Tripper may have ended his Meatballs pep talk by declaring, “It just doesn’t matter!” but Bill Murray took a much different approach when talking to the writing team of the upcoming 50th anniversary celebration for SNL.
Speaking on the tension that comes not just on a normal week at Saturday Night Live but with maybe its biggest episode in history, former writer and cast member Tina Fey said that the writers room was as chaotic as ever. “I was there the other night in a meeting with everybody, with [SNL producer Steve] Higgins and everybody. And everyone was just like, you know, grinding down, like, ‘Okay, well what’s it gonna be?’ This, that.”
Enter Nick the Lounge Singer himself, Bill Murray, to help out SNL like the good ol’ days. “And then an angel appeared in the form of Bill Murray. Just wandered into the meeting. And he came in and he was in this incredibly wonderful mood and he just was like, ‘Hey guys, what’s going on in here? Maybe open a window, you seem like you’re all about to cry.’” Fey added, “Then he just gave us this pep talk and I could have started crying…And he’s just like, ‘Show’s gonna be amazing. I’m so excited. I’m seeing everybody at rehearsal. I feel like we’re all brothers and sisters.’ And I kept waiting for it to turn into a bit, and it never did. He just was like, ‘It’s gonna be wonderful.’ And I just was like, ‘Oh my God!’”
Bill Murray will be one of many SNL alums returning to Studio 8H for the anniversary special, which NBC miraculously botched by airing on a Sunday…Regardless, it’s been a whirlwind year for Saturday Night Live recognition, with multiple documentaries and a special concert that airs on February 14th, itself followed by a re-airing of the very first episode of SNL. Last year also saw the release of Jason Reitman’s Saturday Night, chronicling in real time the events leading up to that episode.
Bill Murray seems to have chilled quite a bit compared to his old days on SNL, championing the younger cast members and even saying he would return to host after more than 25 years away from that gig. Then again, with Chevy Chase in the room…
Will you be tuning into Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary celebration? Who are you most looking forward to seeing?
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