1st Saturday Night Live

Discussion:

(too old to reply)

Lars Eighner

2008-06-29 16:22:02 UTC

If you read alt.obituaries you've probably already read answers to this
one.

Last night they reran the first SLN. It was hosted by George Carlin, and
his monologue included the line about when you watch crowd scenes in old
movies, do you ever wonder how many of them are dead. So how many
performers in the first SLN are dead.

While you are working that one out, we are puzzled as to how this alleged
beagle warped to NY to appear on the Today show this morning. It really was
her spitting image, including giantness.

--
Lars Eighner <http://larseighner.com/> ***@larseighner.com
Countdown: 204 days to go.

Jeff Wisnia

2008-06-30 17:41:08 UTC

Permalink

Post by Lars Eighner
If you read alt.obituaries you've probably already read answers to this
one.
Last night they reran the first SLN. It was hosted by George Carlin, and
his monologue included the line about when you watch crowd scenes in old
movies, do you ever wonder how many of them are dead. So how many
performers in the first SLN are dead.
While you are working that one out, we are puzzled as to how this alleged
beagle warped to NY to appear on the Today show this morning. It really was
her spitting image, including giantness.

SWMBO and I saw it, and frankly neither of us were that impressed.

I think that SNL has improved greatly since that first show, but maybe
we're comparing what we're used to with what we've forgotten.

Anyone else notice that the titles on that show all read "Saturday
Night" without the word "Live"?

When did they made it a "live" show?

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia
(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)
The speed of light is 1.8*10^12 furlongs per fortnight.

Opus the Penguin

2008-06-30 19:24:29 UTC

Permalink

Post by Jeff Wisnia

Post by Lars Eighner
If you read alt.obituaries you've probably already read answers
to this one.
Last night they reran the first SLN. It was hosted by George
Carlin, and his monologue included the line about when you watch
crowd scenes in old movies, do you ever wonder how many of them
are dead. So how many performers in the first SLN are dead.
While you are working that one out, we are puzzled as to how this
alleged beagle warped to NY to appear on the Today show this
morning. It really was her spitting image, including giantness.

SWMBO and I saw it, and frankly neither of us were that impressed.
I think that SNL has improved greatly since that first show, but
maybe we're comparing what we're used to with what we've
forgotten.
Anyone else notice that the titles on that show all read "Saturday
Night" without the word "Live"?
When did they made it a "live" show?

Here's a distillation of what wiki says:

It was always live except when Richard Pryor and Andrew Dice Clay
hosted. Then it was on a 7-second delay.

The name "Saturday Night Live" was originally owned by ABC. Saturday
Night Live with Howard Cosell ran on ABC from September 1975 to
January 1976. NBC purchased the rights to the name later that year
but did not officially change the title of the show until March 26,
1977.

Prior to that the show was "NBC's Saturday Night" and was generally
referred to simply as "Saturday Night". You remember the drill.
They'd have a cold opening leading up to a punchline or a denoument
where one of the actors would break character, look at the camera,
and say, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"

I guess this means that at the beginning the announcer DIDN'T follow
that by saying "It's Saturday Night Live with...." But I remember it
anyway.

--
Opus the Penguin
I try to not get too involved in the details of doll/dinosaur sex. -
groo

groo

2008-07-03 03:40:56 UTC

Permalink

Post by Opus the Penguin
It was always live except when Richard Pryor and Andrew Dice Clay
hosted. Then it was on a 7-second delay.

NPR claimed that SNL was also on 7-second delay for the first show when
George Carlin hosted, since he was already infamous for saying things that
you can't say on TV.

--
"The wireless telegraph is not difficult to understand. The ordinary
telegraph is like a very long cat. You pull the tail in New York, and it
meows in Los Angeles. The wireless is the same, only without the cat." -
Albert Einstein

Opus the Penguin

2008-07-03 04:17:39 UTC

Permalink

Post by groo

Post by Opus the Penguin
It was always live except when Richard Pryor and Andrew Dice Clay
hosted. Then it was on a 7-second delay.

NPR claimed that SNL was also on 7-second delay for the first show
when George Carlin hosted, since he was already infamous for
saying things that you can't say on TV.

