Something that may be a bit irrelevant but I thought it would be interesting to add is that Jim Carrey audition three times for SNL and the first season he audition was for season 6 but Jean Doumanian chose Charles Rocket instead. I also want to add is that Jim Carrey was 18 when he first audition so if he were added in the cast, he would’ve been one of the youngest cast members of SNL history.
Don't forget Paul Ruebens and Jim Varney. BOTH nearly made the cut for the 1980-81 season. Al Franken if chosen to replace Michaels could have had Pee Wee Herman and Ernest P Worrell on Saturday Night Live.
I was actually there.. at the shows - almost all of them for seven years and while you remind me of so many things, I'm also saying: I didn't know that at a lot of what you're revealing. Thank You!
An obscure bit of trivia about this season: it was the only one in the history of the show that had an actual melodic theme song. It was always Howard Shore's concept that there would certainly be an arrangement, but the saxophone would improvise over it (keeping, he believed, with the "improvisational" mood of the show). And every saxophonist, from Lou Marini to Lenny Pickett, to even Michael Brecker, has followed that ever since. But there's a tune to the Season 6 one (still played by a sax). (Also - even though there have been a couple of commercial recordings over the years of the opening titles arrangement, to my knowledge there's never been a real recording of the closing theme, Howard Shore's "A Waltz In A.")
The one I remember is Ellen Burstyn introducing Aretha Franklin by saying "Wait'll you hear THIS," and the Queen of Soul TEARING into "Can't Turn You Loose" - with David Sanborn damn near upstaging her in the background.
I'm really liking this series, to see how it broke down behind the scenes - all the drama involved. I only started watching in the 90's, and even then, I didn't fully understand the mechanics and what happened. I wish I could go back to the 70's and start from the beginning...must have been an amazing time...sorta.
I've heard Gilbert tell the story several times, when watching audition tapes for SNL Woody Allen is in the room. He's not making a single sound, until Gilbert's audition comes on and Woody says, "Is he a Navajo Indian?!" Penn Jillette has asked Gilbert, "Was Woody making a joke because you're so obviously Jewish or was he actually wondering?" Gilbert didn't know.
I believe Prince’s first National network appearance was American Bandstand in early 1980. Great topic and well done. I actually remember watching probably the last show of the 79-80 season when the I tried the new cast. I was like what’s up with that? Anyway I went back and watched some 79-80 episodes and they were not an easy watch. Looking ahead. The show was at its best from 86-93. Miller, CarveyJan Hooks, Hartman, Lovitz then they started building the bench with Farley,Spade, Sandler etc.
phil hartman invented "the glue"; he was instrumental in forging the cast of new hires into an actual troupe for the first time since the original cast was on
I wish I didn't find this channel until, like, several months from now. I love it, but I want more NOW!! (Please understand I mean this is a compliment! Please, please, please keep making these, they're great!!! I'm just impatient.)
Your recap made this season seem better than I remember it at the time. It was actually painful to watch in real time except Eddie and Sinatra . BUT when you think of it season six had hip hop and Prince so it did lay the seeds of the 80's.
@@humanbeing2420 I disagree. It does have a few of the worst episodes of all time in Malcolm McDowell and Sally Kellerman, but it's not nearly as unbearable to watch as Season 11.
Thank you so much for making these videos--SNL has such a fascinating history. I've been watching it since the early days when my older brother turned me onto it. I remember seeing the Charles Rocket F-bomb incident live and it was kind of shocking, but even though I was only 15 or so I remember thinking that he got himself in trouble for swearing but it wasn't even done in a funny way. Sadly he committed suicide a few years ago.
'i'm gumby dam it' brought me back to snl for a few years the last time i really watched snl was when will ferrel was dubya and Mr Trebek and more cowbell...last time i actually sat and watched a show was the 40th anniversary special...catch snippets on YT when in the mood
Are you sure Prince didn't say Funk instead of F@#k. He did that in a few of his songs. Most notably Erotic City. Party Up is from the Dirty Mind album, but there's no cursing in it
@billslocum9819 I know the song. When they played Partyup on the radio, it's clearly saying Funking. It technically wasn't a single but it was in rotation and they had an edit version. The censors even said that Prince didn't curse when he performed it on SNL
Y'all put a positive spin on the most-dunked-upon season. I liked seeing a classier take on it. I'm curious if the next episode deals with the story behind the "talent entrance" thing and dropping LFNY for a little bit. Odd times.
I've tried watching old SNL on Peacock but a whole lot of not only live music performances are missing but so are some sketches, some episodes are listed at a runtime of barely 35 minutes; I get the music thing with clearances but why missing sketches?
Gilbert tells the story often of how that line at 2:41, that Harry Shearer from that point on did not like him and would not talk to him. Despite the fact he did not write the line.
would you mind re-ordering your playlist for this series? Currently its in descending order of episodes rather than ascending. Thanks so much, love the info!
Barry Blaustein & David Sheffield were the primary writers for Eddie Murphy on SNL. They were also the screenwriters for Coming To America, Boomerang and The Nutty Professor. 3 of his best movies
Either Blaustein and Sheffeld said that their relationship with Eddie has lasted longer than any other relationship in their lives (Including with Friends and Wives)
There are a few SNL hills I will die on, and one of them is that Gail Mattheus should not have been fired. She brought the Valley Girl parody and was stunningly beautiful - and did that great Cloven Hind Calvin Klein ripoff.
A lot of people don't know that in the who shot cr episode prince also used the f word.....he turned his back and said it very fast so it was overlooked.
2:41 Gilbert Gottfried said on his podcast that after he said this line on the show, Harry Shearer hated him, despite Gilbert not being the one who wrote the line. He also said that they way he found out he'd been fired is when he read a fan letter saying, "I'm sorry you got fired from SNL". I knew his famous voice wasn't his natural speaking voice, but I didn't know he wasn't using that voice yet on SNL.
Gilbert famously said that being in this cast was like If in the middle of Beatle-mania, they said ‘Oh, we're getting four other guys to be The Beatles'
In the NBC SNL in the 80's special he sums it up.. "Let's face it, people! We sucked!" I don't agree with that, but I do think it took a bit for them to find their groove and and NBC didn't have the patience to wait for the new cast to find their best voices and characters. Too may sketches and bits get some decent chuckles but not roars of laughter.
