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!

Season 3, episode 17;Host:Michael Sarrazin, with Keith Jarrett and Gravity

Aired April 15, 1978.

Cold opening:"The President's Message On Inflation"
Pres. Jimmy Carter addresses the nation about the inflation crisis. Carter says the best way to fight inflation is for citizens to burn 8% of their cash. 

He explains that "if all of us burn 8% of our money, less money will be in circulation, and in no time at all, prices will hopefully go down." The President says that if he's asking Americans to sacrifice needs to start in his family. He calls on his daughter Amy (Laraine Newman) to bring her savings and then he burns her money.

At the end of Carter's address, he and Amy discuss who will get to "say it." Amy begs the President, so he tells her to say it. Amy then announces "live, from New York, it's Saturday Night."

Monolgue:"Boothday"
Host Michael Sarrazin talks about how April 15 is Boothday, the anniversary of Pres. Lincoln's death after he was shot by John Wilkes Booth, an actor. Boothday will be a bad luck day for actors until a President shoots an actor. 

Sarrazin says he's keeping his fingers crossed so that nothing bad will happen to he and the cast during Saturday Night.

Commercial:"Angora Bouquet"
Repeat from Season 3, episode 3.

"Josh Ramsey:V.D. Caseworker"
When Susie (Newman) worries that she has venereal disease, she seeks help from Josh Ramsey (Sarrazin) a VD Caseworker. Susie worries that her boyfriend Johnny (Bill Murray) will hate her when he learns she had sex with someone else.

Keith Jarrett:"Country"
Jazz pianist Keith Jarrett performs "Country." This piece appeared on Jarrett's album My Song, which was released in June of 1978.

"Judy Miller's 'Hate Jennifer Show'"
Written by Marilyn Suzanne Miller.
When Judy Miller's sister Jennifer hits her, Judy imagines she hosts a show in her living room called "The Hate Jennifer Show." Judy dances and jumps are over the room.

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

Stargazer Bill Murray reviews the movie American Hot Wax and interviews one of the stars of the movie, Laraine Newman.

Jane and Dan engage in a Point/Counter-Point debate about the use of the Neutron Bomb. 

Correspondent Roseanne Roseannadanna reports on springtime depression. Roseanne talks about feeling depressed in the past, but eventually segues into talking about people spitting in drinking fountains.

"Penalty Box"
Two Quebecois hockey players (Aykroyd and Sarrazin) from opposing teams converse while sitting in the penalty box.

"E. Buzz Miller's Exercise World"
Written by Dan Aykroyd and Tom Davis.
E. Buzz Miller looks on while his girlfriend Christy Christina strikes sexually explicit poses while she exercises.

Keith Jarrett:"My Song"
Jarrett performs the title track of his 1978 album.

Schiller's Reel:"La Dolce Gilda"
Filmmaker Tom Schiller's camera follows Gilda Radner while she attends an SNL after party. Gilda is constantly surrounded and everyone demands her time.

Archaeologicus:"The Treasures of Morton Kamen"
Written by Tom Schiller.
Tina Gemini hosts Archaeologicus and explores “The Treasures of Morton Kamen.” Archeologists of the future find the room of an ordinary man named Morton Kamen and his wife Shirley, they were perfectly preserved by air conditioning in their Palm Springs home.

Howard Johnson & Gravity:"Tuba City Gitback"
Gravity, who are fronted by the SNL band's tubist Howard Johnson, perform "Tuba City Gitback."

Goodnights:
Sarrazin says "Well that’s it for this evening. It wasn’t such a bad Booth Day, was it? I’d like to thank Mr. Keith Jarrett! Howard Johnson and the group Gravity! Alright!" 

The host then thanks "the people who helped me through all this, the Not Ready For Prime Time Players! Come on in, guys!" The cast and musical guests surround Michael and the credits roll. 

Notes about this episode:

Michael Sarrazin's name may be unfamiliar to younger readers of this site. He was an actor and appeared in dozens of films and TV episodes between 1965 and his death in 2011. 

In "Penalty Box," Bill Murray plays a hockey player named "Novello." This is no doubt a reference to SNL writer Don Novello, who broke his hip during rehearsals of this sketch.

"La Dolce Gilda" is a parody of and homage to Federico Fellinni's La Dolce Vita.

What stands out:
Gilda Radner-This episode is a showcase for Radner's talents. She's great as Judy Miller, Roseanne Roseannadanna and in La Dolce Gilda. She even has a great line in the "Josh Ramsey" sketch.

Howard Johnson & Gravity-I applaud Saturday Night for booking a jazz band that features six tubists. "Tuba City Gitback" is a great way to close the episode. 

What doesn't work:

Michael Sarrazin-He comes across as a nice guy during the monologue, but he doesn't really bring anything to this episode. After the monologue, he only appears in two sketches. Maybe some of his sketches were cut during dress rehearsal?

Amy Carter-During the cold opening, Jimmy Carter calls Amy "four eyes." Amy Carter was 10 years old when this aired, so this feels like punching down on a child. 

J.A. Morris' rating:
This episode isn't as good as the two that preceded it. However, in spite of a lackluster host, Gilda Radner's brilliance lifts this episode and makes it well-worth watching.

3 stars.