Aired October 2, 1976.
Cold opening:"Weekend Update"
A man (Richard Belzer) claiming to be Chevy Chase opens the show at the "Weekend Update" desk.
After a heated exchange, the fake Chevy drops the phone on the floor. He then throws a framed photo of the real Chevy on the floor. When the camera zooms in on the phone, we hear the real Chevy's voice shout "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
Monologue:"Here Comes The Sun"
Host Eric Idle opens the show playing guitar and singing a scream-y version of "Here Comes The Sun." The song was written by George Harrison and it opens side 2 of the Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road.
Jane Curtin interrupts him and says the song will have more meaning if he performs at the end of the show. Curtin then walks Idle across the stage to the set of the episode's first sketch.
Dr. T. Runyan, a genetics counselor, tells a couple (Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner) he can genetically engineer their baby to have the specific looks and personality traits that they select.
"KLOG FM & AM Radio":
Disc jockey Kenneth Wardell (Aykroyd) simultaneously broadcasts on both an AM...
...and an FM station!
"Killer Bees":
A group of South American Killer Bees visits a clinic where patients are receiving the Swine Flu vaccination. The Bees' leader (John Belushi) objects because the Swine Flu has been a friend to the bees.
The sketch breaks down and the actors break characters when Eric Idle is unable to hide his British accent while playing a South American bee.
Eric Idle:"Here Comes The Sun #2"
The host once again tries to perform the Beatles song, until Curtin once again interrups and says it belongs at the end of the show.
Idle then introduces the episode's musical guest.
Joe Cocker:"You Are So Beautiful"
This song was written by Billy Preston and Bruce Fisher, Joe Cocker's version reached #5 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 1975.
"Baba Wawa's Farewell":
Baba Wawa (Radner) says goodbye to NBC before moving to ABC and encourages viewers to watch her in her new role as co-anchor of the ABC Evening News.
"Weekend Update":
Jane Curtin anchors the news again, subbing for the injured Chevy Chase. Headlines of the day include:
Secretary of Agriculture Earl Butz is under fire for telling a racist joke.
Garrett Morris reports live from Florence, Italy, where a vandal attempted to perform a circumcision of Michelangelo's David sculpture.
Plus, "Weekend Update" pays tribute to Johnny Carson's 14th anniversary as host of The Tonight Show by playing footage of Ed Ames' (Belushi) memorable attempt to teach Carson how to throw a tomahawk.
Commercial:"Epifix"
Pharmacist (Aykroyd) Roland T. Leach (Aykroyd) recommends Epifix injectable cartridges for super-fast headache relief.
"No Beatles Tonight":
SNL producer Lorne Michaels reminds viewers that last season, he offered the Beatles $3000 to appear on the show. Eric Idle said he could bring the Beatles with him, but due to unforeseen circumstances, they couldn't make it and said they'd send a film instead.
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When the film arrived, it turned out to be a film of a different band...the Rutles!
"Cufflinks Of The Gods"
Anthrocomedologiest Erica Viedonagen (Newman) theorizes that comedians from outer space visited Earth thousands of years ago and left proof on ancient Assyrian stone carvings.
"Pong"
Written by Alan Zweibel.
Two students (Al Franken and Tom Davis) play pong while talking about their science test they took earlier in the day.
Goodnights:"Here Comes The Sun #3"
Idle decides that now is the time to sing "Here Comes The Sun" and starts singing it. Joe Cocker and the cast sing along with him until the credits roll.
Notes about this episode:
Actor/comedian Richard Belzer appears in the cold opening as the fake Chevy Chase. Belzer had strong ties to SNL in its early years. His stand-up comedy often served as the warm-up act for the show and he appeared as an extra in the first episode of the series.
Based on all information I can locate, the Rutles film was created for Idle's series Rutland Weekend Television. However, it aired on Rutland on November 12, 1976, about 5 weeks after it appeared on Saturday Night.
