Season 2, Episode 20;Host:Eric Idle, with Alan Price, Neil Innes, Jeanette Charles and Howard Shore and his Bobby Blue Band

Aired April 23, 1977. 

Cold opening:"Interrogation"
A British soldier (Eric Idle) interrogates an Irish prisoner (Bill Murray) about an impending bomb attack. 

When the prisoner refuses to answer, the soldier threatens to torture...two potatoes!

When this doesn't work, the soldier says if the prisoner refuses to answer his questions within ten seconds, he will turn the potatoes into French fries.  He asks the the Irishman three questions:

"One: is the bomb live or diffused? Two: what city was it mailed from? And three: when will it go off?"
The prisoner answers "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Monologue:"Save Great Britain Telethon"
Host Eric Idle introduces Queen Elizabeth II (Jeanette Charles), who takes a seat on the homebase stage.  Idle says that England has always loved America's money, and tonight he will be asking Americans to help his country.

Due to the UK's economic woes, he announces that Saturday Night will be holding the Save Great Britain Telethon.  Idle says British music mogul Clive Davis will pledge $20.00 if they mention his name. He says tonight's episode will feature several fundraising bits. The first is the Kicking A Canadian contest.  The Queen herself begins by kicking Constable Ronald Quinn (Dan Aykroyd) in a very painful place.

PSA:"American Dope Growers"
A spokeswoman (Laraine Newman) for the American Dope Growers Union urges Americans to buy American-made marijuana so she and other union growers "can lead decent lives and stay off welfare."

She leads her fellow unionized growers in a song that asks dope smokers to "look for the union label"

"Frost-Nixon interviews"
British journalist David Frost (Idle) interviews former President Nixon for 20 hours about his role in the Watergate scandal and other aspects of his presidency. 

Nixon seems detached rom reality as he rambles about trivial moments of his childhood until his daughter Julie (Gilda Radner) steps in and halts the interview.  

Nixon's wife Pat (Jane Curtin) also shows up with their deceased dog Checkers, who is now stuffed.

"Save Great Britain Telethon II"
Idle welcomes viewers back to the telethon and says they're still stuck at $20.00.  He asks viewers to keep pledging and introduces "an English person to play for you, Mr. Alan Price!"

Alan Price:"Poor People"
Alan Performs "Poor People," which was written and recorded by Price for the soundtrack of the 1973 film O Lucky Man and was released as a single. 

Price is backed by Howard Shore and his Bobby Blue Band...who are really SNL's house band dressed in British police "Bobby" costumes.  

Film by Gary Weis:"Body Language"
Idle narrates Weis' film about the importance of body language and the unconscious messages it sends to onlookers. Weis takes his camera to Central Park where he captures different examples of body language.

"Weekend Update"
Anchor Jane Curtin announces that she has won a Pulitzer Prize "for superior achievement, responsibility, and accuracy in reporting." Curtin thanks the judges and says she'll try live up to the standards she's set for Update.

Top news items include:
Former Congresswoman Bella Abzug vomited on CBS News anchor Walter Cronkite's fork as a protest as what she labeled the male-dominated TV news establishment.

 A Philadelphia man has filed a 2-million-dollar malpractice suit against his plastic surgeon.

Bill Murray comments on the recent Supreme Court ruling which declared corporal punishment in public schools to be Constitutional. His commentary mainly consists of Murray telling us about traumatic moments of his adolescence.

Commentator Emily Litella (Radner) delivers an editorial about "air solution." She stops and laughs at herself, calling "air solution" the worst joke she ever had. Emily tells Jane she's been distracted by the romantic feelings she has for Tom Snyder, the host of NBC's Tomorrow show!

Litella tells Jane that she loves Snyder. Her feelings inspire her to sing "I love him, and where he goes I'll swallow!" 

Curtin corrects her and points out the proper lyric is "where he goes I'll follow." Emily is misquoting the song "I Will Follow Him," a hit song recorded by Little Peggy March. Her recording of the song reached #1 on the Hot 100 on April 27, 1963. 

Commercial:"Oxxon Oil"
The narrator (Don Pardo) of this Oxxon Oil commercial informs viewers that they need to keep oil prices high in order to pay for their expensive commercials.

