10 Ways Saturday Night Changes The True Story Of SNL’s First Episode

The following contains light mention of drug use

The following contains spoilers for Saturday Night, now playing in theatersSaturday Night makes some very specific changes to the origin story of Saturday Night Live. Directed by Jason Reitman and pulling from the numerous behind-the-scenes stories that have been told about the iconic sketch comedy series’ history, Saturday Night focuses on the chaos that erupted on Studio 8H in the immediate lead-up to Saturday Night Live‘s first episode. Much of the film is centered around Lorne Michaels as he tries to wrestle with the egos, expectations, and eccentricities of his cast, crew, and (perhaps most importantly) the executives who could shut the entire production down.

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The impressive cast of Saturday Night do a great job of recreating the iconic comedians they’re playing, bringing new layers to one of TV’s most legendary collections of comedians. Overall, the movie is accurate to the real-world drama that existed behind-the-scenes. However, the film does make some deliberate tweaks, additions, and omissions from the true story for dramatic effect. This builds to the surprisingly heartwarming ending of Saturday Night, but it is worth looking back at the actual history of SNL and how it compares to the film based on it.

10 Jim Henson Is Way More Targeted In Saturday Night Than In SNL History

Jim Henson’s Land of Gorch Wasn’t Popular, But Henson Wasn’t The Dork Saturday Night Portrays Him As

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Saturday Night recreates plenty of big aspects from Saturday Night Live‘s early days like the presence of Jim Henson, but tweaks it for the sake of comedy and narrative. In Saturday Night, Henson is played by Nicholas Braun (who also plays Andy Kaufman in the movie). In the film’s narrative, Henson is portrayed as a sweet natured and almost painfully uncool creative, whose more wholesome and idiosyncratic tone doesn’t quite fit into the chaotic vibes of Saturday Night Live. The writers also frequently mock his puppet Land of Gorch sketches.

Jim Henson left
Saturday Night Live
after season 1. In 1976,
The Muppet Show
debuted and served as a new home for the Muppet characters.

While Jim Henson did have some tensions with Saturday Night Live‘s cast and crew (who regularly mocked his felt creations), the real life Jim Henson was not nearly as “square” as the film suggests. Henson was actually more invested in counter-culture then one might expect, and had already found success with his Muppets in shows like Sesame Street. This is the reason why some fans of the Muppets have been calling out Saturday Night, as reported by Vulture.

9 Milton Berle Wasn’t On The Set Of SNL’s First Episode

Saturday Night Invented Milton Berle’s Confrontation With Chevy Chase

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Milton Berle was a major figure in television for decades, and did eventually have an appearance on Saturday Night Live. However, his contentious role in Saturday Night was an invention for the film. Played by J.K. Simmons, the confidence of “Mr. TV” ends up being a harsh contrast to Lorne and undercuts Chevy Chase’s swagger, highlighting their own internal doubts behind the bravado necessary to put together a show like Saturday Night Live.

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This conflict between Berle and Chase an invention of the film, however. Berle was not present for the real first episode of Saturday Night Live, as opposed to his brief but memorable appearance in Saturday Night. In the true story of Saturday Night Live, Berle eventually appeared in season 4 of the sketch comedy series. His decision to expose himself to intimidate Chase takes inspiration from his hosting gig on the show, where he did that to SNL writer Alan Zweibel behind-the-scenes.

8 The Brick Set Was Finished Before Saturday Night’s Plot

A Thematic Throughline Of Saturday Night Didn’t Exactly Happen Like That In Real Life

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A visual element of Saturday Night used to illustrate the dysfunction of the show is the brick floor that Production Designer Akira “Leo” Yoshimura spends much of the film constructing. He only barely finishes before the show begins, finally receiving help from the judgmental veterans of the television crew as the show pulls itself together. This tense moment didn’t quite happen like that in real life, although it does take inspiration from the history of SNL.

This is a good example of how the filmmakers behind
Saturday Night
compressed the chaos of hours and days into a more compact story…

Saturday Night Live set creator Eugene Lee told Vanity Fair during an interview that they were indeed still lining bricks up the day of Saturday Night Live‘s premiere. However, as opposed toSaturday Night‘s frantic last minute rush to get it done, Lee revealed they finished laying the bricks long before the show aired. This is a good example of how the filmmakers behind Saturday Night compressed the chaos of hours and days into a more compact story set within ninety-minutes.

