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SNL 50 Anniversary Rewind: A Look Back at October 11, 1975 (VIDEO)

With NBC's Saturday Night Live debuting on this date back in 1975, here's a look back at the George Carlin-hosted first episode of SNL.

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NBC's Saturday Night Live is enjoying the spotlight – and rightfully so. SNL just kicked off its milestone 50th season – let that sink in as you remember all of the "Saturday Night Dead" headlines predicting the show's demise that went nowhere over the past half-century. We've got Jason Reitman's Saturday Night, looking back on the final moments before SNL went live on October 11, 1975 – a film that's been building great reviews and a strong box office since it hit the film festival circuit. In the present, the current SNL team has kicked off the big season with two strong shows in a row – with host Ariana Grande and musical guest Stevie Nicks set for this weekend. All of this is leading to February 2025, when NBC has a big weekend celebration planned, culminating in a live prime-time celebration. In the midst of all of that – what's today's date again? Yup…

SNL
Image: SNL/NBCUniversal Screencaps

The SNL opener featured host George Carlin and musical guests Billy Preston & Janis Ian, and would be the first time that we would get to see Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O'Donoghue, Gilda Radner, and George Coe in action together on our screens (though it would be Coe's only appearance as a cast member). SNL's "Not Ready for Primetime Players" (or the "Not for Ready Primetime Players," as they were first introduced when Don Pardo misspoke) would be joined by Andy Kaufman (who made sure we could never think of the "Mighty Mouse" theme the same way ever again), comedian Valri Bromfield, Jim Henson's early Muppets magic, and much more. With that in mind, the long-running late-night sketch comedy and music series' social media accounts offered a rundown of what went down… live from New York… on October 11, 1975 – beginning with the first opening credits:

Here's a look back at the sketch that started it all – "The Wolverines." What begins with a man (Belushi) being taught English by an instructor (O'Donoghue) ends up taking a twist – with Chase appearing on the stage wearing a headset to utter the very first "Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!"

When he wasn't introducing musical guests Preston & Ian and serving as ringmaster for the final goodbyes, Carlin was being exactly what you would expect Carlin to be – introspective, insightful, and funny as f**k. Here's a look at his stand-up/monologue from the SNL opener:

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Ray FlookAbout Ray Flook

Serving as Television Editor since 2018, Ray began five years earlier as a contributing writer/photographer before being brought onto the core BC team in 2017.
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