SNL Season 2 (1 Viewer)

[Cheetah]

I think you are referring to “Diary of a Young Comic”.

Amazon.com: Diary of a Young Comic - Richard Lewis: Richard Lewis,Stacey Keach,Dom De Luise,Bill Macy,George Jessel: Video

I saw that promo also and may still have it on tape. The special originally aired February 3, 1979, the week after Michael Palin / The Doobie Brothers. It says in the description that it was directed by Gary Weis and “was first offered to the world as a one-shot replacement for SNL in 1979.”

 

[Mark Y]

I know this is beyond trivial, but I remember watching "The Best Of Saturday Night Live" during Season 5 (1979-1980). As I recall, that started with a couple of prime-time specials the previous year (1978-1979). Then in the fall of 1979, they had a weekly series of one-hour "best of" shows (sometimes, as in the case of the Elliott Gould show, 90 minutes). It aired Wednesday nights at 9:00 (Central) and was later moved to Fridays (or maybe the other way around). Earlier in the run, the show would have one main host (like the regular live show) and for instance, if it was Steve Martin, they'd usually combine segments from more than one episode, so you'd have all eight of the "main" cast members including Chevy Chase and Bill Murray. The opening montage was like the Season 4-5 opening, but only one shot of each cast member (rather than two like in the regular opening) with Chase added. The closing was cross-faded after the "goodnights" and used a bunch of Edie Baskin photos (like the guy playing pinball, etc., or sometimes pics of that week's host). I remember for the Michael Palin episode, since it included the entire "Miles Copperwaithe," they used stuff from two different Palin episodes so Chevy Chase didn't appear that week. Later in the season, they stopped having one main "guest host" and it would just say: Starring Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, etc. and then after the cast and musical guest, Don Pardo would say, for example, "and special guests Elliott Gould and Rick Nelson." They used the Season 4-5 intro on these shows, even after the opening montage was changed in the new Season 5 shows...I remember some very recent skits being reused in some of these shows which had just aired in new Season 5 shows.

Specific guest hosts I personally remember: Steve Martin, Elliott Gould, Fran Tarkenton, Michael Palin, Candice Bergen (for the Christmas show), Jill Clayburgh, (I think) Richard Pryor (this one was aired just after the real-life incident where he got burned up from smoking in bed, at least I think I recall that).

Completely inconsequential, I know. But I wonder if Lorne Michaels/Broadway Video saved a set of these shows? (As far as I know, each one only aired once.)

 

[bjdwsm]

Has anyone received any advanced copies? I'm curious about how intact the episodes are.

 

[texboil]

I saw a review in the Tuscon Weekly of all places. Mentions a Belushi wardrobe test and the Summer special.

Don't seek out the review if you're a Garrett Morris fan.

 

[AnthonyC]

I'm still looking for a good review that details what's included and what isn't...although I did find the chapter list at bn.com.

 

[Stephen Wight]

Sitcomsonline.com has a review posted.

 

[Mark Y]

Just got this set last night, and obviously I have not had a chance to watch everything, but kind of skimmed through it and watched a couple shows. A few things to mention:

The season premiere episode with Steve Martin (Show #47, 9/24/77) has a repeat of the second "Beatles Offer" from Season 1 inserted. I looked at a couple different sites that list the skits in each show and they don't list this for that episode (if I recall correctly, it originally aired in the Raquel Welch episode from Season 1 -- this is the second offer, where Lorne Michaels raises the fee to $3200). My specifics might not be 100% correct on that. I didn't notice anything missing from that episode, but haven't gone over everything with a fine-tooth comb (yet).

The Weekend Update teasers are included!

Todd is called "Todd La Bounta" at least once (not muted) in the science fair skit in show #64 (again hosted by Steve Martin, 4/22/78).

Having watched all of Season 1 and most of Season 2 in sequence...this is starting to look like the SNL I remember, but one thing kind of jumped out at me for the first time, and that is that right at the top of Season 3, now all of a sudden this seems like a big-time rock & roll arena show, where before, it was kind of like "our hip little secret" for viewers who had found the show. The cast really does seem to gel and they do seem to be hitting their stride, but now the audience is going crazy, whooping it up when the Festrunk Brothers come out, etc. I imagine for the cast, on one hand that must have been very gratifying, while possibly being annoying at the same time. I've read stuff about how things changed for them once they became "stars," but it's weird how I never picked up on the energy inside that studio being exchanged between the cast and the audience, until now. (When I was watching the show originally, I came into it part way through the third season, and at that point, they would do three live shows a month and take a week off, where they'd usually have a rerun of an earlier show. So maybe I never noticed the "shift," as it were, because I hadn't seen all these shows in their original context.)

