After the last Valentine’s chocolate has been eaten, it will be time to find some new joys to get us through. With the last gasps of winter claiming these weeks, there won’t be much frolicking outdoors for a while. So get cozy with some friends or a loved one with something to laugh at or listen to for a bit.
Cultural institutions can feel hard to come by in this day and age. But some are still thriving despite some intermittent talent in convening years. Some might say these are still live. When was the last time you heard the name Rosanne Roseannadanna? How about Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger, Cheese? Or whenever you have some deep thoughts, soothing music plays while Phill Hartman softly narrates? Chances are you have watched Saturday Night Life at some point in your life. With a show that has been around for fifty years, everyone has heard one sketch or joke over that time.
As a tyke, I remember staying up with my parents sometimes to view the cast skits and musical acts. Experiencing Eddie Murphy performing Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood was one of my favorite sketches, but by far the best was one I saw later in life. It was a Schiller’s Reel from the seventies which starred Gilda Radner in a Fellini parody called “La Dolce Gilda.” If anyone could find it, please let me know where. I would love to watch it again.
NBC and Peacock have been celebrating this program’s milestone over the past few months. You can stream the movie Saturday Night, about the first ever episode, or just watch the 1975 premiere yourself. It was aired again on the 15th between a number of specials, also available on Peacock. Observing this show in its embryonic state, I was able to sift out what would become of the show in its later years. Host George Carlin started off the program, but also cut in with additional stand up. He didn’t participate in the sketches; that was left to the Not Ready for Primetime Players. There were some pre-taped skits which is something the show would embrace more over time. Two musical guests, Billy Preston and Janis Ian, shared stage time. We tend to forget how much music also played a big role in developing the show’s core, something reinstated in the doc Ladies and Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music. Directors Questlove and Oz Rodriquez distilled the full breadth of performance down to a tight two hours. It was exciting to see Debbie Harry introduce the first rap group, Funky 4+1, on national television. Sinead O’Connor got a special segment, vindication for the backlash she had received from her albeit controversial appearance. The stage can make or break an artist. I remember sitting on a winter night in with my brother and his then-girlfriend, tuning into the latest episode. The musical guest had just released her first album, but when she belted those first notes, we were like who is this? That song was “Chasing Pavements” by Adele.
Peacock has all episodes of SNL, including the 50th anniversary special which aired on February 16. There was a lot of focus on more recent sketches than I would have liked. Some highlights were Sabrina Carpenter singing with Paul Simon. Weekend Update did a mini-tribute to news related humor. Garret Morris introduced an old short film where Jim Belushi in old age makeup goes to a cemetery for the other players. Funny to think, he was the first to pass away. The best was an “In Memoriam,” which was really a chance to talk about cringeworthy content. If you are looking for something to laugh at or maybe find a new artist to listen to, you will not go wrong here.
