which was likely the inspiration for John Belushi (as Cocker) joining the Russells' performance of "Daylight."
Dyan Cannon breaks during the "Bathwater Of The Stars" sketch. Aykroyd accidentally drops a fake rat in the bathtub, which causes Cannon to laugh.
What stands out:
"Dyan's Dream"-this is one of the better "runner" sketches I've seen during this season.
"Johnny Angel"-this aforementioned sketch is very funny and gives Cannon a chance to show off her singing voice.
J.A. Morris' rating:
I wouldn't call this a "classic" episode and it's a mild step down from the previous week's show. But it's still a solid episode and Cannon was a good host, I'm sorry she never hosted again.
3 stars.
Footnote:
[1] Saturday Night, by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingard, p.168-170.
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