There are two shows that I would DIE to have on DVD.
1) Family Ties by the seasons
2) SNL by the seasons
The second has been ANSWERED! Season one of SNL is coming to DVD this winter!!!
WOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!
I always thought this would be Lorne Michaels retirement fund, but apparantly he's decided to cash in a little early!!!
Nicknamed the "Not Ready for Primetime Players," the original cast of Saturday Night Live ignited a comedy revolution with their mix of irreverent characters and satirical impressions of political figures and pop culture icons.
From the premiere of this groundbreaking sketch comedy show on October 11, 1975, live from historical Studio 8H in New York City's Rockefeller Center, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Chevy Chase, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, and Gilda Radner launched themselves into instant stardom and were often referred to as "The Beatles of Comedy."
Created by Lorne Michaels over three decades ago, few other shows have had the cultural impact and relevance of Saturday Night Live.
Nowhere else can you see the complete first season of SNL, featuring hosts George Carlin, Rob Reiner, Lily Tomlin, Richard Pryor, Elliott Gould, Candace Bergen, or original musical performances by Simon & Garfunkel, ABBA, Patti Smith, Jimmy Cliff, and Carly Simon. And if you're curious as to how the original cast was hired, check out the DVD bonus features that include the screen tests of each performer.
That's right, the thing we thought would never happen is happening; season 1 of Saturday Night Live is coming on December 5. The EIGHT disc set (all single-sided) will sell for $69.98 and includes a 32 page limited edition photo book with rare SNL photos of the cast and Lorne Michaels. The set will feature full frame (1.33:1) video, along with English stereo audio. The set includes 1594 mins of material - over 26 hours!
Obviously the big question on everyone's minds is "What about the musical performances?" and it's something we don't have the answer to right now, but we'll look into it and post anything we can find out.
Update: Universal has released artwork, as well as an ad that will be used to promote the set. The ad says "Every memorable host and musical superstar" on it, then goes on to list "George Carlin, Candice Bergen, Simon & Garfunkle, Carly Simon & more!" So, if the advertisement is to be taken at its word, these are uncut episodes which will include ALL the musical guests. Call us skeptics, but we're still going to contact the studios involved and confirm that there isn't a single musical act that had to be cut from the set.
Updated Update: We've confirmed with Broadway Video that NOTHING has been edited from this set. Not one single musical performance of skit!
