SNL: S01E03... HOST: ROB REINER... DATE: OCTOBER 25, 1975
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Or...
Now This Is The SNL That I Know!!!
Now this felt like an episode of Saturday Night Live. Well... The first episode also felt real as well, but after last night's Paul Simon concert, I was worried that there was going to be a lot more music over comedy in this first season. Even episode one had two performers that each did two songs.
This episode didn't even have a musical guest, just a dance troop and John Belushi singing as Joe Cocker. Hopefully, this is when they started to stabilize as a comedy show over being a variety show where any type of act can happen on any episode at any time. I just can't wait for them to limit their music quota to two songs an episode.
Actually, I really like this aspect of these earlier shows. It's cool how an episode can go from a sketch to a stand-up routine to a song, the back to a sketch... What's this? Andy Kaufman has a performance piece, and Albert Brooks has a short film to share as soon as the Muppet sketch is over... Sure, put him on.
There seemed to be much more randomness that would never fly today. I don't think they could go back, or it would be an entirely different show, but it would be cool to have a proper variety show on the air again that isn't some sort of talent competition.
Anyways, I had fun watching this episode, and now it's time for The Wicker Breakdown of episode 3:
Chevy Chase is wheeled out in a wheelchair and left alone. Goes to light his cigarette only to drop his lighter. He stands as if it were nothing and retrieves the lighter and returns to the wheelchair. After thinking about it for a second, he realizes he just walked so he throws the lighter only to fall this time when he tries to walk. Sorry for over-explaining, but this sketch did get a chuckle out of me, so I felt it deserved more than Chevy Chase wheelchair lighter sketch.
Rob Reiner then takes the stage as some lounge singer character and eventually sings a version of Blowing in the Wind, which then leads into a real intro where Reiner pulls off his wig and give another quick monolog.
There was then a sketch for the National Pancreas Association, which led to the realization that this is the actual birthplace of my "Ow my pancreas" reference that I often us and thought it came from The Gary Shandling Show.
This transitioned into a sketch that started on the premise that the show was pranking Rob Reiner and hiding the fact that his wife, Penny Marshall, was there. She then comes out and then they never reference the prank at all and just go into a sketch about a faux pas runway show. One of the runway models was wearing a squirrel mask which actually would be fashionable these days.
There was followed by a fake commercial for an Acupuncture Voodoo Doctor that would perform acupuncture on voodoo dolls to cure your ailments. The video starts with characters performing leisure time activities as the voodoo acupuncture was being done. I was tripping out because before they explained I thought this was some kind of virtual reality reference that was way ahead of its time.
Andy Kaufman came out and sang Pop Goes the Weasel. Where I was a little bummed that his performance of Mighty Mouse did strike a nostalgic chord because of how overplayed it's been, this bit hit the spot.
There was a funny concept of a sketch called Dangerous but Inept, which was a fake interview show with guest Squeaky Fromme.
They had a fake commercial for a taste test that compared $0.89 “expensive” can of tuna to a $0.40 can of cat food where the woman chose the cat food and was disgusted by the reveal.
Then The Lockers dance troop came out, and they all danced like Rerun for about five minutes.
The news was pretty good this time. Though they started with a Ford is dumb joke, they also fit in a couple story where they satired actual events and didn't JUST make fun of individuals. Chevy Chase had one joke about Reagan about how he was campaigning against abortion and marijuana. That's what I wanted to see, just how much things are still the same only more extreme over time.
There was a fake commercial for a moving company that literally moved people that I'm surprised didn't have a dumb name. Actually, I'm sure it did, but it wasn't punny enough to stand out to me.
The news then came back on for my favorite sketch of the night, which is the sketch where Garrett Morris plays the interpreter for the hearing impaired and just yells whatever Chevy Chase say at the top of his lungs.
I'm pretty sure this is going to be my favorite musical performance for quite a while, as John Belushi impersonates Joe Cocker to sing With a Little Help from My Friends. Which really stood out to me as a child because I saw Belushi first, then Joe Cocker and was blown away by how spot on Belushi was as well as how weird Joe Cocker was to me.
The Muppet segment now has a name. It's called Dregs and Vestiges, and it's beginning to grow on me. Maybe the fact that this week's installment was about "crater-heads" which were definitely in reference to "potheads."
This was followed by a dumb fake PSA about droolers, where Chevy Chase was just spitting. Though stupid, I get it for the time.
There was then a square dance song where the caller had the dancers attack one another, which I'm pretty sure Schlong covers at one point in their Punk Side Story album.
The next sketch was a Nun talent night at the church. There seemed to be too many Catholic specific jokes that I just didn't get.
What Gilda Ate? also didn't make that much sense to me but I think that was the point, either way, I didn't mind it.
I like the Albert Brooks shorts. Each one kind of start like a YouTube video where Albert Brooks is doing a Vlog that then leads into a narcissistic exploration of a topic. I really like this type of humor and if I were at all comfortable in front of the camera would love to attempt to create content like this.
The show then ended on a sketch with Rob Reiner and Penny Marshall's dinner being interrupted by the bees. I've always liked the SNL bees, but as a kid, I never got the joke that the whole point of them showing up is that nobody liked them the very first week. This makes me like the bees even more because I even pointed out that I didn't like the bees in episode one before I realized their being disliked was part of their charm.
So that was my experience with Season One Episode Three. As I said above, the Garrett Morris hearing impaired news sketch was my favorite sketch of the night as well as my new all-time favorite sketch at the stage!!!
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