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| Saturday Night Live Season 5 | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | October 13, 1979 – May 24, 1980 |
| Season chronology | |
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Saturday Night Live aired its fifth season during the 1979–1980 television season on NBC, and also the final season with the original cast. This fifth season started on October 13, 1979 and ended on May 24, 1980. SNL's fifth season was released on DVD on December 1, 2009.
John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd left the show at the end of the fourth season, leaving a void in the cast that most fans thought would be the beginning of the end of the late-night sketch show.
To keep the show going, Lorne Michaels upgraded many of the show's writers to cast member status: Peter Aykroyd (Dan's brother), Jim Downey, Brian Doyle-Murray (Bill's brother), Don Novello, Tom Schiller and Alan Zweibel. Band leader Paul Shaffer also joined the cast, becoming the first person from the SNL band to become a cast member. Harry Shearer joined the show as a featured cast member and was promoted to repertory status during the season.
This would be the final season for everyone in the cast. Tom Davis and Downey would return to the show in future seasons as writers. Al Franken, Doyle-Murray, Novello, and Shearer would rejoin the cast in future seasons (Franken would also return as a writer).
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Cast [edit]
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bold denotes Weekend Update anchor
Writers [edit]
Like previously mentioned, Michaels upgraded many of the show's writers to cast member status, including Aykroyd, Downey, Doyle-Murray, Novello, Schiller and Zweibel. Doyle-Murray would be the only one to return, as a writer, in the following season.
Episodes [edit]
| No. | # | Host(s) | Musical guest(s) | Original airdate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | 1 | Steve Martin | Blondie | October 13, 1979 |
| Blondie performs "Dreaming" and "The Hardest Part." Harry Shearer's first episode as a cast member. Jim Downey and Paul Shaffer make guest appearances. Buck Henry appears in the "Rise" commercial parody with Steve Martin. Father Guido Sarducci appears during Weekend Update and announces the start of the "Find the Popes in the Pizza" contest, where the viewer would try to find all the hidden popes within the picture. | ||||
| 88 | 2 | Eric Idle | Bob Dylan | October 20, 1979 |
| Buck Henry appears in the cold opening. Bob Dylan performs "Gotta Serve Somebody," "I Believe in You," and "When You Gonna Wake Up." | ||||
| 89 | 3 | Bill Russell | Chicago | November 3, 1979 |
| Chicago performs "Street Player" and a cover of The Spencer Davis Group's "I'm a Man." | ||||
| 90 | 4 | Buck Henry | Tom Petty | November 10, 1979 |
| Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers performs "Refugee" and "Don't Do Me Like That." The winner of the "Find the Popes in the Pizza" contest is announced by Father Guido Sarducci on Weekend Update. | ||||
| 91 | 5 | Bea Arthur | The Roches | November 17, 1979 |
| Peter Aykroyd's first episode as a cast member. The Roches performs "Bobby's Song" (from the band's second album Nurds) and "The Hallelujah Chorus," from its third album Keep On Doing. | ||||
| 92 | 6 | Howard Hesseman | Randy Newman | December 8, 1979 |
| Al Franken debuts "Al Franken Decade" sketch on Weekend Update. | ||||
| 93 | 7 | Martin Sheen | David Bowie | December 15, 1979 |
| David Bowie performs "The Man Who Sold the World", "TVC 15" and "Boys Keep Swinging." Klaus Nomi and Joey Arias make guest appearances; singing backup for Bowie. Brian Doyle-Murray, Alan Zweibel and Tom Schiller's first episode as cast members. | ||||
| 94 | 8 | Ted Knight | Desmond Child & Rouge | December 22, 1979 |
| Andy Kaufman mat-wrestles a woman on stage, stating that if he loses he would shave his head bald on SNL. Kaufman wins the match. Wrestler and WWE Hall of Famer "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers appears as Andy's manager. G.E. Smith plays backup guitar for Desmond Child & Rouge. | ||||
