Back in the day, a major sitcom doing a gay episode was a big deal. A proper gay episode would get headlines, but it would get the attention of two young guys who were still figuring things out — sexuality-wise and culture-wise. Gayest Episode Ever has screenwriter Glen Lakin and stay-at-home journalist Drew Mackie going through the great and not-so-great gay episodes of sitcoms past.
https://www.gayestepisodeever.com/
episode 12: A Queer History of SNL, Part Three: The “Not Ready for Prime Time” Era
Welcome to the first of our in-depth looks at LGBTQ humor in specific eras of Saturday Night Live. Of course, we’re starting at the beginning, in the classic era, and yeah, some of them are better than you’d guess and some of them are so much worse. It’s a real grab bag, but there are lessons to be learned about how SNL came to be what it is today and how American humor has evolved since 1975. Watch all the sketches featured in this episode here. Here are the sketches, in order:
- Jamitol (S1E1: George Carlin, Oct. 11 1975)
- Long Distance (S1E4: Candice Bergen, Nov. 8 1975)
- Latent Elf (S1E8: Candice Bergen, Dec. 20 1975)
- Household Hints (S1E16: Anthony Perkins, March 13, 1976)
- The Snake-Handling O’Sheas (S2E2: Norman Lear, Sep. 25, 1976)
- Monologue (S4E11: Cicely Tyson, Feb. 10, 1979)
- The Ex-Police (S4E11: Cicely Tyson, Feb. 10, 1979)
- Miles Cowperthwaite (S4E18: Michael Palin, May 12, 1979)
- Not for Transexuals Only (S4E20: Buck Henry, May 26, 1979)
- The Continuing Correspondences of Eleanor Roosevelt (S5E3: Bill Russell, Oct. 20 1979)
Go shop at our TeePublic store!
Follow: GEE on Facebook • GEE’s Facebook Group • GEE on Twitter • GEE on Instagram • Drew on Twitter • Glen on Twitter
Listen: Apple Podcasts • Spotify • Google Podcasts • Himalaya • TuneIn
And yes, we do have an official website! We even have episode transcripts courtesy of Sarah Neal. Our logo was designed by Rob Wilson. This episode’s art was designed by Ian O’Phelan.