@@Tornado1994 Agreed. It's not as though the cast members weren't funny on their own, they didn't gel together in these casts and the writing wasn't as strong as it should have been. I will say '84 with 'ringers' cast was great, ''85 cast(the new Lorn picks after he returned) not much (not for the people themselves but for how they didn't gel together), but '86 onward with Carvey, Hartman Hooks, Nealon, Lovitz, Dunn, and the crew were some of the most legendary years of the show's entire run.
I was in the ground floor audience for the first episode of Season 6. Elliot Gould was the host and Eddie Murphy was not officially part of the cast BUT he was introduced to us before the show started and they said he would be on the show the following week. Of course, we had no idea who he was, nor did we have any idea he would become the star of the show just weeks later, haha. I got the impression that he had just been hired that day. He was very excited but didn't say much if anything that I can remember, but as the years went on I was amazed that I was there the moment he was introduced to the SNL audience for the very first time.
Murphy, Piscopo, Kazurinaki, and Gross killed it for SNL. I thought they were terrific if given the right roles. Tony Rosato was part of the next year’s cast, but I can only recall him in “straight man” skits, reading broadcasts, etc. I haven’t paid any attention to SNL since the mid-80’s, none. If not for YT and such like, wouldn’t know about Walken’s producing BOC, etc.
Another thing to add is Catherine O'Hara was originally going to be a cast member but after having an argument with O'Donoghue she quit and suggested Robin Duke to replace her. In addition, Jim Carrey, John Goodman, and Paul Reubens auditioned for this season.
This is an unusually kind assessment of what is almost universally regarded as a catastrophic season in SNL annals. If nothing else, it might have been worth mentioning that the Malcolm McDowell episode is widely regarded as one of the worst in the series' history, low-lighted by a laughless sketch ("Commie Hunting Season") that was absolutely ghastly and patently offensive to several ethnic groups. I witnessed this season in real time. It was a dumpster fire, save for those moments when Eddie Murphy was on the screen.
I think Denny Dillon and Gilbert Gottfried deserved better from SNL. Much better. For as much criticism as this season gets, I feel they were strong players.
Most of the basic details are correct, but: One reason Bryan-Doyle Murray was still here was that Jean was close friends with Mary Pat Kelly (who was on the staff), Bill Murray's then girlfriend Jean is by all reports a charming woman, but she was put in a job that made no sense and brought out the worst in her. You say "by this point in the season you see some real progress." Then you show Leather Weather from Episode 2 "The writers are taking more creative chances and the cast is really jelling with each other" This ... doesn't match reality. Up until Jean is canned there's huge turnover in writers. Jean did not connect with what the writers were delivering to her and they admit to trying to writing jokes to prove, in essence, that Jean won't get it. The messy situation also led to the writers were being forced out or quitting. If you see "more creative chances", it has little to do with what was actually happening. The cast gelling also doesn't make much sense. I have never spoken with Dillon or Mathius, who seemed to be the people in the middle. I've honestly been curious how it was for them. I know there were also cast close with Jean, like Rocket, and those who were not, like Murphy and Piscipo. Rocket in particular was coming apart at the seams visibly before the end. Before I got sick I might have tried to interview then for my show. Sigh. Rocket's slip up was not the end. Both Ebersol and another producer had been playing a game behind the scenes for months. Jean was dead either way and it was happening soon. The only question was the exact timing. It might have moved Ebersol's takeover up a week or so.
Charles Rocket always reminded me of the TV equivalent of a 1st round bust (in sports) he had the look...he seemingly had it all going for him and was going to end up being a star once he left SNL...but it never happened.
Incredible that somebody @ youtube managed to talk about the much maligned 1980-81 season without jumping on it as most telejounalists have. When Danitra Vance (from the 1985-86 Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, Joan Cusack, and Randy Quaid season) died i had read many newspapers and magazines refer to her as the first female African-American cast member(!) Thanks for clearing that up.
No one (that I'm aware of anyway) knows whatever happened to Yvonne Hudson, either. And she was just a featured player, while Danitra (whom I think should've stayed on) was a full member. Perhaps that's what they're referring to.
To be honest, you are more on the ball than I. Vance was a major talent who should not only have stayed on, she may also have enjoyed an acting career too if she had landed some work on movies and other TV. Whereas the comedienne from season six never significantly contributed to SNL (not even @ the time). Just being a completist.
It seems that Season 6 was the Atoll K/Abbott & Costello Go To Mars/Love Happy/Whats good for the goose/Carry on England of SNL Seasons (comedy fans will know what im talking about) 🍌
@@ObjectorSnark I looked up: Prince appeared on American Bandstand 1/26/80, and was on the Midnight Special before that, January 11, 1980. Prince appeared on SNL in February of 1981, a full year after both of those earlier appearances, which were network TV appearances, so this video has that info wrong.
It's notable that during this season, "Fridays" on ABC (pretty much a clone of SNL) started experiencing ratings growth, which may have also hastened the shake-up.
I heard that after Friday's got cancelled or ended, the cast was asked to join SNL and turned it down. In 1984-1985, Rich Hall became a cast member on SNL and Larry David became a writer on SNL.
Fridays was funnier than SNL during that time but resorted to outrageous sketches for shock value. When the 7th season of SNL occurred Fridays ratings declined and was canceled by February of 1982.
Fridays had a TON of great music performances.....ac/dc first american performance with brian jhonson....the clash also had first american performance...i think.....but if you like music check out who they had on great stuff.....I watched it regularly while it lasted.....they actually started getting decent amount of viewers while snl languished... but snl stormed back and fridays faded away....larry david and micheal richards were on fridays.
I remember watching Charles Rocket on Weekend Update and there was not one laugh. It was embarrassing. The F bomb was probably the most interesting thing he ever did on the show.
The whole season was like that. It's difficult to produce 90 minutes of decent material each week under the best of circumstances; with a talentless cast, terrible writers and an inept producer, it's not even close to possible.
I was 11 with no idea about having an opinion in sight. My brother's naughty babysitting habit on Saturdays let me stay up to watch Seasons 4 & 5. I was so confused at the concept that something so fun could struggle. But Pauly Herman and Mr. Robinson made total sense. We had been watching SCTV also so it blew our mind when Tony & Robin crossed over. Doug and Wendy comin" soon!!! OH, and hopefully, you'll note the "putting up curtains in a blackout" sketch 😅
“the executives at nbc had finally had enough” comes literally out of nowhere and you never say why jean was even fired. These history videos have huge chunks of history just missing lol
There was another contender for the "black" cast member named Charlie Barnett who was a standup that did street shows. He was also up and coming and was Dave Chappelle's mentor. He lost out on the spot because he wasnt familiar with stage direction. Eventually he appeared on Miami Vice and DC Cab.
@@eddierascalhaskell4954 Jean was Quoted as saying "Robert Townsend would be our Token Negro Cast member". Regarding Eddie Murphy she said "He's a 19 year old Harlem kid. He's too inexperienced and unqualified to be on our Show". Fun Fact, Jim Carrey,Paul Ruebens AND Jim Varney ALL Auditioned for the 1980-81 Season. Varney had briefly moved to NYC in 1979 and lived there for over a year attempting to find work on Off Broadway. Domanian rejected Carrey by saying "We don't need another Canuck, let alone a Hyperactive one". Jim Carrey reportedly rode the bus home to Toronto crying and distraught the whole time. With Ruebens, Jean said "He just doesn't have anything creative to offer". Ruebens(A Paskill,NY Native) would pack his bags and move to L.A. in late 1980 where he would create his iconic Pee Wee Herman character. And finally going back to James Albert Varney, who Jean called "This Eccentric R*dneck from Kentucky" she told him that he didn't fit in the mold of SNL and since he was from Kentucky, would be rejected by OB and Broadway for being from the "Backwoods Appalachia". Her Scathing Rejection of him led to Varney moving to East TN and going on to create the Ernest P.Worrell chacter Domanian was basically the Female Johnny Carson. When it was revealed that 19 Year old Harlem kid Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo were the Ones Carrying the show and after its Disastrous Ratings for Q4 1980, NBC Stepped in and FIRED her And Charles Rocket's on Air uncensored F bomb was enough for Network Executives to step in and put a stop to everything.. Fred Silverman had passed on giving the Producer Role to Al Franken because Franken took a cheap shot at him in a March 22,1980 Broadcast of SNL. The ironic thing is that Silverman himself stepped down as NBC Network CEO and President in May of 1981 and was replaced by the YOUTHFUL 32 year old Brandon Tartikoff who suggested Dick Erbosol step in as SNL's Saving Grace Producer.
At around the 2:45 mark there's a clip of Gilbert Gottfried where he refers to himself as a cross between John Belushi and "that guy from last year who did the Rod Serling impression and nobody can remember his name". This is a reference to Harry Shearer. On his podcast Gilbert had said Harry Shearer never liked him because of this sketch.
I think Denny and Gail should've been brought back. They were good. However, I do agree with Rocket, Gilbert, and Ann Risley being let go. Gilbert and Risley contributed next to nothing, and Rocket...well, you kinda HAD to fire him.
It's a damn shame about Charles Rocket. It wasn't his fault! He would've fit in a lot better if the pressure wasn't so high on him. I think he did a good job - but the writing on update was awful. None of the Non Lorne years really ever did well with the news segment. Something everyone forgets is the Rocket Report, which I think was something pretty neat and fresh, kind of like a proto-Spade in America. I just think it's kind of eerie that one of the first ones was done outside of John Lennon's apartment building where he interviews the trash people about John's upcoming new album, Double Fantasy. While a funny idea at the time and on its own, it's quite eerie that it was just days or maybe a week or two before Lennon was shot at the same place.
Thirteen years ago I brought my daughter to a local kid's park in late Feb, it was cold and deserted except for one other guy who was there with his kid. We got to talking, he worked in entertainment, and I asked him if he had ever read _Live From New York_ the history of SNL. He smiled at that. "I'm in that book. Neil Levy, nice to meet you," and stuck out his hand. I was floored, he brought up his cousin, Lorne Michaels and we gabbed about the show for thirty min. Super nice guy!
I grew up watching SNL, the first episode airing one night when I couldn't sleep and my parents had company over. They left me in the family room to watch this show alone while they played penny poker in the next room. I've been hooked ever since. It's fun reliving these moments that, quite honestly, I don't remember (I watched the show, I didn't care about the background noise). I do however remember the Who Shot C.R. episode and Charlie's F-bomb. In the days before DVR, a lot of us were left going "Wait, he said WHAT?" What a delight for a then-12 year old to hear that word uttered outside of the Middle-School playground.
@@BillLaBrie it was paul shaffer during a sketch i think it was about slaves rowing in a ship's galley and everyone's saying "flog this" and "that flogging thing" and paul said the actual word they were playing against
Thank you for this...Season 6 deserves some attention for sure...and it had it's share of interesting moments...especially that weird, last episode of the season. Following this, Season 7 to me, is vastly underrated with the George Kennedy episode kitting a grand slam!
Why is Joe Piscopo described as a "talented utility player"? That sounds too much like a backhanded compliment. It seems to me he was out in front during this era, a "starting player" if you will.
I watched the first few seasons but had zoned out on the show by this time, being busy with college and other interests, so I didn't know much about this era other than Eddie and Joe. I have to say, some of this stuff looked pretty clever, with some ideas that were way funnier than what we see now.
I think there was only about five cast members in Season 6 Episode 1. Eddie Murphy appeared later on. In the end of the later episodes, they had maybe about three or four feature players but I feel like the feature players hasn't been giving a chance because they appeared near the end of the later episodes. I don't know if it's true or not but I heard that, Jean Doumanian passed on Jim Carrey.
Hot take: that Bill Murray episode is a top 50 episode of all time. Nearly every segment is a banger and there are surprisingly good vibes all around (due largely to Bill). It sucks that it was too late at that point, but at least most of them left on a high note.
@@NFStamper look up Saturday Night Live on the Internet Archive. Peacock only has severely gutted episodes from Seasons 6 until a few years ago. It sucks but I understand the rights issues. They're all uncut and on there.
@@NFStamper I would honestly recommend watching the entire season so you can see how rough the seas are - there's charm in almost every player in some way, but most were never allowed to shine. Especially Ann Risley.
