Product Description
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For over three decades, Saturday Night Live has been the source
of young comedic talent and helped to launch the careers of
countless performers, making them household names. Still
considered iconic for their live performances from Studio 8H in
New York, the original cast of SNL (including Dan Aykroyd, Gilda
Radner and John Belushi) set the tone for years to follow with
their irreverent, edgy humor. They combined anti-establishment
political satire with rock-and-roll attitude for a show that
spoke to the youth of the 1970's, turning it into an instant
sensation. Although only the second year on the air, the
1976-1977 season turned out to be the last for Chevy Chase, but
the first for a young comedian named Bill Murray. The complete
second season of SNL contains legendary musical performances by
artists Joe Cocker, The Band, Brian Wilson, Paul Simon, George
Harrison, Frank Zappa, Chuck Berry, The Kinks, Santana and Tom
Waits and classic appearances by hosts Lily Tomlin, Norman Lear,
Steve Martin, Dick Cavett, Jodie Foster, Candice Bergen, Ralph
Nader, Fran Tarkenton, Sissy Spacek, Elliott Gould and Shelly
Duvall.
Bonus Content:
Disc 8 - Saturday Night Live The Complete Second Season:
* SNL Mardi Gras Special
* Dress Sketch 1 (Audio Only)
* Dress Sketch 2 (Audio Only)
* Andy Kaufman Screentest
* Trailers (30 Rock & Chuck and Larry)
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Saturday Night Live's essential second season looms large in
SNL's tumultuous history. Breakout star Chevy Chase departed
after several episodes to pursue specials and a movie career.
Mustachioed "new kid" Bill Murray's inauspicious beginning (he
joined the cast in the Fran Tarkenton episode) was shaky enough
to warrant pleading his case to viewers during the Broderick
Crawford episode that he was, indeed, funny. He sealed the deal
with his breakthrough sketch in the season finale, in which a
husband transforms his shower into a lounge act, with guest
appearances by his wife and even the man with whom she's having
an affair. Another momentous episode marked Steve Martin's debut
as host, ushering in Martin-mania. Joining John Belushi's Samurai
in the pantheon of classic SNL characters are the Coneheads (Dan
Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Larraine Newman), extraterrestrials
struggling to assimilate ("We're from France"). Legendary
National Lampoon writer Michael O'Donoghue introduced his
sinister alter ego, Mr. Mike, in whose "Least-Loved Bedtime
Stories" the Little Engine That Could has a heart attack, and
Br'er Rabbit is skinned alive in a "random act of meaningless
violence." Jane Curtin proves a formidable successor to Chevy
Chase as anchor of "Weekend Update," but not before that
now-infamous moment during the Tarkenton episode when, in a bid
for "raw thrills" that will make viewers forget "sexy" Chevy
Chase, tears open her blouse and procls, "Try these on for
size, Connie Chung."
It is still thrilling to watch Saturday Night Live find its
voice. Except for one brief appearance, the Muppet segments are
out, as are Albert Brooks' short films, replaced by the New York
slice-of-life entries by Gary Weiss. A couple of sketches, one
featuring Lily Tomlin and Garret Morris and another with Sissy
Spacek and John Belushi, are more dramatic playlets. And Eric
Idle's first stint as host plays like a lost episode of Monty
Python's Flying Circus with the sketches seamlessly flowing in to
one another. But the series still fearlessly subverted television
convention. Envelopes don't get pushed much more than the
Christmas-episode holiday song "Let's Kill [death row inmate]
Gary Gilmore for Christmas." Saturday Night Live is a topical
show, and Earl Butz jokes don't play as well in the 21st century.
But the musical segments endure, including the thrilling pairing
of Paul Simon and George Harrison and an extended set by the
Band. The hosts, as ever, are hit and miss. One of the season's
high points is Simon, in an ill-ed attempt to shed his "Mr.
Alienation" image, taking the stage in a turkey costume to sing
"Still Crazy After All These Years." This set's bonus feature is
a true rarity, the "Mardis Gras" special, an infamous primetime
debacle in which the cast gamely copes with drunken crowds that
pelt them with beads, and botched logistics (Penny Marshall must
go on without Cindy Williams who is caught elsewhere in traffic).
In their impact on comedy and pop culture, Saturday Night Live 's
iconic first ensemble has been likened to the Beatles. Then,
season 2 is Help! to season 1's A Hard Day's Night: still wildly
funny, though not quite as exhilarating. --Donald Liebenson
Beyond Saturday Night Live The Complete Second Season on DVD
SNL Cast Member DVDs (
/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&plgroup=1&docId=1000184191&plpage=1 )
More Comedy from Universal Studios (
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All Saturday Night Live DVDs (
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Stills from Saturday Night Live The Complete Second Season
(Click for larger image)
