COVER STORY / TELEVISION : The Motion Picture Legacy of ‘SNL’

Once Chevy Chase broke ranks with “Saturday Night Live’s” “Not Ready for Prime Time Players” and began making movies, the show’s stars--and often the “SNL” sensibility--infused Hollywood comedies from the late ‘70s to today. Here’s a look at the movies made by the original cast members and the years they were on the show--plus the films of early replacement Bill Murra y.

* Chevy Chase (1975-76)--Chase was the first “Not Ready for Prime Time Player” to leave “SNL” and head for Hollywood. He scored a big hit starring opposite Goldie Hawn in his first post-”SNL” film, 1978’s “Foul Play,” and found box-office success as the bumbling patriarch Clark Griswold in the “National Lampoon Vacation” comedy series and as investigative reporter I.M. Fletcher in two “Fletch” films. Chase also has had his share of clunkers over the past 14 years, including “Modern Problems,” “Under the Rainbow” and “Oh, Heavenly Dog!,” in which he played a murdered private detective who returns to Earth as Benji the pooch.

“Tunnelvision” (1976); “Foul Play” (1978); “Caddyshack” (1980); “Seems Like Old Times” (1980); “Oh, Heavenly Dog!” (1980); “Modern Problems” (1981); “Under the Rainbow” (1981); “Deal of the Century” (1983); “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983); “Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird” (1985); “Fletch” (1985); “National Lampoon’s European Vacation” (1985); “Spies Like Us” (1985); “Three Amigos!” (1986); “Funny Farm” (1988, also producer); “Caddyshack II” (1988); “The Couch Trip” (1988); “Fletch Lives” (1989); “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” (1989);”Nothing but Trouble” (1991); “L.A. Story” (1991); “Memoirs of an Invisible Man” (1992).

* Dan Aykroyd (1975-79)--Aykroyd has been working in movies nonstop since he left “SNL” in 1979. Several movies, including “Trading Places” and the two “Ghostbusters” comedies, were huge hits, but “My Stepmother Is an Alien,” “The Great Outdoors” and “Nothing but Trouble,” which he also wrote and directed, were critical and commercial flops. He shed his comedic personae and received a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for 1989’s “Driving Miss Daisy,” in which he played Daisy’s ambitious son.

“Love at First Sight” (1977); “1941” (1979); “The Blues Brothers” (1980); “Neighbors” (1981); “It Came From Hollywood” (1982); “Trading Places” (1983); “Twilight Zone--The Movie” (1983); “Doctor Detroit” (1983); “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” (1984); “Ghostbusters” (1984, also screenplay); “Nothing Lasts Forever” (1984); “Into the Night” (1985); “Spies Like Us” (1985, also screenplay); “One More Saturday Night” (1986, executive producer only); “Dragnet” (1987, also screenplay); “The Great Outdoors” (1988); “The Couch Trip” (1988); “My Stepmother Is an Alien” (1988); “Ghostbusters II” (1989, also screenplay); “Driving Miss Daisy”(1989); “Loose Cannons” (1990); “Nothing but Trouble” (1991, also wrote screenplay and directed);”Masters of Menace” (1991); “My Girl” (1991); “This Is My Life” (1992); “Charlie” (1992).

* John Belushi (1975-79)--Belushi was still on “SNL” when he starred as the ultimate slob Bluto in 1978’s blockbuster comedy “National Lampoon’s Animal House.” And as “The Blues Brothers,” Belushi and Aykroyd recorded two best-selling albums and starred in the 1980 film “The Blues Brothers.” Belushi did try his hand at a character role (“Neighbors”) and a romantic comedy (“Continental Divide”) before his death in 1982.

“National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978); “Goin’ South” (1978); “Old Boyfriends” (1979); “1941” (1979); “The Blues Brothers” (1980); “Continental Divide” (1981); “Neighbors” (1981).

* Jane Curtin (1975-80)--Though Curtin has only made two feature films since her days on “SNL,” she has become one of TV’s top comedic actresses thanks to her Emmy Award-winning performance as divorced mom Allie Lowell on the long-running CBS sitcom “Kate & Allie.” Curtin did diverge from her comedic image in two television films. She received excellent reviews starring opposite Tom Selleck in the 1982 drama “Divorce Wars: A Love Story,” but fared less successfully in “American Playhouse’s” 1988 remake of the Alfred Hitchcock thriller “Suspicion.”

“How to Beat the High Cost of Living” (1980); “O.C. and Stiggs” (1987).

* Garrett Morris (1975-80)--Morris has had a sporadic film career, but frequently appears in TV movies and series and is currently a regular on Fox’s comedy series, “Roc.”