I didn't think this season was that bad. It had its ups and downs but so did the original show, I think people just forgot about that in all the love for the first cast. I don't remember who did it but there was something very much like a valley girl sketch that happened and it proceeded the valley girl craze by a year or so. I also thought Charles rocket had much more talent than he was ever able to show, and I'm sorry I never really saw that much of him after this
I believe that was Gail and yeah this season wasn’t that bad (though I’ve always found this to be just dull that outright terrible) and every era of SNL is up and down, that’s the beauty of it!
It's not that it was that bad as a whole, it's just that a few episodes (Robert Hays, Sally Kellerman and Malcolm McDowell) are rightfully in the bottom 25 or even bottom 10, or really, the worst episode in the fifty year history in McDowell's case. It's too bad they didn't have him back on in calmer seas, as he famously talked Gary Oldman out of hosting in the 90s because of how bad his experience was - not knowing that the show changes hands. I do remember him saying that he felt bad about that.
We only watched because we kept hoping desperately that it would get better. Sadly, it's been one replacement cast after another ever since. Nobody would watch this show if it weren't for the original cast. Name a sequel that was better than the original, if you disagree.
@@kurtpena5462 if that's why you're watching I can't imagine how unbelievably sad your life must be. As for better cast, in an ensemble show like this you're always going to have standouts. If you really go back and watch the original show you'll see that a lot of it wasn't really that funny, it was always about the standout bits
One of the "What If?" scenarios in the show's history is what Season 6 would have been like if Al Franken, not Jean Doumanian, had taken over. It was set to happen, until Franken brutally mocked Fred Silverman (not undeservedly) in the "Limo For a Lame-O" bit on Update.
jean doumanian is one of the worst people in show business. woody allen gave her a chance as one of his producers for his films but found out that she was stealing money from him and he sued and sued her bad.
Considering how infrequently Al Franken was ever funny himself, I suspect that had he been the showrunner, the 1980-81 season still would have been one of SNL's very worst.
@@guykipp2905 Agreed. Look, when I look at this I think Charles Rockett was kind of made to be the breakout star but he wasn't capable of doing so. Probably the worst news anchor the show's ever had- which is saying something as he was a news anchor. When he cursed on the air he didn't just sabotage his own career but the careers of some other players who might have been able to succeed in later seasons. Gottfried obviously was able to overcome the firing- but he had to reinvent himself and really pigeonhole himself with the voice and all.
@@PittsburghMarky part of weekend update's charm was that the anchors were obviously *not* anchor material and having to "clean up and play a serious journalist." as much as i hate to admit it, dennis miller "aka captain hairdo" is still the best update anchor, norm in second and probably the team of tina, amy, and jimmy third.
Season 6 was a failure. I remember this show, and afterwards, it was pulled off, and they show reruns of the first 5 seasons. Including reruns of SCTV.
We also had a great conversation with Denny Dillon & Gail Matthius about Season 6:
ruclips.net/video/t72On-rn5rQ/видео.html
Man talk about Garrett Morris he was funny as hell
Something that may be a bit irrelevant but I thought it would be interesting to add is that Jim Carrey audition three times for SNL and the first season he audition was for season 6 but Jean Doumanian chose Charles Rocket instead. I also want to add is that Jim Carrey was 18 when he first audition so if he were added in the cast, he would’ve been one of the youngest cast members of SNL history.
Don't forget Paul Ruebens and Jim Varney. BOTH nearly made the cut for the 1980-81 season. Al Franken if chosen to replace Michaels could have had Pee Wee Herman and Ernest P Worrell on Saturday Night Live.
Coinkydinky: Rocket was the villain in Dumb and Dumber which starred Carrey
I want to say that Eddie Murphy saved the show from cancellation.
I was actually there.. at the shows - almost all of them for seven years and while you remind me of so many things, I'm also saying: I didn't know that at a lot of what you're revealing. Thank You!
An obscure bit of trivia about this season: it was the only one in the history of the show that had an actual melodic theme song. It was always Howard Shore's concept that there would certainly be an arrangement, but the saxophone would improvise over it (keeping, he believed, with the "improvisational" mood of the show). And every saxophonist, from Lou Marini to Lenny Pickett, to even Michael Brecker, has followed that ever since. But there's a tune to the Season 6 one (still played by a sax). (Also - even though there have been a couple of commercial recordings over the years of the opening titles arrangement, to my knowledge there's never been a real recording of the closing theme, Howard Shore's "A Waltz In A.")
Season 6 had a lot of good musical guests.
8:34 - Also, Debbie Harry in a purple satin kimono 👘🙌
The one I remember is Ellen Burstyn introducing Aretha Franklin by saying "Wait'll you hear THIS," and the Queen of Soul TEARING into "Can't Turn You Loose" - with David Sanborn damn near upstaging her in the background.
@@Memo2Self It had more horns than usual that edition, but the show's house band backed Aretha up.
Charles Rocket committed suicide in a most horrific way. Last movie was a Dances with Wolves. Rest in Peace.
Also appeared in Dumb and Dumber the infamous It’s Pat and many low budget obscurities many for director Albert Pyun
yeah, he "slit his own throat" totally a suicide lmao
I've been waiting for this one.
Incredible job on these! I’m really really enjoying them.
Thank you and keep up the great work.
I'm really liking this series, to see how it broke down behind the scenes - all the drama involved. I only started watching in the 90's, and even then, I didn't fully understand the mechanics and what happened. I wish I could go back to the 70's and start from the beginning...must have been an amazing time...sorta.
Loving these breakdowns
Truly wonderful. I can't wait for the next episode.
I absolutely love this series! I wish the episodes were longer.
Really enjoying these recaps! Thanks guys!
Glad you like them!
Looking forward to many more episodes. 🙏
I've heard Gilbert tell the story several times, when watching audition tapes for SNL Woody Allen is in the room. He's not making a single sound, until Gilbert's audition comes on and Woody says, "Is he a Navajo Indian?!" Penn Jillette has asked Gilbert, "Was Woody making a joke because you're so obviously Jewish or was he actually wondering?" Gilbert didn't know.
