Last-Minute Creation Brings Key Saturday Night Moment to Life

Something was missing
Something was missing from Saturday Night, the movie. Not in the sense that the film itself is lacking in any way. It’s actually a hilarious, energetic chronicle of the birth of Saturday Night Live. However, director Jason Reitman realized that there was a crucial moment that was missing from the movie, and he needed to create it on the spot during the day of shooting.
This key moment involves Lorne Michaels, played by Gabriel LaBelle, and it occurs as the clock is ticking towards the live premiere of Saturday Night Live. Lorne Michaels still has no lightning technician after a catastrophic failure of the stage lights resulted in the original crew member being fired. But then, as Michaels heads up to the set of The Rumpus Hour, he catches a glimpse of Milton Berle (J.K. Simmons) dancing with his girls. The tired formula of old television, the uninspired antics of aging television personalities delivering the same old thing, and the show’s director sitting miserably in a production chair with a cigarette in hand serve as a stark contrast to the innovative and daring spirit of Saturday Night Live.
In a last-minute addition, this key moment for Lorne Michaels as a character was added on the day of shooting. It serves as a significant moment of realization for the showrunner, and it gives us a glimpse into the mindset of Michaels as he frantically moves through what will soon become TV history.