SNL page 6 by ric gustafson
So what influences inspired Lorne Michaels to take a risk on a live show on Saturday Night?.
From 1950 to 1957 there were two shows starring the same person. ' Your Show of Shows' and ' Caesar's Hour influenced Michael's greatly. Both shows starred Sid Caesar. Caesar's shows were ninety minutes filled with sketch comedy and broadcast live. Caesar had a company of players including Imogene Coca, Carl Reiner and Howard Morris. Caesar had a team of Jewish comedy writers. This included Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Danny Simon and Mel Tolkin.
Caesar used verbal and physical comedy, parodies of television shows and films, musical sketches and recurring character sketches. All of these aspects Michaels used on SNL.
What influenced SNL's Weekend Update was BBC and NBC news coverage of the day's events. The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour influenced Michael's with their musical performances, comedy sketches and verbal sparring. Rowan and Martin's Laugh In influenced Michael's use of many talented performers. Lastly, Lorne Michael's was influenced by Monty Python's Flying Circus. The Pythons were the best at absurd to the silly.
research help: ' The SNL Companion' by Stephen Tropiano and Steven Ginsberg
Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric
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