Saturday Night Live


The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation Presents

02:26

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About

Saturday Night Live first aired on 11 October 1975 on NBC and has continued since to hold that spot in the line-up despite major cast changes, turmoil in the production offices and variable ratings. A comedy-variety show with an emphasis on satire and current issues, the program has been a staple element of NBC's dominance of late-night programming since its inception.

The program was developed by Dick Ebersol with producer Lorne Michaels in 1975 as a result of NBC's search for a show for its Saturday late night slot. The network had long enjoyed dominance of the weekday late night slot with The Tonight Show and sought to continue that success in the unused weekend time period. With the approval of Johnny Carson, whose influence at the network was strong, Ebersol and Michaels debuted their show, which was intended to attract the 18-to-34 age demographic.

The regulars on the show have always been relative unknowns in the comedy field. The first cast (The Not Ready for Prime Time Players) included Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Laraine Newman and Garrett Morris, all of them from the New York and Toronto comedy scenes. Featuring a different guest host each week (comedian George Carlin was the first) and a different musical guest as well, the programs reflected a non-traditional approach to television comedy from the start. The cast and writers combined the satirical with the silly and non-sensical, not unlike Monty Python's Flying Circus, one of Michael's admitted influences.

The program was produced live from NBC's studio 8-H for 90 minutes. This difficult schedule and pressure-filled production environment has resulted in some classic comedy sketches and some abysmally dull moments over the years. Creating comedy in such a situation is difficult at best and the audience was always aware when the show was running dry (usually in the last half hour). But this sense of the immediate and the unforeseen also gave the show its needed edge. By returning to TV's live roots, Saturday Night Live gave its audiences an element of adventure with each program. It acquainted the generations who never experienced live television programming in the 1950s with the sense of theatre missing from pre-recorded programming.

For the performers, crew and writers, the show was a test of skill and dedication. The show has undergone several major changes since its beginning. The most obvious of these were the cast changes. SNL's first "star," Chevy Chase, left the show in the second season for Hollywood. Aykroyd and Belushi followed in 1979. The rest of the original cast, including Bill Murray who replaced Chase, left when Lorne Michaels decided to leave the show after the 1979-80 season. Michaels' departure created wide-spread doubt about the viability of the show without him and his cast of favorites. Jean Doumanian was chosen as producer and her tenure lasted less than a year. With the critics attacking the show's diminished satirical edge and the lackluster replacement performers, NBC enticed Ebersol to return as producer in the spring of 1981. Ebersol managed to attract some of the original staff for the 1981-82 season, particularly writer Michael O'Donoghue. With the addition of Eddie Murphy, the show began to regain some of its strength, always based in its focus on a young audience and the use of relevant material.

Michaels rejoined the show as producer in 1985 and oversaw a second classic period of Saturday Night Live. With talented performers such as Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, Jan Hooks and Phil Hartman, the program regained much of its early edge and attitude. But the nature of the the program is that the people who make it funny (the performers and writers) are the ones who tend to move on after a few years of the grind of producing a weekly live show. As the program moved into the 1990s, this trend still affected the quality. But Michaels' presence established a continuity which reassured the network and provided some stability for the audience.

From the beginning, Saturday Night Live provided America with some of its most popular characters and catch-phrases. Radner's Roseanne Roseannadana ("It's always something") and Emily Litella ("Never mind"), Belushi's Samurai, Aykroyd's Jimmy Carter, Murphy's Mr. Robinson, Billy Crystal's Fernando ("You look mahvelous"), Martin Short's Ed Grimley, Lovitz's pathological liar, Carvey's Church Lady ("Isn't that special?") and Carvey and Kevin Nealon's Hans and Franz have all left marks on popular culture. The program's regular news spot has been done by Chase, Curtin, Aykroyd, Nealon and Dennis Miller, among others and, at its best, provided sharp comic commentary on current events. It was particularly strong with Miller as the reader.

Saturday Night Live has seen many of its cast members move on to success in other venues. Chase, Aykroyd, Murray, Murphy and Crystal have all enjoyed considerable movie success. Short, Lovitz, Carvey, Jim Belushi, Adam Sandler, Chris Farley and Joe Piscopo have been mildly successful in films. Curtin, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Hooks and Phil Hartman moved on to other television shows.

As a stage for satire, few other American programs match Saturday Night Live. As an outlet for current music, the show has featured acts from every popular musical genre and has hosted both old and new artists (from Paul Simon, the Rolling Stones and George Harrison to REM and Sinead O'Connor.) Due to its longevity, SNL has crossed generational lines and made the culture of a younger audience available to their elders (and the opposite is also true). Ultimately, Saturday Night Live must be considered one of the most distinctive and significant programs in the history of U.S. television.

-Geoffrey Hammill

FURTHER READING

Barol, Bill, and Jennifer Foote. "Saturday Night Lives!" Newsweek (New York), 25 September 1989.

Beatts, Anne, and John Head, editors. Saturday Night Live. New York: Avon, 1977.

Cader, Michael, editor. Saturday Night Live: The First Twenty Years. Boston, Massachusetts: Cader Books, 1994.

Corliss, Richard. "Party on, Wayne-from TV to Movies." Time (New York), 2 March 1992.

Cullingford, Elizabeth Butler. "Seamus and Sinead: From 'Limbo' to Saturday Night Live by Way of Hush-A-Bye-Baby." Colby Quarterly (Waterville, Maine), March 1994.

Greenfield, Jeff. "Live from New York." New York, 19 April 1993.

Harkness, John. "Out of the Joke Box." Sight and Sound (Leicestershire, England), March 1994.

Hill, Doug, and Keff Weingrad. Saturday Night: A Backstage History Of Saturday Night Live. New York: Beech Tree, 1986.

Myers, Mike, and Robin Ruzan. Wayne's World: Extreme Close-Up. New York: Hyperion, 1991.

Partridge, Marianne, editor. Rolling Stone Visits Saturday Night Live. Garden City, New York: Dolphin, 1979.

Saltzman, Joe. "The Agony and the Ecstasy: Live Television Comedy." USA Today Magazine (New York), November 1987.

Highlights
Garrett Morris on working as a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live
29:00
George Carlin on hosting the very first Saturday Night Live and his cocaine use
04:15
Dick Ebersol on Richard Pryor's word association skit when hosting Saturday Night Live
00:43
Jane Curtin on the first episode of Saturday Night Live
01:53
Don Pardo on an SNL skit where he plays "Ron Lardo" and recites his famous line "It's Saturday Night Live"
01:43
Anne Beatts on how she and Michael O'Donoghue worked to get John Belushi (who'd done the "National Lampoon Radio Hour") in the original cast of Saturday Night Live, despite producer Lorne Michael's reservations
01:49
Who talked about this show

Jason Alexander

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Jason Alexander on hosting Saturday Night Live
04:13

Beatrice Arthur

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Beatrice Arthur on regretting guest hosting on Saturday Night Live (airdate: November 17, 1979)
00:30

Anne Beatts

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Anne Beatts on her first impressions of Saturday Night Live writer Marilyn Suzanne Miller and Michael O'Donoghue's initial "cold feet" at the prospect of working in TV
00:52
Anne Beatts on her initial disinterest in writing for TV, having been offered a job (with O'Donoghue) from producer Lorne Michaels (who eventually convinced her) for Saturday Night (Live)
02:05
Anne Beatts on her "combative" interview with Lorne Michaels, in which she resisted the idea of being hired for Saturday Night Live
01:30
Anne Beatts on the development of Saturday Night (Live) by Lorne Michaels and NBC executive Dick Ebersol's role in it
01:39
Anne Beatts on how she and Michael O'Donoghue worked to get John Belushi (who'd done the "National Lampoon Radio Hour") in the original cast of Saturday Night Live, despite producer Lorne Michael's reservations
01:49
Anne Beatts on how she and Michael O'Donoghue wanted Bill Murray and Mimi Kennedy for the initial cast on Saturday Night Live— but those slots went to Dan Aykroyd and Jane Curtin
00:51
Anne Beatts on a typical workweek on Saturday Night Live during her tenure in the 1970s to early 80s
04:16
Anne Beatts on the female writers that worked on Saturday Night Live during her tenure from the 1970s to early 80s
00:59
Anne Beatts on original Saturday Night Live cast member Chevy Chase's talent
00:43
Anne Beatts on her complex relationship with original Saturday Night Live cast member John Belushi (who was a friend but also wanted to see the female staff writers fired)
01:15
Anne Beatts on original (and sole African-American) Saturday Night Live cast member Garrett Morris and how he was used on the show
02:10
Anne Beatts on original Saturday Night Live cast member Gilda Radner and her stage presence
02:11
Writer Anne Beatts on original Saturday Night Live cast member Laraine Newman and her comedic talent
01:39
Anne Beatts on Bill Murray's addition to the Saturday Night Live cast, the breakout "Nerds sketch," and how she feels he was thanking her for the sketch when he guest-starred later on Square Pegs
00:56
Anne Beatts on the difficulty in getting praise from Saturday Night Live producer Lorne Michaels
01:37
Anne Beatts on the popularity of Saturday Night Live in the early years, that was made clear during the show's New Orleans remote
01:49
Anne Beatts on Saturday Night Live guest host Lily Tomlin (and John Belushi's refusal to perform in one particular sketch)
01:46
Anne Beatts on a Saturday Night Live sketch about Patty Hearst (with guest host Lily Tomlin) that was objected to by Standards and Practices
00:39
Anne Beatts on Standards and Practices' concerns over slang expressions on Saturday Night Live
00:42
Anne Beatts on two Saturday Night Live sketches that had Standards and Practices issues— a Jesus sketch and a "Nerds" Christmas pageant sketch
03:25
Anne Beatts on using her producing experience on Saturday Night Live to her advantage on Square Pegs
02:29
Anne Beatts on the special Saturday Night Live 25, and a joke she wrote for Chevy Chase
02:22
Anne Beatts on watching Saturday Night Live in later years
00:26
Anne Beatts on her writing sensibilities
01:47
Anne Beatts on a favorite career moment for her, while working on Saturday Night Live
01:30

