It was a proving ground for comedians.
Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Herb Ball/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Mercurial comedian Andy Kaufman can be seen here during SNL‘s first season. Although he wasn’t a cast member, he made a few appearances during the season, starting with the very first episode.
While some of Kaufman’s skits fell flat, one skit — in which he played a foreign man named “Foreign Man” — led to future success. That’s because Kaufman’s character Latka Gravas in Taxi was largely based on Foreign Man.