Cape Karen
Last night I watched a 'sort-of documentary' about the first 5 years of the ever-popular Saturday Night Live television show. Because the late Howard Cosell used the name "Saturday Night Live" for his sports broadcast show in those days, it was then called, "Live! It's Saturday Night!" Among the discussion about the creation of the show, they also showed some clips from those early years. I wish they had shown more clips and done less talking.
Those were my years! (Just as Elvis and the Beatles came from "my" years.) It was wonderful to revisit those hilarious LSN antics again. It felt good to have something to belly-laugh at, especially during this time and place in our history.
Steve Martin, the late, great Gilda Radner, Jane Curtain, Chevy Chase; Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi: 'The Blues Brothers,' were all featured, as were others whose names I have forgotten. They even showed the skit where Paul Simon sang, "Still Crazy," wearing a huge, ridiculous turkey outfit, and an old Ray Charles clip of him banging on those piano keys and singing, "I Can See Clearly Now." (Just to name a few of the funny, memorable moments!)
O' how I loved those old shows. They have never been able to replicate the craziness, and the "lunatic" street humor of those first few years. Those were truly, fall-down-on-the-floor-laughing and wet-your-pants, shows! Those of us who were experiencing the 60's, as the show aired, really 'got it.'
There were lots of 'live on television' references to pot smoking, drugs and cocaine - and you knew when some of them were stoned! (Sadly, an overdose of drugs was what eventually killed John Belushi.)
Yep! Those were the good old days; of student protests in the streets against the Vietnam War, and the loud cries to impeach Richard Nixon over the Watergate scandal.
Today, we just seem to sit in stunned silence and watch a much more dangerous character on television - you know his name, it rhymes with 'tush.'
Maybe we should organize a new 2005 protest movement and call it:
"Why All the Water? Where was the Gate?"