The third season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 24, 1977, and May 20, 1978.
Prior to the start of the season, two new cast members were added as featured cast members which were writers Tom Davis and Al Franken. Meanwhile Dan Aykroyd joined Jane Curtin as an anchor for Weekend Update becoming the first Weekend Update anchor team. This would be the final season that the cast was called "The Not Ready for Primetime Players".
In the "Anyone Can Host" episode—for which a contest found a non-celebrity to host the show—the musical guest, Elvis Costello, halted his band, the Attractions, seven seconds into the song "Less Than Zero", launching into "Radio Radio", an as-yet unreleased song critical of mainstream broadcasting. (The Sex Pistols were originally booked to appear on the show, but were denied visas to enter America.) The change angered Lorne Michaels, and Costello would not be invited back to the show until 1989.[1]
Chevy Chase hosted during the season, making him the first cast member to host after leaving the show. Right before the curtain call, a heated argument broke out backstage between Chase and relatively new cast member Bill Murray. After several insults were exchanged (including Chase mocking Murray's acne-scarred skin and Murray calling Chase a "medium talent"), the two men struck each other. Although by most accounts the altercation had been at least partially instigated by John Belushi, he was the one (along with Dan Aykroyd) who separated Murray and Chase moments before the entire cast regrouped in front of the live cameras. Before being banned from hosting altogether in 1997, Chase hosted the show several times throughout its history, though he was extremely unpopular with the cast and crew and regularly disagreed with them.[2]
This season's writers were Dan Aykroyd, Anne Beatts, Tom Davis, Jim Downey, Brian Doyle-Murray, Al Franken, Neil Levy, Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Don Novello, Michael O'Donoghue, Herb Sargent, Tom Schiller, Rosie Schuster and Alan Zweibel. The head writer, like the previous season, was Michael O'Donoghue.
A running gag throughout the episode involves Grodin breaking character and ruining sketches, as if he missed the dress rehearsal. While many speculated this was genuine and Grodin was banned from hosting, Grodin later confirmed that it was all part of the act. Regardless, Grodin would never host again.
One sketch features Simon and Grodin attempting to sing "The Sound of Silence", with Grodin wearing an Art Garfunkel wig. After several aborted starts (with Grodin singing off-key and forgetting the lyrics), Simon walks off the stage. Grodin then proceeds to sing a verse of "Bridge Over Troubled Water", after which the real Art Garfunkel walks on stage and asks Grodin to take off the wig.
Ray Charles performs "I Can See Clearly Now," "What'd I Say," "Oh! What a Beautiful Mornin'" and a medley of "I Got a Woman," "I Believe to My Soul," "Them That Got" and "Hit the Road Jack".
Leon Redbone performs "Champagne Charlie" and "Please Don't Talk about Me When I'm Gone".[3]
Henry uses his monologue to introduce the five finalists in the "Anyone Can Host" contest. The five finalists are then featured sporadically throughout the episode, including an appearance in a film by Gary Weis.
In a sketch, John Belushi plays himself as a retired athlete, endorsing "Little Chocolate Donuts," a parody of Caitlyn Jenner's Wheaties ad. The voice over for the commercial while Belushi is running is done by sportscaster Marv Albert.
Elvis Costello performs "Watching the Detectives"[3] and was scheduled to perform "Less Than Zero" but halted his band the Attractions seven seconds into the song, launching into "Radio Radio",[3] an as-yet unreleased song critical of mainstream broadcasting.
Miskel Spillman was the winner of SNL's "Anyone Can Host" contest.
Al Franken's parents, Joseph and Phoebe, appear in the "Franken & Davis Show" sketch.
Emily Litella makes her final regular appearance as Weekend Update's consumer affairs correspondent.
The Sex Pistols were originally scheduled to perform as announced by Don Pardo on the previous show during the closing credits.
Randy Newman performs "Short People" and "Rider in the Rain".[3] Members of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band perform backing vocals during Newman's set. The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, in turn, performs "On the Loose" and "White Russia".[3] (Martin accompanied them on banjo for the latter song.)
Steve Martin announces that a snowstorm the day before caused limited rehearsals.
Because of the then-recent crash of the highly radioactive Russian satellite Kosmos 954 (which took place just 4 days earlier), this episode features a running gag about the radioactive debris having created giant mutant lobsters heading for the U.S. east coast which saw them attack 30 Rockefeller Plaza at the show's end.
