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Author	Topic: TV Variety Shows: Now Disc. The 2009 CMT Music Awards
RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 8/14/06 10:21am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Chappelle's Show")
	This show premiered on January 22, 2003 on Comedy Central, but now is currently on hiatus. "Chappelle's Show" takes comedian Dave Chappelle's own personal joke book and brings it to life, with episodes consisting of sketches, man-on-the-street pieces, and pop culture parodies introduced by Dave in a stand-up format in front of a studio audience. Chappelle's unique point-of-view on the world provides a hilarious, defiant and sometimes dangerous look at American culture, including music, movies, television, advertising, current events, and everyday life situations. Probably the most famous bits that Dave Chappelle had are the Charlie Murphy and James Brown skits. These were used especially during the first two seasons, more so in season two. Chappelle only did 4 shows (so far) that were pieced together for season 3 before walking out. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 8/14/06 12:01pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Chappelle's Show" )
	This is a really famous show, which (kicking myself) I did not see.
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MariahJSkywalker Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 8/16/06 1:39am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Chappelle's Show" )
	It's a great show. It has a ton of racial humor, so if that ain't your cup of tea then I suggest you stay away from it. My favorite sketch is the black white supremacist. Can't get no better than that. -----signature----- many people here should be fixed, but that's another story.-KW Smut Peddlin' Squaw of the Knights of the 3SA/JCC Sarcasm Table R.I.P. Snowie
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bountyhunter2999 Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 8/16/06 1:54am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Chappelle's Show" )
	RX_Sith posted: Probably the most famous bits that Dave Chappelle had are the Charlie Murphy and James Brown skits. Rick James, not James Brown.
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MariahJSkywalker Title: Manager Emeritus Registered: Mar '05	Date Posted: 8/16/06 1:15pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Chappelle's Show" )
	Though Dave doing a James Brown sketch would be all kinds of awesome! -----signature----- many people here should be fixed, but that's another story.-KW Smut Peddlin' Squaw of the Knights of the 3SA/JCC Sarcasm Table R.I.P. Snowie
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Dal--Intrepid Title: Former CR, Greenville, NC US Registered: Mar '02	Date Posted: 8/16/06 2:01pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Chappelle's Show" )
	I always come back to the question if a white guy was doing the exact same show, wouldn't it be considered racist? I absolutely love the show and the conversation it sparks is crucial to opening up racial dialogues, but it's so weird that you'd never get a white guy doing this show and getting away with it. -----signature----- Greenville, NC - http://www.emeraldcityempire.com
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RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 8/23/06 9:48pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Grand Ole Opry" )
	Week after week, the Grand Ole Opry welcomes an impressive lineup of Country's finest performers, from the Legends to bright and shining newcomers. Get a front seat view from your own living room every Saturday night at 8pm or 11pm ET on Great American Country! Encore performances on Sunday and Tuesday! Originally aired on TNN (now Spike TV) and CMT. The Grand Ole Opry premiered on April 20, 1985 and still continues to this day. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 8/23/06 11:18pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Grand Ole Opry" )
	1985? That seems kind of recent.
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RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 8/24/06 12:12am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Grand Ole Opry" )
	Yeah, Zaz, I thought it would have been on tv much longer than the above date, but of course the Opry itself has been showcasing country artists since 1925 according to the Opry site that I posted a link below plus more information about the Opry itself. Grand Ole Opry Information below from the Opry site. The six-foot circle of dark, oak wood in the Opry House stage is shiny but clearly well worn. Cut from the stage of the Opry's famous former home, the Ryman Auditorium, this circle gives newcomers and veterans alike the opportunity to sing on the same spot that once supported Uncle Dave Macon, Ernest Tubb, Patsy Cline, and others. Early WSM advertising postcard, late 1920s"That circle is the most magical thing when you're a performer," says Brad Paisley, "to stand there and get to sing on those same boards that probably still contain dust from Hank Williams' boots." Many things about