What was the first episode of ‘SNL’ really like? Fact vs. fiction in ‘Saturday Night’

As a long-time fan and admirer of Saturday Night Live, I find myself captivated by the intricate blend of fact and fiction that characterizes this iconic show. The tale of Alan Zweibel’s hiring and Milton Berle’s, shall we say, exuberant anatomy, are perfect examples of how truth can be subtly woven into the fabric of a story to create a captivating narrative.

The movie titled “Saturday Night” offers a behind-the-scenes portrayal of the intense, tumultuous 90 minutes prior to the initial airing of “Saturday Night Live.” Directed by Jason Reitman, this film focuses on the daring team of writers and performers who played instrumental roles in establishing an enduring comedy empire on NBC that has confounded expectations by lasting for fifty years.

The movie features several players that “SNL” enthusiasts may recognize, such as Lorne Michaels (Gabriel LaBelle), along with initial cast members like Chevy Chase (Cory Michael Smith), Gilda Radner (Ella Hunt) and John Belushi (Matt Wood). However, it also highlights lesser-known characters who might prompt viewers to delve into Wikipedia, such as writer Rosie Shuster (Rachel Sennott) and NBC late-night executive Dick Ebersol (Cooper Hoffman).

Reitman and Gil Kenan wrote ‘Saturday Night’ which explores the near-miss of Saturday Night Live as we know it today. If not for the bold, rebellious spirit of its creators, SNL might have ended up like ‘Saturday Night Live with Howard Cosell’, a canceled variety show on ABC that debuted before it. ‘SNL’ didn’t add ‘Live’ to its title until Season 3 in 1977. The movie is filled with vivid accounts of the events that transpired at 30 Rockefeller Plaza between 10 and 11:30 PM on October 11, 1975. This includes an explicit appearance by Milton Berle and a plan by NBC executives to air a rerun of ‘The Tonight Show’ instead of the premiere.

As a movie enthusiast, I embarked on an exciting journey with Kenan and Reitman, delving into the origins of their latest project – a film based on the premiere episode of “SNL.” Michael graciously agreed to our concept, giving us his approval. With this green light, executive producer Erica Mills began reaching out to anyone who could have been there that fateful night in 2020. Most interviews were held virtually over Zoom. By the end, we spoke with more than 40 individuals who worked behind-the-scenes on the show, from Lorne and his cousin Neil Levy (who served as a production assistant) to the production designer, art director, costume designer, and every cast member and writer still active during our writing phase. Regrettably, three of the people interviewed have since passed away.

They too gathered a vast range of written resources, incorporating books and contemporary newspaper articles. Here’s an interesting fact: from almost the very start, the program sparked people’s interest to write about it. For instance, just a few weeks after its debut, there was a thought-provoking piece in The New Yorker discussing the cultural impact of the show. As Kenan put it, “The positive side for us is that the show quickly became something that people enjoyed writing about.

For approximately four to five months, they diligently planned, researched, and delved into historical details (often referred to as “historical spelunking”), before they commenced writing, according to Kenan. At certain stages, they even created maps detailing the positions of everyone within the building that fateful night. This process, he said, felt remarkably similar to solving a mystery, echoing the intrigue and suspense associated with unraveling a crime.

From the start, they understood they might bend some truths for a compelling narrative. As we conversed with people, we noticed a distinct flow of events forming. It would revolve around Lorne’s escalating challenges in the 90 minutes preceding the first ‘Live, from New York!’. However, the tales we were receiving suggested that these incidents occurred days or weeks prior or post that initial episode, as Kenan explained. Essentially, we were crafting a narrative that embraced the spirit of freewheeling storytelling, which enabled the show to be broadcasted on air.

Stepping into the cinematic arena this weekend with its nationwide premiere, allow me to offer a glimpse behind the scenes of the emotional turmoil portrayed in “Saturday Night.” The movie’s narrative, as you will soon discover, is deeply rooted in real-life events that resonate powerfully.

How close was the show to being a disaster?