George Bodenheimer

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George Bodenheimer on Saturday Night Live spoofs of ESPN
01:08
George Bodenheimer on Saturday Night Live head writer Seth Meyers hosting The ESPY Awards
00:56

Peter Boyle

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Peter Boyle on hosting Saturday Night Live during the show's first year
01:28

Bernie Brillstein

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Manager Bernie Brillstein on The Muppets appearance on Saturday Night Live
00:44
Bernie Brillstein on meeting Lorne Michaels and the beginnings of Saturday Night Live
07:40
Bernie Brillstein on Lorne Michaels assembling the cast of Saturday Night Live
02:08
Bernie Brillstein on the production and original cast of Saturday Night Live
09:16
Bernie Brillstein on the many casts of and production of Saturday Night Live
28:02

Tom Broecker

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Tom Broecker on his first experience at Saturday Night Live before he attended graduate school
04:12
Tom Broecker on memorable characters and sketches on Saturday Night Live from his first stint there, in the late 1980s, and on how the costume design department operated at that time
03:01
Tom Broecker on how he came to work at Saturday Night Live full time after graduating from the Yale School of Drama
02:40
Tom Broecker on transitioning from Saturday Night Live assistant costume designer to costume designer
03:24
Tom Broecker on the costume design team at Saturday Night Live
02:54
Tom Broecker on his weekly production schedule for costume design at Saturday Night Live
06:49
Tom Broecker on the shopping he does for costumes on Saturday Night Live, and on what happens after he gathers the clothes and costumes for a week's show
06:39
Tom Broecker on hosts' and performers' input into costumes on Saturday Night Live, and on Lorne Michaels' input
02:00
Tom Broecker on how he manages the quick costume changes on Saturday Night Live
02:16
Tom Broecker on how costume changes on Saturday Night Live can affect the order of the show, and on the quick change booths in studio 8H
03:38
Tom Broecker on what happens to the costumes on Saturday Night Live after an episode is over
01:16
Tom Broecker on how technological advances have changed the costume design process on Saturday Night Live
02:41
Tom Broecker on designing costumes for specific sketches on Saturday Night Live, including "More Cowbell," "Mom Jeans," and "The Californians"
03:42
Tom Broecker on costuming Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live
02:11
Tom Broecker on his long tenure at Saturday Night Live, and on the pace of working on the show versus episodic television
02:20

George Carlin

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George Carlin on hosting the very first Saturday Night Live and his cocaine use
04:15

Dick Cavett

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Dick Cavett on hosting Saturday Night Live
01:04

Art Clokey

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Art Clokey on Eddie Murphy's parody of "Gumby" on Saturday Night Live and the Gumby episode "Small Planets"
06:30

William Clotworthy

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William Clotworthy on joining Standards & Practices at NBC, and getting assigned to Saturday Night Live
07:58
William Clotworthy on Charles Rocket and censorship on Saturday Night Live when Rocket swore live on air
03:08
William Clotworthy on doing Standards and Practices for Saturday Night Live; on drug humor, pressure from outside groups, and a typical work week
23:45
William Clotworthy on the famous "Nude beach" sketch on Saturday Night Live
02:07
William Clotworthy on Saturday Night Live' s production schedule, Lorne Michaels, and the cast of the show
27:33
William Clotworthy on working with cast members of Saturday Night Live, on retiring
16:29

Andy Cohen

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Andy Cohen on participating in "The Real Women of SNL" sketch on Saturday Night Live's The Women of SNL special
01:03

Doug Herzog with Emerson College

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Doug Herzog on the early influence of Saturday Night Live on his career and on the explosion of cable television
03:04

Robert Conrad

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Robert Conrad on hosting Saturday Night Live
00:49

Billy Crystal

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Billy Crystal on being bumped by Lorne Michaels from the first episode of Saturday Night Live in 1975
07:45
Billy Crystal on being hired with Dick Ebersol, along with Martin Short and Christopher Guest, as cast members for Saturday Night Live in 1984
03:47
Billy Crystal on some of his classic bits from Saturday Night Live, including "Fernando's Hideaway" with "Barry Manilow"
04:23
Billy Crystal on the popularity of his "Fernando" character on Saturday Night Live, and his catchphrase, "You look marvelous"
00:59
Billy Crystal on being nominated for an Emmy Award for his work on Saturday Night Live
01:56
Billy Crystal on his "Sammy Davis, Jr." imitation on Saturday Night Live
04:13
Billy Crystal on the "Willie and Phil" sketches with Christopher Guest on Saturday Night Live
03:42
Billy Crystal on doing the sketch "Jackie Rogers, Jr.'s $100,000 Jackpot Wad" with Martin Short on Saturday Night Live
00:51
Billy Crystal on leaving Saturday Night Live after only one season
03:10

Jane Curtin

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Jane Curtin on being cast on Saturday Night Live
02:18
Jane Curtin on the "boys club" atmosphere at the original Saturday Night Live
01:08
Jane Curtin on her first impression of Lorne Michaels when she was cast on Saturday Night Live
01:02
Jane Curtin on the first episode of Saturday Night Live
01:53
Jane Curtin on the early Saturday Night Live writers
01:01
Jane Curtin on working with Chevy Chase on Saturday Night Live
01:25
Jane Curtin on working with John Belushi on Saturday Night Live
02:59
Jane Curtin on working with Gilda Radner and Laraine Newman on Saturday Night Live
01:54
Jane Curtin on working with Garrett Morris on Saturday Night Live
02:23
Jane Curtin on working with Dan Aykroyd on Saturday Night Live and doing "Weekend Update"
03:01
Jane Curtin on working with Bill Murray on Saturday Night Live
00:46
Jane Curtin on participating in Saturday Night Live's "Coneheads" sketches 
01:52
Jane Curtin on playing the mother in "The Nerds" sketches on Saturday Night Live
01:27
Jane Curtin on the politics of Saturday Night Live and favorite guest hosts
01:38
Jane Curtin on the culture of Saturday Night Live in the '70s
02:22
Jane Curtin on leaving Saturday Night Live in 1980
01:04
Jane Curtin on the legacy of the first five years of Saturday Night Live
01:10
Jane Curtin on returning to Saturday Night Live for the reunion specials and working with Tina Fey
02:07

Greg Daniels

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Greg Daniels on being hired to write for Saturday Night Live
03:19
Greg Daniels on what he learned as a writer on Saturday Night Live
03:49
Greg Daniels on the legacy of Saturday Night Live
03:04
Greg Daniels on favorite Saturday Night Live guest hosts and writing for them
04:01

