--- title: 'Saturday Night Live' at 40: Watch the First Sketch description: Watch John Belushi and Michael O'Donoghue in "The Wolverines," the first sketch on the first episode of "Saturday Night Live." canonical: https://time.com/4063933/saturday-night-live-first-sketch/ author: Eliza Berman article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-10-09T11:00:07.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:46:55.465Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Watch the Very First Sketch Performed on 'Saturday Night Live' og:description: Watch John Belushi and Michael O'Donoghue in "The Wolverines," the first sketch on the first episode of "Saturday Night Live." og:url: https://time.com/4063933/saturday-night-live-first-sketch/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Watch the Very First Sketch Performed on 'Saturday Night Live' twitter:description: Watch John Belushi and Michael O'Donoghue in "The Wolverines," the first sketch on the first episode of "Saturday Night Live." twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # Watch the Very First Sketch Performed on _Saturday Night Live_ > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account.  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Oct 9, 2015 11:00 AM UTC  by [Eliza Berman](https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Oct 9, 2015 11:00 AM UTC _Saturday Night Live_’s most memorable sketches have [skewered](http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/calvin-klein-ads/2841037) megastars and [launched](http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/waynes-world-cold-opening/n10186) them, [lambasted](http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/celebrity-jeopardy/n11253) mainstays of popular culture and [parodied](https://screen.yahoo.com/clinton-mcdonalds-000000491.html) 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 Images  Raquel Welch, Chevy Chase and Lorne Michaels during the "Weekend Update" skit on April 24, 1976. NBC/Getty Images  Dan 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 Images  Dan Aykroyd as Ed and John Belushi as Ralph during "The Honeymooners" skit on May 29, 1976. NBC/Getty Images  Dan Aykroyd as Richard Nixon and John Belushi as Henry Kissinger during the "Final Days" skit on May 8, 1976. NBC/Getty Images  Paul Simon and Connie Hawkins during the "Paul Simon vs. Connie Hawkins" skit on October 18, 1975. NBC/Getty Images  Steve Martin during the monologue on November 4, 1978. NBC/Getty Images  Peter Boyle as Marlon Brando and John Belushi as Marlon Brando during the "Duelling Brandos" skit on February 14, 1976 . NBC/Getty Images  John Belushi as Bugs the Exterminator and Robert Klein as exterminator during the "Exterminators" skit on November 15, 1975. NBC/Getty Images  Gilda Radner as Roseanne Roseannadanna and Jane Curtin during the 'Weekend Update' skit on October 20, 1979 . NBC/Getty Images  Jim Belushi as Moab during the 'Crossroads' skit on October 14, 1978. NBC/Getty Images  Matthew Laurance and Eddie Murphy as Eddie Atari during the 'Saturday Night Live Sports Central' skit on January 24, 1981. NBC/Getty Images  Kirk 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 Images  Robin Williams as William F. Buckley and Eddie Murphy as Dr. Phillip Holder during the 'Firing Line' skit on February 11, 1984. 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