April 11, 1981 Season 6 episode
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| Episode | 119 |
| Season Episode | 13 |
| Host | None |
| Musical Guest(s) | Jr. Walker & The All-Stars |
| Song(s) performed by Musical Guest(s) |
“How Sweet It Is” and “What Does It Take” |
| Previous Episode March 7, 1981 |
Next Episode October 3, 1981 (Season 7) |
The last episode of Season 6 was delayed due to a change in producers; it was the first episode for producer Dick Ebersol, who brought in several new cast members: Robin Duke, Tim Kazurinsky, Tony Rosato, and featured players Laurie Metcalf and Emily Prager. Both Metcalf and Prager were not kept after this episode; in fact, Prager was credited but never appeared. It was also the last episode for Denny Dillon and Gail Matthius, who were not kept for the following season. It ended up being the season finale of season 6 and premiered on April 11, 1981. This was also the only musical guest appearance on SNL for Jr. Walker & The All-Stars.
Lastly, until the premiere of the 8th season in 1982, this was the last episode with longtime announcer Don Pardo (the show's original announcer since 1975), as Pardo was briefly fired after this episode, following six years as it's announcer. Pardo missed all of season 7 (1981-82), but returned for season 8 (1982-83), and remained until his death in 2014.
Original (and former) cast member Chevy Chase appeared in a few sketches, including the opening sketch and anchoring Weekend Update. This episode was a one-off in a few ways:
- The cast was an amalgamation of the remains of season six, several who would remain for season seven, and two who only appeared on this episode.
- The opening montage was unique. It used stills from the earlier season six opening, but had to be edited for the new cast members, and ended up with noticeable differences in titles. The opening music reverted to that from season 1. The opening was totally revamped for season seven.
- Weekend Update returned to that name for only this episode. The previous episode used a one-time name, Saturday Night NewsLine, while season seven debuted SNL Newsbreak.
Also, for the season 6 finale: Mr. Bill makes an appearance in the cold open.
Background[]
Jean Doumanian had been fired immediately after the previous episode. New producer Ebersol demanded and was given a month to retool. He originally wished to replace the entire cast, save Piscopo and Murphy, but was stifled by the existing cast members' contracts, which needed to be paid off. As a result, Denny Dillon and Gail Matthius remained on with Piscopo and Murphy, while the rest of the cast was terminated.[1]
Cast[]
Repertory Players[]
- Denny Dillon (Last appearance)
- Robin Duke (First appearance)
- Tim Kazurinsky (First appearance)
- Gail Matthius (Last appearance)
- Eddie Murphy
- Joe Piscopo
- Tony Rosato (First appearance)
Featured Performers[]
- Laurie Metcalf (Only appearance)
- Emily Prager (Only appearance)†
† Credited, but did not even appear
- Cameos by Al Franken, Robin Williams, Christopher Reeve, and Walter Williams as Mr. Bill
Sketches and Music Performances[]
Cold Open Sketch Pre-recorded Weekend Update Music Performance Other
| Sketch | Image | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| SNL Storage Room Cold Open | Due to cutbacks at NBC, Chevy Chase is forced to change in a storage room holding cobweb-covered artifacts from the original Saturday Night Live. When he finds Mr. Bill (voice of Walter Williams) among the props and costumes, the two reminisce good old days. | |
| Opening Montage | For the last episode of the season, the original season 1 music returned and was combined with a hastily-produced montage that featured stills taken behind-the-scenes. No host is credited, and this was the first credit for Robin Duke, Tim Kazurinsky, and Tony Rosato, and the only credits for featured players Laurie Metcalf and Emily Prager. Denny Dillon and Gail Matthius' final time being credited as cast members. This was Don Pardo's last episode as announcer, as he was briefly fired after this episode, and would return with season 8. | |
| Frank Sinatra for American Automobiles | Frank Sinatra (Joe Piscopo) solicits support for the American auto industry through guilt trips, jingoism and open Japanese-bashing. First appearances of Tim Kazurinsky and Tony Rosato. | |
| Lite Beer | In a bar, Bill Cosby (Eddie Murphy) recommends Lite Beer to a table of young children, because regular beer's too heavy for them. | |
| I Married A Monkey | Tim Kazurinsky (who seems to be playing himself in these sketches) accuses his wife Madge of having an affair'. Kazurinsky said later that the sketch was designed intentionally for an on-air screwup; the show was so flawless that people forgot that it was live, and he'd hoped to reinforce that.[2] | |
| Robin Duke's Introduction | First appearance of Robin Duke, as she promises she'll have more to do next week before talking about how they used the original SNL theme again, which Duke mentions was written with Walker's soind in mind and finally she introduces Jr. Walker & The All Stars. | |
| Jr. Walker & The All Stars perform "Road Runner" and "Shotgun". | ||
| Weekend Update with Chevy Chase (sponsored by Smitt-Burney (pun on Smith-Barney) | Al Franken appears as himself, maintaining that he has not been affiliated with SNL since the departure of Lorne Michaels. He also bashed the choice of both Jean Doumanian and Dick Ebersol, stating "No English-speaking person could do a worse job than Jean." Laurie Metcalf contributes a segment; it was her only contribution to the show. Emily Prager was slated to do a segment, but it was cut, and she did not appear at all. | |
| Same | Irene Cara (Gail Matthius) sings an altered (and somewhat off-key) version of Cara's song Fame. | |
| The Self-Righteous | A new NBC series features holier-than-thou professionals who one-up each other who takes their job the most seriously. | |
| Frank's Wedding Day | Italian Papa (Tony Rosato) imparts. | |
| The Famous Broadcasters School Of Cue Card Reading | Pitchman (Joe Piscopo) betrays the quality of the school's education on discreet card reading and camera switches. | |
| SNL is Improving | Chevy Chase comes out to tell the audience that SNL is on its way up. Guest stars Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve briefly appear and seem to disagree. | |
| Jr. Walker & The All Stars perform "How Sweet It Is" and "What Does It Take" | ||
| Wild Country Gun Cards | Families (Robin Duke, Tony Rosato, Joe Piscopo and Denny Dillon) bond when they learn about different species of firearms together. | |
| Bag Lady | Critics decry bag lady’s (Denny Dillon) adherence to stereotypes of homeless genre. | |
| Goodnights and Closing Credits | Matthius reprises her role as Cara, and goes into the audience singing with the rest of the cast and guests in tow. Last appearances of Denny Dillon and Gail Matthius on the show. |
Aftermath[]
The show was very upbeat, and reviewers praised it as a much-needed boost. As mentioned by Al Franken during the Weekend Update segment, the following week's episode was to be hosted by Franken and Tom Davis, with musical guest Grateful Dead. Ebersol was unhappy with their writing during the week, however, and cancelled the remainder of the season. Now free from contractual obligations, Ebersol fired Dillon and Matthius, as well as newly-hired featured players Metcalf and Prager.[1]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- With this episode, original head writer Michael O'Donoghue is reinstated as head writer; co-head writing alongside Jeremy Stevens and Tom Moore (who are let go after this episode).
- This was also the first episode for future producer Bob Tischler.
- In fact, most of the writers after tvis episode were fired except for O'Donoghue, Tischler, Barry Blaustein, David Sheffield, and Pam Norris (the only 3 writers left from the start of the season).
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live
- ↑ Live From New York: An Uncensored History Of Saturday Night Live
| Preceded by: March 7, 1981 |
Saturday Night Live episode | Followed by: October 3, 1981 (Season 7) |