Happy 50th ‘SNL!’ Here’s a look back at the show’s very first cast
Happy 50th ‘SNL!’ Here’s a look back at the show’s very first castBy LEANNE ITALIEAP Entertainment WriterThe Associated PressNEW YORK
NEW YORK (AP) — Live from New York! It’s 50 seasons later for “SNL.”
The landmark NBC sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live” premiered Oct. 11, 1975, with drop-dead dark humor and pratfalls, George Carlin as host and not one but two musical guests: Billy Preston and Janis Ian.
On Saturday nights, in those early years, young people gathered around TVs to watch the Lorne Michaels production that served up counterculture to the mass market via the Not Ready for Prime Time Players.
“What is attractive and unusual about the program is that it is an attempt, finally, to provide entertainment on television in a recognizable 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 review.
Fast forward to this year, Sept. 28, when the first episode of “SNL’s” half-century season is set to air in a lead-up to a three-hour live primetime special Feb. 16 on, gasp, a Sunday. Jean Smart will host to open the season, with Jelly Roll as musical guest.
Over the decades, some seasons were better than others, with breakout stars like Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell, Mike Myers and more following the original seven. So what became of the very first cast, the freshman class, post-“SNL?” Here’s a catchup.
John Belushi
“National Lampoon’s Animal House,” “Continental Divide,” “Neighbors” and all things The Blues Brothers. Belushi left “SNL” in 1979 to pursue music and film projects. That he did, to bad reviews and good.
Following years of drug use, he died March 5, 1982, at 33 after overdosing at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Belushi’s death stunned and saddened his friends and fans and symbolized the end of the hard-living ’70s.
In addition to his mischievous, often frenzied performances on “SNL,” Belushi appeared in other films as well, including the drama “Old Boyfriends” and the poorly-reviewed Steven Spielberg–directed historical comedy “1941.”
Before that, Belushi birthed his “Joliet” Jake Blues, joining fellow “SNL” cast member Dan Aykroyd as brother Elwood. Their TV debut as the brothers blue came on “SNL” in 1978.
The sunglass-wearing, dark-suited Blues Brothers took on a fame of their own with the self-titled 1980 movie, directed by John Landis. After Belushi’s death, “Blues Brothers 2000” was released in 1998 in tribute with most of the first film’s original cast.
After Belushi’s death, many of his loved ones, including his widow Judith Belushi Pisano, were angered by the negative narrative tone of “Wired,” the Bob Woodward book about the comic genius. Belushi Pisano and Tanner Colby responded with a book of their own, “Belushi: A Biography.”
Belushi Pisano, his high school sweetheart, died in July from cancer. John Belushi shared a writing Emmy with fellow “SNL” cast members and writers in 1977.
Gilda Radner
Nasally Roseanne Roseannadanna. Weird teen Lisa Loopner. Weekend Update’s “never mind” complainer Emily Litella. Radner contributed an endearing sweetness to the inaugural season of “SNL.” She stayed for five years.
In 1979, the Emmy and Grammy winner took to Broadway to perform a one-woman show, “Gilda Live.” Included were some of her most beloved “SNL” characters, including Baba Wawa, a spoof of Barbara Walters. The show was filmed and released as a movie.
Radner appeared in several other films, including “First Family” and “The Woman in Red,” the latter a 1984 hit written and directed by her co-star and future husband, Gene Wilder. Among other projects: She starred in the 1980 Broadway drama “Lunch Hour.”
Radner died May 20, 1989, at age 42 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. Her book detailing her cancer fight was released earlier that year. A documentary about her life, “Love Gilda,” was released in 2018.
Chevy Chase
Chase was the first to utter the words: “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!” And he has a long list of post-“SNL” credits, including many commercial successes and his share of flops. He was also the first cast member to leave the show.
Initially hired as a writer, he was known on “SNL” for “Weekend Update,” his bumbling President Gerald Ford, his pratfalls in general and his feuds with cast members. Chase was replaced in the middle of the second season by Bill Murray.
Years later (2013), Chase exited TV’s “Community” during the fourth season amid complaints about racial slurs directed at fellow cast member Donald Glover.
In between “SNL” and that moment, Chase worked a lot, at least for a time.
There were two “Fletch” movies. There was “Caddyshack” and a poorly-received sequel. There was “The Three Amigos!” There were five “Vacation” movies, though his appearance in the last one (in 2015) was a cameo.
Chase’s first hit was “Foul Play” with Goldie Hawn in 1978. He tried his hand at a late-night talk show, “The Chevy Chase Show,” on Fox in 1993. It was canceled after six weeks.
Among his awards: A writing Emmy for “SNL” in 1976, a performance Emmy on the show the same year and a shared writing Emmy for “The Paul Simon Special” in 1977.
Chase put out a biography in 2007, “I’m Chevy Chase … and You’re Not,” named for his famous catchphrase as anchor of “Weekend Update.” In his book, he detailed childhood physical abuse at the hands of his mother and stepfather, John Cederquist — both of whom are dead.
Now 80, Chase has taken in recent years to hosting screenings with audience Q&As for “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation,” the most enduring movie in that franchise.
He also makes chicken sounds and posts fan meetups and family gatherings on TikTok, where he has 1.2 million followers.
Laraine Newman
She left “SNL” in 1980 after portraying Connie Conehead, Valley Girl stewardess Sherry and ditzy public access TV co-host Christie Christina. She was also a recurring reporter on “Weekend Update.”
