It was April 1980 and the future of Saturday Night Live, which was nearing the end of its fifth season, seemed to be up in the air.
Two of the late-night live comedy sketch show's most popular cast members, Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, had left the previous year to pursue movie careers. Ratings dropped as a result and viewers were less than enamored with the new "not ready for prime time" players Charles Rocket (who infamously dropped the f-bomb on the live show, leading to his dismissal) and Ann Risley who had been hired to fill the openings Aykroyd and Belushi left behind.