The villain in “Saturday Night” isn’t a thug, oil tycoon or politician.
It’s a church lady armed with a bright red pen.
The Oct. 11 release recalls the frantic 90 minutes before the first “Saturday Night Live” episode changed TV. We meet The Not Ready for Prime-Time Players as they scramble to bring counter-culture comedy to life.
It wasn’t easy.
There’s plenty to chew on during the film. The cast members do good-enough impressions of Lorne Michaels, Chevy Chase and John Belushi. It’s fun to see comedy institutions like “Weekend Update” in their earliest forms.
Another takeaway? How much “SNL” has evolved over the years.
It’s gotten worse. Much worse. And the show’s political leanings are now to the Left of Stephen Colbert. And it shows.
Still, it’s hard not to focus on one particular theme. The rag-tag cast cared about comedy and free speech. Deeply.
Yes, they did too much blow. They fought amongst themselves when not grappling with their personal demons. Delicate egos required tender-loving care.
When push came to shove, sometimes literally, they wanted to be as funny as possible. Anyone standing in the way, like the aforementioned church lady with her red pen, got an earful.
Imagine that.
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In 1975, progressive culture stood tall for free speech. Comedy ruled, and anyone trying to prevent people from cracking wise was the enemy.
That usually meant social conservatives, corporate fat cats and other stuffed shirts. They got it wrong, alas. The show aired at 11:30 pm ET, and technology didn’t allow consumers to record it for later viewing.
The film shows an aged Milton Berle (a wonderful J.K. Simmons) visiting the “SNL” set, a walking, talking embodiment of your father’s TV generation.
Old. Stuffy. Past its prime.
J.K. Simmons stars as Milton Berle in ‘Saturday Night.’
Get an extended first look at the film: https://t.co/0Obdwd7top pic.twitter.com/ZnTeQOGoL7
— VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) August 7, 2024
The film’s Church Lady, not to be confused with Dana Carvey’s 1990s character, could have been as sweet as pie in her waking life. In this context, she was The Man.
And, yes, dressing up as life-sized bees wasn’t brilliant then or now. “SNL” still wanted to revolutionize both comedy and television.
For those keeping score, the series went 2-2 in those early, rambunctious years.
If “SNL” came of age today it wouldn’t be church ladies wagging their fingers at the comedy troupe. Social justice scolds would slam “problematic” jokes on social media for maximum punishment.
And the cast and crew would quickly apologize for the offensive sketch in question.
Today’s “SNL” rarely ruffles feathers, progressive or otherwise. The show bows down to authority, assuming a certain party wields it. The show won’t lay a glove on woke culture. This Woke Jeans sketch is from 2017. It’s brilliant … and sadly a one-off.
The film shows the “SNL” players punching back against the censors, tricking them at every turn. It’s even a running gag in the film. Ha ha. In retrospect, we know the good guys “won” and that church lady had no chance against a comedy freight train barreling toward an unsuspecting company.
Today, it’s mostly conservatives are rallying behind both free speech and unfettered comedy. Exceptions include John Cleese, Judy Gold, Rob Schneider and Joe Rogan. They take the slings and arrows that progressive comics once did, understanding how vital free speech remains to the American experiment.
When comedy satirists fear speaking truth to power, we’re all in trouble. What a shame that “SNL,” celebrating its 50th anniversary, needs a movie to remind them.
