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The excitement of being a teenager when this show first aired was immense. No one had seen a show of this genre before. My parents loved the fact that Saturday night ended with all the teens from school, watching the show in our rec room by ourselves. My parents knew where we would be by 10:30 every Saturday night...At home, safe and sound, having fun.
You didn't mention that during Michael's Beatles offer , Paul McCartney and John Lennon were at Lennon's apartment at the Dakota about 20 blocks away . They discussed going down to NBC and collecting the money that night but in the end Lennon said he was too tired
@@Me97202 It is true. You can read accounts about it online. There was even a tv-movie about it a few decades back. There was also another time when John and Paul got together during the post-Beatles era you might not be familiar with either. It was during John's 'Lost Weekend' in California. John was hanging out in L.A. with people like Harry Nilsson, Ringo, Alice Cooper... even Mickey Dolenz! Paul arrived in California at some point and was involved in a jam session with John and these other musicians. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone bothered to record this historic musical event (it might've been terrible, for all we know). I truly believe the Beatles would've reunited eventually if not for John's untimely death. Maybe even without being offered $3000. 😄
I was 15 and my Dad and I used to watch SNL - became a bonding thing for us - we loved Gilda Radner and John Belushi in particular. I also remember us laughing so hard tears were streaming down our faces. He passed away in 2003 and I will be thinking of him tonight during the 50th anniversary show.
I graduated HS in 1976. During our last week in school, one teacher brought a VCR into the classroom, & let us watch an SNL episode during that period. Great memory.
I was introduced to Saturday Night Live by my Dad. It was at that time of life where most teenagers were accumulating evidence of their parents' lack of cool, but my Dad had always been Mr. Cool to me, and his appreciation for SNL forever solidified my respect for my bass guitar instructor and vocal coach, and the man that told me the sad news of John Belushi's death, and without a "moral of the story." Dad, if you're listening, I'm still trying to follow your example to look for something to smile about everyday. It's getting pretty difficult, but it never was very easy. Love you.
I used to work in the SNL control room. Its always cool when they show it so I can see where I used to sit and how the backstage area changed over the years.
@@Youareme42o Summer of '96 during the Olympics. NBC ran the commercials out of the SNL control room and I was the staff go-fer. I worked from 2am - 2pm and had free reign to walk around the studio and backstage area. I still can't believe I got that gig, as short as it was.
Yes sir it changed my Saturday Night along with all my friends. We had SNL parties every weekend - laughed and laughed till we cried sometimes. Great memories.
Now I know where I was on May 8, 1976! I was sleeping over at my friend Stephen Wojnar's house, in his basement family room, watching the episode hosted by Madeleine Kahn. I was twelve years old, and my parents would not have let me stay up so late at home, especially for a show that was "not ready for prime-time." But at my friend's house it was a different matter. That was my first ever episode in almost fifty years of watching. Appropriately enough, the sketch I clearly remember was the one about little-girls-at-a-slumber-party, who all say "Ewwwww!" at the thought of having sex -- except one who says, "I might." Man, that was some EDGY humor for a 12-year-old in the '70s. 😂
I remember Gilda playing a parrot being taught to talk by Madeline. We had no way of knowing they would both die way too soon of ovarian cancer. Madeline sang "Lost in the Stars," one of my favorite old Broadway tunes.
@@dskyyksd That’s a great memory you have! And yeah, it’s a shame we lost them both so young - they were brilliant comedians. TBH, the only other thing I remember from that night was arguing with my friend over whether to watch “Twilight Zone” reruns instead. He won - and I’m really glad he did! 😊
Twenty or so freshmen including myself crowded into a tiny dorm room to watch this highly anticipated show that first time. And it did not disappoint! Hilarious! Nothing like it. I watched religiously every week for years.
I was 13 in 75 and started watching SNL with the first Robert Klein episode since he was my favorite comedian. By this time the show had buzz (sorry bee pun) at my junior high, and by the end of the season the show was must watch, and the cast were our superstars, as big to us as any band whose albums we cherished. It is hard to put into context how important the first 5 seasons were to my generation. You had to watch! No VCR, no internet. If you missed it it was gone until maybe a rerun. You would tape the audio off the TV and listen over again during week, or make a copy for a friend who missed it so they would not be left out. Very quickly it became a part of the pop culture bloodstream. SNL seasons 1-5 are as important as anything American TV has ever produced.
@chanceotter - nicely said :) SNL truly defined the vibe of those years, coming off the political end of the Vietnam War/mandatory draft - the second half of the 70's had a different feeling vs decade prior. Not necessarily better (some aspects were bad), but the raw humor allowed us to keep punching thru while trying to figure out who the hell we were :)
I was flipping the channels when I stumbled upon the Muppets segment in episode one. I had no idea what I was watching. But I kept watching, and it was different from anything that I'd seen before. Hard to believe that was nearly 50 years ago.
Thank you for taking me back in time when I was only 24, so young, healthy & had my eyes wide open. Our country was way different & this funny, cutting edge show reflected our sense of humor. People would actually get together, have a small party around a TV set on a late Saturday night. Good times for sure, can’t wait to see the next few seasons.
As a Canadian, that was when I liked the USA best. Things changed for the worst in the 80s and never returned. I'm hoping for a return to better times (which doesn't translate as MAGA).
