As a movie loving kid in the 80s you were very aware of Saturday Night Live, even if we didn't get it in Australia. The reason was the movies - the show seemed to be a vertiable movie star factory, pumping them out with a frequency unmatched by a studio since the heyday of classical Hollywood (the only recent example I can think of is Roger Corman and directors): Chevy Chase, Dan Aykroyd, James (and Jim) Belushi, Gilda Radner, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy. There was even a subsection of people who you assumed were on the show but weren't: Rick Moranis, John Candy, Harold Ramis. When I finally got the chance to see it on Pay Tv in the 90s I was a little disappointed, it was so flabby - for some reason I didn't realise it was live. Reading the book I caught some episodes on the comedy channel and now think its great.
This is a terrific look at the series. The decision to tell the story by oral history was totally the right one: because its such a chaotic show you're going to get different opinions anyway, true objectivity is impossible so subjective accounts cancel each other out with a few facts to state things like ratings and budgets sprinkled throughout. Full of hilarious stories and insghts, some of which I offer below
Chevy Chase - the first big star of the series, and no wonder: handsome, charismatic (and, from interviews, very intelligent), he should still be a movie star now. He seems to have been a major prick though - few people have a good word to say about his personality. Bill Murray says that when you become famous you have to be an ar*ehole for a year you can't help it but if you don't change the year after that it becomes permanent.
John Belushi - the first death, a huge talent - most people on the show loved him but also knew he had demons. Lots of time is spent slagging off Bob Woodward.
Dan Aykroyd - like Chase, highly intelligent - he was a star on this he never quite became on screen. Very Canadian, if that makes sense. Went out with Lorne Michaels' wife in the 70s which was gutsy but Lorne Michaels wasn't Lorne Michaels then.
Gilda Radner - seemingly beloved by everyone her work wasn't as familiar for those outside America - she was best known in the 80s to many for being married to Gene Wilder and starring in his movies. She was bulmic - one of the other women on that show remembers thinking "wow throwing up after eating... what a great idea."
Garrett Morris - the first black performer, one of the few of the initial cast not to become famous, notorious for being a token and he seems to be bitter about it.
Larraine Newman - like Morris didn't become famous (partly due to drug problems). Al Franken (a writer on the show who is now a well known commentator in the US) once nastily cracked some of SNL became $20 million stars, some became Larraine.
Bill Murray - anger management issues - surprise - but obviously less than when he became a star. Chip on his shoulder about Chevy Chase whom he replaced but again his intelligence is striking.
Eddie Murphy - credited with saving the show when Michaels and the original cast left in 1980. Electrifying talent whom everyone who worked with still seems to worship.
Joe Piscopo - they always seem to make fun of him on The Simpsons and they do here - he seems to have attached himself to Eddie Murphy's star, and also Frank Sinatra's (who he impersonated).
Chris Farley - Belushi wannabe who seemed to be a typical funny fatman - lovable with a dark side. Funniest story: a girlfriend dumped him for another and he consoled himself with the thought that although the other guy may be better looking and richer, he would be funnier. The other guy was Steve Martin.
Julia Louis-Dreyfus - joined the cast for a while but obviously never hit her potential. Ditto Larry David... and talent such as Jeanne Garofolo (who seems to have had a chip on her shoulder when she was on it) and Chris Rock. When you see this it becomes apparent SNL were like the Brisbane Broncos - a super club of superstars where, however, some people simply didn't fit in.
Dana Carvey - part of the second great wave of SNL: Mike Myers, Will Ferrell, etc Less concentrated than the first wave but even more popular at the movies.
Tina Fey - part of the recent emergence of women - women have always been there but it wasn't until Molly Shannon, Fey, etc they really seemed to become part of the establishment.
Lorne Michaels - some people whine, some praise (the writers - who get their due in this book, incidentally, can be just as whiny as the performers), but he did a remarkable job. Look at the scoreboard - who else can match his record? Its not easy being keeper at that zoo but he did it.
Great book, makes you want to go
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