The archival collection of Canadian-American producer and writer Lorne Michaels is an extraordinary document of his achievements in television and film over a span of more than five decades. Michaels is best known as the creator of NBC’s sketch comedy show but has also produced over sixty other television series and specials, ranging from NBC’s flagship late-night programs and to situation comedies like to concert films, awards broadcasts, and holiday specials. His production credits also include several top-grossing comedy films, such as and , and Broadway productions. Broadway Video Enterprises, the production company Michaels founded in 1979, develops and distributes television and films, and produces content for digital media, advertising, and promotions. , its associated films, and Michaels’s many other comedy productions have had a far-reaching impact on American popular culture. In addition to introducing iconic characters and catchphrases, the creative productions of Lorne Michaels are beloved for their satirical take on current events, irreverent engagement with changing cultural norms, and attunement to the absurdity of everyday existence. Michaels and have received more Primetime Emmy Award nominations than any other individual and program in history, and Michaels’s many other honors, including membership in the Order of Canada and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, testify to the enduring importance of his work.

Manuscript materials in the collection include scripts, production material, and publicity material related to specific television, film, and theater productions; correspondence; photographs; office files; press clippings, magazines, and newspapers; speech drafts, programs, and other material related to awards and tributes; invitations and programs for events; and collected books, printed material, and ephemera. The collection also contains a significant volume of electronic files, primarily scans of physical material in the collection. Apart from a small volume of manuscripts that document Michaels’s youth and early career, and some personal correspondence with colleagues and other notable individuals in Michaels’s network, the collection focuses on Michaels’s career and professional activities rather than his family or private life. The material is arranged into six series: I. Television, 1968-2024; II. Film, 1977-2023; III. Theater, 1979-2023; IV. Projects, 1967-2019; V. Correspondence, 1968-2023; and VI. Professional Papers, 1861-2023.

The greatest volume of material is in the first series, Television, which contains more than 200 boxes of documentation related to , as well as items from dozens of other productions that Michaels produced, wrote, or appeared in, from in 1968 to in 2023. The collection contains extensive production documentation of and , with smaller amounts of material present for other series, specials, and made-for-television films. The Television series contains numerous script drafts, some annotated by Lorne Michaels or his assistants, as well as artifacts of the production process such as bulletin board cards, rundowns, and editing notes that illuminate how the script becomes a show. Production photographs, publicity stills, and headshots, particularly extensive for , visually document cast and crew both behind the scenes and in front of the camera. Correspondence and publicity materials showcase the networking aspects of the producer’s role in communicating about, and publicizing, the production.

Series II. Film contains material from over two dozen feature films that Michaels produced, wrote, or appeared in. Most of the productions feature characters or cast members from , from in 1980 to Tina Fey’s in 2016, with a few exceptions such as , a World War II drama scripted by Tom Stoppard. Formats in the Film series are broadly similar to those in the Television series, with scripts, production, and publicity material present for many films, as well as some correspondence and production photographs. Annotated scripts and production binders document Michaels’s role in shaping the finished film, from contributing ideas for jokes and insights into characters to selecting writers and directors. The collection also contains one-sheet posters and poster designs for many films, some of them autographed by cast members.

The Theater series contains a small volume of material related to plays and musicals produced by Michaels, from in 1979 to the Broadway production of Tom Stoppard’s in 2022. The most extensively documented production in this series is the musical , which Michaels produced stage versions of in 1995 and 1996.

The television shows, films, and plays represented in Series IV. Projects are not credited to Michaels, for a variety of reasons. Many of the titles were developed by Michaels and/or his production offices but never produced, or in a few instances such as America’s Most Terrible Things, a proposed television series starring Chevy Chase, a pilot episode was produced but never broadcast. A few of the films and television shows, like , were eventually produced, but not by Michaels. Another group of scripts in this series are for feature films that were submitted for Academy Award consideration. The volume of material in this series varies widely, from a single concept pitch or script outline for some projects to several boxes of script drafts and pre-production material for several unproduced feature films.

Series V. Correspondence contains primarily incoming correspondence arranged chronologically, with various subheadings. Personal and professional correspondence is frequently accompanied by requests for interviews and appearances and solicitations for charitable donations. Other groups of material in this series include birthday and holiday cards and thank-you notes. The series amply demonstrates the reach of Michaels’s personal and professional connections, with notable writers, actors, musicians, politicians, and entertainment industry leaders among his many correspondents.

