Season 3, episode 14;Host:Jill Clayburgh, with Eddie Money

Aired March 18, 1978.

Network disclaimer:"Bowling For Medicine"
Don Pardo announces that “Bowling For Medicine” will not be seen tonight, so that NBC can present the following special program."

Cold opening:"Danny Boy"
Garrett Morris sings "Danny Boy" while dressed as a leprechaun. "Danny Boy" was written by Frederic Weatherly in 1910, and set to the traditional Irish melody of "Londonderry Air" in 1913.

While he sings, a scroll appears onscreen that discusses how whenever Garrett sings on the show, they usually display words. This time, Morris gets to write the words. The scroll says they got the leprechaun suit for 40% off, since it was the day after St. Patrick's Day.

When his song is over, Garrett announces "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night."

Monologue:"Jill is unprepared"
Host Jill Clayburgh mentions that she had fun when she hosted in Season 1. However, she learned after watching her previous episode that she didn't prepare a good monologue. Unfortunately, she hasn't prepared much of a monologue for this appearance either.

Commercial:"Royal Deluxe II"
Repeat from Season 3, episode 1.

"Olympia Cafe"
Written by Don Novello.
A new waitress (Clayburgh) is being trained to work at the Olympia Cafe. Unfortunately, the cafe employees' incessant screaming of "CHEEBURGER, CHEEBURGER" pushes her over the edge. 

"Sybil III"
Dr. Wilbur (Clayburgh), a therapist, treats a woman named "Sybil" (Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner) who has three clearly defined different personalities. The three women try (in vain) to make Dr. Wilbur understand that they are actually three different women who all happened to be named Cybil.

"Bad One Man Theater"
Leonard Pinth-Garnell (Dan Aykroyd) presents Bad One Man Theater, which features four one-person performances happening at the same time. We see portrayals of Mark Twain (Tom Schiller), Harry Truman (John Belushi), Edgar Allan Poe (Bill Murray), Paul Robeson (Morris) and Eleanor Roosevelt (Curtin). Pinth-Garnell describes their performances as "brilliantly bad." 

Eddie Money:"Baby Hold On"
Eddie Money performs "Baby Hold On," which was written by Money and Jimmy Lyon.

"Baby Hold On" appeared on Money's 1977 self-titled debut album and was released as a single in December of that year. The song peaked at #100 on Billboard's Hot 100.

Commercial:"Nutrifix"
A busy mother (Curtin) finds the fastest instant breakfast for her and her busy family. Nutrifix comes with five injectable cartridges, each cartridge contains "1000 milligrams of dextroamphetamine sulfate for extra pep."

"Weekend Update"
Anchors Jane Curtin and Dan Aykroyd report on the top news stories of the day.

Correspondent Laraine Newman interviews a mine inspector in West Virginia. 

Consumer reporter Roseanne Roseannadanna offers advice about filing taxes. Unfortunately, she gets distracted and goes off on tangents about body odor and egg salad sandwiches. 

"Everything is blurry"
On an airplane, a man (Belushi) tells a woman that all the places he visits are disappointing and blurry. The woman surmises that he might need glasses.

"Shower Mike"
Richard Herkiman (Bill Murray) hosts a variety show in his shower while he talks and sings into soap shaped like a microphone. 

Richard and his wife Jane (Radner) are joined in the shower by their neighbors Judy (Clayburgh) and Morty Cooney (Belushi).

During this sketch, Richard sings "Love Will Keep Us Together." The song was written by Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield, it's most successful version was recorded by Captain & Tennille. Their cover of the song reached #1 on Billboard's Hot 100 in 1975. 

"Coneheads On Earth"
Driving instructor Beldar Conehead (Aykroyd) has an affair with one of his driver's ed students (Clayburgh).

When his wife Prymaat (Curtin) discover's Beldar's infidelity, she is furious. However, we learn that Prymaat also has something to answer for. 

Talk show:"Celebrity Crackup"
Jane Curtin interviews Tony Orlando (Murray), Richard Pryor (Morris), Claudine Longet (Radner) and Robert Blake (Belushi). Each celebrity discusses their recent mental breakdowns.