“Car Wash” (1976); “How to Beat the High Cost of Living” (1980); “The Census Taker” (1984); “The Stuff” (1985); “Critical Condition” (1987); “The Underachievers” (1987); “Dance to Win” (1989); “Husbands, Wives, Money and Murder” (1989); “Blackbird Fly” (1990).

* Laraine Newman (1975-80)--Newman’s appeared in supporting roles in a few films and has guest-starred on TV specials and movies.

“Tunnelvision” (1976); “American Hot Wax” (1978); “Wholly Moses” (1980); “Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird” (1985, the voice of Mommy Dodo); “Perfect” (1985); “Invaders From Mars” (1986); “Problem Child 2” (1991).

* Gilda Radner (1975-80)--Radner just made a handful of films before her untimely death in 1989. She found success on Broadway in “Gilda Radner--Live from New York” and opposite Sam Waterston in the romantic comedy “Lunch Hour.”

“First Love” (1977, as herself); “Gilda Live” (1980, also wrote screenplay, film version of her Broadway play); “First Family” (1980); “It Came From Hollywood” (1982); “Hanky Panky” (1982); “The Woman in Red” (1984); “Movers & Shakers” (1985); “Haunted Honeymoon” (1986).

* Bill Murray (1977-80)--Because Murray starred with the original “Prime Time Players” on “SNL,” one forgets he didn’t start on the show until its second season, replacing Chase. Murray was one of the top box-office clowns of the early 1980s. He made a disastrous attempt to change his image in 1984 when he starred as a young man searching for the meaning of life in the remake of the Somerset Maugham classic “The Razor’s Edge.” Murray has made comedies ever since. He co-directed his 1990 comedy, “Quick Change.”

“First Love” (1977, as himself); “Meatballs” (1979); “Where the Buffalo Roam” (1980); “Caddyshack” (1980); “Loose Shoes” (1981); “Stripes” (1981); “Nothing Lasts Forever” (1982); “Tootsie” (1982); “The Razor’s Edge” (1984, also screenplay); “Ghostbusters” (1984); “Little Shop of Horrors” (1986); “Scrooged” (1988); “Ghostbusters II” (1989); “Quick Change” (1990, also co-director, producer); “What About Bob?” (1991).

THE OTHER GRADUATES

Several other veterans of the NBC series have discovered there is life after “SNL.” Never a darling of the critics, Eddie Murphy (1981-84) could do no wrong in the 1980s as far as audiences were concerned. Such hit films as “48 HRS.,” “Trading Places” and the “Beverly Hills Cop” films turned him into a superstar. He’ll be seen later this year in “Boomerang.”

Though Billy Crystal (1984-85) and Martin Short (1984-85) were already established performers, their careers took off after joining “SNL.” Crystal scored enormous successes with his film comedies: 1989’s “When Harry Met Sally . . .” and 1991’s “City Slickers.” He’s making his directorial debut this year with “Mr. Saturday Night.” Short made his debut opposite Chevy Chase and Steve Martin in 1986’s “Three Amigos!” and is currently seen as the wedding coordinator from hell in the hit “Father of the Bride.”

Jim Belushi (1983-85), John’s younger brother, has appeared in a wide range of movies, from Oliver Stone’s gripping “Salvador” to the Arnold Schwarzenegger action flick “Red Heat” to John Hughes’ comedy “Curly Sue.” Bill Murray’s older brother, Brian Doyle-Murray (1981-82), currently in the box-office smash “Wayne’s World,” also plays Jack Ruby in Oliver Stone’s “JFK.” Charles Rocket (1980-81) also took a break from comedy to play the Calvary officer who captured Lt. John Dunbar in 1990’s Oscar-winner “Dances With Wolves.”

Joan Cusack (1985-86) received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination as Melanie Griffith’s best friend in 1988’s “Working Girl.” And Robert Downey Jr. (1985-86) has gone from the “Brat Pack” to landing the role of the legendary Charlie Chaplin in Sir Richard Attenborough’s “Charlie,” due for release later this year.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus (1982-85), who will be seen on the big screen later this year in the Danny DeVito film “Jack the Bear,” plays Jerry Seinfeld’s ex-girlfriend, Elaine, on NBC’s acclaimed comedy series “Seinfeld.” And Damon Wayans (1985-86), starring on Fox’s “In Living Color,” partnered with Bruce Willis for the recent action hit “The Last Boy Scout” and is the star, writer and executive producer of the action-comedy “Mo’ Money,” due for release this summer.