The final series, Professional Papers, spans a wide variety of material that is not associated with a specific production. Appointment books, invitations, and office files from Michaels’s personal office and production companies offer a glimpse of daily business and professional activities. Programs, speech drafts, clippings, and other material from awards ceremonies, fundraising events, memorials, and tributes document decades of Michaels’s participation in industry events and his support for colleagues and friends. Correspondence, writings, and press clippings from Michaels’s youth and early career reveal his initial creative aspirations and accomplishments. A large volume of publicity clippings, magazines, and newspapers, as well as numerous photographic portraits and snapshots provide textual and visual documentation of Michaels’s career and professional activities. Collected material including books and other printed material, posters, and ephemera record Michaels’s travels and enthusiasms.

The bulk of the electronic files in the collection are associated with a media library generated by Michaels’s archivist Candace Bothwell for use in Microsoft’s Expression Media application. The library consists of digitized copies of items included because they were deemed noteworthy or were selected for a retrospective book, film, exhibition, or other project. Researchers looking to browse collection highlights may wish to consult these materials. The files were originally stored on a hard drive which contained other descriptive documents, including spreadsheet inventories for each of the four top-level media file directories. These spreadsheets are also preserved in the collection and include file names, along with information regarding subjects, dates, and genre or form.

LM Career is the largest subset of media files and contains general professional and personal material, especially corresponding to the contents of the various Scan Binders found in the physical collections. The bulk of these scans capture the contents of photographs, correspondence, speech drafts, and award certificates. Subjects and correspondents typically featured in these materials include notable colleagues and friends of Michaels, especially those who are or have been associated with .

The LM Hart directory contains scans of scripts and production documents related to Michaels’s early career, including Hart and Lorne collaborations and other unrelated, standalone Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) productions. LM Press contains scans of articles relating to Michaels and his career, including a subfolder for Bad Press. Reference images of posters, awards, and other framed items not exclusively related to are located in the SNL Posters directory. These photographs were taken during packing and storage of the physical items to help identify box contents and are not professional quality.

A small group of electronic files not associated with the Expression Media application consists of interview transcripts and DVD graphics for the documentary . This material is not duplicated in the manuscript collection.

Entries for electronic files are integrated with entries for physical material throughout the Container List (some items, such as the Scan Binders, have entries for both the physical item and the electronic files associated with it). They include a brief description, the number of files, the file formats, and the date stamp. A small number of electronic files found in the collection either contain personal information such as Social Security and Tax Identification numbers (these files are restricted during the lifetime of the individuals mentioned) or reference budgets and other confidential financial information for specific productions (these files are restricted until 2043).

Access to correspondent names and names of photographic subjects is provided through the Index of Selected Correspondents and Index of Photographic Subjects that accompany this finding aid. The Index of Selected Correspondents is not a comprehensive list of all correspondents in every folder in the collection; some categories of correspondence, including fan mail, cards, and thank-you notes are not indexed. Scans of correspondence and photographs in the electronic files are not indexed.

A small amount of material in the collection was cleaned to remove mold spores after it arrived at the Ransom Center. The container list indicates which folders contain materials that were treated for mold contamination; mold odors remain on some manuscripts and researchers who are sensitive to mold may wish to wear a mask while examining this material in the Center’s Reading Room.

Due to preservation concerns, some types of photographic material, including Polaroids, negatives, slides, and transparencies, have been removed to cold storage. The container list indicates which material was removed; in a few instances, photocopies or facsimile prints are available to view in place of the originals. The original material is accessible to researchers with advance notice.

Two bound items, a flip book of photographs from and a burlesque joke book collected by Michaels, are restricted from access due to preservation concerns, as indicated in the Container List. Researchers interested in these items may contact the Center’s Film Curator for more information.

Series Descriptions

Series I: Television, 1968-2024

Television material is arranged alphabetically by production title, with the extent varying widely, from a single folder for some projects to hundreds of boxes for . After , the productions with the greatest volume are , , and . Material related to awards for specific television productions is filed in Series VI, Subseries B. Awards.

Because the material documenting is particularly extensive, it is arranged into subseries based on format or genre. Material for the main run of episodes is grouped into Subseries A. Scripts; Subseries B. Correspondence; Subseries C. Photographs; Subseries D. Production material; and Subseries E. Publicity, merchandising, and ratings material. There is little material in the collection related to Seasons 6-10 (1980-1985), a period during which Lorne Michaels stepped down as producer and showrunner and was replaced by Jean Doumanian and then Dick Ebersol. -related programs and products are grouped separately into Subseries F. Digital video programming and home entertainment releases; Subseries G. Specials; Subseries H. Syndicated episodes; and Subseries I. Exhibitions and works about .

