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Last night, NBC paid tribute to George Carlin, who passed away on June 22, by broadcasting the first-ever episode of Saturday Night Live. The comedian hosted the premiere on October 11, 1975 and delivered a memorable monologue to kick the long-running series off properly.
Take a look at excerpts from Carlin’s opening performance below. Instead of doing the right thing and producing a single clip of the entire piece, NBC has chosen to capitalize on the footage by creating shorter sections preceded by advertising. I know many believe fans should just be grateful the network is offering Carlin’s work online. However, I think NBC Universal is disrespectful for trying to make money off of it.
Now that I’m finished griping, on to the three clips…
I wish I could agree or disagree with you, Al, but I forget every single time SNL airs a special, until the next day when it’s too late. Since I missed this one, too, I’ll just have to take your word on it being awful. :-D
The debut of SNL was awful. Painful to watch. Very unpolished. Carlin seemed uncomfortable. We probably liked it way back when because we were drunk and/or stoned when watching it. We played “dead or not dead” all during the show to keep awake. I left the TV on for the credits, and noticed that Carlin, Belushi and Rador are dead and Al Franken is running for US Senate.