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| Saturday Night Live Season 4 |
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
The fourth season of Saturday Night Live is a peak year for appearances by most of the iconic characters associated with the original Not-Ready-for-Primetime-Players. Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd are still red-hot as the wild and crazy Festrunk brothers from Czechoslovakia. The Coneheads (Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman) treat host Frank Zappa to their alien madness. John Belushi and Buck Henry appear in yet another samurai skit, with Belushi as a sword-wielding, Japanese optometrist. Aykroyd continues to have a hammerlock on Jimmy Carter with insightful impressions of the then-president. Bill Murray and Gilda Radner appear several times as nerds Lisa Loopner and Todd LaBount. Even Belushi's hated Bees turn up in a one-off sketch co-starring Walter Matthau in a The Bad News Bears satire. One of the show's most underrated, recurring sketches--the St. Mickey's Knights of Columbus monthly meeting--occurs several times with a certain warmth and preciseness that suggests they spring from a writer's childhood memories. The fourth season took place at a time before SNL hosts were largely ephemeral celebrities. Thus, sort-of cult figure Buck Henry hosts twice, as does Monty Python's Michael Palin. Perennial favorite (at least during the early years) Elliot Gould hosts once. So do Richard Benjamin, Kate Jackson, Cicely Tyson, Fred Willard, Eric Idle, Matthau, Zappa, and Maureen Stapleton. Rising stars Carrie Fisher and Margot Kidder each host a show, the former game to perform in a sketch inspired by Star Wars, the latter happy to appear as Lois Lane alongside Murray's Superman. Not every episode is brilliant, and the season opener, more or less hosted by the Rolling Stones, is a bit of a train wreck. What stands out are several sketches that are television classics, including Aykroyd's brilliant impression of Julia Child bleeding everywhere in her studio kitchen; the first broadcast performance of Aykroyd and Belushi's Blues Brothers; Garrett Morris singing a Mozart piece at Matthau's request; Aykroyd's weirdly avuncular "Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute;" Paul Shaffer's remarkable impression of rock impresario Don Kirshner; and a Twilight Zone spoof starring Rick Nelson accidentally lost at the Leave It to Beaver residence.
Musical guests in season four include the Stones in a rocky performance, Ornette Coleman in an abrasive one, James Taylor doing fine, as do Van Morrison, the Chieftains, the Doobie Brothers, Talking Heads, and the Grateful Dead. The Gould show has two highlights besides the wonderful Christmas edition of the St. Mickey's sketch: Mick Jagger (making up a bit for the earlier Stones fiasco) surprising everyone by joining Peter Tosh in a number, and an appearance by comedy team Bob and Ray. Bob Elliott's son, Chris Elliott, of course, eventually became a cast member of SNL, and consequently Chris' daughter, Abby Elliott, joined the 2008-09 cast. --Tom Keogh
Stills from Saturday Night Live – The Complete Fourth Season (click for larger image)
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Product Description
All 20 episodes of the fourth season are collected in a seven-disc set. Includes appearances by the Coneheads, the Blues Brothers, the Olympia Cafe, Father Guido Sarducci, and Mr. Bill; Michael Palin, Carrie Fisher, Walter Matthau, Margot Kidder, Milton Berle, and Steve Martin are among the guest hosts; musical guests include The Rolling Stones, Devo, The Doobie Brothers, Talking Heads, James Taylor, and Frank Zappa. 25 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish. **20 episodes on 7 discs. 25 hrs.**
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I'm very familiar with this season and would like to offer up a few of my favorite moments. This last season for Belushi and Aykroyd, along with the third season, includes the troupe's finest hours.
Season 4 highlights:
1. Rolling Stones - You may be slightly disappointed by this season-opener if you're a big Stones fan. There is no opening monologue from them, which could have been interesting. Those duties are instead helmed by NYC mayor (actually, I think he was just campaigning at the time), Ed "How Am I Doing" Koch. Jagger shows up as the main guest in a very funny Tom Snyder bit, and Ron Wood & Charlie Watts are patrons of the always-classic Olympia Café. As for the music, it comes in one big chunk, as opposed to the usual two segments. Somewhat disappointingly, the boys perform songs exclusively from the then newly-released "Some Girls" album ("Shattered", "Beast of Burden" and "Respectable"). Amazingly, their biggest hit from that album, "Miss You", is ignored. Worst of all, Mick's voice is in unusually bad form; he sounds strained, hoarse and froggy throughout. My biggest - indeed oddest - memory of this episode's original airing was the talk that followed at school on Monday. "Did you see Mick tongue kiss Keith Richards!?" As time passed and my memory got sketchier, I thought this may have been urban legend, but after getting a copy a few years ago, Mick does actually - if not "tongue kiss" - lick Ron Wood's closed mouth, and tries a similar move on Keith, who seems to shy away from it. Incidentally, this episode also includes the great Nerds "refrigerator repairman" sketch, also the subject of some talk at school that week!
