Aired October 14, 1978.
Cold opening:"Yankees game"
Honker (Bill Murray), wearing a New York Yankees hat, is seated in Saturday Night's studio audience. He tells the woman beside him that he works for the Yankees.
As Honker continues, it's obvious that he's drunk and believes he's sitting in the bleachers at Yankee Stadium. Honker eventually realizes where he is and announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
Monologue:"One Night"
Host Fred Willard appears onstage wearing an Elvis costume. He sings "One Night," which was written by Dave Bartholomew and Pearl King and originally recorded by Smiley Lewis. His version reached #11 on the R&B chart. Elvis Presley's recording of the song reached #4 on Billboard's Hot 100.
The host says his Elvis performance was inspired by an Elvis impersonator he recently saw.
Willard then talks about how people ask him if he's as dumb as the character he played on Fernwood Tonight.
Commercial:"Two Guys Who Are Lawyers"
Now that lawyers can advertise on television, the Two Guys Who Are Lawyers law firm (Willard and Dan Aykroyd) asks potential clients "to shop around, and you will agree that we Two Guys undersell all our competitors and give you the BEST legal services for your money!"
"Stunt Man"
During a film shoot, stunt man Cliff Preston (John Belushi) keeps getting injured in progressively worse ways.
Devo:"(I Can't Get No)Satisfaction"
Devo performs "(I Can't Get No)Satisfaction," which was written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and released by the Rolling Stones in 1965. It reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Devo's version appeared on their 1978 album Q:Are We Not Men? A:We Are Devo! and was released as a single. It peaked at #41 on the UK Singles Chart.
"Weekend Update"
Anchors Jane Curtin and Bill Murray report on the top news stories of the day.
In "Celebrity Corner," Bill interviews Lucille Ball (Gilda Radner) and her husband Gary Morton (Alan Zweibel).
In "Strictly Speaking," Update Station Manager Dan Aykroyd comments about the current state of football cheerleaders' clothing.
"5 AM phone call"
Mary (Laraine Newman) is woken up by an early phone call for her ex-boyfriend David, who has moved out. With a man (Willard) lying next to her in bed, Mary later calls David and appears to enjoy the conversation.
Talk show:"On The Spot"
Joan Face (Curtin) interviews Irwin Mainway (Aykroyd), who owns the company that provides school lunches. The sleazy Mainway's lunches include black coffee, cigarettes and dog milk.
"Mr. Bill Show"
Written by Walter Williams.
Mr. Bill travels to New York City and visits tourist attractions like Macy's and the Empire State Building.
"Bobbi Farber"
While preparing a chicken dinner, Bobbi Farber (Radner) talks to her mother on the phone.
"Crossroads"
A minister (Willard) tells the story of Moab (Belushi), an ancient Israelite who was confused about which god to pray to.
"Scotch Boutique"
Written by Don Novello.
At the Scotch Boutique, the only product sold is Scotch tape. The store is operated by Mr. Rocker (Willard) and his wife Jenny (Radner).
After two months of struggle, Jenny begins to question the wisdom of a tape store, which was her husband's dream. This causes tension between them.
Devo:"Jocko Homo"
Devo performs "Jocko Homo," which was the B-side of their first single. "Jocko Homo" was then re-recorded and appeared on Devo's Are We Not Men album.
Goodnights:
Willard, surrounded by the cast and Devo says "Goodnight, thank you!" and the credits roll.
Notes about this episode:
Devo's second performance is preceded by a short piece of film. This is a clip from Devo's short film The Truth About De-Evolution. Here's a screenshot from the film:
What stands out:
"Two Guys Who Are Lawyers"-A great parody of lawyers' TV ads, which were very new when this episode aired.
Devo-Both of Devo's performances are fun to watch. Their music was not something you generally saw on network television in 1978.
"Scotch Boutique"-A nice, quiet "slice of life" sketch built around a store that only sells tape.
"Strictly Speaking"-I'm a big Dan Aykroyd fan, but I was underwhelmed by this "Weekend Update" commentary. I think Aykroyd's "angry" newsman persona works best when paired with Curtin, not in a solo piece.
Fred Willard is a good host, Devo's two performances and the aforementioned sketches make this a solid, memorable episode.
3 stars.
another good and thoughtful recap and review - I remember seeing Devo doing Satisfaction - their version was being played at the time on NYC radio stations (which I heard in NJ). Keep up the good work.
ReplyDelete