The Samurai Comic

It is the most famous short film in the long history of ''Saturday Night Live''. It aired in March 1978. The film shows an old man riding by train to the cemetery. The man walks slowly, as the aged do. There is fresh snow on the ground and bright sunshine to light the day. After making his way through the snow, the old man stops at the graves of the people he once knew. These are his long-dead friends from his youth. The man speaks to the camera, in a low, gravelly voice, ''They all thought I'd be the first to go. I was one of those live fast, die young, leave a good-looking corpse types. Well, I guess they were wrong.'' And, with that, the old man talks a little about his friends as he stops at the individual graves. At the end, after placing a wreath on the grave of his best friend and business partner, Dan Aykroyd, he continues to address the camera. ''The Saturday Night show was the best experience of my life. Now, they are all dead and I miss every one of them. Why me? Why did I live so long?'' There is a pause-- ''Because I'm a dancer!!'' And, with that, John Belushi becomes younger. The short film ends with Belushi dancing on the graves of his friends while music is blasting away with him, defiantly laughing at death... Four years later, on March 5, 1982, John Belushi died of a combination of heroin and cocaine. He was, in fact, the first to go. He was just 33. Now, with the 30th anniversary of his death coming up in a few days, there will be rememberances of him and his work and his unfulfilled promise. There will be clips of his most famous ''SNL'' characters. The Blues Brothers. His Killer Bee[ which he hated]. His dead- on impressions of Marlon Brando, Truman Capote, Humphrey Bogart, and Joe Cocker. His Cocker impression was so spot-on, that when Joe Cocker actually appeared as a musical guest on the show, he and Belushi did a duet together, and, Belushi blew him away on stage. There was also his broad characters like Elizabeth Taylor choaking on a chicken bone, his gay pirate captain in the brilliant ''Raging Queen'' sketch, his ''Captain Kirk'' on the famous ''Star Trek'' parody,  and, most of all, his Samurai Warrior. After Joliet Jake Blues in The Blues Brothers, this was the character that captured the fancy of the public the most. There were dozens of these sketches in various locales, with the great Buck Henry as the comic foil. The best one was the ''Samurai Deli'' sketch. I will not ruin it for you if you have never seen it-- nothing ruins comedy more than people trying to describe why it was funny--but, YouTube the sketch and see John performing it. At one point, he throws a tomato in midair and slices it like a surgeon. All during rehearsals, Belushi would miss slicing it. On the air, when it counted the most, he was flawless. As his good friend Bill Murray stated, ''That is not luck, you know.''... John Belushi made such an impact on ''SNL'' during his four short years there, that, of all the people who have been on the show throughout the years, he is perhaps the one person most associated with the show.It is hard to imagine now, but, in the 70's , ''Saturday Night Live'' was a groundbreaking, hip show. In the press, the cast was called ''The Beatles Of Comedy''. Even The Beatles themselves were regular viewers. If they were like The Fab Four, then Belushi was their Lennon. Like John Lennon, John Belushi was a restless, brilliant, troubled soul, who displayed his raw talent to the public. And, the public took Belushi to its heart. In 1979, Belushi had the comedy trifecta going: the number one movie, ''Animal House, the number one album,  ''A Briefcase Full Of Blues'', and, the number one show, ''SNL''. No other entertainer had ever done that before--- or, since.... His characters seemed to jump out at the public and grab ahold of you. He represented the baby boomer generation and their unrest during the ''Woodstock'' area. The music of the 60's was the soundtrack of what was happening in the world then. By the 70's, music had died down and comedy took over. John Belushi--- and, other talented people of his generation-- took the banner of rebellion and proudly waved it in front of 40 million viewers every Saturday night. The old fashioned comedy of previous generations--- mother-in law jokes and silly sitcoms--- had been replaced by drug humor and aggressive anarchy. Belushi dared to challenge the status quo. Freedom of expression comedy. Dangerous comedy run amok. Do your own thing in life and snort every ounce of pleasure. Basically, live fast and die young. The music of the 60's had that same spirit, and, it is no coincidence that John Belushi wanted to be a rock star [ he did become one with Jake Blues] and, also, sadly, he died the rock star death: young, with drugs in his vains... There was, curiously, sweetness and human drama in his work. In ''Animal House'' you cared about his ''Bluto'' character. In the underrated movie, ''Continental Divide'' he switched gears and became a leading man. Certainly, not a traditional handsome leading man, but, rather, a  very appealing average guy who courts the girl he loves. Family and friends have always said that his character in this movie was who he really was. A big bear man, with a warm heart. John was married to his high school sweetheart, Judy Jacklin, and John also had an army of close friends who would have killed for him-- and, vice versa. They tried to keep John centered, led by Judy and Dan Aykroyd. And, for most of his life John was... The power he showed onstage and onscreen had to find an offstage outllet, however. The intensity he showed when he performed also steered him into the dark place in his soul that was his drug addiction. We know now, according to medical experts, that certain people are born with the gene of addiction. Be it drugs, alcohol, nicotine, food, or, sex, there are, sadly, some people who cannot control their own demons and fall victim to self--destruction. John Belushi was one of those people... By all accounts of his struggle with drugs, John Belushi was a major cocaine abuser. There are legendary stories about the amount of drugs he did and the endless partying. At first, as with all addictions, it was thought to be harmless. John was enjoying himself and it wasn't interfering with his life. Besides, the sweet John was there, who was also a joy to be around. He was fun 24/7. It was exciting to be around him. In due time, the demons rose in his soul and slowly ate away at him and his life, sapping his spirit. He was swallowed up by his dark side... I have no interest in the sordid drug stories. The only thing about his death I have an interest in is the waste. This man was supremely talented. He loved his wife and family and friends. He loved life. He did not want to die. The tragedy, as with all addicts who have a strong support system, is that it did not fill the empty hole in his being. After 30 years, I still think it is a damn shame that he died. He wanted to live, but, that was not his fate.... To write about someone as charismatic as John Belushi in this short blog is to only touch the surface of who he was. The work he did-- his best and most defining legacy-- is in the seven films he did and the DVD's of ''SNL''. And, all over the Internet. Check them out sometime, chances are that you have forgotten them, or, have never seen them before. You will see a performer on the comedy tightrope, working without a net. The sheer adrenaline of thrilling, no-holds barred performing... Anne Beatts was one of the original writers for ''SNL''. After John died, she spoke movingly about him, his decency and love, his work, and, about dying so young and the loss of what might have been for him. She also spoke of the short film he did for the show, ''Don't Look Back In Anger'', the film where he played the old man dancing on the graves. Anne Beatts finished her eulogy by saying, ''And, I promise you this: John WILL dance on our graves, somehow!!!!''''.....