Gilda Radner: Seasons 1-5

Gilda

Before SNL

Gilda Radner was born on June 28, 1946 in Detroit, Michigan to a wealthy, Jewish family. Throughout her childhood, Gilda found it extremely difficult to make friends largely due to the fact that her family relocated to Florida for a few months each year because her mother hated the winter weather of the Great Lakes. As a result, Gilda’s relationship with her mother became tense, which subsequently led her to form a bond with her father that was mainly centered on their mutual appreciation for the performing arts.

This appreciation ultimately resulted in Gilda attending the University of Michigan for theater.  However, Gilda left Michigan during her senior year, opting instead to move to Toronto with her then Canadian boyfriend, Jeffrey Rubinoff (Fun Fact: Michigan Still Sucks).  In Toronto, Gilda furthered her performing experience by joining the Toronto branch of the Chicago-based improv group, The Second City.

Through the Second City Gilda met future fellow SNL cast members, John Belushi and Dan Akroyd. In a path similar to other SNL greats, Chevy Chase and John Belushi, Gilda then moved to New York City where she began working with comedy giant, National Lampoon, and as a result caught the eye of NBC’s Lorne Michaels.

 

Studio 8H

One of three females in SNL’s initial cast, Gilda quickly made a name for herself with her charming comedic style that ranged from in your face to pleasantly subtle. Gilda was famous for being the first person to really make fun of television news anchors (Fun Fact: She was a weather anchor for her campus news station in Ann Arbor). One of her more notable impressions was her character Baba Wawa, who was inspired by the speech impediment of ABC News anchor, Barbara Walters.

Baba Wawa Video

Gilda’s most famous character however, was her fictional anchor who occasionally appeared on Weekend Update named Roseanne Rosannadanna.

Roseanna Rosannadanna Video

Gilda won a Primetime Emmy in 1977 for “Outstanding Continuing or Single Performance by a Supporting Actress in Variety or Music” for her work on SNL. She would eventually leave the show in 1980 to pursue a film career.

 

Outside Work

Gilda’s film career failed to ever really take off with her movies often flopping at the box office. Some of Gilda’s notable movies included First Family (1980), It Came From Hollywood (1982), Hanky Panky (1982), The Woman In Red (1984), and Haunted Honeymoon (1986). The latter three were all collaborations with her second husband and famous comedian in his own right, Gene Wilder.

Sadly, Gilda’s film career came to a sudden end in 1986 when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

 

Death

In 1989 Gilda published a memoir detailing her life experiences entitled, It’s Always Something. That same year, on May 20th she passed away. On May 20, 1989, Steve Martin, a longtime friend of Gilda, was the host for SNL. After almost breaking down during his monologue, Martin and the rest of the SNL staff payed tribute to Gilda by rerunning a sketch from 1979 of her and Steve Martin entitled, Dancing in the Dark.

Watch Here

 

Opinion

There is no doubt in my mind that if Gilda had never been diagnosed with cancer she could have easily reached movie stardom and probably would have become a household name similar to the likes of her fellow cast members, Dan Akroyd, Bill Murray, and Chevy Chase. Gilda was an inspiration to countless female comedians including Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Kristin Wiig. She will forever be another of SNL’s greatest “what ifs”.

Roseanna

Chevy Chase: Seasons 1-2

Chevy-Chase-2

Before SNL

Cornelius Crane Chase, or as he’s more commonly known as Chevy, was born on October 8, 1943 in New York City. Despite growing up in a home environment where his mother regularly subjected him to physical abuse, Chevy managed to become his high school’s valedictorian and earn a B.A. in English from Bard College.

After leaving college, Chevy worked at various odd jobs with the goal of one day developing a career in comedy. His first big break in the comedy business came when he started writing for Smothers Brothers and National Lampoon. Chevy’s first job as a performer was with the New York based video comedy group, Channel One. This would ultimately set Chevy up with his first movie, Groove Tube, and subsequently get him noticed by none other than NBC’s Lorne Michaels.

 

Studio 8H

Initially hired as only a writer, Chevy earned a place for himself as a cast member by creating the most continuously run recurring sketch in SNL history in the form of Weekend Update (for those unfamiliar, it’s a satirical news report on the events of the past week).

Weekend Update Video

With his initial role on the show as the anchor of Weekend Update Chevy quickly made a name for himself and began to be featured in other various sketches. One of Chevy’s other notable sketches was his infamous Landshark sketch.