"Heavy Wit Championship"
Boxers Mohammed Stallion (Belushi) and Ray Grimwade face off for the World Heavy Wit Championship. 

In the middle of punching each other, the fighters frequently stop to tell jokes.

Ron Nasty:"Cheese & Onions"
Ron Nasty (Neil Innes), a former member of The Rutles, sings "Cheese & Onions."  

This John Lennon-esque parody song was written by Neil Innes and later released in 1978 on The Rutles' self-titled debut album.

"Battle Of Britain":
A low-budget  British-made WWII movie in which Cynthia (Radner) flashes back to the day her husband Rodney (Aykroyd) went off to war. 

Her flashback leads to another flashback, which leads to yet another, and another, and so on, all taking place in the same living room set.

"Save Great Britain telethon III":
Idle says the telethon is going very well, in spite of being stuck at $20.00. He then introduces "a good friend of mine, Neil Innes."

Neil Innes:"Shangri-La"
"Shangri La" was written by Innes, it was released 19 years after this episode on the Rutles 1996 reunion album Archaeology. Innes performed the song as Ron Nasty on that album.

Talk Show:"Plain Talk"
Written by Eric Idle.
A talk show host (Idle) interviews his guest (Aykroyd). The questions and answers consist of nothing but nonsensical gibberish sentences like "rapidly piddle pop strumming hover peace pudding mouse drum dringly corridor cabinets, presumably."

"Trans Eastern Airlines"
Airline hostess Sherry Norwalk (Newman) deals with passengers who are all armed and threaten her with guns when they ask for help.  Sherry maintains her professional composure in spite of all the firepower.  

"Save Great Britain Telethon IV":
Bill Murray says he'll chug a bottle of grape juice in order to raise money for Britain.  Unfortunately, he can't finish the bottle, so Idle promptly pushes Murray offstage.  

Alan Price:"In Times Like These"
This song appeared on Price's 1974 album Between Today and Yesterday.  

Goodnights:Save Great Britain telethon V:
Idle returns to homebase and announces that during the commercial break, the telethon raised $35,000,000 million, plus John Belushi's vest. All the money came from Exxon, who purchased the Queen. 

Idle reminds viewers that the time will be changing at 2:00 AM that night and wonders why the time change can't occur on a Monday morning instead. Belushi then walks up to Idle and says "goodnight," Idle then says goodnight to the viewers and the credits roll.

Notes about this episode:
"Straight Talk" was written by Eric Idle and originally appeared on the first episode of Rutland Weekend Television. Idle played the interviewer in both versions.  

Queen Elizabeth II is played by Jeanette Charles, who made a career out of playing the monarch due to her physical resemblance. Charles portrayed the Queen dozens of times in various movies and TV series. The year after this episode, she played Queen Elizabeth in The Rutles:All You Need Is Cash, which also featured Idle and Neil Innes as two of the Rutles.

Emily Litella sings "I Will Follow Him" at the end of "Weekend Update." This is the second time the song has been performed on SNL. It was previously sung by host Madeline Kahn and John Belushi in Episode 19 of Season 1. She mentions her love for Tom Snyder here, Litella previously told Jane Curtin about her feelings for Snyder during the cold opening of the 18th episode of Season 2. 

"American Dope Growers Union" is a parody of a PSA for the International Ladies Garment Workers Union (ILGWU) that ran for several years in the 1970s and 80s. Here's a video of one of their ads:

Laraine Newman's "Valley Girl" character Sherry Norwalk has mentioned in past sketches that she's an airline stewardess. However, this is the first and only time we see Sherry actually working on a plane.  

If Alan Price's name isn't familiar, you've probably heard his music. Before his solo career, Price co-founded and played keyboards for the Animals. His most notable contribution was playing organ on the Animals' #1 hit single  "The House Of The Rising Son." 

Speaking of musical guests, Neil Innes' career began when he joined the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah band in the 1960s. He later formed the Rutles with Idle when they both were both part of the cast of Rutland Weekend Television. Innes continued to write, record and perform music until his death in 2019 at age 75.  

