Eddie Murphy has his arms around retiring propmaster Willie Day and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and says he came back to do tonight’s shows because it’s Day’s final show. Christopher Guest and Rich Hall stand off to one side, Billy Crystal holds a “Happy birthday Mom” sign, while Martin Short and Paul Shaffer chat.

Final Thoughts:

A rebound from the disappointing Ringo Starr show, and a stronger show than Murphy’s 1982 hosting gig, though not quite as solid as some of the shows that came earlier in this season. Eddie Murphy’s presence gave this week’s material quite a boost and carried much of the show tonight, though his best showcases didn’t feature the rest of the cast, some of which were particularly underused. Robert Plant and the Honeydrippers’ old-time R&B influenced performances were also enjoyable, and (aside from Plant’s curly mullet) aged better than many of the other Ebersol-era musical guests.

SHOW HIGHLIGHTS:

White Like Eddie

Black History Minute

Broadway Gumby Rose

Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood

Buckwheat Lives!/The End of Buckwheat

Milestones

SHOW LOWLIGHTS:

Climbing the Stairs

MVP:

Eddie Murphy

CAST & GUEST BREAKDOWN:

cast

Jim Belushi : absent

: absent Billy Crystal : 4 appearances [Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich & Famous, Broadway Gumby Rose, Newsmakers, Climbing the Stairs]

: 4 appearances [Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich & Famous, Broadway Gumby Rose, Newsmakers, Climbing the Stairs] Mary Gross : 3 appearances [Buckwheat Lives!, The End of Buckwheat, Newsmakers]

: 3 appearances [Buckwheat Lives!, The End of Buckwheat, Newsmakers] Christopher Guest : 3 appearances [Milestones, Broadway Gumby Rose, Saturday Night News]

: 3 appearances [Milestones, Broadway Gumby Rose, Saturday Night News] Rich Hall : 4 appearances [Milestones, Broadway Gumby Rose, Climbing the Stairs, Saturday Night News]

: 4 appearances [Milestones, Broadway Gumby Rose, Climbing the Stairs, Saturday Night News] Gary Kroeger : 2 appearances [The End of Buckwheat, Climbing the Stairs]; 1 voice-over [Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood]

: 2 appearances [The End of Buckwheat, Climbing the Stairs]; 1 voice-over [Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood] Julia Louis-Dreyfus : 1 appearance [Newsmakers]

: 1 appearance [Newsmakers] Harry Shearer : 1 appearance [Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich & Famous]; 1 voice-over [The End of Buckwheat]

: 1 appearance [Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich & Famous]; 1 voice-over [The End of Buckwheat] Martin Short : 3 appearances [Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich & Famous, Broadway Gumby Rose, Climbing the Stairs]

: 3 appearances [Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich & Famous, Broadway Gumby Rose, Climbing the Stairs] Pamela Stephenson: 2 appearances [Climbing the Stairs, Saturday Night News]

crew and extras

Larry David : 1 appearance [Broadway Gumby Rose]

: 1 appearance [Broadway Gumby Rose] Willie Day : 1 appearance [Milestones]

: 1 appearance [Milestones] Jim Downey : 1 appearance [White Like Eddie]

: 1 appearance [White Like Eddie] Mike Hodge : 1 appearance [White Like Eddie]

: 1 appearance [White Like Eddie] Charlie Murphy : 1 appearance [White Like Eddie]

: 1 appearance [White Like Eddie] Clint Smith : 1 appearance [White Like Eddie]

: 1 appearance [White Like Eddie] Alan Zweibel: 1 appearance [Broadway Gumby Rose]

guests

Eddie Murphy : 10 appearances [Monologue, White Like Eddie, Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood, Milestones, Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich & Famous, The End of Buckwheat, Broadway Gumby Rose, Black History Minute, Saturday Night News, Eddie Ad-Lib]

: 10 appearances [Monologue, White Like Eddie, Mister Robinson’s Neighborhood, Milestones, Lifestyles of the Relatives of the Rich & Famous, The End of Buckwheat, Broadway Gumby Rose, Black History Minute, Saturday Night News, Eddie Ad-Lib] Robert Plant & The Honeydrippers : [“Rockin’ At Midnight”, “Santa Claus is Back in Town”]

: [“Rockin’ At Midnight”, “Santa Claus is Back in Town”] 14 Karat Soul: [“Santa Claus is Back in Town”]

REBROADCAST HISTORY:

February 23, 1985

October 12, 1985

July 12, 1986

Known alterations:

Kitty Brynner sequence removed from at least the October 12, 1985 rerun

Slight edit to Climbing the Stairs to remove boom mic in shot

Additional screen captures from this episode are available here.