After watching Episode-19 from season-1 with the late Madeline Kahn guest hosting, you can see that the original cast and crew from the 1st season of SNL were still struggling a bit to find enough usable material to keep an audience entertained for a full hour-and-a-half on a live late night variety show.
Which makes any episode from the first season interesting to watch whether the episode was good, or not-so-good. Because it's interesting to watch a creative transformation take place that would eventually set a new standard for variety television.
And, of the many hits and misses of the 1st season I think the 19th-episode of Season-1 is definitely one of the best. After Madeline's really annoyingly unfunny opening monologue, the most memorably best parts of EP19, are skits like "Wilderness Comedian" with John Belushi. And, Gilda Radner as Babah' Wawa' interviewing Madeline Kahn as Marlene Dietrich. Another terrific skit was "The slumber party", along with "Impoverished Families in Namibia". Followed by Madeline Kahn singing "I feel Pretty", as the, "The Bride of Frankenstein"
Unfortunately, all these terrific skits that I just mentioned all happened within the first 30-minutes of the show. Which left a pretty big gap between the really strong beginning of the show, and the really strong ending. The middle 40-minutes isn't very good.
The last two skits were the best of the show however. And, maybe even two of the best the original cast ever did. In the 1st sketch of the final 2, Madeline Kahn and John Belushi turn the movie Chinatown into a light hearted musical. Which is followed by Madeline Kahn portraying a drunken Pat Nixon writing about Tricky Dicks last days in the White House.
Interestingly, the best skits of EP19-SE1 all have John Belushi either starring in them, or making some type of contribution. Which is a little surprising because Belushi was a minor player for the 1st season of SNL. But, in this episode Belushi is the show.
To begin the show, John Belushi's 'Wilderness Comedian' was great, He was like a cross between Grizzly Adams and Shecky Greene, and a great parody of popular movies and TV programing of the 70's, that were often about people leaving their urban lives behind them, and starting a new life in the great untamed wilderness. Then, by the end of the show, Belushi was just as great impersonating Henry Kissinger in a understated "straight man" performance to Dan Aykroyd's hilarious Richard Nixon impersonation.
Great episode to watch of SNL's 1st season. And, if you're a John Belushi fan? Then, you will absolutely love this episode of season-1.
Which makes any episode from the first season interesting to watch whether the episode was good, or not-so-good. Because it's interesting to watch a creative transformation take place that would eventually set a new standard for variety television.
And, of the many hits and misses of the 1st season I think the 19th-episode of Season-1 is definitely one of the best. After Madeline's really annoyingly unfunny opening monologue, the most memorably best parts of EP19, are skits like "Wilderness Comedian" with John Belushi. And, Gilda Radner as Babah' Wawa' interviewing Madeline Kahn as Marlene Dietrich. Another terrific skit was "The slumber party", along with "Impoverished Families in Namibia". Followed by Madeline Kahn singing "I feel Pretty", as the, "The Bride of Frankenstein"
Unfortunately, all these terrific skits that I just mentioned all happened within the first 30-minutes of the show. Which left a pretty big gap between the really strong beginning of the show, and the really strong ending. The middle 40-minutes isn't very good.
The last two skits were the best of the show however. And, maybe even two of the best the original cast ever did. In the 1st sketch of the final 2, Madeline Kahn and John Belushi turn the movie Chinatown into a light hearted musical. Which is followed by Madeline Kahn portraying a drunken Pat Nixon writing about Tricky Dicks last days in the White House.
Interestingly, the best skits of EP19-SE1 all have John Belushi either starring in them, or making some type of contribution. Which is a little surprising because Belushi was a minor player for the 1st season of SNL. But, in this episode Belushi is the show.
To begin the show, John Belushi's 'Wilderness Comedian' was great, He was like a cross between Grizzly Adams and Shecky Greene, and a great parody of popular movies and TV programing of the 70's, that were often about people leaving their urban lives behind them, and starting a new life in the great untamed wilderness. Then, by the end of the show, Belushi was just as great impersonating Henry Kissinger in a understated "straight man" performance to Dan Aykroyd's hilarious Richard Nixon impersonation.
Great episode to watch of SNL's 1st season. And, if you're a John Belushi fan? Then, you will absolutely love this episode of season-1.
