. Due to the departure of Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo (among other castmembers), Dick Ebersol tried to keep the show alive by hiring seasoned comedians in the cast, such as
(who hosted twice in season nine and was originally set to appear in SNL's first episode),
in the early 1970s). In the middle of the season, Harry Shearer left the show, due to "creative differences" (which Shearer describes as "I was creative; they were different"). Despite his departure, his image is still shown in the opening credits (spray-painting an elevated train as it goes down the track).
Ultimately, Dick Ebersol and every one of his castmembers would leave after the season finale. Because of a writers' strike in the middle of the season and budget cuts, a lot of proposed episodes (including one hosted by SCTV castmembers John Candy and Eugene Levy) were never produced, resulting in 17 episodes instead of 20.
Episode
Number | Date | Host(s) | Musical Guest(s) | Remarks |
|---|
| 179 |
October 6, 1984 |
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Thompson Twins The Thompson Twins were a British Pop group that were formed in April 1977 and disbanded in May 1993. They achieved considerable popularity in the mid-1980s, scoring a string of hits in the UK, the U.S. and around the globe...
|
- Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the box office successes When Harry...
acted as the unofficial "host", even though this is (for the most part) an all-cast episode.
- Billy Crystal
William Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the box office successes When Harry...
, Christopher GuestChristopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest , better known as Christopher Guest, is an American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor and comedian. He is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed and starred in several "mockumentary" films that feature a...
, Rich HallRich Hall is an American comedian and writer. He was a writer and performer on the sketch comedy TV series Fridays, Not Necessarily the News, and Saturday Night Live...
, Martin ShortMartin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, writer, singer and producer. He is best known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
and Pamela StephensonPamela Helen Stephenson Connolly is a New Zealand actress, comedian and clinical psychologist, now a resident of New York City, USA.- Comedy and acting :Stephenson was born in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand...
's first episode as cast members
- Harry Shearer
Harry Julius Shearer is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author and radio host. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, his work on Saturday Night Live, the comedy band Spinal Tap and his radio program Le Show...
rejoins the cast after a four year hiatus |
| 180 |
October 13, 1984 |
Bob Uecker Robert George "Bob" Uecker is an American former Major League Baseball player, later a sportscaster, comedian and actor. Uecker was given the title of "Mr...
|
Peter WolfPeter Wolf is an American rock and roll musician, best known as the lead vocalist for the J. Geils Band from 1967 to 1983.- Life and career :Wolf was born in the Bronx, New York...
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| 181 |
October 20, 1984 |
Jesse JacksonJesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to form...
|
Andrae Crouch Andraé Edward Crouch , is an American Gospel musician, recording artist, songwriter, arranger and record producer.- Early childhood years :...
Wintley PhippsWintley Augustus Phipps was born in Trinidad and Tobago. Phipps is an ordained Seventh-day Adventist minister, world-renowned vocal artist, and innovative initiator of special projects such as the [US Dream Academy]. He also founded Songs of Freedom Publishing Company and Coral Records Recording...
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|
| 182 |
November 3, 1984 |
Michael McKeanMichael John McKean is an American actor, comedian, composer and musician, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Squiggy's friend, Leonard 'Lenny' Kosnowski, on the sitcom Laverne and Shirley; as David St...
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Chaka Khan Chaka Khan, born Yvette Marie Stevens on March 23, 1953, is a Grammy-winning American singer-songwriter best known for such hit songs as "I'm Every Woman", "Ain't Nobody", "I Feel for You" and "Through the Fire". She sang a modernized theme song for the popular children's TV show Reading Rainbow...
The Folksmen |
|
| 183 |
November 10, 1984 |
George CarlinGeorge Denis Patrick Carlin was an American stand-up comedian. He was also an actor and author, and he won five Grammy Awards for his comedy albums....