7 George Carlin Did Back Out Of A Sketch (But Not At The Last Minute)

George Carlin’s First Saturday Night Live Set Almost Included A Complicated Sketch

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George Carlin was indeed the first host of Saturday Night Live, as seen in Saturday Night. In both real life and in the film, Carlin also wasn’t thrilled with the idea of appearing in a sketch about Alexander the Great’s high school reunion. However, the timing of this moment was made more dramatic for Saturday Night, with Carlin objecting to the sketch while in costume within the ninety minutes before the show went live. As reported by Cracked, Carlin did object to the sketch and refused to do it, but it was after a full dress rehearsal of the sketch.

George Carlin returned to
Saturday Night Live
in 1984 to host an episode during season 10.

This plays out differently in Saturday Night, which has Carlin declare his objections to the sketch with seemingly little awareness of the sketch and its contents, leading him to tell off the sketch’s writer Michael O’Donoghue in front of the assembled cast and crew. This gives the turn a more dramatic flair. The film does include one notable true detail about Carlin’s appearance on the show, as the legendary comedian later revealed he’d taken drugs before going on stage — something that is recreated in Saturday Night.

6 The SNL Sound System Was Fixed Before The Events Of Saturday Night

A Plot Point In Saturday Night Was Solved The Night Before

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One of the dramatic turns in Saturday Night is the discovery that the sound system in Studio 8H isn’t working at full capacity. The crew scrambles to solve the problem, which has only further complicated Lorne Michaels’ attempts to keep the fledgling show afloat. While this aspect of the story does have some basis in fact, it wasn’t a massive issue in the immediate build-up to the show.

As reported by Screen Crush, NBC’s Dick Ebersol came to the rescue the night before Saturday Night Live’s premiere. He resorted to recruiting a band playing elsewhere in New York City to come and fix the sound system. In reality, it was reportedly the skylight above the stage that was completed at the last minute, with Leo Yoshimura barely coming through to finish setting it up before the show went live.

5 Andy Kaufman Didn’t Save Saturday Night Live Single-Handidly

Kaufman Did Perform His Mighty Mouse Routine On The Show

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Andy Kaufman is one of the comedy guests on the first episode of Saturday Night Live, where he really performed his “Mighty Mouse” routine. In Saturday Night, this comedic bit ends up actually being crucial to the survival of the series when Kaufman unexpectedly performs it for the cast, crew and NBC Executives. This wins them over just as the latter were coming close to shutting down the premiere, setting off the dash for the film’s finish line.

This is an invention of Saturday Night, as the executives (including Wilem Dafoe’s David Tebet) were more supportive of Satruday Night Live than they are depicted as being in Saturday Night. Kaufman’s “Mighty Mouse” routine was only the first time the legendary comedian would appear on Saturday Night Live. However, Kaufman would eventually be banned from the show after his comedic sensibilities became increasingly bizarre and confrontational.

4 Chevy Chase Was Set To Do Weekend Update During Saturday Night

Lorne Michaels Was Briefly The Planned Weekend Update Host

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Saturday Night‘s first rendition of the famous Weekend Update sequence briefly sees Lorne Michaels himself sit behind the desk. However, Lorne quickly proves to not be the natural performer the rest of the cast is. The show quickly shifts and Lorne subs in Chevy Chase at the last minute to be the “newscaster” instead. This storybeat takes some inspiration from real life, as series creator Lorne Michaels really was originally set to be on-camera for Weekend Update.

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However, it was long before the premiere of the series that the decision was made to make the switch to Chase. In fact, according to an interview Michaels gave to Deadline, this was the fateful choice that elevated Chase — originally hired just as a writer on the show — to the actual cast of the series. That decision doesn’t carry the same dramatic weight as the last-minute substitution for Chase that bolsters both men’s confidence.