What stands out:
"Save Great Britain Telethon"-I've always enjoyed episodes SNL that depart from the usual format.  The telethon is a great running bit throughout the episode.

Neil Innes-I'm a big fan of the Rutles and both of Innes' songs would later be recorded by "The Prefab Four."  "Shangri La" is an especially enjoyable performance.  Innes begins singing in front of the Bobby Blue Band.

Later during the song, Innes walks over to another brightly decorated stage where he's supported by backup singers. It makes for a great musical spectacle.  

Frost-Nixon Interviews-Aykroyd is hilarious as a Nixon who has seemingly lost his mind. Idle is equally funny playing an exaggerated version of David Frost.

Idle once said Aykroyd was the only SNL cast member who was capable of being in Monty Python. Aykroyd proves that in this sketch.  

Howard Shore and his Bobby Blue Band-I've said before that I've always enjoyed episodes where the band wears costumes.  Their bobby uniforms make them feel more connected to the rest of the show.  

J.A. Morris' rating:
Another strong Season 2 episode. Idle's second outing as host isn't quite as good as his first appearance, but it's a good episode that never drags. Idle has great chemistry with the Not Ready For Prime Time Players and Innes' performances make this a must-see for Rutles fans. 

4 stars!

Saturday Night Mardi Gras Special: With Randy Newman, Penny Marshall, Cindy Williams, Henry Winkler, New Leviathan Fox-Trot Orchestra, Eric Idle and Buck Henry

Aired February 20, 1977.

Cold opening:"President Carter at the Mardi Gras"

Pres. Jimmy Carter (Dan Aykroyd) addresses his fellow Americans and declares that they still need to have fun in spite of the myriad problems that are plaguing the nation.  The camera pans out and reveals Carter is sitting on the back of the statue of Andrew Jackson in New Orleans' Jackson Square.  The President says that celebrating the Mardi Gras is one way southerners avoid seasonal depression.  He's in Nola to enjoy some fun before he returns to Washington to resume his duties.

His wife Roslyn (Laraine Newman) calls to him and says that after two days on the statue, it's time to come down.  Carter then draws a sword, waves it in the air, exclaims "yahhhoooo" and then announces "Live, from the Mardi Gras, it's Saturday Night!"  

Randy Newman:"Louisiana 1927"

The show then switches to the Mahalia Jackson Center for the Performing Arts, where Randy Newman is stationed and where he will serve as the de facto host of this special.  Newman performs his song "Louisiana 1927."

The song originally appeared on Newman's 1974 album Good Ole Boys, which was released on September 10, 1974.  "Louisiana 1927" is about the aftermath of the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, which destroyed 700,000 homes in Louisiana and Mississippi and displaced 200,000 people.

Newman then mentions that the Not Ready For Prime Time Players are strategically placed around the French Quarter and Eric Idle will be covering the crowd's reaction to Mardi Gras.  Cindy Williams and Penny Marshall will be reporting from the Krewe of Apollo Ball.  Baba Wawa will be interviewing Henry Winlker, who is in Nola to serve as King of the Bacchus Parade.

Newman then throws to Jane Curtin and Buck Henry, who are covering the parade...

Bacchus Parade I

They are sitting atop an elevated reviewing stand and since the Parade is delayed, Curtin throws to the show's next segment:

"Hit Al Hirt In The Face With a Brick Contest"
Written by Michael O'Donoghue.
Famed trumpeter Al Hirt (John Belushi) attempts to play trumpet...

 ...while he is pelted with bricks, Wiffle bats, beer cans and other dangerous objects.

Commercial:"Quarry"

Repeat from Season 2, episode 8.

"Wild Bees Motorcycle Club"

Sherri (Newman), Rhonda (Gilda Radner) and their friend (Marshall) have come to the Mardi Gras looking "to meet guys" and are disappointed with the men they've encountered so far. 

Their evening livens up the Wild Bees Motorcycle Club (Aykroyd, Belushi, Bill Murray) pulls up on their bikes.  

Commcrcial:"Garrett Morris Sings Fat's Domino"
Garrett Morris plugs his new album, which features him singing the hits of Nola native Fats Domino.

Randy Newman:"Marie"
Back in the performing arts center, Newman sings "Marie," which appeared on his aforementioned album Good Ole Boys.

