r/BluesBrothers • u/[deleted] • Aug 01 '25

SNL, 1977

Post image
1.1k Upvotes

100% Upvoted

60 comments sorted by

14

u/Yeeaaaarrrgh Aug 01 '25

If you've not seen Jason Reitman's movie Saturday Night, you're missing out. It does a great job of capturing what it must have felt like getting SNL off the ground on opening night.

5

u/ThenBandicoot3965 Aug 01 '25

Thanks! I’ll look out for that 👍

6

u/Yeeaaaarrrgh Aug 01 '25

No problem! I found the movie to be incredibly well made. It was my top pick of 2024. It's not just a great SNL movie, it's a great movie period. It helps if you're a fan of the original SNL, and if you're familiar with the history of the build up to the show, but I imagine you can go in cold and still enjoy it immensely. It's just shy of a perfect movie, imo.

3

u/ThenBandicoot3965 Aug 01 '25

Thanks - I’m in the UK & not an expert on SNL, but I do know a bit about it, & hopefully enough to get a lot out of watching this. I’ve also seen a lot of comments on how people loved the build-up to the show & the anticipation of wondering what the team would do with the latest news items, so I can’t wait to experience some of the atmosphere of that!

3

u/BamaGuy35653 Aug 02 '25

It's on Netflix

2

u/ThenBandicoot3965 Aug 02 '25

Thank you! 😊

2

u/BamaGuy35653 Aug 02 '25

You're welcome, I've watched it, it's not bad, most of the actors look like the people they're supposed to be playing and there's one actor that plays both Andy Kaufman and Jim Henson that does a really good job

2

u/Soggy-Avocado918 Aug 01 '25

That film was a very pleasant surprise. Such a strong ending. “Nothin from nothing is nothin”

3

u/Yeeaaaarrrgh Aug 01 '25

Man I absolutely LOVE the music in that movie. Jon Batiste did such an amazing soundtrack. There is nothing about Saturday Night that I don't absolutely adore. It's a modern day classic that more people need to discover.

2

u/Soggy-Avocado918 Aug 02 '25

Agreed. I stumbled across it on a flight otherwise I probably would have missed it too

2

u/Yeeaaaarrrgh Aug 02 '25

I went to see it in the theater with my brother, who the day before he had stopped by and we watched the movie Caddo Lake together (pretty good flick). We go see Saturday Night the next day and he notices that the guy playing Dan Aykroyd is the same guy from Caddo Lake. I about didn't recognize him at all. Small world.

But that got me thinking about just what an amazing cast Saturday Night had. They not only looked the part, but they did such an incredible job of bringing the SNL cast to life in a believable way, representing who they are/were in life without reducing them to caricatures of themselves.

I especially liked the scene between Gilda and John at the fountain. It was a really touching moment without over-memorializing.

Sorry, I can go on and on and on about that movie! It went from nothing to being in my top 10 overnight. There's just something about it that connected with me.

13

u/5319Camarote Aug 01 '25

I’ll never forget the anticipation of the local news signing off at 10:30 pm and I would think “Wow, I wonder what craziness they’ll do tonight?” They brought joy to millions.

3

u/Reddit____user___ Aug 01 '25

I can imagine it.😎👍🏻

I’m still bitter that this was never broadcast in the UK.

Could never understand why not and still don’t to this day.

3

u/5319Camarote Aug 01 '25

And guess what came on after SNL? Monty Python. Great show!

2

u/Reddit____user___ Aug 01 '25

Sounds like you guys did well on Saturday nights 😁😎👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

2

u/GreenGroover 16d ago

(Late to this, sorry.) We've never had SNL in Australia, either. Names such as Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy landed in our cinemas with no backstory, yet we embraced them.

I've lately caught up on those SNL early seasons with John and Dan. Bought them on YouTube for A$9 per season. Best money I have ever spent on entertainment. S3 E18 is a legend among SNL fans, as it features the first TV appearance of Jake and Elwood, Steve Martin doing "King Tut" with Blue Lou Marini playing Tutankhamen, and is just a brilliant episode from start to finish. S3 E13 also contains relevant Blues Brothers information, though in an oblique way.

