Lorne Michaels was hired by Dick Ebersol in 1974, and given the job of running a new series called NBC's Saturday Night, not to be confused with Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell, a show that aired on the rival ABC network. Michaels hired Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and Gilda Radner - all former Second City Alumni - along with Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris. Every episode would be hosted by a well-known celebrity, and feature a guest musician. It's a format that has worked for over 30 years, and the series has proven to be a breeding ground for some of the funniest actors in television and movies.
The release of season 1 on DVD is a monumental occasion. Broadway Video and Universal Studios managed to secure the rights to every music act, a feat that seems unimaginable given the number of sets with music substitutions. Many SNL fans assumed they'd never see a season set, and had to be content with buying the "best of" discs that have been released to DVD. I was extremely excited when I was told the episodes would be completely uncut, so I was equally disappointed to find out that's not the case.
My introduction to SNL came from my cousins on a family trip to visit my Grandmother in BC. We didn't watch the show together, they just made my brother and I watch them act out a skit where these two people, named Wayne and Garth, spoke funny, and said weird things. We were both younger than they were, and hadn't seen an episode of Saturday Night Live, so we had no idea what they were doing, or whether we should laugh. I eventually saw the real Wayne and Garth, and became a semi-regular viewer of the series for a number of years. I would always tape the show, not because it was on late, but because it had far too many commercials, and I usually didn't care for the musical performances. I can't recall when I stopped watching the show, but I know it was a number of years ago.
The first season set includes 24 episodes on 8 discs. I have a breakdown of every episode at the end of the review. The discs are packaged on a 4-page digipak inside a box. I've heard some people refer to it as flimsy, but I don't think it is at all. It's made from thick cardboard, and closes nicely. It's the same type of package used by HBO for the Deadwood sets.
Disc 1 (3:17:07)
George Carlin (1:05:33)
Paul Simon (1:05:53)
Rob Reiner (1:05:41)
Disc 2 (3:19:03)
Candice Bergen (1:07:45)
Robert Klein (1:06:34)
Lily Tomlin (1:04:44)
The video quality of SNL season 1 is pretty much exactly what I expected it to be, though I may be being slightly generous in my rating of a 7 (I'd say it's more of a 6.5, but we don't do half marks). Most of the show was recorded to tape, though there were a few filmed sequences (which contains a lot of dust and debris). You'll notice some problems, like "comet-tails" as the cameras pan past a light, but that's inherent to pretty much anything shot using tube cameras which were popular in the 70s. There wasn't anything that made me wince, but I wasn't amazed by anything either. There are chapters placed at the start of each sketch, but there isn't a "play all" feature.
Alright, now here's the big problem with the set; it's not uncut, despite assurances from Broadway Video that it would be. The first bit of material missing are the bumpers (the still photos) that would appear before and after the commercial breaks. Broadway Video told me that they don't really consider those part of the show, and they were removed (except for the last bumper) to make the episode on DVD flow better. Some fans will be pissed by that, and others won't care, but it's an edit that was made. A discussion at the Home Theater Forum has turned up more edits, and these are far worse than missing bumpers. A few episodes have things missing from them, like the Wrigley's Gum commercial from the Rob Reiner episode, or the Ambassador Training Institute and New Dad commercials from the Peter Boyle episode. Those last two were rerun commercials (something they did quite often), but the Wrigley Gum commercial is missing from its original airing, and its rerun (in the Buck Henry episode). I've already contacted Broadway Video about the edits, and I'm waiting to hear back from them. These edits may be very minor to you, or they may cause you not to buy the set - that's a decision that you'll have to make; at least all the musical acts are here.
Audio
The SNL season 1 set has a single English stereo track. It sounds alright, though a background hiss can be heard if you listen closely, and some of the audio is a bit muffled (darn 70s microphones).
There are a few people that deserve a round of applause for this DVD set: Peter Afterman, Margaret Yen and Alison Litton. Those are the people that cleared all the music for the DVD set.
Screen Tests (32:13)
Dan Aykroyd (6:07)
John Belushi (3:41)
Chevy Chase (2:50)
Jane Curtin (4:53)
Garret Morris (7:03)
Laraine Newman (2:43)
Gilda Radner (4:56)
Tomorrow Show (4:42)
Lorne Michaels and the gang appeared on Tomorrow Show just before the show aired for the first time. This was great to have on the DVD set. They sat on some pretty horrible studio chairs!
Collector's Booklet
This 32-page book, found inside the box, has some nice behind-the-scenes photos by Edie Baskin.
Summary
While I didn't watch every episode in its entirety, I had a lot of fun watching the first season of Saturday Night Live, and I learned a lot as well. You'll probably laugh at a few of these revelations, but I'll share them anyway:
Kris Kristofferson can sing! I had no idea he was a singer, I thought he was just an actor. I'm not a country music fan, and I was pretty young when he released most of his recordings.
