PopSyndicate.com

You know how every bemoans what Saturday Night Live has become? The way it’s just not funny anymore, except maybe one skit per episode, if that? Guess what: Time is good to peoples’ memories, because to be honest, SNL was always more miss than hit. Sure, there were some legitimately hilarious bits during the early years, but there were many more boring skits.

Here we have the complete (20 episodes) third season. This was the “golden age” of the show, with cast members like John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, and Dan Aykroyd. The recurring characters were often as annoying as they are today, with sketches like the Coneheads and Ex-Police often falling into ho-hum repetition. And then there was Belushi’s Samurai, one of the most head-scratching “popular” bits.

That’s not to say there weren’t some genuine classic moments during this season; there definitely were some. This was the season where special guest Andy Kaufman performed the infamous “Great Gatsby” reading and Elvis Costello stopped a song mid-performance to kick into another song he was instructed not to play. Former cast member Chevy Chase returned as a guest host in one of the better episodes, as he tricks his way back into his old Weekend Update news chair. Speaking of the fake news skits, watch for Jane Curtain’s ongoing meltdown throughout the season as her character has to endure Roseanne Rosannadanna (who gets an eyeful of Jane’s breasts when she finally loses it and rips her top open – don’t worry parents, she was wearing a bra). Though iconic, she’s one of many annoying characters.

So yeah, there’s some truly classic stuff here. The hosts range from the great (Chase, Michael Palin and, dare I say it, OJ Simpson) to dreadfully dull (Hugh Hefner, Art Garfunkel). The musical guest list left a good bit to be desired, with acts like Ashford & Simpson and Jackson Browne not exactly setting the stage on fire.

Two special features are included – a vintage special called “Things We Did Last Summer” that featured each cast member in their own piece doing exactly what the title implies. Bill Murray trying to go into baseball is the funniest. A brief wardrobe test featuring Belushi and Howard Shore is the only other extra.

Saturday Night Live is one of those shows whose legacy is comprised of all the best moments. Sadly, they’re few and far between even during the “good old days.” Still, there’s enough here to remember fondly as you go. And it certainly is a damned good bit better than what was to come soon.

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