Chevy Chase does the lobster roars as stated in the closing credits.
Stephen Bishop performs "On and On" and Art Garfunkel performs "Wonderful World" with Stephen Bishop on backup, "Crying in My Sleep" and a medley of "All I Know"/"Scarborough Fair".[3]
This episode features the short film, Don't Look Back in Anger, in which an aged John Belushi visits the graves of the "Not Ready for Primetime Players" cast and claims he's the last living member. (The sketch is now seen as ironic due to Belushi's being the first of the original cast to die.)
John Belushi was billed as Kevin Scott for this episode.
On "Weekend Update", the Writers Guild strikes against Sesame Street ("picket" "scab" "don't, it might get infected") and the"Point/Counterpoint" segment is introduced.
A Gary Weis short film titled "Cold as Ice" features an uncredited Stacy Keach being repeatedly stabbed with scissors and a gun and eventually shot with a shotgun, all in slow-motion by an unnamed blonde to the tune of the Foreigner song of the same name.
Eugene Record performs "Have You Seen Her?" and "Trying to Get to You".[3]
In the opening monologue, Michael Palin plays his manager who ends up stuffing live cats down his trousers; one of the cats defecates freely all over his arm. Palin, with only a one-minute costume change afterward, performed the RC Priest and Very Famous Man (Trunk Escape) sketches with feces still on his clothes.[8]
Sketches include the Czech brothers, "Theodoric of York, Medieval Barber,"[9] a Martin and Radner dance sketch, a performance of "King Tut,"[10] a Gary Weis film with ballet dancers and breakdancers and "Nerds at the Science Fair".
This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award and was later selected as TV Guide's #12 Top TV Episode of all time.[11]
Paul Shaffer appears as lounge singer Nick Winter's piano player and as Dreyfuss' piano player, as Dreyfuss sings "Seduced" by Gary Tigerman.
John Belushi joins Dreyfuss on stage and, as part of the monologue, attempts to help Dreyfuss with the lines of his Shakespeare soliloquy (suggesting that he use the cue cards since he's not used to being on television) and then angrily mocks and argues with him saying he didn't deserve the Oscar he had received that year (over Richard Burton).
Twice in the episode, Dreyfuss hears the Jaws theme.
During the closing credits, Dreyfuss is attacked by the Land Shark.
^Larry David Smith (April 30, 2004). Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell, and the Torch Song Tradition. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 139. ISBN9780275973926.
^Tom Shales & James Andrew Miller (January 19, 2014). Live from New York An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. Little, Brown, and Company. ISBN9780316045827.
^. TV Guide Magazine. June 18, 2009. Archived from the original on March 14, 2010.
^Saturday Night Live: season 3, 1977-1978 (DVD). Universal Studios. May 13, 2008.
April 11, 2024
saturday, night, live, season, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jst. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Saturday Night Live season 3 news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message The third season of Saturday Night Live an American sketch comedy series originally aired in the United States on NBC between September 24 1977 and May 20 1978 Saturday Night LiveSeason 3StarringDan Aykroyd John Belushi Jane Curtin Garrett Morris Bill Murray Laraine Newman Gilda RadnerNo of episodes20ReleaseOriginal networkNBCOriginal releaseSeptember 24 1977 1977 09 24 May 20 1978 1978 05 20 Season chronology Previousseason 2Next season 4List of episodesThe DVD set of the entire season was released on May 13 2008 Contents 1 Cast 1 1 Cast 2 Behind the scenes 3 Writers 4 Episodes 5 Home media 6 ReferencesCast editPrior to the start of the season two new cast members were added as featured cast members which were writers Tom Davis and Al Franken Meanwhile Dan Aykroyd joined Jane Curtin as an anchor for Weekend Update becoming the first Weekend Update anchor team This would be the final season that the cast was called The Not Ready for Primetime Players Cast edit The Not Ready for Prime Time Players Dan Aykroyd John Belushi Jane Curtin Garrett Morris Bill Murray Laraine Newman Gilda Radner Featured players Tom Davis Al Franken bold denotes Weekend Update anchorBehind the scenes editIn the Anyone Can Host episode for which a contest found a non celebrity to host the show the musical guest Elvis Costello halted his band the Attractions seven seconds into the song Less Than Zero launching into Radio Radio an as