Is it just me, or does Mel Gibson look a bit like George Carlin in his opening monologue? Maybe just a bit?
Billy Crystal has gotten funnier. I didn't really find his appearance on SNL very funny; he's gotten a lot better.
They had problems getting guest hosts. I could be wrong here, but how else do you explain the same person hosting the show twice in a season, and it happened 3 times!
I'm frustrated that there are cuts on this set, especially when I was told it would be completely uncut. The bumpers are debateable cuts, but the others aren't, and it degrades the DVD set. It's still an amazing feat that they cleared all the musical acts in the first season, and hopefully this sells well enough that we'll see season 2 released. I have to wonder whether they'll jump around between the various eras of SNL; I'd like to see some of the Mike Meyers era released, but I'll be an old man if they do the seasons in order. They also need to sell a LOT of copies of this set for us to have a chance of seeing season 2 released.
Here's the complete list of what's on the DVDs, according to the chapters for each episode:
Disc 1 (3:17:07)
George Carlin (1:05:33)
Wolverines
Monologue
New Dad
Billy Preston - "Nothin' From Nothin'"
Trial
Andy Kaufman - Mighty Mouse
Monologue - Questions We All Ask
Janis Ian - "At Seventeen"
Shark Bite
Jamitol Gay
Paul Simon - Next Week Promo
Update 1
Tri-Openin'
Update 2
Muppets
Monologue - Food
Albert Brooks Film - The Impossible Truth
Bee Hospital
Academy of Better Careers
Valri Bromfield
Show Us Your Guns
Monologue - God
Billy Preston - "Fancy Lady"
Home Securities
Triple Track
Janis Ian - "In the Winter"
Goodnights & Credits
Paul Simon (1:05:53)
"Still Crazy"
Monologue - "Loves Me Like a Rock"
Rubin Wallpaper
Paul Simon - "Marie"
Randy Newman - "Sail Away"
Paul & Killer Bees
Update 1
Basketball
Mrs. Robinson - Art's Entrance
Simon & Garfunkel - "The Boxer"
Simon & Garfunkel - "Scarborough Fair"
Simon & Garfunkel - "My Little Town"
Art Garfunkel - "I Only Have Eyes for You"
Muppets
Albert Brooks Film - Parent's Home Video
Phoebe Snow - "No Regrets
Paul, Phoebe & Jesse Dixon Singers - "Gone at Last"
Try-Hard
Paul Simon - "American Tune"
Goodnights & Credits
Rob Reiner (1:05:41)
Wheelchair
Monologue
Pancreas
Fashion Don'ts
Golden Needles
Andy Kaufman - Pop Goes the Weasel
Squeaky
Felina
Lockers
Update 1
People Movers
Update 2
Joe Cocker - "With a Little Help From my Friends"
Muppets
Droolers
Square Dance
Nuns
What Gilda Ate
Albert Brooks Film - Operation
Bees
Goodnights & Credits
Disc 2 (3:19:03)
Candice Bergen (1:07:45)
Ford Speech
Bee Monologue
Ambassador Training Institute
C.I.A.
Jaws 2
Esther Phillips - "What a Difference a Day Makes"
Alas Poor Yurick
Long Distance
Update 1
Tri-Openin'
Update 2
Catherine Deneuve
Andy Kaufman - Nothing Works
Chat
Albert Brooks Film - Super Season
Kiwi Trappers
Crank Call
Muppets
Irk the Turk
Black Perspective
Pong - Girlfriend
Esther Phillips - "I can Stand a Little Rain"
Goodnights & Credits
Robert Klein (1:06:34)
Sherry Norwalk
Monologue
ABBA - "S.O.S."
Pong - Mid-Term Exams
Minute Mystery
Bee Centennial
Loudon Wainwright III - "Bicentennial Certainty"
Greg Allman
Peckinpah
Update 1
Jamitol Straight
Update 2
Exterminators
Fireman
Muppets
Monologue - College
K-Put
Loudon Wainwright III - "Unrequitted to the Nth Degree"
Looks at Books - Emily Litella
Ambassador Training Institute
Robert Klein - "I Can't Stop My Leg"
ABBA - "Waterloo"
Goodnights & Credits
Lily Tomlin (1:04:44)
Oval Office
Monologue
Beethoven 1 - Tie a Yellow Ribbon
All Nurse Band - "St. James' Infirmary"
Tri-Openin'
Jaws 3
Bell-hop
Edith Ann Skates
Beethoven 2 - My Girl
Gilda - Next Week Promo
Update 1
Spud
Update 2
Patty
Muppets - I Got You Babe
Albert Brooks Film - The Impossible Truth
Beethoven 3 - What'd I Say?