Scripts constitute the largest subseries of material and are present in significant quantity for most of the shows through Season 45. They are organized by season and episode, with the “show number” also given. The additional numbering scheme accounts for the fact that although is broadcast every week, every season contains a number of “dark weeks” during which no live show is taped, with a repeat episode or compilation broadcast instead. The show number includes these repeats and compilations, while the episode number does not.

The scripts offer insight into the complex and fast-paced nature of the show’s writing process, one which has changed little in its basic structure since the show began. The majority of the writing takes place between Sunday and Wednesday, during which time many more sketches are developed than will be needed for the show. A table read occurs and this pool of material is culled down to a smaller selection that will go on to be staged. Revisions are made as needed while rehearsals and production design take place over the following days. A dress rehearsal takes place before a live audience on Saturday before the broadcast, and audience reactions are used to inform a final draft. Staff then convene in the Executive Producer’s office, where the last set of revisions are made by hand.

During the broadcast of the show, this finalized air script is marked up by hand to reflect the show as broadcast, complete with ad-libs, dropped lines, and other on-air changes. Production scripts from earlier in the week generally contain revisions printed on colored paper and may include additional production documents.

Scripts for the first five seasons of consist exclusively of photocopies of annotated as broadcast scripts housed in custom-made presentation bindings. A selection of production documents is bound with the scripts, including rundowns, a cast list, rehearsal and show schedules, credits, and prop lists. Scripts for later episodes may consist of production scripts, design team scripts, and/or as broadcast scripts, some annotated by Michaels or an assistant. A variety of other production material may be filed with the script, including rundowns, schedules, cast breakdowns, set plans, index cards used to arrange sketches and other show elements on a bulletin board, and rehearsal notes. Also present in this subseries are drafts for pre-taped segments including commercial parodies, TV Funhouse episodes, and short films, as well as drafts for specific show elements like Weekend Update, and a few collections of drafts submitted by specific writers. For Seasons 20-27 and 31-32, scripts are largely absent, except those written for pre-taped elements. From Seasons 33-45, most of the scripts are as broadcast, with annotations in an unidentified hand. Script material ends at Season 45; looseleaf dress rehearsal notes for later seasons are filed with production material in Subseries D.

Correspondence in Subseries B. consists mainly of incoming correspondence and is arranged by year rather than by season. A significant volume of letters was received or sent during the months between seasons and is not easily identifiable as related to a particular season, cast, or episode. Original folder titles are preserved through transcription on paper sleeves or preservation photocopies of folder labels inserted in folders. In a few instances, descriptions from original folder labels are incorporated into the Container List, where they are enclosed in single quotation marks. In addition to folders that contain a variety of general correspondence, some folders contain only one type, such as fan mail, memoranda, or thank you notes. Fan mail consists of both positive and negative viewer responses; fan mail correspondents are not indexed. Some fan mail was pinned to a bulletin board in ’s office. Folders of correspondence labeled as bulletin board fan mail are noted in the Container List. Correspondence from the first five seasons of includes several folders of NBC memoranda documenting various aspects of the show’s production, including the selection of hosts and musical guests, set construction and audiovisual equipment, interactions with the Standards Department regarding the show’s content, and the introductions and exits of cast members like Bill Murray and John Belushi. Correspondence in the seasons following Michaels’s 1985 return is dominated by fan mail. Fan reactions to moments of controversy are captured in files relating to Andrew Dice Clay’s 1990 appearance as host, and Sinéad O’Connor’s 1992 musical performance. Thank-you notes, fan mail, and solicitations constitute much of the rest of the correspondence through the 2000s. The volume of correspondence diminishes significantly in 2009, with a single folder representing letters received for each subsequent year from that point. Because represents such a large portion of Michaels’s professional involvement, some relevant correspondence can be found in files appearing in Series V. Correspondence.

