Classic SNL Review: April 11, 1981: (no host) / Jr. Walker & The All Stars (S06E13)

Classic SNL Review: April 11, 1981: (no host) / Jr. Walker & The All Stars (S06E13)

Sketches include "Storeroom", "Drive For America", "Lite Beer", "I Married A Monkey", "Same", "The Self-Righteous", "Wedding Day", "Famous Broadcaster's School of Cue-Card Reading", "Wild Country Gun Cards" and "Bag Lady". Jr. Walker & The All-Stars perform two medleys: "Roadrunner/Shotgun" and "How Sweet It Is/What Does It Take". Chevy Chase, Al Franken, Mr. Bill, Robin Williams and Christopher Reeve also appear.

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Classic SNL Review: March 7, 1981: Bill Murray / Delbert McClinton (S06E12)

Classic SNL Review: March 7, 1981: Bill Murray / Delbert McClinton (S06E12)

Sketches include: "Dressing Room", "Formula for the Good Life", "The Writer", "Altered Walter", "ChapStick", "Nick Rivers", "Cut Flowers", "No Sex With Mary", "Cat's Name" and "Bubba's Wash, Fayetta's Dry".Delbert McClinton performs "Givin' It Up For Your Love" and "Shotgun Rider" with Bonnie Bramlett.Mark King also appears.

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Classic SNL Review: February 21, 1981: Charlene Tilton / Todd Rundgren, Prince (S06E11)

Classic SNL Review: February 21, 1981: Charlene Tilton / Todd Rundgren, Prince (S06E11)

Sketches include: "Super Fight", "Greatest Records Of All Time", "Mister Robinson's Neighborhood", "Pork Parade", "The Rocket Report- Subway" "A Fiddler Be On The Roof", "Lincoln Bedroom", "Backstage", "The Competition", "Speaking Out", "Women Behind Bars", "SNL Sports", "Submissing Sugar Daddies", "Mary Louise" and "After Midnight".Todd Rundgren performs "Healer" and "Time Heals".Prince performs "Partyup".

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Classic SNL Review: February 14, 1981: Deborah Harry / Funky 4 + 1 (S06E10)

Classic SNL Review: February 14, 1981: Deborah Harry / Funky 4 + 1 (S06E10)

Sketches include "Sinatra Interview", "Don't Look In The Refrigerator", "Livelys II", "Newsbreak I", "Where's Cooter?", "The Rocket Report - Central Park", "Card Store", Big Brother", "Sweet Hearts", "SoHo", "Newsbreak II", "Big Ape" and "Dropout".Deborah Harry performs "Love TKO" and "Come Back Jonee".Funky 4 + 1 perform "That's The Joint".Poland invades Russia.

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Classic SNL Review: February 7, 1981: Sally Kellerman / Jimmy Cliff (S06E09)

Classic SNL Review: February 7, 1981: Sally Kellerman / Jimmy Cliff (S06E09)

Sketches include: Reagan & The Economy, The Rocket Report- Hostages, The Audition, Name That Sin, Eye Ear Nose & Throat, Was I Ever Red, Iranian Joke Book, Parent & Child, A Day In The Life of a Hostage, Lean Acres, Iranian Student Council, New York, Pillow Pets and Televised Trial.Jimmy Cliff performs "I Am The Living" and "Gone Clear". Sally Kellerman performs "Starting Over Again".

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Classic SNL Review: May 15, 1982: Danny DeVito / Sparks (S07E19)

Classic SNL Review: May 15, 1982: Danny DeVito / Sparks (S07E19)

Sketches include "Taxi", "Whiners", "Stress Out", "Old Friends", "Enzo", "Table Talk", and "Looks At Books". Sparks perform "Mickey Mouse" and "I Predict". Andy Kaufman appears with footage of his wrestling match with Jerry Lawler.

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Bill Nye The Science Guy: The Early Years

I brought up the show Almost Live! in an earlier post; that was mainly a way to promote the launch of the fansite, but I'm impressed how solid a show it was, especially considering it was a local production by Seattle's NBC affiliate KING-TV and that so much of the humor was based on the western Washington/Seattle stereotypes.The show was also notable for launching the careers of Joel McHale and Bill Nye; I thought I'd post links to some of Nye's earlier "Science Guy" bits as well as some of his more notable sketch work.Mandatory safety goggles on!

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Classic SNL Review: November 14, 1981: Bernadette Peters / The Go-Gos, Billy Joel (S07E06)

Classic SNL Review: November 14, 1981: Bernadette Peters / The Go-Gos, Billy Joel (S07E06)

Sketches include "Texxon", "Johnny Keep Your Gun Clean", "Escape From Escape From New York", "I Married A Monkey", "A Message From Eddie Murphy", "Hidden Photo", "Bedtime Story", "Man Ray And Mic", "Sketch In The Dark", "42nd Street", "Nick The Knock", and "Rock 'N Roll Heaven, Incorporated". The Go-Gos perform "Our Lips Are Sealed" and "We Got The Beat". Billy Joel performs "Miami 2017" and "She's Got A Way". Bernadette Peters performs "Making Love Alone".

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Classic SNL Review: October 31, 1981: Donald Pleasence / Fear (S07E04)

Classic SNL Review: October 31, 1981: Donald Pleasence / Fear (S07E04)

Sketches include "Eddie's Preparation Techniques", "Profiles In British Courage", "Jogger Motel", "Two Faces of Jerry", "I'm So Miserable", "Pumpkin", "Guardian Angel", "Tales From The Hip", "The Clams", "Intermission", "Sugar Breakfast", "Andy Warhol's TV: Costumes", "Home Movie Critique", "The Vic Salukin Show" and "Prose and Cons". Fear performs "I Don't Care About You", "Beef Balogna", "New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones" and "Let's Have A War". Juggler Michael Davis also appears.

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Classic SNL Review: October 10, 1981: Susan Saint James / The Kinks (S07E02)

Classic SNL Review: October 10, 1981: Susan Saint James / The Kinks (S07E02)

Sketches include "Exxico", "McDonald and Wife", "Buh-Weet Sings", "The Bizarro World", "Blowing Up A Building", "Lifeboat", "She's A Pig", "Let's See What's Bothering Bob", "Single Women", "Honeymoon", "Cheap Laffs" "Andy Warhol's TV", "Alan Alda's Sensitivity Training For Men" and "Assassination Aftermath".  The Kinks perform "Destroyer" and "Art Lover".  

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Classic SNL Review: Oct 3, 1981: (no host) / Rod Stewart (S07E01)

Classic SNL Review: Oct 3, 1981: (no host) / Rod Stewart (S07E01)

Sketches include "NBC", "The Little Richard Simmons Show", "The Clams", "Naughty Nuns on the Beach", "A Few Minutes with Andy Rooney", "Prose and Cons", "Strangers in the Night", "Strangers in the Funeral Parlor", "Andy Warhol's TV", and "Season of Glass".  Rod Stewart performs "She Won't Dance With Me", "Hot Legs" (with Tina Turner), and "Young Turks".  Juggler Michael Davis also appears.

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Almost Live!

Almost Live! was a half-hour sketch comedy show produced by Seattle NBC affiliate KING-TV between 1984 and 1999.The reruns still play in the post-SNL spot on KING. Despite being out of production for over a decade, it still holds a special place in many Seattleites' hearts and remains a link to something that had disappeared as the city changed in recent years.

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