Samurai Futaba was an early SNL character portrayed by John Belushi, he appeared between 1975-1979. The sketch follows a katana wielding samurai who, while speaking faux-Japanese, performs various jobs such as a bell hop and a baker. The samurai, despite scaring many of his clients, always succeeded at his jobs. The sketch frequently appeared on episodes where Buck Henry hosted, allowing him to play the straight man on the receiving end of the samurai's antics.
List of Episodes[]
- "Samurai Hotel" (December 13, 1975) - Belushi and his bellhop duel over who has to carry a guest's bags. The bellhop smashes the front desk with his sword; The Samurai says, "Well, I can dig where you're coming from," the only words ever spoken by the character in English.
- Host Richard Pryor portrayed the bellhop, the only time any other samurai was depicted.
- "Samurai Delicatessen" (January 17, 1976) - Mr. Dantley (host Buck Henry) waits as the Samurai makes a sandwich by severing ropes on hanging salami, slicing tomatoes in midair, and splitting bread with his skull. The two of them carry on a pleasant conversation although each speaks a different language.
- "Samurai Divorce Court" (February 14, 1976) - In the Samurai world, custody cases are resolved by splitting children in half.
- Show regular Jane Curtin plays Futaba's wife.
- "Samurai Tailor" (May 22, 1976) - Mr. Dantley needs a tuxedo for a wedding. The Samurai makes one for him with his katana.
- "Samurai General Practitioner" (July 31, 1976) - Host: Kris Kristofferson
- "Samurai Stockbroker" (October 30, 1976) -
- Belushi accidentally strikes Buck Henry in the forehead with a katana. On tape, Henry clearly staggers back from the blow. Afterward, Henry appeared on camera with a bandage covering the cut on his forehead. In solidarity, for the remainder of the broadcast the rest of the cast members (including a teddy bear in one later sketch) also appeared with bandages on their foreheads.
- "Samurai Hit Man" (March 19, 1977) - Don Marsala (Dan Aykroyd) hires the Samurai to kill, as soon as possible, both Don Cornelius and Don Kirshner.
- "Samurai B.M.O.C." (May 21, 1977) - The Samurai must convince Dean Bynum (Buck Henry) that he is qualified to graduate from college.
- "Samurai Dry Cleaners" (October 29, 1977) - Host: Charles Grodin
- "Samurai Psychiatrist" November 19, 1977 - Mr. Dantley relates a disturbing dream.
- "Samurai Night Fever" (February 25, 1978) - a parody of the film Saturday Night Fever, with the Samurai as a disco dancer.
- Host O.J. Simpson plays the Samurai's brother.
- "Samurai TV Repairman" (May 20, 1978) - The Samurai tosses Mr. Dantley's TV set around, hits it with his sword, plunges two knives into the top grill, and the picture turns out perfect.
- "Samurai Optometrist" (November 11, 1978) - The Samurai nearly commits seppuku when Mr. Dantley calls him an "optician".
- "Samurai Bakery" (May 26, 1979) - Mr. Dantley buys a last-minute wedding cake, only it is not boxed. The Samurai tosses the cake in the air, and slices it to pieces as it drops behind the counter, only to pick up neatly packaged, string-tied pink boxes, which he hands to Mr. Dantley.
Appearances during Musical Performances[]
- "The Purple Lagoon" (December 11, 1976) - Musical Guest: Frank Zappa
- "Rollo" (October 21, 1978) - Host: Frank Zappa
This article is a stub. You can help the Saturday Night Live Wiki by expanding it.