Subseries C. Photographs contains production stills, behind the scenes photographs, bumper photographs inserted before and after commercial breaks, and a few photographs of Michaels and cast in other contexts like visits to the White House and after-parties. Photographs from specific seasons and episodes are arranged in that order at the beginning of the subseries, followed by groups of production and publicity photographs that span multiple years or are undated. Some albums of production photographs were removed from their original binders and rehoused in archival quality binder boxes; other albums in custom-made binders branded with SNL’s logo are preserved intact. Unique items in this subseries include an album of production stills from the sketch Hobbit Office and one titled on Strike that documents a live performance with the comedy troupe Upright Citizens’ Brigade during the writers’ strike of 2007. Many of the photograph albums and folders had photographs removed for scanning for and other projects prior to their arrival at the Ransom Center; some folders in the subseries consist of material removed for scanning that has not been refiled in its original location. The Index of Photographic Subjects provides a comprehensive list of individuals pictured in photographs in this subseries, except for those in slides and negatives removed to cold storage.

Production materials for , arranged by season and episode number in Subseries D., reflect the unique requirements of a live show with a compressed production timeline. Rundowns and sketch breakdowns reflect the importance of precise timing in executing the show, along with other documents like camera blocking notes, lists of show elements, and rehearsal notes that reveal how each episode comes together. Audition material appears sporadically, offering a look at how the cast is assembled. Index cards with show elements are present for Seasons 18, 27-31, and 41, and Season 29 is unique in that it contains a complete set. The index cards were used to plan the running order of show elements and may not be arranged in the order the episode was aired. Folders for Seasons 43-48 contain dress rehearsal notes. One unique item in the subseries, a production binder associated with Season 33, contains comprehensive information about the show’s history and the casting process as well as production schedules and scripts and may have been put together for marketing or another special purpose.

Materials in Subseries E. Publicity, merchandising, and ratings material are arranged by season and primarily consist of clippings, magazines, and newspapers related to the show and cast members. Other material in this subseries unique to the first five seasons of includes merchandising material like the Gilda Radner Cut-Out Doll Book and postcards of the cast, as well as documentation of the production of the album. Press kits, marketing binders, and ratings reports are present for later seasons, as well as printouts from online message board discussions devoted to . Especially after 1985, ex-cast subject files are often present which document performers’ trajectories upon leaving the show. The practice of keeping files on former cast and other colleagues is documented further in Series VI. Professional Papers. General material not associated with a specific season is found at the end of the series and includes books, clippings, magazines, and various types of licensing and merchandising material.

A small subseries of material related to digital video programming and home entertainment releases contains a script outline for digital short Saturday Night Line, as well as production art, correspondence, notes and drafts, and publicity material related to various VHS and DVD compilations.

Subseries G. Specials contains scripts and production and publicity material for over a dozen specials, from the two-part in 1979 to in 2017. Clippings related to the deaths of cast members Chris Farley and Phil Hartman are filed with material for the and compilation specials that aired shortly after their passing. A leather-bound guest book from the special contains jokes, doodles, and signatures from performers and guests. The greatest volume of material in the subseries relates to the special, with script drafts; extensive production material including rundowns, schedules, and logo and emoji designs; press clippings; and thank-you notes from celebrity guests.

A large volume of material in Subseries H. Syndicated episodes documents the editing of various episodes of into 30-minute and 60-minute versions that were sold for syndication on various networks including Nick at Night, MTV, Comedy Central, and Sky Broadcasting. The files contain copies of as broadcast scripts and production documents like rundowns, synopses, sketch lists, and cue sheets, along with audio and editing notes and graphics lists. Many of the documents were treated for mold contamination after arriving at the Ransom Center; researchers who are sensitive to mold may wish to wear a mask while viewing this material in the Center’s Reading Room.

The final subseries of material contains works about the program, including dissertations, theses, and published books; page proofs, correspondence, and other material for , a history of the show published in conjunction with the 40th anniversary that features reproductions of material from Michaels’s collection; material related to various documentary films about ; and a selection of material pulled and scanned for Saturday Night Live: The Exhibition, a pop-up exhibit in New York and Chicago that also honored ’s 40th anniversary. The documents selected for the exhibit provide a small selection of noteworthy and unique items in the collection, from Michaels’s original mailgram explaining the show’s concept to Dick Ebersol, to a piece of prop currency featuring the image of Mr. Bill.

Other television series and specials represented in Series I. include:

Materials include extensive coverage of the pilot episode, which includes a draft from 2004 under the title The Tracy Morgan Sketch Project. Further pilot drafts detail two years of development until the final production draft in 2006. While there are script drafts for other episodes, most notably in Season 1, the bulk of the writing material represented is outlines containing dialogue elements for early episodes in Seasons 2-5. An exception is Season 5 Episode 4 Live Show, which includes both the East and West coast shooting drafts as well as documented variations between the two, as this episode was aired live.

