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Early 'Saturday Night Live' Trivia Quiz

This quiz is about the early years of 'Saturday Night Live.' Enjoy!

A multiple-choice quiz by ltc717. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
ltc717

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
67,594

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
15

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
9 / 15

Plays
4490

Awards
Top 10% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 8 (11/15), Guest 72 (6/15), Guest 104 (13/15).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 15

1. On what date did 'Saturday Night Live' first air? Hint

October 18, 1975

September 27, 1975

October 11, 1975

October 4, 1975

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Question 2 of 15

2. Who hosted the first show of 'Saturday Night Live'? Hint

Paul Simon

George Carlin

Buck Henry

Elliot Gould

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Question 3 of 15

3. Jim Henson's Muppets appeared on the first episode of 'Saturday Night Live.'

True

False

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Question 4 of 15

4. Who was the first female host of the show? Hint

Lily Tomlin

Raquel Welch

Jill Clayburgh

Candice Bergen

NEXT>

Question 5 of 15

5. Who was the first host of the 'Weekend Update' segment of the show? Hint

Jane Curtin

Chevy Chase

Dan Aykroyd

Bill Murray

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Question 6 of 15

6. Dan Aykroyd played the promoter of a product called the 'Super Bass-O-Matic '76.' What was this product? Hint

A device to attach to a boat to catch fish

A taxidermy machine that would preserve, stuff, and mount fish

A chopper that would slice fish into ready-made fish sticks

A blender that would puree whole fish into a drink

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Question 7 of 15

7. What sketch was the first recurring one of the show? Hint

The Bees

The Coneheads

The Samurai

Mr. Bill

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Question 8 of 15

8. Which of the following actors was not one of the original 'Not Ready for Prime Time Players' (i.e., who was not in the original cast of 'SNL')? Hint

Chevy Chase

Laraine Newman

Jane Curtin

Bill Murray

NEXT>

Question 9 of 15

9. 'Saturday Night Live' once held a contest called 'Anyone Can Host' and actually let the winner host the show?

True

False

NEXT>

Question 10 of 15

10. The 'Two Wild and Crazy Guys' played by Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin were also known by what name? Hint

The Big Dorks

The Yortuk Brothers

The Festrunk Brothers

The Foxy Boys

11. Lorne Michaels appeared on the April 24, 1976 show to make an appeal to the Beatles. He showed a certified NBC check made out to them for $3,000 and offered them this money to reunite and play three songs on the show. A month later, on the May 22, 1976 show, Lorne appeared again to increase the offer. How much was the check in the second offer? Hint

$6000

$3500

$3200

$4000

NEXT>

Question 12 of 15

12. Who played the Nerds -- Todd DiLaMuca and Lisa Loopner? Hint

Bill Murray and Gilda Radner

Dan Aykroyd and Gilda Radner

Bill Murray and Jane Curtin

Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin

NEXT>

Question 13 of 15

13. Sometimes the host of the show is also the musical guest, who was the first host to also perform as one of the musical guests in the same show? Hint

Lily Tomlin

Paul Simon

Kris Kristofferson

Desi Arnaz

NEXT>

Question 14 of 15

14. One of Gilda Radner's many memorable characters was Emily Litella, who would appear on 'Weekend Update' to give editorial commentary about some issue or situation that disturbed her. Every time she would have to be corrected because she had misunderstood something about the situation. What was her trademark response upon finding out she was wrong? Hint

'Silly me. I was wrong.'

'Oh. That's Different. Never mind'

'Are you sure?'

'Oh. I'm so embarrassed.'

NEXT>

Question 15 of 15

15. Has 'Saturday Night Live' ever aired without a host?

Yes

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Most Recent Scores

Dec 20 2024 : Guest 8: 11/15
Dec 17 2024 : Guest 72: 6/15
Dec 17 2024 : Guest 104: 13/15
Dec 14 2024 : Guest 70: 11/15
Dec 12 2024 : Guest 107: 13/15
Dec 09 2024 : Guest 64: 10/15
Dec 06 2024 : Guest 73: 8/15
Dec 04 2024 : Guest 50: 4/15
Dec 03 2024 : Guest 73: 11/15

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. On what date did 'Saturday Night Live' first air?

Answer: October 11, 1975

The first show featured a film by Albert Brooks and had two musical guests, Janis Ian and Billy Preston.

2. Who hosted the first show of 'Saturday Night Live'?

Answer: George Carlin

Apparently, one of the network's biggest concerns going into the first show was what George Carlin was going to wear. Carlin wanted to wear jeans and a t-shirt, and the network wanted him to wear a suit because it was concerned about the show being 'perceived as too radical.' The compromise was that Carlin wore a suit with a t-shirt.

3. Jim Henson's Muppets appeared on the first episode of 'Saturday Night Live.'

Answer: True

The Muppets appeared on 13 episodes of 'Saturday Night Live' from October 11, 1975 to May 8, 1976.

