Saturday Night Live aired its seventh season during the 1981–1982 television season on NBC. The seventh season started on October 3, 1981 and ended on May 22, 1982. A total of 20 episodes were broadcast.
Following the dismissal of producer Jean Doumanian and most of her cast members, the show was shut down due to the commencement of the 1981 WGA strike.
Dick Ebersol, the program's developer, was hired as Doumanian's replacement. The new cast of Saturday Night Live for this season were the same ones from the episode Ebersol produced on the April 11, 1981 episode: Robin Duke, Tim Kazurinsky and Tony Rosato along with the Doumanian era's sole survivors Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. Denny Dillon and Gail Matthius were fired following the April 1981 episode while Laurie Metcalf and unseen castmember Emily Prager weren't asked back to be cast members on the show.
Ebersol then hired two new cast members: Mary Gross and Christine Ebersole. Both were hired to fill the gap left by Metcalf and Prager.
Wanting to distance the show from its first five seasons, Ebersol cut the popular opening line Live from New York, It's Saturday Night! from the cold openings. In fact, sometimes cold openings weren't even shown and the monologues were skipped over almost entirely. These changes were not permanent, as Ebersol decided to reverse them for the eighth season.
Episodes
E1
1. (no host)/Rod Stewart
4.0
October 3, 1981
67 min
Sketches include ""Our Age is Showing,"" ""The Little Richard Simmons Show,"" ""The Clams"" (film), ""Nuns on the Beach,"" ""A Few Minutes With Andy Rooney,"" ""Prose and Cons"" (film), ""The Khaddaffi Look,"" ""Ruth Deals With Rod,"" ""Andy Warhol,"" Juggling with Michael Davis, and ""Season of Glass"" (film).
Tina Turner, Michael Davis, Rod Stewart, Lisa Ruffin, Yoko Ono
E2
2. Susan Saint James/The Kinks
4.0
October 10, 1981
67 min
Sketches include ""McDonald & Wife,"" ""The Bizarro World,"" ""Buckwheat Sings,"" ""Skanky Fiancee,"" ""Cheap Laffs,"" and ""The Alan Alda Guide to Sensitivity."" The Kinks performed ""Destroyer"" and Christine Ebersole performed ""Single Bars and Single Women."" Also featured is an Anwar Sadat tribute film.
Guest Stars:
Susan Saint James, Andy Warhol, Tom Davis, Brian McConnachie, Michael O'Donoghue
E3
3. George Kennedy/Miles Davis
5.0
October 17, 1981
67 min
Sketches include ""To Tell the Truth Gone Awry,"" ""Mister Robinson's Neighborhood #2,"" ""Velvet Jones #1,"" and ""Harry Anderson's Grappler Tricks.""
Guest Stars:
Miles Davis, Walter Williams, George Kennedy, John Candy, Peter Fatovich
E4
4. Donald Pleasence/Fear
7.0
October 31, 1981
67 min
Sketches include ""Vomiting for Luck,"" ""Jogger Motel,"" ""Profiles in British Courage,"" ""Last Night I Killed My Husband"" (musical number), ""Sugar Breakfast"" and ""Andy Warhol's TV.""
Fear performed ""I Don't Care About You"" and medley of ""Beef Bologna,"" ""New York's Alright If You Like Saxophones,"" and ""Let's Have A War.""
Guest Stars:
Donald Pleasence, John Belushi, Michael Davis, Andy Warhol, Neil Levy
E5
5. Lauren Hutton/Rick James
6.0
November 7, 1981
67 min
Sketches Include: "Here's 'Cos", "Dressing Room", "Hail To The Chief", "Transeastern", "Whisper", "Cheap Laffs", "Harlequin Romances", "Reach Out", "Velvet Jones School of Technology", "Big Baser", "William Burroughs", "Bitter People"
Guest Stars:
William S. Burroughs, Lauren Hutton, Lisa Ruffin, Tom Schiller
E6
6. Bernadette Peters/The Go-Go's, Billy Joel
7.0
November 14, 1981
67 min
Guest Stars:
Bernadette Peters, Billy Joel
E7
7. Tim Curry/Meat Loaf
7.0
December 5, 1981
67 min
Guest Stars:
Meat Loaf, Tim Curry, Bryant Gumbel, Frank Nelson
E8
8. Bill Murray/The Spinners, Yale Whiffenpoofs
6.0
December 12, 1981
67 min
Sketches include ""The Phone Company,"" ""Tales of the Unlikely,"" ""Washed-Up Tom Snyder,"" ""MX-5 Tampons,"" and ""The Economics of Christmas."" The Spinners perform ""I'll Be Around.""
