The following contains light mention of drug use
The following contains spoilers for Saturday Night, now playing in theatersSaturday Nightmakes some very specific changes to the origin story ofSaturday 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 Nightfocuses on the chaos that erupted on Studio 8H in the immediate lead-up toSaturday 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.
The impressivecast ofSaturday Nightdo 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 heartwarmingending ofSaturday Night, but it is worth looking back at the actual history of SNL and how it compares to the film based on it.
10Jim Henson Is Way More Targeted In Saturday Night Than In SNL History
Jim Henson’sLand of GorchWasn’t Popular, But Henson Wasn’t The DorkSaturday NightPortrays Him As
Saturday Nightrecreates plenty of big aspects fromSaturday Night Live’s early days like the presence of Jim Henson, but tweaks it for the sake of comedy and narrative. InSaturday 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 ofSaturday Night Live. The writers also frequently mock his puppetLand of Gorchsketches.
Jim Henson leftSaturday Night Liveafter season 1. In 1976,The Muppet Showdebuted and served as a new home for the Muppet characters.
WhileJim Henson did have some tensions withSaturday 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 likeSesame Street. This is the reason why some fans of the Muppets have been calling out Saturday Night, as reported byVulture.
9Milton Berle Wasn’t On The Set Of SNL’s First Episode
Saturday NightInvented Milton Berle’s Confrontation With Chevy Chase
Milton Berle was a major figure in television for decades, and did eventually have an appearance onSaturday Night Live. However, his contentious role inSaturday Nightwas 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 likeSaturday 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 ofSaturday Night Live, as opposed to his brief but memorable appearance inSaturday Night. In thetrue story ofSaturday 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.
8The Brick Set Was Finished Before Saturday Night’s Plot
A Thematic Throughline OfSaturday NightDidn’t Exactly Happen Like That In Real Life
A visual element of Saturday Nightused 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 behindSaturday Nightcompressed the chaos of hours and days into a more compact story…
Saturday Night Liveset creator Eugene Lee toldVanity Fairduring an interview that they were indeed still lining bricks up the day ofSaturday 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 behindSaturday Nightcompressed the chaos of hours and days into a more compact story set within ninety-minutes.
7George Carlin Did Back Out Of A Sketch (But Not At The Last Minute)
George Carlin’s FirstSaturday Night LiveSet Almost Included A Complicated Sketch
George Carlin was indeed the first host ofSaturday Night Live, as seen inSaturday 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 forSaturday Night, with Carlin objecting to the sketch while in costume within the ninety minutes before the show went live. As reported byCracked,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 toSaturday Night Livein 1984 to host an episode during season 10.
This plays out differently inSaturday 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 inSaturday Night.
6The SNL Sound System Was Fixed Before The Events Of Saturday Night
A Plot Point InSaturday NightWas Solved The Night Before
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 byScreen 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.
5Andy Kaufman Didn’t Save Saturday Night Live Single-Handidly
Kaufman Did Perform His Mighty Mouse Routine On The Show
Andy Kaufman is one of the comedy guests on the first episode ofSaturday Night Live, where he really performed his “Mighty Mouse” routine. InSaturday Night,this comedic bit ends up actually being crucial to the survival of the serieswhen 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 ofSaturday Night, as the executives (including Wilem Dafoe’s David Tebet) were more supportive ofSatruday Night Livethan they are depicted as being inSaturday Night.Kaufman’s “Mighty Mouse” routine was only the first time the legendary comedian would appear onSaturday Night Live. However, Kaufman would eventually be banned from the show after his comedic sensibilities became increasingly bizarre and confrontational.
4Chevy Chase Was Set To Do Weekend Update During Saturday Night
Lorne Michaels Was Briefly The Planned Weekend Update Host
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, asseries 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 toDeadline,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.
3Lorne Michaels Wasn’t The One To Convince John Belushi To Sign His Contract
It Was Lorne’s Manager Who Saved The Day
One element ofSaturday Nightthat 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.
2Chevy Chase & John Belushi Didn’t Get In A Fight Before Episode 1
Chase Did End Up Fighting Another SNL Cast Member
Checy Chase and John Belushi are portrayed inSaturday Nightas 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 onSaturday Night Live, as recounted byFar Out Magazine. However,the two didn’t come to blows during the production of the first episode ofSaturday Night Live. Their fight inSaturday Nightwas more inspired by a brawl that Chase got into with another SNL star years later — Bill Murry.
Chase’s return toSaturday Night Livein season 3 as a host was an incredibly contentious one, withMurry 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 inSaturday Nightfeel authentic (even if all the details aren’t all necessarily true).
1Lorne Michaels Didn’t Find Alan Zweibel On Saturday Night
In a moment of crisis and personal doubt duringSaturday 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 toSaturday Night Live, where his jokes help Chevy Chase impress the executives. Like many elements ofSaturday Night, this idea has some basis in truth, but the details are changed.
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 beforeSaturday Night Livepremiered. 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 forSaturday Night, and highlights how the filmmakers made changes for dramatic effect.
Saturday Night
Cast
Saturday Night (2024) is a forthcoming film with an undisclosed director. The movie centers on the vibrant nightlife of a bustling city, capturing the intertwining lives and stories of a diverse ensemble cast navigating personal and social challenges over the course of a single evening.
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels, premiering in 1975. It features comedy sketches parodying contemporary culture and politics, performed by a rotating cast. Each episode is hosted by a celebrity guest and includes musical performances.
