Season 2, Episode 2; Host:Norman Lear, with Boz Scaggs

Aired September 25, 1976.

Cold opening:"Chevy's in the hospital"
Chevy Chase suffered an injury while falling during the dress-rehearsal of the previous show's Ford-Carter debate sketch, so he's in the hospital and unavailable to take his usual opening fall.  Gilda Radner has been called upon to open the show and she's not sure what to do.

Chevy calls her on the phone and asks her to "walk" the phone receiver to end of the desk and "trip" it.  Gilda does this and she sends the receiver falling to the floor.  The camera zooms in on the phone receiver and we hear Chevy's voice announce "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Monologue:
This week's host is Norman Lear, producer of hit TV series like All In The Family, The Jeffersons, Maude and many other successful shows.

During his monologue, the sound goes out and this message is displayed onscreen:

Lear says that the press has inaccurately reported that arguments have taken place on the sets of his shows, so Lear shows a short recording of him talking with the actors.  When he turns his back, the actors display their true feelings about Lear.

Paid Political Announcement from Jimmy Carter:

Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter (Dan Aykroyd) promises the voters that if elected, he will try to be a "lusty, zesty kind of president" and "follow the lusty example of LBJ, JFK, and FDR."

Boz Scaggs:"Lowdown"

Musical guest Boz Scaggs performs "Lowdown," which was written by Scaggs and his keyboard player David Paich.  "Lowdown" appeared on Scaggs' June 1976 album Silk Degrees and it reached #3 on the Billboard Pop Chart.

SNL band member "Blue" Lou Marinni provides a nice flute accompaniment to Scaggs.  

Norman Lear's new TV series:"The Snake-Handling O'Sheas":

Lear introduces his latest TV series.  The Snake-Handling O'Sheas features a family that disagrees with each other about everything...except for their snake-handling religious ceremonies, which they all love!

Next week's host:

Gilda Radner announces that next week Saturday Night will be hosted by Eric Idle of Monty Python, who is standing behind Gilda reading a newspaper.

"Weekend Update":

Substituting for regular anchor Chevy Chase is Jane Curtin, who reports on the day's headlines, which include:

In an interview with Playboy magazine, President Gerald Ford reveals that "in his heart, he committed celibacy."

Plus, correspondent Laraine Newman reports live from a quiet Time Square on New York's celebration of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. 

Norman Lear:"Something's missing"

The host says he's felt something's missing from the show with Chevy Chase being absent.  Lear then performs a fall and hopes Chevy gets well soon. 

This leads directly into the next segment...

"Chevy's Girls":

Written by Marilyn Suzanne Miller.

A girl group called Chevy's Girls (Curtin, Newman and Radner) performs a song that expresses their love for Chevy Chase and his weekly opening falls.  

The chorus of the song is:

“Chevy! Chevy, I love when you fall down!

Each Saturday Night on my T.V.

Oh, but Chevy, every time you take that fall,

I wish you that you falling, falling for me."

Metric Leisure Week:Written by Tom Schiller.

Joseph Franklin (Aykroyd) of the U.S. Council of Standards and Measures tells viewers about how the new "metric leisure week" will consist of only three days and that days will last 100 hours.

Film by Gary Weis:

Weis presents a film of slapstick physical comedy (such as pies in the face and spitting milk) set to the tune of "The Yankee Doodle Boy."

"The Yankee Doodle Boy" was written by George M. Cohan and was introduced in the 1904 Broadway musical Little Johnny Jones. 

Divorce lawyer:

A divorce lawyer named Mr. Zeker (Belushi) coaches his client Mrs. Kaufman (Radner) about how she should testify against her abusive husband in court.  

Boz Scaggs:"What Can I Say"

Scaggs sings the lead track of his album Silk Degrees.  "What Can I Say" reached #42 on the Billboard chart.  Like "Lowdown," this song was co-written by Scaggs and David Paich.  

