Saturday Night Live: The Complete Third Season

Saturday Night Live hit a new stride in season three—after recovering from the departure of the show's first breakout star, Chevy Chase—as replacement Bill Murray finally came into his own. Compiling all 20 episodes from the 1977-78 third season, this seven-disc boxed set is prime SNL. Dan Aykroyd impressed as President Jimmy Carter, while also adding a few new phrases ("Now is the foxes!") to America's lexicon as one-half of the wild-and-crazy Festrunk Brothers with Steve Martin. John Belushi extended his image as a brash and bullying reprobate, starring in the great "Little Chocolate Donuts" cereal sketch and showing up on Weekend Update as an apoplectic commentator terrorizing Jane Curtin. Curtin, meanwhile, made Update her own (with Aykroyd), while Garrett Morris remained an ace supporting player. Laraine Newman continued her role as a chameleon-like wild card, capable of anything, and the luminous Gilda Radner balanced the show's constant irony with pure mirth. Season highlights include the "Anyone Can Host" contest that resulted in 80-year-old non-celebrity Miskel Spillman hosting the Christmas show (aided by Buck Henry). Chase returned in February to host a show that is now legendary for a backstage bust-up between Chase and Murray (one can see how flustered Chase looks in his monologue). Andy Kaufman did one of his best guest spots, while the Coneheads (Aykroyd, Curtin, Newman) competed on Family Feud, and Al Franken and Tom Davis appeared in a few sketches of their own, including one in which Franken attacked his own parents. Steve Martin not only hosted three times, but also introduced his novelty song "King Tut." The slate of musical guests was good but not great, although Elvis Costello's infamous appearance, in which he abruptly switched from performing "Less Than Zero" to "Radio, Radio" is a classic of suspenseful, live television, where anything can happen. DVD extras include a “Things We Did Last Summer” featurette and a wardrobe test with Belushi and musical director Howard Shore. Highly recommended. (T. Keogh)