Anyway, sorry for rambling. I'm also impressed with how consistently good the material is...every skit is not a classic, but given that these people were doing a live 90-minute show three times a month, it's remarkably consistent. I appreciate even more now the things like "Theodoric Of York," which are period pieces and assume the viewer has at least some knowledge or awareness of history. They didn't "dumb it down" or play down to a audience (well, not too much, anyway), and I have to respect them for that.

 

[bjdwsm]

Did the end credit sequence of the first show have a Don Pardo voiceover? I know the Beatles repeat offer showed up in the rerun version of the show (Kromega and Royal Deluxe don't appear at all though, and Acid Generation from the next episode is edited in).

 

[Mark Y]

I'll have to watch it again, but I am pretty sure I remember Don Pardo's voice-over being on there. Both Kromega and Royal Deluxe II are in the Steve Martin episode. The Acid Generation film is in the following episode, with Madeline Kahn.

These lists on the internet...like Frank Serpas' list and so forth...what are they based on? I notice sometimes a discrepancy in a show's running order and so forth...I'm learning a lot of stuff about these shows I didn't know before. I never realized so much tampering had been done to the reruns on NBC (I thought they had reserved most of that for the syndicated reruns).

 

[bjdwsm]

Most of the episode guides are based on a combination of tape listings (live if available) and other notes. The versions of Steve Martin / Jackson Browne show that ran in the last 10-11 years were all from a fall 1978 repeat broadcast, and while the original show content was listed in the other notes the rundown order was not included there.

 

[Sam Favate]

Has anyone gotten season 3 yet? Mine arrived today. I got the "limited edition" with the postcards, but there is no booklet like in the previous seasons. Am I missing something or did it not come with one?

 

[AnthonyC]

I didn't get a booklet either with the limited edition, but I noticed there isn't one mentioned on the slip. The postcards are kind of a weak alternative to be honest, but I knew they couldn't continue doing the booklets forever. I'm just thrilled that we have another season.

 

[TonyD]

just making my way through season 2 now.

i'm surprised no one has mentioned the buck henry near serious head injury
from belushi clocking him with the sword.
it was always clear the sword was real and confirmed when henry
got a little too close to belushi as he was chopping the wall away.

ouch, buck was clearly hit pretty good with the sword as it opened a big gash on his forhead and blood immediately appears.
then he composes himself to finish the sketch as he has to jump out a window that belushi chopped into the wall.
but the wall collapses under buck as he is clinbing out and he looks like he falls pretty hard.

i'm sure there was padding under there but wow what a sketch.

 

[Radioman970]

Hum...coincidence: I just watched the first Steve Martin eps from S2, and next saturday night will be Buck Henry. I was wondering which Buck Henry that moment happens.

You know, Belushi sure didn't appear much in the Steve Martin episode. At first I thought he was absent that night or something. Chase appeared too much. In fact, after Martin's hilarious opening act, Chase followed with a commerical parody that was funny, but seemed much less so thanks to Martin.

I haven't bought S3 yet, but I did get a booklet with S2. It's very nice. But I would would not have gotten bent out of shape if it hadn't been there.

 

[Kevin EK]

I tried to indicate the episodes where a lot of this stuff happens in my review here. I agree that the Buck Henry sword accident was a bit harsh - he even commented on it later to say that he felt he misplayed it at the time when he tried to cover. But the gag that all the players wind up bandaged up with him by the end of the show is truly inspired. And there are also some websites that list the sketches for each episode of SNL over the years.

 

[TonyD]

i found your review kevin, great job on that.
i did see that you mentioned the accident too.
you were the only one to mention the accident.

unfortunately the review rather quickly ended up archived so now no one
can post a response.

i think the sword must have made more appearances despite the injury.
i don't remember seeing Samurai night fever yet?

i always that Samurai night fever was the first apearance of the character.

 

[AnthonyC]

The samurai's first appearance is in the first season's Richard Pryor episode.

Samurai Night Fever is from the OJ Simpson episode in season 3.

 

[TonyD]

thanks anthony, i searched samurai night fever and found a wiki page for all the samurai appearances.
there were plenty after the near decapitation of buck henry.



just kidding, sure looked like it dazed him for a second though.