Give the original cast members their props. They are the foundation on which the show is built. They created the template which would allow the series to continue on, long after they left. NO ONE could have possibly imagined (as the show is about to celebrate 50 years on the air) that this weird, quirky, off-baat late night comedy series would not only go the distance but become a national institution. It would be responsible for being the launching ground for many careers and push the creative envelope of what could be done on network television.
My late father was a big George Carlin fan so when he heard that Carlin was hosting a new comedy show called SNL he was eager to see it. I was only 10 at the time but was allowed to stay up late on Friday and Saturday nights. So we watched the first of many SNL shows together that night. I can remember quite a few sketches that my dad wasn't sure I should be watching but he never told me to leave the room. One of the things I loved about SNL was the musical guests as I loved seeing some of my favorite groups live. Thanks Dad!
You should mention that the cast of ABC’s “Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell” (airing at 8PM) were called The “Prime Time Players.” That’s why, a month (and three and a half hours) later, Herb Sargent suggested that the NBC late night cast be called “The Not Ready For Prime Time Players.”
Thank you. i don't know how they can bring up the origin of the name and Cosell's show and not mention that, or Rob Reiner doing the lounge singer routine Bill Murray made famous years before Murray.
I worked at NBC when SNL began and was fortunate to see the rehearsals. Then my husband and I would watch the recorded versions at night. That premiere season, and cast, is still one of our favorites. BTW, for anyone who has never seen a live production turned into a TV show-what you see on stage is very different than what appears on screen. For example, in one episode there is a "crowded" disco dance floor (I think this was from Gilda Radner's "Jewish Jeans" sketch). It's just the camera close up that makes it appear crowded, when in fact, it was a small platform with maybe a dozen people on it. The wonders of imagination and good production skills. :) Thanks for this series.
I could rarely stay up late enough to watch it. I often fell asleep b4 it was over. My little bro, more of a night owl than I was, was crazy over the show. There just has been nothing like it since. Those first five years were so creative and so original. In the fall of 1975 I was 17 years old.
Thank you guys. admit that I got a little teary eyed during this installment. It brought back wonderful memories, but it also brought back the loss that I felt as the years continued and we lost Gilda, John, Phil, Chris, Andy, and others. WOW! This show was so awesome. We would talk about it at school every Monday.
Garrett Morris does NOT have the recognition of some of the other cast members, but his "For the Hearing Impaired" bit, where he does NOT use "Sign Language," but simply cups his hands around his mouth and shouts loudly, was the funniest thing I'd seen. Seeing it again, just now, Forty-Eight (48) years later, I again, laughed out loud! And after my disturbed sister yelled as loudly as she could into my ear...I myself, am now "Hearing Impaired." But funny is STILL funny! 😂
Garrett *always* had my attention as a kid watching this show. Something about him was inherently funny, in a way that few others on the show had. The one exception would be Bill Murray.
@@augustusbetucius2931 Garrett Morris once described comedy as a situation in which somebody has to come out on the bottom. He nailed the essence of comedy and why you can't do it without offending somebody. There has to be a loser and that loser has to take it. Of all the things SNL did in those heady early days that you could never do on TV today, the sketch he wrote and performed with Julian Bond has got to be at the top. The "Prison Follies" sketch that he also wrote is another one.
I remember watching that when it first happened and I broke down hysterically. That was definitely one stick out historic moment for SNL. That has always been the kind of comedy I enjoy.
We entered Mr. BILL in our college English class. Back then you used computer code cards to enter students. We got hold of an extra one and punched it to enter him in the class. Our teacher thought it was hilarious.
I was 22 and went to visit my mom. We had dinner and I went to bed. Hours later I got up to pee and there was mom watching SNL. She said you gotta see this it's f*cking hilarious 😅
I was in my early 20's when I saw SNL's first season. Viewers today who are in that age category cannot fathom just how pathbreaking--and how novel--that show was at that time. It was the first network comedy/variety show for the rock generation.
I was 19, and astonished they could broadcast such provocative material. It was a mind-opening experience comparable to finding Monty Python or going to Rocky Horror.✌🖖
I just found this channel! as a lover of pop culture history and retrospectives, this is definitely my thing. I love the fast pace, and how much info we get at the same time. Will be watching all night! 👍
I recall that Gerald Ford got some flak from media critics about doing the intro, as at the time, it seemed beneath one's dignity for the POTUS to do such a media appearance . . . especially for it being an election year.
I kinda wish you guys would go through every sketch of every season,but this great! I also wish we could get all seasons on dvd/ blu ray. Especially Season 10
Not one single word about the legendary longest serving cast member of ALL TIME and will never be replicated - and the only cast member so far to die while still working on the show - got it yet? DON PARDO
@@mikeymutual5489 erase him from history is your choice then? is a cast member not someone who appeared on the show? he is employed by the show - whatever you choose to nit pick in calling him.
I was a freshman in college at the University of Florida for this season. Most of us who lived in the dorms didn't have a TV in our rooms, but there was one in the basement of our dorm, and that was the happening place to be at 11:30 on a Saturday night!
I live near South Bend Indiana the local NBC affiliate WNDU Channel 16 was at the time owned by Notre Dame. The show was considered so controversial WNDU refused to broadcast it. The first few seasons we were forced to watch a snowy fuzzy image broadcasted from WMAQ Channel 5 in Chicago.
The same for Fresno, California, NBC affiliate, KMJ; which didn't televise it until the Fall of '76. The Salt Lake City NBC affiliate, KSL, was still not televising SNL as late as 2010.
