No.
overall | No. in
season | Host | Musical guest(s) | Original release date |
|---|
| 67 | 1 | The Rolling Stones | The Rolling Stones | October 7, 1978 (1978-10-07) |
|---|
|
| 68 | 2 | Fred Willard | Devo | October 14, 1978 (1978-10-14) |
|---|
|
| 69 | 3 | Frank Zappa | Frank Zappa | October 21, 1978 (1978-10-21) |
|---|
- Frank Zappa and his band perform "Dancin' Fool"[1] from the 1979 albumSheik Yerbouti, "The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing"[1] from the 1981 albumYou Are What You Is and "Rollo",[1] which was cut from the 1974 albumApostrophe (') and would remain unreleased until 2006'sImaginary Diseases.[2]
- Special Guests:Father Guido Sarducci, Franken and Davis
- During Zappa's performance of "Rollo",John Belushi, in character asSamurai Futaba, briefly appears on stage with the group.[2] Singing into amicrophone duct taped to the body of an electric guitar, Belushi carries out acall and response bit with the band.
- Zappa was unpopular with the cast and crew, possibly in part because their lax views on drug and alcohol consumption did not mesh with hisanti-drug stance.[2] This is highlighted in the sketch "Night on Freak Mountain", which also featuresPaul Shaffer asDon Kirshner. Throughout the episode, Zappa regularly mugs for the camera and frequently notes to the audience that he is reading fromcue cards.[2]
- Mr. Bill Moves In.
|
| 70 | 4 | Steve Martin | Van Morrison | November 4, 1978 (1978-11-04) |
|---|
- Van Morrison performs two songs from his September 1978 releaseWavelength: thetitle track and "Kingdom Hall".[1][3]
- Final appearance of the Festrunk Brothers.
- The last sketch was cut short. When the show closes, Steve Martin announces there were technical problems and that the sketch would resume the next time he hosted.
- This is Martin's sixth time as host.
|
| 71 | 5 | Buck Henry | Grateful Dead | November 11, 1978 (1978-11-11) |
|---|
- The Grateful Dead performs "Casey Jones" and "I Need a Miracle/Good Lovin'" medley.[1]
- John Belushi asElizabeth Taylor chokes on chicken.
- First appearance of "Uncle Roy" sketch.
- "Samurai Optometrist" sketch.
- First appearance of "Chico Escuela".
- Buck Henry's seventh time as host.
- Grateful Dead drummerBill Kreutzmann makes a non-verbal cameo appearance during the "Nick Sands, the Lounge Singer" skit.
|
| 72 | 6 | Carrie Fisher | The Blues Brothers | November 18, 1978 (1978-11-18) |
|---|
|
| 73 | 7 | Walter Matthau | Garrett Morris | December 2, 1978 (1978-12-02) |
|---|
- There is no billed musical guest for this episode. At host Walter Matthau's request,Garrett Morris performsMozart's "Dalla sua pace" ("On her peace"), an aria fromDon Giovanni.
- George Coe appears in the Epoxy-Dent commercial parody.
- Pepsi is replaced with Coke in the Olympia Cafe sketch.
- Mr. Bill Is Late.
- This episode features the last appearance of the Bees in a sketch called the Bad News Bees. In the skit, Coach Buttermaker (Matthau reprising his role from the 1976 filmThe Bad News Bears, albeit in a bee costume) tries to get his team to stop "buzzing off"
|
| 74 | 8 | Eric Idle | Kate Bush | December 9, 1978 (1978-12-09) |
|---|
|
| 75 | 9 | Elliott Gould | Peter Tosh
Mick Jagger | December 16, 1978 (1978-12-16) |
|---|
- Peter Tosh and Mick Jagger perform "(You Gotta Walk And) Don't Look Back", and Tosh performs "Bush Doctor".[1]
- Special Guests:Bob and Ray
- "Mommie Dearest" sketch.
- "Point/Counterpoint" regarding relations with China.
- Elliott Gould (his 4th time hosting) and Garrett Morris sing "It's Christmas Time in Harlem" during the opening monologue, accompanied byPaul Shaffer.
|
| 76 | 10 | Michael Palin | The Doobie Brothers | January 27, 1979 (1979-01-27) |
|---|
- The Doobie Brothers perform "What a Fool Believes" and "Takin' It to the Streets".[1]
- Special Guests: Father Guido Sarducci, Franken and Davis
- Michael Palin (2nd time hosting) reprises his sleazy music teacher character Mr. Brighton for another sketch withThe Nerds.
