Sunday, July 12, 2026

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!

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