Saturday Night Live - Season 1
Season 1
NBC's Saturday Night
The first season of Saturday Night Live, the weekly late-night 90-minute American sketch comedy/variety show on NBC, aired during the 1975–1976 television season. Saturday Night Live premiered on October 11, 1975 and consisted of a total of 24 episodes, the last of which aired on July 31, 1976.
In 1974, NBC Tonight Show host Johnny Carson requested that the weekend broadcasts of "Best of Carson" come to an end, so that Carson could take two weeknights off and NBC would thus air those repeats on those nights rather than feed them to affiliates for broadcast on either Saturdays or Sundays. Given Carson's undisputed status as the dean of late-night television, NBC heard his request as an ultimatum, fearing he might use the issue as grounds to defect to either ABC or CBS. To fill the gap, the network drew up some ideas and brought in Dick Ebersol – a protégé of legendary ABC Sports president Roone Arledge – to develop a 90-minute late-night variety show. Ebersol's first order of business was hiring a young Canadian producer named Lorne Michaels to be the show-runner.
Network
Episodes24
DatesOct 11, 1975 - Jul 31, 1976
Episodes
Season 1Episode 190 min
George Carlin / Billy Preston, Janis Ian
George Carlin hosts with musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian.
Oct 11, 1975
Season 1Episode 290 min
Paul Simon / Art Garfunkel, Randy Newman, Phoebe Snow
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include: "The Berkeley Collection of Grafitti Wallpaper," "Paul Simon vs.Connie Hawkins," The Bees Have Been Cut, and "The Mighty Favog," and "Try-Hard 1-11."
Oct 18, 1975
Season 1Episode 390 min
Rob Reiner / John Belushi as Joe Cocker
Live from New York, it's.. Sketeches Include: Wheelchair Bound, A Trip to the Doctor, Fashion Show, Surgery Free Healing, Dangerous But Inept, National Pancreas Association PSA, At The Blaine Hotel, What Gilda Ate, Square Dancing, Smoking Craters, and Operation.
John Belushi (as Joe Cocker) performed "A Little Help From My Friends."
Oct 25, 1975
Season 1Episode 490 min
Candice Bergen / Esther Phillips
Live from New York, It's... Sketches include: Gerald Ford adressess the nation, Ambassador Training Institute spot, "Jaws II", Garrett Morris confronts unorganized CIA, Catherine Deneuve, Black Perspective, "Midnight Probe", Andy Kaufman as Foreign Man, Crank Call to Airline Stewardess, Obnoxious journalist interviews world ruler.
Nov 8, 1975
Season 1Episode 590 min
Robert Klein / ABBA, Loudon Wainwright III
Live from New York, It's... Sketches include: Pagent winner Sherry refuses crown, Minute Mystery, Bee-Cenntinial Minute, Greg Allman dodges question about his love-life, The Eternal Crawl: Roaches Through History, Sam Peckinpah, Female fireman tips, Looks at Books.
Nov 15, 1975
Season 1Episode 690 min
Lily Tomlin / Howard Shore
Live from New York, it's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include "Gerald Ford Addresses the Nation," "Beethoven Sings My Girl," Jaws III, "Edith Ann On Ice," "Spud Beer," "How To Harass Men," "Beethoven's Second," "The Clumsy Bellhop and the Interracial Couple," "Suzy Forgives Patty Hearst," "Beethoven as Ray Charles," and "Skred In Love" (Muppets).
Nov 22, 1975
Season 1Episode 790 min
Richard Pryor / Gil-Scott Heron
On A Seven Second Delay from New York, it's...Garrett Morris
Sketches include: The Clumsy Waiters, Samurai Hotel, Looks At Books, New Dad (repeat from the first episode of the series), Police Line-Up #1, Racist Word Association, SNL Film: Pong, When White Family Members Turn Black, Spud Beer, Police Line-Up #2, Early Suicide Pill, The Muppets: Ploobis and Scred Get Drunk, Police Line-Up #3, Exorcist II, SNL Film: Albert Brooks Is Home Sick, and Richard Pryor Stand-Up.
Gil-Scott Heron performs: "Johannesburg" and "A Lovely Day"
Dec 13, 1975
Season 1Episode 890 min
Candice Bergen / Martha Reeves, The Stylistics
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include-- Fireside Chat with Gerald Ford, "Mel's Char Palace", "What Gilda Ate", Billy is guilty of murder, Teddy the Elf, "The Fritzie Kringle Show", "Minute Mystery", Candice and the cast perform 'Winter Wonderland', The Bees Christmas Party, Homeward Bound.
Dec 20, 1975
Season 1Episode 990 min
Elliott Gould / Anne Murray
Live from New York, it's... Chevy Chase
Sketches include "The Dead String Quartet," "Interior Demolitionists," "Vito Corleone in Therapy," "The Killer Bees," "Birthright", "Gilda and Elliot," "New Shimmer," The Muppets, "Play Misty for Me" (film), "Jamitol," "Try-Hard 1-11," and "Powwow With the Press" (stand-up).
Anne Murray performed "Long Distance Call" and "Boogie With You."
Jan 10, 1976
Season 1Episode 1090 min
Buck Henry / Bill Withers, Toni Basil
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include--Suicide Prevention, "Samurai Deli", Operation Stumblebum, "Citizen Kane II", King Bee(the Blues Brothers), Auto mechanic tells bedtime story, "Presidential Foreplay", Chevy misuses a joint, The Constipated Man, The Muppets and the Japanese sex Device.