It's insane that the history of this show is so deep. Two other featured cast members started with Eddie Murphy that are completely forgotten by time
I believe Prince’s first National network appearance was American Bandstand in early 1980. Great topic and well done. I actually remember watching probably the last show of the 79-80 season when the I tried the new cast. I was like what’s up with that? Anyway I went back and watched some 79-80 episodes and they were not an easy watch. Looking ahead. The show was at its best from 86-93. Miller, CarveyJan Hooks, Hartman, Lovitz then they started building the bench with Farley,Spade, Sandler etc.
phil hartman invented "the glue"; he was instrumental in forging the cast of new hires into an actual troupe for the first time since the original cast was on
I wish I didn't find this channel until, like, several months from now. I love it, but I want more NOW!! (Please understand I mean this is a compliment! Please, please, please keep making these, they're great!!! I'm just impatient.)
Mason Williams was a writer on The Smothers Brothers Show (and he also he hit a big instrrumental hit in the summer of 1968).
This is the 1st season i remember as a child. Good times. ♥️
You both are rocking this series. So much I have forgotten.
Your recap made this season seem better than I remember it at the time. It was actually painful to watch in real time except Eddie and Sinatra . BUT when you think of it season six had hip hop and Prince so it did lay the seeds of the 80's.
It was every bit as bad as you remember it. It's as unwatchable today as it was then.
@@humanbeing2420 I disagree. It does have a few of the worst episodes of all time in Malcolm McDowell and Sally Kellerman, but it's not nearly as unbearable to watch as Season 11.
Thank you so much for making these videos--SNL has such a fascinating history. I've been watching it since the early days when my older brother turned me onto it. I remember seeing the Charles Rocket F-bomb incident live and it was kind of shocking, but even though I was only 15 or so I remember thinking that he got himself in trouble for swearing but it wasn't even done in a funny way. Sadly he committed suicide a few years ago.
Princes network television debut was on the Midnight Special not SNL
'i'm gumby dam it' brought me back to snl for a few years the last time i really watched snl was when will ferrel was dubya and Mr Trebek and more cowbell...last time i actually sat and watched a show was the 40th anniversary special...catch snippets on YT when in the mood
It should be pointed out that on the same broadcast rocket cursed, Prince, who was an unbilled, special guest, also used the F word in the song
The previous year, so did Paul Shaffer. As he put it, nobody seemed to care because "the show was good then".
Are you sure Prince didn't say Funk instead of F@#k. He did that in a few of his songs. Most notably Erotic City. Party Up is from the Dirty Mind album, but there's no cursing in it
@@mongoslade277 The lyric he sang was "Fighting war is such a f@#king bore." From "Partyup," a cut off of his 1980 album "Dirty Mind."
@billslocum9819 I know the song. When they played Partyup on the radio, it's clearly saying Funking. It technically wasn't a single but it was in rotation and they had an edit version. The censors even said that Prince didn't curse when he performed it on SNL
@@mongoslade277 He turned his back and said it very fast.
Y'all put a positive spin on the most-dunked-upon season. I liked seeing a classier take on it. I'm curious if the next episode deals with the story behind the "talent entrance" thing and dropping LFNY for a little bit. Odd times.
R.I.P. Charlie Rocket - underrated comedian and actor.
It was interesting to hear Gilbert real voice on RUclips's SNL channel of his sketches.
My first season! I was 14 years old, got maybe half the jokes but enjoyed it!
Welcome back. Thanks. Love these
I've tried watching old SNL on Peacock but a whole lot of not only live music performances are missing but so are some sketches, some episodes are listed at a runtime of barely 35 minutes; I get the music thing with clearances but why missing sketches?
It's horrible. I can't even watch it cut up so bad.
You mean Pee Cock. Worst streaming service in history.
Gilbert tells the story often of how that line at 2:41, that Harry Shearer from that point on did not like him and would not talk to him. Despite the fact he did not write the line.
would you mind re-ordering your playlist for this series? Currently its in descending order of episodes rather than ascending. Thanks so much, love the info!
Hearing Gilbert with his real voice is always weird.
Thanks!
Wow thank you so much!
Barry Blaustein & David Sheffield were the primary writers for Eddie Murphy on SNL. They were also the screenwriters for Coming To America, Boomerang and The Nutty Professor. 3 of his best movies
Either Blaustein and Sheffeld said that their relationship with Eddie has lasted longer than any other relationship in their lives (Including with Friends and Wives)
Brilliantly done!!!! Thank you!!!!!! Subbed.
Awesome as usual!
These videos are great thank you
You must do every season
There are a few SNL hills I will die on, and one of them is that Gail Mattheus should not have been fired. She brought the Valley Girl parody and was stunningly beautiful - and did that great Cloven Hind Calvin Klein ripoff.
A lot of people don't know that in the who shot cr episode prince also used the f word.....he turned his back and said it very fast so it was overlooked.
2:41 Gilbert Gottfried said on his podcast that after he said this line on the show, Harry Shearer hated him, despite Gilbert not being the one who wrote the line. He also said that they way he found out he'd been fired is when he read a fan letter saying, "I'm sorry you got fired from SNL".
I knew his famous voice wasn't his natural speaking voice, but I didn't know he wasn't using that voice yet on SNL.
Gilbert famously said that being in this cast was like If in the middle of Beatle-mania, they said ‘Oh, we're getting four other guys to be The Beatles'
In the NBC SNL in the 80's special he sums it up.. "Let's face it, people! We sucked!" I don't agree with that, but I do think it took a bit for them to find their groove and and NBC didn't have the patience to wait for the new cast to find their best voices and characters. Too may sketches and bits get some decent chuckles but not roars of laughter.
@@drumsNstuff79 SNL didn't regain its footing until '85-87.
@@Tornado1994 Agreed. It's not as though the cast members weren't funny on their own, they didn't gel together in these casts and the writing wasn't as strong as it should have been. I will say '84 with 'ringers' cast was great, ''85 cast(the new Lorn picks after he returned) not much (not for the people themselves but for how they didn't gel together), but '86 onward with Carvey, Hartman Hooks, Nealon, Lovitz, Dunn, and the crew were some of the most legendary years of the show's entire run.
