Saturday Night Live’s most memorable sketches have skewered megastars and launched them, lambasted mainstays of popular culture and parodied politicians. But the first sketch on the show’s inaugural episode on Oct. 11, 1975 found its humor squarely in the absurd. In “The Wolverines,” a heavily accented John Belushi meets with a professorial Michael O’Donoghue for English lessons. But every line tutor instructs tutee to repeat reveals a strange obsession with a toothy predator.
While today’s sketches tend to feel much more of their time, early bits like “The Wolverines” reveal a tendency toward the timelessly peculiar. The show’s first sketch also confirms that the familiar tagline, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”—delivered in this instance by Chevy Chase decked out in a Canadian tuxedo—has in fact been a defining feature from day one, even as the show’s approach to humor has evolved.
See Classic Photos of Saturday Night Live
Jane Curtin, left, Dan Aykroyd and Laraine Newman, in their skit 'The Coneheads' circa 1970s. Warner Bros./Getty ImagesRaquel Welch, Chevy Chase and Lorne Michaels during the "Weekend Update" skit on April 24, 1976.NBC/Getty ImagesDan Aykroyd as Dr. McCoy, John Belushi as Captain Kirk, Chevy Chase as Mr. Spock, Elliott Gould as Herb Goodman and Akira Yoshimura as Mr. Sulu during "The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise" skit on May 29, 1976.NBC/Getty ImagesDan Aykroyd as Ed and John Belushi as Ralph during "The Honeymooners" skit on May 29, 1976.NBC/Getty ImagesDan Aykroyd as Richard Nixon and John Belushi as Henry Kissinger during the "Final Days" skit on May 8, 1976.NBC/Getty ImagesPaul Simon and Connie Hawkins during the "Paul Simon vs. Connie Hawkins" skit on October 18, 1975.NBC/Getty ImagesSteve Martin during the monologue on November 4, 1978.NBC/Getty ImagesPeter Boyle as Marlon Brando and John Belushi as Marlon Brando during the "Duelling Brandos" skit on February 14, 1976 .NBC/Getty ImagesJohn Belushi as Bugs the Exterminator and Robert Klein as exterminator during the "Exterminators" skit on November 15, 1975.NBC/Getty ImagesGilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna and Jane Curtin during the 'Weekend Update' skit on October 20, 1979 .NBC/Getty ImagesJim Belushi as Moab during the 'Crossroads' skit on October 14, 1978.NBC/Getty ImagesMatthew Laurance and Eddie Murphy as Eddie Atari during the 'Saturday Night Live Sports Central' skit on January 24, 1981.NBC/Getty ImagesKirk Douglas as Colonel Lloyd D. Westman, Laraine Newman as Nicole Westman and Bill Murray as Captain Steve McCleod during the 'The Micro-Dentists' skit on February 23, 1980.NBC/Getty ImagesRobin Williams as William F. Buckley and Eddie Murphy as Dr. Phillip Holder during the 'Firing Line' skit on February 11, 1984.NBC/Getty Images
