'SNL50' highlights: Steve Martin, Tina Fey, John Mulaney, Eddie Murphy and more celebrate show's legacy

Live from New York, it was a nostalgic three-and-a-half hour celebration of “Saturday Night Live." Here's a look at some of the night's biggest moments:

— Familiar faces from the show’s early years opened the special. They included folk star Paul Simon (joined by pop star Sabrina Carpenter) and comedian Steve Martin, a member of the "SNL" Five-Timers Club (aka the group of people who have hosted the show at least five times).

— John Mulaney manned a hot dog and heroin cart, telling Pete Davidson and David Spade about the city’s transformation across decades. Maya Rudolph and Adam Driver, dressed as heroin and a hot dog, respectively, took the stage to sing. Lin-Manuel Miranda satirized former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in a song inspired by his "Hamilton" performance on Broadway, except this time Giuliani, in legal trouble for defaming a pair of election workers, is "throwing away" his shot.

— Tom Hanks introduced an in memoriam segment dedicated to "SNL" sketches and characters that have "aged horribly."

— Jack Nicholson, whose public appearances have become rare in recent years, introduced Adam Sandler, who performed a song dedicated to all things "SNL."

"SNL50: The Anniversary Special" ended as all "SNL" regular episodes do: with a massive group of cast members and guests onstage bidding viewers a good night.

This time, however, the stage seemed even more packed, as everyone who participated in the milestone episode gathered behind Martin Short, who delivered closing remarks.

Short thanked the original cast members who "helped pave the way" for everyone in the years that followed. Among those behind Martin: Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman, who held up a picture of Gilda Radner.

Short ended the evening with a shoutout to "SNL" creator Lorne Michaels, “the reason we’re all here, the man who made our dreams come true."

Martin Short introduced a musical performance by Sir Paul McCartney, who opened with "Golden Slumbers."

During live shots of the audience, attendees were on their feet clapping along.

Garrett Morris said he that when he joined the first cast of "SNL," he had no idea he'd have to do so many reunion shows.

Morris, seated in a chair onstage, introduced "Don't Look Back in Anger," a classic short film written by Tom Schiller from season three in which John Belushi played an elderly version of himself eulogizing other cast members.

Among the bits the In Memoriam feature included as ready for the trash heap for “questionable taste” was a sketch still regularly listed as among “SNL’s” greatest ever: “Word Association” (sometimes called “Racist Word Association”), from the first season, in which Richard Pryor is being interviewed for a job by Chevy Chase. They exchange increasingly racially charged words and phrases in the interview process.

It culminates with Chase asking for Pryor’s reaction to a racial epithet, to which Pryor responds, “Honky!” After a pause, Chase says the N-word live on the air. Pryor’s response: “DEAD honky!”

The sketch is on dozens of lists of the best “SNL” sketches ever, as recently as October in The Guardian. Larry Wilmore, “The Daily Show’s” former “senior Black correspondent,” took issue with including it as an example of bad taste:

(Pryor's character gets the job as "the highest-paid janitor in America.")

Eddie Murphy and Kenan Thompson play two inmates who are trying to scare three juveniles, played by Marcello Hernandez, Mikey Day and Michael Longfellow out of a life of crime in this "Scared Straight" spoof.

Thompson and Murphy wore matching beige jumpsuits, with Thompson wearing a durag and Murphy with half-finished cornrows.

Will Ferrell made an appearance with hiked-up shorts and red hair, sharing with the juveniles about his life in jail.

Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore and Ayo Edebiri are celebrating SNL 50 ... or at least trying to. Debbie Downer (played by Rachel Dratch) made a return, now as a bartender.

Robert De Niro also appeared in the sketch and was greeted with a very intimate hello from Barrymore.

Fallon, of course, briefly broke at one point during the sketch.

Debbie Downer made us feel concerned about everything from bird flu to dry eye. She ended the segment by mentioning her concern over feline AIDS, which she has especially worried about for many years.

It's not your typical in memoriam segment.

Tom Hanks introduced tonight a video montage of "SNL" sketches and characters that do not stand the test of time.

"Characters, accents and let’s just call them ‘ethnic wigs’ that were unquestionably in poor taste," Hanks said. "You all laughed at them. So if anyone should be canceled, shouldn’t it be you, the audience?"

Some of the sketches in the montage joked about sexual harassment, included problematic guests, or had the actors' wearing questionable makeup.

Comedian Dave Chappelle introduced Lil Wayne and The Roots as the next musical performers tonight.

The Grammy-winning rapper opened his set with "Uproar." He followed with "Lollipop," "Mrs. Officer" and "A Milli."