Journalist/Comedian Harmon Leon dives into comedy cult classics, comedic influences, and all things comedy history.
We continue with Part 2 of our history of the National Lampoon Radio Hour; the show that evolved into Saturday Night Live and featured such iconic comedy figures as John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Christopher Guest, Richard Belzer, and Chevy Chase.
We cover our favorite episodes of the NL Radio Hour and how Lorne Michaels scooped up all the talent for SNL.
The Groove Tube is a 1974 comedy film that gave both Chevy Chase and Richard Belzer their first screen roles. It’s also a film that laid the groundwork for the humor of early Saturday Night Live.
The low-budget movie, which satirizes TV and counterculture of the early 70s, began as an innovative theater show in NYC’s Lower East Side - with the Channel One Theater Company.
Directed by Ken Shapiro, The Groove Tube was the brainchild of the humor of the first generation of comedians coming to age in the TV generation.
