Saturday Night Live - The Complete First Season

Directors: Alice Tweedy, John Belushi, Garrett Morris, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman
Actors: Dan Aykroyd, Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Fran Brill, Richard Hunt
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD

List Price: $69.98
Buy New: $31.88
You Save: $38.10 (54%)


New (46) Used (27) Collectible (5) from $25.99

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars 143 reviews
Sales Rank: 2212

Format: Box Set, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 8
Running Time: 1593 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.5 x 1.4

MPN: MCAD61030565D
UPC: 025193056528
EAN: 0025193056528
ASIN: B000JLQPYK

Theatrical Release Date: October 11, 1975
Release Date: December 5, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Factory Sealed. Satisfaction guaranteed. We ship daily.
Saturday Night Live - The Complete First Season

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Customer Reviews

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5 out of 5 stars The Show That Really Was Saturday Night!    November 19, 2008
Lynn Ellingwood (Webster, NY United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I loved watching this show again. Some jokes I remembered verbatim as my friends and I repeated them to each other over and over again (I was in high school). The show was many things - musical, comedy and something other - sketches for contemplation and thought. The cast is perfect - Gilda Radner, John Belushi, Jane Curtain, Garrett Morris, Chevy Chase and Dan Ackroyd. It is impressive that most of the guests felt it was their show also. I found it really meaningful to see this show again and was pleased I received the box set for Christmas. The first 5 years of the show were incredible and not the hit and miss show of later years. Great memories. I also enjoyed watching the Chevy Chase impersonation of Gerald Ford and Dan Ackroyd's Nixon and Jimmy Carter. Watching the election campaign on Saturday Night Live is similar to experiencing it once again in the current election.


5 out of 5 stars A comedy classic comes to DVD    November 14, 2008
Scott N. Burton (Fairfield,CT USA)
"Saturday Night Live" premiered in October 1975,when I was a junior in high school-I immediately succumbed to its cutting edge humor-You had a great cast:Chevy Chase,John Belushi,& Dan Aykroyd among others-The guest hosts from that first season were outstanding,as well-George Carlin,Lily Tomlin,Candice Bergen,Elliott Gould,& Buck Henry,to name just a few-Musical guests include Janis Ian,Paul Simon,& Leon Redbone-This was definitely must see TV before that phrase was coined-Highly recommended for the die hard "SNL" fan.


5 out of 5 stars Milestone Comedy!!!    November 6, 2008
Quinton Ridley (savannah, GA)
Attitude. Youthful energy. In-fighting. Intelligence. Diversity. These are the things that make the early years of SNL legendary. This is a time capsule back to when the show had a punk rock/ underground edge. There are clever references to drugs, sex and politics during a turbulent era in American culture. Alot of the jokes backfire and its apart of the beauty of the show. Its live and all of the blemishes are out in the open. I only wish there was more spontaneity in modern entertainment.

The current incarnation of SNL suffers from predictability and one-dimension of humor. Here we have slapstick, serio-comedy, vaudeville, politcal satire, etc. The hosts actually had an impact on the tone and style of each episode. Richard Pryor, Madeline Kahn and Peter Cook/Dudley Moore are stand-outs. One can't overlook the magic of the "Not Ready for Primetime Players." Gilda and John have a familiar charm that is world famous, but they are my least favorite performers (Emily LaTella and Baba Wawa are one-joke characters would shouldn't have lasted longer than this season. Ugh). But now, as the show has aged, you can admire the subtle talents of people like Laraine Newman, Garrett Morris and Michael O'Donoghue. Each cast member brings a unique energy to the sketch. And I have to defend the star power of Chevy Chase who's Weekend Update and his occasional slapstick genius elevated the show. Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin are the most consistent performers and would remain so for years.

I actually enjoy the "clunker" skits and the "boring" short films. I appreciate the different rhythms in these early episodes. But the Muppets blow. But the No. 1 thing I love about early SNL is the broad, clever concepts behind the sketches. This was before the recurring characters and catchphrases dominated Lorne Michaels' vision. No polish, fearless topics and inspired performances. I just wish it could have lasted longer than a few seasons.


2 out of 5 stars Just not that funny    September 20, 2008
Steven Gallo (New York City)
0 out of 3 found this review helpful

The first season of SNL is definitely a groundbreaker, but the truth is, it's just simply not that funny. Actually, the comedy is pretty much downright horrible; there's barely any real "laugh out loud" moments, just a few chuckles here and there. It really depends on how you want to view this - it's a great look at a young TV comedy cast in 1975 trying hard. Everyone keeps saying how great the first cast is - they're ok, but they do make a lot of mistakes. The highlight is definitely the musical guests and watching the guest hosts be themselves in 1975. So if you are looking at a trip back in time, it's definitely an ok viewing in short doses. But as comedy, it's bad. I also can't figure why the TvBoxset listing says the Louise Lasser episode is one of the show's worst ever - it didn't seem any worse than any of the other shows here! And she looked pretty hot! As did Loraine Newman - she looks downright sexy all over the place. But the show just isn't funny - and definitely not worth a lot of money, even with eight DVDs - I got this on sale here for 31 dollars and that seems about right, only because there are eight DVDs after all. I probably will pick up the other 70's seasons for the "time capsule" aspect when the price gets low enough for me. So again - great time capsule, mostly unfunny show.


4 out of 5 stars The Golden Era of 'Saturday Night Live'!!!    August 31, 2008
Jigsaw (Kentucky)
I bought this 2 years ago, and I'm just now finishing it! These actors are extremely hilarious! Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris are awesome! I think Gilda Radner is so adorable, and very sexy! (It sucks that she's dead!) There are some pretty cool guest stars like Lily Tomlin, Candy Bergen, Desi Arnez, and much more! Chevy Chase is hilarious as always falling down and doing the news. If you love comedy, and these actors, you'll love SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON!!!