National Comedy Center Preserves “Saturday Night Live” Early Writing Materials (EXCLUSIVE)

To mark “Saturday Night Live” reaching half a century on television, the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York, plans to safeguard a collection of creative documents from the initial five years of the show’s run.

Laraine Newman, an early SNL cast member, along with original writer Alan Zweibel, will be in charge of assembling the archives containing original writers’ room materials.

The original “SNL” episode script featuring George Carlin as the host will be added to the collection, alongside early drafts for Weekend Update segments, various features, and sketches. This collection also includes preliminary versions of the John Belushi samurai skits, as well as the character portrayed by Gilda Radner, Roseanne Roseannadanna.

Zweibel, an advisor for the National Comedy Center’s archives department, stated that these documents represent a precious capture of the innovative turmoil and groundbreaking essence of ‘SNL’s early days, where countless timeless sketches and iconic characters were born. It was a significant turning point in comedy history which I had the privilege to experience, and I’m thankful that our work is being safeguarded for posterity by the Carl Reiner Department of Archives and Preservation at the National Comedy Center.

“Saturday Night Live” (SNL) is preparing for its 50th anniversary with various celebrations, one of which includes a big-name special event. Meanwhile, The National Comedy Center has planned a tribute for the show: SNL writer and cast member Mikey Day, along with head writer Streeter Seidell, will engage in a conversation on stage to acknowledge that the cue cards from the “Washington’s Dream” sketch have been added to the Center’s collection.

Journey Gunderson, the executive director of the National Comedy Center, stated that this unique compilation offers a peek into the initial stages of ‘Saturday Night Live”s writers’ room, where legendary characters and sketches were initially shaped. This collection showcases the daring experiments, artistic innovations, and at times, mistakes of a groundbreaking group of artists who were determined to blaze a trail in comedy.

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2025-02-11 23:46