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- The Not Ready for Prime Time Players included Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, George Coe, and Michael O'Donoghue at the start.
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The early years of SNL introduced a cast of performers who became known as the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players", including Chevy Chase, John Belushi, Gilda Radner, and Dan Aykroyd. It became known for its mix of satirical humor, political commentary, and celebrity impersonations.
- Samantha Vincenty
- Gilda Radner, the very first cast member of SNL. Gilda Radner appears in a Season 1 episode of Saturday Night Live. Gilda Radner was the first Saturday Night Live performer ever cast.
- Dan Aykroyd. Dan Aykroyd appears in a Season 1 episode of Saturday Night Live. Like Radner, Dan Aykroyd performed with The Second City Toronto in the years before SNL.
- Chevy Chase. Chevy Chase appears in a Season 1 episode of Saturday Night Live. Chevy Chase had written for National Lampoon and comedy duo the Smothers Brothers before becoming a Not Ready for Prime Time Player.
- Garrett Morris. Garrett Morris appears in Season 1 episode of Saturday Night Live. The eldest of the original cast and Saturday Night Live’s first Black cast member, Garrett Morris’s pre-SNL experience involved more singing than acting: Trained at Julliard, he’d performed on Broadway and with notable artists like the Harry Belafonte Folk Singers.
- Overview
- Cast members
- History
- Where Are They Now?
The Not Ready for Prime Time Players were the cast of SNL during its first three seasons. The designation was dropped for season 4, though the cast remained unchanged at that time. The NRFPTPs consisted of:
•Dan Aykroyd (October 11, 1975-May 26, 1979)
•John Belushi (October 11, 1975-May 26, 1979)
•Chevy Chase (October 11, 1975-October 30, 1976)
•George Coe (October 11, 1975-May 29, 1976)
•Jane Curtin (October 11, 1975-May 24, 1980)
•Garrett Morris (October 11, 1975-May 24, 1980)
The show started on October 11, 1975, with George Carlin as host, and Billy Preston and Janis Ian as musical guests. Early on, producer Lorne Michaels and NBC were uncertain of the format; this is evident with the second episode, which was entirely music, except for the inclusion of Weekend Update. The cast was initially thought of as background members, and were listed in a single pane in the opening credits. The name "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" was chosen to mock Howard Cosell's show, Saturday Night Live (whose name was purchased by NBC when the show was cancelled the following year); Cosell called his cast the "Prime Time Players".
As the season progressed, it became obvious that sketches were the show's future, and the crediting of the cast became more prominent. Initially, announcer Don Pardo read the names off as the list appeared on-screen; later in the season, individual headshots were displayed with the names of the cast members. With the uncertainty came some shuffling early on; George Coe and Michael O'Donoghue were dropped from the cast list, though they continued to appear and their associations with SNL lasted for decades.
Changes to the cast happened early, with Chevy Chase leaving the showing in its second season. Bill Murray, one of Howard Cosell's Prime Time Players, joined as a replacement for Chase. The cast remained stable until the end of season 4. In the early stages of successful movie careers, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi departed, and in their place the second replacement Player was added, Harry Shearer. That season also saw the creation of the two-tiered cast system still in use, with a lower group of actors known as the "Featured Players".
Shearer and the other Players were only together one year; after season five, Lorne Michaels left the show, and most of the cast left as well. New executive producer Jean Doumanian decided to continue the two-tiered cast system, but "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" would live on to only refer to the cast of the first five seasons; the main cast since has been referred to as the "Repertory Players".
•John Belushi, George Coe, Michael O'Donoghue, and Gilda Radner have all passed away. Belushi died of a drug overdose in 1982, Radner died of ovarian cancer in 1989, O'Donoghue from a cerebral hemorrhage in 1994, and Coe from natural causes in 2015. Radner was scheduled to host in 1988, but a writer's strike cancelled that plan. SNL rescheduled for next year, but she died before the episode could take place.
•Chevy Chase and Bill Murray have come back to host SNL many times each. Chase was banned from hosting in 1997, though he has made a few appearances since. Both have appeared in many movies and televisions shows.
•Dan Aykroyd returned to guest many times, but only hosted once, for the season finale to the 2002-2003 season. He has lead a successful movie career.
•Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman have never returned to host. All have worked in television and movies since their SNL days. Curtin returned to the Weekend Update desk alongside Tina Fey and Amy Poehler for the
Aug 9, 2024 · The Not Ready for Prime Time Players included Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Gilda Radner, George Coe, and Michael O'Donoghue at the start. Coe did not return after the first episode.
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5 days ago · First meeting Lorne Michaels as a teenager on the Canadian comedy scene, Aykroyd was the youngest of the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players when the show premiered in 1975.
Original cast (left to right): Laraine Newman, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd, Garrett Morris, and Chevy Chase. As of September 2024, the late-night live variety series Saturday Night Live (SNL) has featured 167 cast members. The ensemble was originally referred to as the Not Ready for Prime Time Players. [1]
Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live from its inception in 1975 until his departure in 1979. During his tenure on SNL , he appeared in a recurring series of sketches, particularly featuring the Coneheads and the Blues Brothers .