yet unreleased song critical of mainstream broadcasting The Sex Pistols were originally booked to appear on the show but were denied visas to enter America The change angered Lorne Michaels and Costello would not be invited back to the show until 1989 1 Chevy Chase hosted during the season making him the first cast member to host after leaving the show Right before the curtain call a heated argument broke out backstage between Chase and relatively new cast member Bill Murray After several insults were exchanged including Chase mocking Murray s acne scarred skin and Murray calling Chase a medium talent the two men struck each other Although by most accounts the altercation had been at least partially instigated by John Belushi he was the one along with Dan Aykroyd who separated Murray and Chase moments before the entire cast regrouped in front of the live cameras Before being banned from hosting altogether in 1997 Chase hosted the show several times throughout its history though he was extremely unpopular with the cast and crew and regularly disagreed with them 2 Writers editMain article List of Saturday Night Live writers season 3 Tom Davis and Al Franken got prominent amounts of screen time citation needed Brian Doyle Murray and Don Novello joined the writing staff Michael O Donoghue temporarily left the show citation needed This season s writers were Dan Aykroyd Anne Beatts Tom Davis Jim Downey Brian Doyle Murray Al Franken Neil Levy Lorne Michaels Marilyn Suzanne Miller Don Novello Michael O Donoghue Herb Sargent Tom Schiller Rosie Schuster and Alan Zweibel The head writer like the previous season was Michael O Donoghue Episodes editMain article List of Saturday Night Live episodes No overallNo inseasonHostMusical guest s Original air date471Steve MartinJackson BrowneSeptember 24 1977 1977 09 24 Jackson Browne performs Running on Empty and The Pretender 3 First appearance of the Festrunk Brothers 4 John Belushi performs as Roy Orbison Dan Aykroyd s first episode as Weekend Update co anchor alongside Jane Curtin New Weekend Update set debuts featuring a blue chroma key background with the Update logo Tom Davis and Al Franken s first episode as cast members Change to Saturday Night Live becomes permanent beginning with this episode 482Madeline KahnTaj MahalOctober 8 1977 1977 10 08 Taj Mahal performs Queen Bee 3 Australian comedian Barry Humphries appeared as Dame Edna Everage 493Hugh HefnerLibby TitusOctober 15 1977 1977 10 15 Libby Titus performs Fool That I Am 3 504Charles GrodinPaul SimonOctober 29 1977 1977 10 29 Paul Simon performs Slip Slidin Away 3 and You re Kind 3 a song from Still Crazy After All These Years accompanied on both songs by harmonica player Toots Thielemans and a backing band A running gag throughout the episode involves Grodin breaking character and ruining sketches as if he missed the dress rehearsal While many speculated this was genuine and Grodin was banned from hosting Grodin later confirmed that it was all part of the act Regardless Grodin would never host again One sketch features Simon and Grodin attempting to sing The Sound of Silence with Grodin wearing an Art Garfunkel wig After several aborted starts with Grodin singing off key and forgetting the lyrics Simon walks off the stage Grodin then proceeds to sing a verse of Bridge Over Troubled Water after which the real Art Garfunkel walks on stage and asks Grodin to take off the wig Roseanne Roseannadanna made her debut in this episode s Hire the Incompetent sketch New title sequence debuts showing the cast individually standing in front of the Times Square jumbotron First appearance of Judy Miller Grodin makes an appearance in the audience right after the football sketch with the caption THIS WEEK S HOST 515Ray CharlesRay CharlesNovember 12 1977 1977 11 12 Ray Charles performs I Can See Clearly Now What d I Say Oh What a Beautiful Mornin and a medley of I Got a Woman I Believe to My Soul Them That Got and Hit the Road Jack Comedian Franklyn Ajaye and Buck Henry made guest appearances Ray Charles led the band cast and crew in a jam during the closing credits 526Buck HenryLeon RedboneNovember 19 1977 1977 11 19 Leon Redbone performs Champagne Charlie and Please Don t Talk about Me When I m Gone 3 Henry uses his monologue to introduce the five finalists in the Anyone Can Host contest The five finalists are then featured sporadically throughout the episode including an appearance in a film by Gary Weis In a sketch John Belushi plays himself as a retired athlete endorsing Little Chocolate Donuts a parody of Caitlyn Jenner s Wheaties ad The voice over for the