"Rhodesia Peace Talks":

Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Belushi) and his deputy Charles W. Robinson (Lear) try to the Rhodesian Bush War by getting the opposing sides to join hands with them and sing the following songs:

"Getting To Know You," which was written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein for their 1951 musical The King And I.  

The Beatles' "All You Need Is Love," which was released as a single July 7, 1967 and reached #1 in fourteen countries.  

"Reach Out of the Darkenss," written by Jim Post and released as a single by Friend & Lover in October 1967.  It reached #10 on the U.S. chart.

"Give Peace A Chance," written by John Lennon and recorded by Lennon's Plastic Ono Band.  It was released as a single on July 4, 1969 and reached #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

"Norman Lear tells a joke":

Lear brings his daughter Kate onstage to help him tell a joke.  

Home Movie:"Spanish Peanuts"

This weeks home movie features dancing peanuts.

Goodnights:

Lear and the cast say good night and yell "get well Chevy" as the credits roll.  

Notes about this episode:

The "interruption in sound" during Norman Lear's opening monologue is a reference to the first Presidential Debate of 1976, which took place two nights before this episode aired.  During that debate, the audio went out for 26 minutes, while candidates Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter stood silently at their podiums.  If you're interested in watching that debate, here's the video, the sound goes out at the 1 hour and 19 minute mark, while Carter is answering a question:

 

During the "Paid Political Announcement," Dan Aykroyd-as-Jimmy Carter comments about being be "a lusty, zesty kind of president" are a reference to a 1976 interview Carter gave to Playboy magazine which featured this quote from Carter:

"I’ve looked on a lot of women with lust. I’ve committed adultery in my heart many times. This is something that God recognizes I will do and God forgives me for it."

This interview had a major impact on the 1976 Presidential polls.  Incumbent Pres. Gerald Ford was polling way behind Carter at the time, the interview gave new life to Ford and the election was a dead heat until the end. [1]

Carter ended up winning with 50.1% of the popular vote to Ford's 48% and won the Electoral College 297 to 240. 

The "Weekend Update" joke about Ford committing celibacy in his heart is also a reference to Carter's Playboy interview. 

The "Chevy's Girls" song was written in reaction to the press attention Chevy Chase was given during at this time, while the other members of the ensemble felt overlooked and unappreciated.  It was specifically inspired by a Photoplay magazine that was published shortly before this episode.  The cover, seen below, promotes an interview with "Chevy Chase And His Girls":

Dan Aykroyd was bitten by a snake during the dress-rehearsal performance of "The Snake Handling O'Sheas" sketch. [2]

The Kissinger/Rhodesia sketch is based on peace talks that took place in 1976 that attempted to stop the Rhodesian Bush War and end the white minority rule of Rhodesia.  

Classic moment:
Jane Curtin's debut as anchor of "Weekend Update."  Chevy Chase would return to the role when he recovered, but Curtin would takeover "Update" for good in November 1976 and would remain part of SNL's "news team" until she left the show in 1980.  

What stands out:
"Chevy's Girls"-This song is hilarious and it also expresses the frustration that SNL's women (and others on the show) felt about being overshadowed by Chevy Chase.  

"The Snake Handling O'Sheas"-A great parody of Norman Lear's politically-charged sitcoms.  

Norman Lear's fall-It's not easy to take a fall without getting hurt and Lear shows guts falling down the week after Chevy Chase's injury.  It's also a nice tribute to Chase.

J.A. Morris' rating:
This is a good, solid episode, though not a great one.  Norman Lear does a nice job as host and the Not Ready For Prime Time players show that they're more than capable of putting on a good show while Chevy Chase is out with an injury. 

3 stars

Footnotes:
[1]Saturday Night Live and the 1976 Presidential Election, by M. Heather Carver and William T. Horner, p.126-127.
[2]Saturday Night, by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingard, p.96-97.

Season 2, Episode 1; Host:Lily Tomlin with James Taylor

Aired September 18, 1976.