Joe DeTullio

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Joe DeTullio on working with the basic lack of budget restrictions for production design on Saturday Night Live
02:37
Joe DeTullio on being assigned to work at Saturday Night Live, and on his various other assignments as an NBC page
05:44
Joe DeTullio on his initial impressions of Saturday Night Live when he began as a page there
02:29
Joe DeTullio on realizing he wanted to work at Saturday Night Live, and going to work in the press department
02:32
Joe DeTullio on being offered an acting role right after he started at Saturday Night Live
07:27
Joe DeTullio on his duties in the Saturday Night Live publicity department, and on showing interest in the design department
04:52
Joe DeTullio on his first year in the art department at Saturday Night Live and on reference materials he used in the days before the internet
06:30
Joe DeTullio on collecting and organizing reference materials and drawings for the Saturday Night Live art department
10:14
Joe DeTullio on a typical workweek for the art department of Saturday Night Live
07:16
Joe DeTullio on dividing up the work among the four main members of the Saturday Night Live art department
04:53
Joe DeTullio on overseeing the construction of the sets for Saturday Night Live
05:11
Joe DeTullio on the use of duratrans on Saturday Night Live
01:35
Joe DeTullio on the challenge of making the art design as true to the original thing it's based on as possible with time restraints on Saturday Night Live
04:45
Joe DeTullio on working hard on a set, only to have the sketch cut before air on Saturday Night Live
03:56
Joe DeTullio on prioritizing which Saturday Night Live sets will be built first in a given week, and on the logistics of the job
04:13
Joe DeTullio on the great pressures and challenges of the Saturday Night Live art department, and on trying to accommodate all needs and requests from the creative team
04:07
Joe DeTullio on the importance of the team of carpenters who build the sets for Saturday Night Live
01:00
Joe DeTullio on his duties on show day for Saturday Night Live and on collaborating with his department
02:49
Joe DeTullio on how he enjoys working construction in the shop, as well as doing the design
02:23
Joe DeTullio on the evolution of the "home base" set of Saturday Night Live
03:21
Joe DeTullio on designing the Grand Central Station-themed "home base" set for Saturday Night Live
09:03
Joe DeTullio on the clocks on the the Grand Central Station-themed "home base" set for Saturday Night Live
08:41
Joe DeTullio on elements he wanted to incorporate into his Grand Central Station-themed "home base" set for Saturday Night Live but wasn't able to
02:21
Joe DeTullio on the longevity of his Grand Central Station-themed "home base" set for Saturday Night Live, and on feedback on the design from Lorne Michaels and others
04:42
Joe DeTullio on the Saturday Night Live "home base" set's relationship to New York City
02:53
Joe DeTullio on favorite sets he has designed for Saturday Night Live, including "Brian Fellow's Safari Planet"
04:44
Joe DeTullio on the kinds of sketches he doesn't particularly like designing for on Saturday Night Live
02:14
Joe DeTullio on the Royal Wedding sketch from the season 43 finale of Saturday Night Live
05:44
Joe DeTullio on being nominated for Emmy Awards for Saturday Night Live
00:34
Joe DeTullio on occasional budget limitations on Saturday Night Live
01:10
Joe DeTullio on his longevity in his position on Saturday Night Live
02:19
Joe DeTullio on working with the production design team at Saturday Night Live, and on dealing with the stress of the job
04:53
Joe DeTullio on making his way into the design department at Saturday Night Live
03:13
Joe DeTullio on working with the Saturday Night Live night crew, building sets for the show
03:46
Joe DeTullio on Saturday Night Live generally not recycling sets, and on the logistics of moving the sets in and out of the building and studio
03:43
Joe DeTullio on generating the graphics needed for sketches on Saturday Night Live
02:10
Joe DeTullio on Stiegelbauer Associates being the scenic shop for Saturday Night Live, and on the carpenters who build the sets
05:00
Joe DeTullio on coordinating the trucks for delivery and unloading of sets for Saturday Night Live
01:18
Joe DeTullio on the challenge of getting the right light bulbs for the Grand Central Station-themed "home base" set for Saturday Night Live
02:10
Joe DeTullio on the music stage of the Grand Central Station-themed "home base" set for Saturday Night Live
03:56
Joe DeTullio on production design's interaction with other departments on Saturday Night Live
07:44

Danny DeVito

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Danny DeVito on his opening monologue on Saturday Night Live after Taxi was cancelled and before it was picked up again on NBC
03:28

Phil Donahue

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Phil Donahue on being parodied on Saturday Night Live
02:11

Dick Ebersol

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Dick Ebersol on the time slot that would become Saturday Night Live
03:57
Dick Ebersol on coming up with the format for Saturday Night Live
22:30
Dick Ebersol on the buildup to, casting, and premiere of Saturday Night Live
01:01:39
Dick Ebersol on the hosts and music on Saturday Night Live
17:54
Dick Ebersol on Brandon Tartikoff's role in Ebersol's return to Saturday Night Live; on reviving the show
17:54
Dick Ebersol on a typical week of putting together an episode of Saturday Night Live
01:00:56
Dick Ebersol on dress rehearsal and the live show of Saturday Night Live
21:19

Stephanie Edwards

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Stephanie Edwards on Betty White's 2010 performance on Saturday Night Live
00:47

Tom Freston

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Tom Freston on Saturday Night Live spoofing Behind the Music
00:33

Michael Gelman

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Michael Gelman on the parodies of Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and Live with Regis and Kelly on Saturday Night Live
01:00

Jon Hamm

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Jon Hamm on the "Jon Hamm's John Ham" sketch on Saturday Night Live
00:31
Jon Hamm on watching Saturday Night Live when he was young
00:46
Jon Hamm on his first time hosting Saturday Night Live in 2008
00:27
Jon Hamm on his experiences doing live television on Saturday Night Live and 30 Rock
03:14
Jon Hamm on parodying Mad Men's "Don Draper" on Saturday Night Live
01:06

Buck Henry

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Buck Henry on how he was asked to host Saturday Night Live by Lorne Michaels
Buck Henry on his Saturday Night Live character "Uncle Roy"
Buck Henry on the Saturday Night Live skit "Stunt Baby"
Buck Henry on the Saturday Night Live skits with John Belushi and the "Samurai Stock Broker" episode when he was seriously injured
Buck Henry on the creative process on Saturday Night Live ; being a frequent guest-host on SNL
Buck Henry on some of his favorite SNL sketches, "Lord and Lady Douchebag"
Buck Henry on the SNL live remote broadcast from Mardi Gras in 1977
01:43
Buck Henry on the last time he hosted SNL in 1989 and on the new version of the show he helped Lorne Michaels create after his hiatus
04:14

Gwen Ifill

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Gwen Ifill on Queen Latifah playing her in a Saturday Night Live sketch
01:08

Don Roy King

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Don Roy King on being hired by Lorne Michaels to direct Saturday Night Live
06:05
Don Roy King on working with Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live, and on learning to direct the show
04:58
Don Roy King on his first Saturday Night Live directing job, and on his role as director on the show
04:42
Don Roy King on the key crew members he works with on Saturday Night Live
03:24
Don Roy King on a typical work week on Saturday Night Live, and on Ludacris hosting the show
08:48
Don Roy King on working with the guest hosts of Saturday Night Live, and on the show dealing with politics
06:50
Don Roy King on working with Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live
02:22
Don Roy King on a typical work week on Saturday Night Live
06:35
Don Roy King on working with the designers, music groups, and cue cards on Saturday Night Live
06:58
Don Roy King on rehearsing sketches on Saturday Night Live
04:32
Don Roy King on working with the musical acts of Saturday Night Live
03:00
Don Roy King on dealing with last minute changes before going live on-air while directing Saturday Night Live
09:35
Don Roy King on the dress rehearsal and going live on-air on Saturday Night Live
09:04
Don Roy King on what he does after a Saturday Night Live broadcast, and on how writers and cast members leaving the show impacts it
06:02
Don Roy King on his comfort level with directing Saturday Night Live, and on winning Emmy Awards for the show
03:43
Don Roy King on what makes a sucessful episode of Saturday Night Live from a directing standpoint
03:44
Don Roy King on directing Saturday Night Live's 40th anniversary special
05:41
Don Roy King on the legacy of Saturday Night Live
01:28

Lisa Kudrow

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Lisa Kudrow on auditioning for Saturday Night Live for Lorne Michaels while she was at The Groundlings (Julia Louis-Dreyfus got the part instead), and on later hosting the show
04:22

Louise Lasser

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Louise Lasser on hosting Saturday Night Live, and on Norman Lear's reaction to the show
04:37

Lucy Lawless

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Lucy Lawless on hosting Saturday Night Live
03:05