† |
Frankie Goes to HollywoodFrankie Goes to Hollywood was an English dance-pop band that was extremely popular in the mid-1980s. The Liverpool group was fronted by Holly Johnson , supported by Paul Rutherford , Peter Gill , Mark O'Toole and Brian Nash .The group's debut single "Relax" was famously banned by the BBC while at...
|
George Carlin's introduction during the monologue was taken from the first time he hosted: SNL's very first episode. |
| 184 |
November 17, 1984 |
Ed AsnerEdward Asner is an American film and television actor and former President of the Screen Actors Guild, primarily known for his role as Lou Grant on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spin-off series, Lou Grant...
|
The Kinks The Kinks are an English rock group categorised in the US as a British Invasion band. The Kinks have been cited as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the British Invasion era....
|
|
| 185 |
December 1, 1984 |
Ed Begley, Jr. Edward James "Ed" Begley, Jr. is an American actor, game show panelist and environmentalist. Begley is perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Mark Craig's intern, Dr. Victor Ehrlich on the television series St. Elsewhere, for which he received six consecutive Emmy Award nominations...
|
Billy Squier William Haislip "Billy" Squier is an American rock musician. Squier had a string of arena rock hits in the 1980s. He is probably best known for the song "The Stroke" on his 1981 album release Don't Say No...
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|
| 186 |
December 8, 1984 |
Ringo StarrRichard Starkey, MBE , better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer-songwriter, and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for the rock group The Beatles. When The Beatles formed in 1960, Starr belonged to another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes....
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Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American jazz pianist and composer. He is regarded as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz...
|
|
| 187 |
December 15, 1984 |
Eddie MurphyEdward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American actor, voice actor, film director, producer, comedian and singer. He is the second-highest grossing actor in motion picture history. He was a regular cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1980 to 1984, and has worked as a stand-up comedian...
|
Robert Plant & the Honeydrippers |
|
| 188 |
January 12, 1985 |
Kathleen TurnerMary Kathleen Turner is an American actress. She came to fame during the 1980s, after roles in the Hollywood films Body Heat, Peggy Sue Got Married, Romancing the Stone, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Prizzi's Honor....
|
John Waite John Waite is a rock singer and musician. He was the lead vocalist for the bands The Babys and Bad English...
|
Harry ShearerHarry Julius Shearer is an American actor, comedian, writer, voice artist, musician, author and radio host. He is known for his long-running role on The Simpsons, his work on Saturday Night Live, the comedy band Spinal Tap and his radio program Le Show...
's final episode as a cast member (even though he would still be mentioned in the credits until the season finale) |
| 189 |
January 19, 1985 |
Roy ScheiderRoy Richard Scheider was an American actor. He was best known for his role as police chief Martin Brody in Jaws, as choreographer and film director Joe Gideon in All That Jazz, and as detective Buddy Russo in The French Connection. Scheider's final performance is to be released posthumously in the...
† |
Billy Ocean Billy Ocean is a Grammy Award-winning British-based popular music performer who had a string of rhythm and blues-tinged international pop hits in the 1970s and 1980s. He was the main British-based R&B singer / songwriter of the 1980s...
|
|
| 190 |
February 2, 1985 |
Alex KarrasAlexander George "Alex" Karras , nicknamed "The Mad Duck", is a former football player, professional wrestler, and actor who is best known for playing with the Detroit Lions from 1958-1962 and 1964-1970...
|
Tina TurnerTina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have earned her the title "The Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
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|
| 191 |
February 9, 1985 |
Harry Anderson Harry Laverne Anderson is an American actor and magician.Born in Newport, Rhode Island, Anderson was a street magician before becoming an actor. He is famous for the role of Judge Harry Stone on the 1984-1992 television series Night Court...
|
Bryan AdamsBryan Adams, OC, OBC is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter and photographer. Adams was first nominated at the 28th Grammy Awards for Reckless and "It's Only Love" and won the Grammy and in 1992 won the award for "Best Song Written for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media"...
|
|
| 192 |
February 16, 1985 |
Pamela Sue Martin Pamela Sue Martin , is an American actress best known for playing Nancy Drew on The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries TV series and Fallon Carrington Colby on the ABC nighttime soap opera Dynasty.-Biography:...
|
Power StationPower Station was a 1980s supergroup made up of singer Robert Palmer, bassist John Taylor, guitarist Andy Taylor of Duran Duran, and former Chic drummer Tony Thompson. Bernard Edwards, also of Chic, was involved on the studio side as recording producer. For a short time he also functioned as Power...
