Product Description: Nicknamed the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" the original cast of Saturday Night Live ignited a comedy revolution with their mix of irreverent characters and satirical impressions of political figures and pop culture icons.From the premiere of this groundbreaking sketch comedy show on October 11 1975 live from historic Studio 8H in New York City's Rockefeller Center Dan Aykroyd John Belushi Jane Curtin Chevy Chase Garrett Morris Laraine Newman and Gilda Radner launched themselves into instant stardom and were often referred to as "The Beatles of Comedy."Created by Lorne Michaels over three decades ago Saturday Night Live has had the cultural impact and relevance that few shows can claim.Nowhere else can you see the complete first season of SNL featuring hosts George Carlin Rob Reiner Lily Tomlin Richard Pryor Elliott Gould Candice Bergen or original musical performances by Simon & Garfunkel ABBA Patti Smith Jimmy Cliff and Carly Simon. And if you're curious as to how the original cast was hired check out the DVD bonus features which include the screen tests of each performer.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/SERIES & SEQUELS Rating: NR UPC: 025193056528 Manufacturer No: 61030565
Amazon.com: Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season boxed set is much more than the sum of its parts, in fact it's one of the most significant TV DVD releases yet. This isn't just an 8-disc set featuring 24 episodes of live sketch comedy, it's a big box of zeitgeist. This really is the complete first season, mostly uncut and complete with every musical act and short film intact (a few bumpers and transitions were removed to make it flow better on DVD). The first broadcast aired on October 11, 1975, hosted by George Carlin and featured musical guests Billy Preston and Janis Ian. At first, things seem a little raw: Carlin's opening monologue is painfully unfunny, Chase's first shot at the seminal "Weekend Update" is amusing but sloppy, and much of the cast seem to be holding back. But the groundwork is all there, and soon in subsequent episodes you can see it all start to come together (especially with John Belushi who lets his simmering intensity out to tremendous effect), proving that the first episode simply belies the historic impact the show would come to have on popular culture. Here you'll find the first airing of some of the many skits that stayed famous over the years: the Land Shark, Samurai Hotel, Chevy Chase's opening pratfalls and the impersonations of Gerald Ford which would spin off into the proud SNL tradition of presidential parodies.
The set is a very entertaining look at a significant point in TV and American cultural history. It is so 1975, but that's a major part of its appeal: did Chevy Chase really used to look that young? Did a young George Carlin really used to look so old? Check out Abba in those disco jumpsuits. And if you're a fan of The Muppets, seeing them here on late-night TV making jokes about getting drunk will blow your mind. Younger fans may not fully understand just how groundbreaking this show was at the time. For example, Richard Pryor hosting the seventh episode, which includes the famous "Word Association" sketch. Back then, to have a comedian of Pryor's reputation joking about drugs, sex, and race on live TV was a tremendous risk (it's also gratifying to see the obvious effect he had on the next generation of comics like Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock), and it helped established the show's cache as unpredictable and edgy. The DVD set is full of moments like this and, like the show itself, it has its ups and downs. Watching hosts like Rob Reiner (back when he was still in his "Meathead" days from All in the Family), Madeleine Kahn, and Desi Arnaz work their comedy chops with the cast are high points. Whereas the infamous Louise Lasser episode, which is known for being among the worst episodes in the show's history… not so much. Still, it's entirely to Executive Producer Lorne Michaels's credit that it's included here. It's a tremendous collection of everything that gave birth to Saturday Night Live, and the seed of what SNL would become, spawning many movies (not to mention a few catch-phrases), launching the careers of many great comedians, and providing TV viewers with some of the most famous, and infamous, moments in broadcast history. And it all started right here.