During ‘Saturday Night’, technical issues persisted right up until the final moments. During dress rehearsal, a lighting rig collapsed, and a couch burst into flames. The stage floor was still under construction, with bricks. With the situation so uncertain that anxious NBC executives had a backup episode of ‘The Tonight Show’ on standby.

The atmosphere behind the scenes was indeed rather chaotic.

”That all happened the first night — the sofa catching on fire and getting replaced with the one from the writers’ room. That is all stuff we got from the interviews,” Kenan said. “Some of the wildest moments that just feel like they’re writerly flights of fancy are actually correct,” he said.

As I stepped foot into Studio 8H, a once vibrant space that had been forgotten for far too long, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe-struck astonishment. This venue, which had last hosted a live TV show back in 1958, was a shadow of its former glory according to the revealing book “Live From New York: An Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live” by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales.

According to associate producer Craig Kellem, there was a close call where we might not have gone live due to the poor dress rehearsal. However, it was Michaels who insisted on having an alternative plan, not the network. Kellem recalls that Michaels, in all seriousness, requested or had him ask the network personnel to prepare a movie as a backup, and he believes Michaels wasn’t joking about it.

In addition to his vision, the set producer had a unique and precise idea about achieving an authentic appearance for the stage. As Eugene Lee, the production designer, shared with Vanity Fair in 2016, he was placing bricks on the stage just a few hours before George Carlin, the show’s first host, stepped onto them. Similarly, Akira “Leo” Yoshimura, another production designer, informed the filmmakers of Saturday Night that if you observe carefully at the beginning of the first episode, you can spot the light panels swaying as the show goes live.

In “Live From New York,” it was mentioned that NBC’s talent chief, Dave Tebet (played by Willem Dafoe), endorsed the show, but he had reservations. If George Carlin wore a T-shirt, there was a risk of upsetting affiliates who were already hesitant. To find a middle ground, they dressed Carlin in both a T-shirt and a suit. However, only around two-thirds of NBC’s network affiliates chose to air the initial broadcast.

Was Johnny Carson mad about “Saturday Night”?

On “Saturday Night,” it’s Michael who gets a heated call from Carson, apparently ruffled by the broadcast of a fresher, more daring late-night program appearing on NBC.

However, contrary to that account in “Live From New York,” it was Carson who actually wanted weekend repeats of “The Tonight Show” so he could have more time off. NBC, wanting to appease their top star, Herb Schlosser, developed a late-night show for Saturday nights instead, which eventually became “Saturday Night Live.

Initially, Carson wasn’t fond of “Saturday Night Live” as he had declined numerous offers from Michaels to host it over the years. As reported by “Live from New York,” he openly expressed disgust at some of its bold jokes. Interestingly, Chevy Chase was quickly recognized as a promising comedy star and even seen as a potential replacement for Carson.

Who was Michaels’ first wife and what did she do on the show?

In the television series “Saturday Night”, it’s Rosie Shuster (played by Rachel Sennott) who quietly steals the spotlight. She is Michael’s first wife, a gifted comedy writer in her own right, and her talent for nurturing and managing the show’s temperamental stars makes her a hidden comedy genius of the 1970s. Despite being in an open relationship, she grapples with the question of whether to use her married or maiden name when credited.

Growing up in the same Toronto neighborhood, Shuster and Michaels eventually started dating when he pursued her to meet her famous father, Frank Shuster, a part of the comedy duo Wayne and Shuster. As he put it in “Live From New York”, there was no sign of public hair on his doorstep when he first visited. He must have been smitten by her charm or appeal. They got married at a young age and collaborated extensively during the 1970s, working on Canadian TV, ABC’s “The Lily Tomlin Show,” and even “SNL”, where she was credited as “Rosie ‘Bud’ Michaels”, “Rosie Apple”, or “Rosie Shuster”.

