Chevy Chase Biography

Chase is perhaps best known as one of the original cast members for NBC's Saturday Night Live television series from 1975 to 1976. Chase was the original anchor for the Weekend Update segment, which he developed himself, beginning it with the catch phrase "I'm Chevy Chase, and you're not." He also had a recurring gag as the Landshark. He was the first member of the "Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Players" to be injured (doing a pratfall on a unpadded podium, which bruised a testicle and forced him to broadcast segments live from his hospital bed during the next two shows). Another trademark was his pratfalls during many of the show's opening skits, which often poked fun at Gerald Ford. Chase opened most SNL shows with "The Fall of the Week," after which he would exclaim "Live from New York, this is Saturday Night!" (Rival network ABC had beaten NBC to the name "Saturday Night Live," which ABC called its short-lived variety show hosted by sportscaster Howard Cosell; NBC just called their show "Saturday Night" at first, then stuck to the familiar introduction which Chevy Chase made famous even after assuming the name "Saturday Night Live" later in 1975.)
In a 1975 New York Magazine cover story which called him "The funniest man in America", NBC executives referred to Chase as "The first real potential successor to Johnny Carson" and claimed he would begin guest-hosting The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson within six months of the article. Chase went on to guest-host The Tonight Show on many occasions later in his career, and was even labeled "the next Cary Grant," a label he took exception to.
Immediately tagged by the media as the star of the show, and only signed to the show for one year, Chase left during the second season 1976 to pursue a career in film. Contrary to popular belief, he was never signed as a cast member. He had signed a one year writer contract and only became a cast member during rehearsals before the show's premiere. Nevertheless, he was awarded several Emmys and Golden Globe Awards for his writing and live comic acting.
Chevy was the first member of the original Saturday Night Live cast to leave the show, and has said that he regrets leaving after just one year. He was replaced by Bill Murray, who got into a legendary backstage brawl with Chase moments before Chase's scheduled 1978 hosting stint on SNL. Witnesses report that Murray initially provoked Chase about his "hated" status on the show, leading Chase to make fun of Murray's bad skin condition (comparing it to the surface of the moon). This in turn inspired Murray to mock Chase's marital troubles, saying "Why don't you fuck your wife once in a while? She needs it." The two men were pulled apart by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, who some credit with riling up Murray in the first place. Though the altercation occurred off the air, the story became so notorious that Chase and Murray dueted together during Chase's next hosting appearance, singing a "unity" medley including "We Write the Songs," "We Can't Get No Satisfaction," "We Shot the Sheriff" and "We Are the Walrus." Chase claims he and Murray have long since buried the hatchet on the incident.
After leaving as a cast member, Chevy Chase hosted Saturday Night Live eight times. He was banned from ever hosting the show again after the February 15, 1997, episode due to his verbal abuse of the cast and crew during the week. Chase became notorious for his treatment of certain cast members when hosting past episodes, particularly his remarks to openly gay cast member Terry Sweeney in 1985 when he suggested that a perfect skit for Sweeney would be one in which Sweeney plays an AIDS victim who gets weighed every week. Chase's abusive behavior during the 1985 episode and others are detailed in the Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live book. Although Chase has not hosted the show since 1997, he appeared on the 25th anniversary special in 1999 and was interviewed for the 2005 special on the first five years at SNL.