1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,320 Speaker 1: the show where we explore the past one day at 4 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:23,080 Speaker 1: a time. I'm Gay Bluesier, and today we're talking about 5 00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:27,760 Speaker 1: the TV show that launched a thousand comedy careers, Saturday 6 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:44,960 Speaker 1: Night Live. The day was October. The sketch comedy series 7 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:50,639 Speaker 1: Saturday Night Live broadcast its first episode live from Studio 8 00:00:50,800 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: eight h and Rockefeller Center. The show was originally called 9 00:00:56,080 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 1: NBC's Saturday Night because rival network a b C already 10 00:01:01,560 --> 00:01:07,640 Speaker 1: had a variety show called Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell. Eventually, 11 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:11,039 Speaker 1: NBC was able to purchase the rights to the name, 12 00:01:11,600 --> 00:01:15,560 Speaker 1: and two years later, in nine seven, the show changed 13 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: its title to Saturday Night Live and never looked back. 14 00:01:20,040 --> 00:01:23,520 Speaker 1: The topical sketch comedy show was the creation of a 15 00:01:23,560 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: Canadian producer named Lauren Michaels. He partnered with an NBC 16 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:33,040 Speaker 1: executive named Dick Ebersol, and over the course of several 17 00:01:33,120 --> 00:01:37,480 Speaker 1: brainstorming sessions in Hollywood, they worked out a loose concept 18 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,720 Speaker 1: for the show. It was Lauren's ambition to shake up 19 00:01:41,760 --> 00:01:45,679 Speaker 1: the American comedy landscape in a similar way to what 20 00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: Monty Python had done in England several years earlier. As 21 00:01:50,000 --> 00:01:54,760 Speaker 1: the producer later explained, quote, so much of what Saturday 22 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:57,760 Speaker 1: Night Live wanted to be, or what I wanted it 23 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:01,880 Speaker 1: to be when it began, was cool. This meant taking 24 00:02:01,920 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: the sensibilities that were in music, stage and the movies 25 00:02:06,400 --> 00:02:10,800 Speaker 1: and bringing them to television. To achieve this goal, he 26 00:02:10,919 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 1: enlisted a repertory company composed of young comedians. The initial 27 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:19,640 Speaker 1: seven cast members, known as the not Ready for prime 28 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: Time players, were Garrett Morris, Lorraine Newman, Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, 29 00:02:26,840 --> 00:02:32,720 Speaker 1: John Belushi, Jane Curtin, and Dan Ackroyd. Looking back, it's 30 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:37,240 Speaker 1: amazing how many defining features of the show were present 31 00:02:37,360 --> 00:02:40,959 Speaker 1: in that very first episode. There was a cold open 32 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:44,520 Speaker 1: sketch that ended with someone saying, live from New York, 33 00:02:44,639 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 1: it's Saturday Night. The guest host gave a monologue, the 34 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: musical acts performed, and there was even a version of 35 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:56,680 Speaker 1: the satirical news segment Weekend Update. But there were also 36 00:02:56,960 --> 00:03:00,600 Speaker 1: plenty of things in SNL's debut episode that set it 37 00:03:00,639 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 1: apart from future shows. For starters, the first host, comedian 38 00:03:05,520 --> 00:03:10,160 Speaker 1: George Carlin, didn't appear in any of the sketches. Instead, 39 00:03:10,480 --> 00:03:14,280 Speaker 1: he gave his opening monologue and then performed three separate 40 00:03:14,360 --> 00:03:19,200 Speaker 1: stand up sets throughout the episode. The show also featured 41 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: more live music than it does these days, with musical 42 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:27,920 Speaker 1: guests Billy Preston and Janice Ian performing two songs each. 43 00:03:28,840 --> 00:03:33,119 Speaker 1: Another difference was that the first episode featured special guests 44 00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:37,560 Speaker 1: who performed their own comedy acts separate from the evening sketches. 45 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:44,200 Speaker 1: For example, comedian Andy Kaufman presented his famous Mighty Mouse routine. 