Hard Hats
Diet Pills
Margo's Dance Palace
Bee Scat / Credits
Disc 3 (3:20:45)
Richard Pryor (1:06:16)
Restaurant
Monologue
Samurai Hotel
Gil Scott-Heron - "Johannesburg"
Talk Show
New Dad
Line-Up 1
Word Association
Pong - Hockey
Black & White
Update 1
Spud
Update 2
Line-Up 2
L-Pill
Muppets
Line-Up 3
Exorcist 2
Albert Brooks Film - Sick in Bed
Assassination
Shelly Pryor - Christmas Carousel
Monologue - Wino
Gil Scott-Heron - "A Lovely Day"
Goodnights & Credits
Candice Bergen (1:06:40)
Ford / Christmas Tree
Monologue 1
Martha Reeves - "Higher & Higher"
Mel's Char Palace 1
Parent's Nightmare
Bee Capades
Don Digital 1 - Ashtray
The Stylistics - "You Make me Feel Brand New"
K-Put
Latent Elf
Update 1
Princess Grace Tarnoff
Update 2
Laundromat
Pong - Tommy
Muppets
Mel's Char Palace 2
Band of Angels - Walking in a Winter Wonderland
Don Digital 2 - Mood Ring
Minute Mystery
Don Digital 3 - Suit
Martha Reeves - "Silver Bells"
What Gilda Ate
Swedish Christmas
Me;s Char Palace 3
Candy & Kuhn
Homeward Bound
Goodnights & Credits
Elliot Gould (1:07:49)
Dead String Quartet
Monologue
Try-Hard
Interior Demolitionists
Godfather Therapy
Shimmer
Weis Film - Play Misty for me
Gilda & Elliott - Dressing Room
Anne Murray - "Long Distance Call"
Update 1
Jamitol Gay
Update 2
Killer Bees - Fire Director
Gilda & Elliott - Mom
Albert Brooks Film - Audience Research
Gilda & Elliott - Happy Together
Muppets
Leboyer Birthright
Anne Murray - "Boogie With You"
Franken & Davis - Bureau of White Man Affairs
Goodnights & Credits
Disc 4 (3:20:02)
Buck Henry (1:06:06)
Suicide Prevention
Monologue
Samurai Deli
Kennedy Talk
Ford Press Conference
Bill Withers - "Ain't No Sunshine"
Evelyn Woodski
Update 1
Germasol
Update 2
Citizen Kane 2
Muppets
Triple Track
Toni Basil - "Wham"
Mechanics Bedtime Story
Why Call it Dope?
Weis Film - Who's Funny?
King Bee
Mr. Mike - Mike Douglas
Constipation
Goodnight & Credits
Peter Cook & Dudley Moore (1:06:42)
Bob Squad
Monologue
Utah Prison
Neil Sedaka - "Breaking Up is Hard to do"
Holiday in an Elevator
Update 1
People Movers
Update 2
The Frog & Peach
Weis Film - Novelty Store
Sonny & Cher
Gilda & Skred
Neil Sedaka - "Lonely Night"
Backstage Banter
Lovers
Operating Room
Gospel Truth
Goodnights & Credits
Dick Cavett (1:07:14)
Voodoo Doll
Monologue
Hunter Sketch
Dick Cavett Auto School
Jimmy Cliff - "The Harder They Come"
H & L Brock 1
Update 1
Felina
Update 2
Cavett Hydroplane
Our Town
Jimmy Cliff - "Many Rivers to Cross"
Cavett Look Alike
Weis Film - Clothing Designer & Plastic Surgeon
Dance to the Nation
H & L Brock 2
Nebraska Pimp
Jimmy Cliff - "Wahjaka Man"
H & L Brock 3
Home Movie - The Apple Follies
Al Alen Petersen
Goodnights & Credits
Disc 5 (3:15:49)
Peter Boyle (1:02:53)
St. Valentine's Day
Monologue
Corrida
Samurai Divorce Court
The Shapiro Sisters - Everlasting Love
Acid Trip
Al Jarreau - "We Got By"
Update 1
K-Put
Update 2
Tag Team Bees
Nixon Reflects
Weis Film - Pledge Allegiance
Duelling Brandos
Janitor in a Fridge
A Home Movie
Valentine's Day Card
Al Jarreau - "Pretty as a Picture"
Weis Film - Homeward Bound
Goodnights & Credits
Desi Arnaz (1:06:34)
Ford's Shrink
Monologue
Rubin Carter
Impotence
Vampire
Habberwocky
Very White
The Lucy Show
Update 1
Diet Pills
Update 2
Untouchables
Lucy & Ethel Intro
Cuban Pete
Weis Film - Pet Talk with Taylor Mead
