NBC'S SATURDAY NIGHT {SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE} {LOUISE LASSER, PRESERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND} (TV)
Summary
One in this series of live, late-night comedy/variety programs featuring topical satire. Actress Louise Lasser hosts this program, with musical group the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. In the opening sequence, Chevy Chase and John Belushi resolve a dispute with a hug and an elaborate handshake, but this quickly devolves into further violence. During her opening monologue, Lasser explains her nervousness, comparing the experience to her work on her own show, "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman," and has trouble with Lorne Michaels' advice to "wing it." She soon becomes flustered and runs offstage, and the cast attempts to lure her from her dressing room, finally employing the help of a large shark.
Sketches include the following: a public service announcement about sexually-transmitted diseases from dictator Idi "VD" Amin; a romantic dramatic Swedish film parody starring Chase and Lasser, with a voiceover by Death himself; a look at Squeaky Fromme's "homemade" pot holders, available for purchase from prison; a heart-to-heart between Lasser and her pet dog, in which she debates making a "clean break" after a traumatic game of fetch; a report on the history of television, including a musical tribute from the female cast members; and "Weekend Update," with Chase discussing President and First Lady Ford's latest misadventures, the 1976 Olympics, complete with an interview with not-so-gracious gymnastic loser Olga Korbut, other politicians' latest comments, a kidnapping in California carried out by the "Rich People's Liberation Army," and an unsuccessful recent Mars landing.
Other highlights include the following: a talk between two friends, played by Gilda Radner and Jane Curtin, about boys and the technicalities of dating and sex; a weary couple, Chase and Lasser, trying to talk through their problems in a diner but needing "script" help from the wait staff; Belushi's new line of sophisticated men's clothing; Dan Aykroyd as Jimmy Carter, describing his down-home campaign plans from his house in Georgia; a musical number by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band; and Lasser's description of her wild year, starting with her casting in "Mary Hartman" and rise to fame, ending with a trip to prison after a disastrous shopping trip. Includes commercials and promos.
Details
- NETWORK: NBC
- DATE: July 24, 1976 11:35 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 1:24:07
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:41974
- GENRE: Comedy/Variety
- SUBJECT HEADING: Comedy/Variety; Music
- SERIES RUN: NBC - TV series, 1975-
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - Ajax all-purpose cleaner
- TV - Commercials - Bic cigarette lighters
- TV - Commercials - Borden single-wrap cheese
- TV - Commercials - Citgo gas stations
- TV - Commercials - Clairol hair care products
- TV - Commercials - Coca-Cola soft drinks
- TV - Commercials - Dynamo laundry detergent
- TV - Commercials - Ford automobiles
- TV - Commercials - Future floor polish
- TV - Commercials - Glade air fresheners
- TV - Commercials - Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Marriott's Essex House hotel
- TV - Commercials - Mazda automobiles
- TV - Commercials - McDonald's restaurants
- TV - Commercials - Mental health association services
- TV - Commercials - Meow Mix cat food
- TV - Commercials - Nair hair removal cream
- TV - Commercials - Nestea teas
- TV - Commercials - Palmolive dish washing liquid
- TV - Commercials - Pillsbury cake mix
- TV - Commercials - Raid bug killer
- TV - Commercials - Revlon nail polish
- TV - Commercials - Roto-Rooter cleaning service
- TV - Commercials - Schick razors
- TV - Commercials - Shout stain remover
- TV - Commercials - Tone soap
- TV - Commercials - Ultra Ban anti-perspirant lotion
- TV - Promos - "Lifeguard" motion picture
- TV - Promos - "The Fun Factory"
- TV - Promos - "The Gong Show"
- TV - Promos - "The Man Who Fell to Earth" motion picture
CREDITS
- Lorne Michaels … Producer, Writer
- Patricia O'Keefe … Associate Producer
- Dave Wilson … Director
- Don Pardo … Announcer
- Anne Beatts … Writer
- Chevy Chase … Writer
- Tom Davis … Writer
- Marilyn Suzanne Miller … Writer
- Michael O'Donoghue … Writer
- Herb Sargent … Writer
- Tom Schiller … Writer
- Al Franken … Writer
- Rosie Shuster … Writer
- Alan Zweibel … Writer
- Dan Aykroyd … Cast
- John Belushi … Cast
- Chevy Chase … Cast
- Jane Curtin … Cast
- Garrett Morris … Cast
- Lorraine Newman … Cast
- Gilda Radner … Cast
- Louise Lasser … Guest
- The Preservation Hall Jazz Band … Guest, Music Group
- Idi Amin
- Jimmy Carter
- Gerald Ford
- Betty Ford
- Lynette Alice Fromme (see also: Squeaky Fromme)
- Olga Korbut