I have never heard that before. Pryor was the one I remember reading
about close in time to when it happened. As near as I can recall, the
article claimed the move was unprecedented on SNL.

--
Opus the Penguin
It's easy to resist temptation when it comes in the form of Budweiser.
- darkon

Jim Ellwanger

2008-07-03 14:22:07 UTC

Permalink

Post by Opus the Penguin

Post by groo
NPR claimed that SNL was also on 7-second delay for the first show
when George Carlin hosted, since he was already infamous for
saying things that you can't say on TV.

I have never heard that before. Pryor was the one I remember reading
about close in time to when it happened. As near as I can recall, the
article claimed the move was unprecedented on SNL.

Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller's book "Live from New York" says that
a 6-second delay was "planned" for the first episode, but doesn't
indicate whether it was actually used or not.

And there's some difference of opinion in the book about whether or not
a delay was used for Richard Pryor. Dave Wilson, the show's director,
says NBC talked about it, but ended up not using it -- although I guess
it's possible that he was out of the loop, since the actual broadcast of
the show wouldn't be his concern.

--
Jim Ellwanger <***@ellwanger.tv>
<http://www.ellwanger.tv> welcomes you daily.
"The days turn into nights; at night, you hear the trains."

Estron

2008-07-01 03:44:32 UTC

Permalink

Post by Jeff Wisnia
Anyone else notice that the titles on that show all read "Saturday
Night" without the word "Live"?
When did they made it a "live" show?

'Twas always a live show. If I remember correctly, when it first appeared,
it was called "NBC's Saturday Night" because, believe it or not, there was
a prime-time show on ABC called "Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell."
Yes, a variety show hosted by Howard Cosell.

After Cosell's show sank without a trace, people started calling the NBC
show "Saturday Night Live," and eventually NBC adopted the name officially.

--
All opinions expressed herein are only that, and are my own.
Pax vobiscum.
***@kc.rr.com
http://www.myspace.com/johnrmitchell

Jim Ellwanger

2008-07-01 14:05:06 UTC

Permalink

Post by Estron
'Twas always a live show. If I remember correctly, when it first appeared,
it was called "NBC's Saturday Night" because, believe it or not, there was
a prime-time show on ABC called "Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell."
Yes, a variety show hosted by Howard Cosell.

And the sketch actors on the Howard Cosell "Saturday Night Live" were
called "The Prime Time Players." Thus, the sketch actors on "NBC's
Saturday Night" became "The Not Ready for Prime Time Players," or, as
Don Pardo called them on the first episode, "The Not for Ready Prime
Time Players."

--
Jim Ellwanger <***@ellwanger.tv>
<http://www.ellwanger.tv> welcomes you daily.
"The days turn into nights; at night, you hear the trains."

Hank Gillette

2008-07-01 15:52:25 UTC

Permalink

Post by Jim Ellwanger
And the sketch actors on the Howard Cosell "Saturday Night Live" were
called "The Prime Time Players."

There were sketch actors on Howard Cosell's "Saturday Night Live"? The
only thing I remember is that the first show had the Bay City Rollers.

--
Hank Gillette

"Barack Obama is not going to beat Hillary Clinton in a single Democratic
primary. I'll predict that right now." -- William Kristol, 12/17/2006

s***@slidge.com

2008-07-01 20:00:55 UTC

Permalink

Post by Jeff Wisnia
I think that SNL has improved greatly since that first show, but maybe
we're comparing what we're used to with what we've forgotten.

I have always loved the episode hosted by Charles Grodin, where the gag
(or it was possibe real for all I know) was that Grodin was trying to ruin
the show, and was constantly being admonished by the other actors
(including an enraged Belushi who had to be restrained from physical
violence).

For instance, they did a samurai sketch (I think it was samurai bakery)
and when Belushi threw the boxes up in the air and waved his sword, only
to reach down and pick up a perfectly boxed cake, Grodin looks behind the
counter and says, "Oh, I see how they did that, he just threw the boxes up
but they had the other boxes already back there" and Gilda says, "Chuck,
stop that".

You couldn't get away with it today.

Opus the Penguin

2008-07-01 20:32:06 UTC