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!

Season 2, Episode 3; Host:Eric Idle, with Joe Cocker and Stuff.

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.

Before he can begin his newscast, the real Chevy Chase phones in from the hospital (he's still dealing with an injury and not in tonight's episode).  He's not happy to see an impostor using his name and his catch phrase ("I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not").  

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.

"Genetics Counselor":
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.  

When the film arrived, it turned out to be a film of a different band...the Rutles!

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."  

"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 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.

"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:

"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.

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.

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.  

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).