Earl Butz, Secretary of Agriculture in the Ford administration, is mentioned during "Weekend Update." During the 1976 Presidential campaign, when Butz was asked why his party had trouble appealing to African American voters, Butz responded by telling a racist joke. [1]
Ken Norton is portrayed by Garrett Morris and Norton's 1976 boxing match against Muhammad Ali is referenced during "Weekend Update." In a very controversial decision, the fight judges awarded the fight and to Ali. In a post-fight interview, Ali himself agreed that Norton should have been the winner. [2]
During the KLOG Radio sketch, one of the songs played by the DJ is "The Antler Dance", which was performed by Lily Tomlin in the first episode of Season 2.
Musical guests Stuff were a jazz-funk band that served as Joe Cocker's backing band during his 1976 tour. Members of Stuff were elite session musicians of the 1970s and played on albums recorded by the likes of John Lennon, Aretha Franklin and Paul Simon. Stuff released six albums between 1976 and 1996.
The swine flu vaccination program is mentioned in the "Killer Bees" sketch. A January 1976 outbreak of the Swine Flu in Fort Dix, New Jersey infected 13 and resulted in one death. This led to a major vaccination program that was declared over after 25% of American citizens were vaccinated.
Younger readers of this blog may not be familiar with the long-running police-procedural TV series Dragnet. The series was created and produced by Jack Webb and Webb starred in the series as Detective Joe Friday. The series originally ran from on radio from 1949 to 1957 and on a TV series ran from 1951 to 1959. Dragnet later returned to television for three seasons in 1967. In the Dragnet sketch, Aykroyd plays Joe Friday and he would also play Friday in the 1987 Dragnet movie.
"Weekend Update" features a "tribute" to Johnny Carson that recreates a famous moment on The Tonight Show. On April 27, 1965, actor/singer Ed Ames appeared on Tonight to demonstrate his tomahawk-throwing abilities. It resulted in one of the most memorable moments in TV history, here's video of Ames and Carson:
What stands out:
Pretty much everything. More than any episode, almost every sketch and film feels interconnected. For example, Idle sings "Here Comes The Sun" multiple times and the song also appears in the "KLOG" and "Killer Bees" sketches. The Rutles film also connects to "Here Comes The Sun" since it's a parody of the Beatles.
Film:"The Rutles"
This short film tells the story of the Rutles, the band from the 1960s who created the "fabulous Rutland Sound." The film includes footage of the band performing their hit single "I Must Be In Love."
This short film tells the story of the Rutles, the band from the 1960s who created the "fabulous Rutland Sound." The film includes footage of the band performing their hit single "I Must Be In Love."
"I Must Be In Love" was written by Neil Innes, who sings the song and appears in the Rutles film as Ron Nasty. This version of the song was released on The Rutland Weekend Songbook LP.
"Behind Enemy Lines":
In Nazi Germany, a British spy named Henderson (Idle) and an American spy named McKinley (Aykroyd) meet up in a cabaret and speak in code about their plans kill Hitler.
The sketch opens and closes with a singer (Newman) performing "Tomorrow Belongs To Me," which was written by John Kander and Fred Ebb for their 1966 musical Cabaret.
Eric Idle:"Rover The Drover"
Idle decides it's time for him to sing, but this time, instead of "Here Comes The Sun," the host sings "Rover The Drover." This song was written by Eric Idle and he later performed it on the final episode of Rutland Weekend Television on December 24, 1976.
Garrett Morris stops Idle's song and suggests he save the song for the end of the evening. Idle agrees and introduces Joe Cocker and his backing band Stuff.
Joe Cocker with Stuff:"Feelin' Alright"
"Feelin' Alright" was written by Dave Mason in 1969 and was first recorded by Mason's band Traffic. Cocker's cover version was the lead track on his 1969 album With A Little Help From My Friends and it reached #69 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was reissued in 1972 and peaked at #33.
During this performance, Joe Cocker is joined onstage by...
...another Joe Cocker (Belushi)!
"Dragnet":
This police drama features cops dressed in drag. Officer Joe Friday (Aykroyd) and his partner Saturday Morning (Idle) investigate a man (Belushi) who is impersonating a police officer.
John Belushi breaks character and says that drag doesn't work in America. He suggests that a film be shown since the sketch isn't working. That film turns out to be...
Film:"Drag Racing Today":
Idle and Aykroyd compete in a footrace while dressed in drag and wearing high heels.
