The Olympia Restaurant (1978)

Early Saturday Night Live sketches often felt seat-of-your pants and tended to lag at times as everyone tried to find the same pace. Not this one: A typical morning in the life of a Greek diner that refuses to adapt, it has a simple, recognizable hook and sweet slice-of-life simplicity. The rhythm is as pleasing as a morning routine.

SNL is sometimes known for big characters, but almost everyone in this sketch plays it straight and real, which adds to its charm. Gilda Radner is especially good as the one customer who seems to understand the place, and Bill Murray gets the funniest moment with his panicked nodding, using only a single word.

The sketch is a little more poignant when you know that star John Belushi’s immigrant dad operated a struggling restaurant when Belushi was growing up in Wheaton, Illinois.

Key line: “Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger, four Pepsi, two chip.”