So my uncle was a prop master and set designer on SNL from 75 to 84, and YES I can confirm, that the grill was real. Powered by a simple barbecue propane tank and not only was Dan really cooking all the "cheeseburger" but my uncle Al and most of the staff decided to eat them in order for them not to go to waste, in fact Bill Murray made mention that the whole studio (8H) smelled like a diner for about another two weeks.
The sketch is based on a real Greek restaurant in Chicago called The Billy Goat Tavern (est. 1934). It's still there, in fact there are 8 of them, now. An SNL writer ate there in 1975 and was inspired to write the sketch based on his actual experiences.
@@DefyantFoxV2 There is no proof "some writer" who he has no name for made a sketch about this restaurant. They probably stole the idea drom S.N.L and said hey let's pretend this is our place.
The most amazing thing about this skit is the set itself. The attention to detail is over the top, nothing left to imagine, it had everything you would expect to see in a diner.
This is my favorite cast. When Chevy Chase left I thought it was a huge loss, but Bill Murray was a great upgrade. The entire Not Ready For Primetime Players got into this skit, and it is still wonderful. RIP Gilda and John.
Bill and John both from Chicago originally John from the western suburbs near Wheaton bill from the north suburbs up near lakeforest the Murray..and everybody that went through second City theater pretty much all hung out at the Billy Goat Tavern next door eating burgers.. unlike John though who character here was supposed to be here for years builds character is supposed to be someone who came recently at the time and hasn't been here long and hasn't learned much English..
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist It's a bit of a recurring theme in Chicago you have a whole lot of these little mom and pop diners selling similar fare almost always they're run by Greeks that's just what I'm picking up on Belushi's accent is he's doing some sort of Mediterranean.
@@SpeedyDePalma that's exactly what I wrote down it is it's a classic take on classic Chicago Greek diners.. but one must also know the history of the famous Billy Goat Tavern too..at 1 Google pretty much will tell you once you Google it the history of it as many years as it's been around and yes indeed has been like that since they started migrating in in the 60s the boom really came on in the early seventies and pretty much has been ever since two other things to know when you're really in an authentic Greek restaurant near Chicago is you will find pink thousand Island dressing always.. and usually Mexicans doing the cooking for the most part nowadays too..and if you called any kind of diners around Chicago and ask for the manager nine times out of 10 is named either going to be Pete or Jimmy lol
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist know what's funny is that it's the same way on the west coast you'll find diners like that but they won't be Greek run instead they're Korean.
All these years later, it's still absolutely mind blowing that all those legends were gathered together as the cast of one show. (I'm including Garrett Morris in that statement as well.)
Even more remarkable is the fact that the eight of them performed (and in some cases, wrote) all the sketches while recents casts have numbered in the 20s.
I love how when Belushi is pointing out everybody eating cheeseburgers and saying "cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger" Dan A. is putting a burger on the grill each time cheeseburger is said, thinking it is new order.
I saw this when it originally aired. I enjoyed the sketch because I really liked the cast. Now, watching it all these decades later, to me that bit is the only actual funny part of the sketch.
The 70s version of the show was the ONLY one worth watching. Once that main crew left, in my opinion, they only ever had 8 decent comedians ever. The show was much funnier when they hammered on both political parties and didn't go full fledge left wing. But again, that's my opinion. I will only watch the 70's and early 80's shows..
@@hectorlopez1069 When John Belushi pointed out in the diner that all had cheeseburger he said it out loud and Dan Akroyd thought that was orders for others. So when the customer finally caved in and ordered a cheeseburger they were "out".
FUN FACT: Dan Aykroyd never used cue cards. He memorized all his lines by Thursday and was ready for Friday night's first run thru. By Saturday afternoon he had memorized everybody else's lines who were in any of his skits.
Back when it was a much smaller operation and you could sort of count on the lines you memorized before Thursday still being in the show Saturday at 11:30.
Used to be a restaurant in our city just like this, and run by a beloved Greek family. They kept up the arguments, banter, etc., as part of their everyday working routine. You went for the atmosphere as much as the food.
Reminds me of one we used to go to on a regular basis.Instead of the usual sandwich on one visit, I ordered the Greek salad. I began eating it and started to almost choke on something chewy. I pulled this big rubber band out of my mouth, the type used to bundle produce. I called the owner over and said, hey look what I found in my salad. He looked straight face at me and said "No extra charge" and walked away.
In the mid/late 70’s me and a couple teenage friends worked at a burger joint called “The Lucky Greek” in Southern California. It was owned by two Greek brothers. We joked with them about the SNL sketch and they watched for weeks until they saw these sketches. We all laughed so hard. They loved it!
Even then, the real heros of SNL were the prop and carpenter crew.. This didn’t exist on Tuesday, and it was fully formed by Saturday, including a working grill..
I love it at 3:41, when Belushi keeps saying "cheeseburger" and Aykroyd is repeating him and is slapping the patties down on the griddle for as many times as he says it!
That’s how some of these old Greek places ran. In my favorite, they called out the orders backwards, in loud gravelly voices! “Cheeburger one, frenchy one”! Each counter guy was paired with a cook in the back, who took only his orders.
I worked in my Greek grandfather’s texas Weiner lunch place when I was 11 mopping floors and cleaning toilets. I got paid in food. That job was my happy place. This skit really was the American Dream for our family. I got to go to Harvard because my grandpa slung burgers & hot dogs over a hot grill coming to America. I love this skit.
God bless you and your family, brother. My father started one of the most successful chain of steakhouses in British Columbia history. I have three university degrees because of that hard. Now I run a real estate portfolio that extends to San Antonio. Very best to you and your family. We learned right.
My German American grandfather owned a lunch spot in midtown Manhattan in the 20s, 30s, 40s. Believe it or not, it was also a Tammany connected election day voting spot. LOL…those days are long gone.
This sketch takes me back to my own youth growing up in east end Toronto , there where dozens of small restaurants owned by hard working Greek families . Incredibly hard working and dedicated people with the sole intent of making a better life for their kids than they had .
Love when Belushi is pointing out all the "Cheezeborgers" to the guy who wanted eggs and Aykroyd is slapping down burger patties every time Belushi shouts "Cheezeborger" to the guy😂😂😂😂 nice visual gag that tends to get overlooked!
