When "Saturday Night Live" hit NBC's airwaves on October 11, 1975, at 11:30 p.m. Edt, numerous broadcast standards were about to be skirted if not outright flouted. Lorne Michaels had assembled a supremely talented cast of Baby Boomer comedic performers and Chevy Chase to, hopefully, transform the once undesirable time slot into a must-watch 90 minutes for people who were busy closing bars or turning in early on their last night off for the weekend.
Michaels needed everything to feel counterintuitive, if not ragged. It was a bracing olio of sketches, music performances (from Billy Preston and Janis Ian), pre-filmed bits, and Jim Henson's proto-Muppet project, "The Land of Gorch." There'd never been anything like it on American television, and the first episode evoked enough laughs to keep viewers coming back for more.
The debut episode's ace in the hole was George Carlin. The brilliant stand-up comic had become a...
Michaels needed everything to feel counterintuitive, if not ragged. It was a bracing olio of sketches, music performances (from Billy Preston and Janis Ian), pre-filmed bits, and Jim Henson's proto-Muppet project, "The Land of Gorch." There'd never been anything like it on American television, and the first episode evoked enough laughs to keep viewers coming back for more.
The debut episode's ace in the hole was George Carlin. The brilliant stand-up comic had become a...
- 3/19/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
When "Saturday Night Live" hit NBC's airwaves on October 11, 1975, expectations were tempered. With its 11:30 Pm time slot and cast of fringe comedy talents, the show was a hedged bet. If the Nielsen ratings were poor, it'd be exceedingly easy for the network to pull the plug after a few episodes.
Everyone from creator Lorne Michaels on down were confident that they'd pulled together something special, if not revolutionary, but they were also concerned that their target audience might not show up. There was also the matter of executing a live television show with a bunch of boob-tube neophytes. There were so many moving pieces that had to click into place, and zero leeway for mistakes. One slip-up could set off a domino effect of snafus, resulting in a live TV debacle for the ages.
As the premiere approached, the cast members mulled their uncertain future. They believed in their work,...
Everyone from creator Lorne Michaels on down were confident that they'd pulled together something special, if not revolutionary, but they were also concerned that their target audience might not show up. There was also the matter of executing a live television show with a bunch of boob-tube neophytes. There were so many moving pieces that had to click into place, and zero leeway for mistakes. One slip-up could set off a domino effect of snafus, resulting in a live TV debacle for the ages.
As the premiere approached, the cast members mulled their uncertain future. They believed in their work,...
- 3/17/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
John Belushi remains the poster child for the entertainer who burned bright but had their light extinguished far too soon. The comedian came up through the ranks of Chicago's fabled Second City comedy group and was a member of the inaugural season of "Saturday Night Live." Belushi honed his disruptive, physical style of comedy in the early seasons of "SNL" with characters such as Samurai Futaba and one of the Killer Bees alongside Dan Aykroyd.
In 1977, Belushi would add movie star to his resume with the role of Bluto Blutarsky in the film "National Lampoon's Animal House." Plus, ffter three appearances on "Saturday Night Live," the characters Joliet Jake (Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Aykroyd) were developed into their own 1980 hit movie "The Blues Brothers."
Belushi was integral to "Saturday Night Live's" early success and stayed with the show through 1980 before transitioning completely to movies. But it's also fair to...
In 1977, Belushi would add movie star to his resume with the role of Bluto Blutarsky in the film "National Lampoon's Animal House." Plus, ffter three appearances on "Saturday Night Live," the characters Joliet Jake (Belushi) and Elwood Blues (Aykroyd) were developed into their own 1980 hit movie "The Blues Brothers."
Belushi was integral to "Saturday Night Live's" early success and stayed with the show through 1980 before transitioning completely to movies. But it's also fair to...
- 3/16/2023
- by Travis Yates
- Slash Film
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