Film by Gary Weis:"Cemetery"

Saturday Night's filmmaker Gary Weis turns his camera on a New Orleans cemetery worker talks into the camera about how much he loves Nola.

Talk show:"Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder":

Tom Snyder (Aykroyd) interviews an exotic dancer named Velocity (Williams) and the Honker (Murray), who entices tourists to enter the Pink Lady topless and bottomless bar.  Snyder asks Honker why the women who are performing in the bar are wearing pasties and g-strings if it's supposed to be a topless and bottomless establishment.  

Bacchus Parade II
The Bacchus Parade is still delayed, but Jane and Buck report that King Of The Bacchus Parade Henry Winkler has gone to court to change his name to Helen Hayes.  This leads to the next (pre-recorded) segment...

Talk Show:"Baba Wawa At Large"
Baba asks her guest Henry Winkler if he has trouble separating himself from the his role as Fonzie on Happy Days.  Winkler responds to the question in his regular voice and then in the voice he uses when he plays "The Fonz."

"Bacchus Parade III"

Buck Hen tells viewers that hundreds of traditional events take place during Mardi Gras.  One such event is the recreation of Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini's 1940 state visit to New Orleans.  Buck then throws to the next segment, which is...

"Ricky Mussolini at the Cabildo"

Written by Tom Davis.

Mussolini's grandson Ricky (Belushi) appears on a balcony in New Orleans' historic Cabildo building, addresses the Mardi Gras revelers below and shouts "Boy you people sure know how to throw a party!"

The crowd below responds to Ricky by chanting "DUCE!  DUCE!  DUCE!

 "Mardi Gras Crowd Reaction"
Written by Eric Idle.
Guest Eric Idle reports on crowd reactions to the Mardi Gras festivities.  Unfortunately, by the time he goes on the air, most of the crowd has disappeared!

As Idle signs off, he sings a bit of the song "If I Ruled The World."  This song was written by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse for Pickwick, their 1963 musical that was based on Charles Dickens' The Pickwick Papers.  

Film by Gary Weis:"Gary Weis Down South"
The Civil War ended 112 years before this special aired, but according to this film by Weis, "Dixie" appears to be alive and well...

...all over New Orleans.  

The New Leviathan Fox-Trot Orchestra:"Rebecca Came Back From Mecca"

New Orleans' own New Leviathan Fox-Trot Orchestra performs "Rebecca Came Back From Mecca."  

The song was written by the songwriting team of Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby.  "Rebecca" was published in 1921 and has been recorded by many artists.  New Leviathan's recording of the song appeared on their 1975 album From New Orleans - To Constantinople On The S.S. Leviathan.

"Bacchus Parade IV"
The parade is still delayed, so Buck and Jane throw to Penny Marshall...

"Krewe Of Apolllo Ball"
Penny is anchoring SNL's coverage of the inaugural Krewe Of Apollo Ball.  In this event, a series of queens and debutantes parade around the ball.  All the "debutantes" and "queens" in the ball are men.  Penny is joined by New Orleans writer and historian Roberts Batson, who provides more information about the ball.  

"Stella"
In a scene taken from A Streetcar Named Desire, Stanley Kowalski (Belushi, channeling Marlon Brando) wanders through the streets of New Orleans looking for his wife Stella and screaming her name.  

He stops at a house where he suspects Stella is hiding.  When a man (Morris) steps out on to his balcony, Stanley realizes he may be looking in the wrong place.

Paul Shaffer and Michael O'Donoghue:"The Antler Dance"
Written by Michael O'Donoghue, Marilyn Suzanne Miller and Paul Shaffer.
The show shifts back to the performing arts center, where Saturday Night piano player Paul Shaffer sings "The Antler Dance."  This song and its accompanying dance were introduced and performed by Lily Tomlin during the season premier of SNL's second season.

During the song, SNL's cameras cut to the French Quarter where Michael O'Donoghue performs the dance on a balcony.  He puts his hands together and puts them on his head to form "antlers."  

Some of the people in the crowd below join in and do the dance, while Shaffer is superimposed onscreen.  

