Saturday Night Live first aired in 1975, in New York City. The first guest host was George Carlin, a famous comedian. The network put a lot of pressure on the show to be politically correct. After all, it was 1975. The network wanted Carlin to wear a suit, but he wanted to wear a T-shirt and jeans. He actually ended up wearing a suit with a T-shirt , and the network was worried that this was too radical. Right from the beginning, the show seemed as though it went against the norm. This led to the type of audience that first began to follow the show. The show was appealing to a younger audience, with a whole other sense of humor.
The show had funny, new talent that picked fun at certain commercials, movie scenes, television shows and actual people. It also had many homemade skits as well. When the creator of the show, Lorne Michaels was asked "When was the show at its best?", he replied by saying, " The show is working when we're doing exactly what you were hoping we would be doing, in a way that you hadn't thought we'd be doing it"(Barrow p.32). He also said that the core purpose of the show was to broadcast about certain experiences that people were having in such a way that would make them talk about the show the next day.
Many of the comedians of Saturday Night Live stayed for years, and when you thought of the show you thought of this person. For example, Dan Aykroyd was with the show from 1974-1979. He was one of the most remembered of all the cast members. Some of his most memorable characters were Beldar Conehead, Edward Blues of the Blues Brothers, and the salesman of the Bass-o-matic blender. The success of these characters led to opportunities outside of the world of Saturday Night Live. For example, "Coneheads" the movie generated a huge box office turnout and commercial spots; especially for Subway sandwich shop. These commercials showed Beldar eating a foot long sub in on bite and saying how great it was. The success of the first Coneheads movie demanded a sequel, which meant more money, T-shirt sales and other paraphernalia of the Conehead family. Another of Aykroyd's best known characters was Edward Blues of the Blues Brothers. He and John Belushi became the youth's most famous brothers. The movie reached cult statis, and was watched and enjoyed by all walks of life. That still rings true today. The success of the first movie demanded a sequel, Blues Brothers 2ooo. Although this movie didn't enjoy the same success as the first, it still pulled a crowd. Most of the viewers were those who saw the first and wanted to see what new twist the band had taken with the change of the times.
Another one of the Saturday Night Live's comedians, and possibly the most remembered, was John Belushi. He was also on the show for four seasons from 1975-1979. Some of his best remembered characters were the Samurai, Beethoven ,and Jake Blues, the oldest of the Blues Brothers. He enjoyed movie stardom as well with the Blues Brothers and Animal House, just to name a few. His brilliant career was cut short by a drug overdose. Some say that he had such a following that his death made him even more famous.
Mike Myers and Dana Carvey were on the show for a total of thirteen years combined. They both portrayed many characters individually, but their most famous was when they worked as the team of Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar in" Wayne's World. " This movie enjoyed much success and had a sequel as well. The character's appealed to an audience between the ages of 16 and 25, but was also enjoyed by much younger and much older.
Other famous comedians got their start on the show and went on to seek their own fame and fortune. Eddie Murphy was on the show four seasons and had a list of characters that the audience couldn't get enough of. His portrayal of characters such as Gumby, Velvet Jones, and Mr. Robinson are some of the main reasons he skyrocketed to the top. Another Saturday Night well known was Chevy Chase. He starred in movies such as Caddyshack,the Invisible Man,Fletch,and introduced us all to our favorite family, the Grisswalds. Adam Sandler was on the show from 1991-1994.He gave us such characters as Operaman,Cajunman,and Canteenboy;which led him to do the movie "Waterboy,"which sold out the box office for weeks.Then there is Chris Farley,who like John Belushi, was cut down in his prime by a drug overdose.His most remembered characters on the show were Matt Foley;motiveational speaker,General Schwarzkoph,and a Chippendales dancer.Like so many others on Saturday Night Live his popularity promised him movie stardom as well,with movies like "Tommy Boy","Beverly Hills Ninja,"and "Black Sheep."His sidekick in many of his movies was David Spade,who he met and worked with on Saturday Night Live.This pair worked like clockwork,and brought a certain Laurel and Hardy motif along with them.
Another thing that Saturday Night Live brought to the table that kept us tuning in each week were the bands that appeared. Different musical guests came and went, week after week. Guests like Aerosmith, Bruce Springstein,and the Rolling Stones. This added a new twist to the show and helped determine their audience. Not only could people tune in to see their favorite comedian, but their favorite bands as well.
The genre that Saturday Night Live has is definitely comedic.It is also mimetic, because the cast holds a mirror up to nature and reality, and in their own way reflects the resulting image back to us, the audience.
The show has now been on for 24 years , and as long as we continue to love comedy and music the show could be on 24 more.
jasonpennington@Mailexcite.com