October 11, 1975 Season 1 episode
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| Episode | 1 |
| Season Episode | 1 |
| Host | George Carlin |
| Musical Guest(s) | Billy Preston Janis Ian |
| Song(s) performed by Musical Guest(s) |
Billy Preston: "Nothing From Nothing" "Fancy Lady" Janis Ian: "At Seventeen" "In The Winter" |
| Next Episode October 18, 1975 |
On October 11, 1975, the first episode of Saturday Night Live, then called "NBC's Saturday Night" premiered. It was hosted by comedian and actor George Carlin with musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian and comedians Valri Bromfield, and Andy Kaufman. Carlin never performed in any sketches, only doing stand-up spots throughout the show. This was George Carlin's first out of his two hosting stints and the only musical guest appearances for both Janis Ian and Billy Preston.
Cast[]
The Not Ready For Prime Time Players[]
- Dan Aykroyd
- John Belushi
- Chevy Chase
- George Coe (only credited appearance)
- Jane Curtin
- Garrett Morris
- Laraine Newman
- Michael O'Donoghue
- Gilda Radner
- Onscreen appearances by writers Tom Davis, Al Franken, Tom Schiller, and Alan Zweibel; associate producer Audrey Peart Dickman, talent coordinator Neil Levy, and production designer Akira Yoshimura
- Cameos by Richard Belzer, Jaqueline Carlin, Wendell Craig, Clifford Einstein; pre-taped cameo by Paul Simon
Sketches[]
▶ A transcript of this episode exists: CLICK HERE
Cold Open Sketch Pre-recorded Weekend Update Music Performance Other
| Title | Image | Summary |
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| The Wolverines | In the first ever SNL sketch, a teacher (Michael O'Donaghue) teaches English to an immigrant student (John Belushi). First appearnances of O'Donoghue, Belushi, and Chevy Chase (who delivers the first "Live From New York, it's Saturday Night!" | |
| Montage | 
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In the beginning, only a vague concept existed of what NBC's Saturday Night would be, with no good idea on how much of the show would be occupied by sketches. The original montage reflected this - a montage of random pictures and text, and only a textual list of cast members was presented, with no names read aloud. George Coe's only credited appearance as a cast member. |
| Monologue by George Carlin | Carlin recites "Baseball and Football" from his new album "An Evening with Wally Londo, Featuring Bill Slazso". | |
| New Dad | 
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New Dad will cover all of your emotional and physical needs. First appearance of Dan Aykroyd. |
| Billy Preston performs "Nothing From Nothing" | ||
| Trial | 
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Ms. Davis (Jane Curtin) writes what her attacker said instead of saying it. First appearances Jane Curtin, George Coe, and Garrett Morris. |
| Andy Kaufman | Andy Kaufman lip-syncs to "Mighty Mouse". | |
| Monologue by George Carlin | Carlin performs observational stand-up before introducing Janis Ian. | |
| Janis Ian performs "At Seventeen" |
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| Victims Of Shark Bite | 
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Phyllis Crawford (Jane Curtin) interviews Martin Gresner (John Belushi) who claims he was bitten by a shark. |
| Jamitol | 
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A married couple (Chevy Chase and Michael O'Donoghue) talk about how Jamitol has changed their lives. |
| Next Week | 
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Paul Simon announces that he's hosting the show next week. |
| Weekend Update With Chevy Chase | 
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Chevy Chase talks about the latest top news while Laraine Newman reports about the latest murder at the Blaine Hotel. First appearanace of Newman. |
| Triopenin | 
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Triopenin will help you will your Arthritis. |
| The Land of Gorch | Jim Henson's Muppets: King Ploobis and Skred go to The Mighty Favog for medical advice. | |
| Monologue by George Carlin | George Carlin's stand-up topics range from the mysterious blue food to a round of oxymorons before introducing A Film by Albert Brooks. | |
| A Film by Albert Brooks: The Impossible Truth | 
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Albert Brooks interviews people about wired news. |
| Bee Hospital | Upon birth, bee fathers (Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, George Coe, Garrett Morris, Michael O'Donoghue) are informed of their newborns' ranks | |
| Academy Of Better Careers | 
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Now you can be a stand-by operator with the Academy of Better Careers. Cameo by Wendell Craig. George Coe's last appearance as a credited cast member. |
| Monologue by Valri Bromfield | 
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Valri Bromfield mimics a teacher and a volleyball player in her routine. |
| Show Us Your Guns | SNL's film crew passes through the city streets asking to see the firearms that belong to the citizens (including Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner) they run into. | |
| Monologue by George Carlin | George Carlin's final round of stand-up focuses on God and religion. | |
| Billy Preston performs "Fancy Lady" | 
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| Home Securities | 
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Home security technician Kenny Vorstrather (Dan Aykroyd) demonstrates how vulnerable the Kromer's (John Belushi, Gilda Radner) are to a home invasion. |
| Triple-Trac | 
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The three-blade razor is designed for people who'll believe anything they see. |
| Janis Ian performs "In The Winter" | 
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| Goodnights | 
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Trivia[]
- Don Pardo accidentally says the cast as "The Not For Ready Prime Time Players". This is the only montage to list George Coe, though he would make further appearances in the following decade.
- Carlin wanted to wear a t-shirt, but the network wanted him to wear a suit. As a compromise, Carlin wore a vest and jacket over his t-shirt and hosted the show while reportedly stoned out of his mind.
- Carlin only appears on stage to perform stand-up or introduce the evening's musical guests.
- With the show running long at the dress rehearsal, it was suggested that Lorne Michaels cut Kaufman's performance. He chose to cut a stand-up routine from Billy Crystal instead. Though peeved, Crystal did return later in the season to do another stand-up act.
- The Muppets account for one of the strangest periods in SNL history, their appearance on the show a result of Jim Henson trying to shop out his puppets to adult audiences prior to producing "The Muppet Show." They were generally disliked by the cast and writers, often dumped upon Al Franken, Tom Davis, and Alan Zweibel to be written for. When referring to the Muppets, Michael O'Donoghue was often quoted as saying, "I won't write for felt."
- Albert Brooks was offered the opportunity to host SNL every week. But he wanted to write and produce short films instead, he suggested that the show use a different host each week. Being from California, Brooks failed to see the merit of doing a live show, suggesting instead that they tape the show twice without stopping tape earlier in the day, and playing the best of both performances in the show's time slot. Though the show is filmed live each week, the dress rehearsals and live performances would often be edited together for repeats aired later in the season.
- There was little audience reaction to the bee sketch, which writers blamed on a faulty PA system. Even though the network advised no more Bee sketches, Lorne Michaels thought the bit was funny and original and insisted on bringing the Bees back each week, making them SNL's first recurring characters.
- Writers and future cast members Tom Davis, Al Franken, Tom Schiller, and Alan Zweibel make uncredited cameos in this episode.
- By the 1990s, three-blade razors became a reality on the consumer market.
- This episode was replayed on June 28, 2008, following Carlin's death six days earlier.
| Saturday Night Live episode | Followed by: October 18, 1975 |