The October 3, 1981 seventh season premiere of Saturday Night Live began with an NBC promo showing a tattered peacock in front of a big N as the chorus sing, "Our Age is Showing" with those words printed on screen. Then new announcer Mel Brandt says for the first time, "And now from New York, the most dangerous city in America, It's Saturday Night Live!" as the opening montage becomes a black-and-white film of various night images throughout the city. As montage ends, Brandt says, "And now live from New York, here is the cast of Saturday Night Live" with entire cast assembling on stage. We then go to first sketch, The Little Richard Simmons Show with Eddie Murphy playing the exercise guru Richard Simmons as Little Richard and singing his own version of "Good Golly, Miss Molly". Next, The Clams, a movie trailer parody of The Birds as supposedly directed by Brian DePalma down to the split screen De Palma often used! This was followed by a sketch of nuns at a beach with Robin Duke and newcomer Mary Gross. After that, A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney with Joe Piscopo as the commentator who mainly talks about shoes but goes off on tangents like, "Did you ever notice there were few Nazis named Steve" or "If you did something illegal, would you talk to Mike Wallace? I wouldn't." Then comes Pros and Cons about poetry in a federal prison that features the first appearance of Eddie Murphy's Tyrone Green. "C-I-L-L my landlord" Rod Stewart performs his first two songs, "Dance with Me" and "Hot Legs", the latter with surprise guest Tina Turner. On the newly named SNL Newsbreak after the word "break" breaks and falls on Brian Doyle-Murray, Brian mentions the nomination of C. Everett Coop for Sergeon General, a pro-life advocate who considers himself in office since he believes "my term begins at nomination, not confirmation". He also mentions The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder losing some affiliates and that many late-night audiences are minorities so we see Joe Piscopo hilariously doing Snyder with mustache in Spanish! Co-anchor Mary Gross introduces Raheem Abdul Mohommed, Murphy's movie critic character who bemoans the lack of blacks in movies, then names the blaxploitation films and actors he loves. By the time he names Issac Hayes in Truck Turner, Eddie breaks up before mentioning two current (at the time) ones with blacks, Stir Crazy and Penitentary saying, "Anytime you see some (N-word) hanging around, there's always some bars over them!" This was followed by The Khadaffi Look, a parody commercial of Jordace Jeans. Then comes a two-part sketch with Robin Duke and Tim Kazurinsky as a one-night-stand couple with Duke finding out by phone her uncle died. Kazurinsky wants to help but Duke tricks him out of apartment in part 1. In part 2, Kazurinsky somehow found way to funeral so Duke tries to break it up right there! Christine Ebersole makes first appearance in character as Duke's mother here. Michael Davis, in first of recurring guest stints, juggles a knife, an axe, and a cleaver! We then see Andy Warhol on tape trying to tell a joke. Then Yoko Ono on film with footage of her and John Lennon together (including one now eerie scene of them on a boat with a background of the World Trade Center) and the aftermath with silent vigil at Central Park as Ono sings of not needing sadness anymore and reciting a poem dedicated to her late husband. Rod Stewart ends the show with "Young Turks". After the disastrous season from producer Jean Doumanian, Dick Ebersol, with help from Bob Tischler and returning writer Michael O'Donohue, put this season premiere back on track and gave hope for the brilliance of the first five years to return. Most of the great material came from Murphy, though Piscopo also had some gems of his own to come and they both were a fine team throughout their run. Of the others Duke, Gross, and Kazurinsky made the most impressions. Previous announcer Don Pardo was fired because O'Donohue didn't like him, but would return next season after O'Donohue was long gone. And here's one for the record books: When Stewart returned for the May 13, 1995 broadcast hosted by David Ducovny, he became the first musical guest to appear in both a season premiere and a season finale. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were the second although it was the other way around for them: Season finale with Steve Martin-May 20, 1989 (The day Gilda Radner died), season premiere with Tom Hanks-September 28, 1996. For SNL enthusiasts, I highly recommend you seek this one out!
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