Eugene Lee

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Eugene Lee on his original design for Saturday Night Live in Studio 8H and why he wanted a balcony
03:05
Eugene Lee on preparing for the very first Saturday Night Live show with host George Carlin, and lessons learned from that experience
01:48
Eugene Lee on how he got hired at Saturday Night Live
13:00
Eugene Lee on his first thoughts on the Saturday Night Live studio, Studio 8H
00:56
Eugene Lee on the original office spaces for Saturday Night Live
01:43
Eugene Lee on needing another designer to work with him on Saturday Night Live and hiring Leo Yoshimura
03:01
Eugene Lee on Dick Ebersol wanting him to hire Norman Davis instead of Leo Yoshimura on Saturday Night Live
02:37
Eugene Lee on the original Saturday Night Live design department on the seventh floor of 30 Rock
02:34
Eugene Lee on his original budget restrictions on Saturday Night Live and interviewing directors
02:46
Eugene Lee on Lorne Michaels needing to get the original model for Studio 8H for Saturday Night Live approved and money not being an issue after it was approved
02:10
Eugene Lee on the timeline for designing the original studio for Saturday Night Live and wanting to use real brick for the original Home Base set for Saturday Night Live
02:45
Eugene Lee on the original scenery on Saturday Night Live
02:26
Eugene Lee on the research for sets and background on Saturday Night Live and certain sets that are kept
02:43
Eugene Lee on staffing the production design department at Saturday Night Live during the show's early years
02:24
Eugene Lee on a typical week on Saturday Night Live during the early days of the show
01:48
Eugene Lee on how much interaction he had with the cast and crew on the early days of Saturday Night Live; on difficulties with lighting the show and having very few original crew members still around
04:24
Eugene Lee on the five years Lorne Michaels (and he) were not at Saturday Night Live and working on The New Show with him
02:45
Eugene Lee on why the live aspect is so important on Saturday Night Live
00:45
Eugene Lee on Lorne Michaels (and he) returning to Saturday Night Live in 1985, redesigning Home Base, and the regular characters that always appear in hallway shots on the show
01:44
Eugene Lee on hiring more people for his department on Saturday Night Live
05:53
Eugene Lee on bringing Keith Raywood and Joe DeTullio onto his production design team at Saturday Night Live
04:18
Eugene Lee on the then-current Saturday Night Live design shop at Stiegelbauer Associates and previous design shops for the show
03:06
Eugene Lee on how the four production designers on Saturday Night Live divide up their work and what a typical week on the show is like
03:15
Eugene Lee on working with the musical guests on Saturday Night Live and Lorne Michaels' involvement with musical guests
02:34
Eugene Lee on what a typical week on Saturday Night Live is like, contd.
03:41
Eugene Lee on not saving most of the sets made for Saturday Night Live, but keeping the Oval Office set and a few game show sets
02:33
Eugene Lee on how sets fit into the studio for Saturday Night Live and on working with the video unit; on how many people are involved with making the show
02:35
Eugene Lee on feeling sad after a show and how working on Saturday Night Live has changed over the years
01:13
Eugene Lee on the production design budget on Saturday Night Live
01:50
Eugene Lee on using cars on Saturday Night Live and the process for moving large sets into Studio 8H
02:26
Eugene Lee on close calls with sets on Saturday Night Live
03:02
Eugene Lee on why his temperament is well-suited for being a production designer on Saturday Night Live and on working with Lorne Michaels
02:57
Eugene Lee on working with Francis Ford Coppola on Saturday Night Live and on working with Lorne Michaels
02:09
Eugene Lee on what has kept him on Saturday Night Live for so long and on his other projects
01:14
Eugene Lee on sketches he appeared in on Saturday Night Live
00:58
Eugene Lee on production design for the "Les Miserables" Saturday Night Live sketch with lobsters in a tank and on working up until the last second
06:03
Eugene Lee on some of the most challenging sets he's been asked to build for Saturday Night Live
02:15
Eugene Lee on not getting attached to sets for Saturday Night Live, on doing a lot of interviews over the years, and on writing a book
03:28
Eugene Lee on the importance of his job on Saturday Night Live
07:36
Eugene Lee on the story behind the Studio 8H balcony seats and seats for talk show sketches on Saturday Night Live
03:06
Eugene Lee on how sets being done last-minute contributes to the live theater aspect of Saturday Night Live
02:45
Eugene Lee on no longer staying to see the live show on Saturday Night Live
00:55
Eugene Lee on musical guests, hosts, and writers that he's enjoyed working with on Saturday Night Live
02:54
Eugene Lee on working with the three other Saturday Night Live production designers on non-SNL projects and how the four of them work together
01:06
Eugene Lee on the fun part about working on Saturday Night Live and on not caring about celebrities
01:19
Eugene Lee on what he would have said to his sons if they had wanted to be production designers and on Saturday Night Live having several generations of families working there
02:29
Eugene Lee on his proudest career achievement - the balcony in Studio 8H for Saturday Night Live
01:49
Eugene Lee on for how much longer he'll be working at Saturday Night Live
01:05
Eugene Lee on the Grand Central Home Base set on Saturday Night Live
00:31
Eugene Lee on the importance of makeup and hair on Saturday Night Live
01:48
Eugene Lee on the "Church Lady" set on Saturday Night Live
00:48
Eugene Lee on the "Wayne's World" set on Saturday Night Live
00:43
Eugene Lee on whether the Home Base set will change again on Saturday Night Live
00:08

Jerry Lewis

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Jerry Lewis on Saturday Night Live
00:14

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus on getting cast on Saturday Night Live after a play performance
01:35
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on the state of Saturday Night Live when she joined the cast and what she learned from the show
03:11
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on not quite finding her groove on Saturday Night Live
00:46
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on her first time doing live television on Saturday Night Live
01:58
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on her favorite memories from Saturday Night Live - meeting guest hosts
03:05
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on why she left Saturday Night Live
00:48
Julia Louis-Dreyfus on hosting Saturday Night Live in 2006 and 2007
03:37

Susan Lucci

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Susan Lucci on guest-hosting Saturday Night Live
05:30

Stewart MacGregory

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Stewart MacGregory on being unit manager for Saturday Night Live for a few weeks in 1977
04:27
Stewart MacGregory on returning to Saturday Night Live in 1981
03:16

Jodi Mancuso

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Jodi Mancuso on how she started working as a hair stylist on Saturday Night Live
03:29
Jodi Mancuso on her memories of first walking into Saturday Night Live, and on her first time "running a track"
02:52
Jodi Mancuso on the experience of styling hair for live television on Saturday Night Live
01:14
Jodi Mancuso on a typical workweek for her as hairstylist on Saturday Night Live
04:18
Jodi Mancuso on dealing with the hosts and their wigs on Saturday Night Live
01:20
Jodi Mancuso on collaborating with performers like Fred Armisen on hairstyles for sketches on Saturday Night Live and Portlandia
02:41
Jodi Mancuso on collaborating with other departments on Saturday Night Live, and on doing hair for pre-taped segments
01:51
Jodi Mancuso on doing hair for Digital Shorts like the Lonely Island segments on Saturday Night Live
02:30
Jodi Mancuso on her Saturday as a hairstylist on Saturday Night Live including dealing with last minute changes
06:01
Jodi Mancuso on Saturday Night Live cast members needing to wear "self wigs"
01:37
Jodi Mancuso on her interaction with Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live
03:28
Jodi Mancuso on working with Tina Fey on Saturday Night Live
01:48
Jodi Mancuso on crafting wigs based on real people for Saturday Night Live
02:28
Jodi Mancuso on crafting Tina Fey's "Sarah Palin" wig for Saturday Night Live, and on Palin appearing on the show
02:18
Jodi Mancuso on being the inspiration for Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph's "Bronx Beat" sketches on Saturday Night Live
04:25
Jodi Mancuso on working with Tom Hanks on the "David S. Pumpkins" sketch on Saturday Night Live
03:25
Jodi Mancuso on working with Melissa McCarthy as guest host of Saturday Night Live and on making her up as "Sean Spicer"
02:31
Jodi Mancuso on working with Kristen Wiig on Saturday Night Live
02:29
Jodi Mancuso on Alec Baldwin's "Donald Trump" wig on Saturday Night Live
03:09
Jodi Mancuso on working with Kenan Thompson on Saturday Night Live
01:21
Jodi Mancuso on working with Kate McKinnon on Saturday Night Live, and on McKinnon appearing on-air with Hillary Clinton
04:45
Jodi Mancuso on her difficulty in dealing with big stars' and newsmakers' cameos on Saturday Night Live
02:19
Jodi Mancuso on Robert De Niro doing a cameo as "Robert Mueller" on Saturday Night Live
02:05
Jodi Mancuso on her collaboration as hairstylist with Saturday Night Live director Don Roy King
02:04
Jodi Mancuso on hairstyling for the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special and on wigs for old characters like "Roseanne Roseannadanna" and "The Church Lady"
05:27
Jodi Mancuso on winning six Emmy Awards for her work on Saturday Night Live and on the challenges of doing prosthetics on the show
03:05
Jodi Mancuso on being called in last-minute to style hair for Maya & Marty
02:37
Jodi Mancuso on what has kept her working at Saturday Night Live
01:03

