Saturday Night Live - The Complete Second Season

I guess it might have been funny then, but now it's lame so its not the product, but the reviewer I guess. I dont know what it is, but the SNL cast on it are obviously nervous, new, and not comfortable. It is very odd to see them this way versus my memory where they were comfortable, add-libbing, and natural.

What can I say? This was my era...I've been a serious fan of the original "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" and in my opinion, their creativity & humor was one of a kind. The first 5 years are the best, by far!

Enjoy........
The song by Joe Cocker and "duet" with John Belushi is worth the price of the entire set, even at $50. The presidential debates between Ford (Chevy Chase) and Carter (Dan Aykroyd) are such a treasure, not to mention such crazy spoofs of Dragnet and Drag Racing with Eric Idle. Great comedy and memories.

Box: O.K, but I would prefer thin polypropylene cases.
Discs: Single sided, excellent!
Extras: The "book" enclosed could be included with the extras on disc to save weight and space. In fact, more pictures of behind the scenes could be included. Even better if they have behind the scenes practice!

What surprises me is how little the other reviewers comment on the picture quality. While one cannot deny that there is some great history-making comedy in here, I believe more cara could have been put into restoring the tapes. Not all are bad but there is a significant amount of color bleeding as well as fuzziness that should have been taken care of, especially at this price. The sound quality is great as are the performances so it is not a massive problem. While it is great tosee the Kinks perform, it is interesting to still note an above-average number of pre-new wave/punk acts on the show that have not allways aged well (e.g. Paul Simon).

And who once said that on SNL, during one of the darker sketches of the show's classic second season? Gilda Radner. That's right. Gilda Radner...

"Saturday Night Live -- The Complete Second Season" continues the experience of "The Complete First Season", which often seemed like not just a sketch comedy show, but the saga of American life in the last quarter of the twentieth century and the personal journeys of its seven cast members. The journeys continue in this DVD boxed set. See Chevy Chase make the mistake that would blight his career by leaving SNL prematurely. Watch John Belushi's comic timing falter for the first time in over thirty episodes as he deals with having been kicked out by the woman he loved since high school -- then cheer as he returns to form, despite a knee injury, after winning her back and marrying her over the holidays. Thrill to the irony of rookie Bill Murray, destined someday to become one of the great legends of American comedy cinema, announcing to viewers that "I don't think I'm making it on the show."

And yet "The Complete Second Season" is also funny. Screamingly funny. And not just due to the classic sketches we've all seen over and over again, but due to many of the forgotten sketches as well. Belushi, Chase and Curtin filmed on location as Amish police officers. (What must that shoot have been like?) Aykroyd robbing a bank, ineffectually disguised with a stocking over his head and two oranges over his eyes. Newman as a bee, sucking pollen from a rose through a straw -- an image simultaneously amusing and poetic.

The music is also fabulous, even when it's bad. (Who exactly thought the McGarrigle Sisters were a viable music act?) An amazing number of musical guests actually perform their most famous songs, rather than insisting on less populist repertoire. George Harrison duets with Paul Simon on "Here Comes the Sun". The Kinks perform "You Really Got Me" and "Lola". And, strangest and most memorable of all, Brian Wilson performs "Good Vibrations" without the Beach Boys, without a theremin, with just himself and a piano.

"SNL -- The Complete Second Season" merits the same high recommendation from me as "The Complete First Season". Live from New York, there were giants in those days. And remember, "Don't shoot -- we're Siamese priests!"