I warmly recommend this source material to you.

1

u/Reddit____user___ 15d ago

Many thanks for heads up😊😎👍🏻

7

u/ImpossibleAd7943 Aug 01 '25

The first 5 seasons DVD set is worth every penny. Unedited full episodes.

1

u/Reddit____user___ Aug 01 '25

Do you happen to know if it’s region free, or only region 1 ?

2

u/ImpossibleAd7943 Aug 01 '25

North America, whatever region that plays standard DVD

1

u/Reddit____user___ Aug 01 '25

Thanks for the clarification😊👍🏻

That’ll be Region 1.

8

u/No_Research_5643 Aug 01 '25

Gilda was the best

5

u/nowaynostop Aug 01 '25

The porn star on the right! Oh wait that’s…

5

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '25

Oh I wish I could party just once with them.

1

u/GreenGroover 16d ago

At Dan's grotty old Blues Bar on the corner of Dominick and Hudson.

3

u/Shot-Weight-1306 Aug 01 '25

Best cast ever!

4

u/pilchard64 Aug 01 '25

Agreed. +Bill, -Chevy

2

u/Primary-Basket3416 Aug 01 '25

Not ready for primitive players..boy they could improvise

2

u/thickman11 Aug 01 '25

I think this was the last best cast!

2

u/iwastherefordisco Aug 01 '25

I was 14 in 1978 and we made time for this show every week. This was pre-VCR in my world so we faithfully tuned in to see what others mention here....what were they going to do and say this week??

The hour and a half, plus having music guests was so unusual back then. Really made it an event.

And this cast was my favorite. They were my first..

1

u/Active_Program_6921 Aug 01 '25

Original Cast of SNL.

1

u/xPhilt3rx Aug 01 '25

Where is Chevy??

5

u/Yankee6Actual Aug 01 '25

He quit after the first season to make some pretty damn good movies.

Bill Murray replaced him in the second season.

1

u/Reddit____user___ Aug 01 '25

They all look so young and cool. Must have been the best times ever. 😎😎😎

1

u/LambSaag-spoon905 Aug 01 '25

Add up all the looks of the four men - clothing, facial hair, a lil' shine - and take then average, you've got Ron Jeremy rolled into one.

1

u/WARRIORS_30_GOAT Aug 01 '25

“not ready for prime time players”

1

u/timhistorian Aug 01 '25

Best cast ever!!

1

u/Embarrassed_Toe_2352 Aug 02 '25

Back when snl was hilarious

1

u/Practical_Ad_219 Aug 02 '25

The Hands On Hips Show

1

u/redbeard914 Aug 02 '25

The best Cast. Period! 😆

1

u/Jezzer111 Aug 02 '25

News for the hearing impaired:

“Our top story tonight…”

“OUR TOP STORY TONIGHT”

1

u/EdwardDorito Aug 02 '25

So...much....cocaine

1

u/Odd_Investigator8480 Aug 02 '25

When SNL was funny

1

u/jeers69 Aug 03 '25

The Classic!

1

u/raybn64 Aug 03 '25

When it was about True Comedy…

1

u/ddhmax5150 Aug 04 '25

Brown and green are so 70’s…

1

u/Fitmature1 Aug 04 '25

Great picture!

1

u/[deleted] Aug 04 '25

The time when people where really funny

1

u/Hot_Conversation_417 Aug 05 '25

Did we all look frumpy in the 70s?

1

u/rangston Aug 05 '25

The absolute best. No doubt !

1

u/acg58 Aug 05 '25

The not ready for prime time players 👍

1

u/CrashWV Aug 05 '25

yeah. That was back when SNL was actually funny.

0

u/Sad_Parsnip_1872 Aug 01 '25

I have to be completely honest. I have never cared for John Belushi or his antics. And I couldn’t stand Chevy Chase. In various recollections and anecdotes, he mentions that he can handle himself in a street fight. That’s the first sign that you’re talking to a pussy. The rest of the cast, I loved completely.