Aired July 24, 1976.
Cold opening:"Back from vacation"
The Not Ready For Prime Time players have returned from vacation and are assembled on the main stage. During their time off, John Belushi made some comments in an interview that offended Chevy Chase.
They agree to let bygones be bygones, shake hands and give each other a series of "high-fives" and "low fives." Eventutally, Belushi, punches Chase in the face, which knocks Chevy offstage. He then looks into the camera and announces "Live, from New York, it's Saturday Night."
Monologue:
Louise Lasser tells a story, but then gets confused by the cue cards. She then says she's tired and feels overwhelmed by being on live television. Lasser walks offstage and locks herself in her dressing room. Gilda Radner and Dan Aykroyd try to get her to come out.
When they fail, Lasser gets a visit from the Land Shark (Chase)!
Commercial:"General Idi Amin"
Written by Rosie Shuster and Lorne Michaels.
Ugandan dictator Idi Amin (Garrett Morris) delivers a PSA about warning signs of syphilis.
Swedish Movie:
Written by Tom Schiller.
Sven (Chase) and Inger's (Lasser) vacation is interrupted by the arrival of Death himself (Tom Schiller)!
Commercial:"Human Hair Potholders"
Written by Michael O'Donoghue.
Manson Family members Susan Goode (Jane Curtin) and Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme (Laraine Newman) promote potholders made of human hair and describe how the potholders are made.
"A Woman and A Dog"
A woman (Lasser) apologizes to her dog for playing fetch with another dog.
"Cathode Ray":
Written by Paul Shaffer and Dan Aykroyd.
Radner, Curtin and Newman perform a song about how televisions work.
"Weekend Update":
Chevy Chase reports on the day's headlines, which include:
The Viking spacecraft's Mars landing.
Plus, Update correspondent John Belushi interviews 1972 Olympic Champion Olga Korbut (Radner) about her failure to repeat at the 1976 Olympic Games.
"Girl Talk":
Jane (Curtin ) and her friend (Radner) talk about how "far" Jane got with her boyfriend the night before and if she's seen her boyfriend's..."it."
“A film by Louise Lasser”
At a diner, a woman (Lasser) talks to her boyfriend (Alan Zweibel) about the state of their relationship.
When she forgets her lines, she turns to a waitress (Audrey Peart Dickman) and SNL producer Lorne Michaels for help.
Lasser then steps over to the bar and encounters actor Michael Sarrazin.
Commercial:"John Belushi's Wardrobe"
John Belushi tells fans that want to capture his "distinctive look" for themselves can buy from his new line of clothes.
"Jimmy Carter":
Presidential candidate Jimmy Carter (Aykroyd) tells the nation how he's going to run his campaign and how he plans to talk to voters.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band:"Panama"
Lasser introduces the musical guests and says it was her idea to have them on the show. The band performs the jazz standard "Panama," which was written by William Henry Tyers in 1911 and recorded by many artists.
The Preservation Hall Jazz Band's recording of "Panama" appeared on their 1977 album New Orleans, Vol. 1.
"Mary's A Grand Old Name"
Lasser performs a monologue built around the song "Mary's A Ground Old Name," which was written by George M. Cohan for his 1906 musical Forty-Five Minutes From Broadway.
Lasser talks about how her life has changed since she became a TV star playing the title character of the series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman and discusses her recent arrest.
Goodnights:
Lasser thanks Michael Sarrazin for appearing in her film, the musical guest and Maggie, the dog who appeared in the sketch with her. Lasser then praises the cast and says goodnight.
Notes about this episode:
Louise Lasser might not be a familiar face and name to younger readers. I've always enjoyed her work film and TV. She was the breakout star of the series Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, which premiered on January 5, 1976. Between the debut Mary Hartman and Lasser's appearance on SNL, Lasser appeared on the cover of TV Guide, Newsweek, Ms., Rolling Stone, Soap Opera Digest and People.
According to multiple accounts, Lasser was breaking down under the pressure of sudden stardom and was going through a rough patch when this episode aired.