I was a college sophomore and I remember the bars (18-year-olds could drink beer in my state then) would empty out after 11pm so everyone could watch SNL. It was a sensation!
Fantastic! I’m so happy to have discovered your channel. I grew up with Saturday Night Live, and your retelling of it’s history is a most welcome blast from the past.
@@maryrosekent8223 They stand on the shoulders of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Without the NRPTP, there would BE no SNL. They were undoubtedly the BEST ensemble cast...EVER.
@@slactweak I dogsat for a man named Bill Murray. When we introduced ourselves to each other his reply was “Bill Murray…not that Bill Murray” without me even asking. I cried when Gilda died.
I was in Palo Alto in Oct 1975. I saw all the early shows. It was very unusual avant garde stuff. My girl friend was getting a linguistics degree at Berkeley, the "We have no badgers, will you accept a wolverine instead" episode was very popular in the linguistics community. ..... Mr Bill..... Bassomatic.
Really fascinating. I've been a fan seemingly forever, yet to this day, I've seen pitifully few episodes from Season 1! (And, crazy enough, most of the episodes I have on VHS are from seasons 7-9.)
Ha! I have you beat. In 1975 I was only eight years old! Looking back, I can't believe I got away with staying up so late and watching SNL (though another time - I believe I was still under ten years old, I'm not sure - my brother and I stayed up VERY VERY late to watch Yellow Submarine, which I believe started at 2AM). SMH
One of the writers on the Smothers Brothers was Steve Martin - who became a repeat host of SNL (notably with the Not Ready for Prime Time Players). Lorne Michaels was a Smothers writer. There are probably other connections - perhaps the Einsteins (Bob "Super Dave Osborne" and Albert - Albert Brooks). Dick and Tom Smothers hosted SNL twice in the early 80s.
We watched the 1st episode of SNL... on magic mushrooms. After the introduction of the guest stars & the monolog they break to a staged "commercial". I can't remember the skit, but we were just flabbergasted, rolling on the floor, laughing our asses off, stoned out of our minds. "What the fk are we watching?" & "U can't show that sh!t on TV!" were some of the comments made between our tears of laughter! 😅🤣😂🍄
According to Albert Brooks' doc SNL first intended to have a permanent host. Albert was offered the job, but declined and suggested they instead have a different one every week. Thanks to Mr. Brooks for the great idea at the expense of a dependable paycheck, at least for the season.
We had just moved to New York City, actually Queens as American Airlines flight attendants when the program premiered we were in a second floor apartment and laughing so hard seriously the woman below us was knocking her broom on her ceiling to make a stop, but we couldn’t so so funny and such great memories
I was working in the restaurant biz when the show premiered. Saturday night shifts were where the money was and I wasn't watching much TV at age 23 anyway so didn't see the early shows. My friends who worked M-F caught on to the show and so did some of my coworkers. What I heard was impressive and unanimous. The show had a good rep with me because my friends were quickly fans. I was able to catch some of the first season which will remain with me for the newness, quirky and off the wall humor. It wasn't lost on me that the show looked beyond star power for its musical guests, which I appreciated.
I just started my senior year of high school when it premiered. It was so influential among my friends . We repeated the most will known lines all the time
I love the Paul Simon episode. and the sketch with him squaring off against Connie Hawkins is iconic. "I'm gonna stick to my strengths: singing and songwriting"
I have a DVD box of the first season of SNL, and I have watched most of the episodes. Even though I sometimes watched the show as a kid, probably starting in season two, it is striking how old the first season feels. Just such a different world. There is interesting material there, for sure. I think the Dezi Arnez episode is my favorite. Belushi was obviously brilliant, and the whole cast was pretty strong. Still, my personal reaction to the season as a whole is more sorrow than laughter.
I've watched many of the first season episodes on tape. I thought it started out slow and awkward in the beginning and didn't start catching its stride until maybe 4 or 5 episodes in. What do you think?
I loved this! Cannot wait for the rest. My dad's best mate found in a thrift shop like a decade ago a vhs of the first 2 episodes & gave it to me but sadly I don't have a vcr anymore to play it.
Season 3 was the first I was old enough to stay up for. The first full episode I watched was the one where Chevy as host got into an offstage fight with Bill Murray.
Gerald Ford's man Ron Nessen clearly got a call from the President after the first mockery of Ford as a clumsy fool...who of course pardoned a criminal named Nixon, a huge shock...I had thought I was a cynic a decade earlier... Nessen smiled in his first appearance....then deadened all response for the rest of the show. Good job, youse guys. I saw almost every first season show....impressed.
A peculiar aspect about SNL with its brand of comedy is how some of the NBC-TV affiliates would not televise the show when it first came out in 1975; and there was still an NBC affiliate would not televise it in the year 2000. I was living in the San Joaquin Valley region of California in 1975 ~ '76, where the Fresno (California) NBC affiliate, KMJ, did not televise it until the Fall of '76. Leaping to the year 2000, while frequently visiting the region near Salt Lake City, that NBC affiliate, KSL, would not televise SNL. Instead, a Fox-TV affiliate televised the show for the region in its regular time.
This is great. What a trip down memory lane. I was there at the first season starting after a couple of episodes. I watched most of the first few seasons on a portable black and white TV so as not to bother my parents who'd tell me to go to sleep.