I was in the ground floor audience for the first episode of Season 6. Elliot Gould was the host and Eddie Murphy was not officially part of the cast BUT he was introduced to us before the show started and they said he would be on the show the following week. Of course, we had no idea who he was, nor did we have any idea he would become the star of the show just weeks later, haha. I got the impression that he had just been hired that day. He was very excited but didn't say much if anything that I can remember, but as the years went on I was amazed that I was there the moment he was introduced to the SNL audience for the very first time.
Sure you were 😂🤣😂
@@gnosticmind Haha
Charles Rocket was brought in as the new Chevy Chase, I think he had issues when Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscapo eclipsed him.
Not to mention the who shot CR disaster
@@billblake9665 "Its The First time I've Ever been Shot. I'd like to know Who the Fuck did it".
Murphy, Piscopo, Kazurinaki, and Gross killed it for SNL. I thought they were terrific if given the right roles.
Tony Rosato was part of the next year’s cast, but I can only recall him in “straight man” skits, reading broadcasts, etc.
I haven’t paid any attention to SNL since the mid-80’s, none. If not for YT and such like, wouldn’t know about Walken’s producing BOC, etc.
fun fact: laurie is from my hometown and though i have not met her my mom and grandmother were really good friends with laurie and her family
Each of your segments goes by so quickly!!!!!!!!
I don't even remember these episodes/ seadon 6, and I thought I have seen them all. I am an SNL fan
Another thing to add is Catherine O'Hara was originally going to be a cast member but after having an argument with O'Donoghue she quit and suggested Robin Duke to replace her. In addition, Jim Carrey, John Goodman, and Paul Reubens auditioned for this season.
And Jim Varney.
This is an unusually kind assessment of what is almost universally regarded as a catastrophic season in SNL annals. If nothing else, it might have been worth mentioning that the Malcolm McDowell episode is widely regarded as one of the worst in the series' history, low-lighted by a laughless sketch ("Commie Hunting Season") that was absolutely ghastly and patently offensive to several ethnic groups. I witnessed this season in real time. It was a dumpster fire, save for those moments when Eddie Murphy was on the screen.
Laurie Metcalf? She was great in Uncle Buck, with John Candy.
Not the girl from Gimme A Break with Nell. A different Laurie Metcalf
I think Denny Dillon and Gilbert Gottfried deserved better from SNL. Much better. For as much criticism as this season gets, I feel they were strong players.
Top shelf breakdown.
Most of the basic details are correct, but:
One reason Bryan-Doyle Murray was still here was that Jean was close friends with Mary Pat Kelly (who was on the staff), Bill Murray's then girlfriend
Jean is by all reports a charming woman, but she was put in a job that made no sense and brought out the worst in her.
You say "by this point in the season you see some real progress."
Then you show Leather Weather from Episode 2
"The writers are taking more creative chances and the cast is really jelling with each other"
This ... doesn't match reality. Up until Jean is canned there's huge turnover in writers. Jean did not connect with what the writers were delivering to her and they admit to trying to writing jokes to prove, in essence, that Jean won't get it. The messy situation also led to the writers were being forced out or quitting. If you see "more creative chances", it has little to do with what was actually happening.
The cast gelling also doesn't make much sense. I have never spoken with Dillon or Mathius, who seemed to be the people in the middle. I've honestly been curious how it was for them. I know there were also cast close with Jean, like Rocket, and those who were not, like Murphy and Piscipo. Rocket in particular was coming apart at the seams visibly before the end.
Before I got sick I might have tried to interview then for my show. Sigh.
Rocket's slip up was not the end. Both Ebersol and another producer had been playing a game behind the scenes for months. Jean was dead either way and it was happening soon. The only question was the exact timing. It might have moved Ebersol's takeover up a week or so.
Charles Rocket always reminded me of the TV equivalent of a 1st round bust (in sports) he had the look...he seemingly had it all going for him and was going to end up being a star once he left SNL...but it never happened.
Incredible that somebody @ youtube managed to talk about the much maligned 1980-81 season without jumping on it as most telejounalists have. When Danitra Vance (from the 1985-86 Randy Quaid, Anthony Michael Hall, Joan Cusack, and Randy Quaid season) died i had read many newspapers and magazines refer to her as the first female African-American cast member(!) Thanks for clearing that up.
One Cousin Eddy is too many Cousin Eddies, but TWO?
No one (that I'm aware of anyway) knows whatever happened to Yvonne Hudson, either. And she was just a featured player, while Danitra (whom I think should've stayed on) was a full member. Perhaps that's what they're referring to.
@burr1aj yep, I was going to post the same thing.
To be honest, you are more on the ball than I. Vance was a major talent who should not only have stayed on, she may also have enjoyed an acting career too if she had landed some work on movies and other TV. Whereas the comedienne from season six never significantly contributed to SNL (not even @ the time). Just being a completist.
Is the guy getting hit with the arrow in the audience at 8:07 Jerry Seinfeld?
I loved these years when Lorne didn't care about the music charts.
Damn. So much history. Thank you for this.
Gilbert had dozens of SNL stories in his podcast.
It seems that Season 6 was the Atoll K/Abbott & Costello Go To Mars/Love Happy/Whats good for the goose/Carry on England of SNL Seasons (comedy fans will know what im talking about) 🍌
Didn't Prince appear on "American Bandstand" before SNL?
pretty sure he did 'be my lover' in 1980 on bandstand wearing a leopard-print banana hammock and little else
@@ObjectorSnark Yes, and he still had long hair at that point, too.
@@ObjectorSnark I looked up: Prince appeared on American Bandstand 1/26/80, and was on the Midnight Special before that, January 11, 1980. Prince appeared on SNL in February of 1981, a full year after both of those earlier appearances, which were network TV appearances, so this video has that info wrong.
It's notable that during this season, "Fridays" on ABC (pretty much a clone of SNL) started experiencing ratings growth, which may have also hastened the shake-up.
I heard that after Friday's got cancelled or ended, the cast was asked to join SNL and turned it down. In 1984-1985, Rich Hall became a cast member on SNL and Larry David became a writer on SNL.
It was a great show and it was on when i could watch it
@@alexnejako777 To this day, I remember the ganja cook: "No-no-noooo-NO! Gimme Ganja!"
