Recurring ''Saturday Night Live'' characters and sketches introduced 1975–1976

List of recurring Saturday Night Live characters and sketches introduced between October 11, 1975, and July 31, 1976, the first season of SNL:

Weekend Update

A satirical news segment starring Chevy Chase debuted October 11, 1975. It is the longest running recurring sketch in the show's history. Like the show itself, it has seen many changes over the years and has a revolving door of anchors, including Bill Murray, Jane Curtin, Dan Aykroyd, Charles Rocket, Gail Matthius, Brian Doyle-Murray, Mary Gross, Christine Ebersole, Brad Hall, Christopher Guest, Dennis Miller, Kevin Nealon, Norm Macdonald, Colin Quinn, Tina Fey, Jimmy Fallon, Amy Poehler, Seth Meyers, Cecily Strong, Colin Jost and Michael Che.

The Killer Bees

The Killer Bees were the first characters to recur on SNL. According to a Lorne Michaels interview for the book Live From New York, "The only note we got from the network on the first show was 'Cut the bees.' And so I made sure I put them in the next show." The bees were played by all the repertory players at the time, who wore yellow and black horizontal stripes, wings, and springy antennas. Much of the humor from these scenes came out of puns or metaphors that had to do with well-known activities and body parts of bees.

The bees were a staple of the first season, appearing 11 times. However, the cast and crew quickly tired of them, and the Bees only appeared 3 more times during the original cast's five-year tenure.

The Land of Gorch

The Land of Gorch was a puppet sketch starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Lorne Michaels described the characters as the type of Muppets that can stay up late. Debuted October 11, 1975. The sketch stars King Ploobis (performed by Jim Henson), Queen Peuta (performed by Alice Tweedie), Scred (performed by Jerry Nelson), Vazh (performed by Fran Brill), Wisss (performed by Richard Hunt), and their statue deity the Mighty Favog (performed by Frank Oz) who reside on an alien planet.

Land Shark

Chevy Chase plays a shark attempting to lure his way into a victim's home. Debuted November 8, 1975.

Sherry

Laraine Newman plays Sherry, a stereotypical naive valley girl. Debuted November 15, 1975. Newman would reprise the role in the 40th anniversary special as part of The Californians sketch in 2015, in which she played Karina's mother, who like Sherry, also spoke valley girl-esque.

Minute Mystery with Mike Mendoza

Dan Aykroyd is a crime scene photographer who gives the audience a list of clues and 60 seconds to solve a mystery. Debuted November 15, 1975.

Looks at Books

A Talk Show sketch hosted by Jane Curtin interviewing profound authors. Debuted November 15, 1975

Emily Litella

Emily Litella was an elderly woman with a hearing problem, played by Gilda Radner in the late 1970s. She would frequently rant about topics about which she had misread or misheard, such as "Violins on Television," "Canker Research," "Endangered Feces," or "Presidential Erections." (To satisfy the censors at the time, Litella was made to explicitly state that she was referring to erecting statues of presidents.) Her catchphrase was "Never mind!", said after she was informed of her mistake.

Appearances

Saturday Night Live Samurai (Samurai Futaba)

John Belushi plays a samurai warrior, who speaks only (mock) Japanese, and wields a katana. He is seen in various occupations ranging from a hotel desk clerk to a tailor. Debuted December 13, 1975.

Mel's Char Palace

A steakhouse commercial parody featuring Dan Aykroyd. At Mel's, customers are given a chainsaw and are invited to hunt, stun, cut and cook their own cow. Debuted December 20, 1975.

Steve Bushakis

A John Belushi character who hails from Chicago, named after Belushi's childhood friend. Debuted January 24, 1976.

H & L Brock

A John Belushi sketch. As Lowell Brock (not to be confused with his competitor at H&R Block, he gives reasons why he should do your taxes. He'll take the time . . because he has the time . . because he's doing time. Debuted January 31, 1976.^[1]

The Mr. Bill Show

Mr. Bill is the clay figurine star of a parody of children's shows.

Mr. Bill got its start when Walter Williams sent SNL a Super-8 reel featuring the character in response to the show's request for home movies during the first season. Mr. Bill's first appearance occurred on the February 28, 1976 episode. Williams became a full-time writer for the show in 1978, writing more than 20 sketches based on Mr. Bill.

Each Mr. Bill episode would start innocently enough but would quickly turn dangerous for Mr. Bill. Along with his dog, Spot, he would suffer various indignities inflicted by "Mr. Hands," a man seen only as a pair of hands (played by Vance DeGeneres).^[2]

The character's popularity spawned the 1986 live-action movie Mr. Bill's Real Life Adventures.

Tomorrow

A parody of the Tomorrow show, starring Dan Aykroyd as Tom Snyder.

Baba Wawa

Gilda Radner impersonates journalist Barbara Walters. Debuted April 24, 1976.

Colleen Fernman

A Gilda Radner character, who appeared in seven sketches over five seasons. Colleen is usually non-talkative, and appears to be spaced out or in a veggie state, and it is established in a February 24, 1979 psychiatrist sketch that she is autistic. Debuted April 24, 1976.

Bobbi Farber

A Gilda Radner character, a middle-class Jewish-American with a nasal voice, who appeared in eight sketches in various settings over five seasons. Debuted July 31, 1976.

References