I try to avoid discussing backstage politics and gossipy content here. However, since it's covered in every book about SNL, I should mention that Louise Lasser was considered one of the worst hosts of the first five seasons. Twenty minutes prior to airtime, Lasser refused to perform and only went on when Lorne Michaels threatened to tell the press about her refusal. For many years, Michaels refused to rerun this episode.[1]
In a 2013 interview with The Toast, Lasser disputes this and says her manager had the episode removed from reruns. In the same interview, Lasser says she "Girl Talk" sketch was written for her and Gilda Radner, but Lasser backed out because she didn't want her parents to watch her play a character that talked about sex. [2]
During her opening and closing monologues, Lasser references her May 1976 arrest. Lasser was arrested at a boutique when she tried to buy a dollhouse with a traveler's check, which the store did not accept. Lasser allegedly became abusive towards the manager, which led to a call to the police. The police discovered Lasser had cocaine in her purse and she was charged with possession and eventually sentenced to six months probation [3] [4]
During the cold opening, the cast mentions that John Belushi is jealous of attention Chevy Chase is getting. Belushi said the following to Rolling Stone in an issue published nine days before this episode, when asked about Chase's breakout as a star:
“Well, NBC loves Chevy. Plus, he’s very good. Look, I Love Chevy, ever since Lemmings, we were in that together, Chevy’s a good actor. I think he’s better in sketches than in all those bits as this Chevy Chase persona; in acted comedy as opposed to presentational crap. But Chevy holding the show as star, I don’t think it’d work. It sure wouldn’t be the same show. I know I want in no way to become Carl Reiner to his Sid Caesar. Once we bend to a f*#cking star system here, everything changes.” [5]
I presume Belushi's comments to Rolling Stone inspired the opening sketch.
In the Idi Amin VD PSA, Garret Morris-as-Amin mentions Entebbe more than once. This is a reference to the Entebbe Raid, which took place three weeks prior to this episode. Members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked an Air France Airbus jet airliner with 248 passengers on board. The plane eventually touched down at Entebbe Airport in Uganda. The hijackers held the passengers for ransom in return for the release of prisoners held by Israel. Amin was dictator of Uganda at the time and provided support for the hijackers. The Israeli Defense Forces, with assistance from Kenya, raided the airport and rescued most of the hostages, which angered and embarrassed Amin.
Classic moment:
"Jimmy Carter"-This is Dan Aykroyd's first appearance as Jimmy Carter. He played Carter a total of 28 times before he departed SNL after Season Four. It's a brilliant performance and it pokes fun at Carter's habit of quoting Bob Dylan songs.
What stands out:
"Cathode Ray"-This "girl-group"-style song features funny lyrics about how televisions work (or how they worked in 1976) and it's a nice showcase for lead vocalist Laraine Newman, with Jane Curtin and Gilda Radner providing nice support. I also love the 1970s special effects that are on display during the performance of the song, nice work from director Dave Wilson and SNL's technical crew.
"Swedish Movie"-A funny parody of Ingmar Bergman films that features a nice performance by writer Tom Schiller as Death. I won't spoil the sketch's hilarious punchline.
"A Woman and A Dog"-This is Lasser's best moment of the show. It's not easy acting with a "stage partner" who can't talk, but Lasser does a good job carrying on a "conversation" with a dog. Molly the dog deserves credit for sitting still and staying "in character" the whole time.
"Human Hair Potholders"-Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman give us a hilarious portrayal of two Manson Family women. Newman is legit-scary as "Squeaky" Fromme.
"Girl Talk"-A nice "slice of life" sketch that features realistic dialogue between two teenage girls. Great performances here by Curtin and Radner.
What doesn't work:
"A film by Louise Lasser"-This goes on forever and goes nowhere. Lasser rambles, stammers, breaks the forth wall for seven minutes and the film goes nowhere.
"Mary's A Grand Old Name"-I respect the idea of this piece and I respect Lasser for baring her soul to the viewers. But like the film, this goes on way too long.
J.A. Morris' rating:
This is an odd episode. I thought it was better than its reputation. Louise Lasser only appears in one sketch with an SNL cast member ("Swedish Movie"). Lasser is a talented actor and it's too bad she and the cast didn't work better together. The sketches without her are mostly very good and this episode has a lot of standout moments.
3 stars.
Footnotes:
[1]Saturday Night, by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingard, p.150-153
[2]An Interview With Louise Lasser: TV, Depression, and SNL, By Claire Barliant, The Toast, December 20, 2013.
[3]"TV Star Accused In A Drug Case," Associated Press, New York Times, 05 May 1976: 49
[4]"No Laughing Matter," Lois Armstrong, People, 5 July 1976