the Opry have changed over the years - its members, the sound of its music, even its home. But there's always that oak-solid center to remind every singer or musician who steps inside that they take part in something much larger than themselves, that wherever they go they have a connection to the legends and the giants who came before them. As that wooden circle is the heart of the stage, the Opry's heart is its music and its members - a broad scope of styles by a wide range of artists. "The Grand Ole Opry celebrates country music's diversity," says Opry general manager Pete Fisher. "In addition, the Opry presents the many generations of artists who have formed country music's legacy and continue to forge its future course." This early Opry souvenir features founder George D. Hay (center) and Opry cast members from the 1930s.Indeed, during any given Opry show, audiences can expect the best in country, bluegrass, comedy, gospel, and more by Country Music Hall of Famers, cast members who helped establish the Opry as the home of country music, revered superstars, and young artists just starting to make names for themselves. The Grand Ole Opry began just five years after commercial radio was born in the United States. In 1925, the National Life and Accident Insurance Company built a radio station as a public service to the local community and with the hope that the new medium could advertise insurance policies. The station's call letters, WSM, stood for the company's motto: "We Shield Millions." Soon after going on the air, National Life hired one of the nation's most popular announcers, George D. Hay, as WSM's first program director. Hay, a former Memphis newspaper reporter who'd most recently started a barn dance show on Chicago radio powerhouse WLS, joined the station's staff a month after it went on the air. At 8 p.m. on November 28, 1925, Hay pronounced himself "The Solemn Old Judge" (though he was actually only 30 years old) and launched, along with championship fiddler, Uncle Jimmy Thompson, what would become the WSM Barn Dance. Hay's weekly broadcasts continued and proved enormously popular, and he renamed the show the Grand Ole Opry in 1927. Crowds soon clogged hallways as they gathered to observe the performers, prompting the National Life company to build an acoustically designed auditorium capable of holding 500 fans. When WSM radio increased broadcasting power to 50,000 watts in 1932, most of the United States and parts of Canada could tune into the Opry on Saturday nights, broadening the show's outreach. Opry fans crowd Nashville's Fifth Avenue in this 1955 photo.The new space wasn't enough to keep up with the audience's increasing enthusiasm for the weekly show. The Opry went through a number of homes in several parts of Nashville before settling, in 1943, at the Ryman Auditorium, a former religious meeting house built in 1892 by riverboat shipping magnate Captain Thomas Ryman for traveling evangelist, Reverend Samuel Jones. The Opry stayed at the Ryman for nearly 31 years. Many of the show's legends spent most of their Opry runs there. (Only in late 2004 did the Grand Ole Opry House pass the Ryman as the Opry's most enduring home.) The popularity of the Opry shows was star driven. Until 1938, the show had emphasized instrumental performances. Any singer was subordinate to the band. All that changed when young Roy Acuff joined the cast that year. His performance of "The Great Speckled Bird" his first night forever changed the Opry. Roy Acuff ( far right) points to a board announcing the expansion of the Opry’s Prince Albert Show network broadcast on NBC.The show's popularity also was enhanced after the NBC Radio Network began carrying the show in 1939. Sponsored by Prince Albert Tobacco, the network show featured Opry stars Uncle Dave Macon, Acuff, Deford Bailey, and Hay. In October 1943, the Prince Albert Show segment, with Acuff hosting, began airing nationally on more than 140 NBC affiliates. Throughout the '40s, Opry stars spent weekends performing on the show in Nashville and weekdays traveling around the nation, performing first in tent shows and later in auditoriums. Artists and musicians crammed into automobiles and later buses as they became ambassadors for country music and the Grand Ole Opry. Ernest Tubb took a group of Opry stars to New York's Carnegie Hall in 1947. Another Opry group played Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., that same year. The Opry's first European tour in 1949 took Red Foley, Acuff , Minnie Pearl, Rod Brasfield, Little Jimmy Dickens, Hank Williams, and others to U.S. military bases in England, Germany, and the Azores. And in 1961, an Opry troupe including Patsy Cline, Grandpa Jones, Bill Monroe, and Jim Reeves played Carnegie Hall a second time. The touring tradition has continued. In 1991, the Opry conducted a 10-city Grand Ole Opry Tour to celebrate the show's 65th anniversary. In 2004, Vince Gill, Patty Loveless, Del McCoury, and others reprised an Opry tour. And the Opry's 80th anniversary festivities include plans for another return trip to Carnegie Hall and "An Evening With the Grand Ole Opry" multi-city tour. The entire Grand