Saturday Night Live | |
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Season 2 | |
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Starring | |
No. of episodes | 22 |
Release | |
Original network | NBC |
Original release | September 18, 1976 May 21, 1977 | –
Season chronology | |
The second season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC from September 18, 1976 to May 21, 1977.
History
[edit]Following the cancellation of ABC's Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell, NBC changed the name of the show from NBC's Saturday Night to its current title, Saturday Night Live, for the 17th episode of this second season – the episode hosted by Jack Burns on March 26, 1977.[1] The name change was not made permanent until season 3.
The shows on October 16, October 23, and October 30 1976 were live from NBC's studio complex in Brooklyn, NY. NBC News used Studio 8-H for Presidential election coverage.[citation needed]
This season was the last to feature The Muppets in The Land of Gorch, who had appeared in segments that were unpopular with fans and the SNL writers. Jim Henson was reportedly displeased with the amount of creative control he had over the scripts. Jerry Juhl called Henson "very frustrated" with his input into the scripts, and said the SNL writers "didn't have any real handle" on Henson's concept. "Jim would come in with ideas, and sit with them, and give them wonderful ideas, and they wouldn't know how to fly with them," Juhl recalled.[2] In a 1977 interview with Playboy, head writer/performer Michael O'Donoghue referred to the Muppets as "fucking Muppets ... little hairy facecloths" made from the refuse after they cleaned up after Woodstock. He also refused to write for them, saying "I don't write for felt". O'Donoghue also had a lynched Big Bird hanging in the writer's office.[3]
Jim Downey joined the writing staff in what would be a long career on the show.[4]
Buck Henry, Eric Idle and Steve Martin each hosted two episodes.
The season included a Live from Mardi Gras Special.
Cast
[edit]During the prior season, cast members George Coe and Michael O'Donoghue had already left the cast, but O'Donoghue stayed on as the show's head writer. Meanwhile, during the season Chevy Chase left the show following an injury, he returned for Weekend Update in a wheelchair for three episodes before leaving permanently. Jane Curtin took over as Weekend Update anchor. Bill Murray was hired as a replacement for Chevy Chase.
Cast roster
[edit]The Not Ready for Prime Time Players
- Dan Aykroyd
- John Belushi
- Chevy Chase (final episode: October 30, 1976)
- Jane Curtin
- Garrett Morris
- Bill Murray (first episode: January 15, 1977)
- Laraine Newman
- Gilda Radner
bold denotes Weekend Update anchor
Writers
[edit]Jim Downey joined the writing staff.
This season's writers included Dan Aykroyd, Anne Beatts, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Tom Davis, Jim Downey, Al Franken, Bruce McCall, Lorne Michaels, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Bill Murray, Michael O'Donoghue, Herb Sargent, Tom Schiller, Rosie Shuster and Alan Zweibel. The head writer was Michael O'Donoghue.
Episodes
[edit]No. overall | No. in season | Host | Musical guest(s) | Original air date | |
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25 | 1 | Lily Tomlin | James Taylor | September 18, 1976 | |
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26 | 2 | Norman Lear | Boz Scaggs | September 25, 1976 | |
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27 | 3 | Eric Idle | Joe Cocker & Stuff | October 2, 1976 | |
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28 | 4 | Karen Black | John Prine | October 16, 1976 | |
29 | 5 | Steve Martin | Kinky Friedman | October 23, 1976 | |
30 | 6 | Buck Henry | The Band | October 30, 1976 | |
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31 | 7 | Dick Cavett | Ry Cooder | November 13, 1976 | |
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32 | 8 | Paul Simon | Paul Simon & George Harrison | November 20, 1976 | |
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33 | 9 | Jodie Foster | Brian Wilson | November 27, 1976 | |
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34 | 10 | Candice Bergen | Frank Zappa with Don Pardo as "The Slime" | December 11, 1976 | |
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35 | 11 | Ralph Nader | George Benson | January 15, 1977 | |
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36 | 12 | Ruth Gordon | Chuck Berry | January 22, 1977 | |
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37 | 13 | Fran Tarkenton | Leo Sayer Donnie Harper | January 29, 1977 | |
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38 | 14 | Steve Martin | The Kinks | February 26, 1977 | |
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39 | 15 | Sissy Spacek | Richard Baskin | March 12, 1977 | |
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40 | 16 | Broderick Crawford | Levon Helm Dr. John The Meters | March 19, 1977 | |
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41 | 17 | Jack Burns | Santana | March 26, 1977 | |
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42 | 18 | Julian Bond | Tom Waits Brick | April 9, 1977 | |
43 | 19 | Elliott Gould | McGarrigle Sisters Roslyn Kind | April 16, 1977 | |
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44 | 20 | Eric Idle | Alan Price Neil Innes | April 23, 1977 | |
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45 | 21 | Shelley Duvall | Joan Armatrading | May 14, 1977 | |
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46 | 22 | Buck Henry | Jennifer Warnes Kenny Vance | May 21, 1977 | |
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Special
[edit]Title | Original air date | |
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"Live from Mardi Gras" | February 20, 1977 | |
The cast and crew participate in the annual Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans. Jane Curtin and Buck Henry try to provide commentary on the parade. Eric Idle, Penny Marshall and Henry Winkler cameo in the special. Randy Newman performed "Louisiana 1927", "Marie", "Kingfish", and "Sail Away".[5] |
Home media
[edit]The Mardi Gras Special and all 22 episodes were released on a DVD set on December 4, 2007.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ Rothman, Lily (September 26, 2014). "The Surprising Story Behind Saturday Night Live's Most Famous Line". Time. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
- ^ Jones, Brian (September 29, 2013). "Escape from "Saturday Night Live," birth of "The Muppet Show"". Salon. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
- ^ "Three Muppet Conflicts & How They Were Resolved". November 23, 2011. Retrieved January 14, 2013.
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (March 3, 2008). "'SNL' Writer Narrows the Gap Between Politics and Farce". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
Mr. Downey joined "SNL" in its second season, alongside another new hire, Bill Murray. Mr. Downey left in 1980, going on to become head writer for "Late Night With David Letterman" before returning in 1984.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 124–127. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
- ^ Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 199–200. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
- ^ a b c Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 264. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
- ^ Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 92–95. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
- ^ Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 98–101. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
- ^ "Saturday Night Live - The Complete 2nd Season". tvshowsondvd.com. TV Guide Online. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
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