Newman has spoken openly about her struggles with depression and drug addiction during that time. She got sober in 1987.
Before leaving “SNL,” Newman appeared in the 1978 film “American Hot Wax.” Steady film, TV and voice work followed through the 1980s into the 2000s. She was the antagonist in the 1991 comedy “Problem Child 2” and appeared in 1993’s “Coneheads” as Connie’s Aunt Laarta.
Newman, 72, appeared in episodes of “Friends,” “3rd Rock from the Sun,” “7th Heaven,” “Laverne & Shirley” and “St. Elsewhere,” and in the 1994 live action “Flintstones” film.
She lent her voice to several animated hit films, including “Wall-E,” “Up,” “Toy Story 3″ and “Tangled.” And she has worked as a magazine writer and editor. In 2021, she put out “May You Live in Interesting Times,” an audio memoir.
Fun fact: After high school graduation, Newman studied mime in Paris with Marcel Marceau.
In 2017, with the rest of “SNL’s” original cast, she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Dan Aykroyd
When he wasn’t bleeding out as Julia Child or declaring, “Jane, you ignorant slut!” on “Weekend Update,” Aykroyd swagged with Steve Martin as one of two wild and crazy guys, and led the Conehead family as patriarch Beldar.
And he lent so much more to “SNL” before leaving in 1979, including as half of The Blues Brothers and impersonations of talk show host Tom Snyder, Rod Serling and two presidents: Nixon and Carter.
With Belushi, his close friend, and backed by legit players, the bluesy and soulful brothers caught on as a band. They played gigs and released a multimillion-selling album, “Briefcase Full of Blues.”
His post-“SNL” work has taken him even higher. He and Belushi had a smash with “The Blues Brothers” film. Hit after hit followed: “Neighbors” in 1981, “Trading Places” in 1983 and the 1984 “Ghostbusters” that launched a franchise (Aykroyd and Harold Ramis wrote the first two). He also appeared in “1941.”
Aykroyd, 72, wrote and narrated a recent audio documentary, “Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude.”
In 1985, Aykroyd co-wrote and starred with Chase in “Spies Like Us,” directed by Landis. Aykroyd earned a supporting actor Oscar nomination for 1989’s “Driving Miss Daisy.”
The ‘90s weren’t so kind. There were many flops, including his directorial debut in 1991, “Nothing but Trouble” starring Demi Moore, Chase, John Candy and Aykroyd with a grisly prosthetic face. A bright spot was the acclaimed “Grosse Pointe Blank,” in which he played a rival hitman to star John Cusack.
With Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Isaac Tigrett, Aykroyd co-founded House of Blues, a chain of live music halls and restaurants that became a division of Live Nation in 2006.
Jane Curtin
Curtin left “SNL,” in 1980, after five seasons. She was a master of deadpan, often playing the straight woman off such outsized performers as Belushi and Radner. A regular on “Weekend Update,” she was also known for the Coneheads sketches as matriarch Prymaat and as Enid Loopner with fellow nerds Radner and Murray.
Curtin, 76, has spoken about being bothered by the drug-fueled lifestyles of some of her castmates. She won two Emmys for her 1980s sitcom “Kate & Allie.” She later starred as Dr. Mary Albright in the hit series “3rd Rock from the Sun” (1996-2001).
Her post-“SNL” work stayed mainly on television, including some busts like the 1990 sitcom “Working it Out.” It was canceled after 13 episodes. With Fred Savage, she appeared in the sitcom “Crumbs” in 2006. It was canceled four months later.
There was some Broadway work: Miss Proserpine Garnett in “Candida,” “Love Letters” and the 2002 revival of “Our Town” that marked Paul Newman’s return to Broadway after 38 years.
Garrett Morris
Initially hired as a writer, he was the oldest on “SNL’s” first cast at 37. He came to the show after 17 years as a singer and arranger with Harry Belafonte, as an actor in plays and musicals, as a playwright and as a civil rights activist who helped desegregate Actor’s Equity.
Morris was raised in New Orleans by his grandmother and Baptist minister grandfather, spending his childhood singing in the church choir. He later became a Buddhist after moving to New York, where he was homeless for a time well before “SNL.”
Morris, 87, trained at The Juilliard School. Belafonte gave him his first professional break. Morris performed with the Harry Belafonte Singers for 10 years, starting when he was just 22.
He remained on “SNL” until 1980. He was known for his character Chico Escuela, the Dominican baseball player whose catchphrase, “Baseball has been berry berry good to me,” caught on in pop culture. He also performed as the shouting interpreter in the “News for the Hard of Hearing” segments and did impersonations of Idi Amin, James Brown, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bob Marley and Muhammad Ali.
Morris once sang a Mozart aria on “SNL” as the musical guest. He also sang a Schubert composition on the show.
In 1994, Morris was shot and seriously wounded in an attempted holdup in Los Angeles.
In the ’80s, Morris appeared in a string of horror films. Later, he was a regular on the series “2 Broke Girls” and performed on TV comedies “Martin,” “The Jamie Foxx Show” and “The Wayans Brothers.” He also appeared on “Married with Children,” “Family Guy” and “The Jeffersons.”
He competed with his family on “Celebrity Family Feud” in 2016, appeared on “This is Us” in 2018 and on a “Black Lady Sketch Show” in 2019.
Morris also has a long list of film credits: Sidney Lumet’s “The Anderson Tapes,” the classic “Cooley High,” “The Longshots,” “Pawn Shop” and Marvel’s “Ant-Man” included.