Ole Opry cast takes the stage during the opening night ceremonies March 16, 1974, at the Grand Ole Opry House as special guest, President Richard Nixon speaks to the crowd. Even as it held tightly to its traditions, the Opry took advantage of new technologies and opportunities. In 1955, Ralston Purina began sponsoring an hour-long regional-network television show from the Ryman stage featuring Opry stars. And in 1974, the Opry moved from the Ryman to a new, larger facility at the heart of a multi-million-dollar entertainment complex nine miles from downtown Nashville. The 1970s also saw the simple little radio show televised live for the first time. The national PBS Television Network televised the show on March 4, 1978, and annually through 1981. Then in April 1985, a half-hour segment of the Opry began airing each Saturday night on TNN as Grand Ole Opry Live. Opry Backstage, a live 30-minute series that aired before Opry Live, began in 1987. Grand Ole Opry Live eventually expanded to the full hour and can now be seen each week on Great American Country (GAC). As country's popularity boomed during the 1980s, Opry management ensured the show's future by adding a new generation of stars to the roster, beginning with the induction of Ricky Skaggs, Lorrie Morgan, Reba McEntire, Ricky Van Shelton, and Holly Dunn. By the end of the 1990s, many of country's top superstars - including Garth Brooks, Clint Black, Alan Jackson, Vince Gill, Steve Wariner, Diamond Rio, and Trisha Yearwood - could call the Opry home. The Opry's additions in the new century reflect the show's commitment to a broad range of country music. Recent inductees have included bluegrass greats Ralph Stanley and Del McCoury, second-generation singer Pam Tillis, and award-winners Trace Adkins, Terri Clark, and Brad Paisley. The Del McCoury Band performs at the Grand Ole Opry House. Today, there are more ways to enjoy the Grand Ole Opry than ever before. From April through December, there are the Tuesday Night Opry shows. There's the two-hour radio program, America's Grand Ole Opry Weekend, syndicated in some 200 markets. Just as country greats like Jeannie Seely and Jim Ed Brown grew up listening to the Opry on radio, future generations of Opry stars also may hear it on the Internet, on satellite radio, or via the American Forces Network. However they hear it, and wherever they come from, those future Opry stars will one day take their place inside that famed round piece of stage. They will enter the circle that remains unbroken, and they will feel the presence of the hundreds who've come before. They will know the value of remaining genuine and honest, and they will continue to entertain millions while keeping founder George D. Hay's first commandment: "Keep 'er down to Earth, boys!” Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 8/24/06 4:31pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Grand Ole Opry" )
	I didn't realize it was televised on TNN, I'll have to look for it.
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RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 8/30/06 8:59am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "The Midnight Special" )
	Next up is a show that was pretty popular on NBC during the disco craze. Premiering on NBC on Feb. 2, 1973 and lasting until May 1, 1981, The Midnight Special was a late-night rock music series airing Friday nights (or rather early morning Saturdays). This 90-minute show followed "The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson." In its first years, The Midnight Special began at 1:00 am. But when Johnny Carson cut his own show from 90 to 60 minutes, Midnight Special's starting time was changed to 12:30am. NBC broadcast the pilot on August 19, 1972 as a 90-minute special. The Midnight Special became a weekly series beginning February 2, 1973. For most of its run, the series featured guest hosts each week. The exception to this was from July 1975 through March 1976 when Helen Reddy was the regular host. Wolfman Jack was a regular fixture on the series. He served as announcer and frequent guest host. In addition, he often interviewed the guests. Around 1978, at the height of the Disco craze, the studio was changed to resemble a Disco nightclub complete with a platform dance floor. Wolfman Jack was even placed behind an elevated D.J. booth. But by Fall 1979, as the disco craze waned, the disco set was gone. The Midnight Special was often criticized for not giving enough attention to the punk & new wave music of the late-1970s to early 1980s. While a few punk/new wave acts were featured, the majority of the guests continued to be MOR and disco acts. Beginning April 11, 1980, The Midnight Special faced competition from ABC's Fridays, a Saturday Night Live style comedy series. Fridays' musical guests were often more cutting edge than those seen on The Midnight Special. In May 1981, NBC replaced The Midnight Special with SCTV Network 90, an expanded version of Second City TV. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 8/30/06 1:52pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Grand Ole Opry" )
	Never saw this one, not even a rerun.