| 95 | 9 | Teri Garr | The B-52's | January 26, 1980 |
| The B-52's performs "Rock Lobster" and "Dance This Mess Around." Congressman and 1980 Republican Presidential candidate John B. Anderson has a cameo in a sketch. | ||||
| 96 | 10 | Chevy Chase | Marianne Faithfull | February 9, 1980 |
| Harry Shearer's first introduction as a member of the main cast rather than as a featured performer. In his monologue, Chase discusses the altercation he had with Bill Murray during his previous hosting experience in season three and invites Murray onstage to make peace and sing a duet. Bert Convy appears as the mystery guest on the "You Can't Win" sketch. Marianne Faithfull performs "Broken English" and "Guilt." Chevy Chase performs "Sixteen Tons." | ||||
| 97 | 11 | Elliott Gould | Gary Numan | February 16, 1980 |
| Gary Numan performs "Cars" and "Praying to the Aliens." This episode features a running gag where Father Guido Sarducci attempts to interview former President Richard Nixon in New York. He only manages to get a very brief appearance at the very end of the show after the credits roll. Sketches include a Wizard of Oz parody called "The Incredible Man." | ||||
| 98 | 12 | Kirk Douglas | Sam & Dave | February 23, 1980 |
| Sam and Dave performs "You Don't Know Like I Know" and "Soul Man." | ||||
| 99 | 13 | Rodney Dangerfield | The J. Geils Band | March 8, 1980 |
| Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow appear on the Celebrity Corner on Weekend Update. | ||||
| 100 | 14 | (none) | James Taylor Paul Simon David Sanborn |
March 15, 1980 |
| The show celebrates its 100th episode without a guest host. John Belushi and Michael O'Donoghue make appearances in the cold opening. Bill Murray's monologue features a musical tribute to New York City. U.S. New York Senator Daniel P. Moynihan appears in two sketches. Ralph Nader appears on "Weekend Update." Michael Palin makes a guest appearance in the sketch "Talk or Die." Belushi also appears in the sketch, "The Minstrels of Newcastle." Paul Simon and James Taylor perform "Cathy's Clown", "Sunny Skies", and "Take Me to the Mardi Gras." David Sanborn performs "Anything You Want." | ||||
| 101 | 15 | Richard Benjamin Paula Prentiss |
The Grateful Dead | April 5, 1980 |
| The Grateful Dead performs "Alabama Getaway" and "Saint of Circumstance." | ||||
| 102 | 16 | Burt Reynolds | Anne Murray | April 12, 1980 |
| The episode features a sketch where a man in ancient Rome (Burt Reynolds) tries to pick up women at a vomitorium. | ||||
| 103 | 17 | Strother Martin | The Specials | April 19, 1980 |
| 104 | 18 | Bob Newhart | Amazing Rhythm Aces with Bill Murray Bruce Cockburn |
May 10, 1980 |
| Al Franken does a "Limo For A Lame-O" commentary during Weekend Update. | ||||
| 105 | 19 | Steve Martin | 3-D Paul McCartney Linda McCartney |
May 17, 1980 |
| The episode features the world premiere of McCartney's then-current single "Coming Up" music video. 3-D performs "All-Night Television." Father Guido Sarducci tries to interview Paul and Linda McCartney in London. | ||||
| 106 | 20 | Buck Henry | Andrew Gold Andrae Crouch & the Voices of Unity |
May 24, 1980 |
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This is the final program produced by Lorne Michaels until his return in the 1985-1986 season. Jane Curtin, Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Garrett Morris, Peter Aykroyd, Tom Davis, Jim Downey, Tom Schiller, Paul Shaffer and Alan Zweibel's final episode as cast members.
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The Blues Brothers film [edit]
The Blues Brothers, a film based on the popular Joliet and Elwood Blues characters, was released on June 20, 1980. Cast members Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi appear in the film. The film received positive reviews and was commercially successful.[citation needed]
References [edit]
- ^ "The SNL Archives 1979". Retrieved 27 July 2012.
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