Saturday Night Live 1975

[MoireBass]

Wow. Without more info, kinda sounds like another example in the long running series "the-boomers-did-it-first-when-it-was-daring/subsequently-it's-been-marketed-revised-simplified-defanged-resold-for-later-generations":

"Saturday Night Live 1975"
Who's who in SNL 1975: See the actors who will portray the iconic Saturday Night Live comedians on the big screen


(Wonder how they'll handle the topic of comedic 'accelerants' by the early SNL cast.)

On another note: Saturday Night Live used to feature exciting up-and-coming bands, what happened? Other than dinosaurs like Springsteen and McCartney, seems like all the musical guests for years are rappers with dancers and the same acts that are being heavily promoted elsewhere. Is SNL pay-for-play now? They once offered the Beatles $3000 to appear.....

 

[fhm555]

Not sure about SNL, but the original cast was drawn heavily, if not exclusively, from the Second City Comedy crew. When I was overseas with the USMC, the same people were doing comic sketch PSA’s for AAFES on themes like “always read a contract before signing”. They did a bit about a whipped topping that was also a floor wax, another about a hedge trimmer that was also a shag carpet trimmer, and a raft of other very funny 30 second skits. A few years later when I got out and went home, I was pleasantly surprised to find those same people on SNL.
Hope they can do them justice.

 

[Ostie]

In 1975, the Beatles wouldn’t get out of bed for $3000. Never mind the fact that they weren’t speaking to each other.

 

[Michedelic]

Wow. Without more info, kinda sounds like another example in the long running series "the-boomers-did-it-first-when-it-was-daring/subsequently-it's-been-marketed-revised-simplified-defanged-resold-for-later-generations":

"Saturday Night Live 1975"
Who's who in SNL 1975: See the actors who will portray the iconic Saturday Night Live comedians on the big screen


(Wonder how they'll handle the topic of comedic 'accelerants' by the early SNL cast.)

On another note: Saturday Night Live used to feature exciting up-and-coming bands, what happened? Other than dinosaurs like Springsteen and McCartney, seems like all the musical guests for years are rappers with dancers and the same acts that are being heavily promoted elsewhere. Is SNL pay-for-play now? They once offered the Beatles $3000 to appear.....

You jealous, bro? It’s interesting that the film is being mounted by a Gen-X, almost Millenial director.

Not sure about SNL, but the original cast was drawn heavily, if not exclusively, from the Second City Comedy crew. When I was overseas with the USMC, the same people were doing comic sketch PSA’s for AAFES on themes like “always read a contract before signing”. They did a bit about a whipped topping that was also a floor wax, another about a hedge trimmer that was also a shag carpet trimmer, and a raft of other very funny 30 second skits. A few years later when I got out and went home, I was pleasantly surprised to find those same people on SNL.
Hope they can do them justice.

In 1975, the Beatles wouldn’t get out of bed for $3000. Never mind the fact that they weren’t speaking to each other.

The Beatles offer was an ironic, absurd joke(yes, kids, irony wasn’t just invented last week either). At least Harrison showed up once.
Sure, there was the Second City connection, but just as strong was the National Lampoon breeding ground…”NL” was a savage at times satire magazine that started in 1970, a spin-off of a Harvard student humor publication, a forunner of stuff like The Onion. Before all the films that ultimately got bogged down by a lack of humor, they mounted a number of live stage comedy reviews and sarcastic albums that featured a great number of the original SNL cast.
In concept, SNL was an edgy for its time thing, but by no means original. You had the precedent of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In, which in many ways got away with quite a bit more of humor that was pushing the envelope, let alone doing it in prime-time. Then, in other realms of pre-SNL hippie era humor, there was the Firesign Theater, who, when they were dead on it, were scathing with their satire. Other times, they were just silly, but that’s the law of averages. There was also the transformation of George Carlin from shtick to social commentary, let alone Richard Pryor telling everyone what time it was, with Dick Gregory before him. Plenty of the early SNL skits were awful and just stupid or forced.
In a way SNL wasn’t that revolutionary because all those others blazed a trail, and it was broadcast late for the stoner/party crowd and hidden away. As for musical acts now, well, they’re trying to appeal to a younger audience. Take the quality control issue up with Gen Z.
Otherwise, no, Boomers didn’t do it first. In the late 50’s, there was the phenomenon of Sick Humor, which pointed out how messed up things were back when America was supposedly ‘great’. Lenny Bruce was the most brutal, and he paid dearly for that, but more mainstream were people like Mort Sahl, Shelley Berman, Nichols and May.

 

[pcake]

i was in school with laraine for a while. it's weird to think of someone playing her in anything...