2. Other musical highlights - Devo's bizarre rendition of "Satisfaction" looks as wild today as it did then, beret-wearing Ricki Lee Jones' semi-forgotten hit "Chuck E.'s in Love" recalls the beat poets she emulated, and Belushi's Samurai makes a hilarious cameo during Frank Zappa's fusion-jazz-tinged "Rollo." This is one of the strongest musical seasons, in fact. The Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, The Grateful Dead, Kate Bush, The Talking Heads, The Blues Brothers and Van Morrison all put in excellent performances. And then there's the once-trademark variety, which we also get with old-time jazzman Eubie Blake, reggae maestro Peter Tosh and blues man Delbert McClinton.
3. Tape Store - One of my favorites because it doesn't play for straight laughs, but serio-comedy instead, something completely unknown on the current show. Fred Willard is the overly-proud, overly-optimistic owner of a tape store...."no, not the audio kind, the sticky kind!" Some patrons are cruel, others are sympathetic & supportive. Like the "Nick the Lounge Singer" and the often-overlooked "Knights of Columbus", quieter, and drier reality-based skits like these showcased the incredible range of the cast, and didn't rely on the narcissistic one-joke, one-character premise.
4. Carrie Fisher - What Star Wars geek could forget this appearance! Not only was the country still gripped in the original Star Wars Mania, but Fisher showed up for the monologue in her Princess Leia costume, buns and all! She looks as good as she did in the film, if not even more sparkly. The following skit is a very humorous Star Wars themed take-off of the Annette & Frankie "Beach" movies from the `60s. As a kid, I was most shocked by another skit wherein Fisher smokes pot with her date (Belushi). It actually a humorous parody of the Lauds, the notorious subjects of "An American Family". This one, however, just talks "loud".
5. The Pepsi Syndrome - One of the most finely constructed skits I think the show ever did. Everyone does their job here, from Baba Wawa to Franken & Davis' hilarious mime routine. It's spoof without being imitation, political without being obtuse. Again, one of the great things about the Not Ready for Prime Time Players was their ability to load up skits with a variety of different gags, not relying on the repetition of one (I stress this point a second time because it's one of the biggest killers of the show today).
6. The Bad News Bees - Double entendres abound as the Bees (rarely seen by this point) get the Bad News Bears treatment. Teammates tease another boy (Belushi) for "buzzing off". I don't want to spoil it beyond that. The presence of the great Walter Matthau, reprising his Buttermaker role, gives this one some comedic weight and authenticity.
7. Superhero Party - Margot Kidder, fresh off the heels off of "Superman" success, puts in a solid, St. Partick's Day themed show. As someone of Irish descent, I've always remembered this one fondly (maybe all those Chicagoans at SNL had something to do with it!). Highlights include the Celtic stylings of The Chieftains, and the hysterical Superhero Party, hosted by Lois Lane, naturally. Partygoers are offended at the bathroom odor left behind by Belushi's Hulk, who nonchalantly remarks, "hey, it ain't supposed to smell like roses."
8. The French Chef - SNL clearly drew inspiration from Monty Python, especially in these earlier seasons. Their awestruck admiration was obvious whenever Michael Palin or Eric Idle hosted. Earlier episodes hosted by them include British-themed skits as well as the spilling of one skit into the next, a common Python technique. Here, Dan Aykroyd may be channeling host Idle with his classic Julia Childs imitation. The ridiculous amount of blood-letting that ensues recalls Python's "Sam Peckinpah's Salad Days" sketch.
There's more, but if you've read this far, I'm not sure what you're waiting for. Haven't you pre-ordered yet?
