| Saturday Night Live - The Complete Second Season | 
 enlarge | Actor: Bill Murray
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $69.98
Buy New: $25.44
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Avg. Customer Rating:  34 reviews
Sales Rank: 592
Format: Box Set, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 8
Running Time: 90
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 8 x 6.1 x 1.8
MPN: MCAD61101030D
UPC: 025195008624
EAN: 0025195008624
ASIN: B000VNMMVG
Theatrical Release Date: October 11, 1975
Release Date: December 4, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 12/04/2007
Amazon.com
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Saturday Night Live's essential second season looms large in SNL's tumultuous history. Breakout star Chevy Chase departed after several episodes to pursue specials and a movie career. Mustachioed "new kid" Bill Murray's inauspicious beginning (he joined the cast in the Fran Tarkenton episode) was shaky enough to warrant pleading his case to viewers during the Broderick Crawford episode that he was, indeed, funny. He sealed the deal with his breakthrough sketch in the season finale, in which a husband transforms his shower into a lounge act, with guest appearances by his wife and even the man with whom she's having an affair. Another momentous episode marked Steve Martin's debut as host, ushering in Martin-mania. Joining John Belushi's Samurai in the pantheon of classic SNL characters are the Coneheads (Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Larraine Newman), extraterrestrials struggling to assimilate ("We're from France"). Legendary National Lampoon writer Michael O'Donoghue introduced his sinister alter ego, Mr. Mike, in whose "Least-Loved Bedtime Stories" the Little Engine That Could has a heart attack, and Br'er Rabbit is skinned alive in a "random act of meaningless violence." Jane Curtin proves a formidable successor to Chevy Chase as anchor of "Weekend Update," but not before that now-infamous moment during the Tarkenton episode when, in a bid for "raw thrills" that will make viewers forget "sexy" Chevy Chase, tears open her blouse and proclaims, "Try these on for size, Connie Chung."
It is still thrilling to watch Saturday Night Live find its voice. Except for one brief appearance, the Muppet segments are out, as are Albert Brooks' short films, replaced by the New York slice-of-life entries by Gary Weiss. A couple of sketches, one featuring Lily Tomlin and Garret Morris and another with Sissy Spacek and John Belushi, are more dramatic playlets. And Eric Idle's first stint as host plays like a lost episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus with the sketches seamlessly flowing in to one another. But the series still fearlessly subverted television convention. Envelopes don't get pushed much more than the Christmas-episode holiday song "Let's Kill [death row inmate] Gary Gilmore for Christmas." Saturday Night Live is a topical show, and Earl Butz jokes don't play as well in the 21st century. But the musical segments endure, including the thrilling pairing of Paul Simon and George Harrison and an extended set by the Band. The hosts, as ever, are hit and miss. One of the season's high points is Simon, in an ill-fated attempt to shed his "Mr. Alienation" image, taking the stage in a turkey costume to sing "Still Crazy After All These Years." This set's bonus feature is a true rarity, the "Mardis Gras" special, an infamous primetime debacle in which the cast gamely copes with drunken crowds that pelt them with beads, and botched logistics (Penny Marshall must go on without Cindy Williams who is caught elsewhere in traffic). In their impact on comedy and pop culture, Saturday Night Live 's iconic first ensemble has been likened to the Beatles. Then, season 2 is Help! to season 1's A Hard Day's Night: still wildly funny, though not quite as exhilarating. --Donald Liebenson
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Stills from Saturday Night Live - The Complete Second Season (Click for larger image)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 29 more reviews...
 disappointed June 25, 2008
I guess it might have been funny then, but now it's lame so its not the product, but the reviewer I guess. I dont know what it is, but the SNL cast on it are obviously nervous, new, and not comfortable. It is very odd to see them this way versus my memory where they were comfortable, add-libbing, and natural.
 They were the best! April 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
What can I say? This was my era...I've been a serious fan of the original "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" and in my opinion, their creativity & humor was one of a kind. The first 5 years are the best, by far!
Joe Cocker and John Belushi!!!! April 7, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Enjoy........
The song by Joe Cocker and "duet" with John Belushi is worth the price of the entire set, even at $50. The presidential debates between Ford (Chevy Chase) and Carter (Dan Aykroyd) are such a treasure, not to mention such crazy spoofs of Dragnet and Drag Racing with Eric Idle. Great comedy and memories.
Box: O.K, but I would prefer thin polypropylene cases.
Discs: Single sided, excellent!
Extras: The "book" enclosed could be included with the extras on disc to save weight and space. In fact, more pictures of behind the scenes could be included. Even better if they have behind the scenes practice!
 Pictre should be improved March 25, 2008
2 out of 5 found this review helpful
What surprises me is how little the other reviewers comment on the picture quality. While one cannot deny that there is some great history-making comedy in here, I believe more cara could have been put into restoring the tapes. Not all are bad but there is a significant amount of color bleeding as well as fuzziness that should have been taken care of, especially at this price. The sound quality is great as are the performances so it is not a massive problem. While it is great tosee the Kinks perform, it is interesting to still note an above-average number of pre-new wave/punk acts on the show that have not allways aged well (e.g. Paul Simon).
 "Death is just God's way of asking you out" March 20, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
And who once said that on SNL, during one of the darker sketches of the show's classic second season? Gilda Radner. That's right. Gilda Radner...
"Saturday Night Live -- The Complete Second Season" continues the experience of "The Complete First Season", which often seemed like not just a sketch comedy show, but the saga of American life in the last quarter of the twentieth century and the personal journeys of its seven cast members. The journeys continue in this DVD boxed set. See Chevy Chase make the mistake that would blight his career by leaving SNL prematurely. Watch John Belushi's comic timing falter for the first time in over thirty episodes as he deals with having been kicked out by the woman he loved since high school -- then cheer as he returns to form, despite a knee injury, after winning her back and marrying her over the holidays. Thrill to the irony of rookie Bill Murray, destined someday to become one of the great legends of American comedy cinema, announcing to viewers that "I don't think I'm making it on the show."
And yet "The Complete Second Season" is also funny. Screamingly funny. And not just due to the classic sketches we've all seen over and over again, but due to many of the forgotten sketches as well. Belushi, Chase and Curtin filmed on location as Amish police officers. (What must that shoot have been like?) Aykroyd robbing a bank, ineffectually disguised with a stocking over his head and two oranges over his eyes. Newman as a bee, sucking pollen from a rose through a straw -- an image simultaneously amusing and poetic.
The music is also fabulous, even when it's bad. (Who exactly thought the McGarrigle Sisters were a viable music act?) An amazing number of musical guests actually perform their most famous songs, rather than insisting on less populist repertoire. George Harrison duets with Paul Simon on "Here Comes the Sun". The Kinks perform "You Really Got Me" and "Lola". And, strangest and most memorable of all, Brian Wilson performs "Good Vibrations" without the Beach Boys, without a theremin, with just himself and a piano.
"SNL -- The Complete Second Season" merits the same high recommendation from me as "The Complete First Season". Live from New York, there were giants in those days. And remember, "Don't shoot -- we're Siamese priests!"
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