12:52 - COMMERCIALS! WHAT ABOUT THE COMMERCIALS?!? Especially the digital watch that needed a friend's hand to activate, and the razor blade with three blades ("Because You'll Believe Anything")! And, in case you couldn't tell, my friends and I watched every SNL in the first season together.
Thanks. I'm from the UK and we didn't get SNL. Only some SNL greatest highlights in the 2000s late at night. It's great to see some of the history and where some of my favourite movie stars and comedians came from
The NBC affiliate in Chattanooga didn't carry season 1, but I was able to pick up the Knoxville station because of topography. My Mom loved it because it reminded her of 50s live shows.
I am waiting to see if the episode with Bernadette Peters when I think Al Franken did a "Hidden Camera" skit(at least I think that is what it was called) In our family and circle of friends we STILL say "Give me the Crown Debbie"....referring to the "Hidden Camera" team playing a" joke" on a girl whose parents want to give her up for adoption. The white hot fork "joke" too. They are VERY dark but all friends and family present for that episode were crying from laughing so hard.
For the first few years of SNL, the show shared the 11:30 pm slot with an NBC news program hosted by Lloyd Dobbins. That show aired once a month on the first Saturday. SNL got the other 3/4 weeks.
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The excitement of being a teenager when this show first aired was immense. No one had seen a show of this genre before. My parents loved the fact that Saturday night ended with all the teens from school, watching the show in our rec room by ourselves. My parents knew where we would be by 10:30 every Saturday night...At home, safe and sound, having fun.
Smart parents.
@@chaddubois8164 why? They didn’t do anything.
You didn't mention that during Michael's Beatles offer , Paul McCartney and John Lennon were at Lennon's apartment at the Dakota about 20 blocks away . They discussed going down to NBC and collecting the money that night but in the end Lennon said he was too tired
Thanks for mentioning that, so cool!
I wonder if Lorne knew that Paul was in town with John. Seems possible.
Is that true? I thought they weren’t on good terms during these years.
So sad; that would have been legendary
@@Me97202 It is true. You can read accounts about it online. There was even a tv-movie about it a few decades back. There was also another time when John and Paul got together during the post-Beatles era you might not be familiar with either. It was during John's 'Lost Weekend' in California. John was hanging out in L.A. with people like Harry Nilsson, Ringo, Alice Cooper... even Mickey Dolenz! Paul arrived in California at some point and was involved in a jam session with John and these other musicians. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone bothered to record this historic musical event (it might've been terrible, for all we know). I truly believe the Beatles would've reunited eventually if not for John's untimely death. Maybe even without being offered $3000. 😄
I was 15 and my Dad and I used to watch SNL - became a bonding thing for us - we loved Gilda Radner and John Belushi in particular. I also remember us laughing so hard tears were streaming down our faces. He passed away in 2003 and I will be thinking of him tonight during the 50th anniversary show.
It was all we talked about at school the next week.VCRs were rare so we used collective memory to re-create the sketches.
Likewise. And some viewers were so high, recreating those memories became new comedy skits!✌🖖
I graduated HS in 1976. During our last week in school, one teacher brought a VCR into the classroom, & let us watch an SNL episode during that period. Great memory.
Rare? In 1975 nobody had a VCR. lol
@@tphillips37 A few wealthy people did.
Did that with In Living Color as well.
I was introduced to Saturday Night Live by my Dad. It was at that time of life where most teenagers were accumulating evidence of their parents' lack of cool, but my Dad had always been Mr. Cool to me, and his appreciation for SNL forever solidified my respect for my bass guitar instructor and vocal coach, and the man that told me the sad news of John Belushi's death, and without a "moral of the story."
Dad, if you're listening, I'm still trying to follow your example to look for something to smile about everyday. It's getting pretty difficult, but it never was very easy. Love you.
I used to work in the SNL control room. Its always cool when they show it so I can see where I used to sit and how the backstage area changed over the years.
Kool when was you there?
@@Youareme42o Summer of '96 during the Olympics. NBC ran the commercials out of the SNL control room and I was the staff go-fer. I worked from 2am - 2pm and had free reign to walk around the studio and backstage area. I still can't believe I got that gig, as short as it was.
@@mrchopsticks3That’s a wonderful experience
Yes sir it changed my Saturday Night along with all my friends. We had SNL parties every weekend - laughed and laughed till we cried sometimes. Great memories.
Now I know where I was on May 8, 1976! I was sleeping over at my friend Stephen Wojnar's house, in his basement family room, watching the episode hosted by Madeleine Kahn. I was twelve years old, and my parents would not have let me stay up so late at home, especially for a show that was "not ready for prime-time." But at my friend's house it was a different matter. That was my first ever episode in almost fifty years of watching. Appropriately enough, the sketch I clearly remember was the one about little-girls-at-a-slumber-party, who all say "Ewwwww!" at the thought of having sex -- except one who says, "I might." Man, that was some EDGY humor for a 12-year-old in the '70s. 😂
I remember Gilda playing a parrot being taught to talk by Madeline. We had no way of knowing they would both die way too soon of ovarian cancer. Madeline sang "Lost in the Stars," one of my favorite old Broadway tunes.
@@dskyyksd That’s a great memory you have! And yeah, it’s a shame we lost them both so young - they were brilliant comedians. TBH, the only other thing I remember from that night was arguing with my friend over whether to watch “Twilight Zone” reruns instead. He won - and I’m really glad he did! 😊
Twenty or so freshmen including myself crowded into a tiny dorm room to watch this highly anticipated show that first time. And it did not disappoint! Hilarious! Nothing like it. I watched religiously every week for years.