Season 4 highlights:
1. Rolling Stones - You may be slightly disappointed by this season-opener if you're a big Stones fan. There is no opening monologue from them, which could have been interesting. Those duties are instead helmed by NYC mayor (actually, I think he was just campaigning at the time), Ed "How Am I Doing" Koch. Jagger shows up as the main guest in a very funny Tom Snyder bit, and Ron Wood & Charlie Watts are patrons of the always-classic Olympia Café. As for the music, it comes in one big chunk, as opposed to the usual two segments. Somewhat disappointingly, the boys perform songs exclusively from the then newly-released "Some Girls" album ("Shattered", "Beast of Burden" and "Respectable"). Amazingly, their biggest hit from that album, "Miss You", is ignored. Worst of all, Mick's voice is in unusually bad form; he sounds strained, hoarse and froggy throughout. My biggest - indeed oddest - memory of this episode's original airing was the talk that followed at school on Monday. "Did you see Mick tongue kiss Keith Richards!?" As time passed and my memory got sketchier, I thought this may have been urban legend, but after getting a copy a few years ago, Mick does actually - if not "tongue kiss" - lick Ron Wood's closed mouth, and tries a similar move on Keith, who seems to shy away from it. Incidentally, this episode also includes the great Nerds "refrigerator repairman" sketch, also the subject of some talk at school that week!
2. Other musical highlights - Devo's bizarre rendition of "Satisfaction" looks as wild today as it did then, beret-wearing Ricki Lee Jones' semi-forgotten hit "Chuck E.'s in Love" recalls the beat poets she emulated, and Belushi's Samurai makes a hilarious cameo during Frank Zappa's fusion-jazz-tinged "Rollo." This is one of the strongest musical seasons, in fact. The Doobie Brothers, James Taylor, The Grateful Dead, Kate Bush, The Talking Heads, The Blues Brothers and Van Morrison all put in excellent performances. And then there's the once-trademark variety, which we also get with old-time jazzman Eubie Blake, reggae maestro Peter Tosh and blues man Delbert McClinton.
3. Tape Store - One of my favorites because it doesn't play for straight laughs, but serio-comedy instead, something completely unknown on the current show. Fred Willard is the overly-proud, overly-optimistic owner of a tape store...."no, not the audio kind, the sticky kind!" Some patrons are cruel, others are sympathetic & supportive. Like the "Nick the Lounge Singer" and the often-overlooked "Knights of Columbus", quieter, and drier reality-based skits like these showcased the incredible range of the cast, and didn't rely on the narcissistic one-joke, one-character premise.
4. Carrie Fisher - What Star Wars geek could forget this appearance! Not only was the country still gripped in the original Star Wars Mania, but Fisher showed up for the monologue in her Princess Leia costume, buns and all! She looks as good as she did in the film, if not even more sparkly. The following skit is a very humorous Star Wars themed take-off of the Annette & Frankie "Beach" movies from the `60s. As a kid, I was most shocked by another skit wherein Fisher smokes pot with her date (Belushi). It actually a humorous parody of the Lauds, the notorious subjects of "An American Family". This one, however, just talks "loud".
5. The Pepsi Syndrome - One of the most finely constructed skits I think the show ever did. Everyone does their job here, from Baba Wawa to Franken & Davis' hilarious mime routine. It's spoof without being imitation, political without being obtuse. Again, one of the great things about the Not Ready for Prime Time Players was their ability to load up skits with a variety of different gags, not relying on the repetition of one (I stress this point a second time because it's one of the biggest killers of the show today).
6. The Bad News Bees - Double entendres abound as the Bees (rarely seen by this point) get the Bad News Bears treatment. Teammates tease another boy (Belushi) for "buzzing off". I don't want to spoil it beyond that. The presence of the great Walter Matthau, reprising his Buttermaker role, gives this one some comedic weight and authenticity.
7. Superhero Party - Margot Kidder, fresh off the heels off of "Superman" success, puts in a solid, St. Partick's Day themed show. As someone of Irish descent, I've always remembered this one fondly (maybe all those Chicagoans at SNL had something to do with it!). Highlights include the Celtic stylings of The Chieftains, and the hysterical Superhero Party, hosted by Lois Lane, naturally. Partygoers are offended at the bathroom odor left behind by Belushi's Hulk, who nonchalantly remarks, "hey, it ain't supposed to smell like roses."
8. The French Chef - SNL clearly drew inspiration from Monty Python, especially in these earlier seasons. Their awestruck admiration was obvious whenever Michael Palin or Eric Idle hosted. Earlier episodes hosted by them include British-themed skits as well as the spilling of one skit into the next, a common Python technique. Here, Dan Aykroyd may be channeling host Idle with his classic Julia Childs imitation. The ridiculous amount of blood-letting that ensues recalls Python's "Sam Peckinpah's Salad Days" sketch.
There's more, but if you've read this far, I'm not sure what you're waiting for. Haven't you pre-ordered yet?
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
SNL used to be the most inovative and funny show of the late 70's. It reinvented the variety show with a "supporting cast" and a rotating guest host every week. They knew how to create a funny pieces and keep it moving forward. Every show was not a masterpiece but the hits were more than the misses.