Penny Marshall

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Penny Marshall on appearing on Saturday Night Live
06:34

Beth McCarthy-Miller

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Beth McCarthy-Miller on replacing Dave Wilson as director on Saturday Night Live
06:18
Beth McCarthy-Miller on the changes she brought to Saturday Night Live as director and the "rules" of directing live comedy
02:45
Beth McCarthy-Miller on the differences between directing live comedy and pre-recorded comedy
02:37
Beth McCarthy-Miller on the relationship between the director and the writers on Saturday Night Live
03:33
Beth McCarthy-Miller on on-air mishaps on Saturday Night Live and the stress of directing it
03:40
Beth McCarthy-Miller on working with the cast of Saturday Night Live and a typical production week on the show
03:38
Beth McCarthy-Miller on her favorite Saturday Night Live sketches
02:33
Beth McCarthy-Miller on working with Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live
03:38
Beth McCarthy-Miller on being a woman working on Saturday Night Live
02:44
Beth McCarthy-Miller on working with Tina Fey as head writer of Saturday Night Live
02:20
Beth McCarthy-Miller on working with Jimmy Fallon on Saturday Night Live
02:00
Beth McCarthy-Miller on directing Saturday Night Live in the wake of the 9/11 attacks and directing America: A Tribute to Heroes
08:40
Beth McCarthy-Miller on directing the Saturday Night Live 25th Anniversary Special
01:45
Beth McCarthy-Miller on what makes a good Saturday Night Live host
03:32
Beth McCarthy-Miller on Ashlee Simpson's lip synch error on Saturday Night Live
03:44
Beth McCarthy-Miller on her favorite musical moments from her tenure at Saturday Night Live
01:52
Beth McCarthy-Miller on leaving Saturday Night Live
01:31
Beth McCarthy-Miller on her favorite memories of Saturday Night Live
02:55
Beth McCarthy-Miller on the legacy of Saturday Night Live
00:33

Don Mischer

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Don Mischer on getting 2 job offers: one for Saturday Night Live, one for a new show with Howard Cosell and Roone Arledge
06:13

John Moffitt

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John Moffitt on Fridays comparisons to Saturday Night Live
00:51
John Moffitt on turning down the chance to direct Saturday Night Live at its beginning
02:36

Garrett Morris

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Garrett Morris on one of his most beloved Saturday Night Live characters - the news announcer for the hard of hearing, created by Chevy Chase
01:04
Garrett Morris on working as a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live
29:00
Garrett Morris on memories of working with Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live
09:08
Garrett Morris on one of his most beloved Saturday Night Live characters - "Chico Escuela", created by Bill Murray and Brian Doyle Murray
03:20
Garrett Morris on his Saturday Night Live characters and cast-mates
28:55
Garrett Morris on one of his most beloved Saturday Night Live characters - the news announcer for the hard of hearing, created by Chevy Chase
01:04
Garrett Morris on working as a writer and performer on Saturday Night Live
29:00

Bill Mumy

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Bill Mumy on his music career and the novelty song "Fish Heads"
05:13

David Newell

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David Newell on Eddie Murphy's impression of Fred Rogers on Saturday Night Live
02:06

Laraine Newman

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Laraine Newman on being cast on Saturday Night Live
05:46
Laraine Newman on the first episode of Saturday Night Live
03:42
Laraine Newman on her favorite Saturday Night Live sketches
03:12
Laraine Newman on the bee sketches on Saturday Night Live
00:59
Laraine Newman on her Groundlings characters that carried over to Saturday Night Live
02:35
Laraine Newman on the early weeks of Saturday Night Live
05:44
Laraine Newman on working with Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live
01:35
Laraine Newman on the on-air personas of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players on Saturday Night Live and dealing with NBC Standards and Practices 
03:08
Laraine Newman on performing live on Saturday Night Live
03:15
Laraine Newman on her fame from Saturday Night Live and who the show appealed to
03:51
Laraine Newman on promotions for Saturday Night Live
01:08
Laraine Newman on a typical production week for Saturday Night Live and working with the writers
02:01
Laraine Newman on working with Michael O'Donoghue and the other writers on Saturday Night Live
02:34
Laraine Newman on creating characters for Saturday Night Live
03:16
Laraine Newman on the challenges of Saturday Night Live and her relationships with the other cast members
02:39
Laraine Newman on fan encounters during her time on Saturday Night Live
01:58
Laraine Newman on her recurring Saturday Night Live  characters and memorable sketches
07:41
Laraine Newman on the Saturday Night Live sketch "Mr. Death"
02:21
Laraine Newman on the Saturday Night Live sketch "Theodora of York"
01:31
Laraine Newman on the "Uncle Roy" sketch on Saturday Night Live
01:25
Laraine Newman on her favorite Saturday Night Live  hosts and musical guests
03:18
Laraine Newman on leaving Saturday Night Live in 1980
02:32

Don Ohlmeyer

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Don Ohlmeyer on removing Norm MacDonald from SNL's "Weekend Update"
01:48
Executive Don Ohlmeyer on the decision to pull Norm MacDonald from Saturday Night Live 's "Weekend Update"
08:05

Suze Orman

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Suze Orman on how she handled meeting Kristen Wiig after seeing her parody on SNL and how much she enjoyed it

Don Pardo

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Don Pardo on becoming the announcer on Saturday Night Live; on meeting Lorne Michaels
01:37
Don Pardo on the beginning of Saturday Night Live and how the announcer gig was described to him
02:41
Don Pardo on flubbing the opening for the very first Saturday Night Live show - misstating the Not Ready for Prime Time players
01:43
Don Pardo on an SNL skit where he plays "Ron Lardo" and recites his famous line "It's Saturday Night Live"
01:43
Don Pardo on the initial reaction to SNL; on what rehearsals were like
03:43
Don Pardo on working at Studio 8H at Rockefeller Center for SNL
06:49
Don Pardo on his SNL recollections; on Tina Fey, and Dick Ebersol; on Lorne Michaels leaving the show and his replacement, Jean Doumanian
06:13

Jacques Pépin

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Jacques Pépin on appearing on Tomorrow with Julia Child when she cut her finger, later parodied on Saturday Night Live
04:00

Keith Raywood

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Keith Raywood on his first art director job for the feature "Easy Money," which years later led to his being hired at Saturday Night Live
06:20
Keith Raywood on working on Lorne Michaels' The New Show, and on going to work for Saturday Night Live in 1985
02:33
Keith Raywood on his early years as art director on Saturday Night Live, and on early sets he designed
07:39
Keith Raywood on considering leaving Saturday Night Live after his fifth year, and on becoming credited as a production designer
04:02
Keith Raywood on wining Emmy Awards for his work on the MTV Video Music Awards and Saturday Night Live
06:56

Rob Reiner

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Rob Reiner on hosting an early episode of Lorne Michaels' Saturday Night Live
03:51

Heino Ripp

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Heino Ripp on being technical director for Saturday Night Live, and on working with the cast, including John Belushi
08:53
Heino Ripp on working with John Belushi and Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live
08:58

Joan Rivers

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Joan Rivers on guest-hosting Saturday Night Live
01:12

Fred Rogers

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Fred Rogers on imitations of him on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and by Eddie Murphy on Saturday Night Live
03:24

Richard Schiff

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Richard Schiff on appearing in a West Wing sketch on Saturday Night Live
01:06

Herbert S. Schlosser

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Herbert S. Schlosser on how Saturday Night Live came to be, and on Tomorrow with Tom Snyder
13:07
Herbert S. Schlosser on his role on Saturday Night Live once it started
02:02
Herbert S. Schlosser on Saturday Night Live dealing with NBC standards and practices
04:25
Herbert S. Schlosser on Chevy Chase leaving Saturday Night Live after his first year
02:59
Herbert S. Schlosser on his biggest contribution to Saturday Night Live, and on the longevity of the show
01:54