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RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 9/12/06 12:44am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Hee-Haw" )
	Next up was one of the longest running variety shows. Hee-Haw Originally airing on CBS, Hee-Haw premiered on June 15,1969 and lasted in sydication until September 4, 1993. Welcome to Kornfield Kounty & HEE HAW! SA-LUTE! Hee Haw, a country version of Rowan and Martin's Laugh In, was a staple of syndicated television for more than 20 years. It began as a weekly series on CBS in 1969, but the network cancelled it in 1971 as part of an attempt to cleanse its schedule of rural-flavored shows (other casualties included The Beverly Hillbillies and Green Acres). While much of the show's humor came from its comedy skits and rural jokes, the meat of the show was its country music. Two or three stars – including current superstars and up-and-coming acts, as well as bluegrass and country gospel singers – guested each week. Sometimes, they also participated in the fun. And what do we mean by "fun?" A sampling from a typical episode includes: Comedy Skits: The Cornfield Jokes, Pickin-&-Grinnin, Archie's Barbershop, Empty Arms Hotel, KORN Radio, Lulu's Truck Stop, Minnie's School, The Naggers (Gordie Tapp & Ronnie Stoneman) and much more. The cast also frequently asked Grandpa Jones, "What's For Supper?" And then, there was the comedic Burma-Shave style signs (sometimes used as bumpers between skits or as an outro to a commercial). Song Skits: "Where Where Are You Tonight," "Gloom, Despair and Agony," "Repeating Gossip," "Hee-Haw's All Girl Band" and more. On occasion, serious music segments were featured, such as a singer-songwriter segment (which featured an artist singing one of his biggest hits and then performing a song he wrote that became a hit for someone else). The final segment of each show featured the Hee Haw Gospel Quartet – originally, hosts Owens and Clark, along with Grandpa Jones and Kenny Price – singing a gospel song. Virtually every major country superstar appeared on Hee Haw at one time or another – Charley Pride, George Jones, Conway Twitty, Sonny James, Ernest Tubb, Charlie Rich, Ray Price, Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Cash, Roy Acuff, Barbara Mandrell, Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, the Statler Brothers, Alabama, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Vince Gill ... and many more. But not all the guests on the show were from country music. Frequently, there were singers from other genres who became popular with country audiences, plus actors and comedians appeared as well. One of the most memorable segments aired in early 1978, when Elvis Presley's father, Vernon Presley, delivered a tribute to his then-recently deceased son. Emotional tributes have also been offered for cast members who had passed away during the series' run. For the 1991-1992 season, the gang left Kornfield Kounty and headed to the city, adopting an urban theme – which included a mall and nightclub – and inviting more pop-oriented country performers in an attempt to draw a younger, more urban audience. The move was none too popular (to put it mildly) with the show's longtime viewers, who saw it as abandoning the traditional country focus that had made the show popular for so long. The revamped format lasted one season. During the 1992-1993 season, Clark hosted a series which featured clips from classic Hee Haw shows, along with new footage. The show was titled Hee Haw Silver. Hee Haw reruns currently air on CMT. CAST Barbi Benton Role: regular (1971-1976) Curvy redhead most famous for her appearances in Playboy Magazine and her relationship with Playboy founder Hugh Hefner. Also appeared as a regular on Hee Haw and recorded several pop and country albums. Dub Taylor Role: regular (1985-1991) Dub Taylor was a prolific actor. He appeared almost exclusively in westerns, and he thrived at what he did. He guest-starred in both long running series, Bonanza and Gunsmoke . His son, Buck Taylor, later starred as 'Newly O'Brian' in the latter. Jon Hager Role: regular (1969-1986) Jackie Waddell Role: regular (1984-1987) Kelly Billingsley Role: regular (1984-1987) Jimmy Riddle Role: regular (1969-1983) Marianne Gordon Role: regular (1972-1992) Archie Campbell Role: regular (1969-1987) Cathy Baker Role: regular (1969-1991) Buck Owens Role: host (1969-1986) Stringbean Role: regular (1969-1974) Roy Acuff Role: regular (1980-1985) Mary Taylor Role: regular (1969-1970) The Nashville Edition Role: regulars (1969-1991) The Buckaroos Role: regulars (1969-1986) Rodney Lay Role: regular (1980-1987) The Wild West & Fanci Role: regulars (1980-1989) Diana Scott Role: regular (1969-1970) Don Rich Role: regular (1969-1975) Slim Pickens Role: regular (1981-1983) Mike Snyder Role: regular (1987-1991) Vicki Bird Role: regular (1990-1991) Jennifer Bishop (II) Role: regular (1969-1971) Roy Clark Role: host John Henry Faulk Role: regular (1975-1982) Jim Hager Role: regular (1969-1986) Victoria Hallman Role: regular (1980-1990) Donald Harron Role: regular (1969-1986) Roni Stoneman Role: regular (1973-1990) Gordie Tapp Role: regular Gailard Sartain Role: regular (1972-1992) Diana Goodman Role: regular (1981-1985) Jeannine Riley Role: regular (1969-1971) Grandpa Jones Role: regular Junior Samples Role: regular (1969-1983) Gunilla Hutton Role: regular (1969-1991) George Lindsey Role: regular (1972-1992) Linda Thompson Role: regular (1977-1992) Lisa Todd Role: regular (1970-1986) Buck Trent Role: regular (1975-1982) Jeff Smith (II) Role: regular (1984-1991) Lulu Roman Role: regular Kenny Price Role: regular (1974-1988) Irlene Mandrell Role: regular (1984-1992) Grady Nutt Role: regular (1979-1983) Minnie Pearl Role: regular (1970-1991) Jackie Phelps Role: regular (1969-1986) Misty Rowe Role: regular (1972-1991) Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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Zaz Title: Manager, The Ampitheatre Registered: Oct '98	Date Posted: 9/12/06 11:54am Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Hee Haw" )
	If I had realized this show had those kind of musical guests, I might of watched it in the past. I'll have to look for it.
