Here's a first - an SNL hosted by legendary British comedians. But it's not anyone from Monty Python. Before watching this, I hadn't realized that Peter Cook & Dudley Moore had ever hosted the show. These days, it's Moore who's most likely to be remembered (and even then, I think his fame has waned substantially since his death), but for a time in the late '60s, at least in England, it was the duo that commanded attention. I feel like their popularity was probably fading at this point in their careers. I honestly didn't even know they were still working together in 1976. SNL was probably an opportunity for them to make some extra cash and maybe get some new gigs, but in hindsight it feels more like the end, with Moore about to surprise everyone by launching a massively successful solo career.
THE HOSTS
They're both seasoned comedy professionals, so they know what they're doing, and they do it well. The infamous tension between Cook and Moore is absent, so overall the episode runs smoothly and entertains throughout. Cook and Moore both take part some skits with the cast, but most of their screen time is devoted to routines that I suspect were part of their regular stage show. Their opening monologue, a famous skit involving a one-legged Moore auditioning for the role of Tarzan, definitely is.
THE GOOD
The opening skit, featuring Chevy Chase defusing a bomb, but instead ending up with a pie in the face, features a pretty big mistake when the pie misses most of Chase's face. It's reprisal at the end, though, makes for a nice reminder that the show really is live.
The real highlight is a skit featuring prisoners auditioning for a production of "Gigi". The big moment is Garrett Morris' performance of the song "I'm Gonna Get Me A Shotgun And Kill All The Whities I See". If you've seen anything from this episode, it's this. The entire skit is great, though, and holds up as well as the best of this era.
All of Cook & Moore's skits are strong. In addition to the monologue, they do some very British routines involving a restaurant called The Frog & Peach, one involving shepherds meeting the baby Jesus, and they even play Scottish Sonny and Cher. It's a different style than we usually see on SNL, and at times it feels like they've hijacked the show, but if you're a fan of British comedy, it's consistently entertaining.
As for the regular cast, the standout is John Belushi as a male impersonator in another one of Jane Curtin's interview segments, skits that are often hit or miss for me, depending completely on who she's partnered with and what they're doing.
THE BAD
Honestly, nothing. Like other recent episodes, part of this episodess success is due to a lack of bad skits as much as to a preponderance of good skits.
THE MEH
The commercials - one new, two reruns - are just adequate, as usual these days.
Weekend Update is about what you'd expect, though Emily Litella makes an appearance.
Moore's skit with the cast, involving doctor's harvesting the organs of a man who's clearly still alive, is less successful than Cook's prison skit.
So why aren't Gary Weis or the Muppets in the bad category? Weis' film about a New York novelty store isn't too bad, and the Muppets aren't on, aside from Scred being told by Gilda that they won't be on this week. It's the beginning of the end for the Muppets. Our long national nightmare will soon be over.
THE MUSIC
It's Neil Sedaka, at a time when he was experiencing a resurgence. He's okay, though a gimmick of him listening to one of his old songs on a transistor radio before playing the modern version of it fails when the radio is too faint to hear.
GRADE: A-
It's another strong episode, with little to drag it down.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Between the pie and Sedaka's radio, this is a gaffe prone episode, at least in a way that stands out more than usual.
I get the sense that the cast is getting a little burnt out. They leave most of the heavy lifting to Cook & Moore, so it's less noticeable, but we're halfway through the season, they're on their third week in a row with one more to go. They just feel a little AWOL from their own show.
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