Saturday Night Live season 9

Season of television series
Saturday Night Live
Season 9
The title card for the ninth season of Saturday Night Live.
No. of episodes19
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseOctober 8, 1983 (1983-10-08) –
May 12, 1984 (1984-05-12)
Season chronology
← Previous
season 8
Next →
season 10
List of episodes

The ninth season of Saturday Night Live, an American sketch comedy series, originally aired in the United States on NBC between October 8, 1983, and May 12, 1984.

Hosts

Future cast member Billy Crystal hosted twice this season: once with musical guest Al Jarreau[1] and again on the season finale with Ed Koch, Edwin Newman, Betty Thomas and former cast member Don Novello, with the Cars as musical guest.[2]

Cast

Jim Belushi was added to the cast, making his debut on the third episode of the season.[3][4]

Midway through the season in February 1984, Eddie Murphy left the show. To keep viewers watching, SNL aired segments Murphy had pre-taped in September of 1983.[5]

Brad Hall, who had been anchoring Weekend Update (then called Saturday Night News) since the previous season, left the position in January of 1984.[6] For the rest of the season and into the next, both cast members and SNL guest-hosts would take turns at the anchor chair. Hall himself left SNL at the end of the season.[6]

Cast roster

Repertory players

bold denotes Weekend Update anchor

Writers

This season's writers were Jim Belushi, Andy Breckman, Robin Duke, Adam Green, Mary Gross, Nate Herman, Tim Kazurinsky, Kevin Kelton, Andy Kurtzman, Michael McCarthy, Eddie Murphy, Pamela Norris, Margaret Oberman, Joe Piscopo, Andrew Smith, Bob Tischler, Eliot Wald and Herb Sargent. The head writers were Bob Tischler and Andrew Smith.

Episodes

No.
overall		No. in
season		Host(s)Musical guest(s)Original air date
1601Brandon Tartikoff[8]John Cougar MellencampOctober 8, 1983 (1983-10-08)

1612Danny DeVito and Rhea PerlmanEddy GrantOctober 15, 1983 (1983-10-15)

  • Eddy Grant performs "I Don't Wanna Dance", "Electric Avenue" and "Living on the Front Line".[7]
  • Dick Cavett made a cameo appearance in the Autograph Hounds sketch.
1623John CandyMen at WorkOctober 22, 1983 (1983-10-22)

1634Betty ThomasStray CatsNovember 5, 1983 (1983-11-05)

  • Stray Cats perform "(She's) Sexy + 17" and "I Won't Stand in Your Way",[7] the latter of which featured a cameo appearance by 14 Karat Soul.
  • Eddie Murphy performs one of SNL's most iconic sketches, "James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party". In a tease before the break, James Brown is seen in the hot tub with Dr. Joyce Brothers.[9]
1645Teri GarrMick Fleetwood's ZooNovember 12, 1983 (1983-11-12)

  • Mick Fleetwood's Zoo performs "Tonight"[7] and "Way Down".
  • Magician and future creator/star of Mystery Science Theater 3000 Joel Hodgson made a guest appearance.
  • Jim Belushi was not present nor credited for this episode due to performing in a play, True West.
1656Jerry LewisLoverboyNovember 19, 1983 (1983-11-19)

1667The Smothers BrothersBig CountryDecember 3, 1983 (1983-12-03)

1678Flip WilsonStevie NicksDecember 10, 1983 (1983-12-10)

1689Father Guido SarducciHuey Lewis and the NewsJanuary 14, 1984 (1984-01-14)

  • Huey Lewis and the News performs "Heart and Soul" and "I Want a New Drug".[7]
  • Guest appearance by stand-up comedian Steven Wright.
  • With Sarducci being portrayed by Don Novello, this episode marks the first time a fictional character ever hosted Saturday Night Live.
16910Michael and Mary PalinThe MotelsJanuary 21, 1984 (1984-01-21)

  • The Motels perform "Suddenly Last Summer" and "Remember the Nights".[7]
  • Though credited as the episode's co-host, Mary Palin (Michael's mother) only appears during the opening monologue.
17011Don RicklesBilly IdolJanuary 28, 1984 (1984-01-28)

  • Billy Idol performs "White Wedding" and "Rebel Yell".[7]
  • Cameo appearances by Brandon Tartikoff and John Madden during the monologue as members of the audience.
  • Dr. Joyce Brothers appears in the "Fascinating People and Their Friends" sketch.
  • Don Rickles repeatedly ad-libs extra lines and gestures throughout his sketches (mostly with Joe Piscopo), causing other cast members to break character, and a few sketches even include improvised face-slapping competitions.[10]
  • An off-screen Dave Wilson talks to Rickles during the monologue.
17112Robin WilliamsAdam AntFebruary 11, 1984 (1984-02-11)

  • Adam Ant performs "Strip" and "Goody Two Shoes".[7]
  • Stand-up comedian Paula Poundstone made a guest appearance.
17213Jamie Lee CurtisThe FixxFebruary 18, 1984 (1984-02-18)

17314Edwin NewmanKool & the GangFebruary 25, 1984 (1984-02-25)

  • Kool & the Gang performs "Joanna" and "Celebration".[7]
  • Magician Harry Anderson made a guest appearance.
  • Eddie Murphy's final live show as a cast member.
17415Billy CrystalAl JarreauMarch 17, 1984 (1984-03-17)

17516Michael DouglasDeniece WilliamsApril 7, 1984 (1984-04-07)

  • Deniece Williams performs "Let's Hear It for the Boy" and "Wrapped Up".[7]
  • Michael Douglas anchors Saturday Night News.

First episode where *Eddie Murphy is not credited as a cast member nor appears.

17617George McGovernMadnessApril 14, 1984 (1984-04-14)

17718Barry BostwickSpinal TapMay 5, 1984 (1984-05-05)

17819Billy Crystal, Ed Koch, Edwin Newman, Father Guido Sarducci, Betty ThomasThe CarsMay 12, 1984 (1984-05-12)

References

  1. ^ "SNL Transcripts: Billy Crystal: 03/17/84". SNL Transcripts. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  2. ^ Douwsma, Bronwyn (August 28, 2016). "Classic SNL Review: May 12, 1984: Billy Crystal, Mayor Ed Koch, Edwin Newman, Father Guido Sarducci (Don Novello) & Betty Thomas / The Cars (S09E19)". Bronwyn Douwsma. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Hill & Weingrad 1986, pp. 461–462.
  4. ^ Hoglund, Andy (July 14, 2021). "Jim Belushi Has Always Been an Outsider". Vulture. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Hill & Weingrad 1986, p. 469.
  6. ^ a b Evans, Bradford (October 27, 2011). "The Lost Weekend Update Anchors". Vulture. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 1994. pp. 124–127. ISBN 0-395-70895-8.
  8. ^ Shales & Miller 2002, pp. 278–280.
  9. ^ "Watch Saturday Night Live Highlight: James Brown's Celebrity Hot Tub Party". NBC.com. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
  10. ^ "January 28, 1984". SNL Archives. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011.

Works cited

  • Hill, Doug; Weingrad, Jeff (1986). Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live. Beech Tree Books. ISBN 978-0688050993.
  • Shales, Tom; Miller, James Andrew (2002). Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live. Little, Brown. ISBN 978-0316295222.
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