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 May 26, 1979
 Season 4 episode
SNL Buck Henry
Bette
 Episode 86
 Season Episode 20
 Host Buck Henry
 Musical Guest(s) Bette Midler
 Song(s) performed by
 Musical Guest(s)
"Married Men"
"Martha"
Previous Episode
May 19, 1979
Next Episode
October 13, 1979
(Season 5)

The 86th episode of Saturday Night Live and the season finale of Season 4 premiered on May 26, 1979, and it was hosted by actor Buck Henry with musical guest Bette Midler, a singer and actress. Midler's backup singers included Katey Sagal and Luther Vandross.

This is Buck Henry's 8th time as host and the only musical guest appearance on SNL for Bette Midler.

This is the final episode for original cast members Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi (two of them who had been on the show since it's debut on 1975), as they both leave the show after four years.

Cast[]

Repertory Players[]

Cameo by former writer Michael O'Donoghue

Sketches[]

 Cold Open   Sketch   Pre-recorded   Weekend Update   Music Performance   Other 

Title Image Summary
Mr. Bill Cold Open   Mr. Bill visits SNL; Jane Curtin complains that she’s never said the opening line
Opening montage Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi's final time being credited as cast members.
Buck Henry Monologue   The picture size decreases as Buck Henry’s monologue becomes less interesting
Ray's Disco Roller Fishing Park   Ray’s (Bill Murray) Disco Roller Fishing Park combines three popular pastimes.
Samurai Bakery   Mr. Dantley orders a wedding cake from Futaba (John Belushi). The very last Samurai sketch.
Blind Ambition   Richard Nixon (Dan Aykroyd) claims that the Watergate tapes were done as a joke.
Bette Midler, Katey Sagal, & Luther Vandross performed "Married Men"
Weekend Update with Jane Curtin & Bill Murray   a Rolling Stones lyric leads Garrett Morris to ask where the horny black women are; Roseanne Roseannadanna (Gilda Radner)rambles from gas crisis to sand in Jane Curtin's swimsuit.
Uncle Roy   pedophilic “Uncle” Roy (Buck Henry) tells Terri & Tracy (Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner) a story before bedtime.
The Franken & Davis Show   Tom Davis tries to do comedy routine despite Al Franken’s having become a Hare Krishna.
The Olympia Cafe   an insurance adjuster (Jane Curtin) visits after a fire destroys the Olympia Cafe. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi's final appearances as SNL cast members. Also the last Olympia Cafe sketch, due to their departures.
Bette Midler, Katey Sagal, & Luther Vandross performed "Martha"
Clones Exist Now   A film by Tom Schiller. A report on the status of duplication science
Not For Transsexuals Only   sex-changed (Buck Henry, Laraine Newman) swapped genitalia.
Goodnights   Michael O'Donoghue does impression of Elvis Presley having needles plunged into eyes

Trivia[]

  • Aykroyd was supposed to return to the show for season 5 as only a cast member, and not a writer (which he had been credited as for the past three seasons), but left once The Blues Brothers film started production.
  • This was also the final episode for band member Lew del Gatto (who was one of the band's founding members from 1975), as he leaves after four years, but would return in season 11 in 1985.
Preceded by:
May 19, 1979
Saturday Night Live episode Followed by:
October 13, 1979
(Season 5)
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