The Early Years of "SNL" Trivia Quiz

Answer: Not for Ladies Only

Radner debuted her Baba Wawa character in a Weekend Update segment during the first season. It proved to be so popular that Baba Wawa "we-appeawed" in 14 other sketches. The first two of these were called "Not for Wadies Only," after the "Not for Women Only" show that Barbara Walters hosted at the time.

There were also several "Baba Wawa at Large" interview sketches. Baba Wawa would have a frustrating time making herself understood, to hilarioius effect. For example, in one interview, "Marwene Dietwich" tells Baba that she does her own "wighting." Baba replies that she didn't "wealize" Marlene "wote," prompting this explanation from Dietwich: "I'm weferring to ewectwic wighting. You see, in pictures, bwight wighting can be vewy unfwattering, particuwawy if it makes my wegs wook white. Baba, am I wong to want to appear wadiant?" Wead that and *twy* to not waff your wump off!

Answer: Gynecologist

Belushi debuted the Samurai character in the episode hosted by Richard Pryor, playing a hotel desk clerk (this was the only time Belushi broke character and spoke English in the Samurai role, saying "I can dig where you're coming from" after Pryor's character violently refused to get a guests bags). Among the more than ten other appearances of the character were "Samurai Big Man on Campus," "Samurai Night Fever" (a spoof of "Saturday Night Fever"), and "Samurai Optometrist" (in which Belushi almost commits hari-kiri when patient Buck Henry refers to him as an "optician").

Answer: The song that Elvis Costello abruptly stopped singing on the show before launching into "Radio Radio"

As the final act before the closing of the December 17, 1977 show, Elvis Costello began singing the song "Less than Zero." After not quite finishing the song's second line, he stopped his band, saying "there's no reason to do this song here." They then launched into an angry and smoking version of "Radio Radio." Costello's weird appearance, the awkwardness of the interruption, even the brief snippet of "Less than Zero" (an alternate version of which had references to the JFK assassination), made for riveting TV.

The move angered producer Lorne Michaels. Costello was changing from a song he'd agreed to play, to one with antimedia lyrics ("the radio is in the hands of such a lot of fools trying to anesthetize that way that you feel") - AND that was longer as well, messing up the timing of the show! After the 1977 appearance, Costello was effectively banned from "SNL," not appearing again until 1989.

Answer: Kill Gary Gilmore

Gary Gilmore, sentenced to death by firing squad for two murders in Utah, had made it his stated wish to be executed, the first death sentence to be carried out in the United States since 1967. As the legal process dragged out, giving Gilmore and his pleas for his own execution even more exposure, the cast sang a song on their 1976 Christmas show, "Let's Kill Gary Gilmore for Christmas." Decked out in winter clothing, standing in front of the tree in Rockefeller Plaza in New York, they sang lyrics like "So let's kill Gary Gilmore for Christmas, Let's hang him from atop the Christmas tree, Let's give to him the only gift that money can't buy, Put poison in his egg nog, let him drink it, watch him die." Gilmore was executed a month after the show was first shown.

When NBC rebroadcast the episode, they edited the song from the telecast.

Answer: Fondue sets

"There are thousands of Namibian housewives who could cheer up an otherwise dull dinner party with one of these sets," Morris advised, urging people to send the fondue pots and forks ("We already have enough of the little sterno cans for underneath the sets").

The least-used of the original cast members, Morris was hilarious when given time on air. He was also a talented classically-trained singer.

Answer: E. Buzz Miller

E. Buzz Miller was the sleazy talk show host portrayed by Dan Aykroyd, who managed to find something to leer at in everything from animal behavior to exercise. The other items are toys manufactured by Mainway Toy Company, an enterprise of Aykroyd's Irwin Mainway character. Mainway's companies developed such memorable children's products as an invisible pedestrian Halloween costume, and an amusement park ride in which children rode in shopping carts down a steep incline into a gravel pit.

Answer: Concert

This was from a 1978 show hosted by Frank Zappa, who arrived at the Conehead residence to take Connie to one of his concerts. Prymaat used those words to explain a concert to Beldar. Zappa was unable to get through the sketch without laughing. Before leaving for the concert with Connie, he gave Beldar and Primaat a "collection of his sound patterns" (a record album), which they promptly enjoyed. "What fine compressed petroleum binding polymers!" exclaimed Beldar as they ate the album.

Answer: Each one was shot (accidentally of course) by Claudine Longet

After singer Claudine Longet "accidentally" shot her lover, skier Spider Sabich, "SNL" ran a sketch about the "Claudine Longet Invitational" tournament. Chevy Chase and Jane Curtain provided commentary as seven skiers failed to make it down the mountain, each one shot accidentally by Claudine Longet.

As Longet had not yet been tried at that point (she was subsequently convicted of negligent homicide and spent just one month in prison), NBC was threatened with legal action for the sketch. They offered an on-air apology in a later episode, the first time they had apologized for something that had happened on the show.

Answer: John Wayne

O'Donoghue brought his sick and dark humor into many sketches, often playing himself. One of his sickest contributions was the "master impressionist" bit. After a gushing introduction by Buck Henry, O'Donoghue would come out and give a smarmy tribute to the person he was about to imitate (Mike Douglas and Tony Orlando in the first season, Elvis Presley in 1979), inviting applause from the audience.

He would then say that he'd "often wondered" what it would be like if his subject had "large steel needles, say 15-18 inches long" plunged into their eyeballs. "I think it might go something like this," he would say, turning his back to get "into character." He would then start screaming and writhing around on the floor. Perhaps his Tony Orlando and Dawn impression was the best one. O'Donoghue and two statuesque "backup singers" managed to uncannily mimic three people suffering the effects of long steel needles plunged into their eyeballs.

Answer: Host of "Bad Theatre"

Played by Dan Aykroyd, Leonard Pinth-Garnell hosted the Bad cultural event sketches (there were nine in Aykroyd's last two seasons on the show, starting with Bad Playhouse in March 1977, followed by "Bad Cinema," "Bad Ballet," "Musical," "Bad One-Man Theater," "Bad Conceptual Art," "Bad Red Chinese Ballet," and "Bad Cabaret For Children"). Each segment featured a pretentious and overreaching plot, eagerly presented by Pinth-Garnell, and ending with him excitedly clapping and offering such commentary as "Dreadful! Simply terrible! Really stunk!" He would then drop the script into a trash can, often after lighting it on fire.

In 2001, Aykroyd guest-hosted the show and reprised his Pinth-Garnell role, hosting "Bad Conceptual Theater."