NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Live from New York! for 鈥淪NL.鈥�
The landmark NBC sketch comedy show 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� premiered Oct. 11, 1975, with drop-dead dark humor and pratfalls, George Carlin as host and not one but two musical guests: Billy Preston and Janis Ian.
On Saturday nights, in those early years, young people gathered around TVs to watch the production that served up counterculture to the mass market via the Not Ready for Prime Time Players.
Sept. 28, when the first episode of 鈥淪NL鈥檚鈥� half-century season is set to air in a lead-up to a three-hour live primetime special Feb. 16 on, gasp, a Sunday. Jean Smart will host to open the season.
Over the decades, some seasons were better than others, with breakout stars like Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Tina Fey, Will Ferrell and more. So what became of the freshman 鈥淪NL鈥� class?
John Belushi
鈥淣ational Lampoon鈥檚 Animal House,鈥� 鈥淐ontinental Divide,鈥� 鈥淣eighbors鈥� and all things The Blues Brothers. to pursue music and film projects.
Following years of drug use, he died March 5, 1982, at 33 after overdosing at the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles. Belushi鈥檚 death stunned friends and fans and symbolized the end of the hard-living 鈥�70s.
Belushi birthed his 鈥淛oliet鈥� Jake Blues, joining fellow 鈥淪NL鈥� cast member Dan Aykroyd as brother Elwood. Their TV debut as the brothers blue came on 鈥淪NL鈥� in 1978.
The sunglass-wearing, dark-suited Blues Brothers took on a fame of their own with the self-titled 1980 movie. After Belushi鈥檚 death, 鈥淏lues Brothers 2000鈥� was released in 1998 in tribute with most of the first film鈥檚 original cast.
Gilda Radner
Nasally Roseanne Roseannadanna. Weird teen Lisa Loopner. Weekend Update鈥檚 鈥渘ever mind鈥� complainer Emily Litella. Radner contributed an endearing sweetness to the inaugural season of 鈥淪NL.鈥� She stayed for five years.
In 1979, the Emmy and Grammy winner took to Broadway to perform a one-woman show, 鈥淕ilda Live.鈥� Included were some of her most beloved 鈥淪NL鈥� characters, including Baba Wawa, a spoof of Barbara Walters. The show was filmed and released as a movie.
Radner died in 1989 at 42 after a long battle with ovarian cancer. was released in 2018.
Chevy Chase
Chase was the first to utter the words: 鈥淟ive from New York, it鈥檚 Saturday night!鈥� The first cast member to leave the show, he has a long list of post-鈥淪NL鈥� credits.
Initially hired as a writer, he was known on 鈥淪NL鈥� for 鈥淲eekend Update,鈥� his bumbling President Gerald Ford and his feuds with cast members. Bill Murray replaced Chase in the middle of season two.
In his post-鈥淪NL鈥� years, there were two 鈥淔letch鈥� movies. There was 鈥淐addyshack,鈥� 鈥淭he Three Amigos!鈥� and five 鈥淰acation鈥� movies, though his appearance in the 2015 one was a cameo.
Now 80, Chase has taken in recent years to hosting screenings with audience Q&As for the enduring "Christmas Vacation.鈥�
Laraine Newman
She left 鈥淪NL鈥� in 1980 after portraying Connie Conehead, Valley Girl stewardess Sherry and ditzy public access TV co-host Christie Christina.
Newman, 72, has spoken openly about her struggles with depression and drug addiction during that time. She got sober in 1987.
Steady film, TV and voice work followed. She was the antagonist in the 1991 comedy 鈥淧roblem Child 2,鈥� appeared in 1993鈥檚 鈥淐oneheads鈥� as Connie鈥檚 Aunt Laarta and performed in episodes of 鈥淔riends鈥� and 鈥�3rd Rock from the Sun.鈥� She lent her voice to several animated hit films, including 鈥淲all-E,鈥� 鈥淯p,鈥� 鈥淭oy Story 3鈥� and 鈥淭angled.鈥�
In 2017, with the rest of 鈥淪NL鈥檚鈥� original cast, she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame.
Dan Aykroyd
When he wasn鈥檛 bleeding out as Julia Child or declaring, 鈥淛ane, you ignorant slut!鈥� on 鈥淲eekend Update,鈥� Aykroyd swagged with Steve Martin as one of two wild and crazy guys, and led the Conehead family as patriarch Beldar.
He before leaving in 1979, including his half of The Blues Brothers and impersonations of talk show host Tom Snyder, Rod Serling and two presidents: Nixon and Carter.
With Belushi, his close friend, and backed by legit players, the bluesy and soulful brothers caught on as a band. They played gigs and released a multimillion-selling album, 鈥淏riefcase Full of Blues.鈥�
His post-鈥淪NL鈥� work took him even higher. Hit after hit followed 鈥淭he Blues Brothers鈥�: 鈥淣eighbors鈥� in 1981, 鈥淭rading Places鈥� in 1983 and 1984's 鈥淕hostbusters.鈥� Aykroyd earned a supporting actor Oscar nomination for 1989鈥檚 鈥淒riving Miss Daisy.鈥�
With Hard Rock Cafe co-founder Isaac Tigrett, Aykroyd co-founded House of Blues, a chain of live music halls and restaurants.
Jane Curtin
Curtin left 鈥淪NL,鈥� in 1980, after five seasons. She was a master of deadpan, often playing the straight woman off such outsized performers as Belushi and Radner. A regular on 鈥淲eekend Update,鈥� she was also known for the Coneheads sketches as matriarch Prymaat and as Enid Loopner with fellow nerds Radner and Murray.
Curtin, 76, has spoken about being bothered by the drug-fueled lifestyles of some of her castmates. She won two Emmys for her 1980s sitcom 鈥淜ate & Allie.鈥� She later starred as Dr. Mary Albright in the hit series 鈥�3rd Rock from the Sun.鈥�
Garrett Morris
Initially hired as a writer, he was the oldest on 鈥淪NL鈥檚鈥� first cast at 37. He came to the show after 17 years as a singer and arranger with Harry Belafonte, as a stage actor, as a playwright and as a civil rights activist who helped desegregate Actor鈥檚 Equity.
He remained on 鈥淪NL鈥� until 1980. He was known for his character Chico Escuela, the Dominican baseball player whose catchphrase, 鈥淏aseball has been berry, berry good to me,鈥� caught on in pop culture. He also performed as the shouting interpreter in the 鈥淣ews for the Hard of Hearing鈥� segments and did impersonations of James Brown, Sammy Davis, Jr., Bob Marley and Muhammad Ali.
In 1994, Morris was shot and seriously wounded in an attempted holdup in Los Angeles.
In the 鈥�80s, Morris appeared in a string of horror films. Later, he was a regular on the series 鈥�2 Broke Girls鈥� and performed on TV comedies 鈥淢artin,鈥� 鈥淭he Jamie Foxx Show鈥� and 鈥淭he Wayans Brothers.鈥�
Leanne Italie, The Associated Press