This skit always reminds me of a former co-worker - we used to go to this local burger joint and he would order a turkey melt, and they would always angrily refuse to make him one b/c it wasn't on the menu. He'd point out that they had both a turkey sandwich and grilled cheese, so they had all the ingredients and if you can make a grilled cheese you can easily make a turkey melt, but this never convinced them. This went on for over a year until one day we walked in and the owner booms out "Bill! Today is your lucky day! I will make you... a turkey melt!"
@@sq7238 you have to stay persistent now bill will always go back to the resturant for a turkey melt and so will new customers. a win win situation all from one guy who stayed on top of the task
@@jovanyalaniz8642 thats exactly my point, why’d the restaurant deserve Bills business if they couldn’t be bothered to accommodate à the simplest request ?? Of course the restaurants going to be a happy camper with a loyal customer, but when (before finally agreeing to make the Turkey melts, ofc) did they put in the work to make Bill a loyal customer ??
As someone who's worked taking orders, the amount of times I've had to shut down people who ask for Coke and tell them we have Pepsi is pretty much perfectly represented here.
I always ask for C O L A. I think folks say coke as a generic term. Like Q TIPS for cotton swabs and Kleenex For facial tissue etc. Before the coke Pepsi marketing was Noone cared what kind of cola they were served. There were hundreds of regional andocal brands all over the USA.
My boss just walked through the room and he saw my screen before I could minimize the window...he just looked at me and said, "Chee-bugga chee-bugga chee-bugga!" True story.
I hope they didn't waste those burgers. I wonder if they fed the audience? Or, the rest of the crew? In any case, I've always loved these Olympia Diner skits!
@@davidpatrickcox3004 According to some people who claim to have been there, the cast and crew didn’t let the burgers go to waste and enjoyed them after the show.
@@nathanlovik1753 Not to anyone with a sense of humor. But seriously, everyone's different regarding what they think is funny. I know there are/were a lot of people that would disagree with you.
@@DrStephenStrange I mean the joke is that they only serve cheeseburgers? And it took 4 minutes to communicate that "joke"? I know my dad loved this skit too, and all these people went on to make actually funny stuff, but god damn there must not have been a lot of good comedy around in the 70s if this was considered a "classic" skit.
This is a real place in Chicago. It’s called the Billygoat Tavern. I was there in the late 1990s. You won’t see it when you come to the address; it’s down a set of stairs to the underground world of Chicago. Photographs of local celebrities line the wall on the right. They have Coke, no Pepsi, chips, no fries. Order three cheeseburgers and the man at the counter shouts over his shoulder “Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!” The man at the grill yells back “Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!“ The cheeseburgers are pretty good. 🍔🍔🍔
@@trafficsignal101 The Billy Goat was founded in the 30's. Belushi grew up in Chicago and met Akyroyd while they were both living there. The OP is right: this sketch was inspired by the Billy Goat.
If anyone is ever in Chicago and wants to go to the place that inspired the skit it is called the Billy Goat Tavern. There’s locations on Madison, lower Michigan, at Navy pier, and at the airport. The owners are really nice and they have the best burgers ever.
I am kinda blown away by the acting. Also, the set and the writing itself. This seems to be way better than all the other snl skits I've seen from this era.
Why do we always hold them up on a pedestal never to be taken down? instead we should be looking towards the next generation of people that can be just as good as them!
Even a simple scene like that shows the amazing talent this show had during this era. They nailed it perfectly -- even the accents. You felt like you were an actual patron in this highly dysfunctional diner.
That was all Belushi. This character is based on his father, an Albanian who immigrated to Canada and opened....wait for it....a diner. John worked there as a kid. He basically studied for this character his whole life. EDIT: Chicago, not Canada (that was the other Blues Brother) and while his dad did have a diner named, "Olympia", this was based on a Chicago diner, and the character was based on his uncle who ran a food cart in North Chicago. My bad. 🙂
@@obi-potobi790 I think that's bc the original cast were the only ones allowed to fully improvise scenes. After the original cast left, Lorne left too for four years ('80-'84) which is when, under Dick Ebersol, the modern format of writing and scripting, using cue cards, etc. became the norm. When Lorne returned, he stuck to the new format, which has great moments, but does lack the energy and general over the top craziness of eg Gilda's monologues as a little kid (Amy Pohler's "Rick Rick Rick!" comes close), or Belushi's Weekend Update reports.
Last time I flew threw Chicago O'Hare, I got some food from one place that had a sign that had "Olympia Cafe"/ "Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!" on it. I couldn't stop laughing
The sets they used with actual working grill and the diner look, counter etc... Those were classic yrs, and I got to see them first hand, SNL was in a class on own.
3:04 Him grabbing ice with his hands and stuffing it in the drink got no audible reaction from the audience because this was acceptable in 1978. In 2020 it's the biggest laugh in the sketch
I miss the old Greek run coneys in Detroit. These guys never wrote anything down, orders were always right and food arrived about ten seconds after you ordered it.
Neil Yaremchuk And they charge you almost nothing, and you get a ton of food. I love those places. I try to get down to Lafayette every chance I get. Otherwise, Leo’s is a great substitute.
@@CrowTRobot-ni7zu Nowadays, I just stick with Red Hots Coney Island in Highland Park. One of the last places that makes their own chili while everyone else just buys it from National.
@@neilyaremchuk6798 Or if you ever in the NYC area, go to Nathan's famous Restaurant in Coney Island, NY. Home of the famous Hot Dog Eating Contest shown on ESPN on July 4 for years now.
Back in the day people could smoke on the job. I've worked with old construction and industrial workers who told me how they used to drink beers at lunch and even on the job
In high school (the 70’s) I worked in the meat dept of a ma and pa grocery store. The head meat cutter, a WWII vet, had a cigarette either in his mouth or on the corner of the cutting table all day. When we swept the floors at closing time the store floor was littered with cig butts from customers.
Chip White “...poked fun at both sides”? Well that certainly isn’t the case this century. How many clever SNL political skits do you remember during the Obama years? It was ‘hands off’.
For anyone not aware, this was based on a legendary Chicago joint, Billy Goat Tavern. They used to have solely burgers, chips and Pepsi. Now they have more items but my god the cheeseburgers were soooo good. And they ran their counter back then just like this, lol.
