Have you ever wondered if you could host Saturday Night Live? Well, Season Three of the show tried to answer that question, as the show held an “Anyone Can Host” contest, selecting from over a hundred thousand postcards members of the public had sent in.
The syndication point is key. It was the only way back then (when I was growing up!) you'd see these sketches multiple times. A point I didn't make on the show is because this cast began with nothing built, the show itself was constucted around its strengths. No one else in the future has that advantage. Adjustments are made, of course, but certain expectations were set by this first cast and what the accomplished.
One more reason occurred to me after posting… not scientific at all, but I’m willing to bet 25% of the content in the syndicated shows featured Steve Martin, the best guest host the show ever had…
And IIRC, a few of those syndicated packaged shows had Steve integrated into the cast, between Curtin and Morris. No other host, even Buck, Candi, or Elliot, got that treatment!
Now I’m looking through the seasons list on SNLArchives and I’m calling Michael Che out for a BAD JOB WITH CONTINUITY! Can’t find a place in Season 3 for Mandela Effecting “her” onto a Season 3 episode.
Although “she” would be perfect for appearing on Season 2’s Julian Bond episode! Especially with Che’s joke “she marched with Doctor King” since Bond was a King associate back in those days.
I know, it’s just a WU Joke Swap bit, just having some fun with it ;)
A couple of comments regarding your talk about the nerds sketches. "Nerd" was in use on Happy Days before SNL picked it up, and it caught on at my high school. "That's so funny I forgot to laugh" was in use in grade school playgrounds in the 60s. The writers weren't so much creating something new at times but were bringing in taunts the audience would've known.
I don't remember whether Elvis Costello had a big reception at his SNL appearance in 1977. It was his first American tour, and I don't think anyone knew what to expect since almost no one had seen. About three weeks before that I saw him play at a little club in New Orleans. He absolutely electrified the crowd. https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Concert_1977-11-23_New_Orleans
Thanks for the comments! And we appreciate you being a part of this. Be sure to share with friends or others who might be interested. That's a big part of building what we are doing.
Further thoughts on "the original cast was the best": I would cite several reasons why this has been the prevailing view for many over the years: 1. They were there first and became the image of the show for many. 2. This cast went into old-school syndication in the early 80s, and the episodes were cut to 30 minutes, focusing on the very best material and memory-holing all the trash. Back then, no one saw the full shows in reruns. 3. Season 6 was a disaster, which made the original cast look even better.
The Big 4 of Chase, Murray, Aykroyd, Belushi and Radner having HUGE successes off the bat in the early 80s helps as well
Tragically, the passings of Belushi and Radner in the same decade, within 15 years in fact, probably did help elevate those two a shade more than what reality says about their runs.
The syndication point is key. It was the only way back then (when I was growing up!) you'd see these sketches multiple times. A point I didn't make on the show is because this cast began with nothing built, the show itself was constucted around its strengths. No one else in the future has that advantage. Adjustments are made, of course, but certain expectations were set by this first cast and what the accomplished.
-Scot
One more reason occurred to me after posting… not scientific at all, but I’m willing to bet 25% of the content in the syndicated shows featured Steve Martin, the best guest host the show ever had…
And IIRC, a few of those syndicated packaged shows had Steve integrated into the cast, between Curtin and Morris. No other host, even Buck, Candi, or Elliot, got that treatment!
Now I’m looking through the seasons list on SNLArchives and I’m calling Michael Che out for a BAD JOB WITH CONTINUITY! Can’t find a place in Season 3 for Mandela Effecting “her” onto a Season 3 episode.
Although “she” would be perfect for appearing on Season 2’s Julian Bond episode! Especially with Che’s joke “she marched with Doctor King” since Bond was a King associate back in those days.
I know, it’s just a WU Joke Swap bit, just having some fun with it ;)
Too bad this came out in August. Could have had fun with “Hattie Davis” if this was recorded within the last few weeks ;)
A couple of comments regarding your talk about the nerds sketches. "Nerd" was in use on Happy Days before SNL picked it up, and it caught on at my high school. "That's so funny I forgot to laugh" was in use in grade school playgrounds in the 60s. The writers weren't so much creating something new at times but were bringing in taunts the audience would've known.
I don't remember whether Elvis Costello had a big reception at his SNL appearance in 1977. It was his first American tour, and I don't think anyone knew what to expect since almost no one had seen. About three weeks before that I saw him play at a little club in New Orleans. He absolutely electrified the crowd. https://www.elviscostello.info/wiki/index.php?title=Concert_1977-11-23_New_Orleans
I'm really enjoying the show, and you're sparking a lot of memories. Keep it up!
Thanks for the comments! And we appreciate you being a part of this. Be sure to share with friends or others who might be interested. That's a big part of building what we are doing.
Further thoughts on "the original cast was the best": I would cite several reasons why this has been the prevailing view for many over the years: 1. They were there first and became the image of the show for many. 2. This cast went into old-school syndication in the early 80s, and the episodes were cut to 30 minutes, focusing on the very best material and memory-holing all the trash. Back then, no one saw the full shows in reruns. 3. Season 6 was a disaster, which made the original cast look even better.
The Big 4 of Chase, Murray, Aykroyd, Belushi and Radner having HUGE successes off the bat in the early 80s helps as well
Tragically, the passings of Belushi and Radner in the same decade, within 15 years in fact, probably did help elevate those two a shade more than what reality says about their runs.