Eddie Money:"Two Tickets To Paradise"
Money performs "Two Tickets To Paradise," the leadoff track of his self-titled album. It was released as a single in June of 1978 and peaked at #22.

SNL's director Dave Wilson fills the screen with five Eddie Moneys shot from different angles.

Jill Clayburgh:"Serious Song"
Written by Marilyn Suzanne Miller and Cheryl Hardwick.
The host sings a song about the difficulties of being in a relationship.

Goodnights:
Clayburgh says "Well, thank you all very much. And the cast and Eddie Money, and, uh, it’s really been it’s been great being here, and I’m still thinking about that opening for the next time that I come and that I’m on this show." Someone offscreen then throws an orange towards the host, she catches it and says "oh, see, I’m quick, too! So… good night!" 

The cast then surrounds Clayburgh and the credits roll.

Notes about this episode:
This episode is important to me because it contains the first time I ever watched Saturday Night Live. I fell asleep on the couch and woke up at the beginning of the Olympia Cafe sketch. 

So of course this episode has lots of sentimental value for me. 

Jill Clayburgh says that she'll be better prepared for the monologue next time she hosts. However, Clayburgh never hosted again before she passed away in 2010.

"Sybil III" is a parody of Sybil, a 1976 made-for-TV film about a woman named Sybil who suffers from multiple personality disorder.

What stands out:
"Danny Boy"-I like when the show gives Garrett Morris a chance to sing and the onscreen scrolling text during the song was funny too.

Roseanne Roseannadanna's commentary-This is her best commentary so far. Jane Curtin's reaction is also memorable.

"The Coneheads On Earth"-Another solid Coneheads sketch that features great work from Curtin and Aykroyd. Plus, Connie Conehead (Newman) has a great description of drive-in movies that I won't spoil.

What doesn't work:
Clayburgh's monologue-It's a monologue about how Clayburgh didn't prepare for the monologue. Why didn't Lorne Michaels and the writers give the host something to work with? I enjoyed the "Serious Song" that Clayburgh sings at the end of the show. Why not have her perform it during the monologue and close the show with something else? Also, "Serious Song" is proceeded by an Eddie Money song. That means the cast is missing from the last two segments.

J.A. Morris' rating:
Another very good Season 3 episode. I generally enjoyed it and it was my introduction to SNL, so it earns a high rating. 

Three and a half stars.

Season 1, Episode 15, Host:Jill Clayburgh, with Leon Redbone, Andy Kaufman, the Singing Idlers.

Aired February 28, 1976.

Cold opening:"Chevy won't do the fall."
Chevy Chase tells producer Lorne Micheals he's tired of opening the show with his customary "fall of the week" because it makes him look like a buffoon.  Lorne tells him to get on stage and do the fall.  After a visit to the main stage, Chevy resolves to tell Lorne once and for all that he won't perform the fall anymore.  While leaning on Lorne's desk, Chevy slips, falls down then announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

Monologue:
Host Jill Clayburgh says that SNL announcer Don Pardo has helped her prepare for hosting the show, since Pardo has more experience in live TV than anyone.  Pardo gets to show off the announcer skills he learned from years of working on game shows.

Great Moments In Herstory I:
Anna Freud tells her father Sigmund about a dream she had about...a banana.

Jill Carson:Guidance Counselor:
A high school guidance counselor (Clayburgh) attempts to help a seemingly-incorrigible student named Julio (John Belushi) give up a life of crime.

Leon Redbone:"Ain't Misbehavin":
The musical guest performs this jazz standard, which was written by Andy Razaf and Fats Waller in 1929.

"White Guild Relief Fund"
Garrett Morris tells white people that if they feel guilty about centuries of slavery and racism in America, they can send him their "white guilt money."

Great Moments In Herstory II:
Famous dancer Isadora Duncan (Clayburgh) asks her friend Eleonora Duse (Gilda Radner) if she should wear a short scarf or a long scarf.

"Weekend Update":
Chevy Chase's news includes:Generalissimo Francisco Franco is still valiantly holding on in his fight to remain dead. 

And Emily Litella (Radner) delivers an editorial commentary opposing the "Deaf Penalty."