Production materials including audience research, casting, commercial treatments, and design proofs are also present, but only for Season 1. Production for later seasons includes cast lists for Seasons 5 and 6, and a production binder for Season 5 with correspondence and schedules. Three scripts in Season 1 are described with a production code, which is used to identify an episode’s order during production and may not reflect the broadcast order. There is also extensive publicity material in the form of clippings and magazines, as well as a publicity campaign kit compiled by NBC Universal regarding the premiere of the show and its reception.

The development process for this animated series is documented by early pilot materials, including script drafts and character art. In particular, the animatic draft provides reference for character art evolution. Materials also include an autographed cast poster in physical and electronic format.

Materials from this production document Michaels’s first job as a sketch writer for televised comedy in 1968. This is a comprehensive example of his early writing, as only one episode (Episode 5) of the show is not represented within the material. Scripts are final drafts with production materials such as schedules, timing rundowns, and casting for the episode, some of which are marked with Lorne’s name. An exception to this is Episode 13, represented by a production draft with rehearsal schedules in presentation binding. Materials also include a proposal for the show’s concept, along with clippings and correspondence.

This series includes first drafts and rundowns of Episodes 1 and 5, which were housed in a custom, personalized binder. The scripts were removed from the binder and are housed separately. Although , a series that ran for 13 episodes, is not comprehensively documented in the collection, it remains notable as the first show that saw Michaels return to Hollywood after his work for the CBC, as well as the production that led to his working relationship with Lily Tomlin.

Materials of note for this mockumentary series include handwritten drafts of unproduced episodes, with drawings of sketch elements. Early drafts exist for Episodes 1, 3, and 6 of Season 1. Publicity materials include press clippings and a booklet entitled Jerry Wallach: A Life in Pictures, which was created for the television awards season as promotional material and not sold commercially.

After the success of , Michaels produced a special for Flip Wilson. The special is notable for being the first time Michaels worked with Richard Pryor, a memorable guest host on ’s first season. Materials bound within a personalized presentation copy include the final script draft, with handwritten revisions, schedules, and short rundown. There are also publicity stills with captions.

, , and

These three shows, which aired from 1969 to 1972, are grouped together as they represent an ongoing collaboration between Lorne Michaels and Hart Pomerantz. They returned to Canada from Los Angeles after signing a contract with the CBC to produce a series of variety shows for an anthology series called . The intended to compete against American products such as , a show the pair previously wrote for. Michaels and Pomerantz wrote scripts, served as producers, and appeared as hosts and in pre-taped sketches for all versions of .

The first season was titled and featured four variety show specials. Materials are organized by special in chronological order and include script and publicity materials. Script materials are marked with Michaels’s handwritten annotations and represent his earliest television production work within the collection (Michaels and Pomerantz alternated production duties by show). Each special was written and produced as a standalone episode, with months in between specials. Scripts may also include production elements such as script schedules, rehearsal schedules, music cues, cast lists, and rundowns. Individual guest comedian monologues are also found within the scripts. Special 4, I am Curious Maple, has an original ticket. Publicity materials include clippings, magazines, and official CBC press digests. Correspondence regarding birthdays and CBC publicity is also present.

materials include first draft scripts for Episodes 2 through 5 and are annotated by Michaels. First draft scripts also contain production materials that may include taping schedules, correspondence, musical numbers, and Hart and Lorne standup routines. Other sketch elements are present, such as lists of characters played by Michaels, scene breakdowns, and individual sketches with handwritten notes. Scripts for The Michaels Report reveal that this sketch was one of the forerunners to the Weekend Update segment on . Tickets, publicity material, and photographs are lesser in volume but provide insight into the mixed success of the program as well as Michaels’s attempts to lead a talk show.

is comprised only of script drafts for three episodes and tickets for unidentified episodes. Drafts for Episode 1 are marked Lorne and include handwritten annotations and camera blocking. Of note is Rosie Shuster’s copy for Episode 1 as the first evidence of a working relationship that would continue into . Materials for this series are also available in electronic format.