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RX_Sith Title: C&G Game Host Registered: Mar '06	Date Posted: 10/1/06 6:29pm Subject: RE: TV Variety Shows: (Now Discussing "Saturday Night Live" )
	Next up is one of TV's greatest variety shows. It is still being shown on NBC to this day even though it may not be as great as it once was. Saturday Night Live Saturday Night Live (SNL) is a weekly late night 90-minute American comedy-variety show based in New York City which has been broadcast by NBC nearly every Saturday night since its debut on October 11, 1975. It is one of the longest-running network entertainment programs in American television history. Each week, the show's cast is joined by a guest host and a musical act. Originally, the show was called NBC's Saturday Night until NBC retitled its show in 1976 (the Saturday Night Live title having been previously attached to a short-lived talk show hosted by Howard Cosell and airing on rival network ABC). The first show with the new title was broadcast on March 26, 1977. The show — broadcast from Studio 8H at the GE Building in New York's Rockefeller Center — has been the launching place for some major American comedy stars of the last thirty years. It was created by Canadian Lorne Michaels who, excluding a hiatus from Season 6 through Season 10, has produced and written for the show and remains its executive producer (Jean Doumanian producing most of Season 6, and Dick Ebersol Seasons 7–10). In 2005, NBC renewed SNL's contract until 2012. Format of the show We don't go on because it's ready, we go on because it's 11:30. That tends to be very clarifying. — Lorne Michaels The show usually follows a standard format. It opens with a cold opening sketch often parodying politics, pop culture, or other current events; this sketch always ends with someone saying "Live from New York, It's Saturday Night!" (in keeping with the show's original title, as noted earlier). The show then smash cuts into the opening credits, which usually open with a shot of the Statue of Liberty and a montage of the cast members cut with various locations around the city. The opening credits are voiced-over by long-time NBC announcer Don Pardo. Next is the opening monologue performed by the guest host(s), often followed by a TV commercial parody. The show continues with more comedy sketches (sketches might feature recurring characters, running gags, celebrity impersonations, movie and TV spoofs, and sketches parodying the news issues of the day), followed by a performance by the guest musical act. The news parody segment Weekend Update marks the show's midway point. The second half of the program continues with more sketches, and in most cases a second performance by the musical guest. Some shows also feature filmed segments, often featuring cast members, or it may feature independent film shorts. The last segment is the goodnights, preceded by the SNL band playing a coda during the final station break, which has changed very little over the show's history. When the show runs long, the show "fades to black", or abruptly cuts away while the credits roll. I will break up this great variety show into five year periods and then discuss each one separately week by week. First up, SNL (1975-1980) The Seventies In 1974, NBC Tonight Show host Johnny Carson requested that the weekend broadcasts of “Best of Carson” come to an end (back then "The Tonight Show" was a 90-minute program), so that Carson could take 2 weeknights off and air repeats on those nights rather than on the weekend. 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. Television production in New York was already in decline in the mid-1970s (the Tonight Show had departed for Los Angeles 2 years prior), so NBC decided to base the show at their studios in Rockefeller Center to offset the overhead of maintaining those facillities. Michaels was given studio 8H, a converted radio studio that prior to that point was most famous for having hosted Arturo Toscanini and his orchestra in the 1950s, but was being used largely for network election coverage by 1974. When the first show aired on October 11, 1975, with George Carlin as its host, it was called NBC's Saturday Night, because ABC featured a program at the same time titled Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. When the ABC program went off the air in 1976, the NBC program changed its name to Saturday Night Live on March 26, 1977 (and subsequently picked up Bill Murray from Cosell's show in 1977, as well). The original concept was for a comedy-variety show featuring young comedians, live musical performances, short films by Albert Brooks, and segments by Jim Henson featuring atypically adult and abstract characters from the Muppets world. Rather than have one permanent host Michaels elected to have a different guest host each week (Albert Brooks was originally booked to be a permanent host, and claims it was his idea to have a