The set is packaged in a well-designed, sleek fold-out digi-pack with every episode listed on the sleeves, with hosts, musical guests, and the original air date. The special features include a rare look at the cast members' original screen tests, and a 1975 TV interview with the cast. --Daniel Vancini
Just not that funny The first season of SNL is definitely a groundbreaker, but the truth is, it's just simply not that funny. Actually, the comedy is pretty much downright horrible; there's barely any real "laugh out loud" moments, just a few chuckles here and there. It really depends on how you want to view this - it's a great look at a young TV comedy cast in 1975 trying hard. Everyone keeps saying how great the first cast is - they're ok, but they do make a lot of mistakes. The highlight is definitely the musical guests and watching the guest hosts be themselves in 1975. So if you are looking at a trip back in time, it's definitely an ok viewing in short doses. But as comedy, it's bad. I also can't figure why the Amazon listing says the Louise Lasser episode is one of the show's worst ever - it didn't seem any worse than any of the other shows here! And she looked pretty hot! As did Loraine Newman - she looks downright sexy all over the place. But the show just isn't funny - and definitely not worth a lot of money, even with eight DVDs - I got this on sale here for 31 dollars and that seems about right, only because there are eight DVDs after all. I probably will pick up the other 70's seasons for the "time capsule" aspect when the price gets low enough for me. So again - great time capsule, mostly unfunny show.
The Golden Era of 'Saturday Night Live'!!! I bought this 2 years ago, and I'm just now finishing it! These actors are extremely hilarious! Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris are awesome! I think Gilda Radner is so adorable, and very sexy! (It sucks that she's dead!) There are some pretty cool guest stars like Lily Tomlin, Candy Bergen, Desi Arnez, and much more! Chevy Chase is hilarious as always falling down and doing the news. If you love comedy, and these actors, you'll love SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON!!!
A great trip back in time! The original SNL players were amazing and this takes you right back in time.
Highly recomment.
Finally, season one! A mixed bag as entertainment. Problematic video quality. Saturday Night's format was in flux during 1975 and 1976. The series was originally touted as a comedy/variety show (rather than a sketch comedy series). Today's viewers may find the amount of music surprising, but it was an essential part of the show. For a lot of people at the time, the rock music was the main attraction.
Yes, it all looks very 1970s, and yes, the topical jokes are now dated. But, of course, it WAS the '70s, so that's to be expected.
There are a few good episodes here, including a great early one hosted by Lily Tomlin and a fun broadcast hosted by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Also of interest is the show hosted by White House Press Secretary Ron Nessen (with brief specially filmed appearances by President Ford, a presidential skit featuring Nessen with Chevy Chase as Ford, the classic "Bass-o-Matic '76" sketch, and a send-up of Smuckers Jam commercials).
These DVDs are, however, a mixed bag as entertainment. There are memorable skits, but also a lot of humor that falls flat (especially some of the Albert Brooks films and anything involving people in bee costumes). Still, I'm having a great time watching even the weaker programs. The quality of the comedy improves as the season progresses.
My main complaint is the picture quality, which is rather smeary and suffers significant loss of color detail on a lot of the episodes. I can't help wondering whether some of these were mastered from copies instead of original tapes.
Among other issues, there's major "crushing" of the darker colors, with people's hair and dark clothing occasionally disappearing into the background. There are also image distortions and far too many cases of juddery movement (which are surely the result of poor DVD authoring rather than flaws on the source tape). The video problems are worse than I've seen on other 1970s series, and they add to the sense of datedness. Nonetheless, I'm thrilled to finally have the whole first season of this groundbreaking series, which redefined late-night TV.
The depths of 1975 If you want to remember--or learn about--how utterly rotten 1975 was, exhibit A is the first season of Saturday Night Live. The comedy is not up to the high school level; one after another of the sketches falls completely flat. And there should be a contest about who was the worst host. Rob Reiner was pathetic. Lily Tomlin was excruciatingly bad. And as for Louise Lasser.....Then there was the bad music. And the garrish clothes. And the stiflingly uniform political correctness (even before the term was invented), made to seem oh-so-daring. (It takes a lot of courage and smarts to make fun of Gerald Ford.) In short, drugs help make these programs funnier than they were. Which is surely one of the problems haunting the performers and the writers who concocted some of the lamest excuses for comedy to be seen anywhere.
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