A new program called “NBC Saturday Night” premiered on October 11, 1975, and it wasn’t certain if the new show would last more than a few weeks—or even if the first broadcast would get on the air.
The new film “Saturday Night” is directed and co-written by Jason Reitman. Basically, it shows, in real time, the chaotic 90 minutes before the show went on the air, live, at 11:30 Eastern.
But this isn’t a realistic portrayal. It’s more like a hyped-up, journey-through-the-looking-glass distillation of the show’s classic run in the 70’s.
The show’s mastermind, puckish Canadian Lorne Michaels (played by Gabriel LaBelle) faces every possible obstacle—crashing stage lights; temperamental actors; writers pushing the envelope, especially the scathing Michael O’Donoghue; and a skeptical network executive (played by Willem Dafoe) who, right up to the last second, isn’t sure if the show is ready for prime time.
Director Reitman displays an unrelenting energy and some long tracking shots worthy of Scorsese. But he doesn’t give you a program to identify the characters. It’s easy enough to spot the precocious Dan Aykroyd; the scowling id, John Belushi; Garrett Morris, thoughtful and uneasy about just what he’s doing there; and a beleaguered Jim Henson, whose Muppet segment in the first season was scorned by the writers and cast.
On the other hand, it takes a while to identify Billy Crystal, whose appearance was indeed chopped from the first broadcast.
The cast of unknown performers are effective look-alikes and sound-alikes for the legendary stars—though it’s odd to see Andy Kaufman played by 6 foot 7 inch actor Nicholas Braun, who looms like a giraffe over the proceedings.
The actors are least effective recreating some of the classic sketches that actually didn’t appear in the show until weeks later, or years later.
Adding to the mix, there are some vignettes that are just fiction. No, Milton Berle didn’t show up backstage making a nuisance of himself. But J. K Simmons is memorable, playing Berle as a rancid, self-satisfied old ham who brags about his legendary, uh, endowment.
And in a bittersweet moment, two cast members wonder what the future will bring. They’re Belushi and Gilda Rander, who will pass on within the next 15 years.
“Saturday Night” is uneven and undisciplined, rather like the show itself. Those of you ready for prime time will give it 3 and a half stars out of five.