- Dickens' "Miles Cowperthwaite", Part 1.
- Mr Bill Goes to Court.
|
| 77 | 11 | Cicely Tyson | Talking Heads | February 10, 1979 (1979-02-10) |
|---|
|
| 78 | 12 | Ricky Nelson | Judy Collins | February 17, 1979 (1979-02-17) |
|---|
|
| 79 | 13 | Kate Jackson | Delbert McClinton | February 24, 1979 (1979-02-24) |
|---|
- McClinton performs "B Movie Boxcar Blues" and "I'm Talking About You".[1]
- Special Guests:Andy Kaufman, Father Guido Sarducci
- A running gag throughout the show isFred Silverman trying to sabotage NBC's line-up.
- Brian Doyle-Murray is one of the people taking a tour during the opening monologue.
- Kate Jackson plays a nurse whoBill Murray falls for in a sketch involving the Nerds.
- Final appearance ofThe Coneheads sketch.
- "Bad Cabarat for Children" withLeonard Pinth-Garnell.
- Mr. Bill Goes on a Diet.
|
| 80 | 14 | Gary Busey | Eubie Blake &Gregory Hines
Gary Busey withRick Danko &Paul Butterfield | March 10, 1979 (1979-03-10) |
|---|
- Eubie Blake and Gregory Hines performs a medley of "Low-down Blues", "I'm Just Simply Full of Jazz" and "I'm Just Wild about Harry".[1]
- Gary Busey's band performs "Stay All Night".[1]
- Brian Doyle-Murray is one ofJohn Belushi's sycophants during the cold open and also appears as an audience member with a question in "Women's Problems".
- Paul Shaffer plays the bass in Busey's rock-n-roll band in the 1950s sketch.
- Bill Murray stars in theTom Schiller short, "Perchance to Dream".
|
| 81 | 15 | Margot Kidder | The Chieftains | March 17, 1979 (1979-03-17) |
|---|
- The Chieftains performs "If I Had Maggie in the Woods" and "Morning Dew"[1]
- Special Guests: Franken and Davis, Father Guido Sarducci
- Lorne Michaels and the production staff appear with Margot Kidder andGilda Radner in the opening monologue.
- "Point/Counterpoint" regardingLee Marvin's palimony case.
- Mr Bill hides from Mr Hand.
|
| 82 | 16 | Richard Benjamin | Rickie Lee Jones | April 7, 1979 (1979-04-07) |
|---|
|
| 83 | 17 | Milton Berle | Ornette Coleman | April 14, 1979 (1979-04-14) |
|---|
- Ornette Coleman performed "Times Square".[1]
- Milton Berle's opening monologue featured bits from his nightclub stand-up routine, some of which were met with scant laughter.[7][8] After about five minutes,Bill Murray dropped a large pipe offstage, making a loud noise and disrupting Berle's routine. When Berle was told by a producer at the foot of the stage that his monologue segment was complete, Berle responded incredulously.[7] During the audience's applause while transitioning to a commercial, he can be seen angrily yelling, although it is unclear whether he is serious.[8]
- While on-air, Berle frequently mugged for the audience, didspit-takes, and ad-libbed straight to the camera.[7]
- At the end of the show, Berle broke into a "dreary version" of the 1950s standard "September Song" and, according toLorne Michaels, loaded the audience with friends and family members who gave it astanding ovation.[7] Michaels told directorDave Wilson immediately afterwards that this show was the worst ever; he kept it from appearing in syndicated reruns later.[9]
|
| 84 | 18 | Michael Palin | James Taylor | May 12, 1979 (1979-05-12) |
|---|
- The opening monologue featured James Taylor performing "Johnnie Comes Back", his first of three songs in the show. Taylor later performs, "Up on the Roof" and "Millworker", all from his then recently released album,Flag.[1]
- Special Guest: Father Guido Sarducci
- Dickens's "Miles Cowperthwaite", Part 2.
- Final appearance of Dan Aykroyd's Jimmy Carter impersonation.
- Mr Bill Runs Away From Home.
|
| 85 | 19 | Maureen Stapleton | Linda Ronstadt &Phoebe Snow | May 19, 1979 (1979-05-19) |
|---|
|
| 86 | 20 | Buck Henry | Bette Midler | May 26, 1979 (1979-05-26) |
|---|
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