Stuff:"Foots"
Stuff perform the lead track to their 1976 self-titled debut album. "Foots" was written by Stuff members Richard Tee, Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale, Gordon Edwards, Steve Gadd, Chris Parker.
"The Undersea World Of Jacques Cousteau":
Jacques Cousteau (Belushi) narrates a documentary about an encounter with giant goldfish...which are really just gold fish in a fish tank.
In Nazi Germany, a British spy named Henderson (Idle) and an American spy named McKinley (Aykroyd) meet up in a cabaret and speak in code about their plans kill Hitler.
The sketch opens and closes with a singer (Newman) performing "Tomorrow Belongs To Me," which was written by John Kander and Fred Ebb for their 1966 musical Cabaret.
Eric Idle:"Rover The Drover"
Idle decides it's time for him to sing, but this time, instead of "Here Comes The Sun," the host sings "Rover The Drover." This song was written by Eric Idle and he later performed it on the final episode of Rutland Weekend Television on December 24, 1976.
Garrett Morris stops Idle's song and suggests he save the song for the end of the evening. Idle agrees and introduces Joe Cocker and his backing band Stuff.
Joe Cocker with Stuff:"Feelin' Alright"
"Feelin' Alright" was written by Dave Mason in 1969 and was first recorded by Mason's band Traffic. Cocker's cover version was the lead track on his 1969 album With A Little Help From My Friends and it reached #69 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was reissued in 1972 and peaked at #33.
During this performance, Joe Cocker is joined onstage by...
...another Joe Cocker (Belushi)!
"Dragnet":
This police drama features cops dressed in drag. Officer Joe Friday (Aykroyd) and his partner Saturday Morning (Idle) investigate a man (Belushi) who is impersonating a police officer.
John Belushi breaks character and says that drag doesn't work in America. He suggests that a film be shown since the sketch isn't working. That film turns out to be...
Film:"Drag Racing Today":
Idle and Aykroyd compete in a footrace while dressed in drag and wearing high heels.
Stuff:"Foots"
Stuff perform the lead track to their 1976 self-titled debut album. "Foots" was written by Stuff members Richard Tee, Cornell Dupree, Eric Gale, Gordon Edwards, Steve Gadd, Chris Parker.
"The Undersea World Of Jacques Cousteau":
Jacques Cousteau (Belushi) narrates a documentary about an encounter with giant goldfish...which are really just gold fish in a fish tank.
In the middle of this, the camera pans out and leads us into the next sketch...
"Pets And Petting"
The host of the show (Idle) presents a lesson in how to feed goldfish. He proceeds to feed them food that is highly inappropriate for goldfish, like minestrone, a whole roasted chicken, cabbage, cheesecake and wine.
"Ken Norton"
Heavyweight boxer Ken Norton (Morris) believes he was robbed of the championship in his recent bout with Muhammad Ali because the fight's judges gave points to Ali because he was a better dancer. Norton shows he's talented too by singing "Vesti la giubba" from the opera Pagliacci, which was written by Ruggero Leoncavallo in 1892.
The host of the show (Idle) presents a lesson in how to feed goldfish. He proceeds to feed them food that is highly inappropriate for goldfish, like minestrone, a whole roasted chicken, cabbage, cheesecake and wine.
Heavyweight boxer Ken Norton (Morris) believes he was robbed of the championship in his recent bout with Muhammad Ali because the fight's judges gave points to Ali because he was a better dancer. Norton shows he's talented too by singing "Vesti la giubba" from the opera Pagliacci, which was written by Ruggero Leoncavallo in 1892.
"Cufflinks Of The Gods"
Anthrocomedologiest Erica Viedonagen (Newman) theorizes that comedians from outer space visited Earth thousands of years ago and left proof on ancient Assyrian stone carvings.
"Pong"
Written by Alan Zweibel.
Two students (Al Franken and Tom Davis) play pong while talking about their science test they took earlier in the day.
Goodnights:"Here Comes The Sun #3"
Idle decides that now is the time to sing "Here Comes The Sun" and starts singing it. Joe Cocker and the cast sing along with him until the credits roll.
Actor/comedian Richard Belzer appears in the cold opening as the fake Chevy Chase. Belzer had strong ties to SNL in its early years. His stand-up comedy often served as the warm-up act for the show and he appeared as an extra in the first episode of the series.