I was 13 in 75 and started watching SNL with the first Robert Klein episode since he was my favorite comedian. By this time the show had buzz (sorry bee pun) at my junior high, and by the end of the season the show was must watch, and the cast were our superstars, as big to us as any band whose albums we cherished. It is hard to put into context how important the first 5 seasons were to my generation. You had to watch! No VCR, no internet. If you missed it it was gone until maybe a rerun. You would tape the audio off the TV and listen over again during week, or make a copy for a friend who missed it so they would not be left out. Very quickly it became a part of the pop culture bloodstream. SNL seasons 1-5 are as important as anything American TV has ever produced.
Totally agree, these seasons are so special!
What's VCR?
@chanceotter - nicely said :) SNL truly defined the vibe of those years, coming off the political end of the Vietnam War/mandatory draft - the second half of the 70's had a different feeling vs decade prior. Not necessarily better (some aspects were bad), but the raw humor allowed us to keep punching thru while trying to figure out who the hell we were :)
Yes; it was like "rock star status" .
I was flipping the channels when I stumbled upon the Muppets segment in episode one. I had no idea what I was watching. But I kept watching, and it was different from anything that I'd seen before. Hard to believe that was nearly 50 years ago.
Thank you for taking me back in time when I was only 24, so young, healthy & had my eyes wide open. Our country was way different & this funny, cutting edge show reflected our sense of humor. People would actually get together, have a small party around a TV set on a late Saturday night. Good times for sure, can’t wait to see the next few seasons.
As a Canadian, that was when I liked the USA best. Things changed for the worst in the 80s and never returned. I'm hoping for a return to better times (which doesn't translate as MAGA).
@@alukuhito People were nice to each other before MAGA.
@@ontheruntonowhereUnaborted Crack Babies have made America dangerous not maga.
Amen. Great time in life and our country.
I lived in San Diego in 1975 during SNL's first season. When the show aired, I could drive on the freeway with little, or no, traffic to slow my trip.
Give the original cast members their props. They are the foundation on which the show is built. They created the template which would allow the series to continue on, long after they left.
NO ONE could have possibly imagined (as the show is about to celebrate 50 years on the air) that this weird, quirky, off-baat late night comedy series would not only go the distance but become a national institution.
It would be responsible for being the launching ground for many careers and push the creative envelope of what could be done on network television.
Who was that masked master of the obvious?
If you look at National Lampoon - Lorne lifted ~80% of the cast and humor from their radio shows, which itself came from SCTV roots.
My late father was a big George Carlin fan so when he heard that Carlin was hosting a new comedy show called SNL he was eager to see it. I was only 10 at the time but was allowed to stay up late on Friday and Saturday nights. So we watched the first of many SNL shows together that night. I can remember quite a few sketches that my dad wasn't sure I should be watching but he never told me to leave the room. One of the things I loved about SNL was the musical guests as I loved seeing some of my favorite groups live. Thanks Dad!
You should mention that the cast of ABC’s “Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell” (airing at 8PM) were called The “Prime Time Players.” That’s why, a month (and three and a half hours) later, Herb Sargent suggested that the NBC late night cast be called “The Not Ready For Prime Time Players.”
Thank you. i don't know how they can bring up the origin of the name and Cosell's show and not mention that, or Rob Reiner doing the lounge singer routine Bill Murray made famous years before Murray.
Here after seeing the movie. Great review and really helped me with the not so known talent. Great job!
So can we watch it even if we don't know anything about thw show yet?
@@mimi_x_mimi yes. It was a great movie.
I worked at NBC when SNL began and was fortunate to see the rehearsals. Then my husband and I would watch the recorded versions at night. That premiere season, and cast, is still one of our favorites. BTW, for anyone who has never seen a live production turned into a TV show-what you see on stage is very different than what appears on screen. For example, in one episode there is a "crowded" disco dance floor (I think this was from Gilda Radner's "Jewish Jeans" sketch). It's just the camera close up that makes it appear crowded, when in fact, it was a small platform with maybe a dozen people on it. The wonders of imagination and good production skills. :) Thanks for this series.
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Surely you have MORE stories ?
I could rarely stay up late enough to watch it. I often fell asleep b4 it was over. My little bro, more of a night owl than I was, was crazy over the show. There just has been nothing like it since. Those first five years were so creative and so original. In the fall of 1975 I was 17 years old.
Same age as me! This show kept all us teenagers home on Saturday night, instead of out dragging main and running wild! LOL!
Thank you guys. admit that I got a little teary eyed during this installment. It brought back wonderful memories, but it also brought back the loss that I felt as the years continued and we lost Gilda, John, Phil, Chris, Andy, and others. WOW! This show was so awesome. We would talk about it at school every Monday.
No VCR so we gathered at someone’s house who had a TV, bringing pizza, beer and pot to watch live most weekends
I was 12yrs old when SNL debuted. A fan from the very beginning.
Garrett Morris does NOT have the recognition of some of the other cast members, but his "For the Hearing Impaired" bit, where he does NOT use "Sign Language," but simply cups his hands around his mouth and shouts loudly, was the funniest thing I'd seen. Seeing it again, just now, Forty-Eight (48) years later, I again, laughed out loud!
