February 25, 1984 Season 9 episode
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| Episode | 173 |
| Season Episode | 14 |
| Host | Edwin Newman |
| Musical Guest(s) | Kool & the Gang |
| Song(s) performed by Musical Guest(s) |
"Joanna" "Celebration" |
| Previous Episode February 18, 1984 |
Next Episode March 17, 1984 |
The 14th episode of Season 9 and the 173rd episode of Saturday Night Live, hosted by the newscaster, journalist, and author Edwin Newman with musical guest Kool & the Gang. It premiered on February 25, 1984. Special guest appearance by actor, comedian and magician Harry Anderson. Edwin Newman's first hosting stint was made, and this was the only time as musical guest on SNL for Kool & the Gang.
This marked the final episode and live show for Eddie Murphy as a cast member (who had became a cast member in 1980), after four years as a cast member.
Cast[]
Repertory Players[]
- Jim Belushi
- Robin Duke
- Mary Gross
- Brad Hall
- Tim Kazurinsky
- Gary Kroeger
- Julia Louis-Dreyfus
- Eddie Murphy
- Joe Piscopo
Sketches and Music Performances[]
Cold Open Sketch Pre-recorded Weekend Update Music Performance Other
| Title | Image | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Hairdressers Cold Open | New SNL hairdressers Dion (Eddie Murphy) and Blair (Joe Piscopo) try to work around Edwin Newman's thinning hair. | |
| Monologue by Edwin Newman | In his first job since retiring last month, Edwin Newman corrects grammar on a cue card, dances, leads the band, and sings "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone", as he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time. | |
| Buddweiser Light | ||
| Hymietown | Under fire for anti-Semitic comments printed in the Washington Post, Jesse Jackson (Eddie Murphy) tries to mend fences with a soul ballad. | |
| Hotline | While waiting to go for dinner with his niece, Edwin gives a suicide hotline caller (Robin Duke) more grammar correction than compassion. | |
| Fur: You deserve it! | Repeat from March 20, 1982, the fourteenth episode of 7th season. | |
| News Bar | ||
| Kool & The Gang Performed "Joanna" | ||
| Speaking Freely | Edwin Newman sits down with the Godfather of Soul, James Brown (Eddie Murphy). | |
| Saturday Night News With Edwin Newman | Edwin Newman anchors tonight's edition. This is a step up from the previous few shows because this actually has a bit of a running joke: instead of reading "news stories", Newman finds different reasons not to read them. At one point, he even breaks the fourth wall to point out the absurdity of "a late breaking story from Argentina" when Saturday Night News doesn't even have a bureau there. Jim Belushi returns as Rappin' Jimmy B to deliver rhymes (co-written by Herb Sargent, according to BMI) about Princess Di, the Iowa caucus and Chernenko. The audience responds well to this, but I found this didn't have the impact of last week's opening segment. Mary Gross brings back her piss and vinegar for the first "spittin' mad" commentary since November, this time about pointless official national holidays. Like the November one, I thought this was one of the stronger outings for this bit, and there are some good lines (a sarcastic "Whoa! Let's Party" in response to Dried Fig Week, Homemade Bread Day being a holiday for counterfeiters). Worthington Clotman (Tim Kazurinsky) returns to chastise respected public figures that appear on entertainment programs, singling out "hitherto-respected newsman" Edwin for hosting tonight's SNL. This was better than the first appearance with Rickles, as Clotman actually seems even more disgusted tonight, and this had a stronger ending with Newman staring at him for a while before spraying him with a seltzer bottle. | |
| How High The Noon | With the sheriff gone and the Kelton Gang riding into town, a cowboy (Gary Kroeger) seeks the wisdom of retired gunfighter Kid Halpern (Edwin Newman). | |
| Kool & The Gang Performed "Celebration" | ||
| Urban Answers | Charles Thorne (Gary Kroeger) discusses gang violence with rival gang leaders Little Rat (Brad Hall) and Crazy Max (Edwin Newman). | |
| A Nickel | Two alter kockers (Joe Piscopo and Eddie Murphy) reminisce about the days when they could get anything for a nickel. Eddie Murphy's last live SNL appearance as a cast member. | |
| Face The Press | Edwin Newman plays it cautious after seeing how a mob-connected guest (Jim Belushi) handles his colleagues' tough questions. | |
| Guest Performance: Harry Anderson | Harry Anderson uses oversized playing cards to illustrate his story about trying to beat a four card monty game. | |
| Jacoby Escort Service | Chaste cousins Luba (Robin Duke) and Rosie (Mary Gross) adhere strictly to the literal definition of "escort service". | |
| Goodnights | No mention that this is Murphy's last show, though Robin Duke gives him a kiss and hug, and as he goes behind the group, Joe Piscopo catches him in a big bear hug that turns into play wrestling between the two. No Pardo voiceover over the closing theme. |
Trivia[]
- This was also the final episode for writer Margaret Oberman (who joined the writing staff in 1982 in season 7), as she leaves after almost two calendar years writing for the show.
- She was said to have been one of the few writers that Murphy trusted at the show (the others being Barry Blaustein and David Sheffield, who both left at the end of the previous season), and thus, she presumably left alongside Murphy, because of that.[1]
References[]
| Preceded by: February 18, 1984 |
Saturday Night Live episode | Followed by: March 17, 1984 |