Saturday Night Live (season 10)

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Saturday Night Live
Season 10
The title card for the tenth season of Saturday Night Live.
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes17
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseOctober 6, 1984 (1984-10-06) –
April 13, 1985 (1985-04-13)
Season chronology
← Previous
season 9
Next →
season 11
List of episodes

The tenth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 6, 1984, and April 13, 1985. Only 17 episodes were produced due to a writers' strike and budget constraints.

Changes to format[]

This season also featured a new opening sequence produced by Charlex (who also created The Cars' "You Might Think" video earlier in 1984), depicting the SNL cast as giants in and around New York City landmarks. At the end of the season, Ebersol requested to completely revamp the show to include mostly prerecorded segments. Short, Guest, and Hall ultimately got tired of the show's demanding production schedule and showed little interest in returning for another season, leaving Crystal the only "A-cast" member available for season 11. Like Lorne Michaels at the end of season 5, Ebersol made taking the show off the air for several months to re-cast and rebuild a condition of his return. Another idea was to institute a permanent rotation of hosts (Billy Crystal, David Letterman and Joe Piscopo) for "a hip The Ed Sullivan Show". After briefly canceling the show, NBC decided to continue production only if they could get Michaels to produce again. Ebersol, along with his writing staff and most of the cast, left the show after this season. Those who wished to stay, such as Crystal, were not rehired for the following season.

Cast[]

During the previous season, Eddie Murphy left the show mid season. Because of Murphy's departure Joe Piscopo also left the show because he did not want to do it without Murphy. Dick Ebersol fired Robin Duke, Brad Hall and Tim Kazurinsky. Ebersol then wanted to blow up the show by adding seasoned comedians instead of newcomers. He hired Billy Crystal (who hosted twice in season 9 and was originally set to appear in SNL's first episode), Christopher Guest (a frequent contributor to The National Lampoon Radio Hour in the early 1970s), Rich Hall (best known for his work on "Not Necessarily the News" and the early 1980s ABC sketch show "Fridays"), Harry Shearer (who was a cast member on SNL in season 5), Martin Short (from "SCTV") and New Zealander Pamela Stephenson (from "Not The Nine O'Clock News"). Christopher Guest became the anchor of Saturday Night News. All of the cast members left the show at the end of the season. According to IMDb, future cast member Jan Hooks, SCTV cast member Andrea Martin, and actress Kathy Najimy auditioned for a spot in the season as Duke's replacement, but all three lost to Stephenson. Hooks then auditioned the following season (only to lose to Joan Cusack) and later joined the show in season 12 when Lorne Michaels was forced to revamp his show after NBC threatened to cancel it.

In the middle of the season, Harry Shearer left the show due to "creative differences". Shearer told the AP, "I was creative, and they were different."[1] Despite his departure, his image is still shown in the opening credits (spray-painting an elevated train as it goes down the track).

Cast roster[]

Repertory players

  • Jim Belushi
  • Billy Crystal
  • Mary Gross
  • Christopher Guest
  • Rich Hall
  • Gary Kroeger
  • Julia Louis-Dreyfus
  • Harry Shearer (final episode: January 12, 1985)
  • Martin Short
  • Pamela Stephenson

bold denotes Weekend Update anchor

Writers[]

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live writers § season 10

Billy Crystal, Larry David, Christopher Guest, Rich Hall, Rob Riley, and Martin Short joined the writing staff. Jim Downey, Herb Sargent, and Harry Shearer rejoined the staff after a four-year hiatus. Robin Duke, Adam Green, Tim Kazurinsky, Michael McCartney, Eddie Murphy, Pamela Norris, and Joe Piscopo left the staff.

This season's writers were Jim Belushi, Andy Breckman, Billy Crystal, Larry David, Jim Downey, Christopher Guest, Rich Hall, Nate Herman, Kevin Kelton, Andy Kurtzman, Margaret Oberman, Rob Riley, Herb Sargent, Martin Short, Harry Shearer, Andrew Smith, Bob Tischler and Eliot Wald. The head writer was Bob Tischler.

