Candice Bergen/Esther Phillips (8 Nov. 1975)

The host for the episode is Candice Bergen, and the musical guest is Esther Phillips. The skits for this episode are as follows: President Ford gives an accident-laden introduction to the ... See full summary »

Directors:

Dave Wilson, Albert Brooks

Writers:

Herbert Sargent, Chevy Chase,

Stars:

Candice Bergen, Little Esther Phillips, Frank Oz

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Candice Bergen	...	Herself - Host / Catherine Deneuve
Little Esther Phillips	...	Herself - Musical Guest (as Esther Phillips)
Frank Oz	...	The Mighty Favog (voice) (as Jim Henson's Muppets)
Jerry Nelson	...	Scred (voice) (as Jim Henson's Muppets)
Fran Brill	...	Vazh (voice) (as Jim Henson's Muppets)
Alice Tweedy	...	Queen Peuta (voice) (as Jim Henson's Muppets)
Richard Hunt	...	Glib (voice) (as Jim Henson's Muppets)
Jim Henson	...	King Ploobis (voice) (as Jim Henson's Muppets)
Andy Kaufman	...	Foreign Man
Dan Aykroyd	...	Husband / Bookkeeper / Sheriff Brady / Dennis X
John Belushi	...	Bee / Matt Hooper / King / Anthony Q
Chevy Chase	...	Weekend Update Anchor / Gerald Ford / Land Shark
Jane Curtin	...	Land Shark Victim / Herself
Garrett Morris	...	Jehovah's Witness / Himself
Laraine Newman	...	Wife / Land Shark Victim / Teller

Storyline

The host for the episode is Candice Bergen, and the musical guest is Esther Phillips. The skits for this episode are as follows: President Ford gives an accident-laden introduction to the show. Candice Bergen is interrupted during her monologue by one of the Bees. A commercial informs viewers of the opportunities for wealth by becoming an ambassador. A man demanding to see his CIA file is faced with a seemingly insurmountable pile of disarray. A special on intelligent animals profiles the dangerous land shark. A gay man has fond memories of dressing in his mother's clothes. Catherine Deneuve endorses Chanel perfume. Andy Kaufman's foreign man character attempts to entertain the audience, but bombs terribly. Albert Brooks presents previews of new shows for the coming TV season, including an over-dramatic medical series, a show about a frustrated man living with two women, and a Vietnam vet who becomes a veterinarian. A strange man makes a crank call to an airline and begins talking ...

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Plot Keywords:

reference to william shakespeare | reference to shakespeare's hamlet

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Genres:

Comedy | Music

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 November 1975 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Studio 8H, NBC Studios - 30 Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

NBC Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

An engineer at NBC owned-and-operated WNBC-TV thought the "Ambassador Training Institute" commercial parody was a real ad, and turned to a local commercial. This prompted Lorne Michaels to resign as producer, only to return the next Tuesday.

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Connections

Edited into Saturday Night Live: 15th Anniversary (1989)

User Reviews

Kaufman, Brooks & Bergen

The clumsy folded chair kicking opener aside, this episode's recurring show bits hit the spot effectively. The 'Bee's' were relegated to just John Belushi invading the host's monologue and the film by Albert Brooks was great, but the best performance of the night belonged to Andy Kaufman...again. Kaufman's "little foreign guy" character (which would be used to tremendous effect later on the television show Taxi) stole the spotlight away from a real solid performance from host Candice Bergen.

Most of the sketches on the show never really hit hard. Only the Jaws spoof of the New York City land-shark carried any weight whatsoever. However, what this episode did feature was a tremendously infectious vibe, mainly due to Bergen's acceptance to give herself entirely over to the cast, in putting trust into them to make her look good and to help bring out her comic sensibilities. Bergen and Radner talking about female insecurities may have been born out of filling time for the show, but the improvised chat session came off as a breath of fresh air and it certainly aided to the great vibe of the show.

The cast coming on stage at the end of the show was the start of a tradition that has lasted decades, though not every host has been showered with roses as Bergen was.