3 Lorne Michaels Wasn’t The One To Convince John Belushi To Sign His Contract

It Was Lorne’s Manager Who Saved The Day

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One element of Saturday Night that serves as an overarching problem for Lorne Michaels is John Belushi’s refusal to sign his contract. Frustrated with the commercial element of television and annoyed by his co-star Chevy Chase, Belushi even storms off set at one point. He’s eventually found by co-star Gilda Radner and Michaels at the ice rink in front of the Rockerfeller center, where Lorne convinces him to finally sign.

This is reflective of real life, where Belushi really did push back at attempts to make him sign his contract with NBC. However, it wasn’t Lorne Michaels and an empathetic conversation that convinced him to finally relent. In reality, Belushi held out to the last minute but was eventually won over by Michaels’ manager, Bernie Brillstein. After demanding to know if Brillstein thought the contract was a fair deal, he only would agree to it if Brillstein also became his manager.

2 Chevy Chase & John Belushi Didn’t Get In A Fight Before Episode 1

Chase Did End Up Fighting Another SNL Cast Member

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Checy Chase and John Belushi are portrayed in Saturday Night as overt rivals who lash out each other. Belushi even moves to attack Chase at one point after his verbal jabs become too much. Belushi and Chase’s feud was a genuine element of the behind-the-scenes drama on Saturday Night Live, as recounted by Far Out Magazine. However, the two didn’t come to blows during the production of the first episode of Saturday Night Live. Their fight in Saturday Night was more inspired by a brawl that Chase got into with another SNL star years later — Bill Murry.

Chase’s return to Saturday Night Live in season 3 as a host was an incredibly contentious one, with Murry needling Chase about his poor attitude until the two men came to blows. Reportedly, Belushi’s attempts to break it up resulted in him taking more than a few of the punches. Many accounts suggest Belushi egged on the conflict due to his deep dislike of Chase, making their feud in Saturday Night feel authentic (even if all the details aren’t all necessarily true).

1 Lorne Michaels Didn’t Find Alan Zweibel On Saturday Night

Lorne Michaels Had Hired Zweibel Before Saturday Night

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In a moment of crisis and personal doubt during Saturday Night, Lorne Michaels ends up walking through New York City and finds himself in a bar. There, he has a chance encounter with comedy writer Alan Zweibel, whose jokes are being butchered by a comedian on-stage. Impressed with the material, Michaels hired him on the spot and recruited him to Saturday Night Live, where his jokes help Chevy Chase impress the executives. Like many elements of Saturday Night, this idea has some basis in truth, but the details are changed.

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Michaels did really meet Zweibel in a chance encounter at a bar, where he saw potential in the writer’s jokes. However, this actually occurred a year before Saturday Night Live premiered. Michaels also didn’t hire Zweibel on the spot, instead recruiting him when the pair met again a few days later and Michaels read his joke book. These true stories serves as the inspiration for Saturday Night, and highlights how the filmmakers made changes for dramatic effect.

Sources:Vulture, Vanity Fair, Screen Crush, Deadline, Far Out Magazine, Cracked

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4/10 Saturday Night (2024)

As the clock ticks down to the first-ever broadcast of “Saturday Night Live” on October 11, 1975, a group of young comedians and writers hustle behind the scenes, navigating chaos and creative pressures. Set in NBC Studios, the film offers a dramatic and comedic look at the birth of an iconic television show.

Director Jason Reitman Release Date October 11, 2024 Writers Gil Kenan , Jason Reitman Cast Finn Wolfhard , Willem Dafoe , Dylan O’Brien , J.K. Simmons , Ella Hunt , Rachel Sennott , Matthew Rhys , Lamorne Morris

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8/10 8/10 Saturday Night Live

The longest-running sketch-comedy/satire show on television, premiering in 1975, Saturday Night Live is a weekly series that features new hosts for each episode, with a core cast of actors and comedians that rotate over time. Episodes feature several skits that are sometimes ad-libbed on the fly, with the hosts engaging in most of them, and also provide musical guest performances that cap off each night. 

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*Availability in US Cast Leslie Jones , Aidy Bryant , Kyle Mooney , Alex Moffat , Kate McKinnon , Beck Bennett , Kenan Thompson , Colin Jost , Mikey Day , Cecily Strong , Michael Che , Pete Davidson , Melissa Villaseñor Release Date October 11, 1975 Seasons 48 Network NBC

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