Okay! Let's Add Some Featured Players!

 During Saturday Night Live's fifth season, to help compensate for the recent departures of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi by making featured players out of several writers---and musician Paul Shaffer.

Among the "featured players" were James Downey, Peter Aykroyd (Dan's brother), Brian Doyle-Murray (Bill's brother), Don Novello (on most cases, using the nom de plume Father Guido Sarducci), Al Franken and Tom Davis, Tom Schiller (who was a filmmaker as well), Alan Zweibel, and Harry Shearer (who at midseason was promoted to the Repertory Company formerly known as The Not Ready For Prime Time Players).

New producer Jean Doumanian ultimately hired five "featured players."  In this case, these---save for writer-filmmaker Mitchell Kriegman-----were "glorified extras."

Here is your roster for Season 6's featured players (one would be fired before Christmas, another became one of SNL's greatest-ever cast members, three others were axed by Jean's successor Dick Ebersol although one would be brought back as an uncredited bit player and would remain so until 1984):

A native of Richmond, Virginia, Mitchell Kriegman was a writer, filmmaker, producer, director, and actor.

Another Southerner, Hattiesburg, Mississippi-born Patrick Weathers was an actor, comedian, and musician.

Three of the five featured players were born in New York City, each born in a different borough.

From Queens came actor Matthew Laurence (born Matthew Dycoff), who, like Eddie Murphy, grew up on Long Island.

Manhattan-born Yvonne Hudson had made several uncredited appearances on Saturday Night as far back as 1978; so she had appeared on Lorne's show just as Denny Dillon (1975) and Ann Risley (1976) had done.

For two days in mid-September, having felt she needed an ethnic, Jean held several special auditions in which a black cast member would be added; some on Jean's staff were leaning toward a Bluefield, West Virginia-born standup comedian named Charlie Barnett (he subsequently bailed out due to his reading difficulties); others thought the producer had decided on comic actor Robert Townsend (who, like Jean, was a Chicago native); talent ccordinator (and Lorne Michaels' own cousin) Neil Levy had someone else in mind.

Another New York City native (born in Brooklyn, raised in Roosevelt, Long Island) would become the ultimiate gold nugget. 

Young 19-year-old Edward Regan Murphy, who had been doing standup routines since he was 15, showed up on the 17th Floor at Rockefeller Center, did all sorts of funny standup routines, this after Eddie badgered Neil to let him.

Eddie made numerous trips to the 17th Floor, begging for a chance, telling many sob stories about how he needed a job to support his 18 brothers and sisters.

Once he got his foot in the door, Mr. Murphy performed for anybody on the 17th Floor and he was a hit.

Despite all but settling on Robert Townend, Jean decided to give the kid a chance.

It took plenty of perseverance, but Eddie was ultimately hired as a featured player for $750 per show.

Yes, Eddie was on the team, but he would have to spend some time on the bench.

Or, shall I say, the couch?