Jan 17, 1976
Season 1Episode 1190 min
Peter Cook & Dudley Moore / Neil Sedaka
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include-- Bomb Squad, Prisoner Auditions, "Don Pardo's Holiday on A Elevator", "Table Talk", "Backstage Banter", Sonny and Cher, The Baby Jesus, Chevy talks to Angola's roommate, The Muppets.
Jan 24, 1976
Season 1Episode 1290 min
Dick Cavett / Jimmy Cliff
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include--Voodoo on Chevy Chase, Alcohol and Firearms, Lowell Brock of H&R Brock, "Looks at Books", Dick Cavett's School of Hydroplane Operation, Dance To The Nation, "The Apple Follies", Our Town.
Jan 31, 1976
Season 1Episode 1390 min
Peter Boyle / Al Jarreau
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include "The Valentine's Day Massacre," "Samurai Divorce Court," "Jason and Sunshine," "The Corrida." "All Pro Wrestling," "Remembering of Things Past", "Dueling Brandos," "A Home Movie" (film), and "The Orgy." Al Jarreau performs "We'll Get By."
Feb 14, 1976
Season 1Episode 1490 min
Desi Arnaz / Desi Arnaz, Jr.
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include-- Gerald Ford gives a word association, Literary Recital, Very White(Chevy Chase)sings unsoulful songs, "The Failed Pilots of I Love Lucy", Cuban accupunture, Lucille Ball talks about Desi's book, Bisexual Minute.
Feb 21, 1976
Season 1Episode 1590 min
Jill Clayburgh / Leon Redbone
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include-- No More Falls, "Great Moments in Herstory", White Guilt Relief Fund, Inquisitive Girlfriend, Grable and Lombard, Car Yummies, Paying the Milkman, Jill Carson Guidance Counselor!, Andy Kaufman sings "Old Macdonald", "The Mr. Bill Show".
Feb 28, 1976
Season 1Episode 1690 min
Anthony Perkins / Betty Carter
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include--'SNL is not ad-libbed' says Chevy Chase, A President's View on Marijuana, Dominatrix Cleaning Tips, "Norman Bates School of Hotel Management", Low-budget Movie Trailers, Sherry protest her B(ee), Policemen Dance Party, "Hello Dolly".
Mar 13, 1976
Season 1Episode 1790 min
Ron Nessen / Patti Smith Group
Live from New York, It's...Gerald Ford
Sketches include-- "The Dead String Quartet", Super Bass-O-Matic 76, An Oval Office, David Eisenhower is Anti-Nixon, Thomas Jefferson denies slavery, The New Stoner Volunteer Army, Catherine the Great, Disgusting Jam, Autumm Fizz--The Carbonated Douche, "Tomorrow With Tom Snyder".
Apr 17, 1976
Season 1Episode 1890 min
Raquel Welch / Phoebe Snow, John Sebastian
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include-- "Get to the fall Chevy!", Purina Rat Chow, Joseph Franklin's 10-letter Metric Alphabet, "The Claudine Longet Ski Invitational", "One Flew Over The Hornest Nest", Chevy tries to convince Raquel to take off her shirt, Baba Wawa, Bisexual Moment, The Muppets are finished on SNL.
Apr 24, 1976
Season 1Episode 1990 min
Madeline Kahn / Carly Simon
Madeline Kahn hosts with musical guest Carly Simon.
May 8, 1976
Season 1Episode 2090 min
Dyan Cannon / Leon & Mary Russell
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include--Chevy has to do the fall again, "Hearing Test," "The Adulterer," "Vacationland Adventure", "Minister with Hiccups," "Dyan Cannon's Dream," "Orange Juice," "The Bathwater of The Stars", "Johnny Angel", "Cresk Toothpaste,"" and "The Hubcap Thief" (film). Leon Russell and Joe Cocker (Belushi) perform "Daylight".
May 15, 1976
Season 1Episode 2190 min
Buck Henry / Gordon Lightfoot
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include--Emmy winner Chevy tries to get Laraine todo the fall, Samurai Tailor, "Talk Back!", "Dell Stator's Toad Ranch Resturaunt", "Looks at Books", The Crowd Audition, Peter Lemon Moodring, "Not For Ladies Only", Lorne Micheals offer to the Beatles.
May 22, 1976
Season 1Episode 2290 min
Elliott Gould / Leon Redbone
Sketches include "Wax Museum," "Phone Operator Academy," "European Poker Player," "Babs's Uvula," "The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise," "The Bee Honeymooners," "Shirley Temple Black," "Vibramatic," "Uncle Charlie's School," and "Show Us Your Guns."
Leon Redbone performed "Shine On Harvest Moon."
May 29, 1976
Season 1Episode 2390 min
Louise Lasser / Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include--Belushi thinks Chevy has a big head, Louise Lasser locks herself dressing room, General "V.D" Amin, Sven and Inger, John Belushi tries to sell his clothes, Ode to Television, Louise apologizes to her dog, Jimmy Carter talks about the campagin.
Jul 24, 1976
Season 1Episode 2490 min
Kris Kristofferson / Rita Coolidge
Live from New York, It's...Chevy Chase
Sketches include--Kristofferson signs "Help Me Make it Through The Night", new SNL employer Sherry, Samurai General Practitioner, the Great White Athelete, Gerald Ford dosent want to talk about local issues, "Talk Country", My Blind Date is My Gynocologist, Andrew Young is a Suckup, Police State, "Waiting For Don Pardo".
Jul 31, 1976
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