commercial while Belushi is running is done by sportscaster Marv Albert A film by Tom Schiller was featured With this episode Henry becomes the first to host five times 537Mary Kay PlaceWillie NelsonDecember 10 1977 1977 12 10 Willie Nelson performs Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain Whiskey River and Something to Brag About 3 The last song was performed as a duet with Mary Kay Place Andy Kaufman made a guest appearance 548Miskel SpillmanElvis CostelloDecember 17 1977 1977 12 17 Elvis Costello performs Watching the Detectives 3 and was scheduled to perform Less Than Zero but halted his band the Attractions seven seconds into the song launching into Radio Radio 3 an as yet unreleased song critical of mainstream broadcasting Miskel Spillman was the winner of SNL s Anyone Can Host contest Al Franken s parents Joseph and Phoebe appear in the Franken amp Davis Show sketch Emily Litella makes her final regular appearance as Weekend Update s consumer affairs correspondent The Sex Pistols were originally scheduled to perform as announced by Don Pardo on the previous show during the closing credits 559Steve MartinRandy Newman The Nitty Gritty Dirt BandJanuary 21 1978 1978 01 21 Randy Newman performs Short People and Rider in the Rain 3 Members of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band perform backing vocals during Newman s set The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in turn performs On the Loose and White Russia 3 Martin accompanied them on banjo for the latter song Steve Martin announces that a snowstorm the day before caused limited rehearsals Roseanne Roseannadanna makes her Weekend Update debut in this episode replacing Emily Litella as consumer affairs correspondent First appearance of the What if sketch What if Napoleon had a B 17 bomber 5610Robert KleinBonnie RaittJanuary 28 1978 1978 01 28 Bonnie Raitt performs Give It Up or Let Me Go and Runaway 3 Klein joined Raitt on harmonica on the former song The cold open features Paul Shaffer as Don Kirshner and Mr Mike Bill Murray s Nick Winters lounge singer performs Star Wars nothing but Star Wars Paul Shaffer appears as Nick the Lounge Singer s pianist First appearance of the Olympia Cafe sketch 5 during which the word cheeseburger is said 80 times 6 First appearance of The Nerds sketch 7 Because of the then recent crash of the highly radioactive Russian satellite Kosmos 954 which took place just 4 days earlier this episode features a running gag about the radioactive debris having created giant mutant lobsters heading for the U S east coast which saw them attack 30 Rockefeller Plaza at the show s end Chevy Chase does the lobster roars as stated in the closing credits 5711Chevy ChaseBilly JoelFebruary 18 1978 1978 02 18 Billy Joel performs Only the Good Die Young and Just the Way You Are 3 Chevy Chase becomes the first former cast member to come back and host with this episode Chase appeared on Weekend Update as senior anchorperson The season 1 and 2 opening title sequence is used for this episode 5812O J SimpsonAshford and SimpsonFebruary 25 1978 1978 02 25 Ashford and Simpson perform Don t Cost You Nothing and So So Satisfied 3 Every cast member as well as Don Novello and O J Simpson are featured in Samurai Night Fever a parody of Saturday Night Fever John Belushi dances to The Bee Gees Stayin Alive 5913Art GarfunkelStephen BishopMarch 11 1978 1978 03 11 Stephen Bishop performs On and On and Art Garfunkel performs Wonderful World with Stephen Bishop on backup Crying in My Sleep and a medley of All I Know Scarborough Fair 3 This episode features the short film Don t Look Back in Anger in which an aged John Belushi visits the graves of the Not Ready for Primetime Players cast and claims he s the last living member The sketch is now seen as ironic due to Belushi s being the first of the original cast to die Andy Kaufman made a guest appearance 6014Jill ClayburghEddie MoneyMarch 18 1978 1978 03 18 Eddie Money performs Two Tickets to Paradise and Baby Hold On 3 6115Christopher LeeMeat LoafMarch 25 1978 1978 03 25 Meat Loaf performs All Revved Up with No Place to Go and Two Out of Three Ain t Bad 3 John Belushi was billed as Kevin Scott for this episode On Weekend Update the Writers Guild strikes against Sesame Street picket scab don t it might get infected and the Point Counterpoint segment is introduced A Gary Weis short film titled Cold as Ice features an uncredited Stacy Keach being repeatedly stabbed with scissors and a gun and eventually shot with a shotgun all in slow motion by an unnamed blonde to the tune of the Foreigner song of the same