October 11, 1975

October 11, 1975 Season 1 episode

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"

Previous Episode
Premiere

Next Episode
October 18, 1975

On October 11, 1975, the first episode of then called "NBC's Saturday Night" aired. It was hosted by George Carlin with musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian. Carlin never performed in any sketches, only to perform stand-up throughout the show.

Cast

Repertory

Bit

Special Guests

Filmed Cameos

Paul Simon
Albert Brooks
Clifford Einstein
Wendell Craig

Sketches

Cold Open Sketch Pre-recorded Weekend Update Music Performance Other

Title	Image	Summary
The Wolverines		A teacher (Michael O'Donaghue) teaches English to an immigrant student (John Belushi).
Montage		NBC's Saturday Night. Starring George Carlin, with Janis Ian and Billy Preston, A Film by Albert Brooks, Jim Henson's Muppets, The Not For Ready Prime Time Players, and commedians Valri Bromfield, Andy Kaufman.
Monologue		George Carlin recites "Baseball and Football" from his new album "An Evening with Wally Londo, Featuring Bill Slazso".
New Dad		New Dad will cover all of your emotional and physical needs.
"Nothing From Nothing"		Billy Preston performs "Nothing From Nothing"
Trial		Ms. Davis (Jane Curtin) writes what her attacker said instead of saying it.
Guest Performance		Andy Kaufman lip-syncs to "Mighty Mouse".
Miscellaneous		Carlin performs observational stand-up before introducing Janis Ian.
"At Seventeen"		Janis Ian performs "At Seventeen"
Victims Of Shark Bite		Phyllis Crawford (Jane Curtin) interviews Martin Gresner (John Belushi) who claims he was bitten by a shark.
Jamitol		A married couple (Chevy Chase and Michael O'Donaghue) talk about how Jamitol has changed their lives.
Next Week		Paul Simon announces that he's hosting the show next week.
Weekend Update With Chevy Chase		Chevy Chase talks about the latest top news while Laraine Newman reports about the latest murder at the Blaine Hotel.
Triopenin		Triopenin will help you will your Arthritis.
The Land of Gorch		King Ploobis and Scred go to The Mighty Favog for medical advice.
Miscellaneous		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		Albert Brooks interviews people about wired news.
Bee Hospital		Upon birth, bee fathers (Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Garrett Morris) are informed of their newborns' ranks
Academy Of Better Careers		Now you can be a stand-by operator with the Academy of Better Careers.
Guest Performance		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 (Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner) they run into.
Miscellaneous		George Carlin's final round of stand-up focuses on God and religion.
"Fancy Lady"		Billy Preston performs "Fancy Lady"
Home Securities		Home security technician Kenny Vorstrather (Dan Aykroyd) demonstrates how vulnerable the Kromer's (John Belushi, Gilda Radner) are to a home invasion.
Triple-Trac		The three-blade razor is designed for people who'll believe anything they see.
"In The Winter"		Janis Ian performs "In The Winter"
Goodnights

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 Zwiebel to be written for. When referring to the Muppets, Michael O'Donaghue was often quoted as saying, "I won't write for felt."
Albert Brooks was offered the opportunity to host SNL every week. Because 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.
By the 1990s, three-blade razors became a reality on the consumer market.

Preceded by: Premier	Saturday Night Live episode	Followed by: October 18, 1975