And after my disturbed sister yelled as loudly as she could into my ear...I myself, am now "Hearing Impaired." But funny is STILL funny! 😂
Truth.
Garrett *always* had my attention as a kid watching this show. Something about him was inherently funny, in a way that few others on the show had. The one exception would be Bill Murray.
Not to mention the man could have been an opera singer, which he proved in sketches.
@@augustusbetucius2931 Garrett Morris once described comedy as a situation in which somebody has to come out on the bottom. He nailed the essence of comedy and why you can't do it without offending somebody. There has to be a loser and that loser has to take it. Of all the things SNL did in those heady early days that you could never do on TV today, the sketch he wrote and performed with Julian Bond has got to be at the top. The "Prison Follies" sketch that he also wrote is another one.
I remember watching that when it first happened and I broke down hysterically. That was definitely one stick out historic moment for SNL. That has always been the kind of comedy I enjoy.
"Mr Bill" was my absolute favorite...!!!
We entered Mr. BILL in our college English class. Back then you used computer code cards to enter students. We got hold of an extra one and punched it to enter him in the class. Our teacher thought it was hilarious.
@@wlbyrd1 - I love that..!!! 🤣😂❤✌
Oh, NOOOOOOO!!!
@@nostradamus7648 - 🤣🤣😂😂
Oh no! It's Mr. Sluggo.
I was 22 and went to visit my mom. We had dinner and I went to bed. Hours later I got up to pee and there was mom watching SNL. She said you gotta see this it's f*cking hilarious 😅
Yer mom rocks!
I had no idea that Canadian talent has had such an influence on this American comedy institution.
Canadian humor was always America's conscience.
@@dthomas9230 right. 🙄
I’m a 71yo guy and I loved the show when it showed up on channel 4 in NY. Great Show with a lot of laughs.😊
And then FRIGHT NIGHT on WOR channel 9 !
It was the logical evolution of TV aimed at the generation brought up on Looney Tunes, Bullwinkle, MAD, and National Lampoon.
Chevy Chase got inflated ego syndrome and turned into an a..hole.
I was in my early 20's when I saw SNL's first season. Viewers today who are in that age category cannot fathom just how pathbreaking--and how novel--that show was at that time. It was the first network comedy/variety show for the rock generation.
I was 19, and astonished they could broadcast such provocative material. It was a mind-opening experience comparable to finding Monty Python or going to Rocky Horror.✌🖖
It was so unusual and actually was funny. SNL has never been as good as the original cast.
My parents had THE BLUES BROTHERS album!!!!!!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏💗💕😎
I mainly agree, but The Smothers Brothers & Laugh In helped pave the way years earlier.
Great work Jon and James! and everyone else behind the seasons. can't wait for the rest!
Thanks for doing this! Looking forward to future videos! Great way to celebrate 50 years of the show.
I just found this channel! as a lover of pop culture history and retrospectives, this is definitely my thing. I love the fast pace, and how much info we get at the same time. Will be watching all night! 👍
I was 13 in 1974 and babysitting on Saturday nights. SNL was very cool to watch.
That is how I discovered it, looking for something to keep me from falling asleep while babysitting! It was so great!
It was also great because BEFORE IT : The Jeffersons, Mary Tyler Moore , Bob Newhart and Carol Burnett !
I never knew that Gerald Ford introduced SNL. You learn something new every day.
I recall that Gerald Ford got some flak from media critics about doing the intro, as at the time, it seemed beneath one's dignity for the POTUS to do such a media appearance . . . especially for it being an election year.
@@bloqk16 it's no "Sock it to Me", but somewhat common years later.
I kinda wish you guys would go through every sketch of every season,but this great! I also wish we could get all seasons on dvd/ blu ray. Especially Season 10
Great job! I watched from the beginning! I was a junior in college. We had viewing parties every Sat night… was so much fun! 🥳🥳🥳
Not one single word about the legendary longest serving cast member of ALL TIME and will never be replicated - and the only cast member so far to die while still working on the show - got it yet? DON PARDO
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The announcer is not a cast member. But nice try anyway.
@@mikeymutual5489 Don appeared on the show and the title of this video is Everything You NEED to Know
@@bradwaddell2274 Except if you are going to mischaracterize him, then is it NOT something we "need to know."
@@mikeymutual5489 erase him from history is your choice then? is a cast member not someone who appeared on the show? he is employed by the show - whatever you choose to nit pick in calling him.
I was a freshman in college at the University of Florida for this season. Most of us who lived in the dorms didn't have a TV in our rooms, but there was one in the basement of our dorm, and that was the happening place to be at 11:30 on a Saturday night!
I live near South Bend Indiana the local NBC affiliate WNDU Channel 16 was at the time owned by Notre Dame. The show was considered so controversial WNDU refused to broadcast it. The first few seasons we were forced to watch a snowy fuzzy image broadcasted from WMAQ Channel 5 in Chicago.
Great tidbit!
Montgomery Alabama's WSFA 12 did not carry the show at first, had to watch on Columbus Georgia I think WYEA 38.
The same for Fresno, California, NBC affiliate, KMJ; which didn't televise it until the Fall of '76.
The Salt Lake City NBC affiliate, KSL, was still not televising SNL as late as 2010.
I was a college sophomore and I remember the bars (18-year-olds could drink beer in my state then) would empty out after 11pm so everyone could watch SNL. It was a sensation!