Fridays was funnier than SNL during that time but resorted to outrageous sketches for shock value. When the 7th season of SNL occurred Fridays ratings declined and was canceled by February of 1982.
Fridays had a TON of great music performances.....ac/dc first american performance with brian jhonson....the clash
also had first american performance...i think.....but if you like music check out who they had on great stuff.....I watched it regularly while it lasted.....they actually started getting decent amount of viewers while snl languished...
but snl stormed back and fridays faded away....larry david and micheal richards were on fridays.
Please do one for season 7.
Come back next week. They’re doing one for every season
I remember watching Charles Rocket on Weekend Update and there was not one laugh. It was embarrassing. The F bomb was probably the most interesting thing he ever did on the show.
The whole season was like that. It's difficult to produce 90 minutes of decent material each week under the best of circumstances; with a talentless cast, terrible writers and an inept producer, it's not even close to possible.
His Rocket Reports were good
Gilbert Gottfried my heart
Miss him a lot🥲
I was 11 with no idea about having an opinion in sight. My brother's naughty babysitting habit on Saturdays let me stay up to watch Seasons 4 & 5. I was so confused at the concept that something so fun could struggle. But Pauly Herman and Mr. Robinson made total sense.
We had been watching SCTV also so it blew our mind when Tony & Robin crossed over. Doug and Wendy comin" soon!!!
OH, and hopefully, you'll note the "putting up curtains in a blackout" sketch 😅
“the executives at nbc had finally had enough” comes literally out of nowhere and you never say why jean was even fired. These history videos have huge chunks of history just missing lol
Murphy the meteor.
There was another contender for the "black" cast member named Charlie Barnett who was a standup that did street shows. He was also up and coming and was Dave Chappelle's mentor. He lost out on the spot because he wasnt familiar with stage direction. Eventually he appeared on Miami Vice and DC Cab.
I read that Charlie had trouble reading the cue cards
@@brettyoung8746 Yep. And Robert Townsend had actually gotten the spot but they went with Eddie Murphy ultimately.
@@eddierascalhaskell4954 Jean was Quoted as saying "Robert Townsend would be our Token Negro Cast member". Regarding Eddie Murphy she said "He's a 19 year old Harlem kid. He's too inexperienced and unqualified to be on our Show".
Fun Fact, Jim Carrey,Paul Ruebens AND Jim Varney ALL Auditioned for the 1980-81 Season. Varney had briefly moved to NYC in 1979 and lived there for over a year attempting to find work on Off Broadway. Domanian rejected Carrey by saying "We don't need another Canuck, let alone a Hyperactive one". Jim Carrey reportedly rode the bus home to Toronto crying and distraught the whole time. With Ruebens, Jean said "He just doesn't have anything creative to offer". Ruebens(A Paskill,NY Native) would pack his bags and move to L.A. in late 1980 where he would create his iconic Pee Wee Herman character. And finally going back to James Albert Varney, who Jean called "This Eccentric R*dneck from Kentucky" she told him that he didn't fit in the mold of SNL and since he was from Kentucky, would be rejected by OB and Broadway for being from the "Backwoods Appalachia". Her Scathing Rejection of him led to Varney moving to East TN and going on to create the Ernest P.Worrell chacter
Domanian was basically the Female Johnny Carson. When it was revealed that 19 Year old Harlem kid Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo were the Ones Carrying the show and after its Disastrous Ratings for Q4 1980, NBC Stepped in and FIRED her And Charles Rocket's on Air uncensored F bomb was enough for Network Executives to step in and put a stop to everything.. Fred Silverman had passed on giving the Producer Role to Al Franken because Franken took a cheap shot at him in a March 22,1980 Broadcast of SNL. The ironic thing is that Silverman himself stepped down as NBC Network CEO and President in May of 1981 and was replaced by the YOUTHFUL 32 year old Brandon Tartikoff who suggested Dick Erbosol step in as SNL's Saving Grace Producer.
I don’t even really like anyone from SNL until the 90s but your videos are great
At around the 2:45 mark there's a clip of Gilbert Gottfried where he refers to himself as a cross between John Belushi and "that guy from last year who did the Rod Serling impression and nobody can remember his name". This is a reference to Harry Shearer. On his podcast Gilbert had said Harry Shearer never liked him because of this sketch.
One of the most fascinating seasons because of the behind the scenes machinations.
I think Denny and Gail should've been brought back. They were good. However, I do agree with Rocket, Gilbert, and Ann Risley being let go. Gilbert and Risley contributed next to nothing, and Rocket...well, you kinda HAD to fire him.
I like Charles Rocket doing the Rocket Report.
@@gonghole Yes, or they probably could've kept him just for Weekend Update in a Dennis Miller type role.
Yeah, Danny and Gail were good as a couple of teens in a few sketches.
We have an interview with Denny and Gail coming out next week!
@@thesnlnetwork That's pretty cool. We don't hear enough from the living members of the 1980 cast.
Man, did they drop they ball with Jim Carrey.
It's a damn shame about Charles Rocket. It wasn't his fault! He would've fit in a lot better if the pressure wasn't so high on him. I think he did a good job - but the writing on update was awful. None of the Non Lorne years really ever did well with the news segment. Something everyone forgets is the Rocket Report, which I think was something pretty neat and fresh, kind of like a proto-Spade in America. I just think it's kind of eerie that one of the first ones was done outside of John Lennon's apartment building where he interviews the trash people about John's upcoming new album, Double Fantasy. While a funny idea at the time and on its own, it's quite eerie that it was just days or maybe a week or two before Lennon was shot at the same place.
Thirteen years ago I brought my daughter to a local kid's park in late Feb, it was cold and deserted except for one other guy who was there with his kid. We got to talking, he worked in entertainment, and I asked him if he had ever read _Live From New York_ the history of SNL.
He smiled at that.
"I'm in that book. Neil Levy, nice to meet you," and stuck out his hand.
I was floored, he brought up his cousin, Lorne Michaels and we gabbed about the show for thirty min. Super nice guy!