Shuster, frequently collaborating with Anne Beatts, significantly influenced the creation of several enduring characters and reoccurring skits, such as Emily Litella, an elderly commentator (performed by Radner), Fred Garvin, a male prostitute (portrayed by Aykroyd), lecherous babysitter Uncle Roy (played by Henry), and Lisa and Todd, also known as the Nerds (acted by Radner and Murray). She received two Emmys for her writing on “SNL,” yet still found the predominantly male environment stifling. In “Saturday Night,” she skillfully managed even the challenging Belushi, but in actuality, he occasionally declined to appear in sketches penned by her and Beatts.

In 2021, she shared with the Associated Press that it was challenging to get stories written from a female perspective acknowledged.

The film precisely portrays the complicated romantic relationships that were prevalent during the initial seasons of the show, as well as the unique dynamics of Shuster and Michaels’ marriage. In “Live From New York,” director John Landis describes receiving a tour of the SNL offices from Belushi, who pointed out a woman he referred to as a “very attractive girl.” Belushi allegedly informed him that she was Rosie Shuster, Lorne’s wife and Danny’s girlfriend. Paula Davis, an assistant at the time, recalls unexpectedly encountering Aykroyd in Shuster’s apartment during an errand. She was taken aback because she had thought Aykroyd was dating Laraine [Newman] previously.

In 1980, Michael and Shuster ended their marriage, coinciding with their departure from “SNL.” However, they both reappeared on the show later. Shuster was instrumental in creating Dana Carvey’s Church Lady character for “SNL,” and he also worked as a writer for “The Larry Sanders Show” and the sitcom “Square Pegs.

In an interview for the film, Reitman and Kenan found their conversation with Shuster particularly enlightening. As Kenan put it, “We felt like we were given another piece of the puzzle because she was so captivating. This character seemed to be underrepresented in the early years of the show’s written history, but her comedic voice stood out significantly.

Was Michaels really planning on anchoring “Weekend Update”?

Yes, and it’s not nearly as implausible as it seems in “Saturday Night.”

In 2014, Michaels shared with Deadline that for a moment, he pondered joining the cast of “SNL”. Prior to this, he was the lead on a Canadian TV variety show called “The Hart and Lorne Terrific Hour”, where he presented segments similar to “Weekend Update” satirizing news events. Additionally, he created a mockumentary about an alleged disaster affecting the nation’s hockey-puck trees.

As the show’s launch drew nearer, Michael came to understand that he wasn’t comfortable with the role of trimming others’ segments while neglecting his own. He expressed this to Deadline, stating that he handed over “Weekend Update” to Chevy, who was a writer rather than a cast member at that time.

It seems improbable that the change depicted in the show occurred just moments before its debut, as suggested by the movie. Instead, as mentioned in “Live From New York,” Chase had already taken on the role of a “dim-witted news anchor” during screen tests prior to the premiere, weeks earlier.

Since Chase had agreed to a one-year writing contract but consistently refused to extend it for performing roles, he found himself free to depart from the show following only a short stint of about a season. This departure paved the way for Jane Curtin to take his place.

Meanwhile, Michael has occasionally appeared on “SNL” in a self-representing role, featuring in skits that leverage his persona as the show’s seasoned mentor.

Did Billy Crystal get cut from the premiere?

As a movie buff, let me confirm that unfortunately, one of the most iconic comedians from the past fifty years was indeed replaced at the eleventh hour on the event’s program.

As “Live From New York” reports, months prior, Michaels witnessed Crystal’s act at the Manhattan comedy club Catch a Rising Star. Impressed, he invited him to contribute to the first show with an African safari sketch, approximately six minutes in length, featuring potato chip sound effects. With minimal guidance during rehearsals, Crystal delivered this sketch during a Friday run-through, and it was a huge success.

In a subsequent message, Lorne indicated that Crystal could only have two minutes altogether. In “Live From New York,” Crystal recounts, “I didn’t have a segment that would fit into the show for those two minutes.” This created quite a predicament. Before the Saturday rehearsal, Crystal’s manager Buddy Morra spoke to Michaels and suggested cutting Andy Kaufman. However, this plan failed as Michaels decided to keep Kaufman due to his unique quality: “There was no one else like him in the show,” he said.

