Jason Reitman’s new Saturday night Movie convinced me to watch the first episode of Saturday Night Live For the first time, and the experience was quite unexpected. The new movie depicts the 90 minutes before the first episode of SNL Back in 1975, revealing what it took to get such an iconic show to air. As such, I felt as if it would be good to watch the actual episode itself before heading to the theater.
NBC’s solution to an ongoing dispute with Johnny Carson over weekend programming, NBC’s Saturday night (as it was then called) is certainly unique as a rare variety show with new weekly guests, musical performances and a regular cast of young comedians who at the time were relative unknowns. Overall, it’s not that surprising that the debut episode wasn’t perfect, because the show is clearly still finding its feet. But, I was Quite surprised that more than a few elements of the show’s core DNA began with the first episode of Saturday Night LiveEspecially given its 50-year legacy.
The first SNL episode wasn’t great, but it was still important
The cornerstone for an entire legacy of comedy
Having watched the first episode of Saturday Night Live For the first time, I admitted myself a little underwhelmed by the episode as a whole. No sketch is longer than two minutes, host George Carlin has three separate monologues, and Jim Henson’s Land of Gorch Sequence with Muppets is fairly aimless and far too long at over 6 minutes (with fewer solid jokes than one would expect). Likewise, the first episode of SNL Has two different musical guests with Billy Preston and Janis Ian, both of them have two acts each, so eat up a lot of the 90-minute runtime.
That said, I was quite surprised that the first episode saw so many staples on Saturday night Live In the modern era. The classic “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” was shouted at the end of the cold open. There is a Weekend Update sequence with Chevy Chase providing some of​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ SNL The best jokes of the episode, Andy Kaufman’s Mighty Mouse Gag shows the show’s ongoing willingness to be unconventional for the sake of unique comedy. Likewise, one could argue that the short film of the Albert Brooks episode is the forerunner of SNL’s future digital shorts like those of The Lonely Island, or Please Don’t Destroy.
I have a greater respect for SNL’s 50 years after seeing where they started
Incredibly bold, kickstarting a new era of late night television
While I did not enjoy the first episode of Saturday Night Live All in all, I had some genuine laughs. Many of them came from the segments that would continue to stand the test of time, persisting across SNL 50-year legacy. More importantly, I also gained a greater respect for the show as a whole, finally taking the time to see where the series began back in 1975.
While it may not be perfect, the first episode has a significant place in the history of both television and comedy. Ultimately, I’m glad I took the time to sit down and watch it not only for what it was but also for what it represents: the true foundation for the 50 years to come. so too, I am especially glad that I watched the first episode of Saturday Night Live Before I went to the theater to watch Reitman’s Saturday night.
Watching the first SNL episode before watching Saturday Night made the movie that much better
I had a greater appreciation for the movie’s accuracy (as well as some fun confusion).
Knowing what the final result was going to be, I had a very fun time watching the alleged chaos that had occurred the hour and a half before Saturday Night Live Posted for the first time. I found that I also had a greater appreciation for the impressive accuracy of the movie, such as the costumes, props, and even the original stage of the show (regardless of whether the final brick was actually laid right before the show went live ). In addition, I also had some fun confusion, such as the llama being brought in or a young Billy Crystal preparing his act for SNL (both of which were cut from the first episode).
To that end, my appreciation for Reitman Saturday night Was certainly enhanced by watching the first episode of SNL Ahead. Although the first episode only had a few bright moments, it all turned out to be a worthwhile effort. For fans of SNL, I would highly recommend seeing them together (in either order).
Saturday night Now playing in theaters.