I grew up watching SNL, the first episode airing one night when I couldn't sleep and my parents had company over. They left me in the family room to watch this show alone while they played penny poker in the next room. I've been hooked ever since. It's fun reliving these moments that, quite honestly, I don't remember (I watched the show, I didn't care about the background noise). I do however remember the Who Shot C.R. episode and Charlie's F-bomb. In the days before DVR, a lot of us were left going "Wait, he said WHAT?" What a delight for a then-12 year old to hear that word uttered outside of the Middle-School playground.
I think the first f-bomb came in the 78-79 season when Gilda Radner played a little girl fantasizing about Jesus.
@@BillLaBrie it was paul shaffer during a sketch i think it was about slaves rowing in a ship's galley and everyone's saying "flog this" and "that flogging thing" and paul said the actual word they were playing against
@@ObjectorSnark I know what you’re talking about but not sure if it came before or after Gilda telling pillow-Jesus he “f###s so good.”
Thank you for this...Season 6 deserves some attention for sure...and it had it's share of interesting moments...especially that weird, last episode of the season. Following this, Season 7 to me, is vastly underrated with the George Kennedy episode kitting a grand slam!
Why is Joe Piscopo described as a "talented utility player"? That sounds too much like a backhanded compliment. It seems to me he was out in front during this era, a "starting player" if you will.
I watched the first few seasons but had zoned out on the show by this time, being busy with college and other interests, so I didn't know much about this era other than Eddie and Joe. I have to say, some of this stuff looked pretty clever, with some ideas that were way funnier than what we see now.
How do you NOT mention "Commie Hunting Season" The worst sketch of all time?! Love this series though.
DIDN'T REALIZE PRINCE SUNG LIVE THAT NIGHT...
That cast sucked! Eddie saved SNL.
I like what you’re doing and you’re doing it well.
I have an idea for you if you make through 50 seasons and want to keep going.
Keep in touch
Gail should've gotten another season
I was 11. How on earth do I remember Charles Rocket? Must be the name.
We want more please
I think there was only about five cast members in Season 6 Episode 1. Eddie Murphy appeared later on. In the end of the later episodes, they had maybe about three or four feature players but I feel like the feature players hasn't been giving a chance because they appeared near the end of the later episodes. I don't know if it's true or not but I heard that, Jean Doumanian passed on Jim Carrey.
it's true.
outside of booking musical acts, that woman was replete with bad instincts
@@ObjectorSnark She was the female Johnny Carson. She passed on Paul Ruebens and Jim Varney as well.
Hot take: that Bill Murray episode is a top 50 episode of all time. Nearly every segment is a banger and there are surprisingly good vibes all around (due largely to Bill). It sucks that it was too late at that point, but at least most of them left on a high note.
As Bill said in the cold opener, "It just doesn't matter!!" :) And it's true, since there have been worse seasons.
Yes, I always bring this up when someone says how bad this year is. This episode is a banger. It's the best one.
Where can I view that episode?
@@NFStamper look up Saturday Night Live on the Internet Archive. Peacock only has severely gutted episodes from Seasons 6 until a few years ago. It sucks but I understand the rights issues. They're all uncut and on there.
@@NFStamper I would honestly recommend watching the entire season so you can see how rough the seas are - there's charm in almost every player in some way, but most were never allowed to shine. Especially Ann Risley.
I didn't think this season was that bad. It had its ups and downs but so did the original show, I think people just forgot about that in all the love for the first cast.
I don't remember who did it but there was something very much like a valley girl sketch that happened and it proceeded the valley girl craze by a year or so.
I also thought Charles rocket had much more talent than he was ever able to show, and I'm sorry I never really saw that much of him after this
I believe that was Gail and yeah this season wasn’t that bad (though I’ve always found this to be just dull that outright terrible) and every era of SNL is up and down, that’s the beauty of it!
It's not that it was that bad as a whole, it's just that a few episodes (Robert Hays, Sally Kellerman and Malcolm McDowell) are rightfully in the bottom 25 or even bottom 10, or really, the worst episode in the fifty year history in McDowell's case. It's too bad they didn't have him back on in calmer seas, as he famously talked Gary Oldman out of hosting in the 90s because of how bad his experience was - not knowing that the show changes hands. I do remember him saying that he felt bad about that.
We only watched because we kept hoping desperately that it would get better.
Sadly, it's been one replacement cast after another ever since. Nobody would watch this show if it weren't for the original cast.
Name a sequel that was better than the original, if you disagree.
@@kurtpena5462 Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan, Terminator 2, Godfather 2, Season 12-19, 23-30 of SNL
@@kurtpena5462 if that's why you're watching I can't imagine how unbelievably sad your life must be. As for better cast, in an ensemble show like this you're always going to have standouts. If you really go back and watch the original show you'll see that a lot of it wasn't really that funny, it was always about the standout bits
Season 6 of "SNL" was a train wreck-Thankfully things improved the following season.
One of the "What If?" scenarios in the show's history is what Season 6 would have been like if Al Franken, not Jean Doumanian, had taken over. It was set to happen, until Franken brutally mocked Fred Silverman (not undeservedly) in the "Limo For a Lame-O" bit on Update.
jean doumanian is one of the worst people in show business. woody allen gave her a chance as one of his producers for his films but found out that she was stealing money from him and he sued and sued her bad.
Considering how infrequently Al Franken was ever funny himself, I suspect that had he been the showrunner, the 1980-81 season still would have been one of SNL's very worst.
@@guykipp2905 Agreed. Look, when I look at this I think Charles Rockett was kind of made to be the breakout star but he wasn't capable of doing so. Probably the worst news anchor the show's ever had- which is saying something as he was a news anchor. When he cursed on the air he didn't just sabotage his own career but the careers of some other players who might have been able to succeed in later seasons. Gottfried obviously was able to overcome the firing- but he had to reinvent himself and really pigeonhole himself with the voice and all.
Al Franken is a classic shlemiel.
@@PittsburghMarky part of weekend update's charm was that the anchors were obviously *not* anchor material and having to "clean up and play a serious journalist." as much as i hate to admit it, dennis miller "aka captain hairdo" is still the best update anchor, norm in second and probably the team of tina, amy, and jimmy third.
I wish Gilbert would have stayed
This may have been the last time Gilbert Godfrey did a human voice😊
Season 6 was a failure. I remember this show, and afterwards, it was pulled off, and they show reruns of the first 5 seasons. Including reruns of SCTV.