"Weekend Update"
Jane and Buck report on the top news stories of the day, which include:
New Orleans mayor Moon Landrieu gives Nola native Garrett Morris the "Combination To The City." 

Correspondent Laraine Newman interviews a tourist (Belushi) who is celebrating "Mouse Sunday" by taping live mice over his eyes.

Update's roving reporter Emily Litella is excited to be at the Mardi Gras for the first time.  She interviews a "liverboat" captain (Murray) and asks what it's like to transport "loads of liver."  As usual, Litella appears to be a bit confused.

Randy Newman:"Kingfish"
Newman performs another song from Good Ole Boys.  "Kingfish" tells the story Huey P. "Kingfish" Long, who served as Louisiana's governor and later U.S. Senator during the Great Depression.

"New Orleans 1813:A Visit With Jean Lafitte"

Notorious privateer and "independent marine contractor" Jean Lafitte (Murray) goes out of his way to tell people he NEVER wants to be called a pirate.  

Lafitte kills several people who make the mistake of calling him a pirate.

"Apollo Ball II"
Back at the Apollo Ball, Penny has now been joined by her Laverne & Shirley co-star Cindy Williams, who helps Penny cover the ball.

 

Williams arrives just in time for the crowning of the queen of the ball.  

Randy Newman:"Sail Away"
Newman sings the title track from his 1972 album. 

Newman also sang "Sail Away" on Saturday Night when he appeared on the second episode of Season 1.

Goodnights/Bacchus Parade V:

Randy Newman throws to the Bacchus Parade one more time and they explain why the parade still hasn't started.  Curtin throws back to the theater, where Newman then says goodnight and ends the special.

Notes about this episode:

I respect Lorne Michaels for attempting to take Saturday Night out of it's home studio and staging the show in an unusual setting.  Mardi Gras in New Orleans is a very difficult time and place to put on a live TV show and lots of things went wrong.  With this in mind, I'm sort of grading this special on a curve, since there was so much chaos swirling around the cast and crew.    

There were lots of behind the scenes issue that plagued this special episode that have been documented in books and articles.  Rather than give a blow-by-blow summary of those sources, I'm going to link to articles that are available online at the bottom of this review.  The book Saturday Night, written by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad, has an entire chapter dedicated to the Mardi Gras special, I recommend that chapter for more details.  Live From New York, by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller also contains a few quotes from the cast and guests about what happened during the production of this special.  

TV Guide ad for Saturday Night Mardi Gras Special.

The Bacchus Parade was delayed until after the special was over.  It was postponed due to a car accident on the parade route, some accounts of the accident say it was a fatal collision.  Jane Curtin was interviewed on Late Night With Seth Meyers last year and talked about what she experienced during the Mardi Gras show.  Here's video of Curtin's Late Night appearance:

Penny Marshall seems a bit out of it during the Krewe ball, but it's not her fault.  Marshall was very sleep deprived and jetlagged and was overwhelmed by the Mardi Gras atmosphere.  As soon as the Bees sketch ended, Marshall endured a dangerous ride on the back of a motorcycle to the ball, which rattled her even more.  Marshall was described as "catatonic" by the time she arrived at the drag ball.  

During the "Combination to the city sketch," a man in a mask can be seen approaching Garrett Morris and Moon Landrieu, as seen in this screen capture:

The masked-man was not affiliated with the show, he was just a random Mardi Gras attendee who saw a camera and got within a few feet of Moon Landrieu and Garrett Morris before he was pulled away by the crew.

The "Al Hirt" sketch was based on a 1970 Mardi Gras incident when Hirt was hit with a brick.  This account of the assault on Hirt appeared in the February 11, 1970 edition of the New York Times:

"Al Hirt, the city's famous trumpet player, was hit in the mouth with a brick thrown from a crowd night before last. The unknown brick‐thrower could not have known his victim. Mr. Hirt was masked, riding a float in a carnival parade.  The brick cut his lip so severely that 12 stitches were required. He does not know whether he will be able to play the trumpet again."

The Meters are billed as appearing on the show during the opening credits, but they don't perform.  They were scheduled to close out the special with two songs, but they were cut when the show ran long.  

