Saturday Night Live - The Complete Fourth Season |  | Directors: Aviva Slesin, Christopher Guest, Dave Wilson, James Signorelli, Mike DeSeve
Actors: Fred Willard, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $69.98
Buy New: $19.48
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Rating:  22 reviews
Sales Rank: 2114
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 7
Running Time: 1353 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.7 x 1.4
MPN: 61102145
UPC: 025195017343
EAN: 0025195017343
ASIN: B001FFBI9G
Release Date: December 2, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 12/02/2008 Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
The fourth season of Saturday Night Live is a peak year for appearances by most of the iconic characters associated with the original Not-Ready-for-Primetime-Players. Steve Martin and Dan Aykroyd are still red-hot as the wild and crazy Festrunk brothers from Czechoslovakia. The Coneheads (Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman) treat host Frank Zappa to their alien madness. John Belushi and Buck Henry appear in yet another samurai skit, with Belushi as a sword-wielding, Japanese optometrist. Aykroyd continues to have a hammerlock on Jimmy Carter with insightful impressions of the then-president. Bill Murray and Gilda Radner appear several times as nerds Lisa Loopner and Todd LaBount. Even Belushi's hated Bees turn up in a one-off sketch co-starring Walter Matthau in a The Bad News Bears satire. One of the show's most underrated, recurring sketches--the St. Mickey's Knights of Columbus monthly meeting--occurs several times with a certain warmth and preciseness that suggests they spring from a writer's childhood memories. The fourth season took place at a time before SNL hosts were largely ephemeral celebrities. Thus, sort-of cult figure Buck Henry hosts twice, as does Monty Python's Michael Palin. Perennial favorite (at least during the early years) Elliot Gould hosts once. So do Richard Benjamin, Kate Jackson, Cicely Tyson, Fred Willard, Eric Idle, Matthau, Zappa, and Maureen Stapleton. Rising stars Carrie Fisher and Margot Kidder each host a show, the former game to perform in a sketch inspired by Star Wars, the latter happy to appear as Lois Lane alongside Murray's Superman. Not every episode is brilliant, and the season opener, more or less hosted by the Rolling Stones, is a bit of a train wreck. What stands out are several sketches that are television classics, including Aykroyd's brilliant impression of Julia Child bleeding everywhere in her studio kitchen; the first broadcast performance of Aykroyd and Belushi's Blues Brothers; Garrett Morris singing a Mozart piece at Matthau's request; Aykroyd's weirdly avuncular "Fred Garvin: Male Prostitute;" Paul Shaffer's remarkable impression of rock impresario Don Kirshner; and a Twilight Zone spoof starring Rick Nelson accidentally lost at the Leave It to Beaver residence. Musical guests in season four include the Stones in a rocky performance, Ornette Coleman in an abrasive one, James Taylor doing fine, as do Van Morrison, the Chieftains, the Doobie Brothers, Talking Heads, and the Grateful Dead. The Gould show has two highlights besides the wonderful Christmas edition of the St. Mickey's sketch: Mick Jagger (making up a bit for the earlier Stones fiasco) surprising everyone by joining Peter Tosh in a number, and an appearance by comedy team Bob and Ray. Bob Elliott's son, Chris Elliott, of course, eventually became a cast member of SNL, and consequently Chris' daughter, Abby Elliott, joined the 2008-09 cast. --Tom Keogh Stills from Saturday Night Live – The Complete Fourth Season (click for larger image)
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 22
 About as good as Television gets January 3, 2010
Rube Goldfinger (savannah, GA)
I'm currently watching every episode in order. I will say this is probably the best season of SNL since we can not review the Eddie Murphy or early 90s seasons yet.
The show is still revolutionary, but has fnally found its form and is coasting on its genius. Every member of the Not Ready For Primetime Players shines here. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi get some peak performances while Bill Murray gets to really reveal the personality that would make him the greatest artistic showman the show has ever produced. Gilda Radner is like Lucille Ball with balls. Jane Curtain is excellent while Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris (and his patented oddly charming comedic timing) get plenty of airtime, but still don't connect like their more mainstream counterparts.
The amount of exceptional skits is pretty high. And the amount of duds is very low for such an old show. If you are a fan of the modern SNL, you'll find the current writers are still ripping off the early seasons for jokes and concepts. But this is when the show was cerebral, satirical, daring and funny. BELLY LAUGH FUNNY. Not snicker like school children funny.
The time period of a season really makes or breaks it. This is such an interesting season because its leaving the surreal, pot-fueled Chevy Chase era but not yet the coked-out depressed nihilism of the 80s. The tone is realistic and smart, but playful and hip. There is a disco-inspired "Lets have fun before the party's over" spirit here. The show often eerily anticipates the political corruption, passive morals and crass commercialism of the 80s, 90s and 00s with dead accuracy.
I always wondered what the big fuss was about the original SNL. I thought "How could it have been so sharp and influential?" This is the season that proved it to me. This was smething of global importance and it seems almost impossible to replicate.
SNL October 15, 2009
Joseph M. Raymond (lexington, ky.)
The first five years of SNL was what America needed after the Vietnam war. It doesn't get much better than this. I recieved it fast and in great shape.
 hit and miss September 10, 2009
Mat van gogh (Philadephia,PA)
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
the jokes are good half the time only. the show hasnt aged well. still if you grew up watching it like i did, its worth it if your a fan of any of the castmembers.
 Parody of Navy Recruiting Advertisement September 4, 2009
D. Vander Linde (Grand Rapids, MI)
Does this set include the parody of the Navy recruiting advertisement? "Port of call, Bayonne, New Jersey . . . the Navy adventure!" That was absolutely brilliant . . . and very, very accurate.
SNL-Complete Fourth Season August 17, 2009
Denis B. Johnston (Long Island,NY)
The '78-'79 Season,the peak of the show,and the last to feature John Belushi & Dan Ackroyd.Some classic stuff here.It's dated a wee bit,maybe not quite as funny as it was 30 years ago,but still great stuff...Let's see if they go further and put out season 5...
Showing reviews 1-5 of 22
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