I'll never forget my one visit there about 14 years ago. A friend ordered first to purposefully upset the older guy taking orders by ordering a coke and fries, so that our other friend behind him was extra intimidated. The second friend never got the two burgers he ordered and was too afraid to ask about it.
@@rossjones5741 I think the old 'news commentary' bits he did were utterly hilarious. Watching him slowly transform from a perfectly normal commentator into a raving lunatic. I loved him as Bluto in Animal House, too. For instance: ua-cam.com/video/q7vtWB4owdE/v-deo.html
Still to this day remember watching that live. The '70s was Saturday night live could not be beat. The best comedians the funniest skits and the best music. You will never top it!
What would be more impressive is if you watch any on SNL in the 70s which was *NOT* live, lol. Because that would have required owning a super rare/expensive vhs or beta machine
Yep! Great place I’ve gone there many times. Also another fun fact the family that owns the Billy Goat Tavern is the Sianis family which is the same family that put the infamous Billy Goat curse on the Cubs
Describe anything truthfully about 'Billy Goat', besides it being in Chicago! You have a "shot & a beer" and a corned beef & Swiss! Fries, no chips! How about "Millers Pub" or the "Blackhawk" or the "Golden Ox". The "Billy Goat" was renowned for being a hangout for mainly newspaper reporters and editors, and cops! Mike Royko, Bill Veeck at Millers, he had his own designated corner barstool! Dem days are long gone! Fibbers!
I don't know why the Greeks had diners all over Chicago but some of the best food anywhere. Gyros and eggs for breakfast, good hangover cure and if you ate before you went to bed after a long night, good hangover preventer.
I haven't seen anything so funny in a long time!!! My parents are Greek but I was raised in the UK. We also had a fast food joint and all the mannerisms really hit home. Jon Belushi, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd all play it great!! I love it when Jon Belushi hits Bill Murray with the menu, I love it when Bill Murray nods his head not understanding the customer and I love how Dan Aykroyd is casually smoking a cigarette whilst making the burgers. I'll have to watch all the late 70's early 80s SNL skits. Too funny.
How awesome was John Belushi? Starring in the number one television show starring in the number one movie singing on the number one single on both the rock and blues charts as well as the number one album on both the rock and blues charts all at the same time that's how awesome he was
Cheeburga Cheeburga Cheeburga. Petsi Petsi Petsi. Cheep Cheep Cheep. I love this skit. I watched this the night that they aired this episode. I was 13 yrs old. Good memories!
It’s a combination of the restaurant that John’s dad had, and The Billy Goat tavern in Chicago where Belushi, Don Novello and many other Second City people hung out.
At 3:36 when John Belushi is pointing out to a customer how everyone in the diner has ordered a cheeseburger and Dan Aykroyd repeats what he says as he's putting meat on the grill thinking that it's another order!
@@willard2729 agree... i don´t know how this show could be that big at that time with all those silly and stupid sketches... i guess everybody was drunk or high in the mid 70's !
I miss this classic humor the stuff today can't compare to the classics! Telling a story, setting up dialogue and characters everything works and the comedy comes naturally. This is what SNL spirit is about. Wish they have all SNL seasons on dvd.
my friend asked me how do you have a funeral for someone that dies from drugs refering to Whitney Houston. shit its the same no matter the cause noone mentions the cancer, car accident, shooting you speak up the uplifting parts of life. if they actually knew the person then you know what happened
So my uncle was a prop master and set designer on SNL from 75 to 84, and YES I can confirm, that the grill was real. Powered by a simple barbecue propane tank and not only was Dan really cooking all the "cheeseburger" but my uncle Al and most of the staff decided to eat them in order for them not to go to waste, in fact Bill Murray made mention that the whole studio (8H) smelled like a diner for about another two weeks.
Did your uncle know Frank Sabino, one of the props/wardrobe guys from that era?
Your uncle must have known Joe Dicso, the stage manager.
@@waynegoin5534 which part?
This is awesome. Thanks for sharing
This is a little gem of a comment
The sketch is based on a real Greek restaurant in Chicago called The Billy Goat Tavern (est. 1934). It's still there, in fact there are 8 of them, now. An SNL writer ate there in 1975 and was inspired to write the sketch based on his actual experiences.
Oh bullshit
It’s true. I went there years ago. As soon as you walk in, they ask you, “Cheeseburger?” And the cheeseburgers are not that great.
@@newspeak30000 I don't remember asking you anything.
@@user-pq6mr6op3p as someone from Chicago I can confirm this is true...and the burgers are ok the best one was Billy boys
@@DefyantFoxV2 There is no proof "some writer" who he has no name for made a sketch about this restaurant. They probably stole the idea drom S.N.L and said hey let's pretend this is our place.
The most amazing thing about this skit is the set itself. The attention to detail is over the top, nothing left to imagine, it had everything you would expect to see in a diner.
I can smell the food from here!
Inspired by the Billy Goat Tavern, Chicago, IL. See today's "Pearls Before Swine."
@@wrwallpi and 100 other places
One in Carlisle pa since 1930s
Lies again? Funny Or Stupid
@owl1873 The only exception is Billy Goats was on lower Wacker Drive. There was no sunlight coming through those windows!! 😁
This is my favorite cast. When Chevy Chase left I thought it was a huge loss, but Bill Murray was a great upgrade. The entire Not Ready For Primetime Players got into this skit, and it is still wonderful. RIP Gilda and John.
Murray was FAR more versatile than Chase. The show only got better.
Chase for Murray was the best trade in the history of trades. Chase is one of the most overrated comedians of all time. Murray is a comedic genius.
Hello I'm Chevy Chase and you're not !
@@lifeinsuranceman Chase always had issues with Murray and was a pain to work with after he left SNL (from what I've heard)
t was that kentucky bluegrass/northern california sinsemilla hybrid they smoked
I like how Belushi slam dunks ice into the Pepsi with his bare hands and Gilda just casually drinks it anyway 😂
That's how things were back then... Hands are just fine.
Ah yes, times when you washed hands in the bathroom maybe once or twice a week, when you..... Yeah thanks George Carlin for that image. 😄
We played it fast and loose back then!
*_THEY WERE BANGING IN REAL LIFE._*
@@PomazeBog1389 ewwwwww
I really want a cheeseburger, chips, and a Pepsi now
Pessi 😎
ME TOO!