It's also worth noting that the Saturday Night Mardi Gras Special was only rerun once (during SNL's regular Saturday timeslot) and then disappeared from circulation for nearly 30 years, until it was released on the Season Two DVD set.  

Classic moment:

Debut of the Honker-This special features the first appearance of a recurring character.  Bill Murray would play the Honker five more times during his tenure as a Not Ready For Prime Time Player.  He also portrayed Honker three more times when he returned to host SNL.

What stands out:

Jane Curtin and Buck Henry at the Bacchus Parade-These two display poise and bravery while an increasingly hostile and drunken crowd is hurling projectiles and attempting to climb up the reviewing stand.  Henry and Curtin show that they were true showbiz professionals in the midst of a very difficult scenario. 

 

The punchline Curtin delivers at the end of the special is one of the best jokes I've ever heard, so good that I won't spoil it for you in this review.  Writers Alan Zweibel and Herb Sargent also deserve kudos, since they had to write jokes on the spot and hand them up to Henry and Curtin.  

"Stella!"-John Belushi had already impersonated Marlon Brando on SNL, so this sketch was a no-brainer, since A Streetcar Named Desire takes place in New Orleans.  

John Belushi, playing Stanley Kowalski, steps off the Desire Stretcar.

Eric Idle-His appearance is brief, but Idle's "report" about the Mardi Gras crowds is hilarious.  

Baba Wawa's interview with Henry Winkler-When I was a kid I was a big fan of Happy Days and Fonzie was my favorite character on that show.  It's fun to watch Winkler go back and forth between his own "regular" voice and the voice he used when he played Fonzie.  It's also fun to watch Winkler interact with Gilda Radner, since both were 1970s TV icons.

What doesn't work:
Not enough Garrett Morris-New Orleans native Garrett Morris was excited about returning to his hometown.  He even wrote a new song called "Walking Down Bourbon Street."  Morris wanted Gary Weis to film him singing the song on Bourbon St. for the special, but that film was never produced.  Sadly, he doesn't get to do much here.  It's a shame that someone of Morris' talents was treated so shabbily during his homecoming.  It's all the more insulting that the show could find time for four Randy Newman songs and a performance by the New Leviathan Orchestra, but no room to showcase Morris.  Many years later, Morris recorded "Walking Down Bourbon Street" for his 2014 album Black Creole Chronicles, you can hear the song in the video below:

Too much Randy Newman-In Hill and Weingrad's aforementioned Saturday Night book, we're told Newman performed four times because he was stationed in a theater, which made it easier to cut to him than to other performers who were in the streets of Nola.  I generally like Newman's work and I respect his place in the history of American music, but four Newman songs in one special is at least one song too many.

Ricky Mussolini-This sketch consists of lots of buildup with little payoff.  Buck Henry does a long intro for the Mussolini reenactment.   John Belushi, playing Ricky says "Boy you people sure know how to throw a party!"  Then it's over.  I will admit that it's legit disturbing (and darkly humorous) to hear the Mardi Gras crowd chanting "Duce!," but this sketch didn't add much to the special.  Maybe technical issues forced them to cut away early from the Cabildo?  

J.A. Morris' rating:
For the first time (and probably the last, since this is a unique episode/special), I'm going giving two different ratings.

For the special's content:
I wish I could tell you the Saturday Night Mardi Gras Special is a "lost classic" episode of SNL, but it's a mess, in spite of the admirable effort of the cast and crew.  However, it's a historically significant moment in the series' history and it has enough stand-out moments that make it worth watching at least once, especially if you're a hardcore fan of Saturday Night Live.

2 and a half stars.

For the effort of the cast, crew and guests:

Everyone gave it there all and did the best they could under extremely difficult, and in some cases life-threatening circumstances.  Their efforts receive my highest rating.

4 stars!

Sources:

Saturday Night, Chapter 8:"Nola," by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad.

Live From New York by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller.

"New Orleans Ends the Most Violent Mardi Gras Season in Years With 600 in Its Jail," by Roy Reed, New York Times,February 11, 1970.

"Comedy of Errors: Live from New Orleans, a Mardi Gras SNL episode gone wrong," by David Lee Simmons, Gambit Weekly, January 28, 2002.