Who doesn't love some classic comedy? Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for a primer of “Saturday Night Live’s” seventies glory!
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00:00I want a drink. Pezzi? No pop. Large? No grape? Pezzi? Four pezzi!
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for a primer of Saturday Night Live's 70s glory.
00:14Una panuna vanga!
00:21Number 10. The Nerds.
00:23It wasn't a foregone conclusion back in the 1970s that the nerds would proverbially take over the world.
00:29As a result, a lot of the humor relies on pointing and gawking at teenage awkwardness.
00:34Go play in traffic. Well, that's hysterical that you should mention traffic because here
00:38comes the Nugget Patrol! This sketch wasn't a hit at first. It took the work of both Bill
00:44Murray and Gilda Radner to make this pair of nerds interesting. Their relationship is adversarial,
00:49but in a way that feels natural to their long-standing relationship.
00:53Todd! Todd, say the line! Oh, yes, but, uh, my wife is great with pillow.
01:02Insults are hurled back and forth between Murray and Radner while supporting characters flesh out
01:06this world of pocket protectors and bored, dateless Saturday nights. This is your graduation gift from
01:12me. Really?
01:20Number 9. Olympia Cafe.
01:23It was one of the earliest SNL catchphrases that took over America and is still repeated by fans
01:28today. The sketch may be officially known as Olympia Cafe, but fans would much rather repeat
01:34three simple words. It's a super simple premise, really, but one that's also easily relatable.
01:41Viewers of a certain age will likely recall how these sorts of greasy spoon diners used to litter
01:45American cities and towns. What to drink? I ordered a broiled hamburger. This is not a broiled
01:50hamburger. Okay, okay, what do you want to drink? Come on, come on, come on. I'm afraid if I order
01:54a Coke, I'll get a Pepsi. No Coke, Pepsi. Okay, Pepsi! Dining may have become more polite in
01:59modern society, but it's the impatience the staff of Olympia Cafe bring to their establishment that
02:04makes the sketch so funny. No breakfast, cheeseburger, huh? Shut up, I don't want a
02:09cheeseburger. Come on, come on, come on, don't give me that. Come on, let's go, let's go. We
02:12gotta have a third one. You want a cheeseburger? Come on, everybody get a cheeseburger. You want
02:14a cheeseburger? Come on, cheeseburger. I don't want a cheeseburger. It's too early for a
02:16cheeseburger. Number 8. King Tut.
02:19Saturday Night Live has delivered plenty of funny parodies over the years, but this one came from
02:24a guest host. King Tut was written and released by Steve Martin as a novelty song. Now if I had
02:29known that line up just sealed, I'd take all my money and bought me a museum. The comedian's
02:37performance of the song on SNL turned it into a pop culture milestone. This segment aired during
02:42a time when the real Tootin' Common exhibit was making headlines during its tour in American
02:46museums. Now when I die, I don't think I'm a nut. Don't want no fancy funeral, just one like old
02:55King Tut. So, the time was right for the proverbial Egyptian fever to hit,
03:01as Martin and the SNL band dressed to the nines. The results were silly to say the least,
03:06but went over in a big way with the studio audience.
03:10Born in Arizona, got a condo made of stoner, King Tut.
03:20Number 7. Roseanne Rosannadanna on Smoking.
03:23The much-missed Gilda Radner portrayed the character of Roseanne Rosannadanna multiple
03:28times during her SNL tenure, with every performance garnering bigger laughs.
03:33This fictitious consumer affairs reporter probably got her most successful response
03:37with her weekend update bit on smoking. Last Thursday, I quit smoking. Now I'm depressed,
03:44I gained weight, my face broke out, I'm nauseous, I'm constipated, my feet swell,
03:49my gums are bleeding, my sinuses are clogged, I got heartburn, I'm Frankie and I have gas.
03:54Well, at least her appearance is initially about smoking, before Rosannadanna goes off-topic and
04:00off the rails. The character even breaks into song at one point, completely forgetting her
04:05initial reason for hosting the segment. It's glorious SNL chaos at its finest,
04:16and a great snapshot of how anarchic these early years could get at times.
04:206. Land Shark
04:33To quote the great film This Is Spinal Tap,
04:40the Land Shark was a recurring SNL character created for the most obvious of reasons,
04:45to piggyback upon the success of Jaws. The show's bright idea was to have
04:49Cheppie Chase voice a shark that would terrorize people on land, inside their homes, in disguise.