name Richard Belzer made a stand up appearance including Muzak versions of Rolling Stones hits he does an impersonation of Mick Jagger with the SNL band as backup Bill Murray begins his annual Oscar picks Mr Bill goes to the circus According to Murray during Weekend Update John Travolta was set to host anepisode but canceled at the last minute 6216Michael PalinEugene RecordApril 8 1978 1978 04 08 Eugene Record performs Have You Seen Her and Trying to Get to You 3 In the opening monologue Michael Palin plays his manager who ends up stuffing live cats down his trousers one of the cats defecates freely all over his arm Palin with only a one minute costume change afterward performed the RC Priest and Very Famous Man Trunk Escape sketches with feces still on his clothes 8 Mr Bill pays his taxes During Weekend Update John Belushi does an editorial about Radio City Music Hall 6317Michael SarrazinKeith JarrettApril 15 1978 1978 04 15 Keith Jarrett performs Country and My Song 3 Gravity performed Tuba City Gitback 3 This episode features a short black and white film La Dolce Gilda 6418Steve MartinThe Blues BrothersApril 22 1978 1978 04 22 The Blues Brothers perform I Don t Know 3 The cold opening features Paul Shaffer as Don Kirshner introducing The Blues Brothers singing Hey Bartender Sketches include the Czech brothers Theodoric of York Medieval Barber 9 a Martin and Radner dance sketch a performance of King Tut 10 a Gary Weis film with ballet dancers and breakdancers and Nerds at the Science Fair This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award and was later selected as TV Guide s 12 Top TV Episode of all time 11 6519Richard DreyfussJimmy Buffett Gary TigermanMay 13 1978 1978 05 13 Jimmy Buffett performs Son of a Son of a Sailor and Gary Tigerman performs White Oaxacan Moon 3 First appearance of Father Guido Sarducci Don Novello Paul Shaffer appears as lounge singer Nick Winter s piano player and as Dreyfuss piano player as Dreyfuss sings Seduced by Gary Tigerman John Belushi joins Dreyfuss on stage and as part of the monologue attempts to help Dreyfuss with the lines of his Shakespeare soliloquy suggesting that he use the cue cards since he s not used to being on television and then angrily mocks and argues with him saying he didn t deserve the Oscar he had received that year over Richard Burton Twice in the episode Dreyfuss hears the Jaws theme During the closing credits Dreyfuss is attacked by the Land Shark 6620Buck HenrySun RaMay 20 1978 1978 05 20 Sun Ra performs a medley including Space Is the Place The Sound Mirror and Watusa 3 Final episode where the cast was referred to as The Not Ready for Primetime Players Dan Aykroyd s final episode as Weekend Update co anchor Final episode with Weekend Update s blue chroma key set Final episode to feature audience caption bumpersHome media editSeason 3 was released on DVD May 13 2008 12 References edit Larry David Smith April 30 2004 Elvis Costello Joni Mitchell and the Torch Song Tradition Greenwood Publishing Group p 139 ISBN 9780275973926 Tom Shales amp James Andrew Miller January 19 2014 Live from New York An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live Little Brown and Company ISBN 9780316045827 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Saturday Night Live The First Twenty Years Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1994 pp 124 127 ISBN 0 395 70895 8 Saturday Night Live The First Twenty Years Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1994 pp 104 105 ISBN 0 395 70895 8 Saturday Night Live The First Twenty Years Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1994 pp 106 108 ISBN 0 395 70895 8 Saturday Night Live The First Twenty Years Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1994 pp 264 ISBN 0 395 70895 8 Saturday Night Live The First Twenty Years Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1994 pp 110 113 ISBN 0 395 70895 8 Palin Michael 2007 Diaries 1969 1979 The Python Years St Martin s Press pp 460 1 ISBN 978 0 312 36935 4 Saturday Night Live The First Twenty Years Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1994 pp 96 97 ISBN 0 395 70895 8 Saturday Night Live The First Twenty Years Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1994 pp 118 ISBN 0 395 70895 8 TV s Top 100 Episodes of All Time 20 11 TV Guide Magazine June 18 2009 Archived from the original on March 14 2010 Saturday Night Live season 3 1977 1978 DVD Universal Studios May 13 2008 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Saturday Night Live season 3 amp oldid 1216701538, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