Cold opening:"The host is running late"
It's 11:30, time for Saturday Night to begin and there's no sign of this week's host, Lily Tomlin.  She hasn't even bothered to show up for rehearsals during the week leading up to the show.  Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner believe Tomlin's recent Oscar nomination (for her role in the movie Nashville) might have gone to her head.

When Tomlin finally arrives, she's surrounded by an entourage and acts like an aloof movie star.  Tomlin doesn't remember any of the cast's names.  Her entourage includes a man named Pepe who's sole job is supplying Lily with champagne.

Tomlin makes her way to her dressing room and Chevy waits outside for her.  Pepe asks Chase what he does on the show.

Chevy says he normally opens SNL normally by taking a fall, but he needs some kind of "motivation" to set up the fall.  When Chase walks away, Pepe trips him, which sends Chevy falling over a folding chair.  He then turns to the camera and announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Monologue:
Lily Tomlin praises the Not Ready For Prime Time players and says they wanted to bring something "happy and fulfilling" to the viewers and audience and thanks them for bringing them into their lives.

When the audience applauds, she asks the stage manager if the audience "bought" her schmaltzy showbiz talk.

"Debate '76":
Written by Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Al Franken and Tom Davis.
Pres. Gerald Ford and his challenger Jimmy Carter (Dan Aykroyd) debate the issues in the first Presidential debate of 1976.

The candidates wind up inadvertently wrestling with each other on the floor.

James Taylor:"Shower The People"
Musical guest James Taylor performs "Shower The People,", the lead track of Taylor's June 1976 album In The Pocket.  "Shower The People" peaked at #22 on the US Billboard Pop chart.

"Weekend Update":
Anchor Chevy Chase reports on the days headlines, which include:

Mao Tse Tung, Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party has died and will be replaced by "Imitation Mao."

Correspondent Laraine Newman reports on an outbreak of "Foreign Legionnaires Disease," which causes victims to suddenly become silent, then start speaking in a foreign language before dropping dead.

Plus, editorial commentator Emily Litella (Radner) calls in to comment on the recent hijacking of an airplane by "five crustaceans!"

Commercial:"The Phone Company"
Written by Al Franken and Tom Davis.
Telephone operator Ernestine (Tomlin) talks about all the horrible ways the phone company treats its customers and how their monopoly means they can continue to do so with impunity.

Lily Tomlin and The Muppets:"I Whistle A Happy Tune"
SNL's Muppets wake up and find themselves in a file cabinet.  Their spiritual guru Mighty Favog (Frank Oz) tells the Muppets they must do whatever they're told if they want to get back on Saturday Night.

Lily Tomlin shows up and recalls working with them the last time she hosted.  She then leads the Muppets in a performance of the song "I Whistle A Happy Tune."

"I Whistle A Happy Tune" was written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein for their 1951 musical The King And I.

James Taylor:"(I'm a) Road Runner"
Taylor tells Tomlin that his next song will be "(I'm a) Road Runner" and introduces saxophonist David Sanborn as his accompanist for the song.

"(I'm a) Road Runner" was written by Lamont Dozier and brothers Brian and Eddie Holland (AKA Holland-Dozier-Holland) and first recorded by Junior Walker and his All Stars and released on their 1966 album Road Runner.  Taylor released a studio recording of "(I'm a) Road Runner" 32 years after this episode on his 2008 album Covers.

"Tess and Ralph":
Written by Marilyn Suzanne Miller.
A lonely widow named Tess DiSenzo (Tomlin) gets a visit from a vacation-home salesman named Ralph Hopkins (Garrett Morris).

Ralph soon realizes that Tess called him to her apartment because she's desperate for human interaction.

James Taylor:"Sweet Baby James"
Taylor performs one of his signature songs "Sweet Baby James," the title track from his 1970 album of the same name.

