In anticipation of the Saturday Night Live 50th Anniversary Special, a retrospective on the legendary sketch show has brought us to the final feature: Season 1’s iconic “Bass-O-Matic.” Originally debuting on April 17, 1976, this sketch stars original cast members Dan Aykroyd and Laraine Newman, showcasing Aykroyd’s humorous take on infomercial pitching.
The “Bass-O-Matic” sketch cleverly parodies a real infomercial product, the Veg-O-Matic, presenting a fictional kitchen tool, the Super Bass-O-Matic ’76. Aykroyd humorously asks, “How many times has this happened to you? You have a bass. You’re trying to find an exciting new way to prepare it for dinner.” With rapid-fire delivery, he touts the convenience of this innovative blender that allows users to whip an entire fish into a baseless drink, thus eliminating the need for cleaning and preparing fish—a playful exaggeration reflecting the absurdity of late-night marketing.
A key influence for Aykroyd’s creation of the “Bass-O-Matic” was his aunt, Canadian cookbook author Helen Gougeon, known for her fish soup. Aykroyd recounts how he pitched this idea to fellow cast members and musician Paul Simon, who found it amusing, leading him to write and develop the sketch further.
The sketch led to a sequel, “Bat-O-Matic,” featured in Season 2, where Aykroyd and Newman humorously marketed this version aimed at witches and warlocks during the Halloween episode.
The legacy of “Bass-O-Matic” was further cemented when Aykroyd revived the sketch during the SNL 40th Anniversary show, delighting fans with a nostalgic nod to a classic.
Current audiences can catch Saturday Night Live every Saturday at 11:30 PM ET on NBC, with episodes available for streaming on Peacock the following day. The celebration of SNL’s rich history through sketches like “Bass-O-Matic” reminds us of the show’s ongoing influence on comedy and pop culture.