Isms: Views on life in rural America

I turned 13 when a magical show debuted on Saturday evenings, full of comedic genius and up-and-coming musicians. I grew up watching what was first dubbed NBC’s Saturday Night. It didn’t become known as Saturday Night Live until 1977, after ABC dumped its lackluster Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell.

Those first seasons with the Not Ready for Prime Time Players - Gilda, Dan, Chevy, Jane, John, Garrett and Laraine - are classics. From Roseanne Rosannadanna to Landshark to the Killer Bees, those early skits made it easy tune in.

A few years later, when I was in high school, the ‘rents would...