Commercial:"H & L Brock":
Sleazy accountant Lowell Brock (Belushi) tells viewers why they should take their taxes to his company instead of H & R Block.

The Singing Idlers:"Semper Paratus"
The Idlers, who are the official chorus of the United States Coast Guard, perform their official march song, "Semper Paratus."  The lyrics were written by Francis Saltus Van Boskerck, with music by Homer Smith and Walton Butterfield

During the song,  a list of "people dolphins are smarter than" scrolls down the screen.

Jill Clayburgh, with the Singing Idlers and Howard Shore's Shore Patrol:"Sea Cruise"
Clayburgh and Howard Shore's Shore Patrol Band (SNL's house band dressed as sailors!) join the Idlers for a performance of  "Sea Cruise," which was written by Huey "Piano" Smith and recorded by Frankie Ford, whose version reached #14 on the Billboard chart in 1959.

Commercial:"Car Yummies"
An ad for a snackfood made for cars!

"Paying The Milkman":
Clayburgh announces that the Muppets are away, but in their place, a new play called "Paying The Milkman" will be performed by two hands (Chase).

Film by Gary Weis:"William Wegman"
Filmmaker William Wegman shows viewers that his dog Man-Ray is very intelligent.

Andy Kaufman:"Old McDonald Had A Farm"
Kaufman lip syncs a recording of the well-known children's song.  He recruits members of the audience to lip sync various animal's parts in the song.

"Dinner Conversation":
Written by Tom Davis.
A woman (Clayburgh) and a man (Chase) ask each other what they're thinking about.

Leon Redbone:"Big Time Woman":
Redbone, backed by tubist Jonathan Dorn, performs this song, which was originally recorded by Wilton Crawley in 1931.

Great Moments In Herstory III:
In India,the young Indira Gandhi (Newman) is taught a lesson in pacifism from her father Jawaharlal Nehru (Belushi).

Home Movie:"Mr. Bill"
A film sent in by Walter Williams features Mr. Bill, a children's TV host made of clay.  Mr. Bill is violently abused by his doctor, Dr. Sluggo.

Goodnights:"Grable And Lombard"
Classic Hollywood movie stars Betty Grable (Curtin) and Carole Lombard (Clayburgh) are pronounced "wife and wife" in a wedding ceremony.  Clayburgh breaks character and says goodnight.

Notes about this episode:
Younger fans of SNL might not be familiar with Jill Clayburgh, who passed away in 2010.  She was a major presence in films in the 1970s and early 80s and was nominated twice for the Best Actress Oscar.  Clayburgh's last film appearance was the 2011 hit comedy Bridesmaids.

The "Grable And Lombard" bit at the end is a reference to Clayburgh's movie Gable And Lombard, which was released on February 11, 1976, two weeks prior to this episode.  In the film (and in the sketch), Clayburgh played actress Carole Lombard.

In the second "Great Moments In Herstory" sketch, where Clayburgh plays Isadora Duncan, the joke about Duncan's scarves is related to her death.  Duncan was killed when a long scarf she was wearing was caught in the wheel of the car she was riding in, which threw her out of the moving car.

Classic Moment:
"Mr. Bill"-The most historically important part of this episode is the debut of Mr. Bill who would appear in 21 short films on the show.  "The Mr. Bill Show" would become one of the series' most popular recurring segments.  The character's creator Walter Williams sent this in hoping it would be shown during SNL's "Home Movie" segment.  Williams would send in five more films before he was officially hired to make short films for the show.

What stands out:
"Sea Cruise"-Clayburgh's performance of this song was a pleasant surprise.  I'd never seen her sing before and Clayburgh does a nice job.  Dressing the house band as sailors made the performance even more enjoyable.

Cold Opening-Chevy Chase stumbles, falls, gets up and falls again all over Studio 8H.  It's a masterpiece of physical comedy.

"Car Yummies"-This commercial parody was short but it's a great example of Dan Aykroyd's absurdist streak.

J.A. Morris' rating:
Jill Clayburgh isn't a bad host, but this episode is a slight step down from previous episodes.

2 and a half stars.