Based on all information I can locate, the Rutles film was created for Idle's series Rutland Weekend Television. However, it aired on Rutland on November 12, 1976, about 5 weeks after it appeared on Saturday Night.
Ken Norton is portrayed by Garrett Morris and Norton's 1976 boxing match against Muhammad Ali is referenced during "Weekend Update." In a very controversial decision, the fight judges awarded the fight and to Ali. In a post-fight interview, Ali himself agreed that Norton should have been the winner. [2]
Musical guests Stuff were a jazz-funk band that served as Joe Cocker's backing band during his 1976 tour. Members of Stuff were elite session musicians of the 1970s and played on albums recorded by the likes of John Lennon, Aretha Franklin and Paul Simon. Stuff released six albums between 1976 and 1996.
Younger readers of this blog may not be familiar with the long-running police-procedural TV series Dragnet. The series was created and produced by Jack Webb and Webb starred in the series as Detective Joe Friday. The series originally ran from on radio from 1949 to 1957 and on a TV series ran from 1951 to 1959. Dragnet later returned to television for three seasons in 1967. In the Dragnet sketch, Aykroyd plays Joe Friday and he would also play Friday in the 1987 Dragnet movie.
"Weekend Update" features a "tribute" to Johnny Carson that recreates a famous moment on The Tonight Show. On April 27, 1965, actor/singer Ed Ames appeared on Tonight to demonstrate his tomahawk-throwing abilities. It resulted in one of the most memorable moments in TV history, here's video of Ames and Carson:
"Cufflinks Of The Gods" is a parody of Chariots Of The Gods, a book by Erich von Daniken that was later made into a documentary. In the book, von Daniken theorizes that aliens visited Earth thousands of years ago and introduced technological advances to the ancient world. Von Daniken's findings were later revealed to be fraudulent.
"Baba Wawa" was, of course, an exaggerated impression of Barbara Walters, who departed her role as Today Show host on June 4, 1976. Walters signed with ABC for a record million dollar contract to join Harry Reasoner to co-anchor the ABC Evening News. Here's video of Barbara Walters' real farewell to NBC:
Classic moments:
"Feelin' Alright"-Joe Cocker is a good sport John Belush's imitation of Cocker is strong enough to stand on the same stage as the real cocker. This also marks the final time Belushi impersonated Cocker.
"The Rutles"-The Rutles film is a perfect parody of A Hard Days Night and it introduced "The Prefab Four" to the world. The Rutles would later appear in a TV movie directed by SNL filmmaker Gary Weis that featured cameo appearances by the original Saturday Night cast.
"The Rutles"-The Rutles film is a perfect parody of A Hard Days Night and it introduced "The Prefab Four" to the world. The Rutles would later appear in a TV movie directed by SNL filmmaker Gary Weis that featured cameo appearances by the original Saturday Night cast.
Eric Idle's first time hosting SNL host-Idle didn't host the show as often as Steve Martin and Buck Henry. However, this is his first of four appearances as host and I think of Idle as one of the best hosts in the history of Saturday Night.
Pretty much everything. More than any episode, almost every sketch and film feels interconnected. For example, Idle sings "Here Comes The Sun" multiple times and the song also appears in the "KLOG" and "Killer Bees" sketches. The Rutles film also connects to "Here Comes The Sun" since it's a parody of the Beatles.
The cast breaks character multiple times to explain to Idle how American comedy is different from Idle's British brand of humor.
The "Dragnet" sketch leads directly into "Drag Racing Today."
J.A. Morris' rating:
Eric Idle was a great host and he worked very well with the cast, especially Dan Aykroyd, who appears in five sketches alongside Idle. All of the Not Ready For Prime Time Players get at least one sketch that focuses on them and this episode is strongly recommended.
4 stars!
Footnotes:
[1] Saturday Night Live and the 1976 Presidential Election, by M. Heather Carver and William T. Horner, p.127-129.
[2] BoxRec: Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton (3rd meeting).
[1] Saturday Night Live and the 1976 Presidential Election, by M. Heather Carver and William T. Horner, p.127-129.
[2] BoxRec: Muhammad Ali vs. Ken Norton (3rd meeting).