different host each week). The original (1975-1980) repertory company was called the “Not Ready for Prime-Time Players”; this was a reference to Cosell's show, which featured “The Primetime Players,” a group which included future SNL cast member Bill Murray. The first cast members were Second City alumni Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, and Gilda Radner and National Lampoon "Lemmings" alumni Chevy Chase (whose trademark became his usual falls and opening spiel that ushered in the show's opening), Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, and Garrett Morris. The original head writer was Michael O'Donoghue, a writer at National Lampoon who had worked alongside several cast members while directing The National Lampoon Radio Hour. The original theme music was written by future Academy Award-winning composer Howard Shore, who--along with his "All Nurse Band"--was the original band leader on the show. Paul Shaffer who would go on to lead David Letterman's band on "Late Night" and then "The Late Show," was also band leader in the early years. Michaels fought and cajoled network executives to accept his vision for the show, which was far removed from standard variety-show conventions (one executive, visiting a dress rehearsal, noticed that the band was in blue jeans and asked when their tuxedos would arrive). Before the show began Michaels had remarked that he knew what the “ingredients [of SNL] would be, but not the proportions,” and that the show would have to “find itself” on-air. Indeed, the Not Ready for Primetime Players were hardly featured in the premiere, but quickly became the focus of the show, with the guest host and musical act playing a secondary role. Albert Brooks and the Muppets were also dropped after the first season, but short films by writer Tom Schiller continued to be shown under the title “Schiller's Reel,” as well as Walter Williams' popular budget claymation segment "Mr. Bill". Perhaps due to his recurring news parody sketch "Weekend Update" (which survives to this day, albeit with new anchors), Chevy Chase was the first breakout star of SNL, garnering magazine covers, in-depth interviews, and even some speculation that he would succeed Johnny Carson if Carson ever left The Tonight Show (eventually, Chase did host his own talk-show, but it failed miserably and was cancelled after less than two months). Chase had never been friendly with most of the cast (a rivalry with John Belushi went all the way back to their work on the National Lampoon radio show), but by the time he left for greener pastures early in the second season, he couldn't even get along with Lorne Michaels. Chase returned to host the show several times over the next few decades, but relations were often strained, with the cast (whatever their own personal conflicts) usually uniting in opposition or disgust towards him, even hiding en masse so that they would not have to share an elevator with him. Perhaps the low points were 1978, when he got into a brawl with Bill Murray mere moments before broadcast, and 1985, when he horrified many of the cast by suggesting a sketch where openly gay performer Terry Sweeney develop AIDS and then show the audience how much weight he loses each week. In 1997, he was banned from ever hosting again. Bill Murray replaced Chase in 1977, after Chase left to pursue a movie career. Murray had a shaky start, forgetting his lines and seeming awkward on camera. Many fans of Chevy Chase saw him as a replacement for him, and had been sending hate mail as well. By the end of his first season, he began to develop a following with a sleazy, know-it-all persona. Many of his characterizations, such as Nick the Lounge Singer and Todd DiLamuca (originally Todd DiLabounta but the real DiLabounta threatened to sue), were instant classics. By its second season, SNL developed into something of a television phenomenon. It was, in many ways, the first show of its kind to appeal to a younger audience, making it very attractive to advertisers. Recurring characters and catch-phrases (see below) soon entered the popular vernacular, and the cast was often described as “The Beatles of comedy.” It was also one of America's only mainstream national TV shows that consistently featured topical political satire. In 1976, Ron Nessen, a minor member of President Gerald Ford's administration, hosted the show. Ford himself appeared in a pretaped opening sequence. The show had been very critical of Ford and promised to give him a break that night. Instead, they humiliated Nessen as well as Ford with tasteless "gross-out" skits like "Super Bass-O-Matic '76", "Fluckers Jam" and "Autumn Fizz, the carbonated douche". In November 1976 Weekend Update played the 1974 broadcast of Ford pardoning President Richard Nixon -- many backstage felt that decision was instrumental in helping Jimmy Carter win the '76 election. Two notable “featured players” on the show included writer