Nick revisits one of the most infamous nights in Saturday Night Live history, when actor Broderick Crawford hosted the show in March of 1977 and earned a reputation that has never really faded. Crawford was a legendary drinker, and while the broadcast somehow stayed on track, the real tension came from keeping tabs on a host who was drinking during the show and repeatedly trying to sneak off to a nearby bar.

The stories behind the scenes are as wild as you’d expect, and the sketches tell their own strange story. Crawford appears in two bits, including a send-up of his own TV series Highway Patrol, while the rest of the episode delivers a snapshot of SNL in transition. You’ll hear Bill Murray pleading with the audience to like him as the new guy after Chevy Chase’s departure, along with Dan Aykroyd’s Nixon impression and John Belushi bringing his samurai character into the mix.

It’s a look back at a night that somehow worked despite everything working against it, fueled by great performers, nervous energy, and a host who may still hold the title for the drunkest in SNL history. [Ep 159]

Podcast (tshbfiy): Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:33 — 39.5MB)

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