 

[buldog5151bass]

I remember the early years. Until the mid 80s, it was hip enough for college kids to be watching, not their parents. Sometimes the bits were hilarious. Sometimes they were stillborn. And yes, they tended to have bigger names for musical guests. This was back in the days where most bands were hoping to break even touring, so a chance to reach that many record buyers was an incentive.

 

[fhm555]

…Sure, there was the Second City connection, but just as strong was the National Lampoon breeding ground…”NL” was a savage at times satire magazine that started in 1970, a spin-off of a Harvard student humor publication, a forunner of stuff like The Onion. Before all the films that ultimately got bogged down by a lack of humor, they mounted a number of live stage comedy reviews and sarcastic albums that featured a great number of the original SNL cast.
In concept, SNL was an edgy for its time thing, but by no means original. You had the precedent of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In, which in many ways got away with quite a bit more of humor that was pushing the envelope, let alone doing it in prime-time. Then, in other realms of pre-SNL hippie era humor, there was the Firesign Theater, who, when they were dead on it, were scathing with their satire. Other times, they were just silly, but that’s the law of averages. There was also the transformation of George Carlin from shtick to social commentary, let alone Richard Pryor telling everyone what time it was, with Dick Gregory before him. Plenty of the early SNL skits were awful and just stupid or forced.
In a way SNL wasn’t that revolutionary because all those others blazed a trail, and it was broadcast late for the stoner/party crowd and hidden away. As for musical acts now, well, they’re trying to appeal to a younger audience. Take the quality control issue up with Gen Z.
Otherwise, no, Boomers didn’t do it first. In the late 50’s, there was the phenomenon of Sick Humor, which pointed out how messed up things were back when America was supposedly ‘great’. Lenny Bruce was the most brutal, and he paid dearly for that, but more mainstream were people like Mort Sahl, Shelley Berman, Nichols and May.

Preaching to the choir on National Lampoon. P.J. O’Rourke, Doug Kenny, and Chris Miller were geniuses. I read it cover to cover multiple times every month. Comics like Vinny Shinblind, VD Comics, etc. Stories like Stacked Like Me and The Night of the Seven Fires, ad parodies like a still from the floating VW ad with the caption, “If Ted Kennedy drove a Volkswagen he’d be president today and The NatLamCo Orifice Protector Kit. My favorite illustrated story was their Tales From the Crypt parody, Tales From the South, where George Wallace ran his wife for governor while feeding her poisoned Colonel Manders Kentucky Fried Coons so she would die of cancer and he could take back over as Governor. Even their subscription card insert was a masterpiece, a hotdog checking it’s mail, holding a letter reading, “YOU MAY ALREADY BE A WIENER!!”
TBH, NL was a major influence on my worldview when I was in high school. Without it I have little doubt I’d have died from terminal boredom.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Wow. Without more info, kinda sounds like another example in the long running series "the-boomers-did-it-first-when-it-was-daring/subsequently-it's-been-marketed-revised-simplified-defanged-resold-for-later-generations":

"Saturday Night Live 1975"
Who's who in SNL 1975: See the actors who will portray the iconic Saturday Night Live comedians on the big screen


(Wonder how they'll handle the topic of comedic 'accelerants' by the early SNL cast.)

On another note: Saturday Night Live used to feature exciting up-and-coming bands, what happened? Other than dinosaurs like Springsteen and McCartney, seems like all the musical guests for years are rappers with dancers and the same acts that are being heavily promoted elsewhere. Is SNL pay-for-play now? They once offered the Beatles $3000 to appear.....

I'm not understanding the outrage about the movie. I also don't understand the SNL hate that's been going on since the original cast left.

First- the old casts were not as good as you remember them. The Not Ready For Prime Time Players sketches had the same ratio of duds to hits as other seasons- if not more. You just remember the funny stuff and see the highlights.

Second- there's an amazing phenomenon that's happened since 1980- where the current cast sucks and all the previous cast members are comedic geniuses. And when a new cast arrives, the the previous one that just sucked is miraculously turned into geniuses.

Third- the show has been running for almost 50 years. Regardless of anything- that's worthy of a story in and of itself.

Fourth- The show is written, edited, produced and performed live in one week. Year after year.

Fifth- People did/do the drugs... oh no.

Sixth- You might wish to run down the list of musical guests to see the ratio of established vs "up and coming" acts.

List of Saturday Night Live episodes (seasons 1–30) - Wikipedia

Seventh- Rappers with dancers are on SNL because that's what the kids are into these days.

Eighth- Yes, considerations are given to SNL for an act to appear. It's pretty much the ultimate "exposure" gig.

Ninth- George Harrison tried getting the $3000 by showing up, and Lorne would only pay him $750- which George called "chintzy."

Tenth- This just in, Generalissimo Franciso Franco is still dead.