Al Franken and (for the 1979-80 season) Harry Shearer, who later acted in several films and television series, including The Simpsons. The show also featured frequent guest appearances by comedians Steve Martin and Andy Kaufman. Aykroyd and Belushi departed after the 1978-1979 season and subsequently found worldwide fame in the movie version of the Blues Brothers sketch. Belushi famously died of drug-related causes in 1982. Aykroyd had major roles in several hit comedies and even earned an Academy Award nomination. The final season with the remnants of the "Not Ready" crew was underwhelming by most standards. Drugs were a major problem backstage by the last season. According to Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live, by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad, various members of the cast and crew were using cocaine, and this affected the program in myriad ways. A burly bodyguard was stationed directly outside the studio gates to warn Michaels if the cops were on the way. Laraine Newman had developed serious eating disorders as well as a cocaine addiction -- she spent so much time in her dressing room playing Solitaire that for Christmas that year Gilda gave her a deck of playing cards with a picture of Laraine on the face of the card. Garrett Morris, who felt degraded from years of small roles and what he saw as racist sketches (at one point the writers were going to have him do a fake ad for "Tar Baby" toothpaste, which would make blacks' teeth stop glowing in the dark -- only when black crew members walked off the set in protest did Michaels drop the idea), began free-basing cocaine and became unreliable. During rehearsals for the Kirk Douglas show, Morris ran screaming onto the set, saying that someone had put an "invisible robot" on his shoulder who watched him everywhere he went. He pleaded with them to get the robot off of him. Radner, meanwhile, was resented by many because she and Michaels had spent much of the year working on a Broadway play, and album, Gilda Live. She had recently broken off a relationship with Bill Murray, and they could barely speak to one another. Murray resented that the other male cast members had left him stranded and essentially forced him to play every male lead on the show. Exhausted, Gilda had few starring roles in the 1979-80 season. Indeed, the most energetic and diverse performer in that last year was Jane Curtin, who was thrilled to see the "Bully Boys" as she called them (Aykroyd and Belushi) depart and who debuted a number of hilarious new characters and impressions while she had the chance. Other major contributors included Harry Shearer as well as writers Al Franken and Tom Davis (longtime writing partners who had given themselves meatier roles as the heavyweights departed) and Don Novello, a writer whose "Father Guido Sarducci" character was especially popular and appeared repeatedly during the 1979 season. By May of 1980 the show was finishing up its fifth season, and Lorne Michaels was ready for a break. Knowing that most of the cast and many of the writers would be departing, he attempted to persuade the network to put the show on hiatus for six months to re-cast. Unfortunately NBC refused this attempt to let the show survive in reruns for half a year (a decision that would come back to haunt them the next season). Michaels' contract was up for renewal, and he felt somewhat slighted by NBC in negotiations. Michaels had always had a tense relationship with NBC President Fred Silverman, and it was not improved by the SNL's numerous on-air taunts about NBC's abysmal prime time performance during Silverman's tenure. In fact, SNL was one of the few truly popular shows on the network during this period, but Michaels and his representatives felt renewing his contract was a secondary priority to NBC executives behind Johnny Carson's, which was also up for renewal. Michaels subsequently took his name off the show and left at the end of the fifth season along with the rest of the original cast and the writing staff, most of whom followed suit due to loyalty towards Michaels. Harry Shearer, who had zero allegiance to Michaels, informed the incoming Executive Producer, Jean Doumanian, he would stay as long as she let him completely overhaul the program. Doumanian refused, so Shearer also bid farewell (he would return briefly in 1984-1985). The remaining "Not Ready For Primetime Players" appeared together for the last time on May 24, 1980 for the final episode of the fifth season. The episode, hosted by long-time loyal host Buck Henry, gave a heartfelt goodbye from all the members of the cast, and Henry himself who--after hosting 10 times in five years--has yet to return to the show again, save for an appearance in the September 24, 1989 15th Anniversary special. At the end of the episode, the entire cast, writers, and Henry stood onstage for the goodnights. After a short farewell speech, Buck Henry signed off