Guest Stars:
Bill Murray, Michael Davis, Don Novello, Seth Green, Hiram Kasten
E9
9. Robert Conrad/The Allman Brothers Band
5.0
January 23, 1982
67 min
Guest Stars:
Robert Conrad, Nate Herman, Neil Levy, Nelson Lyon, Liz Welch Tirrell
E10
10. John Madden/Jennifer Holliday
6.0
January 30, 1982
67 min
Guest Stars:
Brent Musburger, John Madden, Jennifer Holliday, Andy Kaufman, Marv Throneberry
E11
11. James Coburn/Lindsey Buckingham
6.0
February 6, 1982
67 min
Guest Stars:
James Coburn, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood, Dick Ebersol, Frederick Koehler
E12
12. Bruce Dern/Luther Vandross
5.0
February 20, 1982
67 min
Guest Stars:
Bruce Dern, Luther Vandross, Neil Levy, Lee Maymen, Tom Schiller
E13
13. Elizabeth Ashley/Hall and Oates
5.0
February 27, 1982
67 min
Guest Stars:
Elizabeth Ashley, Daryl Hall, John Oates, Harry Anderson, Joseph Papp
E14
14. Robert Urich/Mink DeVille
5.0
March 20, 1982
67 min
Sketches include ""He's No Burt Reynolds,"" ""Paul Harvey Radio News,"" ""Golden Age Obedience School,"" and ""Koala Bear Embryo."" Mink De Ville performed ""Maybe Tomorrow.""
Guest Stars:
Robert Urich, Arleen Sorkin, Sela Ward
E15
15. Blythe Danner/Rickie Lee Jones
5.0
March 27, 1982
67 min
Sketches include ""Lorne Greene,"" ""The New Celibacy,"" ""20/20,"" ""The Uncle Tom Show,"" ""Senior Spring Fling '82,"" ""Meet the People,"" and ""Help Out Blythe Danner.""
Rickie Lee Jones performed ""Pirates"" and ""Lush Life.""
Guest Stars:
Rickie Lee Jones, Blythe Danner, Michael Davis, Neil Levy, Lee Maymen
E16
16. Daniel J. Travanti/John Cougar
5.0
April 10, 1982
67 min
Sketches include ""Save Larry the Lobster,"" ""Whiners' Anniversary,"" ""Hill Street Blues,"" ""Too Many Ethel Mermans,"" and ""Career Corner."" John Cougar Mellencamp performed ""Hurts So Good.""
Guest Stars:
Daniel J. Travanti, John Mellencamp, Audrey Peart Dickman, Dick Ebersol, Carrie Kei Heim
E17
17. Johnny Cash/Elton John
9.0
April 17, 1982
67 min
Elton John performs the John Lennon tribute ""Empty Garden."" Sketches include ""Velvet Jones"" and ""Shadows.""
Guest Stars:
Johnny Cash, Elton John, Nelson Lyon, Lee Maymen, Clint Smith
E18
18. Robert Culp/The Charlie Daniels Band
5.0
April 24, 1982
67 min
Guest Stars:
Robert Culp, Neil Levy, Barry W. Blaustein
E19
19. Danny DeVito/Sparks
7.0
May 15, 1982
67 min
Sketches include ""Louis DePalma's Revenge,"" ""The Executive Test,"" ""The Whiners on an Airplane,"" ""Solomon and Pudge,"" ""Enzo,"" and ""Looks at Books."" Sparks performs ""Mickey Mouse."" Also, Brian Doyle-Murray interviews recently humbled actor-wrestler Andy Kaufman.
Guest Stars:
Christopher Lloyd, Judd Hirsch, Tony Danza, Andy Kaufman, Marilu Henner
E20
20. Olivia Newton-John
6.5
May 22, 1982
67 min
Sketches include ""Ebony & Ivory,"" ""I Married a Monkey,"" Grease, ""Hitler In Heaven,"" and ""Ballpark Organ Favorites."" ONJ performs the hit ""Physical"" in lieu of the opening monologue.
Guest Stars:
Graham Chapman, Olivia Newton-John, Michael Davis, Liz Welch Tirrell, Akira Yoshimura
