Lorne Michaels Wanted To Build SNL Around Albert Brooks | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

remember how much of my life my. childhood was seeing you know you on All. in the Family and how that was a. cultural event um you being on Johnny or. uh your films on SNL there was you. talked about it you know it would happen. on a it would happen and then you'd. you'd all talk about it my friends who. were into comedy and I would talk about. it in Brooklyn Mass well think about. think about this talk about appointment. television Saturday live when it first.

came. on that's a Saturday night that and you. you had to watch it when it was on and. it was you know it was on 11:30 and. 11:30 in on the west coast kids young. people in parties would stop whatever. they were doing and watch Saturday night. and that that you know also I think we. have to bring this up because it's in. the dock and it's something I did not. know which is that you were approached. by uh by. Lauren and dick Abol dick Abol wonderful.

wonderful man. uh yeah you have you you have a great. love for him don't you you know I know. about his knowledge of Comedy is. stunning uh um uh anyway um what a he's. on the Rushmore he's on the r he's on. Mount Rushmore um but anyway uh those. guys approached you about building SNL. around you and you said I think and. that's and and you said I think that's.

well I here's the thing I you know it's. 50 years ago and I'm maybe Lauren has. another memory of it but it wasn't that. complicated uh in the fall of. 74 I went to a meeting and they they. said because that was Johnny Carson's. rerun night and they said we're going to. stop doing that we're going to put an. original show we want to do it live from. New York and we'd like it to be Albert. Brook show you you would be the host now.

I had flirted with television twice. before and thank. God the way the life works I didn't do. it uh one about two and a half years. earlier I got offered my own summer show. on CBS six shows and I mean it's was. going to be the Albert Brook show what. what what kind of show will it be I was. you know really starting to think there.

were offices we got offices and then I. was asked to Carol berett who was the. big CBS star was honored and I was asked. to perform at the event and I didn't. have a lot of stuff I had bits that I. did from the road one of which was on my. album comedy minus one not to be. confused with Godzilla minus. one somebody said is that where you play.

part of a monster I. said I don't I don't have. any but but so I performed that and I. did this bit that I did on my record. where if you're a comedian and you're. performing in the South and you're. bombing then you have that fail safe you. dig deep and you come out and you. pronounce it clearly and you somehow get. out the word. and that.

turns everything around they laugh for. 20 minutes I said people run out they. build a statue in the park you know and. so basically it was saved my life. so the next day I get a call and William. paly called my agency and said this foul. mouth young man will not appear on my. network yeah so I didn't do that so and. then earlier on I was going to do a. sitcom that I backed out of in a meeting.

where that was already a go Aaron. Spelling was producing it it was a whole. season approved and Michael Eisner the. last question said well let me ask. Albert though what do you see for this. character in five years and I said. suicide and and I I stood up and I said. I'm not ready this is not going to work. and I left and the Agents follow me into.

the elevator and one of them and said. you should wait you should wait and the. other said I don't think it's a good he. should do it and and so after those two. I was done with television I wanted to. make movies so a I wasn't going to do. the Albert Brook show but I also thought. that they were talking to somebody from. Los Angeles and when they said we're. doing a live show at 11:30 in New York. to me live meant nothing there it was no. live I didn't see anything that I wasn't.

supposed to see if somebody in New York. said a swear word it was you mean like. it was cut out long before I saw it. so I had a couple of thoughts I said. well wouldn't it make more sense I mean. The Tonight Show in essence is live they. never stop what if you did one at 4:30. and one at 7:30 and put the best. together to air but they wanted live and.

obviously it worked it was a you know. but I knew that I would be John balushi. I'd be on eight grams of coke I I'm not. good starting at 11:30 it's why I hated. the road I never got that third show at. midnight it just didn't make sense to me. it's too late too too much so I said I. you know and and I said you know every. show has the same host you should use. different hosts each week so they said.

okay well thanks for coming in then four. months went by they hadn't done anything. yet they came back to me we want you. associated with the show what do you. want to do I said I want to do short. films so I made an agreement to do it I. did them here and for that in the spring. of 75 Lauren and I did the national. junket in those days they would take the. Sheridan Universal and every reporter.

would have a different room and they'd. set up the room so they could pretend. you came to them yes so you'd walk into. a room there'd be this fake palm tree. Albert Brooks welcome to Fort Lauderdale. thank you wow it's sweaty out there you. know they they loved if you played along. sure yeah and it was the same interview. so you're going to make short films for. a new show I am what's the show about I. don't really know here's the producer. ask Lauren and he didn't know at that.

moment What's the show about well we're. going to have the new kind of comedy and. it's going to be new and that so then. from that point Lauren got his Prime. Time Players and he built this show that. has been the longest running show in. television so obviously he did it. perfectly but that that's the way it. went. down.