saying, "Goodnight...and goodbye..." The band began playing the traditional closing music as Henry led the cast and crew off the stage, and through the studio exit. The camera panned upward above the door to reveal the flashing "On-Air" light shut off for the final time that season, signaling what was indeed the end of an era. Season Breakdown 1975-76 Season Opening Montage: SNL's first opening montage basically consists of different pictures from around New York, with plain white lettering for the titles. Note that at this point, the cast members do not have pictures, and are simply listed on the screen all at the same time. When the show first began, the "Not Ready For Primetime Players" were considered secondary to the host and musical guests. By mid-season, the players had made a name for themselves and became the focus of the show. Around this time, each cast member was individually announced with his/her picture. Cast * Dan Aykroyd * John Belushi * Chevy Chase * George Coe (final: 10/25/75) * Jane Curtin * Garrett Morris * Laraine Newman * Michael O'Donoghue (final: 10/25/75) * Gilda Radner Notes * Through they were only credited for the first part of the season, Coe and O'Donoghue appear regularly throughout the first year. 1976-77 Season Opening Montage: This montage originated in the latter part of the 1975 season, and carried over into 1976. This version is from later in the season, and does not include Chevy Chase. Another version of this was used in the spring of 1977 and uses the SNL title that it finally was able to use beginning in early 1977. Cast * Dan Aykroyd * John Belushi * Chevy Chase (final: 10/30/76) * Jane Curtin * Garrett Morris * Bill Murray (debut: 01/15/77) * Laraine Newman * Gilda Radner Featuring * Michael O'Donoghue Notes * Bill Murray joins the cast in January '77. Chase leaves in fall '76. 1977-78 Season Opening Montage: 1977's opener had three different variations of a lighted marquee theme. The first consists of the cast members in Times Square standing in front of their names being displayed on the large screen as they are introduced. Another showed the cast members' names and animated portrait on a binary-light marquee with their face superimposed over the display (used only in two episodes). The third simply introduced each cast member as they walked out of the subway (with the exception of Aykroyd and Radner, who curiously, are introduced using their Times Square opening from earlier in the season). Cast * Dan Aykroyd * John Belushi * Jane Curtin * Garrett Morris * Bill Murray * Laraine Newman * Gilda Radner Featuring * Tom Davis * Al Franken * Michael O'Donoghue Notes * Head writer, and featured player O'Donoghue leaves at the end of the season. 1978-79 Season Opening Montage: The montage for the 1978 season is somewhat of an "oil painting" theme. Various photos from around New York are again shown, but have an oil painting overlay. This montage would carry over into the first part of the 1979 season with a few minor changes. Cast * Dan Aykroyd * John Belushi * Jane Curtin * Garrett Morris * Bill Murray * Laraine Newman * Gilda Radner Featuring * Tom Davis * Al Franken * Don Novello Notes * Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi leave the cast after this season. 1979-80 Season Opening Montage: 1979 had two montages. The first was much like the 1978 opener, but with a few different pictures and paintings. The second was a semi-animated opener, which also had somewhat of an oil painting theme. It was used only during the latter part of the 1979 season (possibly because it took several weeks to complete). Fans consider the second opener the best in the entire 75-80 period. Cast * Jane Curtin * Garrett Morris * Bill Murray * Laraine Newman * Gilda Radner * Harry Shearer Featuring * Peter Aykroyd (debut: 11/17/79) * Tom Davis * Jim Downey * Brian Doyle-Murray (debut: 12/15/79) * Al Franken * Don Novello * Tom Schiller (debut: 12/15/79) * Paul Shaffer * Alan Zweibel (debut: 12/15/79) Notes * Shearer joins the show as a featured player and is made contract in late 1979. * Shaffer is a major part of the show's band and had a role in several sketches (mainly a Don Kirshner impression) before 1979. Schiller was a longtime filmmaker for SNL (off and on from 1976-1994). Downey had been a writer and bit player since Season 2 would continue to write for SNL on and off for the next 25 years. Schiller's first airdate is 12/15/79. Zweibel, a writer for the series, debuts on the same day, as does fellow writer Brian Doyle-Murray (Bill Murray's older brother). Doyle-Murray will return to the cast two years later for a brief period. * Almost every writer and cast member on the show, including Lorne Michaels, left SNL at the end of the season. Brian Doyle-Murray was the only writer from Season 5 to stay onboard for Season 6. Discuss. -----signature----- Chief of Staff - The SWC Rebel Scum
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