Dennis Perkins
45 Years Ago: Steve Martin’s ‘King Tut’ Becomes a Surprise Hit
It was a beaming, lightly satirical, but mostly silly put-on of a novelty song.
45 Years Ago: The Blues Brothers Make Their ‘SNL’ Debut
Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi fashioned characters two years earlier, but 1978 episode featured them in full glory.
40 Years Ago: ‘Special Bulletin’ Causes ‘War of the Worlds’ Panic
Cold War TV movie from 1983 was work of fiction but try telling freaked-out viewers that.
40 Years Ago: Buckwheat Is Shot, and ‘Saturday Night Live’ Is There
Eddie Murphy helped kill off one of the show's most popular characters in March 1983.
45 Years Ago: John Belushi Dances on His ‘SNL’ Castmates’ Graves
in "Don't Look Back in Anger," star reflects on all his departed co-workers.
45 Years Ago: O.J. Simpson Hosts ‘Saturday Night Live’
Football great's sports career was winding down as movie and TV options piled up in 1978.
30 Years Ago: Dana Carvey Leaves ‘SNL’ as a Royal Tampon
"George Bush had run its course, 'Wayne’s World,' Church Lady had all been done — basically I thought I’d done as much as I could do."
45 Years Ago: The Nerds Make Suitably Graceless ‘SNL’ Debut
Bill Murray and Gilda Radner starred as two of the show's earliest recurring characters.
45 Years Ago: Giant Lobsters Destroy ‘Saturday Night Live’
One of the weirdest and most format-breaking sketches in show's history was based on a real event.
45 Years Ago: A Chicago Diner Inspires Popular ‘SNL’ Sketch
"Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger … "