I've been reading the updated version of "Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests." I read the first edition years ago, around the time of the 25th anniversary of the show. I've come to the conclusion that I really need to stop reading about the show, about how it works, about how the writers are picked, about the whole thing. I need to stop reading the stories of the zaniness of being backstage or the thrill of seeing your work broadcast live to the nation. I just need to stop. I used to read everything about SNL when I was younger. Because that was the dream I thought I could attain. Now I read it and know that the dream has withered away. But I tried...
(I've written about my brushes with SNL before, but since no one really reads blogs, I'm doing it again.)
(I've written about my brushes with SNL before, but since no one really reads blogs, I'm doing it again.)
I grew up as a main-stream comedy nerd. I watched the shows on TV, I saw the comics on Ed Sullivan, The Tonight Show, Dean Martin, Bob Hope specials and Laugh-In. Even Soupy Sales. The sit-coms, the variety shows, I watched them all. Oddly, I didn't much buy comedy LPs, mostly because who had money to buy those? And eventually I'd get to see Cosby do his "Noah's Ark" bit or Newhart call about King Kong on the building on TV. Television was my comedy conduit. And when SNL came on the scene, it was one more piece of the puzzle. While I had been wondering what to do with my future, seeing this show really made me think about the dream that I had secretly been harboring, comedy writing. I now figured it was something to try. I attempted to pick a college based on that desire. I started reading the books and some trade papers. By my reckoning, there were only two approaches for me, writing comedy film scripts that I could send out to agents and producers in Hollywood or sketch comedy, that I could submit to local groups. And "local groups" included SNL.
One of the local groups using my material around this time was a comedy troupe called "Style Without Substance." They were an amazing group of performers that operated out of the Whole Theater in New Jersey, which was founded and run by the Oscar-winning actress, Olympia Dukakis. She attended many of the performances of the group, gave us advice and was aware of our work. One day she asked the group leader, Tom, for a meeting with me, the writer member. No one knew what was going on. Nervously I attended, clueless as to why she wanted to meet with me.
This was in 1988. Ms Dukakis was riding high off the movie "Moonstruck." She had been nominated for an Oscar. At the meeting she told us she had been invited to host an episode of SNL. She accepted but felt she needed to be a proactive host. She wanted show up at SNL with some material in hand, stuff she would like to do. That was why she called us in, she wanted to ask me to write some sketches for her . If I did, she would present them to the producers. I was floored. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have my material seen by the comedic Valhalla and I was going to seize it.
One of the local groups using my material around this time was a comedy troupe called "Style Without Substance." They were an amazing group of performers that operated out of the Whole Theater in New Jersey, which was founded and run by the Oscar-winning actress, Olympia Dukakis. She attended many of the performances of the group, gave us advice and was aware of our work. One day she asked the group leader, Tom, for a meeting with me, the writer member. No one knew what was going on. Nervously I attended, clueless as to why she wanted to meet with me.
This was in 1988. Ms Dukakis was riding high off the movie "Moonstruck." She had been nominated for an Oscar. At the meeting she told us she had been invited to host an episode of SNL. She accepted but felt she needed to be a proactive host. She wanted show up at SNL with some material in hand, stuff she would like to do. That was why she called us in, she wanted to ask me to write some sketches for her . If I did, she would present them to the producers. I was floored. This was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have my material seen by the comedic Valhalla and I was going to seize it.
In a frenzy, I wrote several sketches for her. I knew the show, having watched it from day one. I thought for sure I knew how to cater my material to them. Dana Carvey did a wacky Robin Leech? I wrote a skit called "Change of Life-Styles of the Rich and Famous," where we looked celebrities who hit their biggest success later in life, on the heels of Olympia's recent rise. I even managed a Donald Trump joke in there. In 1988! Hey, in NY, Trump had been kind of a joke for years.
It was an election year and SNL was on a roll. Olympia's cousin, Michael Dukaksi, was running for president. That was a topic that absolutely had to be covered, right? So I wrote "At Home With the Dukaki." Jon Lovitz was scoring big with his impression of the candidate, so that seemed like a logical pairing of Olympia and Michael. The sketch had them discussing other famous cousins (The Roosevelts, Jerry Lee Lewis & Jimmy Swaggart, Jesus and John the Baptist, Patty Duke, etc.). Politics and show business, comedy gold!
Of course there was a movie parody (an SNL tradition), Moonstruck II, as produced by Hammer Films, featuring werewolves: Full Moonstruck, as it were.
Finally, a sketch about the gods on Mt. Olympus (focusing on her Greek heritage). I was particularly proud of this one. Zeus was dealing with a walk-out by the creative Muses, which referenced the threat of a writers strike, looming over the entertainment industry at the time. Additionally, different cast members would show up as Greek gods, known and lesser known.
Script pages from the show on display at the SNL Exhibition. I submitted the material to her. There was some back and forth, some punching up, some tweaking and finally we reached a point where she was comfortable presenting them. Naturally, she couldn't guarantee anything, but she was really excited about the gig and wanted to pitch these. Which all sounded fine to me!
I couldn’t believe my luck! My sketches were going to be presented to SNL! Then my luck became more believable: That March, the Writers Guild went on strike. All TV and film production shut down. SNL went dark for that week and for many, many weeks after. Olympia Dukakis never got to host. To balance out that disappointment, she did win the Oscar in April.
Coincidentally, my Mt. Olympus sketch focused on the Muses wanting Zeus to pay them more for their work and reuse, parodying the labor issues of Hollywood '88 and the ultimate reason for the WGA strike; payment for VHS sales. Look at me, Mr. Soothsayer.
I couldn’t believe my luck! My sketches were going to be presented to SNL! Then my luck became more believable: That March, the Writers Guild went on strike. All TV and film production shut down. SNL went dark for that week and for many, many weeks after. Olympia Dukakis never got to host. To balance out that disappointment, she did win the Oscar in April.
Coincidentally, my Mt. Olympus sketch focused on the Muses wanting Zeus to pay them more for their work and reuse, parodying the labor issues of Hollywood '88 and the ultimate reason for the WGA strike; payment for VHS sales. Look at me, Mr. Soothsayer.