is one of the most well-documented productions in the collection, and the material offers a look at a production style that is distinct from that of any other work represented there. The show was produced ahead of broadcast in a hybrid fashion, with some sketches taped as live performances with a multi-camera setup before a studio audience, and others filmed in a single-camera production format. The differences of approach between the multi-camera Studio Sessions and the single-camera Film Sessions are most evident in the production material, which is generally comprised of production and editing binders often attached to specific staff roles, as well as various technical reports. Studio Session material tends to include logs and notes concerning taped footage, scripts with camera blocking, and scheduling information. The Film Session material contains more evidence of the intensive continuity and editing processes, with lined scripts, storyboards, continuity reports, reel logs, film lab reports, and editor’s notes. Seasons were produced all at once, and for most seasons, detailed calendars show how the complex production schedule manages the writing, taping, and filming portions of the process. Some files relate specifically to shorter cuts of the episodes produced for syndication on Comedy Central.

Script material is extensive and covers almost every episode in Season 1 and Seasons 3-5. For these seasons, shooting scripts and as broadcast scripts are the most common and generally represent the state of the script in its later stages. Revisions and early drafting stages are less well-represented, but not wholly absent. For Season 2, a unique file labeled as Lorne Michaels’s Binder is present, which includes early script drafts, a list of contacts, and a production calendar.

Most of the publicity and marketing material consists of clippings organized by year and publicity photographs depicting the five core cast members. Smaller amounts of correspondence, ratings, graphic design material, and other promotional documents are also present.

, a 2010 Kids in the Hall miniseries, is documented only in a file with a single press clipping. The sixth season of the main series, which aired in 2022, is not represented in the collection.

Files related to are dominated by extensive publicity material, especially clippings and magazines. The bulk of this material covers the first four seasons, with volume decreasing in subsequent seasons. Particular focus is given to a period of competition between late night hosts in 1993 dubbed the Late Night Wars. Scripts are present only for the very early days of the show, with initial drafts from 1993 and final scripts for the first 23 episodes as well as for five test tapings made before the start of Season 1. The sole production after 1993 documented in the scripts is the broadcast in 2004. Production material is minimal and consists mostly of correspondence and official holiday cards and invitations. Very little material of any kind dates past 2004, although the show continued to be hosted by O’Brien and executive produced by Michaels.

This Lily Tomlin comedy special is significant for the fact that Michaels’s work on the program earned him one of his first Emmys. After Michaels received the award, NBC gave him a weekend time slot to produce . Material for this special is limited but shows original writer Rosie Shuster’s collaboration with then-husband Michaels in the form of Shuster’s personal, bound script bearing annotations from both. In addition to another copy of the script, a production binder marked as belonging to Michaels contains basic production documents and a personal note from Tomlin.

Although only ran for a single season, the material in the collection is noteworthy in that it offers a start-to-finish look at the process of writing and revising a sitcom pilot. John Mulaney’s revised versions of the first episode are labeled by the associated development stage, from the initial drafting to network submission, table reads, and shooting. A production binder is also present for the pilot with schedules, call sheets, production design documents, and other production material.

Scripts and production material for other episodes give a more limited overview of the production process and reflect the fact that the order in which stories were initially written did not translate to the final order of the episodes. The material also includes one of the collection’s rare examples of a genuine prop element, in the form of a poster for a fictional movie.

represents Lorne Michaels’s return to sketch comedy television before his reinstatement at in 1985. There is significant overlap in the writing staff of and Michaels-produced seasons of . The writing and production of the single season of this show is well-represented in the collection. Scripts take the form of drafts for individual sketches, with these drafts then grouped by the episode in which that sketch appears. There is also a comparable volume of unused material which was written but never produced, organized alphabetically by sketch title.

The hiring of staff and talent is better documented than for other television productions in the collection, with audition sheets, headshots, resumes, letters of interest, and correspondence from talent agencies and recommenders. Other production documentation includes shooting and post-production schedules, location information, script acceptability reports, music licensing information, and other forms of correspondence. Publicity material is very limited and includes a press kit with photographs, a small number of clippings, and a headshot of Michaels.

Beginning in Season 3, materials include revised drafts of sketches, as well as a sketch guide and production outline detailing how sketches were written at the beginning of the season, filmed in batches, and then edited into the final order. Season 4 provides the most insight into the writing process, with first draft scripts being arranged alphabetically, and revised drafts having a production number attached to the script guide. Sketch drafts and a corresponding guide exist for Season 4, with only drafts for Season 5. The collection does not contain script materials for Seasons 1 and 2.

