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Saturday Night Live Season 1 Episode 2

Paul Simon/Art Garfunkel, Randy Newman, Phoebe Snow, Jesse Dixon Singers

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6.3

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Episode Summary

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Paul Simon/Art Garfunkel, Randy Newman, Phoebe Snow, Jesse Dixon Singers

AIRED: 10/18/75

Live from New York, it's... Chevy Chase!

Sketches include "The Berkeley Collection of Grafitti Wallpaper," "Paul Simon vs. Connie Hawkins" (film), "The Bees Have Been Cut," "The Mighty Favog," "Albert's Home Movies" (film), and "Try-Hard 1-11."

Paul Simon performed "Still Crazy After All These Years", "Marie" and "American Tune" (solo) and "The Boxer", "My Little Town" and "Scarborough Fair" with Art Garfunkel. Simon also performed "Loves Me Like A Rock" with the Jesse Dixon Singers. Randy Newman performed "Sail Away" (solo); Phoebe Snow performed "No Regrets" (solo) and "Gone At Last" with Paul Simon; Art Garfunkel (solo) performed "I Only Have Eyes For You."moreless

Fan Episode Reviews (4)

Do you like Paul Simon? Do you not like comedy?

3.0

By kinglink2, Oct 22, 2012

Saturday night live's first season (or rather "Saturday night" back then) was really rough and raw. but even by the early standards set up, this episode is either brilliant or crap.

Do you REALLY REALLY like Paul Simon? Do you like 3 song sets with Art Garfunkle, followed by 5 more songs by Paul Simon and a few Skits? Even the cold open is a song, and then Chase falls in after a humorless song is sung and says the now famous line.

Basically what you have here is a Paul Simon Variety hour, with 1 skit with Paul Simon (the first episode didn't include any skits with the guest start) A few very small and unfunny skits by the normal cast, and a few other singers as guest stars.

At the time I'm sure it did well, but now I could care less about Paul Simon's music. I definitely don't need an hour of his singing. So I'd rate this lowly. I can understand others enjoying this but personally not for me.moreless
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This episode is made up mainly of musical sets by Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel, and Janis Ian among others. It is different from any other Saturday Night Live show.

10

By lynnellingwood, May 21, 2011

This show is very different from any other Saturday Night Live show. Obviously from viewing the debut episode, the Not Ready for Prime Time Players were not ready for late nite either! So they must have gotten some extra preparation. Still, using Paul Simon, Art Garfunkel and Janis Ian to perform a primarily musical show was an act of genius in the meantime. This show is especially good and very impressive. How wonderful everyone is! A very special episode. Al Brooks adds a comedy touch with his home movies of his father invading his privacy and people refusing to dry Albert at a laundry mat. Simon also competes in basketball against Kareem Al-Abdul Jabar and performs miraculously!moreless
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Paul Simon hosts with musical guests Randy Newman and Phoebe Snow! Oh and Garfunkel shows up! And the Jesse Dixon Singers. Oh, crap...where do we put the sketches?

6.5

By BaronOne, Jan 08, 2008

Ahhh, this show is what I refer to as MusicMania as the attention seems more geared towards the songs than the cast members.

Host: Paul Simon

Musical Guests: Randy Newman & Phoebe Snow

Cold Open: "Still Crazy After All These Years" (Simon, Chase)

--Paul sings that very tune and it's a goodie to open the show with. After he finishes, Chevy Chase takes his first opening fall in SNL history and says the line to open. Good song, but the fall felt cheap.

Paul Simon & the Jesse Dixon Singers sing "Loves Me Like A Rock"

--Another good song from Paul but two songs in a row and no comedy yet? It's okay, let's give it time.

Commercial: "The Berkeley Connection"

--I understand the concept here as a former protester is selling graffiti-stained wallpaper, but it feels pretty dated now.

Paul Simon sings "Marie"

--Just a quick performance of a song by Randy Newman sung by Paul Simon. Why not just let Newman sing that one at some point in the night instead of just one song?

Randy Newman sings "Sail Away"

--Good performance by Newman here.

No Bees Number (Simon, Aykroyd, Belushi, Chase, Curtin, Morris, Newman, Radner)

--Just a quick bit where the cast show up in Bee costumes to continue on from last week's bee sketch but Paul tells them they've been cut. This was actually starting to become a fun recurring bit.

Weekend Update with Chevy Chase

--Really quick version of Update with Chevy getting a couple of fun quips in, before sending it off to the real highlight of the night.

Paul Simon vs. Connie Hawkins

--The singer/songwriter is challenged by Hawkins to a one-on-one basketball game and it is quite amusing in seeing the events unfold. "Well I'll basically stick to my strengths, that is...uh, singing and songwriting.