Actually, I really want fries with it, but I know there's no fries. Chips.
I want eggs now.
Not at THAT diner! But these comedians/actors, were ARE SUPERLATIVE.
Bill Murray doing the best foreign guy not understanding a word of English is classic.
Bill and John both from Chicago originally John from the western suburbs near Wheaton bill from the north suburbs up near lakeforest the Murray..and everybody that went through second City theater pretty much all hung out at the Billy Goat Tavern next door eating burgers.. unlike John though who character here was supposed to be here for years builds character is supposed to be someone who came recently at the time and hasn't been here long and hasn't learned much English..
I agree, this is defiantly one of the best SNL skits Bill Murray was in. Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi were in top form as well.
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist It's a bit of a recurring theme in Chicago you have a whole lot of these little mom and pop diners selling similar fare almost always they're run by Greeks that's just what I'm picking up on Belushi's accent is he's doing some sort of Mediterranean.
@@SpeedyDePalma that's exactly what I wrote down it is it's a classic take on classic Chicago Greek diners.. but one must also know the history of the famous Billy Goat Tavern too..at 1 Google pretty much will tell you once you Google it the history of it as many years as it's been around and yes indeed has been like that since they started migrating in in the 60s the boom really came on in the early seventies and pretty much has been ever since two other things to know when you're really in an authentic Greek restaurant near Chicago is you will find pink thousand Island dressing always.. and usually Mexicans doing the cooking for the most part nowadays too..and if you called any kind of diners around Chicago and ask for the manager nine times out of 10 is named either going to be Pete or Jimmy lol
@@truckerkevthepaidtourist know what's funny is that it's the same way on the west coast you'll find diners like that but they won't be Greek run instead they're Korean.
All these years later, it's still absolutely mind blowing that all those legends were gathered together as the cast of one show. (I'm including Garrett Morris in that statement as well.)
Robert Klein, too.
Was thinking the same thing, was epic, good old days
For sure, Gilda and John too. Very early days.
they weren't legends at the time. the work they did made them legends,but point well taken.
Even more remarkable is the fact that the eight of them performed (and in some cases, wrote) all the sketches while recents casts have numbered in the 20s.
I love how when Belushi is pointing out everybody eating cheeseburgers and saying "cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger" Dan A. is putting a burger on the grill each time cheeseburger is said, thinking it is new order.
Yeah, that's kinda the punchline of the skit....
Oh yeah that’s why he said there was no more. Lol but he was like “whelp I’ll just make eggs” lol
Dummy me didn’t even catch that 🙃🤣😁
Made me go and replay that part to double-check yes. Yeah that was funny as heck.
I saw this when it originally aired. I enjoyed the sketch because I really liked the cast. Now, watching it all these decades later, to me that bit is the only actual funny part of the sketch.
Belushi, Aykroyd and Murray in the same square meter. What a legendary scene!
Oh yes for the 70s
A famous Chicago cast
Yeah, you leave out Gilda Radner
SNL was required TV viewing on Saturday nights in the 70's! The early years of SNL are comedy gold!!!!
That's why I have the first five seasons on DVD.
Absolutely!!
What time did SNL air back in the 70s?
We used to have a watch party every Saturday night lot of booze and weed good times for sure
The 70s version of the show was the ONLY one worth watching. Once that main crew left, in my opinion, they only ever had 8 decent comedians ever. The show was much funnier when they hammered on both political parties and didn't go full fledge left wing. But again, that's my opinion. I will only watch the 70's and early 80's shows..
When the burgers run out, the eggs become accessible
No hamburger , no cheeseburger , NO BURGER
Achievement unlocked: Scramble Eggs
I still see burgers and patties on the grill, they haven't run out.
I wonder if Jane could get that tuna then?
@@hectorlopez1069 When John Belushi pointed out in the diner that all had cheeseburger he said it out loud and Dan Akroyd thought that was orders for others. So when the customer finally caved in and ordered a cheeseburger they were "out".
I always lose it when Murry is just nodding his head at the customer like he understands. "Cheeseburger?!"
And then the long nod like "ahh, yes" when he explains how he wants them over lightly
He actually looks about terrified, as appropriate.
Don't forget, he's a little touched in the head,like most of us.
FUN FACT: Dan Aykroyd never used cue cards. He memorized all his lines by Thursday and was ready for Friday night's first run thru. By Saturday afternoon he had memorized everybody else's lines who were in any of his skits.
Really? He remembered to say cheeseburger in this skit with no cue cards? What talent!
Back when it was a much smaller operation and you could sort of count on the lines you memorized before Thursday still being in the show Saturday at 11:30.
Score one for the Canadian education system.
I wish the recent SNL casts would actually learn lines...the cue card eye looks are terrible and makes it less funny
Reminds me of when Will Smith memorised everyone's lines in Fresh prince of Bel air
Used to be a restaurant in our city just like this, and run by a beloved Greek family. They kept up the arguments, banter, etc., as part of their everyday working routine. You went for the atmosphere as much as the food.
Reminds me of one we used to go to on a regular basis.Instead of the usual sandwich on one visit, I ordered the Greek salad. I began eating it and started to almost choke on something chewy. I pulled this big rubber band out of my mouth, the type used to bundle produce. I called the owner over and said, hey look what I found in my salad. He looked straight face at me and said "No extra charge" and walked away.
In the mid/late 70’s me and a couple teenage friends worked at a burger joint called “The Lucky Greek” in Southern California. It was owned by two Greek brothers. We joked with them about the SNL sketch and they watched for weeks until they saw these sketches. We all laughed so hard. They loved it!
“Sausage, eggs- over lightly, a large orange juice, and a coffee.”
“Cheeseburger?!”
😂😂😂
'NO SAUSAGE, CHEEZBORGER! NO EGGS, CHEEZBORGER! NO JUICE, PEPSI! NO COFFEE, PEPSI! NEXT!' (Gives & charges for 2 cheeseburgers and two Pepsis).
chickEN sandWICH?
@@KairuHakubi Lol Goobacks on Southpark! I'll respond Simpsons style. No sadwich, only Khlav Kalash!
Cheeborger
Comedy gold
Amusing how they were cooking real burgers in this skit.
