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See Young Chevy Chase During His Saturday Night Live Years
The first Weekend Update anchor also delivered the very first, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!"
As one of Saturday Night Live's original cast members, Chevy Chase will always have a place in comedy history for being the very first person to say, “Live from New York, it’s Saturday night!”
Chase had written for National Lampoon and comedy duo the Smothers Brothers before being hired on Lorne Michaels' new show. The New York Times reports that Chase and Michaels first met on line at an L.A. movie theater, and Chase shared that he originally turned down Michaels' offer to join the staff, wanting to do a summer stock play instead.
"And then,” Chase told the New York Times, “after a couple of days, I called him and went, ‘Is that offer still there?'"
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While Chase was initially hired as a writer, he quickly became one of SNL’s onscreen stars. The performer — whose real name is Cornelius Crane Chase, per his own site's bio — appeared at the close of SNL's first sketch, "The Wolverines" cold open starring cast mate John Belushi and head writer Michael O’Donoghue.
“He certainly got the show off to a great start,” James Andrew Miller, co-author of the book Live from New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live, said in a 2003 interview. “During the first five or six weeks of the show, Chevy was the only one who got to say his name: ‘I’m Chevy Chase and you’re not.’”
How many seasons was Chevy Chase on SNL?
Two — well, technically one and a half.
Chase joined the show in 1975 as part of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players cast. He was also the first-ever cast departure, leaving midway through Season 2 in 1976. His absence led to the show hiring Bill Murray.
"After we had what we thought was a good cast, Lorne [Michaels] had us go up to 8H. There was a little room nearby with a long desk, which could act as a stage. He asked everybody to sit behind it and just do something," Chase told The New York Times of putting the show together.
RELATED: SNL Season 2's Cast: Live from New York, It's Bill Murray
"And then at the end he said, 'Chevy, get up there and do something.' I was very involved in political satire, and I’d been writing parody for Mad and National Lampoon, so I made up some strange story about Gerald Ford," Chase continued. "I think that’s when Lorne came up with the idea of 'Weekend Update.'"
Who did Chevy Chase play on SNL?
Chase is best known for being the first anchor of the "Weekend Update" segment, which he hosted solo.
He also appeared in sketches alongside the rest of the cast. Some of the most memorable include "Land Shark," and his impression of then-president Gerald Ford, which always involved Chase falling over.
Chase won two Emmys as part of the SNL writing team, and a solo award as a performer in 1976.
RELATED: Steve Martin, Martin Short and Chevy Chase's SNL Cold Open is Peak Physical Comedy
How many times did Chevy Chase host SNL?
Nine times. Chase also returned for over a dozen cameos.
A member of SNL's Five-Timers Club, Chase hosted Saturday Night Live on:
February 18, 1978
February 9, 1980
April 11, 1981
September 25, 1982
November 16, 1985
December 6, 1986 (with Steve Martin and Martin Short)
January 18, 1992
October 7, 1995
February 15, 1997
How do I watch the first episode of Saturday Night Live?
Stream all 50 seasons of Saturday Night Live on Peacock anytime.
