“Saturday Night” is Jason Reitman’s action-packed chronicle of the chaotic 90 minutes leading up to the premiere of the first episode of the late-night comedy series that became known as “Saturday Night Live” (yes, it was briefly known by its shorter moniker). As we know, the show became a pop culture staple that changed comedy forever and television is still going strong today, even though it's now in its 50th season.
But in 1975, no one knew what the show would become, not even young, confident showrunner Lorne Michaels (played by “Fairy Tales” star Gabriel LaBelle). Fortunately, we're in the future and we know the long history of “SNL,” which spans five decades and includes plenty of memorable sketches that have become biggest hits. That's why director Jason Reitman included Easter eggs for die-hard “SNL” fans that refer to the show's future history. Throughout the film, there are many references to beloved sketches that would appear in the coming years, some from the beginning of the series, others much later.
We've highlighted a few Easter eggs worth keeping an eye out for, as confirmed by our interview with Jason Reitman himself, who claims that the film actually has “quite a few” tricky details to capture.
Land shark
This Easter egg is not that insidious and can actually be spotted in one of the film's promotional spots. While Lorne Michaels is talking to his executive assistant Neil Levy (Andrew Barth Feldman) about the show, a giant shark prop can be seen in the background. This is a prop from a recurring land shark sketch in which the land shark (voiced by the famously difficult Chevy Chase) knocked on doors, posing as mechanics, door-to-door salesmen, and so on, all in order to trick unsuspecting victims into they opened the door and could eat them. As Don Pardo says in the sketch's voiceover:
“The land shark is considered the smartest of all sharks. Unlike the great white shark, which usually inhabits the waters and harbors of recreational beaches, the land shark can attack anywhere and anytime. He is able to hide his voice and usually preys on young, single women.”
The Land Shark sketch did not debut in the first episode of “SNL” and did not make it to the show until the fourth episode of the first season, hosted by Candice Bergen on November 8, 1975, so one might think that this segment is As “Saturday Night” shows, a dress rehearsal The premiere episode was three hours long, so there's a chance that Land Shark was already considered for the first episode of “SNL.” Even if it isn't, it's a funny reference that isn't as obvious as the joke Dan Aykroyd's upcoming Julia Child sketch where the famous chef cuts the dick off her finger, which gets a much clearer look in the movie.
Colon impaction
In a scene where some of the writers are talking about the state of the show, one of them reaches into a partially covered cereal box. Although the desk lamp covers a small portion of the front of the box, it is immediately clear that this is the Colon Blow box from the famous commercial parody depicting the late, great Phil Hartman, the glue that held plaster together. The Colon Blow ad, debuting in the fifth episode of the 15th season of “SNL”, is one of the most popular advertising parodies in the history of the show.
In the sketch, Phil Hartman plays a man preparing to eat high-fiber oatmeal until a commercial voiceover convinces him to try Colon Blow. The cereal is so high in fiber that it would take over 30,000 bowls of the cereal to compete with Colon Blow's high-fiber recipe. That's right, you'd have to eat 10 bowls a day, every day for eight and a half years to get as much fiber as one bowl of Colon Blow. You know how helpful it will be for your digestive system. One of the best things about the Colon Blow ad is that the depiction of all those bowls of cereal doubles as a visual gag that makes it look like Phil Hartman is having the biggest bowel movement ever.
There was a time when you could buy a box of Colon Blow as a gaffe gift and it contained real oatmeal, but unfortunately it is no longer available in stores. However, if you hit eBay you might be able to get your hands on one.
Slop
If you are a traveling businessman and need a refreshing drink, you can get a bottle of Swill. This mineral water comes straight from Lake Erie and is thick and unfiltered, just like water should be. Not only are there small particles of dirt in it, but you can also find an extra tab for the can there.
Bill Murray starred in a commercial parody of Swill in the second episode of the show's third season, which aired on October 8, 1977. Not only do you see Swill being bottled straight from the lake, but you also see the sticky mineral water pouring slowly onto the ice and Murray even gives a little twist at the end. Mmm, looks good.
We're not sure where Swill appears in “Saturday Night,” but Jason Reitman specifically mentioned that the fake mineral water appears somewhere in the movie. You should probably keep an eye out for desks in the writers' room or tables in the various green rooms. It'll definitely be there somewhere.
Bas-o-matic
Finally we come to Bass-O-Matic. A blender representing Bass-O-Matic appears somewhere amid the “Saturday Night” chaos, but we're not entirely sure where he is, so keep your eyes peeled.
Dating from the 17th episode of the show's first season on April 17, 1976, it is one of the most famous commercial parodies from the classic “SNL” years. Dan Aykroyd stars as a fast-talking salesman who shows how easy fish preparation can be with the Super Bass-O-Matic '76. Aykroyd begins the ad by saying:
“How many times has this happened to you? You've got a bass and you're trying to find a new and exciting way to get it ready for the table. You can scale the bass, remove its tail, head and bones, and serve the fish like any other fish dinner. But why bother with that now when you can use Rovco's amazing new kitchen tool, the Super Bass-o-Matic '76. Yes, fish eaters, the days of hassle scaling and cutting and gutting are over because the Super Bass-o-Matic '76 is a tool that allows you to use your bass without wasting fish, without shelling, cutting and gutting.
Unfortunately, the official video of the original version of this sketch is not available online, although it can be seen intact throughout the episode on Peacock. But there are other resources by watching the sketch online. Additionally, as seen above, Aykroyd reprized the role, adding a revised version of the sketch to a major primetime special celebrating “SNL's” 40th anniversary.
What sketchy homages and remakes will we get when “Saturday Night Live's” massive 50th anniversary primetime special debuts in February 2025? We'll have to wait and see. Meanwhile, “Saturday Night” is now showing in theaters around the world.
