I came of SNL age in 1981, which Wikipedia tells me was Season 7. After the first five, and in the dead zone that just acquired Eddie Murphy. It was a big deal to Canadians because SCTV alums Robin Duke & Tony Rosato (RIP) were on that season, and this was, I believe, the first of the years when SCTV was subbed in once-a-month for SNL.

The first episode of that season had no host, but did have Rod Stewart & Tina Turner as co-musical guests. It also featured the return of Murphy’s would-likely-be-banned-today “Little Richard Simmons” bit.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6n5nsg

^{I’m not sure why the recording is backwards, but I was just happy to find it.}

I more remember Episode 2, when the Kinks played “Destroyer”.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6n5nqt

Little 12 year-old me found most of that hilarious, and enjoyed the pretty lady bouncing up & down in the jersey.

To premiere the 1982-83 season, Chevy Chase hosted but the true highlight was (unbeknownst to all) Queen’s last televised North American appearance.

https://vimeo.com/235297264

This was the season when Murphy & Joe Piscipo did their famous “Frank & Stevie” impersonation, which political correctness & NBC has diluted to 30 seconds on Youtube.

I could go in-depth on each of the first two seasons I watched, but there’s no need. The 1982-83 season was the peak of Eddie Murphy’s SNL stardom, and it was clearly his show. Joe Piscipo merely tagged along for the ride.

After those two left halfway through the 1983-84 season, the retooled 1984-85 season was the overloaded year with, among others, Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Julia-Louis Dreyfus & Martin Short,

designed to use big-ish names to draw back viewers who abandoned the show when Murphy left. That season was rock-solid, and gave us the classic “Men’s Synchronized Swimming” sketch,

and the episode before Wrestlemania 1 which was hosted by Hulk Hogan & Mr. T.

This episode is what led to NBC deciding on working with Vince McMahon on what became “Saturday Night’s Main Event”, really ushering in the heyday of the WWF. As Wikipedia says, Main Event “coincided with and contributed to the apogee of the “second golden age” of professional wrestling in the United States.” More important for NBC, it gave them essentially free programming once a month to offset SNL repeats.

After that one season, the entire SNL cast was retooled, and eventually morphed into the Carvey-Hartman-Lovitz era that carried the show into the 90s. Add in my six years pursuing a four-year degree and I had lots of late-university Saturday nights drinking & watching this show. This is where my affinity comes from, and I’ll always give it a look.

Tonight’s sports:

• AAF:
  • Arizona at Orlando – 8:00PM | NFLN
• NHL:
  • Leafs at Sens – 7:00PM | CBC
  • Blackhawks at Habs – 7:00PM | Sportsnet; City
  • Flames at Jets – 7:00PM | Sportsnet
  • Caps at Bolts – 7:00PM | NHLN
  • Oilers at Coyotes – 10:00PM | CBC
• NBA:
  • Warriors at Thunder – 8:30PM | ABC / TSN3
• NCAA:
  • Tournament finals:
    • Mountain West – 6:00PM | CBS
    • Big 12 – 6:00PM | ESPN / TSN
    • SWAC – 6:00PM | ESPNU
    • Big East – 6:30PM | FOX
    • MAC – 7:30PM | ESPN2
    • Big Sky – 8:00PM | ESPNU
    • ACC – 8:30PM | ESPN / TSN
    • Southland – 9:30PM | ESPN2
    • WAC – 10:00PM | ESPN2
    • Pac-12 – 10:30PM | ESPN / TSN
    • Big West – 12:00AM | ESPN2
• Fútbol:
  • Liga MX:
    • Cruz Azul vs. Pachuca – 6:55PM | UNI
    • Guadalajara vs. Club América – 8:55PM | UNI
• Auto Racing:
  • NHRA Drag Racing:
    • Saturday Nitro Gainesville – “the Gatornationals” – 9:00PM | FS1
  • Formula One Racing:
    • Australian Grand Prix – 1:05AM | ESPN / TSN

Tomorrow night’s Open Thread will have the briefest of intros, because the main topic will be discussing/complaining about the released NCAA brackets. Until then, POST AWAY!