NEW YORK — Live from New York! It’s been 50 seasons since “SNL.”
The legendary NBC sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” launched on October 11, 1975, with drop-dead black humor and pratfalls, George Carlin as host, and two musical guests: Billy Preston and Janis Ian.
During those early years, young people crowded around televisions on Saturday evenings to see Lorne Michaels’ production, Not Ready for Prime Time Players, which offered up counterculture to the mainstream market.
“What is attractive and unusual about the program is that it is an attempt, finally, to provide entertainment on television in a recognisable human, non-celebrity voice, and in a voice, too, that tries to deal with the morass of media-induced show business culture that increasingly pervades American life,” the New Yorker’s Michael J. Arlen wrote in a 1975 article assessing it.
Happy 50th ‘SNL!’ Here’s A Look Back At The Show’s Very First Cast
Fast forward to the current year, September 28, when the first episode of “SNL’s” half-century season will premiere in anticipation of a three-hour live primetime special on, gasp, a Sunday, February 16. Jean Smart will host the season’s premiere, with Jelly Roll as musical guest.
Over the decades, some seasons were stronger than others, with breakout performers like Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Mike Myers, and others joining the original seven. So, what happened to the very first cast, the freshman class, after “SNL?” Here’s an update.
John Belushi is known for films such as “National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “Continental Divide,” and “Neighbours,” as well as The Blues Brothers. Belushi quit “SNL” in 1979 to pursue musical and cinematic endeavors. That is what he did, to both negative and positive reviews.
After years of drug usage, he died of an overdose at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles on March 5, 1982, at the age of 33. Belushi’s death startled and grieved his friends and fans, representing the end of the hard-living 1970s.
In addition to his mischievous, often manic performances on “SNL,” Belushi acted in several films, including the drama “Old Boyfriends” and the badly received Steven Spielberg-directed historical comedy “1941.”
Before that, Belushi gave birth to his “Joliet” Jake Blues, who joined fellow “SNL” cast member Dan Aykroyd as brother Elwood. Their television debut as the Brothers Blue was on “SNL” in 1978.
The sunglass-wearing, dark-suited Blues Brothers sprang to prominence with the 1980 film of the same name, directed by John Landis. Following Belushi’s death, “Blues Brothers 2000” was produced in 1998 as a tribute, featuring the majority of the original ensemble.
Many of Belushi’s loved ones, including his wife Judith Belushi Pisano, were outraged by the scathing tone of Bob Woodward’s book “Wired,” about the comic genius. Belushi Pisano and Tanner Colby reacted with their own book, “Belushi: A Biography.”
His high school girlfriend, Belushi Pisano, died in July of cancer. In 1977, John Belushi split a writing Emmy with other “SNL” cast members and writers.
Nasally Roseanne Roseannadanna. Lisa Loopner is a weird teen. Emily Litella, the “never mind” complainer from Weekend Update. Radner brought a charming warmth to the first season of “SNL.” She stayed for 5 years.
In 1979, the Emmy and Grammy winner went to Broadway to present a one-woman performance called “Gilda Live.” Some of her most popular “SNL” characters appeared, including Baba Wawa, a satire of Barbara Walters. The show was shot and distributed as a film.
Radner acted in numerous additional films, including “First Family” and “The Woman in Red,” the latter a 1984 smash hit written and directed by her co-star and future husband, Gene Wilder. Among other projects, she appeared in the 1980 Broadway drama “Lunch Hour.”
Radner died on May 20, 1989, at the age of 42, following a protracted fight with ovarian cancer. Her book on her cancer battle was published earlier that year. “Love Gilda,” a documentary about her life, premiered in 2018.
Chase was the first to say: “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” And he has a long list of post-“SNL” credits, which include both commercial successes and disappointments. He was also the first cast member to exit the show.
Initially employed as a writer, he became well-known on “SNL” for “Weekend Update,” his clumsy President Gerald Ford, his general pratfalls, and his feuds with cast members. Bill Murray succeeded Chase in the midst of the second season.
Years later (2013), Chase left TV’s “Community” during the fourth season after receiving complaints regarding racial slurs aimed at fellow cast member Donald Glover.
Chase worked hard between “SNL” and that moment, at least for a while.
There were two “Fletch” films. There was “Caddyshack” and its badly received sequel.There were “The Three Amigos!” There were five “Vacation” films, but his involvement in the final one (in 2015) was a cameo.
Chase’s first hit, “Foul Play” with Goldie Hawn, was released in 1978. In 1993, he tried his hand at “The Chevy Chase Show,” a late-night chat program on Fox. It was cancelled after six weeks.
His achievements include a writing Emmy for “SNL” in 1976, a performance Emmy for the show that same year, and a joint writing Emmy for “The Paul Simon Special” in 1977.
In 2007, Chase published a biography titled “I’m Chevy Chase… and You’re Not,” after his popular catchphrase as the anchor of “Weekend Update.” In his book, he describes childhood physical abuse at the hands of his mother and stepfather, John Cederquist, both of whom died.
Chase, now 80, has started hosting screenings with audience Q&As for “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” the franchise’s most enduring film.
Happy 50th ‘SNL!’ Here’s A Look Back At The Show’s Very First Cast
He also creates chicken sounds and shares fan meetups and family events on TikTok, where he has 1.2 million followers.
She left “SNL” in 1980, having played Connie Conehead, Valley Girl stewardess Sherry, and ditzy public access TV co-host Christie Christina. She was also a frequent reporter on “Weekend Update.”
Newman has been honest about her struggles with depression and drug addiction throughout that time. She became sober in 1987.
Before leaving “SNL,” Newman starred in the 1978 film “American Hot Wax.” Throughout the 1980s and 2000s, he worked steadily in film, television, and voiceover. She played the antagonist in the 1991 comedy “Problem Child 2” and Connie’s Aunt Laarta in the 1993 film “Coneheads”.
Newman, 72, starred in episodes of Friends, 3rd Rock from the Sun, 7th Heaven, Laverne & Shirley, and St. Elsewhere, as well as the 1994 live-action blockbuster The Flintstones.
She provided her voice for several animated hit films, including “Wall-E,” “Up,” “Toy Story 3,” and “Tangled.” She also worked as a magazine writer and editor. In 2021, she released “May You Live in Interesting Times,” an audio memoir.
Fun fact: After graduating from high school, Newman studied mime in Paris with Marcel Marceau.
In 2017, she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame alongside the rest of “SNL’s” founding cast.
SOURCE | AP
