John Adam Belushi was an American actor, comedian and singer, and one of the seven original cast members of the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). Throughout his career, Belushi had a close personal and artistic partnership with his fellow SNL star Dan Aykroyd, whom he met while they were both working at Chicago's The Second City comedy club.
National Lampoon was an American humor magazine which ran from 1970 to 1998. The magazine started out as a spinoff from the Harvard Lampoon. National Lampoon magazine reached its height of popularity and critical acclaim during the 1970s, when it had a far-reaching effect on American humor and comedy. The magazine spawned films, radio, live theatre, various sound recordings, and print products including books. Many members of the creative staff from the magazine subsequently went on to contribute creatively to successful media of all types.
Gilda Susan Radner was an American comedian and actress who was one of the seven original cast members for the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live (SNL). In her routines, Radner specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, such as advice specialists and news anchors, and in 1977, she won an Emmy Award for her performances on the show. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show on Broadway in 1979.
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Born into a prominent family, he had a variety of jobs before moving into comedy and started acting with National Lampoon. He became a key cast member in the first season of Saturday Night Live, where his recurring Weekend Update segment became a staple of the show. As both a performer and writer, he earned three Primetime Emmy Awards out of five nominations.
Melissa Manchester is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Since the 1970s, her songs have been carried by adult contemporary radio stations. She has also appeared on television, in films, and on stage.
Not the Nine O'Clock News was a British television sketch comedy which was broadcast on BBC2 from 1979 to 1982. Originally shown as a comedy alternative to the Nine O'Clock News on BBC1, it featured satirical sketches on current news stories and popular culture, as well as parody songs, comedy sketches, re-edited videos, and spoof television formats. The programme featured Rowan Atkinson, Pamela Stephenson, Mel Smith, and Griff Rhys Jones, as well as Chris Langham in the first series.
Jane Krakowski is an American actress and singer. She is best known for the roles of Cousin Vicki in National Lampoon's Vacation, and Jenna Maroney in the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, for which she received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Other notable television credits include Elaine Vassal on Ally McBeal and Jacqueline White in the Netflix comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.
Margaret Eleanor Whiting was an American popular music and country music singer who gained popularity in the 1940s and 1950s.
Michael O'Donoghue was an American writer and performer. He was known for his dark and destructive style of comedy and humor, was a major contributor to National Lampoon magazine, and was the first head writer of Saturday Night Live. He was also the first performer to utter a line on that series.
John David Landis is an American film director, comedian, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is best known for the comedy films that he has directed, such as National Lampoon's Animal House (1978), The Blues Brothers (1980), An American Werewolf in London (1981), Trading Places (1983), Three Amigos (1986), Coming to America (1988) and Beverly Hills Cop III (1994), and for directing Michael Jackson's music videos for "Thriller" (1983) and "Black or White" (1991).
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation is a 1989 American comedy film, it is the third installment in National Lampoon's Vacation film series, and was written by John Hughes, based on his short story in National Lampoon magazine, "Christmas '59". The film stars Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo and Randy Quaid, with Juliette Lewis and Johnny Galecki as the Griswold children Audrey and Rusty, respectively.
Tripod are an Australian musical comedy trio founded by Scod, Yon and Gatesy in 1996. They provide original songs and harmonies, strung together by comic banter.
The Gillies Report is an award-winning and influential Australian topical satirical sketch comedy television series that was broadcast on the ABC between 1984 and 1985. The program was best known for sending up politicians and media personalities of the day such as Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Opposition Leader Andrew Peacock.
Class Reunion is a 1982 black comedy film produced by National Lampoon as the third film from the magazine. It was the second film released; although National Lampoon Goes To The Movies was filmed in 1981, it was delayed and not released until 1983.
The Missing White House Tapes was a sketch comedy voice recording which was a satiric commentary on the Watergate scandal. It was a spin-off from National Lampoon magazine. The recording was produced by Irving Kirsch and Vic Dinnerstein. It was released as a single on Blue Thumb Records in 1973. It was expanded into an album, which was subsequently nominated for a Grammy Award as Best Comedy Recording of the year.
The Official National Lampoon Stereo Test and Demonstration Record was a comedy album in vinyl LP format which was put out by National Lampoon magazine in 1974. The album was a parody of stereo test and demonstration records, which were used by hi-fi enthusiasts to test the performance of their audio systems. The tracks are titled as if they are normal audio test tracks, but in reality each one is a piece of sketch comedy. The album does, however, also function as a real stereo test recording. Included with the record was a 32-page booklet entitled "The Official National Lampoon Hi-Fi Primer," which was a parody of a hi-fi glossary. It included real advertisements from stereo equipment manufacturers.
National Lampoon: Lemmings, a spinoff of the humor magazine National Lampoon, was a 1973 stage show that helped launch the performing careers of John Belushi, Christopher Guest, and Chevy Chase. The show was co-written and co-directed by a number of people including Sean Kelly. The show opened at The Village Gate on January 25, 1973, and ran for 350 performances.
"The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise" is a comedy sketch that first aired on May 29, 1976, during episode 22 of the first season of the NBC variety show, Saturday Night Live. The twelve-minute sketch was written by Michael O'Donoghue during a month-long process consulting with actor John Belushi. The sketch is a satire of the 1969 cancellation of Star Trek. The set design featured an effective replica of the bridge of the USS Enterprise. Dress rehearsal was difficult, with the writer doubting whether Belushi was able to pull off an effective parody of William Shatner's performance as Captain James Kirk. However, the result was a success, and O'Donoghue immediately congratulated Belushi after his performance and reflected that he had perfectly parodied Shatner as Kirk.
Tom Leopold is an American comedy writer, performer, and novelist. He has written episodes of Seinfeld and Cheers, along with several books. Leopold has often been associated with Chevy Chase, Harry Shearer, and Paul Shaffer due to his work with them on various projects. He also provided vocal performances with Jonathan Katz in animated productions for the Internet such as Hey, We're Back and Explosion Bus.
Rachel Leah Bloom is an American actress, comedian, writer, singer, songwriter, and producer. She is best known for co-creating and starring as Rebecca Bunch in The CW musical comedy-drama series Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015–2019), for which she received numerous accolades, including a Golden Globe Award, a TCA Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
