May 24, 1980

May 24, 1980  Season 5 episode
Episode	106
Season Episode	20
Host	Buck Henry
Musical Guest(s)	Andrew Gold Andrae Crouch & the Voices of Unity
Song(s) performed by  Musical Guest(s)	"Kiss This One Goodbye" "Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus".

Previous Episode May 17, 1980

Next Episode November 15, 1980 (Season 6)

The 106th episode of Saturday Night Live and the season finale of Season 5 premiered on May 24, 1980, and it was hosted by actor Buck Henry with musical guests Andrew Gold and Andrae Crouch & the Voices of Unity.

This is Buck Henry's 10th and final time as host before his death on January 8, 2020, nearly forty years after the airing of this episode. This is also the musical guest debut on SNL for Andrae Crouch. This is even also the only musical guest appearances on SNL for both Andrew Gold and the Voices of Unity.

This is also the final episode for longtime/original cast members Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner (all four of them who had been on the show since it's debut on October 11, 1975), as they left the show after five years, as well as Bill Murray (who joined the cast midway through the show's second season in 1977), as he left the show after 3½ years. This is also the final episode for Harry Shearer until Season 10.

This is also the final episode for featured players Peter Aykroyd, Tom Davis, Jim Downey, and Paul Shaffer as cast members. All of them last a single season as featured cast members (Davis would rejoin the writing staff in Season 11; while Downey would rejoin in Season 10). This is also the final episode for Brian Doyle-Murray until Season 7 (though he was infamously the only writer to return to the show the next season.) This is also the final episode for fellow featured player Al Franken until Season 11.

This is even Lorne Michaels' final episode as executive producer until Season 11.

Buck Henry's goodnights speech is "Thank you all for coming. Goodnight... and goodbye." (Cheers and applause)

Cast

Repertory Players

• Jane Curtin (Final appearance)
• Garrett Morris (Final appearance)
• Bill Murray (Final appearance)
• Laraine Newman (Final appearance)
• Gilda Radner (Final appearance)
• Harry Shearer (Final appearance, until his return in the 10th season)

Featured Players

• Peter Aykroyd (Final appearance)
• Tom Davis (Final appearance, would return as a writer in the 11th season)
• Jim Downey (Final appearance, would return as a writer in the 10th season)
• Brian Doyle-Murray (Final appearance, until his return in the 7th season)
• Al Franken (Final appearance, until his return in the 11th season)
• Paul Shaffer (Final appearance)

Sketches

 Cold Open   Sketch   Pre-recorded   Weekend Update   Music Performance   Other 

Title	Image	Summary
Consolation Debate Cold Open		An eager Frank Reynolds (Harry Shearer) makes an advance announcement that Ronald Reagan and President Jimmy Carter will secure their parties’ nominations for this year’s presidential election.
Opening Montage		This marked the final episode to use the season 5 opening, as well as the final time that nearly all these cast members are credited in the intro (except for Shearer, Doyle-Murray, and Franken).
Buck Henry Monologue		Returning to host for the tenth and final time, Buck Henry introduces the soon-to-be-famous members of “SNL”‘s sixth season.
Royal Party	Lord and Lady Douchebag - SNL	Lord (Buck Henry) and Lady Douchebag (Gilda Radner) are among the distinguished guests at a noble gathering at Salisbury Manor.
Cow Minder's Daughter		Cow Minder’s (Buck Henry) daughter Govinda Lynn (Laraine Newman) leaves the family cow pasture to become a famous country-Indian singer in the Far East.
Andrew Gold performed "Kiss This One Goodbye"
Weekend Update with Jane Curtin & Bill Murray		With guests, Jack Perkins (Harry Shearer) reports on the wide-eyed Walter Keane art exhibit that’s sweeping the nation, Chico Escuela (Garrett Morris) and Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda Radner).
Uncle Roy		While babysitting, Uncle Roy (Buck Henry) plays Glass-Bottom Boat with Terri (Laraine Newman) andTracy (Gilda Radner).
Trader Nick's		Nick “Lava” (Bill Murray) runs a Hawaiian-themed bar outside of Niagara Falls and sings to a displaced couple (Buck Henry, Laraine Newman) from Love Canal and a rowdy group of teenagers celebrating their prom. Newman, Gilda Radner, and Paul Shaffer's final appearances as cast members.
Week In Review		Hugh Gaffney (Buck Henry) of the New York Times is annoyed when he finds himself participating alongside a panel of tabloid journalists. Jane Curtin and Garrett Morris' final appearances as cast members.
Mommy Beer		hunters musically express their fondness for baby-bottles of Mommy Beer. Bill Murray, Peter Aykroyd, Tom Davis, and Jim Downey's final appearances as cast members (though the latter two would return as writers in season 11). Also the final appearances for Al Franken (until season 11), Brian Doyle-Murray (until season 7), and Harry Shearer (until season 10).
Andrae Crouch & the Voices of Unity performed "Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus"
Goodnights and Closing Credits		Buck Henry thanked everyone for coming and he bids the audience, "Goodnight and goodbye". Also, in the goodnights Buck leads the cast and guests offstage and then we cut to their arrival backstage where they’re all shown walking past the camera. After a while, the camera slowly zooms in on the flashing “ON AIR” sign, then the flashing sign eventually turns off, which is the very last thing we see before the goodnights end.

Trivia

• Howard Shore, the original music director, band bass saxophone/tuba player Howard Johnson, and keyboardast Shaffer (all of whom had been with the show since it's inception in 1975), had also all left the show after five years.
  • This is the last episode for original band member and keyboardist Cheryl Hardwick, as she left after five years, and years later she would return to the show in 1985.
  • Shaffer later recounted that incoming producer Jean Doumanian offered him the role of music director next season, but turned down the gig; partly due to not wanting to start the show over again, with a brand new cast.
• Most notably, all of the writing staff left the show after this episode, with the sole exception of Brian Doyle-Murray (though multiple writers would return to the show in later seasons).

Preceded by: May 17, 1980

Saturday Night Live episode

Followed by: November 15, 1980 (Season 6)