Commercial:"Mrs. Judith Beasley"

A commercial pitch-man (Aykroyd) asks housewife Mrs. Judith Beasley (Tomlin) to perform a series of bizarre tasks, which include waxing a gym floor, shopping for groceries while wearing a hamster head, and reenacting a scene from Gone With The Wind in a parking lot and going to a strange hotel with strange man, taking off her clothes and "do the Antler Dance."

"Woman In Literature Part 10:The Journals Of Elna Sullivan"
A profile of writer Elna Sullivan (Newman), who kept a journal of her time spent in Paris while surrounded by such luminaries as Pablo Picasso, Marcel Proust and Ernest Hemingway.

Film by Gary Weis:"Taylor Mead"
Actor/writer Taylor Mead discusses his TV viewing habits and reads some letters he's received.

Lily Tomlin:"The Antler Dance"
Written by Michael O'Donoghue, Marilyn Suzanne Miller and Paul Shaffer.
Tomlin says that she recently learned how to do the Antler Dance (which was featured earlier during the "Mrs. Judith Beasley" sketch) and will now teach it to the viewers and audience.  She sings a song about how to perform the dance and the SNL band dances along with Tomlin.

During the second verse, pianist Paul Shaffer takes over lead vocals while Tomlin is joined onstage by the cast, James Taylor, Saturday Night's writers and the Muppets!  Eventually the studio audience starts doing the Antler Dance as well.

Goodnights:
Tomlin asks the audience watching at home join her and do the Antler Dance.  The host, cast and studio audience keep dancing as the credits roll.

Notes about this episode:
During dress rehearsal for this episode, Chevy Chase suffered a serious injury when he fell over the podium in the "Debate '76" sketch.  Which means he performed the opening fall and the fall in the debate sketch after the injury (that's dedication!).  The injury kept Chase off the show for the next three episodes.

John Belushi plays a Rolling Stone reporter named Tom Burke in the "Debate '76" sketch.  Tom Burke was an actual Rolling Stone writer who wrote the a profile of Lorne Michaels and The Not Ready For Prime Time Players that appeared in the July 15, 1976 issue of Rolling Stone.

Emily Litella's "five crustaceans" commentary is a reference to the hijacking of TWA Flight 355 by five Croatians.  The hijackers called themselves Fighters for Free Croatia and advocated for Croatia to be granted independence from Yugoslavia.

Regarding the "Phone Company" commercial parody, younger folks might be surprised to learn that AT&T's Bell System had a monopoly on phone service in the United States until it was broken up in 1982.

For those unfamiliar with Lily Tomlin's career, Ernestine and Judith Beasley are characters created by Tomlin.  She played those characters on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In and they've been featured in many of Tomlin's stage and TV appearances.

The hamster head worn by Lily Tomlin during the Judith Beasley sketch was previously used in the "Fashion Don'ts" sketch from the third episode of Season 1.

This episode features the final appearance of SNL's Muppet characters.  I have to say that while watching and reviewing Season 1, I generally enjoyed the Muppet sketches.  The very last time we see the Muppets is when Ploobis performs the Antler Dance during the closing credits:

Classic moment:
"Debate '76"-Dan Aykroyd and Chevy Chase are hilarious as Carter and Ford.  Chase's line about "math" is one of the funniest moments in SNL history.  Saturday Night has satirized Presidential Debates in almost every election since 1976 and this sketch is where that "tradition" began.

What stands out:
"Tess and Ralph"-a wonderful and touching "slice of life" sketch that features great acting from Lily Tomlin and Garrett Morris.

"The Antler Dance"-the dance and the song are lots of fun and ending the show with this dance, instead of the usual goodnights, was a great way to end the episode.

Writer Michael O'Donoghue (in the above photo, up front, wearing sunglasses) wrote the lyrics for "The Antler Dance."

J.A. Morris' rating:
This is a great way for Saturday Night to begin its second season.  Tomlin, the cast and the musical guest are all great and the sketches are very strong and it gets my highest rating.

4 stars!