46 00:03:44,360 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 1: He put on a record of the cartoon characters theme 47 00:03:47,360 --> 00:03:50,960 Speaker 1: song and then stood by awkwardly until the part of 48 00:03:50,960 --> 00:03:55,200 Speaker 1: the song when Mighty Mouse triumphantly proclaims, here I come 49 00:03:55,280 --> 00:03:59,280 Speaker 1: to save the day, at which point Kaufman sprang to life, 50 00:03:59,680 --> 00:04:04,360 Speaker 1: mal thing the lyrics and gesturing dramatically. But probably the 51 00:04:04,400 --> 00:04:08,800 Speaker 1: biggest difference between early episodes of SNL and later ones 52 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:13,560 Speaker 1: was the presence of the Muppets. That's right, I found 53 00:04:13,560 --> 00:04:16,560 Speaker 1: a way to sneak them into the show again. A 54 00:04:16,680 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: year before the Muppets got their own prime time show, 55 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,200 Speaker 1: they made regular appearances on SNL in a recurring segment 56 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:28,240 Speaker 1: called the Land of Gorch. But these weren't the Muppets 57 00:04:28,240 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 1: were used to like Kermit and Miss Piggy. Instead, Jim 58 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:35,919 Speaker 1: Henson created a new set of characters to better play 59 00:04:35,960 --> 00:04:40,239 Speaker 1: to the adult crowd. The sketches saw characters like King 60 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: Plubus and Queen Pewta making jokes about mature topics like 61 00:04:45,200 --> 00:04:49,440 Speaker 1: sex and drugs. The only problem was that the jokes 62 00:04:49,720 --> 00:04:55,480 Speaker 1: were painfully unfunny. According to SNL writer Alan's Wibel quote, 63 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: whoever drew the short straw that week had to write 64 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:03,440 Speaker 1: the Muppets etch and that actually might be the biggest 65 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:08,839 Speaker 1: similarity between SNL's debut and it's later incarnations. The show 66 00:05:09,279 --> 00:05:12,760 Speaker 1: can be very hit or miss. Part of the problem 67 00:05:12,839 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: with the premiere was that it didn't devote much time 68 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:21,880 Speaker 1: to actual sketch comedy. Between the four musical performances, Carlin's 69 00:05:21,960 --> 00:05:25,520 Speaker 1: three stand up sets, the Muppets segment, and the other 70 00:05:25,600 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: acts like Andy Kaufman, there was only time for five 71 00:05:29,240 --> 00:05:33,440 Speaker 1: true skits in the entire ninety minute episode, and the 72 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:37,320 Speaker 1: little screen time that the cast members did get wasn't 73 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 1: received very well by the studio, audience or critics. Reviews 74 00:05:42,440 --> 00:05:46,840 Speaker 1: of that first episode were not kind, with Andy Kaufman 75 00:05:46,920 --> 00:05:50,120 Speaker 1: being the high point for most viewers. He said he 76 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,520 Speaker 1: was there to save the day, and apparently he did. 77 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:57,880 Speaker 1: Of course, the show did get better, as evidenced by 78 00:05:57,880 --> 00:06:00,440 Speaker 1: the fact that it's remained on the air for forty 79 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:05,320 Speaker 1: six years and counting. Along the way, SNL has earned 80 00:06:05,400 --> 00:06:08,920 Speaker 1: over seventy Emmy Awards and has introduced the world to 81 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:13,920 Speaker 1: countless characters, catch phrases, and cast members who have become 82 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:19,080 Speaker 1: beloved parts of comedy history today. Saturday Night Live is 83 00:06:19,120 --> 00:06:23,280 Speaker 1: an institution all its own, an achievement that few would 84 00:06:23,320 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 1: have predicted when watching that first episode all those years ago. 85 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:33,320 Speaker 1: I'm Gabe Lousier and hopefully you now know a little 86 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:38,120 Speaker 1: more about TV history today than you did yesterday. If 87 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:40,839 Speaker 1: you want to keep up with the show, consider following 88 00:06:40,920 --> 00:06:44,359 Speaker 1: us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at t d I 89 00:06:44,800 --> 00:06:48,600 Speaker 1: HC Show and if you have any feedback, you can 90 00:06:48,680 --> 00:06:51,840 Speaker 1: rate and review the show wherever you get your podcasts, 91 00:06:52,279 --> 00:06:55,160 Speaker 1: or you can send us an email at this day 92 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:59,159 Speaker 1: at I heeart media dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays 93 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:02,640 Speaker 1: for producing the show, and thank you for listening. I'll 94 00:07:02,680 --> 00:07:05,320 Speaker 1: see you back here again tomorrow for another Day in 95 00:07:05,440 --> 00:07:15,400 Speaker 1: History class. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, visit 96 00:07:15,440 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: the I Heart Radio app Apple podcasts, or wherever you 97 00:07:17,880 --> 00:07:19,000 Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.