SNL Aired Its Most Dangerous Sketch Ever 45 Years Ago Today

In the 45 years that Saturday Night Live has endured as a cultural touchstone, there's been no more dangerous sketch than the one they did in the seventh episode of the very first season on this day back in 1975. It's one of the sketches that cemented the show's reputation in the early days as an essential part of the rebellious youth counterculture.

It's also a sketch that likely only worked because it happened to star one of the most influential, groundbreaking comedians of all time, Richard Pryor.

The premise was simple — a psychological word association test at a job interview — but it escalates quickly into a heated exchange of racial slurs that culiminates with Chevy Chase resorting to dropping the N-word and Pryor's response to that. It's a remarkably succint statement about how white aggression quickly becomes fear when faced with strong enough opposition.

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Andy Hunsaker has a head full of sitcom gags and nerd-genre lore, and can be followed @AndyHunsaker if you're into that sort of thing.