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I loved the show. I rarely watch it any more but still occasionally watch the skits on RUclips.
Fantastic! I’m so happy to have discovered your channel. I grew up with Saturday Night Live, and your retelling of it’s history is a most welcome blast from the past.
Like many in those early years, I planned my Saturday night around SNL.
Saturdays were GREAT for TV : the Jeffersons, Mary Tyler Moore , Bob Newhart , Carol Burnett show, and then SNL .
The best SNL cast ever.
Not really . The Phil Hartman / Chris Farley era was probably the best.
@@LannieLord
No Kristen Wiig, not the best ever.
No Leslie Jones, not the best ever.
No Kate McKinnon, not the best ever.
@@maryrosekent8223 They stand on the shoulders of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players. Without the NRPTP, there would BE no SNL. They were undoubtedly the BEST ensemble cast...EVER.
@@slactweak
I dogsat for a man named Bill Murray. When we introduced ourselves to each other his reply was “Bill Murray…not that Bill Murray” without me even asking. I cried when Gilda died.
The 1st doesn't necessarily mean the best
I was in Palo Alto in Oct 1975. I saw all the early shows. It was very unusual avant garde stuff. My girl friend was getting a linguistics degree at Berkeley, the "We have no badgers, will you accept a wolverine instead" episode was very popular in the linguistics community. ..... Mr Bill..... Bassomatic.
3:53-Knowing that ABC's "Saturday Night Live" named their cast "The Prime Time Players", he took things a step further (in the best way possible).
It's been awhile since I belly laughed so hard that it hurt. Thanks for the memory!
Great video!! Thanks so much. Looking forward to the next episode!🎉
SNL was so popular, we'd cut our Saturday night antics short to be home by 11:35pm.
I was a junior in high school when "SNL" premiered on 10/11/75-I was immediately hooked.
Al Franken and Tom Davis were from Minneapolis, working their chops at Dudley Riggs Brave New Workshop before LA.
Really fascinating. I've been a fan seemingly forever, yet to this day, I've seen pitifully few episodes from Season 1! (And, crazy enough, most of the episodes I have on VHS are from seasons 7-9.)
Weekend Update "brought to you by P...y Whip" never forget that one. I was watching it with my mother ffs 🤣
I'm old enough to have watched the show back then. I was only 10 years old, but I watched it. :
That's nice. What other shows did you watch?🥱
I'm only 10 years old now and it's funny.
Ha! I have you beat. In 1975 I was only eight years old! Looking back, I can't believe I got away with staying up so late and watching SNL (though another time - I believe I was still under ten years old, I'm not sure - my brother and I stayed up VERY VERY late to watch Yellow Submarine, which I believe started at 2AM). SMH
I was ten also but didn't watch SNL until two years later because we usually watched Creature Features a popular horror movie show in SF.
Same. I used to watch it with my older brother who was in college.
Saturday Night owes a lot to Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
And Monty Python.
Both of you are correct.
@@itsenergybob8917 Cook and Moore before Python
And the show Lorne was previously involved in "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In"
One of the writers on the Smothers Brothers was Steve Martin - who became a repeat host of SNL (notably with the Not Ready for Prime Time Players). Lorne Michaels was a Smothers writer. There are probably other connections - perhaps the Einsteins (Bob "Super Dave Osborne" and Albert - Albert Brooks). Dick and Tom Smothers hosted SNL twice in the early 80s.
Awesome. I just subscribed. My late grandmother let me stay up late when I was a kid to watch it with her. She loved Gilda Radner.
Who didn't? Such a talent!
We watched the 1st episode of SNL... on magic mushrooms. After the introduction of the guest stars & the monolog they break to a staged "commercial". I can't remember the skit, but we were just flabbergasted, rolling on the floor, laughing our asses off, stoned out of our minds. "What the fk are we watching?" & "U can't show that sh!t on TV!" were some of the comments made between our tears of laughter! 😅🤣😂🍄
Right? I was in high school and did the exact same thing. That, and Monty Python.
@@Jukkala You had to be stoned to catch all of the Monty Python gags. "Bicycle Repairman" comes to mind... 🤣🤣🤣
According to Albert Brooks' doc SNL first intended to have a permanent host. Albert was offered the job, but declined and suggested they instead have a different one every week. Thanks to Mr. Brooks for the great idea at the expense of a dependable paycheck, at least for the season.
We had just moved to New York City, actually Queens as American Airlines flight attendants when the program premiered we were in a second floor apartment and laughing so hard seriously the woman below us was knocking her broom on her ceiling to make a stop, but we couldn’t so so funny and such great memories
So much great material, so much fun. My junior and senior years were stuck in front of the TV Saturdays because of this great cast.
Great work. There's an article from around 1979 or 1980 with Valri that mentions she was asked to be a part of the original SNL cast but declined.
So fascinating! Definitely keep putting these extra facts in the comments Ken, people will love reading them
Quality follows quality. Such a great overview. 💎
Good job, guys! This is great!
I was working in the restaurant biz when the show premiered. Saturday night shifts were where the money was and I wasn't watching much TV at age 23 anyway so didn't see the early shows. My friends who worked M-F caught on to the show and so did some of my coworkers. What I heard was impressive and unanimous. The show had a good rep with me because my friends were quickly fans. I was able to catch some of the first season which will remain with me for the newness, quirky and off the wall humor. It wasn't lost on me that the show looked beyond star power for its musical guests, which I appreciated.