05:07It's the sort of idea that was probably conceived under the influence of some kind of illicit
05:12substance, but also one that really connected with the SNL audience. Oh, and that deadpan
05:17delivery by Chase serves as the icing on this very silly cake.
05:355. Baba Wawa
05:37The original not-ready-for-prime-time players took great pleasure in skewering just about
05:42any public figure who got in their sights. That said, not every parodied celebrity appreciated
05:47the SNL cast's comedic jabs, including journalistic icon Barbara Walters.
05:58It took a while for Walters to appreciate Gilda Radner's impersonation of her notable
06:01speech patterns and diction. The Baba Wawa character relied heavily upon Radner's natural
06:06charm, while also needling the habitual soft-focus lighting that peppered Walters' news segments.
06:23We're glad that the immortal Ms. Walters eventually joined in on the laughter,
06:26because this one was a parody for the ages.
06:374. Samurai Futaba
06:42This series of sketches from Saturday Night Live's early days was another one that's
06:46indicative of the show's anything-goes sensibility. On the one hand, John Belushi's
06:51The Saturday Night Live Samurai was modeled after an honest-to-goodness cinematic icon,
06:55Toshiro Mifune.
07:07Then again, the delivery is absolutely out of control and off the rails,
07:12which was exactly what the SNL audience wanted.
07:31The Samurai Futaba sketches ended up being a recurring gag on the show,
07:34with Belushi's violent samurai taking on hotel lobbies
07:38and delicatessens during his not-ready-for-prime-time journey into greatness.
07:543. Chevy Chase and the OG Weekend Update
07:58Everybody has their favorite Weekend Update anchor, and there are a lot of great choices
08:02out there too. That said, there's just something special about the magic Mr.
08:06Chevy Chase brought to this segment, the longest-running one in SNL history.
08:22Chase's comedic delivery possessed the ability to be both approachable and condescending,
08:27sometimes all at once. His catchphrase of
08:30I'm Chevy Chase and you're not became an SNL standard,
08:33while his frequent asides became blink-and-you-miss-the-moments of live comedy genius.
08:49His telephone calls were also a great recurring gag in the sketch.
08:53Let's face it, Chevy Chase left some big shoes to fill after he left the
08:57Weekend Update anchor desk for the final time and wished us all a pleasant tomorrow.
09:082. Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood
09:11The arrival of Eddie Murphy occurred during the tumultuous sixth season of Saturday Night Live.
09:16This controversial season was notable for the departure of Lorne Michaels,
09:19as well as the original cast and nearly all the writing staff.
09:27As a result, Murphy's tenure on the show became something of a lifeline,
09:41thanks in part to sketches like the Gumby Story film and Mr. Robinson's Neighborhood.
09:45The segment's hilarious parody of PBS's Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood takes the setting to a place that's,
10:01well, not so safe. Therein lies the fun, however,
10:04and Murphy absolutely sells the premise for all he's worth.
10:16Before we unveil our top pick, here are some honorable mentions.
10:221. The French Chef
10:24A knowing tribute to celebrity chef Julia Child.
10:392. Super Bass-O-Matic 76
10:42Dan Aykroyd's iconic 70s salesman.
10:453. Killer Bees – Home Invasion
10:57The bees are coming, and they're hilarious.
11:114. The Sweeney Sisters
11:13A loving tribute to try-hard lounge acts everywhere.
11:245. James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party
11:27Eddie Murphy's delivery is spot on.
11:296. The Blues Brothers
11:31A loving tribute to the blues band The Blues Brothers.
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11:551. The Blues Brothers
11:58There have been a lot of movies based on Saturday Night Live characters.
12:02Some better than others.
12:12Most fans will agree, however, that John Landis' adaptation of this classic SNL sketch
12:17serves as the standard by which all others are judged.
12:20Landis' film expands upon a series of sketches that were already pretty great, however.
12:25Segments starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd as Jake and Elwood Blues.
12:39The pair were 70's coolness personified,
12:42as they performed classic blues and soul songs together with the SNL band.
12:46This was a great idea that was executed to perfection.
12:49One that would live on rent-free within the memories of SNL fans around the world.
12:552. The Blues Brothers
13:05Which OG Saturday Night Live segment is your favorite?
13:08Shout out your answers to us in the comments.
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