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Dive into the fascinating world behind one of TV's longest-running shows as we uncover insider stories and surprises from the documentary “Lorne.” From iconic impressions and controversial hosts to behind-the-scenes battles and wardrobe choices, discover the untold details that shaped “SNL” and its legendary creator.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Good evening, I'm Lorne Michaels.
00:05Welcome to Ms. Mojo.
00:07And today, we're looking at details we learned about SNL from the documentary Lorne.
00:12Spoilers for the film.
00:13All of life is a reinvention.
00:15So, to be understood, not gonna happen.
00:19Everyone does a Lorne impression.
00:21Can you remind me what I pay you people for?
00:24Honestly, throw me a bone here.
00:27What do we have?
00:29Seabass.
00:34Right.
00:35At this point, it's no longer a secret that Dr. Evil is essentially Mike Myers' impression of Lorne Michaels.
00:41Of course, some would argue that the genesis of Dr. Evil started with Dana Carvey's impression of Lorne.
00:47Now, he would bite his nails, and I just did this.
00:50He did that thing with the pinky.
00:51Yeah, like that thing.
00:52Yeah.
00:53And then, you know, when I saw Mike do it, I did kind of go, but you know, it's a
00:57long time ago.
00:59Look, it's a really funny affectation.
01:01Yes.
01:01Because it's so specific.
01:03In all fairness, Lorne impressions aren't exclusive to one person.
01:07In the Kids in the Hall movie Brain Candy, former SNL writer Mark McKinney brought his Lorne impression to the
01:12character of Don Rorator.
01:14So, where are we with that, Marv?
01:17With what, Don?
01:19Our restructuring plan.
01:21You mean the thing that you just mentioned just now?
01:24Yeah.
01:25Well, we're on top of that, Don.
01:28Good.
01:29While some are better than others, pretty much everyone who's worked on SNL does a Lorne Michaels impersonation.
01:35From Seth Meyers to Maya Rudolph, you can debate who came the closest to nailing Lorne.
01:40But to Conan O'Brien, the most inaccurate impressions of his old boss are oftentimes the funniest.
01:48I'm sorry, I know you're upset, Matthew, but I think you'll feel better if you come in my office and
01:54make out with me.
01:57Fire!
01:58Why the bees were brought back.
02:00The killer bees are among the most famous recurring characters from the first season of SNL.
02:05Ironically, if there's one element from the premiere episode that most agreed didn't work, it was the initial bees sketch.
02:12Lorne Michaels even got a note from the higher-up saying, quote,
02:15Nice effort, but drop the bee thing.
02:17So, naturally, Michaels doubled down.
02:20Congratulations, it's a worker!
02:22It's a worker?
02:24It's a worker.
02:25It's a worker.
02:26It's a worker.
02:28It's a worker.
02:30Maybe he was determined to make the bees work.
02:32Maybe he simply wanted to troll the network and the audience.
02:35Either way, the bees kept coming back, becoming an in-joke of sorts.
02:40We didn't ask to be bees.
02:44You see, you've got Norman Lear in a first-rate writing staff.
02:49But this is all they came up with for us.
02:51It was an unlikely case of a joke few people found funny at first, suddenly becoming a highlight of the
02:57show.
02:57So much so that Michaels got another note from the network saying, more bees.
03:02Nothing to worry about.
03:04Can you pick it up from the My People Are Poor speech?
03:06Look, Lorne, I don't feel like doing it anymore.
03:09No, let's forget it.
03:11Elliot, I think it's working very well.
03:12I don't think there's any problem.
03:13The network warned Lorne what would happen if he left.
03:16With every member of the original cast leaving by the end of Season 5, Michaels felt ready to sign off
03:22as well.
03:23At the very least, Michaels wanted to take a break.
03:25When I left it, I was spent.
03:27I'd never fired anyone.
03:29And at the end of five years, I still hadn't fired anyone.
03:33It was time for an upheaval.
03:34NBC made it clear to Michaels that the show wouldn't take a break, however.
03:38They broke down what would happen if Michaels left.
03:41The show would get bad.
03:43Perhaps not immediately.
03:44But it would become worse over time.
03:46The audience would jump ship.
03:48And once that happened, SNL would be canceled.
03:51Alright, was that a threat?
03:52No.
03:53What?
03:53No.
03:54Lorne, all I'm trying to do is give you advice.
03:57While SNL would endure, virtually every other part of that premonition came to fruition.
04:02Michaels did leave.
04:03And SNL suffered.
04:05Even with that foresight, the network didn't make much of an effort to keep Michaels on board.
04:09That must have hurt.
