SNL: S03E18... HOST: STEVE MARTIN... DATE: APRIL 22, 1978
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Our Second Entry Into The Five-Timers Club
This is the episode where Steve Martin earned his Five-Timers Club jacket, but it was before this was an official club, so there was no extra bells and whistles or fanfare. I also would like to take the time to point out that Buck Henry had already reached this benchmark eleven episodes ago, or even earlier if you include his two co-hosting duties. I'll probably point this out every time the topic comes up but mainly because I'm bummed that Buck's relationship with the show didn't last much longer than his time captaining the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players.
Other than the uncelebrated Five-Timers Club induction this was a pretty good episode, but I'd also say that it had a little help from following the slumpiest show of this season. I really hate the fact that I personally feel that these Steve Martin shows need that extra advantage to be a slightly better than average episode. Once again, I think this disappointment comes from having such high expectations when I see that he's hosting that I don't think anyone from that time could live up to.
With that said, this episode did have my favorite of Steve Martin's opening monologs so far which leaves me feeling just as excited to see his next appearance. This opening routine felt more like actual stand-up to me instead of a performer trying his hardest to hide the fact that he's delivering extremely polished material while acting like he's coming up with it on the spot.
And now, with all of that said, I do see improvement with each and every he’s been on to host, so it's not that I'm turning into a hater. In fact, I still get excited every time I see Steve Martin host because I do know he will eventually live up to my expectation. Based on the fact that I was introduced to style much further into his career when he was already at the top of his game, it often makes me forget, I'm watching these geniuses at very early stages of their career when they all were still finding their voices.
Alright, enough with my armchair comedy criticisms it's time to move on to the next feature, and with that, I give you...
The Wicker Breakdown:
Once again, Paul Schaffer as Don Kirshner starts the show by introducing us to his latest discovery and with that, the world is introduced to The Blues Brothers who perform Hey Bartender before throwing back to Paul as Kirshner who gets this week's duty of saying, "Live from New York..."
This was followed by a repeat of the fake ad for a perfume designed for one night stands.
We then end up in a nightclub where Steven Martin sits at the bar and notices Gilda Radner who is sitting across the room. The two locks eye and approach one another to then silly dance throughout the entire studio. They finish their dance and head back to their seats as if all of what just happened was nothing more than a dream and they both go about their business.
Once again, Jane and Dan do the news. I think I've made this point before but an average news night isn't as fun because they are parodying news anchors before they were allowed to show any personality because the actual news was the star of the show. I kind of miss those days as far as the "real" media is concerned but prefer the new Weekend Update where the anchors are allowed to smile. (Clip 2)
The short film this week is Ballet Girls vs. B-Boys as they have a dance off to the music of Swan Lake. The dancing is fun on its own but to top it off it features Ozone and Turbo from the Breakin' films which I'm a fan of for non-joking reasons.
This is followed by an elevator sketch where a bunch of coworkers can't agree on where to go to lunch. This is where they decide to eat at Troff and Brew, and then we cut to said restaurant everyone drinks chili out of a trough and washes it all down by drinking beer straight from the tap, all this while discussing their business agendas.
Bill Murray and Gilda then return as their nerdy kid characters to compete at the school science fair, their experiment is a toaster that is controlled by a phone which now that this is a reality it doesn't seem as ridiculous as it must have been at the time. They are competing against Garrett Morris whose experiment is just showing how static electricity will get a balloon to stick to a sweater. Their other competition is the big reveal of the sketch which is Steve Martin's experiment is a fully activated Plutonium bomb.
Once again The Blues Brothers hit the stage to perform I Don't Know.
Finally, Steve Martin thanks the crowd and says his goodnights.
Here's a funny thing about these Steve Martin shows that highlights that my issue is my own expectation. When I start each review, I feel a little let down by the appearance but then realize I liked it much more as I rethink each sketch during the recap which only goes to show that I actually like what I'm complaining about.
Now it's time to share my top three favorite moments. First, I loved Steve Martin magician routine that wrapped up his opening monolog. Next, I liked the Barber sketch, because I'm obsessed with the idea that we constantly think that we live during a period of history where society is the most advanced that it will ever get to. Finally, I was a fan of the King Tut song because it's such a classic Steve Martin moment that somewhere near the top of the list of why he stands out as a performer.