Gerald Ford was the first US president to appear on the show and the first US president to open the show with "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" Ford appeared as a favor to host Ron Nessen, his press secretary. But reportedly, Ford was not happy with Nessen performing in the raunchy skits in this episode.
Originally scheduled to appear on the premiere episode, Billy Crystal (credited as Bill Crystal) finally gets to perform on this show. He would later join the cast in 1984.
A scene was filmed in which President Gerald Ford accidentally knocks the camera over during his cameo appearance. But Ford's staff refused to allow that part to air.
First appearance of Dan Aykroyd smoke-blowing and arm-waving impersonation of talk show host Tom Snyder, which would become a recurring sketch.
This is the second episode this season to feature "The Dead String Quartet" as the cold opening