Paul Shaffer

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Paul Shaffer on being friends with Brian Doyle-Murray and Bill Murray when he first came to New York, and collaborating with Bill on his nightclub club singer bit (which he later used on SNL)
02:41
Paul Shaffer on being hired for Saturday Night Live by music director Howard Shore
01:17
Paul Shaffer on his experiences during the early days of Saturday Night Live and the Wednesday brainstorming sessions of that era
02:20
Paul Shaffer on John Belushi's Joe Cocker musical parodies
02:35
Paul Shaffer on the problem encountered by musical guest John Sebastian while performing the Welcome Back, Kotter theme song on Saturday Night Live (and producer Lorne Michaels stepping in live on the air to ask him to start over)
01:27
Paul Shaffer on working with Bill Murray on "the lounge singer" sketches on Saturday Night Live
06:48
Paul Shaffer on the development of "The Blues Brothers" on Saturday Night Live
11:58
Paul Shaffer on Garrett Morris and his Tina Turner sketches, which led to his Don Kirshner impressions on Saturday Night Live
04:34
Paul Shaffer on the "prison follies" sketches on Saturday Night Live
01:11
Paul Shaffer on working with Saturday Night Live's Gilda Radner, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman
05:56
Paul Shaffer on the bee costumes from the early days of Saturday Night Live
00:55
Paul Shaffer on writer Marilyn Suzanne Miller's "Shirley Temple Black" sketch and how it led to an on-screen credit for him
03:37
Paul Shaffer on his early duties on Saturday Night Live and how they changed
00:42
Paul Shaffer on how Lorne Michaels geared the schedule of Saturday Night Live to the evening hours
01:14
Paul Shaffer on how Lorne Michaels gave the creators of sketches full producing powers
01:41
Paul Shaffer on the "Chevy's Girls" girl group sketch
02:50
Paul Shaffer on Chevy Chase's penchant for pratfalls and the injury he sustained once (doing a Gerald Ford sketch)
00:48
Paul Shaffer on Elvis Costello's appearance on Saturday Night Live when he changed songs mid-set
01:52
Paul Shaffer on Patti Smith's musical guest appearance on Saturday Night Live
01:11
Paul Shaffer on Saturday Night Live's "Video Vixens" musical sketches
02:05
Paul Shaffer on Chevy Chase
01:19
Paul Shaffer on Bill Murray
01:35
Paul Shaffer on becoming a castmember on Saturday Night Live and accidentally swearing during a live broadcast
05:24
Paul Shaffer on leaving Saturday Night Live after five years
01:39

George Shapiro

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George Shapiro on how Andy Kaufman got the gig on Saturday Night Live
00:38
George Shapiro on disagreeing with Andy Kaufman's inter-gender wrestling on television
02:37
George Shapiro on Andy Kaufman reading The Great Gatsby on Saturday Night Live
01:19

William Shatner

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William Shatner on the experience of hosting Saturday Night Live
06:46

Robert Smigel

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Robert Smigel on the writers' room at Saturday Night Live when he joined in 1985; on the experience of his first week on the show and learning that even the funniest sketches in the room may bomb in front of a live audience; on when he first started writing on SNL and what it meant to him to be part of a show he grew up watching; on being a comedy “nerd”; on feeling like he didn’t fit in; on not knowing what kinds of sketches Lorne wanted him to write; on the early sketches he was writing being more oddball
09:32
Robert Smigel on the Saturday Night Live writer Jim Downey as an inspiration for him when they were both staff writers at SNL; on the importance of the first read-through at SNL for a writer; on Jim Downey coming out of the comedy school at The Harvard Lampoon and how that impacted his humor
09:59
Robert Smigel on Chevy Chase's return to Saturday Night Live as the show's host in 1986 and his unique take on the "Weekend Update" segment; on Jon Lovitz being the breakout star of that season; on Dennis Miller on "Weekend Update"; on some of the other SNL performers who were on the show during his tenure like Randy Quaid, Joan Cusack, Robert Downey, Jr. and Victoria Jackson; on the change in the cast when Dana Carvey and Jan Hooks came on the show;
06:22
Robert Smigel on Damon Wayans being fired from Saturday Night Live after going rogue on the live show; on the special and volatile nature of the show being live as opposed to pre-taped; on SNL hitting its peak stride with Tina Fey's impression of Sarah Palin in 2008
05:00
On writing about the ending of Saturday Night Live while being aware the show was in threat of being cancelled; on Tom Hanks guest-hosting on the show; on the bit with Tom Hanks with three guys who sounded like Jerry Seinfeld (a swipe at that style of conversational comedy) saving his role on the show (1985-86 season); on a cliffhanger sketch about the end of SNL he wrote for the season finale in May 1986 with George Martin setting the studio on fire and Lorne Michaels (as himself) only saving Jon Lovitz but sending the writers straight into the flames; on Jim Downey’s contribution to the sketch putting a "?" next to each player's name in the end-crawl; on SNL coming back for another season but with some major cast and crew changes
08:46
Robert Smigel on Dana Carvey's "Chopping Broccoli" sketch on Saturday Night Live; on Dana Carvey as a performer and his collaborations with Smigel; on contributions from writers Bonnie and Terry Turner; on some of Carvey’s sketches and impressions; on working with Carvey on his Johnny Carson impression, and on The McLaughlin Group impression being one of Smigel’s favorite sketches that he wrote; on Carvey's Regis Philbin impression; on “finding the music” in an impression with Carvey; on writing for Phil Hartman as Ronald Reagan (as an evil mastermind), and on changing up the way the show and others had done Reagan impressions in the past
09:31
Robert Smigel on his second year writing on Saturday Night Live; on changes to the writers' room and cast; on castmember Jan Hooks' versatility; on the first show back his second season and the sketch "Game Show Psychic" with Dana Carvey and Jan Hook, and on how it was a completely different show with the new cast
06:01
Robert Smigel on the political satire sketches he wrote for Saturday Night Live during the Clinton presidency; on the Stockdale vice presidential debate sketch; on observational humor on the show; on Dana Carvey's impression of President George Bush
04:46
Robert Smigel on the writing duo of Jim Downey and Al Franken on Saturday Night Live; on Adam McKay joining the writing staff of SNL and how the show's writing was changing in the 1990s; on the political sketches on SNL during the Bill Clinton presidency; on Will Ferrell’s impression of George W. Bush; on Jim Downey’s return to SNL for the Al Gore presidential debate sketch in 2000 featuring the classic line “lock box”; On Downey not wanting to focus on skewering the laughs towards one side of the political spectrum, but wanting to focus just on the comedy
09:25
Robert Smigel on the "Matt Foley Motivational Speaker" sketch with Chris Farley written by Bob Odenkirk, and on the "Chippendales" sketch with Farley written by Jim Downey
01:17
Robert Smigel on his 1986 Saturday Night Live sketch "Trekkers" co-written with SNL writer George Meyers; on his attitude towards nerds in general; on the "Get a Life" line on the "Trekkers" sketches with William Shatner of Star Trek; on the holiday monologue sketch he wrote for Steve Martin
05:20
Robert Smigel on writing the Steve Martin opening monologue "I'm not gonna phone it in tonight" on Saturday Night Live (December 14, 1991); on always being on-set for the sketches he wrote for SNL
03:39
Robert Smigel on the Saturday Night Live sketch "Nude Beach" (he had written the sketch the summer before and came back to SNL in the fall to find that NBC had dissolved the Standards & Practices department so they were able to get away with saying “penis” on air - the episode would become one of the most controversial episodes to air on the show
06:32
Robert Smigel on writing the "Bill Swerski's Superfans" sketch about the Chicago Bears fans for Saturday Night Live in 1991; on coming up with "da Bears" catchphrase; on writing the sketch for Phil Hartman but Jim Downey talking Smigel into appearing in the sketch instead of Joe Mantegna because his Chicago accent was more authentic and would set a "metronome" for the sketch; on writing another sketch for George Wendt as Bob Swerski; on doing a sketch “The Quiz Show” about "da Bears" versus "da Bulls"; on the real Mike Ditka's (of the Chicago Bears) take on the sketches
18:09
Robert Smigel on the tribute song Adam Sandler performed in honor of Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live, and on the bonding experience of Saturday Night Live for people who work on the show
05:40
Robert Smigel on what he learned from producing The Dana Carvey Show; on one of the funniest sketches he was involved in on The Dana Carvey Show, about Gerald Ford, that was never aired until Smigel and Dana Carvey revived it later for Saturday Night Live; on the inspiration for the sketch which was hearing news anchor Dan Rather pre-recording an obituary for Ronald Reagan (who was still alive at the time); on having to fight to get the sketch aired on SNL; on why he had trouble getting his sketches on SNL; on finally being able to get the Gerald Ford sketch on the air only when Dana Carvey came back to host Saturday Night Live in 1996
08:17
Robert Smigel on the animated sketches he created for Saturday Night Live; on the "Cluckin' Chicken" piece which he first created for The Dana Carvey Show and later brought to Saturday Night Live; on Adam Sandler as the voice of the "Cluckin' Chicken"; on hiring animation director J.J. Sedelmaier for these pieces; on why he turned to animation as a vehicle for comedy; on wanting to be a cartoonist
03:51
Robert Smigel on his return to Saturday Night Live with his "TV Funhouse" animated sketches, starting with the sketch "The Ambiguously Gay Duo" and then "The X Presidents" voiced by Jim Morris; on how the "TV Funhouse" animated sketches on SNL came about; on using Stephen Colbert and Steve Carrell as the voices of "Ace" and "Gary" in the "Ambiguously Gay Duo" sketches; on mimicking Lorne Michaels for the catchphrase “Come back here with my show” on "TV Funhouse"; on impressions of Lorne Michaels by himself and others including Tom Hanks and Mike Meyers
12:37
Robert Smigel on his animated holiday sketch "Christmastime for the Jews on Saturday Night Live, and on getting Phil Spector singer Darlene Love to sing the song for the sketch
02:08
Robert Smigel on the animated sketch "Journey to the Disney Vault" for Saturday Night Live's "TV Funhouse" animated sketches; on working with animation director Robert Marianetti, who came up with the idea of having skeletons in the Disney vault; on using a songalike of "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah" in the piece; on the piece being a racy piece but the point was that it was making fun of racist people; Smigel's feeling that “intent should matter in comedy- if it matters in crime, it matters in comedy”; on his autonomy making "TV Funhouse" cartoons; on a controversial sketch he made about Michael Jackson
05:36
Robert Smigel on the "TV Funhouse" animated sketch “Conspiracy Theory Rock!” (as a parody of Schoolhouse Rock) which poked fun at GE (NBC’s parent company); on getting notes back about the sketch from Standards & Practices; on the sketch airing on SNL as NBC president Bob Wright happened to be watching and his reaction to the sketch; on this sketch never re-airing; on SNL assistant director Robert Caminiti letting Smigel know the sketch had been pulled; on Lorne Michaels' continued support for Smigel's sketches despite the backlash; on J.J. Sedelmaier coming back to animate the "Conspiracy Theory Rock" sketch and getting original artists who had worked on Schoolhouse Rock to animate the piece
07:14
Robert Smigel on his involvement with the 25th anniversary special of Saturday Night Live in 1999; on the animated sketch "Life of a Catchphrase" he created for "TV Funhouse" that aired during this special; on another "TV Funhouse" sketch he wrote for the special which aired later on the "X Presidents" episode; on his penchant for making fun of SNL producer Lorne Michaels and his deep affection for Lorne; on the special celebrity audience that was present for the anniversary show
11:48