Jorge Rodriguez
And then they eat it
Even then, the real heros of SNL were the prop and carpenter crew.. This didn’t exist on Tuesday, and it was fully formed by Saturday, including a working grill..
You like the juice
real pepsi too. Lol.
I just Noticed that!
I love it at 3:41, when Belushi keeps saying "cheeseburger" and Aykroyd is repeating him and is slapping the patties down on the griddle for as many times as he says it!
and yet he keeps saying no burger...?
That’s how some of these old Greek places ran. In my favorite, they called out the orders backwards, in loud gravelly voices!
“Cheeburger one, frenchy one”!
Each counter guy was paired with a cook in the back, who took only his orders.
@@JBigjake wow thats some system....
@@jessiejames7492 well they ran out because he kept putting them on the grill.
And so then they could make eggs.
@@andyskeels8539 i understand .
When the cast of SNL was so talented they could entertain by just saying cheeseburger over and over
Well, actually it was ‘chee booga’. 😂
And Pepsi......no Coke
real comedy
My mother loved this skit
@@bullwinklemoose8291 WWwwrroong! It was CHEEZE-BOYGAH. What country are YOU from?
I worked in my Greek grandfather’s texas Weiner lunch place when I was 11 mopping floors and cleaning toilets. I got paid in food. That job was my happy place. This skit really was the American Dream for our family. I got to go to Harvard because my grandpa slung burgers & hot dogs over a hot grill coming to America. I love this skit.
Very Cool! Just randomly got here. But you're awesome man!
God bless you and your family, brother. My father started one of the most successful chain of steakhouses in British Columbia history. I have three university degrees because of that hard. Now I run a real estate portfolio that extends to San Antonio. Very best to you and your family. We learned right.
VE RI TAS.
My German American grandfather owned a lunch spot in midtown Manhattan in the 20s, 30s, 40s. Believe it or not, it was also a Tammany connected election day voting spot. LOL…those days are long gone.
This sketch takes me back to my own youth growing up in east end Toronto , there where dozens of small restaurants owned by hard working Greek families . Incredibly hard working and dedicated people with the sole intent of making a better life for their kids than they had .
I love how he's really making hamburgers
No hamburgers!
Cheeseburger!
That was my first thought when the video started. A working grill on set? That's dedication
@RedneckSpaceMan Cheezeborger! I would love to be at the Billy Goat this fine Friday afternoon!
Bill Murray used to be a short order cook. He knows how it is done.
probably the best prop in SNL history perhaps.
Say what you will, their ability to keep up with cheeseburgers and pepsi's was damn impressive.
i didnt get that the first time i saw it. ackroyd nailed it on every cheeseburger one went on the grill and ran out exactly on cue.
Love when Belushi is pointing out all the "Cheezeborgers" to the guy who wanted eggs and Aykroyd is slapping down burger patties every time Belushi shouts "Cheezeborger" to the guy😂😂😂😂 nice visual gag that tends to get overlooked!
Comedy gold
I noticed…
This skit always reminds me of a former co-worker - we used to go to this local burger joint and he would order a turkey melt, and they would always angrily refuse to make him one b/c it wasn't on the menu. He'd point out that they had both a turkey sandwich and grilled cheese, so they had all the ingredients and if you can make a grilled cheese you can easily make a turkey melt, but this never convinced them. This went on for over a year until one day we walked in and the owner booms out "Bill! Today is your lucky day! I will make you... a turkey melt!"
If I were "Bill", I'd have said, "nah...I'll just have a cheeseburger"... just to fu@k with him....
Why’d he keep going after one year being refused a simple turkey melt?
@@sq7238 you have to stay persistent now bill will always go back to the resturant for a turkey melt and so will new customers. a win win situation all from one guy who stayed on top of the task
@@jovanyalaniz8642 thats exactly my point, why’d the restaurant deserve Bills business if they couldn’t be bothered to accommodate à the simplest request ?? Of course the restaurants going to be a happy camper with a loyal customer, but when (before finally agreeing to make the Turkey melts, ofc) did they put in the work to make Bill a loyal customer ??
@@sq7238 Good Point.
As someone who's worked taking orders, the amount of times I've had to shut down people who ask for Coke and tell them we have Pepsi is pretty much perfectly represented here.
Does shut down mean shut up....Pepsi ugh ! Coca cola is the real thing
@@hilaryapril7043 if u can’t accept Pepsi instead of coke u must be a white woman
I always ask for C O L A. I think folks say coke as a generic term. Like Q TIPS for cotton swabs and Kleenex For facial tissue etc. Before the coke Pepsi marketing was Noone cared what kind of cola they were served. There were hundreds of regional andocal brands all over the USA.
Pepsi sucks.
@@rockymypug Irrelevant.
bill murray was already old when he was young
It's the mustache.
A younger Robert Klein.
I love watching the original cast together again. Thank you.
I purchased the first five seasons over 10+ years ago. I'm ready for the 50th Anniversary in 2025!
The Not Ready For Prime Time Players.
I saw this on a Saturday night TV, live, it was from New York.
(Chase tumbles)
My boss just walked through the room and he saw my screen before I could minimize the window...he just looked at me and said, "Chee-bugga chee-bugga chee-bugga!" True story.
You must really be Phil Collins with your obsession of cheeseburgers
How fun could that have been!
@ben gib you don't know my boss
Mustard Tiger
Coolest boss ever
“We’re all out of hamburgers. However, we do have cheeseburgers”
if you ordered a cheeseburger without cheese, they would probably have a brain aneurysm.
No bourgie! No cheesebourgie, no hambourgie, no bourgie!
I would've died in that audience smelling the good smell of fresh cheeseburgers grilling and pessi! Lol
I hope they didn't waste those burgers. I wonder if they fed the audience? Or, the rest of the crew? In any case, I've always loved these Olympia Diner skits!
@@davidpatrickcox3004
According to some people who claim to have been there, the cast and crew didn’t let the burgers go to waste and enjoyed them after the show.
My goodness. Just look at all the comic talent contained in just that one sketch!
And despite this it still manages to NOT be funny. Classic SNL was massively overrated.
@@nathanlovik1753 Not to anyone with a sense of humor.
But seriously, everyone's different regarding what they think is funny.
I know there are/were a lot of people that would disagree with you.