4. Who was the first female host of the show?

Answer: Candice Bergen

The four choices were the first four women to host the show, but Candice was the first one of them to host. She first hosted on November 8, 1975, the fifth show. She hosted again four shows later on December 20, 1975. Lily Tomlin was the second female host on November 22, 1975.

5. Who was the first host of the 'Weekend Update' segment of the show?

Answer: Chevy Chase

Chase used to close his 'Weekend Update' segments with the phrase 'Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.' This phrase was revived by the 'Weekend Update' team of Tina Fey and Jimmy Fallon.

6. Dan Aykroyd played the promoter of a product called the 'Super Bass-O-Matic '76.' What was this product?

Answer: A blender that would puree whole fish into a drink

Commercial parodies have been a long-standing element of the show -- according to Lorne Michaels they showed 'five or six in the first show.' In this one we learn that 'Super Bass-O-Matic '76 is the tool that lets you use the whole bass, with no fish waste and without scaling, cutting, or gutting.' Aykroyd puts a fish through the blender and the next scene shows Laraine Newman drinking a glass of a nasty-looking orange liquid, proclaiming 'Wow, that's terrific bass.' Eeeewwww!

7. What sketch was the first recurring one of the show?

Answer: The Bees

The Bees appeared in the first show and appeared eight times in the first ten episodes and nineteen times overall. The first Bee sketch -- 'Bee Hospital' -- didn't go over very well. In fact, one of the notes Lorne Michaels got from the network after the first show was 'Don't do the Bees again.' So, of course, the Bees were back in the next show.

The first Samurai sketch aired on December 13, 1975. The first showing of 'The Mr. Bill Show' was on February 28, 1976. The Coneheads first appeared on January 15, 1977.

8. Which of the following actors was not one of the original 'Not Ready for Prime Time Players' (i.e., who was not in the original cast of 'SNL')?

Answer: Bill Murray

Murray didn't join the cast until the 1977-1978 season.

9. 'Saturday Night Live' once held a contest called 'Anyone Can Host' and actually let the winner host the show?

Answer: True

The winner of the contest was an 80-year-old woman named Miskel Spillman. She hosted the show on December 17, 1977.

10. The 'Two Wild and Crazy Guys' played by Dan Aykroyd and Steve Martin were also known by what name?

Answer: The Festrunk Brothers

The Festrunk Brothers -- Georg (Aykroyd) and Yortuk (Martin) -- wore tight plaid pants, hideous polyester shirts, and thought they were very cool and sexy. According to them, 'there is no other pair of Czechoslovakian brothers who cruise and swing so successfully in tight slacks.'

11. Lorne Michaels appeared on the April 24, 1976 show to make an appeal to the Beatles. He showed a certified NBC check made out to them for {$3,000} and offered them this money to reunite and play three songs on the show. A month later, on the May 22, 1976 show, Lorne appeared again to increase the offer. How much was the check in the second offer?

Answer: $3200

In the first offer, Lorne stated, 'Like I said, this is made out to the Beatles -- you divide it up any way you want. If you want to give Ringo less, it's up to you. I'd rather not get involved.' When making the second offer, Lorne told them, 'Off the record, this increase comes to an extra fifty dollars for each of you. That's if you split it equally -- I'm still not sure what your situation with Ringo is.' Poor Ringo.

12. Who played the Nerds -- Todd DiLaMuca and Lisa Loopner?

Answer: Bill Murray and Gilda Radner

Jane Curtin played Lisa's mother. Todd, also known as 'Pizza Face,' often gave Lisa noogies and teased her mercilessly.

13. Sometimes the host of the show is also the musical guest, who was the first host to also perform as one of the musical guests in the same show?

Answer: Paul Simon

All of these performers both hosted and performed as a musical guest on the same show in the first season of 'Saturday Night Live,' but Paul Simon was the first one to do this. It was the second show, which aired on October 18, 1975. He hosted the show and performed three songs solo ('Marie,' 'My Little Town,' and 'American Tune'), two with Art Garfunkel ('The Boxer' and 'Scarborough Fair'), and one with Phoebe Snow and the Jesse Dixon Singers ('Gone at Last').

Other musical performances on that show were Randy Newman ('Sail Away') and Phoebe Snow ('No Regrets').

There used to be a lot more music performed on the show than there is today.

Answer: 'Oh. That's Different. Never mind'

Here's an example one of Emily's issues: 'What's all this fuss I hear about pouring money into canker research? How much can you learn about a tiny sore inside your face! Why waste your money, America? Cankers can be beaten. Don't eat grapefruit. And if you do have cankers, don't fiddle with them. Keep your fingers out of your mouth!'

15. Has 'Saturday Night Live' ever aired without a host?

Answer: Yes

There has been no host a handful of times. The first was on February 20, 1977.

Source: Author ltc717

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor ladymacb29 before going online.
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