‘Saturday Night Live’ Is 25? Well, Isn’t That Special!

A quarter of a century ago, a young, dimpled man named after a Maryland town did a pratfall across a sound stage, regained his composure and uttered, “Live! From New York! It’s ‘Saturday Night’!” It was 1975, and suddenly it was cool to stay home on a Saturday night.

While some of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players went on to become household names, some died young and others seem to have vanished without a trace. The show itself came to influence the concept of comedy for decades.

As “Saturday Night Live” prepares for the launch of its 25th season on Oct. 2 (with Jerry Seinfeld the first host), NBC.com launches a multimedia retrospective celebrating “SNL’s” silver anniversary. At https://www.nbc.com/snl/, fans can relive a rash of raucous comedy sketches from the show’s past as well as snoop backstage and test their gray matter on trivial tid-bittery.

On television, “Saturday Night Live” will celebrate its big anniversary with a 2 1/2-hour special on Sept. 26 that will feature a host of hysterical memories. In conjunction, fans can vote for their favorite moments online and possibly win a trip to see the show live. Comedy Central will air a “SNL” marathon on Sept. 26, and its Web site, https://www.comedycentral.com, will likewise feature classic clips and a viewer poll.

“Saturday Night Live” has always been one of the best and worst shows on TV. When it was good, it was very, very good, but when it was bad, it was awful. Interact online and, through careful clicking, you can weed out the lousy stuff and concentrate on the gems.

Focus on the early years. Listen to daffy, aurally challenged Emily Littela misconstrue the news. Recall the bizarre mirth of the land shark. Join a prepubescent Jodie Foster to hear Mr. Mike tell a macabre bedtime tale. Catch an unsung sketch in which Ted Baxter (played by Steve Martin) accidentally kills the title character of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” Gilda Radner is perfect as Rhoda.

Winning 14 Emmys, “Saturday Night Live” has graduated a dazzling host of colossal comedians through the years. The show has spawned a slew of spinoff movies, from the overrated “Wayne’s World” to the underrated “It’s Pat.” It has made mega-stars of Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy, Mike Myers and even Adam Sandler. Creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels and “SNL” haven’t been quite so good to its women, though Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Jane Curtain have had fine sitcom careers. (But where in the world is Nora Dunn?) And while noise has been made (especially by “SNL” alum Janeane Garofalo) of the show’s inherent sexism, many have also whispered about the “SNL” Curse, a tendency for cast members to die young (see https://www.g21.net/tab1.html).

One top-notch unofficial site is https://www.saturday-night-live.com/, which hosts an annual guess-the-guest-host game. Predict the season’s 20 guest hosts and you can win an “ ‘SNL’-related prize.” Check out this site’s FAQs (frequently asked questions) for compelling factoids such as: How many times was the word “cheeseburger” spoken in the first Olympia Restaurant sketch? (80) How many complaints did NBC receive after Sinead O’Connor tore up a picture of the pope? (4,484) How many movies have featured characters that originally appeared on “SNL”? (The answer is 14--from 1980’s “Blues Brothers” to 1999’s “Office Space.”)

Once you’ve brushed up on your “SNL” minutiae, head back to NBC.com to encounter a terribly odd, three-dimensional effeminate insect named Probert, the host of the “SNL” trivia probe (https://www.nbc.com/snl/probe/). While the 3-D critter looks like the bugs from “Antz,” he’s actually a superior intergalactic being who, along with his Spanish-robot sidekick, will quiz you on such items as the name of the Coneheads’ home planet. When you’re wrong, el roboto will intone, “How foolish you must be!”

If you’re more interested in the future prospects of “SNL” than its past glories, scootch over to SNL Cast Net at https://eric.simplenet.com/snlcn/. Here you can read about upcoming projects for cast members and alumni. A previously planned “Austin Powers” TV cartoon has been deactivated due to the movie sequel’s success; Myers is now planning still more sequels. He will be moving forward with an “SNL” spinoff movie of “Sprockets,” however. Meanwhile, Bill Murray is slated to play Bosley in the big-screen “Charlie’s Angels.” In other “SNL”-related news, Robert Downey Jr. has gone to jail for three years. (Did you even remember he was a cast member?)

While there are a plethora of Web tributes to Chris Farley (see https://eric.simplenet.com/snlcn/farley.html for links), remembrances of Radner are scarce. Still, you can visit her grave virtually at https://www.findagrave.com/pictures/848.html. This exceedingly strange site features a search engine to look up celebrity grave sites. Radner is buried in Stamford, Conn., and her tombstone (pictured and mapped) simply says “Gilda Radner Wilder. Comedienne. Ballerina.”

John Belushi is buried in River Grove, Ill. Phil Hartman’s remains were cremated and scattered. The virtual grave-keeper has considerately assembled an online afterlife reunion at https://www.findagrave.com/reunions/snl.html.

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Erika Milvy writes about arts and entertainment from her home in San Francisco. She can be reached at erika@well.com.