Hosting with consumer advocate Ralph Nader was a bold experiment. Nader was, unsurprisingly, not a natural comedic performer, and his delivery was often stiff. The writers did their best to incorporate his public persona, with sketches centered on safety standards and consumer protection. A commercial parody for a flame-retardant chemical was a clever highlight. Bill Murray got a great showcase as the sleazy “lounge lizard” Nick Winters. The show felt more like a novelty than a genuinely hilarious episode, but it was an interesting attempt to do something different. George Benson’s smooth, jazzy guitar and vocals were a welcome and incredibly cool musical break from the somewhat awkward proceedings.
Ralph Nader SNL Season 2 Cold Open
Host Ralph Nader finds many safety hazards in Studio 8H.
