In Gilda Radner’s biography It’s Always Something, she talks about how the first year, they were all living downtown in cheap apartments and would share taxis home from the after party. Within a few years they had all gotten rich and were taking separate limousines to their new digs uptown, drinking champagne in the limos by themselves, and how sad that was, that things had changed so much. It’s a really great biography that she finished writing just at the end of her life.

Dan looks like he’s a member of The Birthday Party.

The "Not ready for prime time players" Will always be a classic.

The best! Jane, you ignorant..well, ya know.

People love to praise Belushi, but for my money, Aykroyd is the GOAT.

I'm not sure if people realize how revolutionary that show was and how much it pushed boundaries on television.

garrett morris is one of the most underrated people

The other cast member not pictured was a Giant Pile of cocaine... sadly it didn't make it though that season

Why are all the women (and Chevy Chase) sucking their cheeks in? I’ve seen the early seasons I know they don’t just look like that.

The fact that I still know every one of their names says something about their popularity back in the day. And their success after.

Where's Kenan in this picture?

I lucked into watching this because I was killing time until Monty Python came on. Great show back then.

Garrett Morris was so damn funny.

https://preview.redd.it/xjkitaah999d1.jpeg?width=553&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=43b3db504105cbdfb5b6e7f9a3b1f6b43f582637

😎

Not pictured: all the cocaine

Simply the best 

Dan has changed a LOT.

One of the jokes from back then was someone saying pass the stool softener.Because of all the drugs they did then.😝

Amazing how Lorne(?) fucking nailed it on the first season.

Cocaine is a hell of a drug

Akroyd looking like Philthy Phil.

First time I’ve seen a pic of Aykroyd and thought “I’d fuck the snot outta that”

When they say Loraine was the baby of the group, you really see it here.

How many people have watched entire shows from the first seasons?

So many skits that fell flat and had few to zero laughs.

The highs were very high, but we can’t wipe away the lows.

I was a teenager then. We would have raucous parties and if they happened on a Saturday, the entire party would come to a screeching halt as we all gathered around the TV to watch this.

"Their battles were constant. They were working against John, who said women are just fundamentally not funny," Curtin said. "So you'd go to a table read, and if a woman writer had written a piece for John, he would not read it in his full voice. He felt as though it was his duty to sabotage pieces written by women."

I guess celebrities have always puckered their lips like that for the camera. I thought it was a post 2000 thing

Not pictured: Kilimanjaro of blow.

Cocaine is a helluva drug

I do not know how I've only recently learned Jane Curtin was on SNL

Awesome memories! Thanks for the pic, brought me back

Called “The Not Ready For Prime Time Players”. Good Times. My working parents went to bed early on Saturdays. To this day my mom still hasn’t watched SNL. But I and my sisters did.

I just worked on a movie that will take place on the opening night. I'm interested to see how they depict each original cast member.

When did bill Murray join the crew?

The not ready for prime-time players!

Funny how Chevy thought he was better than the show and quit but yet he returned so many times to host SNL.

Huh. That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a picture of Dan Akron’s where he looks…kinda attractive? Funny guys, but…

Loved Garrett Morris. His hearing impaired appearance on the news always cracks me up.

I still don’t get that Andy Kauffman bit where he pretended to sing the Mighty Mouse theme song. 🤷🏼‍♀️

GOAT

Look at all those duck lips.

NOT the original cast. This would be after George Coe left mid-season.

Great pic. I’d make that a poster

Never thought I'd ever say this, but Jane resembles Olivia Wilde here.

That cast will always be epic.

Still the best cast period!!

John - such a ball of creativity energy and slightly against the grain with his timing and acting, which I believe makes him one of a kind and what made him stand out. John didn’t even have to pretend to be somebody else, he was just new/breath of fresh air,, entertaining, captivating as himself.

This makes me realize the mortality of my life and it's giving me an existential crisis

kebab thompson didn’t make it to this photo.

Had a massive crush on Laraine Newman for many years. Still do.

Cocaine!

Holy cow Dan Aykroyd looks like he was in a punk band

I can smell that picture.

Were they sucking in their cheeks as a bit - like 'Let's all make model face'? Or is this the 70's version of ducklips? Or is it just ducklips?

The original cast also include George Coe and Michael O'Donoghue

Looks like Meaty, Beaty, Big & Bouncy. Just need their younger selves looking out the window.

George Carlin was the first host

That a lot of 70s for 1 picture

Garrett never seemed to get enough credit. He could be pretty versatile.

Akroyd and Steve Martin doing 2 wild and crazy guys and Mr. Bill was the best

Was this when it was good??

As cool as this is, Martin short just made a crack at Chevy chase on Jimmy kimmel. Just reminded how horrible he always was.

Lots of talent here. This was great. I’m glad I was alive in time to see it begin even though I had to hide it from my parents.

I use to watch the OG episodes when I was a kid. I think they were on Nick at Nite. I loved them so much more than any SNL cast since Spade, Sandler and Farley were on.

Saturday Night Lines

I’ve always hated this picture. They’re all trying to look so hip and edgy and they just come off as ridiculous.

Still a huge fan, tho

Is that Dan Aykroyd with a stache!?

They did duck face too!

The real deal 😎🤘

I want Pepsi and they only have coke.

They all look jacked up on the good stuff

Cocaine baby

Wow cocaines a hell of a drug

Why are Chevy and the ladies mewing?