Episodes[]

Main article: List of Saturday Night Live episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		Host(s)Musical guest(s)Original air date
1791(none)Thompson TwinsOctober 6, 1984 (1984-10-06)

  • The Thompson Twins performs "Hold Me Now" and "The Gap".[2]
  • Billy Crystal (as Fernando) anchors Saturday Night News.
  • Contains the first appearance of Ed Grimley on SNL,[3] as well as the "Synchronized Swimming" sketch.[4]
  • Billy Crystal, Christopher Guest, Rich Hall, Martin Short and Pamela Stephenson's first episode as cast members.
  • Harry Shearer rejoins the cast after a four-year hiatus.
1802Bob UeckerPeter WolfOctober 13, 1984 (1984-10-13)

  • Peter Wolf performs "Lights Out" and "I Need You Tonight".[2]
  • Bob Uecker anchors Saturday Night News.
  • Guest appearance by Yogi Berra.
1813Jesse JacksonAndrae Crouch
Wintley Phipps		October 20, 1984 (1984-10-20)

  • Jesse Jackson performs "Red Rubber Ball" and "Jean".[5]
  • Andrae Crouch performs "Right Now" and Wintley Phipps performs "Tell Me Again".[2]
  • The first appearance of Willie and Frankie on the "You Know What I Hate?" sketch.[6]
  • Jesse Jackson anchors Saturday Night News.
1824Michael McKeanChaka Khan
The Folksmen		November 3, 1984 (1984-11-03)

  • Chaka Khan performs "I Feel for You" and "This Is My Night".[2]
  • Edwin Newman anchors Saturday Night News.
  • Bobby Fraraccio appears as Barry Manilow on "Fernando's Hideaway".
  • Rich Hall parodies David Byrne and his big suit.[7]
  • Contains the first appearance as the faux-folk group The Folksmen (Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer), performing their "hit", "Old Joe's Place" (in addition to a pre-taped segment featuring the band's "reunion"). The Folksmen appeared 19 years later in the film A Mighty Wind.
  • Michael McKean joined the cast of SNL 10 years later at the end of season 19, making him one of only two people to be a host, musical guest (as part of Spinal Tap in season 9) and cast member of SNL (Dan Aykroyd being the other).
1835George CarlinFrankie Goes to HollywoodNovember 10, 1984 (1984-11-10)

  • Frankie Goes to Hollywood performs "Two Tribes" and "Born to Run".[2]
  • George Carlin anchors Saturday Night News.
1846Ed AsnerThe KinksNovember 17, 1984 (1984-11-17)

  • The Kinks performs "Do It Again" and "Word of Mouth".[2]
  • Ed Asner anchors Saturday Night News.
1857Ed Begley, Jr.Billy SquierDecember 1, 1984 (1984-12-01)

  • Billy Squier performs "Rock Me Tonite" and "All Night Long".[2]
  • This episode contains the sole sketch Larry David got on the air.[8]
  • Christopher Guest's first episode as Saturday Night News anchor.
1868Ringo StarrHerbie HancockDecember 8, 1984 (1984-12-08)

  • Herbie Hancock performs "Junku" and "Rockit".[2]
  • Guest appearance by Barbara Bach, wife of host Ringo Starr.
1879Eddie MurphyRobert Plant & the HoneydrippersDecember 15, 1984 (1984-12-15)

  • Robert Plant and the Honeydrippers performs "Rockin' at Midnight" and "Santa Claus Is Back in Town".[2]
  • Murphy's last appearance on the show until hosting again during the forty-fifth season in 2019 (not counting a brief appearance during the 40th Anniversary Special in 2015)
18810Kathleen TurnerJohn WaiteJanuary 12, 1985 (1985-01-12)

  • John Waite performs "Saturday Night".[2]
  • Harry Shearer's final episode as a cast member.
18911Roy ScheiderBilly OceanJanuary 19, 1985 (1985-01-19)

  • Billy Ocean performs "Caribbean Queen" and "Loverboy".[2]
19012Alex KarrasTina TurnerFebruary 2, 1985 (1985-02-02)

19113Harry AndersonBryan AdamsFebruary 9, 1985 (1985-02-09)