In the lobby, Crystal found herself seated alongside Radner, both of them patiently waiting for the commencement of dress rehearsal. As events unfolded, Morra descended and informed his client that they had been dismissed, necessitating an immediate departure. “I was utterly baffled by the entire situation,” recounts Crystal, a promising comedian at the time who resided on Long Island. “I didn’t want it to seem as though I had abruptly exited the show.

Following that incident, my fortunes took a turn for the worse, as expressed in “Live From New York.” Eventually, she joined the cast as a member for one season, spanning from 1984 to 1985.

“Kenan mentioned that the interviewee, Crystal, is a highly influential comedy writer in today’s era, but there wasn’t enough time to show everything. Kenan was thrilled when Crystal showed an original script of the first episode, which included a missing sketch about Alexander the Great’s high school reunion that had been elusive until then. This script is particularly significant for Kenan as it holds a special emotional value for their movie’s storytelling,” said Kenan.

Did Michaels hire writer Alan Zweibel minutes before the show premiered?

On a Saturday night, Michaels departs from 30 Rock in pursuit of a missing Belushi. He drops into a nearby tavern and encounters an up-and-coming comedy scriptwriter named Alan Zweibel. Impressed by him, Michaels offers him a job on the spot to write for the show that’s mere moments away from its debut premiere.

As a passionate cinephile, I’ve always been captivated by the behind-the-scenes stories of our beloved comedy legends. In this instance, it was before the grand debut of “SNL” that Michael hired Zweibel, a comic gem I’d later see on my screen. At that time, he was a humble deli worker in Queens, selling jokes to Catskills comics for a mere seven dollars each. As he recounts in “Live From New York,” he took the risqué material they rejected and transformed it into a stand-up act, aiming to secure a coveted TV gig. He and Crystal lived on neighboring plots of Long Island and would frequently commute to the city to grace various stages with their comedy.

One evening, as a man took a seat beside him at the bar, it turned out to be Michael, who was on talent-seeking duty. Zweibel then traveled to Long Island, spent several days crafting jokes, accumulating over a thousand in total, and subsequently presented his collection, or what he called a “phone book” of one-liners, during an interview with Michael at the Plaza Hotel. He disclosed that he was earning $2.75 per hour at the deli. Michael offered him a position, stating that he could match this wage and provide employment.

In Zwiebel’s famed “phone book”, his top joke, which was initially included, was indeed the sole contribution he had for the first show. This joke, humorously depicted on “Saturday Night Live,” revolved around the notion that the post office would release a 10-cent stamp celebrating prostitution. However, as Chase humorously pointed out in “Weekend Update”, if you wanted to lick it, it would cost you a quarter instead.

Did Milton Berle really flash his penis to people on the show?

One of the more extravagant events shown on “Saturday Night” may not have occurred exactly as portrayed. However, it’s true that Berle was known for being unrestrained, and this trait was evident, even if not on the specific night in question, as Kenan explained. The man known as Mr. Television had hosted “SNL” in 1979, and his aggressive, dominating behavior, along with his outdated, overly broad humor, left a lasting impact on many who were present, based on various accounts in the book “Live From New York.

Also leaving an impression? A certain appendage.

In the book, Zweibel reminisces about a conversation that took place in Berle’s private room, where the famously well-endowed comedian was clad in a brief robe. “It’s quite strange discussing things with you,” Zweibel recounts, “since for years I’ve been crafting jokes about your…um, private part.” According to Zweibel, Berle then inquired if he’d care to see it and promptly displayed “this anaconda” on the table without waiting for approval. Zweibel describes it as colossal, and when asked for his opinion, he responded, “It’s quite impressive,” only to have Radner enter the room at that moment.

In “Saturday Night,” instead of Zweibel, it’s Chase that Berle highlights. Chase is already gaining recognition as the show’s rising talent and his ego is almost as grand as Berle’s own stature.

Kenan stated that the plot served as an ideal depiction of the self-assured nature of the entertainment industry faced by our budding comedians.

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2024-10-11 13:35