@@DrStephenStrange I mean the joke is that they only serve cheeseburgers? And it took 4 minutes to communicate that "joke"? I know my dad loved this skit too, and all these people went on to make actually funny stuff, but god damn there must not have been a lot of good comedy around in the 70s if this was considered a "classic" skit.
This is a real place in Chicago. It’s called the Billygoat Tavern. I was there in the late 1990s. You won’t see it when you come to the address; it’s down a set of stairs to the underground world of Chicago. Photographs of local celebrities line the wall on the right. They have Coke, no Pepsi, chips, no fries. Order three cheeseburgers and the man at the counter shouts over his shoulder “Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!” The man at the grill yells back “Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!“ The cheeseburgers are pretty good.
🍔🍔🍔
This scene was inspired by John Belushis dads place.
The first episode was in the late 70's. I was still in Jr. high school. The Billy Goat Tavern must have stole the idea.
@@trafficsignal101 The Billy Goat was founded in the 30's. Belushi grew up in Chicago and met Akyroyd while they were both living there. The OP is right: this sketch was inspired by the Billy Goat.
There are a couple Billy Goats...I think the original is down the stairs below Michigan Avenue, but there's also one on the other side of the Loop.
All true
If anyone is ever in Chicago and wants to go to the place that inspired the skit it is called the Billy Goat Tavern. There’s locations on Madison, lower Michigan, at Navy pier, and at the airport. The owners are really nice and they have the best burgers ever.
that is AWESOME!!!!!
Which airport? There are 2 in Chicago
@@adzisme ORD.
Just went by accident this past weekend!! Really good - most affordable meal in all of Chicago!
With the amount they make I would certainly hope so
Gilda: "I'll have the usual." John: "Cheeseburger!" Cracked me up.
I am kinda blown away by the acting. Also, the set and the writing itself. This seems to be way better than all the other snl skits I've seen from this era.
Couldn't have said it better
"Chiz boigah... No Coke, PEPsi..No fry, cheeps."
No laughs
In homage this skit people srill remember that line today
I like the part where he said "cheeseburger".
tojiroh Can you give me a time stamp? I can’t find it.
I like the Pepsi
Correction "cheeberger" lol
@@namk19 Pecsi!
Yeah, I noticed that too, it was pretty cool.
Classic, total classic! Talk about a powerhouse of talent. The first era of SNL will NEVER be matched!!
The crew of the late 80's and early 90's was pretty talented. The Bad Boys of SNL Sandler,Spade,Carvey,Myers just to name a few
Amen brother
@@waylontassone8732 Don't forget about Farley.
Why do we always hold them up on a pedestal never to be taken down? instead we should be looking towards the next generation of people that can be just as good as them!
@@waylontassone8732 Both groups were great, as shown by their movie careers.
45 Years Later and it's still Funny as Hell...Real Talent Back Then...!!!
Talent like this no longer exists because the Left outlawed humor.
DAMN RIGHT!!! 👍😃
Even a simple scene like that shows the amazing talent this show had during this era. They nailed it perfectly -- even the accents. You felt like you were an actual patron in this highly dysfunctional diner.
Aw, it's a classic joint here, we still love it.
That was all Belushi. This character is based on his father, an Albanian who immigrated to Canada and opened....wait for it....a diner. John worked there as a kid.
He basically studied for this character his whole life.
EDIT: Chicago, not Canada (that was the other Blues Brother) and while his dad did have a diner named, "Olympia", this was based on a Chicago diner, and the character was based on his uncle who ran a food cart in North Chicago.
My bad. 🙂
Crazy that SNL has been going for so many years and this is still deemed to be the best cast.
@@obi-potobi790 I think that's bc the original cast were the only ones allowed to fully improvise scenes. After the original cast left, Lorne left too for four years ('80-'84) which is when, under Dick Ebersol, the modern format of writing and scripting, using cue cards, etc. became the norm. When Lorne returned, he stuck to the new format, which has great moments, but does lack the energy and general over the top craziness of eg Gilda's monologues as a little kid (Amy Pohler's "Rick Rick Rick!" comes close), or Belushi's Weekend Update reports.
So there was a time when SNL was not about Donald Trump?
Last time I flew threw Chicago O'Hare, I got some food from one place that had a sign that had "Olympia Cafe"/ "Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger! Cheeseburger!" on it. I couldn't stop laughing
iammontecristo *through
Still funnyburger
iammontecristo Aah the Billy Goat Tavern at OHare.
So, whatdya order, cheeseburger? Pepsi?
No. Frickin. Way!
The sets they used with actual working grill and the diner look, counter etc...
Those were classic yrs, and I got to see them first hand, SNL was in a class on own.
Went to the Billy Goat tavern last night and it was one of the best burgers i’ve ever had along with the nicest cook i have ever met!
I ordered a single burger at the Billy Goat and the guy said "No singles today, only doubles and triples." So I had a double and it was great!!
But it's no pepsi, coke.
3:04 Him grabbing ice with his hands and stuffing it in the drink got no audible reaction from the audience because this was acceptable in 1978. In 2020 it's the biggest laugh in the sketch
It wasn't the biggest laugh 🙄
also, smoking
Ice grab @ 1:51
It is still acceptable in most countries . Most countries are lucky to have the means for ice . Nice to be in the top 1% and worry about such things
@@bobzelley5100 at least you're outwardly appreciative of your privileged status anyway
I remember this skit, watched it live. So many classic cast members. 👍
I miss the old Greek run coneys in Detroit. These guys never wrote anything down, orders were always right and food arrived about ten seconds after you ordered it.
Neil Yaremchuk And they charge you almost nothing, and you get a ton of food. I love those places. I try to get down to Lafayette every chance I get. Otherwise, Leo’s is a great substitute.
@@CrowTRobot-ni7zu Nowadays, I just stick with Red Hots Coney Island in Highland Park. One of the last places that makes their own chili while everyone else just buys it from National.
Neil Yaremchuk I’ll have to try that place sometime.
And a ice cold Vernors or Faygo pop
@@neilyaremchuk6798 Or if you ever in the NYC area, go to Nathan's famous Restaurant in Coney Island, NY. Home of the famous Hot Dog Eating Contest shown on ESPN on July 4 for years now.
