The moment Bill Murray and Chevy Chase came to blows behind-the-scenes of SNL
Reflecting on the infamous confrontation between Saturday Night Live cast member Bill Murray and guest host Chevy Chase during a particularly tense episode, tensions simmered beneath the surface despite the smiles for the cameras. The disagreement between these two iconic SNL alumni ultimately boiled over, revealing underlying friction that went beyond the confines of the stage.
It seems since Saturday Night Live graced our screens on October 11, 1975, it has been causing controversy, adding to newspaper column inches and now driving social content through the roof. Back in 1978, it was the moment Bill Murray came to blows with former cast member Chevy Chase.
Saturday Night Live arrived as the dangerous side of late-night TV. A chaotic crew of incredible comedians, backed up by musical guest spots, was enlisted by the show’s creator, Lorne Michaels. By 1975, Michaels had assembled a talented cast, including Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Jane Curtin, Garrett Morris, Laraine Newman, Michael O’Donoghue, Gilda Radner, and George Coe. It was a tantalising prospect of supremely talented comedians and one that saw the show become more and more popular, mainly led by Chevy Chase.
Chase quickly became a hot property on the show, and his winking smile gathered attention from Hollywood. The New York Magazine even referred to Chase as “the heir apparent to Johnny Carson”—high praise indeed. Chase was considered the first major star to emerge from the show.
By the beginning of the second series, Chase’s popularity had skyrocketed, and he duly left the show in pursuit of cinematic fame and the paycheque that went with it. It was a decision which underpinned the argument between Chase and his replacement.
With an intelligent pitch, Michaels decided to replace Chase with the then-unknown actor Bill Murray rather than trying to one-up the audience. However, despite his charisma, Murray fell flat with audiences when he first arrived, working hard for little laughs, which saw resentment grow. Despite Murray eventually finding his feet, the residual negative energy hung on to Murray, if not the entire show, for some time. It was natural then that Murray became the cast’s elected mouthpiece when Chase returned to the show in 1978 as a guest host.
Perhaps it was because being the first former cast member to return as a guest host had gone to his head and wallet. Or perhaps it was because relations had soured since leaving the show, but the cast was unhappy with Chase’s rudeness on set, and it led to Murray confronting the actor an hour before the show began with a reportedly hot temper.
With drug use rampant behind the scenes in the studio and all members of the cast riled up by Chase’s perceived snootiness, the jibes and insults started to fly across the studio. Murray was determined to find a climax to the tension and took shots at Chase, noting his marital problems by screaming “Go f**k your wife, she needs it”. In turn, Chase called Murray’s pock-marked face a site for Neil Armstrong to land on.
Chevy was unsettled by the exchange, and after more and more social publications, Chase followed his temper and confronted Murray in John Belushi’s dressing room. It was a combustible situation for all involved. Soon enough, the elements in the room mixed in a deadly concoction and exploded.
The pair were scuffling across the room where Belushi managed to pry them apart just moments before Chase walked on and delivered his opening monologue for the audience.
It remains one of the highest-rated shows in SNL history and shows that, as always with late-night television, the real action is in the back.
When Chase returned once more to guest host he addressed the “rumours” of his and Murray’s fistfight and the duo performed an awkward medley for the audience, a clip of which you can see below.
