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ABBA sinks SNL
November 27, 2006
My favorite TV-on-DVD release of the year is Universal’s Saturday Night Live: The Complete First Season. I’ve had it for about a week now (yes, yes, two weeks before it’s officially released—allow me that much!) and every night I’ve been popping in an installment and savoring some classic sketches (Samurai Delicatessen, Chevy Chase as Gerald Ford, Land Shark) and a handful of outstanding musical performance a Simon and Garfunkle reunion, Patti Smith). But sketch and music met in a bit I don’t clearly remember from the first run but that I saw when I popped in SNL’s fifth installment, which was hosted by Robert Klein and initially aired on November 15, 1975.
It was ABBA, that’s right, ABBA, those wacky Swedish pop stars dressed in classic ABBA mode (Agnetha and Anni-Frid in all their white ruffles-and-satin glory) performing “S.O.S.” on what looked to be an ocean liner set. Seated at ballroom tables about the stage were SNL extras in early 20th Century
costumes and in the middle sat host Robert Klein, dressed as a ship’s captain and holding a menu upon which is emblazoned
“Titanic.” By the time ABBA has lip-synched half-way through the song, the walls have sprung leaks and water is squirting all over the stage, with Klein attempting to hold the menu over the leaks and show his tablemates that he isn’t worried. End of song….
Forty-five minutes later ABBA returns again, this time to sing—you guessed it--“Waterloo.” By now, there are leaks a’plenty in the walls and water is squirting everywhere. The camera tilts left and right and left again, extras go flying, furniture careens about the stage and water splashes all over the place. And through it all, ABBA continues to lip-synch unruffled. Wild stuff—I can’t think of any group these days, European or American, that would be so agreeable to a radical new late nite TV show making sight gags while they were performing. Then again, during this same month-long North American promotional tour, ABBA popped up on The Mike Douglas Show, Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert and The Dinah Shore Show. So maybe, just maybe, this bizarre bit it was just what ABBA (and SNL) needed.
Posted by Laurence Lerman on November 27, 2006 | Comments (1)
