Holy SNL! The ‘Not Ready for Prime Time Players’ make their television debut on ‘The Tomorrow Show,’ October 04, 1975

The endlessly interesting Mark Evanier at News From ME posted this video and it’s just too fascinating not to re-post it for you here.

Hit the short clip below for the television debut of Saturday Night Live‘s “Not Ready for Prime Time Players.” The cast, along with producer Lorne Michaels, chat with Tom Snyder on The Tomorrow Show on October 4th, 1975. The week before their show premiered and became a break-out hit.

America did not yet know these faces. That would all change the following week.
Chevy Chase, Dan Ackroyd, Jane Curtin, ‘The Tomorrow Show,’ Oct. ’75

The Tomorrow Show ran a special Saturday evening edition on October 4th with the single guest of Jerry Lewis to fill the time slot. SNL was originally set to air that evening but wasn’t ready. Tom Snyder brought the cast on at the end of his show and introduced them to America. Chevy Chase, Dan Ackroyd, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and (a surprisingly quiet) John Belushi appeared.

The references you’ll hear to Howard Cosell’s show are due to the fact that he currently had his own series entitled Saturday Night Live running on ABC. During SNL’s first season the show was known as NBC’s Saturday Night.Watch it.

Saturday Night Live Season One Wiki