04:12Um...
04:15Yeah.
04:16Yeah.
04:17Why The New Show failed to recapture SNL's spark.
04:20Some assume that Lorne Michaels completely disappeared from the industry during his five-year SNL sabbatical.
04:26Many forget that a year before he returned to SNL, NBC convinced Michaels to produce a new show called The
04:32New Show.
04:33What you told me is true.
04:35It must surely be the strangest case I've ever had.
04:38It's...
04:38It's true, Doctor.
04:40Every word.
04:40You don't think we'd make something like this up, do you?
04:43The show was similar in nature to Saturday Night Live, with sketches and a revolving door of special guests.
04:48From Steve Martin, to John Candy, to Catherine O'Hara.
04:52Unlike SNL, though, the new show was pre-taped, which proved to be its greatest detriment.
04:57Yes.
04:58Well, we've had people like this before.
05:00Um...
05:01Well, we could talk...
05:03Should I mention the, uh...
05:06Uh...
05:08Uh...
05:08Okay, charm.
05:10As charming as ever, yes.
05:12It lacked the energy of a live show, with too much time spent in the editing room.
05:17The show also went over budget, and the network held Michaels financially responsible.
05:22Michaels didn't have SNL money to fall back on, either, as he stopped collecting paychecks after leaving.
05:28What made you think you could succeed in this business that eats its young?
05:31I don't think I ever thought I could.
05:33It just, sort of, I stayed at it long enough to the point where I could.
05:37Why Lorne started wearing suits
05:40With the new show only lasting nine episodes, Lorne Michaels returned to SNL for its 11th season.
05:46Someone said, you know, you've already done Saturday Night Live.
05:48Somebody who wants to be you does Saturday Night Live.
05:51And I thought, oh, right, well, I kind of enjoyed being me.
05:57This was a new Lorne, as evidenced in his wardrobe.
06:00In the earlier days of SNL, Michaels was more open to dressing casually.
06:04During a Tom Snyder interview promoting the first episode, Michaels wore a sweater and jeans.
06:10We've been taping all day, we're kind of a bush.
06:12We've been taping a bunch of commercial parodies, the past two days in the studio.
06:18Throughout those initial five years, Michaels could be seen in a sports coat.
06:21But it was in season 11 that he started regularly suiting up.
06:25With the OG cast, Michaels had been a peer.
06:28Now he was the boss, and had to convey that image.
06:31Being the boss also meant that Michaels would have to do things he hadn't in the past, such as firing
06:36people.
06:38I've gotta go in there.
06:45What are you doing? I gotta wave goodbye.
06:47Don't ask any questions, John. Just go downstairs to my limousine and wait for me there.
06:51Writers, writers.
06:52How many Saturday Night Live sketches has Lorne read through?
06:56For all of the SNL sketches that have aired over the decades, there are far more that never saw the
07:01light of day.
07:02Something for everybody.
07:03Yeah, it's a lot of show.
07:03It won't fit.
07:04We don't know that.
07:05Oh, I know that. The dress rehearsal was three hours.
07:08As the documentary details, a show will typically start with about 60 to 40 sketches.
07:13That number will inevitably be whittled down to about 10 or 12 by the time they go live.
07:19Lorne, I don't think you can make the change.
07:24Whoa. I stand corrected.
07:27Is that our show?
07:28That's our show.
07:30Whether a sketch makes it to air or dies before even reaching rehearsal, the script still passes by Michaels.
07:36So exactly how many sketches has Michael read through during his more than 45 years with SNL?
07:41We'll likely never get a definitive number, but based on the math done in the documentary, it's over 28,000.
07:48Is that great or what?
07:50No.
07:52Do you want us to leave?
07:54Yes.
07:57Now.
07:58Right. Thanks for your time.
08:00Lorne loves to book controversial hosts.
08:02Here we are.
08:04Where?
08:05Studio 8H.
08:06Home of Saturday Night Live.
08:09From edgy comedians like Andrew Dice Clay, to CEOs like Elon Musk, to infamous socialites like Paris Hilton,
08:17SNL is no stranger to controversial hosts.
08:19While some protested giving these guests a platform, Michaels likes to keep the show balanced.
08:25As such, he's open to booking guest stars who will rock the boat.
08:28According to Colin Jost and Michael Che, Michaels once suggested having Michael Vick as a host.
08:34And yes, this was after the dogfighting scandal.
08:36The same feeling I'm feeling right now is what people was feeling.
08:39And the feeling you're feeling right now is?
08:41Disgust.
08:44Pure disgust.