G.E. Smith

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G.E. Smith on becoming music director for Saturday Night Live
02:49
G.E. Smith on the early bands playing live on Saturday Night Live
00:58
G.E. Smith on playing guitar for Hall & Oates and appearing with them on Saturday Night Live
03:47
G.E. Smith on his duties as music director on Saturday Night Live
01:30
G.E. Smith on working for Lorne Michaels on Saturday Night Live
01:05
G.E. Smith on assembling the band for Saturday Night Live and the sound of the band during his tenure
02:57
G.E. Smith on how it felt playing in the studio on Saturday Night Live and his early performances on the show
02:24
G.E. Smith on the set-up in Studio 8H where the band played on Saturday Night Live and playing during commercial breaks
05:02
G.E. Smith on creating musical arrangements for Saturday Night Live
03:18
G.E. Smith on his influence on Lorne Michaels in booking musical guests for Saturday Night Live
02:24
G.E. Smith on a typical work week on Saturday Night Live and working with the likes of Chris Farley and Nirvana
08:19
G.E. Smith on Robert Mitchum hosting Saturday Night Live
03:51
G.E. Smith on the Saturday Night Live band backing up the musical guests
01:07
G.E. Smith on working with Eddie Van Halen on Saturday Night Live
03:44
G.E. Smith on working with Keith Richards on Saturday Night Live
02:10
G.E. Smith on working with Al Green on Saturday Night Live
01:18
G.E. Smith on Buddy Guy sitting in with the band on Saturday Night Live
00:40
G.E. Smith on working with Paul Simon on Saturday Night Live
01:17
G.E. Smith on The Replacements appearing on Saturday Night Live
01:33
G.E. Smith on Bryan Ferry appearing on Saturday Night Live
02:29
G.E. Smith on working with Sting and Elvis Costello on Saturday Night Live
01:48
G.E. Smith on working with Mick Jagger and Tracy Chapman on Saturday Night Live
01:47
G.E. Smith on working with Cypress Hill on Saturday Night Live
01:06
G.E. Smith on working with Aerosmith and writing the "Wayne's World" theme on Saturday Night Live
01:38
G.E. Smith on working with Eric Clapton on Saturday Night Live
03:15
G.E. Smith on the infamous Sinead O'Connor "Pope ripping" incident on Saturday Night Live
02:00
G.E. Smith on his favorite musical moments on Saturday Night Live and the show becoming more corporate
02:20
G.E. Smith on Miley Cyrus on Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary Special
01:15
G.E. Smith on leaving Saturday Night Live in 1995
01:35
G.E. Smith on his greatest contribution to Saturday Night Live
01:31
G.E. Smith on the logistics of touring with Bob Dylan while still appearing on Saturday Night Live
01:13

Herbert F. Solow

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Herbert F. Solow on the Star Trek sketch for Saturday Night Live
00:17

Jeremy Stevens

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Jeremy Stevens on writing for Saturday Night Live
14:10
Jeremy Stevens on the guest hosts of Saturday Night Live
01:00
Jeremy Stevens on how the press treated Saturday Night Live during his time on the show
01:02
Jeremy Stevens on Charles Rocket saying an expletive live on the air on Saturday Night Live
02:20
Jeremy Stevens on leaving Saturday Night Live
02:33

Bob Vila

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Bob Vila on parodies of This Old House on Saturday Night Live and In Living Color
00:26

Joseph A. Wapner

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Joseph Wapner on being asked to host Saturday Night Live
00:31

Malcolm-Jamal Warner

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Malcolm-Jamal Warner on hosting Saturday Night Live
02:53
Malcolm-Jamal Warner on hosting Saturday Night Live
01:43

Keenen Ivory Wayans

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Keenen Ivory Wayans on how In Living Color was inspired by Saturday Night Live; on wanting to create his own version for people who hadn't gotten a shot
00:36

Fred Willard

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Fred Willard on hosting Saturday Night Live in 1978
05:41

