Live from New York, it's 1975!
This is good news, and--oddly--something I was just asking a coworker about this past week. Why not release the first season of Saturday Night Live on DVD?
Not that I'd wish for a release of all seasons (that would be hideous) but surely season one is worth owning on the grounds of both culture and entertainment value. I mean, honestly...Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtain, Larraine Newman and Garett Morris. It was such an excellent, groundbreaking show with a top-notch ensemble of players and writers back then, and this is a far more exciting release than any of those "best of" compilations we've been seeing every few months.
The release date is December 5. It'll be an 8 disc set with over 26 hours of material...and absolutely no cuts. It's been confirmed by Broadway Video that not one single song or performance will be missing. And that is excellent news.
Of course, season two would be nice as well, since that's when Bill Murray joined up...and my personal wish would be a full season release from the much later (but just as great) cast of Kevin Nealon, Mike Myers, Jon Lovitz, Phil Hartman, Chris Farley, etc...but I think that'd be unlikely. Either we're going to get every season, or we're only getting the first few.
Regardless, this is great news. Retail is $69.98, which would be more than I've ever paid for a DVD before, but for 26 hours of material that's not bad at all. Besides, those Sopranos releases sell for around $120 and they get away with it just fine.
I like it when Chevy Chase falls over things and bruises his testicles. (True story.)
About this entry
- By Phil Reed
- Posted on Saturday, October 14 2006 @ 6:30 pm
- Categorised in TV
- Tagged with dvd, saturday night live
- 8 comments
I gather SNL is crap these days, is that true? Never seen an episode, only a few skits. Wanna know why? because I don't live in America, that's why. I don't use words like 'co-worker' or 'janitor' or 'sophomore', except just now when I'm using them to get across the point that I don't use them. I don't think there's a word that's so American as 'sophomore'. Maybe 'freshman', 'frat boy' or 'jock'. No wait, the ultimate is 'swap meet' which is basically a car-boot sale I think (I know what you're thinking, and 'car-boot sale' doesn't sound stupid at all...)
By performingmonkey
October 15, 2006 @ 12:07 am
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>I gather SNL is crap these days, is that true?
Absolutely. It's my personal opinion that Will Ferrell was the last truly funny man on the team, and once he left...well...they never did replace him, did they? It's almost now like they're just keeping the show hanging around in case they do happen to stumble over another excellent cast sometime in the future. (New writers would help, too.)
>Wanna know why? because I don't live in America
Do they not show SNL in the UK? That's surprising to me, if only because I know for a fact that we've been shipping off shows that are far less impressive, far less funny, and far less important culturally. I'm genuinely shocked.
Well, if they don't show SNL there I'd doubt you'll be getting a region two release of the box...but I can say that the first few seasons (and some of the later seasons, such as the Nealon/Lovitz/Hartman ones I mentioned above) were truly inspired.
By Philip J Reed, VSc
October 15, 2006 @ 12:20 am
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Starts next month on ITV4, on a few weeks delay from the US. It'd be nice if they showed some classic episodes though, some of the best of DVD's are great, particulary the Ferrell one.
By Adn
October 15, 2006 @ 4:20 pm
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That is the most gorgeous packaging for a DVD set I have ever seen in my life.
And no music cuts is fucking *amazing*.
Consider it on my 'bought' list.
By John Hoare
October 15, 2006 @ 10:58 pm
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I practically came when John showed me the release. It's beautiful...
By Tanya Jones
October 15, 2006 @ 11:43 pm
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So much innuendo, so few words.
By Jeffrey Lee
October 15, 2006 @ 11:53 pm
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It IS a really nice looking box. And the more I think about it, $70 for 26 hours of uncut episodes is actually a bargain. (And I honestly cannot say how excited I am that ALL of the music will be here. I mean...that really seals the deal for me.)
By Philip J Reed, VSc
October 16, 2006 @ 2:44 am
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It IS some kind of modern miracle that there are zero cuts made to the set. Why couldn't that happen with the Muppets season 1?
By performingmonkey
October 16, 2006 @ 3:16 am
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