Production materials only exist for the first two seasons of the show, and mostly relate to publicity events, press, and debut releases, although other materials such as schedules and call sheets are present.

Publicity materials make up the rest of this series, including clippings. In keeping with the strong attachment to the shooting location, local artists created individual posters for each episode of Season 2. There are multiple copies of each poster; the majority of designs include at least one signed copy by the artist and they are also available in electronic format. Other posters are those created to publicize the 2012 tour and Seasons 1 and 6.

is considered a forerunner to not only in regard to the structure (short, varied sketches) but also for the emphasis on topical and political humor. Michaels, along with his writing partner Hart Pomerantz, joined the writing team for the show’s second season. The majority of the materials are second draft scripts with schedules and rundowns from the latter half of the season. Other items include personalized stationery for Michaels and a single clipping regarding Goldie Hawn’s exit from the show.

The screenplay for this made for television film can be found in the production notebook, along with correspondence and cast and crew lists. Of note are the large number of negatives taken during filming, which are available to view onsite with advance notice. Publicity materials include a Beatles trivia book, press, and correspondence regarding marketing of the film and corresponding album. Some of the material was treated for mold contamination after arriving at the Ransom Center; researchers who are sensitive to mold may wish to wear a mask while viewing it in the Center’s Reading Room.

With the exception of shows that are currently airing, contains the most recent materials in the television series. Scripts and outlines from 2019 detail the plan for a three season show, although ultimately only two seasons were produced. Press clippings make up the rest of materials related to this production.

Series II. Film, 1977-2023

Series II. is organized alphabetically by film title. The volume of material continues to vary from one production to another, though not as dramatically as in Series I. Well-documented film productions include , , , , , , and , which never received a national theatrical release. Within each production, material is generally grouped into scripts, production material, and publicity material. Production material refers to documents from the pre-production, principal photography, and post-production stages, including casting, scheduling, production design, editing, music, and still photography. Publicity material such as posters and press kits may also be accompanied by marketing, ratings, and/or merchandising material. Material related to awards for specific films is filed in Series VI, Subseries B. Awards.

Film productions with extensive and/or noteworthy documentation include:

Only the shooting script draft by Tina Fey and Amy Poehler is present for this film, but there is a considerable volume of production material. Wrap books belonging to producers Jill Messick and Michaels contain reports, schedules, production logs, and call sheets detailing day by day activities. There is also a large number of photographs intended for marketing purposes, including publicity key sets with markings. Other publicity material includes clippings, magazines, and multiple autographed and clean versions of posters.

This film marked the last appearance of Chris Farley and David Spade as comedy partners. It was quickly produced after the financial success of 1995’s with the first draft submitted a month after the premiere. Screenplays include the first draft by Fred Wolf and subsequent revised production drafts with new writers attached to the project. There are also transcripts of script meetings between director Penelope Spheeris and Wolf. Further revisions and notes are also found in the production materials.

Production documents are mostly related to casting suggestions and scheduling. Publicity and marketing materials include clippings and magazines, posters, press releases, audience research reports, and press kits containing stills and slides.

After the success of , was the next sketch to be adapted into a feature film. This production is among the most extensively documented in the collection. Original screenplays were written by Tom Davis and Dan Aykroyd, with further revisions by Bonnie Turner and Terry Turner of the screenwriting team. Some drafts include Michaels’s handwritten notes and revisions.

Among the production materials are extensive concept and photographic materials, including storyboards, concept art, props, visual effects lists, and costume designs. Also of note are materials related to the Coneheads’ appearance on MTV, including a script and correspondence attached to the musical performance.

One of the few films produced by Michaels that is unrelated to an character or cast member, was a collaborative production with Mick Jagger’s company Jagged Films. Materials show how the screenplay by Tom Stoppard underwent four years of revision before production began.

Extensive production correspondence records cast and crew decisions and script revisions. Production documentation for the film is comprehensive, including design elements such as photographs of shooting locations, costume tests, and storyboards. Call sheets and schedules, credits, progress reports, and timings are some of the other formats represented.

Marketing and publicity materials are also well represented, with audience research, screening reports, and marketing plans detailing an involved promotional strategy. Press breaks, reviews, box office updates, release schedules and clippings are present, as are materials documenting the planning of the premiere.