  • Bryan Adams performs "Somebody" and "Run to You".[2]
  • Guest appearances in the audience by Carol Burnett, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Christopher Reeve and Marty Stuart.
19214Pamela Sue MartinPower StationFebruary 16, 1985 (1985-02-16)

  • Power Station performs "Some Like It Hot" and "Get It On (Bang a Gong)".[2]
  • Pre-recorded guest appearances by Ann-Margret, Morgan Fairchild, Terri Garr, Susan Lucci and Lynn Swann.
19315Mr. T
Hulk Hogan		The CommodoresMarch 30, 1985 (1985-03-30)

  • The Commodores performs "Nightshift" and "Animal Instinct".[2]
  • Guest appearances by Steve Landesberg, Liberace, Rowdy Roddy Piper and Bob Orton, Jr..
19416Christopher ReeveSantanaApril 6, 1985 (1985-04-06)

  • Santana performs "Say It Again" and "Right Now".[2]
  • Guest appearance by Steven Wright.
  • Late Night with David Letterman regular Calvert DeForest appears in an audience cameo during Saturday Night News.
19517Howard CosellGreg KihnApril 13, 1985 (1985-04-13)

  • In his opening monologue, Howard explains about his own version of Saturday Night Live on ABC.
  • Greg Kihn performs "Boys Won't" and "Lucky".[2]
  • Jim Belushi, Billy Crystal, Mary Gross, Christopher Guest, Rich Hall, Gary Kroeger, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Martin Short and Pamela Stephenson's final episode as cast members.
  • Christopher Guest's final episode as Saturday Night News anchor.
  • Dick Ebersol's final episode as executive producer.

Canceled episodes with booked guests[]

Airdate Host Musical Guest Comments
March 9, 1985 John Candy & Eugene Levy Hall & Oates Candy and Levy were planned to host that week, but was cancelled due to a short writer's strike. Levy’s son, Dan, later hosted the show during the forty-sixth season.
May 11, 1985 Joe Piscopo Not announced One of Ebersol's planned shows, but was cut due to budget cuts.
May 18, 1985 David Letterman Not announced One of Ebersol's planned shows, but was cut due to budget cuts.

Specials[]

TitleOriginal air date
"SNL Film Festival"March 2, 1985 (1985-03-02)
Hosted by Billy Crystal, presenting short films and commercial parodies. Eddie Murphy, Joe Piscopo, Robin Williams, Tim Kazurinsky, and Stevie Wonder make appearances in pre-recorded segments from previous seasons. Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert review the show. John Candy and Eugene Levy plug next week's show with musical guests Hall & Oates (who don't end up appearing due to a writers strike).
"The Best of John Belushi"August 3, 1985 (1985-08-03)
The special included material featuring John Belushi during his stint on the show. Sketches include Sam Peckinpah, Beethoven Composes 'My Girl', Beethoven Composes 'What I Say', Vito Corleone in Therapy, Samurai Deli, Wilderness Comedian, The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise, The Bee Honeymooners, Dragnet, Tomorrow with Tom Snyder, Mussolini Reenactment, Little Chocolate Donuts, Olympia Cafe, Don't Look Back In Anger, The Academy Awards, Superhero Party and Miles Cowperthwaite, Part Two: I Am Nailed to the Hull". The special also features musical numbers Belushi performs on the show: Belushi as Joe Cocker performs A Little Help From My Friends and The Blues Brothers performs "King Bee," "Soul Man," and "B-Movie Boxcar Blues".

References[]

  1. ^ Steele, Brian (April 26, 2015). "11 Things We Learned About Harry Shearer From His WTF Episode". IFC. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 124–127. ISBN 978-0-395-70895-8.
  3. ^ Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 156–158. ISBN 978-0-395-70895-8.
  4. ^ Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 159. ISBN 978-0-395-70895-8.
  5. ^ Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 264. ISBN 978-0-395-70895-8.
  6. ^ Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 160–161. ISBN 978-0-395-70895-8.
  7. ^ Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 120. ISBN 978-0-395-70895-8.
  8. ^ "Watch Saturday Night Live Highlight: Going Up - NBC.com". NBC.com. NBC. Retrieved 2021-10-26.
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