I am so happy I passed through the years of SNL when these comedians were the ones.
Hashtag METOO…..in a good way 😉🤪😅🤣
@@phyllisanngodfrey6137 Yes, and don't forget Chevy Chase too!
You mean: when it was funny.
Yup.
That's why I have the first five seasons on DVD!
I remember this skit triggered the munchies every time! Pepsi surely got plenty of publicity
Smoking cigarettes and flipping burgers
Back in the day people could smoke on the job. I've worked with old construction and industrial workers who told me how they used to drink beers at lunch and even on the job
In high school (the 70’s) I worked in the meat dept of a ma and pa grocery store. The head meat cutter, a WWII vet, had a cigarette either in his mouth or on the corner of the cutting table all day. When we swept the floors at closing time the store floor was littered with cig butts from customers.
I think it's a toothpick in his mouth, though
έτσι όπως πρέπει.
God miss yhe day when people wasnt pussy pansy’s
Thats the best snl crew ever the original not ready for prime time players
Late ‘80’s/early ‘90’s cast most talented.
Get over it
@@briangenthner5500 oh trust me we are over it
@Dire Straits whoa there cheech im not a liberal jesus they were funny and poked fun at both sides,nobody was safe from their humor
Chip White “...poked fun at both sides”? Well that certainly isn’t the case this century. How many clever SNL political skits do you remember during the Obama years? It was ‘hands off’.
For anyone not aware, this was based on a legendary Chicago joint, Billy Goat Tavern. They used to have solely burgers, chips and Pepsi. Now they have more items but my god the cheeseburgers were soooo good. And they ran their counter back then just like this, lol.
I can testify that the burgers are still just as good
I'll never forget my one visit there about 14 years ago. A friend ordered first to purposefully upset the older guy taking orders by ordering a coke and fries, so that our other friend behind him was extra intimidated. The second friend never got the two burgers he ordered and was too afraid to ask about it.
@@DoomPlague they're used to that but I'm sure they also find it annoying sometimes. People have done that ever since they opened, hence the sketch.
@@flickmonger87 and cheap :) Yep, the atmosphere adds a lot, but I always return when visiting Chicago.
@catherineshaw1122 NOT TRUE. the lunchroom is based on the one John's father ran in a west side factory.
More talent in this one scene than we’ve seen on Saturday Night Live in the past 10 years.
only 10?
don't see it
...the time that SNL DIDN'T suck!!!
The best and funniest cast ever for SNL, nothing like Belushi, Akroyd, Radner, Curtin and the skits and comedic timing
90s was way better
Nope@@bradsanders407
Anybody remember Belushi singing as Joe Cocker....along side Joe Cocker? If that memory didn't make you smile...your sense of humor has 0 pulse lol.
I remember Belushi's imitation of Cocker while singing with him. His weird arm movements and mannerisms were comedy gold.
I remember a LOT of the old SNL. You know, when it was ACTUALLY funny.
I mainly remember John Bulishi as one of the Blues brothers. All golden comedy.
@@rossjones5741 I think the old 'news commentary' bits he did were utterly hilarious. Watching him slowly transform from a perfectly normal commentator into a raving lunatic. I loved him as Bluto in Animal House, too.
For instance:
ua-cam.com/video/q7vtWB4owdE/v-deo.html
Yes I remember how unfunny that skit was too.
Still to this day remember watching that live. The '70s was Saturday night live could not be beat. The best comedians the funniest skits and the best music. You will never top it!
The ‘70s……the last great decade.
What would be more impressive is if you watch any on SNL in the 70s which was *NOT* live, lol. Because that would have required owning a super rare/expensive vhs or beta machine
It never gets old 😂
True comedy from some of the best. This cast was truly hysterical.
Fact: The Restaurant is real. It’s in Chicago. It’s Called Billy Goat Tavern
I'm there
It's Loosly based On the Billy Goat Tavern....But John's father had a Arminia restaurant. So He mix both into this skit.
My parents met when my Mother worked at The Billy Goat Tavern.
Yep! Great place I’ve gone there many times. Also another fun fact the family that owns the Billy Goat Tavern is the Sianis family which is the same family that put the infamous Billy Goat curse on the Cubs
Not a fan of it because their buns are so big the meat to bread ratio is fucked. You have to get the triple cheeseburger just to make it even.
That’s my type of restaurant, nothing but cheese burgers, Pepsi, and chips. Love the classic SNL.
Avalanche Fan Breakfast of champions
When sodas were made with sugar and weren't weighted down with all that high fructose corn syrup.
Then stop by the Billy Goat Tavern if youre ever in Chicago. Thats the place the skit is based on.
if they run out of cheeseburgers you can get eggs too - you just have to be patient
That is epic, Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray and John Belushi oh and Gilda Radner..so young at that time and to see them in their element and prime...wow
I watched this every week when I was a teenager. One of the best casts ever
Imagine being in the studio & smelling those burgers - just watching this is making me hungry
The Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago
That’s it! Been there!
Yep, Billy Goat Tavern. Been there. Even ordered a coke because I forgot. They corrected me.
Describe anything truthfully about 'Billy Goat', besides it being in Chicago! You have a "shot & a beer" and a corned beef & Swiss! Fries, no chips! How about "Millers Pub" or the "Blackhawk" or the "Golden Ox". The "Billy Goat" was renowned for being a hangout for mainly newspaper reporters and editors, and cops! Mike Royko, Bill Veeck at Millers, he had his own designated corner barstool! Dem days are long gone! Fibbers!
@@Dan-ge1pz they serve Coke not Pepsi at the Billygoat. I ate lunch there today.
The elderly original owner gave me a free cheezborger on my birthday at the taste of Chicago.
This holds up so well over the years -always brings a smile
I don't know why the Greeks had diners all over Chicago but some of the best food anywhere. Gyros and eggs for breakfast, good hangover cure and if you ate before you went to bed after a long night, good hangover preventer.
So true. Billy Goats is still going strong, which this was based on, but we lost many others, like the Melrose. The under 40 crowd don't get diners.
What a trip! I realized when I saw this back in the day that it was incredible because they were actually cooking hamburgers on a live TV set.
I bet those hamburgers were delicious. From Ms. Harper Stacey.
I love this sketch. I return to watch it like once a year. Always makes me smile.