 

[Tom Bomb]

Way back, it trickled down under
​

 

[gln1955]

SNL was a lot funnier as a drunk college student on Saturday night than it was seeing the same episodes sober later on. It has always been a mix of creative comedy and time-filling dregs.

 

[Bob_Ross]

In 1975, the Beatles wouldn’t get out of bed for $3000. Never mind the fact that they weren’t speaking to each other.

The Beatles offer was an ironic, absurd joke

George Harrison tried getting the $3000 by showing up, and Lorne would only pay him $750- which George called "chintzy."

Paul McCartney tells the story that he was actually over at John Lennon's apartment watching SNL when Lorne Michaels made that offer on the air...and that they briefly entertained the idea of hopping in a cab and heading over to the studio, before conceding that it was late and they were tired (or drunk, or stoned, or whatever).

 

[ElectroVibe]

To me it seems like comedy in general was more of a 70s and 80s phenomenon. At least a certain type of comedy.

 

[ElectroVibe]

Paul McCartney tells the story that he was actually over at John Lennon's apartment watching SNL when Lorne Michaels made that offer on the air...and that they briefly entertained the idea of hopping in a cab and heading over to the studio, before conceding that it was late and they were tired (or drunk, or stoned, or whatever).

I remember. Maybe the producers of the show knew that.

 

[spiritbass]

You jealous, bro? It’s interesting that the film is being mounted by a Gen-X, almost Millenial director.





The Beatles offer was an ironic, absurd joke(yes, kids, irony wasn’t just invented last week either). At least Harrison showed up once.
Sure, there was the Second City connection, but just as strong was the National Lampoon breeding ground…”NL” was a savage at times satire magazine that started in 1970, a spin-off of a Harvard student humor publication, a forunner of stuff like The Onion. Before all the films that ultimately got bogged down by a lack of humor, they mounted a number of live stage comedy reviews and sarcastic albums that featured a great number of the original SNL cast.
In concept, SNL was an edgy for its time thing, but by no means original. You had the precedent of Rowan and Martin’s Laugh In, which in many ways got away with quite a bit more of humor that was pushing the envelope, let alone doing it in prime-time. Then, in other realms of pre-SNL hippie era humor, there was the Firesign Theater, who, when they were dead on it, were scathing with their satire. Other times, they were just silly, but that’s the law of averages. There was also the transformation of George Carlin from shtick to social commentary, let alone Richard Pryor telling everyone what time it was, with Dick Gregory before him. Plenty of the early SNL skits were awful and just stupid or forced.
In a way SNL wasn’t that revolutionary because all those others blazed a trail, and it was broadcast late for the stoner/party crowd and hidden away. As for musical acts now, well, they’re trying to appeal to a younger audience. Take the quality control issue up with Gen Z.
Otherwise, no, Boomers didn’t do it first. In the late 50’s, there was the phenomenon of Sick Humor, which pointed out how messed up things were back when America was supposedly ‘great’. Lenny Bruce was the most brutal, and he paid dearly for that, but more mainstream were people like Mort Sahl, Shelley Berman, Nichols and May.

I was right there in New York (on Governor's Island) when SNL started up. I still kick myself for not attending one of their performances...

 

[GwennyG]

I remember. Maybe the producers of the show knew that.

Would have won either way. But wasn't it a $1,000 check, that Lorne Michaels showed the camera and said he'd talked NBC into it and it was their final offer?

 

[Killing Floor]

Most of the musical acts are still up and comers. But people who were staying up to watch in the 70s-80s don’t generally like today’s up and comers. That’s too bad. Music is a moving target.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

SNL deserves some credit for it's longevity.

I was too young to appreciate the original cast and never really watched it until we happened to catch an episode with Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri. Started to watch it and liked it for awhile. After a few cast changes we lost interest. Just my thought but like anything you remember the "original" thing and are let down by the sequels.

 

[gln1955]

Its longevity is as much as anything, due to nobody coming up with a better idea of a show that is cheap to produce with a built-in audience of drunk young people whose standards are fairly low. You can check into or out of SNL at anytime and be entertained. A boring desk talk show won't cut it.

 

[hbarcat]

In the 1980s and 90s, high school kids couldn't wait until Monday to discuss the latest episode of SNL. It was among the coolest, most popular social phenomema of the day for teenagers and young adults in their 20s. The numbers don't lie.

That time is long gone. I won't give my opinion on the reasons why, because that's highly subjective and contentious, but SNL has most definitely lost its relevance to America's youth.

Tellingly, SNL's most frequent viewers are those between age 30 - 44, but they're far less enthusiastic about the show than vintage fans were. Surveys of this demographic reveal that most of them are tuning in out of habit and nostalgia for the show's peak of popularity in the 90s, not because they think it's cool or that it's particularly relevant to today's society.