Landshark Video

After winning two Primetime Emmys in 1975 and being nominated for the same two awards in 1976, Chevy decided to leave SNL to pursue a career as a film actor.

 

Outside Work

Chevy’s abundance of confidence and his deadpan style of humor (what would come to be seen as his trademark) quickly won him a host of adoring fans. His first major film success after leaving SNL was his 1980 film with Rodney Dangerfield entitled Caddyshack.

 

Following the success of Caddyshack, Chevy teamed up with his former employers at National Lampoon in 1983 to make, what is often referred to as his best film, National Lampoon’s Vacation.

 

Chevy would go on to film two sequels to Vacation in 1985 and 1989. Some other notable Chevy Chase films were Fletch in 1985, as well as ¡Three Amigos! with Steve Martin and Martin Short in 1986. Chevy’s most recent work was as part of the cast for the NBC sitcom, Community (2009-2014).

 

Opinion

Chevy Chase might not be considered one of the legends of Saturday night with respects to his sketch comedy prowess. However, he is a legend because he effectively helped solidify the foundation SNL has been building upon for thirty-nine years. (Fun Fact: Chevy holds the record for most host appearances among former cast members with eight) Without Chevy, it’s very possible that SNL would have never reached the format and the level of popularity that we see today.

3 amigos

John Belushi: Seasons 1-4

John Belushi as Bumble Bee at Skating Rink

Before SNL

John Belushi, one of the original seven cast members of Saturday Night Live, was born on January 24, 1949 in Wheaton, Illinois to a pair of Albanian immigrants, Agnes and Adam Belushi. In 1970 Belushi discovered his passion for comedy and decided to join Chicago’s famous improv group (and historical SNL training ground), The Second City. Belushi’s main acts while performing with The Second City focused on celebrity impressions, specifically Marlon Brando and Joe Cocker.

It was also while working with The Second City that he met his future friends and fellow SNL cast members, Dan Akroyd and Gilda Radner. In 1973 Belushi was chosen by the staff of National Lampoon to be in the cast for their Off-Broadway parody of Woodstock, Lemmings. Belushi’s work in Lemmings ultimately gained him enough exposure that he was noticed by NBC’s Lorne Michaels, who was searching for comedians to start a new late night television variety show that would eventually come to be known as Saturday Night Live.

Studio 8H

John Belushi debuted with the other six original SNL cast members in the show’s first episode on October 11, 1975 in NBC’s Studio 8H. Belushi’s main role in the show was to add an element of ridiculous, intense, physical humor as well as some lighter, musically related acts (Fun fact: He was the third musical guest in the show’s history). Belushi’s main recurring sketches included The Blues Brothers, The Killer Bees, Samurai Futaba, and Olympic Café. Samurai Futaba, arguably Belushi’s most recognizable SNL role, was actually the character that he used when he initially auditioned for the show.

Samurai Delicatessen Video

Another one of Belushi’s most famous sketches was Olympia Café, which was partially inspired by his father, who owned a restaurant.

Olympia Café Video

In spite of his love for destroying things with a sword and yelling “Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger”, Belushi eventually left SNL in 1979 to pursue his growing film career.

 

Outside Work

Belushi’s most famous non-SNL role was as John “Bluto” Blutarsky in National Lampoon’s Animal House. The first ever college party movie, Animal House reached out to a wide audience with great success and is now regarded as one of the best comedies ever filmed. (In my opinion, his best work)

Another one of Belushi’s most recognizable films was his 1980 collaboration with longtime friend, Dan Akroyd, Blues Brothers. (Fun fact: Belushi and Akroyd recorded an original album in 1978 with Atlantic Records entitled Briefcase Full of Blues)

Belushi also starred in several other films such as Goin’ South (1978), 1941 (1979), Continental Divide (1981), and Neighbors (1981).

 

Death

On March 5, 1982, John Belushi died at the age of 33 in Hollywood, California. Belushi was discovered dead in his bungalow at the Chateau Marmont with his cause of death found to be an overdose of speedball (cocaine and heroin). For more on Belushi’s addiction and death, click here.

 

Opinion

I personally believe that John Belushi was one of the top 5 SNL cast members of all time and should be considered a comedic genius. His style may be considered by some to have been over the top or crass, but he paved the way for future SNL gonzo comedians, such as Chris Farley, Molly Shannon, and Will Ferrell. Oh and one last thing, if Belushi was still alive today he would definitely have one of the best Youtube channels out there.

Belushi Guitar