Leo Yoshimura

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Leo Yoshimura on being hired as a production designer on Saturday Night Live alongside Eugene Lee
03:28
Leo Yoshimura on working with Eugene Lee on production designing the first few episodes of Saturday Night Live, and working with the stagehands on the show
04:21
Leo Yoshimura on his and Eugene Lee's early understanding with Lorne Michaels about the production design of Saturday Night Live, and on designing the early home base set
01:20
Leo Yoshimura on production designing the first cold open on Saturday Night Live, "The Wolverines," and on dealing with budgets
03:41
Leo Yoshimura on a typical work week for him on Saturday Night Live
06:37
Leo Yoshimura on playing "Sulu" in several Star Trek parodies on Saturday Night Live over the years, and on lack of representation of Japanese people on television
06:08
Leo Yoshimura on his longevity at Saturday Night Live, and his wanting to continue to work
01:30
Leo Yoshimura on some of his biggest challenges as a production designer on Saturday Night Live
06:57
Leo Yoshimura on working with the crew of Saturday Night Live
00:58
Eugene Lee on how he came to join Saturday Night Live, and on his early experience with the show
11:25
SNL Production Design Team on designing the Saturday Night Live home base set
03:00
SNL Production Design Team on Lorne Michaels' input into the Saturday Night Live home base set
04:44
SNL Production Design Team on the llama running joke on Saturday Night Live
02:03
Keith Raywood on how he became involved with Saturday Night Live, and on his role within the team
04:02
Joe DeTullio on how he joined Saturday Night Live
04:58
SNL Production Design Team on how the team functions together, and on a typical workweek
08:53
SNL Production Design Team on what makes working on Saturday Night Live production design unique
02:43
SNL Production Design Team on their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live
01:48
SNL Production Design Team on reusing old sets on Saturday Night Live
02:06
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with the tight time constraints of Saturday Night Live, and on their biggest challenges
10:17
SNL Production Design Team on working with the directors of Saturday Night Live, including Dave Wilson, Paul Miller, Beth McCarthy-Miller, and Don Roy King
04:28
SNL Production Design Team on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live
03:06
SNL Production Design Team on their favorite sets, and on Saturday Night Live being live
04:44
SNL Production Design Team on their longevity staying with Saturday Night Live, and on dealing with crazy weeks
05:53
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on air
04:49
SNL Production Design Team on appearing in sketches on Saturday Night Live from time to time, and on the "Weekend Update" set
03:29
SNL Production Design Team on the most fun sets to design for Saturday Night Live
03:01
SNL Production Design Team on working with the musical guests on Saturday Night Live
04:15
SNL Production Design Team on favorite sets they've worked on for Saturday Night Live, and on assessing their job after a given show
02:30
SNL Production Design Team on continuing to work on Saturday Night Live
01:17
SNL Production Design Team on the enduring popularity of Saturday Night Live, and on what keeps them working there
09:27
Eugene Lee on how he came to join Saturday Night Live, and on his early experience with the show
11:25
SNL Production Design Team on designing the Saturday Night Live home base set
03:00
SNL Production Design Team on Lorne Michaels' input into the Saturday Night Live home base set
04:44
SNL Production Design Team on the llama running joke on Saturday Night Live
02:03
Keith Raywood on how he became involved with Saturday Night Live, and on his role within the team
04:02
Joe DeTullio on how he joined Saturday Night Live
04:58
SNL Production Design Team on how the team functions together, and on a typical workweek
08:53
SNL Production Design Team on what makes working on Saturday Night Live production design unique
02:43
SNL Production Design Team on their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live
01:48
SNL Production Design Team on reusing old sets on Saturday Night Live
02:06
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with the tight time constraints of Saturday Night Live, and on their biggest challenges
10:17
SNL Production Design Team on working with the directors of Saturday Night Live, including Dave Wilson, Paul Miller, Beth McCarthy-Miller, and Don Roy King
04:28
SNL Production Design Team on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live
03:06
SNL Production Design Team on their favorite sets, and on Saturday Night Live being live
04:44
SNL Production Design Team on their longevity staying with Saturday Night Live, and on dealing with crazy weeks
05:53
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on air
04:49
SNL Production Design Team on appearing in sketches on Saturday Night Live from time to time, and on the "Weekend Update" set
03:29
SNL Production Design Team on the most fun sets to design for Saturday Night Live
03:01
SNL Production Design Team on working with the musical guests on Saturday Night Live
04:15
SNL Production Design Team on favorite sets they've worked on for Saturday Night Live, and on assessing their job after a given show
02:30
SNL Production Design Team on continuing to work on Saturday Night Live
01:17
SNL Production Design Team on the enduring popularity of Saturday Night Live, and on what keeps them working there
09:27
Eugene Lee on how he came to join Saturday Night Live, and on his early experience with the show
11:25
SNL Production Design Team on designing the Saturday Night Live home base set
03:00
SNL Production Design Team on Lorne Michaels' input into the Saturday Night Live home base set
04:44
SNL Production Design Team on the llama running joke on Saturday Night Live
02:03
Keith Raywood on how he became involved with Saturday Night Live, and on his role within the team
04:02
Joe DeTullio on how he joined Saturday Night Live
04:58
SNL Production Design Team on how the team functions together, and on a typical workweek
08:53
SNL Production Design Team on what makes working on Saturday Night Live production design unique
02:43
SNL Production Design Team on their process of collaborating with each other on Saturday Night Live
01:48
SNL Production Design Team on reusing old sets on Saturday Night Live
02:06
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with the tight time constraints of Saturday Night Live, and on their biggest challenges
10:17
SNL Production Design Team on working with the directors of Saturday Night Live, including Dave Wilson, Paul Miller, Beth McCarthy-Miller, and Don Roy King
04:28
SNL Production Design Team on their interaction with various other departments on Saturday Night Live
03:06
SNL Production Design Team on their favorite sets, and on Saturday Night Live being live
04:44
SNL Production Design Team on their longevity staying with Saturday Night Live, and on dealing with crazy weeks
05:53
SNL Production Design Team on dealing with last minute issues on Saturday Night Live, and on mishaps live on air
04:49
SNL Production Design Team on appearing in sketches on Saturday Night Live from time to time, and on the "Weekend Update" set
03:29
SNL Production Design Team on the most fun sets to design for Saturday Night Live
03:01
SNL Production Design Team on working with the musical guests on Saturday Night Live
04:15
SNL Production Design Team on favorite sets they've worked on for Saturday Night Live, and on assessing their job after a given show
02:30
SNL Production Design Team on continuing to work on Saturday Night Live
01:17
SNL Production Design Team on the enduring popularity of Saturday Night Live, and on what keeps them working there
09:27

Jeff Zucker

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Jeff Zucker on the first episode of Saturday Night Live following 9/11
01:26

Alan Zweibel

View Interview
Alan Zweibel on meeting Lorne Michaels and being hired to write for Saturday Night Live
03:27
Alan Zweibel on jokes he wrote for Lorne Michaels to audition to be a writer on Saturday Night Live
00:57
Alan Zweibel on his experience with NBC's then-vice president of late night, Dick Ebersol, early in his tenure at Saturday Night Live
01:19
Alan Zweibel on the initial cast and writing staff of Saturday Night Live
02:42
Alan Zweibel on initially gravitating toward fellow Saturday Night Live writer Herbert Sargent
02:53
Alan Zweibel on meeting Gilda Radner on Saturday Night Live, and on his working relationship with her
05:48
Alan Zweibel on writing the character "Roseanne Roseannadanna" with Gilda Radner for Saturday Night Live, and on their writing process
08:25
Alan Zweibel on the first episode of Saturday Night Live hosted by George Carlin, and on how Lorne Michaels handled it
04:58
Alan Zweibel on Billy Crystal being cut from the first episode of Saturday Night Live
01:28
Alan Zweibel on the live aspect of Saturday Night Live
02:56
Alan Zweibel on fellow Saturday Night Live writer Michael O'Donoghue
04:17
Alan Zweibel on the women on the early writing staff of Saturday Night Live, including Anne Beatts and Marilyn Suzanne Miller
02:38
Alan Zweibel on writing team of Al Franken and Tom Davis on Saturday Night Live
01:21
Alan Zweibel on Chevy Chase being the first breakout star of Saturday Night Live
01:39
Alan Zweibel on a typical production week in the early years of Saturday Night Live
04:06
Alan Zweibel on the disastrous, primetime Saturday Night Live "Live from Mardi Gras" special
03:12
Alan Zweibel on Dan Aykroyd on Saturday Night Live
01:07
Alan Zweibel on John Belushi on Saturday Night Live
01:53
Alan Zweibel on Jane Curtin and Laraine Newman on Saturday Night Live
01:29
Alan Zweibel on Garrett Morris on Saturday Night Live, and on creating and writing his "Chico Escuela" character
02:28
Alan Zweibel on the lack of improvisation by the actors on Saturday Night Live
01:37
Alan Zweibel on the early explosion in the popularity of Saturday Night Live, and on the show winning Emmy Awards
06:36
Alan Zweibel on the impact on Saturday Night Live when Chevy Chase left after the first season, and on John Belushi becoming a breakout star
02:10
Alan Zweibel on Saturday Night Live pieces he wrote that were cut before air
03:36
Alan Zweibel on Saturday Night Live guest-host Milton Berle confirming a big rumor for him
03:47
Alan Zweibel on George Harrison appearing as musical guest the week Paul Simon hosted Saturday Night Live
01:49
Alan Zweibel on co-writing Gilda Radner's "Gilda Live" Broadway show and movie with her
05:04
Alan Zweibel on the fifth season of Saturday Night Live, and on Lorne Michaels announcing he was leaving the show
03:04
Alan Zweibel on being asked to return to Saturday Night Live when Dick Ebersol took over as producer, and on returning to guest-write for the Jesse Jackson episode
01:21
Alan Zweibel on how the culture at Saturday Night Live evolved over time
01:24
Alan Zweibel on working in studio 8H for Saturday Night Live
02:35
Alan Zweibel on learning about production during his time on Saturday Night Live and on the logistics of production on the show
05:11
Alan Zweibel on working with Saturday Night Live director Dave Wilson
02:46
Alan Zweibel on Buck Henry being injured during one of John Belushi's "Samurai" sketches on Saturday Night Live
02:50
Alan Zweibel on what makes Lorne Michaels a strong and capable producer of Saturday Night Live
03:00
Alan Zweibel, interviewed from home during the Coronavirus pandemic, on humor during times of tragedy and how Saturday Night Live's At Home episodes and the late-night hosts such as Jimmy Fallon, Bill Maher, doing their shows from home have served as a comedic coping mechanism for all of us
06:12

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