08:45Martin Short recalled Michaels once saying that if given the opportunity, he'd have Richard Nixon on the show.
08:51While that never materialized, SNL would, of course, give Donald Trump the spotlight shortly before he won the presidency.
08:57They're not bad.
08:59And we're going to have a lot of fun tonight.
09:02You're a racist!
09:03Who the hell is I?
09:05I knew this was gonna happen.
09:06Who is that?
09:09Trump's a racist!
09:11Don Olmeyer's negative effect on SNL.
09:14By the mid-90s, critics were turning on Saturday Night Live.
09:18But the show's biggest enemy was perhaps NBC West Coast president Don Olmeyer.
09:22Not only did Olmeyer supposedly have the show's popcorn budget cut, but he also instructed Michaels on how to do
09:29his job.
09:30Olmeyer wasn't a fan of Adam Sandler or Chris Farley.
09:33Mardi Gras, every night you'll dance the delight.
09:38Oh, that rhymes!
09:40That rhymes, doesn't it, Hank?
09:42Come here.
09:43I've got stupid in stereo!
09:45It wasn't long until they were gone, along with most of the cast and writers at the time.
09:51Norm MacDonald managed to stick around, but Olmeyer allegedly had a grudge against the Weekend Update host for joking about
09:56his buddy O.J. Simpson.
09:58Ray Bailey said this week that if the defense only knew what Ron Goldman's last words were, they might be
10:04able to find the real killer.
10:06You know, if you ask me, Goldman's last words were probably, uh, hey, you're O.J. Simpson!
10:11After Farley's funeral, Olmeyer ordered Michaels to fire MacDonald.
10:16Michaels reluctantly complied with his boss.
10:18But years later, Olmeyer is one of numerous executives no longer around.
10:23Lorne is.
10:24Lorne is the ultimate show business survivor.
10:27He's still here, and a hundred executives are not.
10:31What Lorne's office tells us about him.
10:33Even with a feature-length documentary about him, Lorne Michaels is still something of an enigma.
10:38For all I know, he works for the CIA.
10:40If you told me he made maple syrup, I would believe it.
10:42Yet we learn a little more about him simply by browsing his office.
10:46While Michaels has produced several movies, he only has posters for two,
10:50Wayne's World and Three Amigos, the latter of which he co-wrote.
10:54Three Amigos helped rejuvenate Michaels after the new show was canceled, perhaps boosting his confidence as he returned to SNL.
11:01For us, El Guapo is a big dangerous guy who wants to kill us.
11:05But as sure as my name is Lucky Day, the people of Santa Poco can conquer their own personal El
11:12Guapo, who also happens to be the actual El Guapo.
11:15As the documentary ends, Michaels is asked what his rosebud is.
11:20Michaels points to the nameless fish in his office.
11:23Maybe Michaels was joking, but this isn't the only time he's mentioned his fish.
11:27In a Hollywood Reporter interview, he said, quote,
11:30The fish don't think they're that important, a quality Michaels seemingly admires.
11:34I know you're not terribly haughty about your show, but do you think it's important for SNL to be here
11:40for people in these times when they're not feeling great?
11:42I do. And not in any grand way. I just think it's our job and that's what we do.
11:56Before we continue, check out this single from SoundMojo's album current, EDM Transformed.
12:01Check out the full track and album below.
12:20So what he would do is he would tell me a story, and the story was the lesson you were
12:24supposed to know.
12:25In one of the documentary's funniest and most disturbing stories, John Mulaney recounts how a stranger once presented Michaels with
12:31a script at dinner.
12:32Michaels said he'd take a look at it.
12:34While Michaels likely had no intention of doing so, he wasn't just being polite either.
12:40Michaels told Mulaney about Terry Melcher, the record producer who refused to sign Charles Manson.
12:45I'm looking for Terry. I'm a friend of Terry's and Dennis Wilson's.
12:50Well, Terry and Candy don't live here anymore. This is the Polanski residence now.
12:54Really? He moved? Dang!
12:58This was supposedly the catalyst that led to the Tate-Labianca murders at Cielo Drive, where Melcher once resided.
13:04Knowing what rejection can drive some to do, Michaels isn't one to get on a random person's bad side.
13:10Michaels had his own Manson family experience, receiving a sinister letter with a smiley face after making fun of the
13:17criminal.
13:17Let's not say things we can't take back.
13:20What did you think of the Lorne documentary? Let us know in the comments.
13:24What does下 посмотр restauration do with Michael Davies.
13:28What does this mean?
13:30He had to be brought to Cielo Drive into the Tate Nacho…
13:32What does it mean?
13:32That's fundamental.
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