Nick looks back, analyzes, tells some secret stories, and plays back a good portion of one of the most notorious episodes in the history of “Saturday Night Live.” It’s the night that “Mr. Television Himself” (as he insisted on being introduced that evening) Milton Berle hosted the show, and the results were altogether insane. While SNL, at that point, was firing on all cylinders (t was the spring of 1979 and the show had reached legendary status by then) and the episode had some great segments (which you will hear), Berle’s antics during the show (and especially during writing week, rehearsals, and Dress) eventually got him banned for life from Studio 8H. You will learn why he was asked to host in the first place (NOT Lorne’s idea), what happened behind-the-scenes (including Uncle Miltie happily showing everyone the “anaconda” in his pants), how he paid audience members to give him a standing ovation during his closing number, and, in general, how an old-school, vaudevillian ham/joke stealer, got away with some of the most inappropriate, awkward, out-of-touch, and racist material ever performed on SNL. While many of the jokes are wildly offensive, there is a certain nostalgic charm to Berle’s appearance, and it’s a shocking example of how times completely changed in a 20-year time span. [Ep71]
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