Cuban Acupuncture
Double Talk
Bisexual Minute
Lucy Intro - Desi Book
Babalu / Goodnights & Credits
Jill Clayburgh (1:06:22)
Chevy & Lorne
Monologue
Herstory - Anna Freud
Guidance Counselor
Leon Redbone - "Ain't Misbehavin'"
White Guilt Relief Fund
Herstory - Isadora Duncan
Update 1
H & L Brock - Religion
Update 2
Coast Guard Choir - Sea Cruise
Car Yummies
The Milkman
Gary Weis - Wegman
Andy Kaufman - Old MacDonald
Restaurant
Leon Redbone - "Big Time Woman"
Herstory - Indira Gandhi
Home Movie - Mr. Bill
Grable & Lombard / Goodnights & Credits
Disc 6 (3:21:54)
Anthony Perkins (1:07:34)
Chevy at Desk
Monologue
Marijuana 1
Hello Dolly Therapy
Household Hints
Bates Motel
Muppets 1
Betty Carter - "Music Maestro Please & Swing Brother Swing"
Marijuana 2
Update 1
Shopping Center
Update 2
Happy Hour
Muppets 2
Marijuana 3
Weis Film - Cats & Dogs
You Got a Bee
Coming Attractions
Home Movie - Peanut Fever
Better Carter - "I Can't Help It"
Butt Country
Muppets / Goodnight & Credits
Ron Nessen (1:06:39)
Gerald Ford / Dead String Quartet
Monologue
Bassomatic
Oval Office
Fluckers
Patti Smith Group - "Gloria"
Press Secretaries Throughout History 1
Lie Detector
New Army
Update 1
Rubin Wallpaper
Update 2
Weis Film - Garbage
Autumn Fizz
Snyder
Home Movie - Men's Room Urinal
Press Secretaries Throughout History 2
Supreme Court
Press Secretaries Throughout History 3
Billy Crystal
Cliche
Patti Smith Group - "My Generation"
Goodnights & Credits
Raquel Welch (1:07:41)
Presidential Candidates
Monologue
Purina Rat Chow
Decibet
Muppets 1
Phoebe Snow - "All Over"
Claudine Longet Ski
Polaroid
Herstory - Howard Hughes
Jane Curtin - Next Week Promo
Update 1
Bisexual Minute
Update 2
John Sebastian - "Welcome Back"
Beatle Offer
One Flew Over the Hornet's Nest
Equal time
Weis Film - Raquel
Phoebe Snow - "Two Fisted Love"
Ain't Necessarily So
Muppets 2
Shirt Off / Goodnights & Credits
Disc 7 (3:19:13)
Madeline Kahn (1:05:58)
Ronald Reagan
Monologue
Wilderness Comedian
Not For Ladies Only
Slumber Party
Fondue
Muppets
I Feel Pretty
Update 1
Panty Hose
Update 2
Carly Simon - "You're So Vain" & "Half a Chance"
Final Days
Weis Film - No Reason to Leave New York
Follow Him
Parakeet
Lost in the Stars
Goodnights & Credits
Dyan Cannon (1:06:26)
Chevy's Repeat Fall
Monologue
Soft Drink Test
Hearing Test
Dead Delivery Boy
Bulgaria This Winter
Leon & Mary Russel - "I Want to Satisfy You"
Buck, Gilda & Laraine - Next Week Promo
Update 1
Anita Bryant
Update 2
Funeral
Weis Film - Niagara Falls
Bathwater of the Stars
Marine
Leon & Mary Russel - "Daylight"
Johnny Angel
Cresk
Home Movie - The Hub Cap Theif
Goodnights & Credits
Buck Henry (1:06:49)
Crutches
Monologue
Peter Lemon Mood Ring
Samurai Tailor
Phone-in Talk Back
Toads
Gordon Lightfoot - "Summertime Dream"
Polaroid
Update 1
Germasol
Update 2
Crowd
Beatle Offer 2
Baba Wawa & Lina
Weis Film - Toilet Seats
Sex Talk
Gordon Lightfoot - "Spanish Moss"
Garrett Song
Mr. Mike - Tony Orlando & Dawn
Goodnights & Credits
Disc 8 (3:19:05)
Elliott Gould (1:06:01)
Wax Museum
Monologue
Academy of Better Careers
Card Game
Uvula
Leon Redbone - "Shine on Harvest Moon"
Star Trek
Muppet Postcard
Update 1
Vibramatic
Update 2
Shirley Temple
Weis Film - Dance & Singing Teacher
The Honeymooners
Leon Redbone - "Walking Stick"
People Movers
Harlan Collins & Joyce Everson - "Heaven Only Knows"