I just started my senior year of high school when it premiered. It was so influential among my friends . We repeated the most will known lines all the time
Same age as me
I love the Paul Simon episode. and the sketch with him squaring off against Connie Hawkins is iconic.
"I'm gonna stick to my strengths: singing and songwriting"
I have a DVD box of the first season of SNL, and I have watched most of the episodes. Even though I sometimes watched the show as a kid, probably starting in season two, it is striking how old the first season feels. Just such a different world. There is interesting material there, for sure. I think the Dezi Arnez episode is my favorite. Belushi was obviously brilliant, and the whole cast was pretty strong. Still, my personal reaction to the season as a whole is more sorrow than laughter.
I've watched many of the first season episodes on tape. I thought it started out slow and awkward in the beginning and didn't start catching its stride until maybe 4 or 5 episodes in. What do you think?
The joke "I Love Loose Change" was like the fumiest thing I ever heard in my life - back then !
🍀I remember that first episode👀Best times of my life😎1975 to late 80s what a great time✌️
This was awesome! Can’t wait for more!
I loved this! Cannot wait for the rest.
My dad's best mate found in a thrift shop like a decade ago a vhs of the first 2 episodes & gave it to me but sadly I don't have a vcr anymore to play it.
So cool!
this was great! I'm looking forward to the future seasons!
Saw it when I was in tech school in the Air Force. Saturday Night was SNL and Domino's Pizza deliivered on base
Good times!
Keelser ?
Lowry?
I watched this grow live and loved it so much I left the bar for the last half hour of the show at 12:30am!
Season 3 was the first I was old enough to stay up for. The first full episode I watched was the one where Chevy as host got into an offstage fight with Bill Murray.
Brings back great memories for all the AK’s like me!
(Old farts in Yiddish)
Thanks a bunch guys.
Look forward to the next!!
Best of luck
Peter S.😊
Alte kakas
This is fantastic! Great job!
Gerald Ford's man Ron Nessen clearly got a call from the President after the first mockery of Ford as a clumsy fool...who of course pardoned a criminal named Nixon, a huge shock...I had thought I was a cynic a decade earlier... Nessen smiled in his first appearance....then deadened all response for the rest of the show. Good job, youse guys. I saw almost every first season show....impressed.
Lightning in a bottle. We may never see its like again.
Good job guys, thanks!
A peculiar aspect about SNL with its brand of comedy is how some of the NBC-TV affiliates would not televise the show when it first came out in 1975; and there was still an NBC affiliate would not televise it in the year 2000.
I was living in the San Joaquin Valley region of California in 1975 ~ '76, where the Fresno (California) NBC affiliate, KMJ, did not televise it until the Fall of '76.
Leaping to the year 2000, while frequently visiting the region near Salt Lake City, that NBC affiliate, KSL, would not televise SNL. Instead, a Fox-TV affiliate televised the show for the region in its regular time.
This is great. What a trip down memory lane. I was there at the first season starting after a couple of episodes. I watched most of the first few seasons on a portable black and white TV so as not to bother my parents who'd tell me to go to sleep.
No mention of the iconic announcer Don Pardo?
Yeah that's messed up
Yeah that's messed up
Yea that's messed up
Good call, he's such a key player
Yeah that's messed up
Thank you very much Philadelphia USA 🇺🇸 Nostrovia ❤❤❤
I remember when it was brand new❤🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
12:52 - COMMERCIALS! WHAT ABOUT THE COMMERCIALS?!? Especially the digital watch that needed a friend's hand to activate, and the razor blade with three blades ("Because You'll Believe Anything")! And, in case you couldn't tell, my friends and I watched every SNL in the first season together.
excellent! Looking forward to the next one.
"not ready for prime time" was first coined by Lenny Bruce and then comedy partner Buddy Hackett in 1957.
I don't think Lenny Bruce ever had an original thought. He mostly pinched Joe Ancis's routines.
Thanks. I'm from the UK and we didn't get SNL. Only some SNL greatest highlights in the 2000s late at night.
It's great to see some of the history and where some of my favourite movie stars and comedians came from
Infinitely watchable series
Samurai skits were legendary.
Great episode Guys!
The NBC affiliate in Chattanooga didn't carry season 1, but I was able to pick up the Knoxville station because of topography. My Mom loved it because it reminded her of 50s live shows.
Loved this retrospective 👍🏻
This was fun! Thanks guys! Can’t wait til you get the Murphy years and Dana Carvey years.
I was so fortunate to see the first season when it debut, This brings back soooo many good memories, I was only 16 at the time.
John Belushi as Joe Cocker is one of the funniest things EVER!
This is awesome!!!!
The first time I saw an episode I was 17. I was blown away when watching what I thought was the beginning of a commercial.
So funny back then.
I am waiting to see if the episode with Bernadette Peters when I think Al Franken did a "Hidden Camera" skit(at least I think that is what it was called) In our family and circle of friends we STILL say "Give me the Crown Debbie"....referring to the "Hidden Camera" team playing a" joke" on a girl whose parents want to give her up for adoption. The white hot fork "joke" too. They are VERY dark but all friends and family present for that episode were crying from laughing so hard.
For the first few years of SNL, the show shared the 11:30 pm slot with an NBC news program hosted by Lloyd Dobbins. That show aired once a month on the first Saturday. SNL got the other 3/4 weeks.