The first year of Saturday night live was the best. From Ms. Harper Stacey.
I watch it every 22.7 years, and thats too much.
The look of confusion from my 7 year old whenever I quote this sketch at a diner is priceless.
cheezeburger, cheezeburger, cheezeburger, two pepsi, one chips; these guys were ahead of their time...
No they weren't. It was funny then and now.
Pecsi!
Carr Rexx Only you’re not allowed to laugh.
Spam?
How exactly is that ahead of their time?
Am I the only one impressed at how all out they went with the diner props
About damn time they put this video back on UA-cam for a while it was gone
How a premise so simple has stood the test of time and remained funny.......
I haven't seen anything so funny in a long time!!! My parents are Greek but I was raised in the UK. We also had a fast food joint and all the mannerisms really hit home. Jon Belushi, Bill Murray and Dan Aykroyd all play it great!! I love it when Jon Belushi hits Bill Murray with the menu, I love it when Bill Murray nods his head not understanding the customer and I love how Dan Aykroyd is casually smoking a cigarette whilst making the burgers. I'll have to watch all the late 70's early 80s SNL skits. Too funny.
"No eggs. Cheeseburger."My favorite era of SNL.
I’m
Ok
Pathetic
John Belushi - awesome in every way, may you be singing with the angels of the blues 😊
How awesome was John Belushi? Starring in the number one television show starring in the number one movie singing on the number one single on both the rock and blues charts as well as the number one album on both the rock and blues charts all at the same time that's how awesome he was
I would rather he stayed with us.
I was always impressed with the detail in this skit that not only looks like a real restaurant, but they are really frying hamburgers. Amazing !
Amazing. They're actually cooking real burgers live on television.
that studio had to have been smelling good
That’s the magic of “live”.
I just don't see Belushi saying "no coke"
lol
That’s exactly the smug humor they practiced right up the belushi’s death
If he’d have said it more often he might still be here..
no cocaine.. he did it all. just "hep c"..get it.. haha HEP C?? yeh you got it i think.
@@justinstearns9723 Or if he had not decided to mix it with heroin.
I am Greek, & this is a great version of a Greek lunchnette. YASOU''''
This was done in 1978, and it's still funnier today than anything on the new SNL.
To each their own. Must be the nostalgia because it didn’t live up to the hype for me.
@@FortifiedEnhancements You've probably told that before.
...or any version of SNL for the past four decades.
Sucked in 78
sucks worse 2023
Anything's funnier than the latest SNL!
Watching this somehow makes me hungry
Ah the good old days, when wounds went septic and ankles gave yer tent a pole.. I miss the war.
Yes! Cheeseburger from a N.Y. mom and pop restaurant
makes me sad....... life will never be as good as it was back then....... :-(
@@kams7170 actually this skit is based on the real life Billy Goat Tavern in Chicago, Belushi’s hometown
Cheeburga Cheeburga Cheeburga.
Petsi Petsi Petsi.
Cheep Cheep Cheep.
I love this skit.
I watched this the night that they aired this episode.
I was 13 yrs old.
Good memories!
I don’t know why but ice cold Pepsi sounds real good and I could almost go for a cheeseburger and some chips
Ah, okey okey. CHEEBURGYE! one chip, oneh pepsi!
This is gold!
No cheeseburger 😊
@@thomasschone5052 Thanks!
Recommend watching this to anyone telling you old school SNL was funnier than SNL today.
Lol
Exactly
People are still saying it's the funniest snl video, in the comments 😆😆😆
God a love places like this. These greasy spoon diners are the absolute best. And those cheeseburgers look so damn good!
I just ate and I STILL want one! Lol
The kind of cheeseburgers that make your arteries harden just thinking about them.
the golden diamond platinum year of SNL = Belushi+Murray+Akroyd
I was lucky to have watched these as a kid. That's probably why I have the sense of humor that I do.
The best part: this is based on a real place
Which place? & I hope it's still like this!
@@Dreamskater100 john belushis dad had a restaurant, it was based on that and jon belushis character was based his dad
It’s a combination of the restaurant that John’s dad had, and The Billy Goat tavern in Chicago where Belushi, Don Novello and many other Second City people hung out.
its amazing going into the Billy Goat on game day for the hawks and all you hear is this. a real Chicago classic.
@@G1NG_54 Yes, but it sounds like you went to the one by the United Center, which is cool, but all of the history is in the one on lower Hubbard.
At 3:36 when John Belushi is pointing out to a customer how everyone in the diner has ordered a cheeseburger and Dan Aykroyd repeats what he says as he's putting meat on the grill thinking that it's another order!
^^ This!
😂😂😂
I never realized how much Greek themed skits they've done over the years.
malakas
Lots of Greeks in Chicago where several of these folks started. At least, there used to be.
@@hefeibao Papou used to own a resturant in Chicago back in the day. Still a fairly sizeable Greek population there to this day.
...love Ackroydcookong with the cigarette hanging from his lips and the ashes falling onto the grill..
CHEESEBURGER, CHEESEBURGER, CHEESEBURGER. No Coke, Pepsi! 😂
The original cast was the best!
They were smug and unfunny
@@willard2729 They were bubby and unsmuggy
@@willard2729 agree... i don´t know how this show could be that big at that time with all those silly and stupid sketches... i guess everybody was drunk or high in the mid 70's !
@John Carter you´re drunk or high now
I miss this classic humor the stuff today can't compare to the classics! Telling a story, setting up dialogue and characters everything works and the comedy comes naturally. This is what SNL spirit is about. Wish they have all SNL seasons on dvd.
“Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger!” “Chips!” “Pepsi, Pepsi, Pepsi!” My family and I still quote this one all the time! 😆😆
It blew my mind seeing John Belushi in this video. Rest in Peace John and you were taken to early.
my friend asked me how do you have a funeral for someone that dies from drugs refering to Whitney Houston. shit its the same no matter the cause noone mentions the cancer, car accident, shooting you speak up the uplifting parts of life. if they actually knew the person then you know what happened
jojo DaCosta Just say No!
@@Gabby9292K1 It dont help that he is gone!
God bless the soul of the late great comedic genius John Belushi.
I love that they installed a real flattop grill on set. They must have been cooking burgers all day.
Bill Murray's nervous nodding as he understands nothing. 😂😂😂