Simon & Garfunkel sing "The Boxer", "Scarborough Fair", and "My Little Town"

--The reuniting duet perform two of their biggest hits and one that I'm not 100% familiar with in "My Little Town". Still, a good performance here.

Art Garfunkel sings "I Only Have Eyes For You"

--Proof that Garfunkel held up his end of the twosome as well, as he delivers a harmonious rendition of the classic.

The Muppets: The Mighty Favog

--Another visit from those warped-looking Muppets as Ploobis and Scred go to the Mighty Favog for more help...with finances this time.

Albert Brooks Film: Albert's Home Movies

--The 2nd film by Brooks shows his dad trying to catch his son on camera for EVERYTHING and also some Candid Camera stunts that Brooks attempt that fail miserably. Still pretty funny, but a slight step down from last week.

Phoebe Snow sings "No Regrets"

--It's alright, but I didn't really dig this type of throaty music from Snow.

Simon, Phoebe, and the Jesse Dixon Singers sing "Gone At Last"

--Pretty good number here mostly thanks to Simon and the Jesse Dixon Singers.

Commercial: Try-Hard 1-11

--This was an alright commercial parody where they prove that the Try-Hard 1-11 is the best pacemaker by leaving a bunch of old people outside with their pacemakers on, only to discover that the Try-Hard made it through the whole night.

Paul Simon sings "American Tune"

--Simon delivers a song that's not as huge a hit as some of his others, but still a good one.

And we wrap it all up with Bill Bradley presenting Paul Simon with a basketball trophy and everyone says goodnight.

Best segment: Paul Simon/Connie Hawkins basketball game.

Worst segment: The Muppets: The Mighty Favog

Host: Paul Simon - 8/10

Musical Guests: Randy Newman - 8/10 Phoebe Snow - 5/10

It is obvious at this point that SNL didn't really know where it was going with the direction of the show as this second episode was pretty much the polar opposite of the first one, containing ELEVEN musical numbers and barely any comedy save for the quick commercial parodies, the basketball game, the quick Update, and the really short Bees bit.

Rating: 6.5/10moreless
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Great if you like Simon and the other musicians, not good for those wanting comedy.

7.0

By cybercontroller, Apr 10, 2007

If you don't like Paul Simon or 70s singer-songwriter music, skip this one. Lorne Michaels wanted it this way on purpose to avoid second show blahs. Chevy makes his first fall opening & does a good Weekend Update. The rest show up for 10 seconds in Bee costumes. We do get a so-so Albert Brooks film and the Muppets which I can see is getting repetitive already. The basketball one on one bit was the show's funniest and best use of a host who can't do sketches. At the time, seeing Paul & Art perform together again was huge but I suppose no biggie now. Glad Randy Newman was there, wish he could have done more than one song.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Laraine Newman	Herself
Jane Curtin	Herself
George Coe	Himself
Dan Aykroyd	Himself
Chevy Chase	Himself
Gilda Radner	Herself

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Art Garfunkel	Himself	Guest Star
Phoebe Snow	Herself	Guest Star
Jesse Dixon Singers	Themselves	Guest Star
Michael O'Donoghue	Himself	Recurring Role
Paul Simon	Himself	Recurring Role
Randy Newman	Himself	Recurring Role

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- With 11 song performances, this is by and large an all-music episode (and still holds the record for most musical performances in a single SNL episode). Chevy Chase appeared in three sketches and the rest of "Not Ready For Prime Time Players" appeared only in the sketch "The Bees Have Been Cut."
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QUOTES (2)
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- Chevy Chase: (softly) What are you talking about? I could see right through the fence. I could see... (He hangs up the phone and starts picking his nose. Chevy notices the camera, blinks, and shuffles his papers nervously.) Good evening, I'm Chevy Chase, here to keep you up on what's going down!
  (cut to the projection screen over Chevy's shoulder. It shows a slide of a car with a smashed hood and policemen standing around it.)
  President Ford's regular weekly accident took place this week in Hartford, Connecticut, where Ford's Lincoln was hit by a Buick. Alert Secret Service Agents seized the Buick and wrestled it to the ground.
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- Paul Simon: (to Marv Albert before his match with Connie Hawkins) I've gotta stay with my strengths, basically... singing and songwriting.
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NOTES (3)
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- George Coe and Michael O'Donoghue are removed from the opening credits in this episode, though they will continue to appear regularly throughout the season.
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- This was the first episode of SNL to be repeated by NBC. It's "second" airdate was December 27, 1975.
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- This episode marked the first public appearance of Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel together since 1972.
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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