|
|
| |
March 2, 1985 |
Billy CrystalWilliam Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the box office successes When Harry...
|
|
SNL Film Festival hosted by Crystal, presenting short films and commercial parodies. Gene SiskelEugene "Gene" Kal Siskel was an American film critic. Alongside colleague Roger Ebert, he pioneered the classic review show Siskel & Ebert at the Movies.-Early life and career:...
and Roger EbertRoger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter.He is known for his film review column and for two television programs Sneak Previews and Siskel & Ebert at the Movies, which he co-hosted for a combined 23 years with Gene Siskel...
review the show. John CandyJohn Franklin Candy was a Canadian-American comedian and actor. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto, Ontario branch of The Second City...
and Eugene LevyEugene Levy is a Canadian actor, television director, producer, musician and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies and television movies...
plug next week's show which never happens with musical guests Hall & OatesHall & Oates is a pop music duo made up of Daryl Hall and John Oates. The act achieved its greatest fame in the late 1970s and early to mid-1980s. They specialized in a fusion of rock and roll and rhythm and blues styles, which they dubbed "rock and soul." Critics Stephen Thomas Erlewine & J...
|
| 193 |
March 30, 1985 |
Mr. TMr. T is an American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team, as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. Mr...
Hulk HoganTerry Gene Bollea better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American actor and retired professional wrestler....
|
The Commodores |
|
| 194 |
April 6, 1985 |
Christopher Reeve Christopher D'Olier Reeve was an American actor, film director, producer and screenwriter. He achieved stardom for his acting achievements, including his notable motion picture portrayal of the fictional character Superman.On May 27, 1995 Reeve became a quadriplegic after being thrown from his...
† |
SantanaCarlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican-born American Grammy Award-winning rock musician and guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered a blend of rock, salsa and jazz fusion. The band's sound featured his melodic, blues-based...
|
|
| 195 |
April 13, 1985 |
Howard CosellHoward William Cosell was an American sports journalist.-Early life:Cosell was born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina to Nellie and Isidore Cohen, who was an accountant. He was raised in Brooklyn, New York. His parents had wanted him to become a lawyer...
† |
Greg Kihn Greg Kihn is a U.S. rock musician, radio personality and novelist.-Music:Greg Kihn is the front man for the The Greg Kihn Band, which released several singles and albums that made the charts in the early 1980s...
|
This is the final program with Dick Ebersol.
Billy CrystalWilliam Edward "Billy" Crystal is an American actor, writer, producer, comedian, and film director. He gained prominence in the 1970s for playing Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in the box office successes When Harry...
, Jim Belushi, Mary GrossMary Gross is an American comedian and actress, perhaps best known for her four-year stint on Saturday Night Live from 1981 to 1985. Her credits also include minor roles on Animaniacs and Sabrina, the Teenage Witch...
, Christopher GuestChristopher Haden-Guest, 5th Baron Haden-Guest , better known as Christopher Guest, is an American screenwriter, composer, musician, director, actor and comedian. He is most widely known in Hollywood for having written, directed and starred in several "mockumentary" films that feature a...
, Rich HallRich Hall is an American comedian and writer. He was a writer and performer on the sketch comedy TV series Fridays, Not Necessarily the News, and Saturday Night Live...
, Gary KroegerGary Kroeger is an American actor best known for his work on Saturday Night Live from 1982 to 1985.Born in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Kroeger attended Northern University High School and graduated from Northwestern University in 1981. He joined the cast of Saturday Night Live during Lorne Michaels' hiatus...
, Julia Louis-DreyfusJulia Scarlett Elizabeth Louis-Dreyfus is an American actress and comedian best known for her role as Elaine Benes on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld.She has won two Emmy Awards, five Screen Actors Guild Awards and a Golden Globe Award....
, Martin ShortMartin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian-American comedian, actor, writer, singer and producer. He is best known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live.-Early life:...
and Pamela StephensonPamela Helen Stephenson Connolly is a New Zealand actress, comedian and clinical psychologist, now a resident of New York City, USA.- Comedy and acting :Stephenson was born in Takapuna, Auckland, New Zealand...
's final episode as cast members |