In the all-encompassing book “Live from New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live” by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales, Dick Ebersol talked about the passion and vision that Lorne Michaels had that convinced him a late night live sketch show could work:
“Lorne just took my breath away the way he talked about things, how he wanted to have the first television show to speak the language of the time. He wanted the show to be the first show in the history of television to talk — absent expletives — the same language being talked on college campuses and streets and everywhere else.”
NBC had set up a meeting for eight o’clock in the morning to hear the pitch. If Michaels didn’t show, “SNL” probably would have still been greenlit, but there was certainly no guarantee. Ebersol recalled Michaels saying, “Dick, eight o’clock?!? You know I can’t function at that hour.” TV producer and talent agent Bernie Brillstein was the one who called Michaels to make sure he got up and was there on time.
Ebersol remembered Michaels finally showing up and doing his best to suck up to the suits in the room:
“I don’t know if he’d even been to bed, and he’s sitting with these two guys who, despite whatever nice things they did for me, I have to give the title of ‘stiffs.’ They’re basically asking if Connie Stevens is going to do the show. Lorne goes into his best BS. When it’s over they say, ‘Well, he’s awfully young. But okay, you can have him.'”
Television history was made that morning, so let this be a lesson to always set your alarm. Yes, even you Lorne.