This season had the two best episodes ever with the two most unlikely hosts - Cicley Tyson and Maureen Stapleton.
The following are a list of the 20 guest hosts and musical guests:
Rolling Stones
Fred Willard / Devo
Frank Zappa
Steve Martin / Van Morrison
Buck Henry / The Greatful Dead
Carrie Fisher / The Blues Brothers
Walter Matthau
Eric Idle / Kate Bush
Elliot Gould / Peter Tosh with Mick Jagger
Michael Palin / The Doobie Brothers
Cicley Tyson / Talking Heads - This is the best episode ever. It starts Garrett Morris opening the show in drag as Cicley. And gets even better when she appears on Black Perspectives. She and Garrett visit the wide butts.
Ricky Nelson / Judy Collins
Kate Jackson / Delbert McClinton
Gary Busey / Rick Danko and Paul Butterfield / Eubie Blake and Gregory Hines
Margot Kidder / The Chieftans
Richard Benjamin / Rickey Lee Jones
Milton Berle / Ornette Coleman
Michael Palin / James Taylor
Maureen Statpleton / Linda Rondstat and Pheobe Snow - Maureen has a great skit with Lorraine Newman as the stereotypical Jewish mother.
Buck Henry / Bette Middler
Again, this is when SNL was funny, so prepare to do something than rarely happens when watching SNL today - laugh til it hurts.
This season had the two best episodes ever with the two most unlikely hosts - Cicley Tyson and Maureen Stapleton.
The following are a list of the 20 guest hosts and musical guests:
Rolling Stones
Fred Willard / Devo
Frank Zappa
Steve Martin / Van Morrison
Buck Henry / The Greatful Dead
Carrie Fisher / The Blues Brothers
Walter Matthau
Eric Idle / Kate Bush
Elliot Gould / Peter Tosh with Mick Jagger
Michael Palin / The Doobie Brothers
Cicley Tyson / Talking Heads - This is the best episode ever. It starts Garrett Morris opening the show in drag as Cicley. And gets even better when she appears on Black Perspectives. She and Garrett visit the wide butts.
Ricky Nelson / Judy Collins
Kate Jackson / Delbert McClinton
Gary Busey / Rick Danko and Paul Butterfield / Eubie Blake and Gregory Hines
Margot Kidder / The Chieftans
Richard Benjamin / Rickey Lee Jones
Milton Berle / Ornette Coleman
Michael Palin / James Taylor
Maureen Statpleton / Linda Rondstat and Pheobe Snow - Maureen has a great skit with Lorraine Newman as the stereotypical Jewish mother.
Buck Henry / Bette Middler
Again, this is when SNL was funny, so prepare to do something than rarely happens when watching SNL today - laugh til it hurts.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
"Saturday Night Live: The Complete Fourth Season" is a seven-disc box set containing all the shows from the 1978-1979 season. This is one of the great years of the NBC sketch comedy show, which has just passed its 33rd anniversary. Maybe it's nostalgia, but it seems the comedy landed a lot more frequently then than in the current season of "SNL."
Some of the skits in this set include Nick the Lounge Singer (Bill Murray singing the "Star Wars" theme to a uninterested cocktail lounge audience), Candy Slice (Gilda Radner), The Loud Family (Jane Curtin), Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute (Dan Aykroyd), and the Nerds (Bill Murray and Gilda Radner). Also included is the "Wild and Crazy" Festrunk Brothers (Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd) and Buck Henry's inappropriate "Uncle Roy." Guest hosts include Fred Willard, Carrie Fisher, Kate Jackson, Gary Busey, and Walter Matthau. Musical guests include Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, the Doobie Brothers, Bette Midler, Talking Heads, Devo, Van Morrison, the Grateful Dead, James Taylor, and Rickie Lee Jones.
Some of the skits in this set include Nick the Lounge Singer (Bill Murray singing the "Star Wars" theme to a uninterested cocktail lounge audience), Candy Slice (Gilda Radner), The Loud Family (Jane Curtin), Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute (Dan Aykroyd), and the Nerds (Bill Murray and Gilda Radner). Also included is the "Wild and Crazy" Festrunk Brothers (Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd) and Buck Henry's inappropriate "Uncle Roy." Guest hosts include Fred Willard, Carrie Fisher, Kate Jackson, Gary Busey, and Walter Matthau. Musical guests include Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, the Doobie Brothers, Bette Midler, Talking Heads, Devo, Van Morrison, the Grateful Dead, James Taylor, and Rickie Lee Jones.
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