Review(s): DVD Saturday Night Live - The Complete First Season
Great Memories
Well, back in those days when SNL was young (1975 - 1976) , every Saturday night, my now ex-wife and I would make sure that our toddler daughter was fast asleep - turned on the TV (no remote - a 19" Zenith Color TV with ATC!!!) and turned the dial (yes, you heard that right) to Channel 4 (NBC), curled up on the couch, and prepared ourselves for a very entertaining show. Lots of good memories from back then!!!
Right from the very first show, when George Carlin hosted, we knew we had finally found a program that entertained OUR generation - and the ensemble cast was the perfect fit, including the musical guests and of course those Muppets ("Yes, your Flatulence!") and short videos/films and clay animations (Mr. Bill - "Oh nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!). We loved every minute of it and this collection of the entire first season was a long-awaited great idea!!!
Anyhow, you gotta love this set - especially if you lived through those days (and perhaps even if you did not). Lots of the stuff you'll see is now employed by their successors, including Jon Stewart, Colbert, and the rest of them. The only other thing that came close was Second City TV - but that's another review for another time!
If you want to see a perfect reflection of the culture of the mid-seventies and of course that includes political and social comment, get a hold of this DVD set. Besides, you'll laugh until it hurts and if you don't you're already dead!
Buy, watch, and enjoy!!!
simply put
even as high school students when snl premiered,my friends and i knew it was genious.it still is.what's up with all the wordy reviews?
A vital addition for everyone's dvd collection!
This box set will remind you what the fuss about Chevy Chase was all about and will make you a Chevy fan all over again. Right from the beginning, the fun starts as Don Pardo screws up the troup name, calling them the "NOT FOR READY Prime Time Players." You'll see missed cues, flubbed lines and all the mistakes of a fresh, new live show!
One of my favorite all-time bits is here, "Citizen Kane II" (where Chevy, Laraine Newman and Buck Henry bust out laughing at the ridiculousness of the sketch) along with Lorne Michaels paltry $3,000 bribe to the Beatles, Spud Beer, Flucker's Jam, a Simon & Garfunkel reunion, the Killer Bees, the REAL President Gerald Ford (!), lots of 70's drug humor, double entendre's and, guys, take note: when Raquel Welch hosts the show you will DEFINITELY be using your rewind A LOT! WOW! Your eyes will POP!
My favorites from the first season were always Chevy and Dan Aykroyd; I feel Belushi was talented, but he seemed to be an "angry" comedian, which always turned me off...plus the fact that he was extremely jealous of the attention Chevy was receiving from the public and the press. During the last half of the season, you'll notice the animosity Belushi had for Chevy when they appear in skits together, most notably the Weekend Update editorials.
Jane Curtin appears to be sexier than I remembered her and Gilda Radner seems to be the most approachable, but Laraine Newman is the one I had the hots for...and watching this set reminds me why! Garrett Morris always appeared to be the most ignored of the cast and you can tell he's nervous in some of the shows, but he pulls off some top-notch moments, like his Sammy Davis impersonation and the Namibia spokesman. He also seems to be one of the friendlier members of the cast.
Billy Crystal makes an appearance (as Bill Crystal) in one of the shows and you wonder why he chose the material he used for his standup routine. It's not funny at all; it's more of an extended impersonation that's humorless...even the audience can barely muster up a snicker! It's interesting to see this performance and realize what an accomplished comedian, actor and host he has become since.
The bonuses are the screen tests of all seven stars and a five minute appearance Lorne and the cast made on Tom Snyder's "Tomorrow" show before SNL made it's debut.
I hope this sells well so Lorne will churn out the remaining seasons, MORE than just one a year! I can't wait over 30 years to collect the whole set! AT LEAST release them on a quarterly basis so we can get 'em! I realize it's a pain to get clearance for the music but it's worth it and it shows. I wish I could give it more stars! GET IT!
Related DVD's Saturday Night Live - The Complete First Season
If you've got the others, grab this set as well. Looney Tunes have never looked better.
This time around, the box set is smaller and much more efficient. The previous sets had one disc per fold-out, which left extra space on the opposite side to fill up with dumb quotes from the shorts. Now the layout is much better.
The cover art however, could've been much better. It looks so much like the first volume - why couldn't they do something different? Volume 3's cover was refreshing, volume 4's looks bland. The gloss and emboss is nice, though.
I love the black and white shorts - the sense of humour in the early 30's shorts is totally different from later years. The characters would always make objects do things they weren't supposed to - like grabbing... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Chuck Jones - Robert McKimson - Friz Freleng DVD Release Date: Released the 14 November 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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I received my copy of the DVDs last week and love every moment as I watch every show. The color and sound were good. Though no special features on these DVDs for those who like that kind of thing. In this first season you see Mr Briggs (Steven Hill) as the Mission Leader. He did a great job as Mission Leader. Also, another interesting note is that the tape recorder wasn't the only method use to give the mission brief at the beginning.
This is a must see for any fan on the Mission Impossible TV Series.
I wonder if we shall see the other seasons anytime soon? Nothing on the radar screen. More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 05 December 2006 Usually ships in 6 to 11 days
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By the time Seinfeld reached season 7, it was already firmly established as one of the top shows on TV. But Jerry Seinfeld and series co-creator Larry David still had plenty of stops to pull out to keep the show at the top of its form. This is the season where George--yes, George (Jason Alexander)--gets engaged. Elaine (Julia Louis Dreyfuss) judges her dates to see who is "sponge-worthy." Jerry deals with low-flow showerheads, buys Chinese gum, and tries to date Debra Messing. And Kramer (Michael Richards) solidifies his own essential Kramer-ness by putting a hot tub in his living room, going around town in Joseph’s Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, buying jeans so tight he can’t take them off, and taking advice on court strategy from his caddy. If there is a unifying theme... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Tom Cherones DVD Release Date: Released the 21 November 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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THE BEST INVESTMENT IN LAUGHTER YOU CAN POSSIBLY MAKE.
How do I mark 10 stars?
My father always believed that laughter was the best medicine.
That would explain why 2 of my brother's died from tuberculosis, but that is another story.
I cannot tell you people how many time I have rented the 2 VHS sets at a blockbuster with my best friends, quoting lines and never getting tired of them.
I have been waiting for YEARS for this to come out on DVD and have bought myself and my best friend a copy already.
Nordburg was amazing in this one. From his chain gang and "cocain testing" (shine little glow worm, glimmer, glimmer!) to his role in the charades game with the mime:
"Oh, I love charades. What are the teams?"
"Not now,... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Joe Dante - Jerry Zucker - David Zucker DVD Release Date: Released the 07 November 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Take the first Pirates of the Caribbean film, add a dash of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and a lot more rum. Shake well and you'll have something resembling Dead Man's Chest, a bombastic sequel that's enjoyable as long as you don't think too hard about it. The film opens with the interrupted wedding of Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) and Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley), both of whom are arrested for aiding in the escape of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) in the first film. Their freedom can only be obtained by getting Captain Jack's compass, which is linked to a key that's linked to a chest belonging to Davy Jones, an undead pirate with a tentacle face and in possession of a lot of people's souls. If you're already confused, don't worry--plot is definitely not the... More Info about this DVD DVD Release Date: Released the 05 December 2006 Usually ships in 24 hours
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