Screenplays for display extensive revisions over a period of three years under the title My Mother’s Curse. Many of the revised drafts have handwritten annotations, along with notes from Michaels. Michaels’s wrap binder includes a comprehensive view of finalized production details, with limited correspondence regarding casting. There are also extensive production stills. Unusual among the marketing and publicity materials is an advertising design binder by BLT & Associates containing logos, sketches, and publicity campaign concepts with both the film’s original and theatrical title, suggesting a later renaming of the production.

The script material captures the many creative shifts that took place during an unusually long screenwriting process. A second draft of Pam Brady’s original screenplay from 2000 contains characters and plot details absent from the final film. Subsequent revisions by Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone show how the story changed drastically when it was picked back up for development in 2006. Some of these scripts also bear handwritten commentary by Lorne Michaels. The protracted development process is also documented in Jill Messick’s script coverage binders, found in the Los Angeles office files portion of Series VI. Professional Papers.

Production and publicity material includes many rich, playful, and/or unique artifacts of the creative process, including a concept art binder bound in costume fabric, a publicity campaign concept binder, an illustrated flipbook, prop event fliers, wardrobe test photographs, contact sheets of images for publicity graphics, and several more production binders with detailed documentation of research, planning, and the daily activities of a variety of crew members.

This narrative feature spin-off premiered the year after the conclusion of the original sketch comedy series. An early screenplay outline and initial drafts show that the film screenwriting process began under the working title The Drug shortly after wrapping the series’ fifth season. Subsequent versions of the screenplay document revisions made during production of the film. Production documents include cast and crew lists, schedules, and a focus group report. Publicity and marketing material is more extensive, with posters and mockups, clippings of promos and reviews, magazines, press kit components, and screening reports.

is the most recent feature-length adaption of an sketch within the collection. The screenplays were written by then-cast members Will Forte, John Solomon, and Jorma Taccone while the trio were also writing and appearing in weekly episodes of . Six revision stages are captured over five weeks with further scene revisions appearing in production materials. Other production documents include call sheets, schedules, and cast and crew lists. Audience research surveys, press, and posters make up the publicity materials.

contains the largest volume of material within the film series. Screenplay materials begin in 2002, and there are over twenty versions of the script across two years. Many of these drafts contain handwritten annotations either from producer Jill Messick, director Mark Waters, or executive producer Michaels. There are also extensive notes from Paramount regarding script edits as well as correspondence from writer Tina Fey on development.

Production materials are equally well-represented. Of particular note are the casting documents, which include notes and correspondence from Messick. Multiple production and wrap binders contain comprehensive documentation of daily production, including reports and schedules, along with design elements such as costume tests and soundtrack correspondence.

A considerable amount of marketing and publicity material documents the immediate success of the film, including audience screenings, survey reports, trailer tests, tracking reports, box office estimates, and gross summaries. Poster designs, taglines, logo development, home entertainment designs, special shoot dialogues, interstitials, and concept art for promotional materials reveal the film’s thorough marketing campaign. Further materials include press clippings, magazines, and reviews.

Also of note are materials related to the premiere, which include a seating chart, programs, guest lists and photographs.

is the only movie produced under Michaels’s deal with MGM and was never nationally released in theaters or on home media. Screenplays by Tom Schiller include production elements and revisions. Of note is the script and correspondence from Schiller to Dr. Bronner of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, who appeared in the film.

Filmed entirely in New York City, production materials include extensive location files with photographs and maps of the city. Of note are set design plots and blueprints, as well as location planning correspondence. Other production design elements well represented are costuming materials, including numerous character sketches and reference collages; music schedules; and storyboards. Daily production is documented through production reports, schedules, and correspondence. There is little publicity material, apart from announcements of the project.

Production documentation for this film is relatively comprehensive, with documents related to cast and crew, scheduling, travel, continuity, clearance, storyboarding, music, costumes, titles, equipment, effects, and reshoots. Screenplays capture eight revision stages. A large volume of photographs is present in both the production and publicity material. Publicity plans and correspondence reveal Paramount’s promotional strategy, with clippings and magazines documenting press coverage.

spinoff is another well-documented production with material from all stages of the filmmaking process. Script material shows the evolution of the screenplay from initial drafts by Steve Koren to later versions co-written by Will Ferrell and Chris Kattan. The activities of casting, scheduling, shooting, music, editing, billing, and planning for the film’s premiere are all captured in the production material. Memoranda reveal canceled arrangements for a scene involving magician David Copperfield. Publicity material includes magazines, clippings, press kits, photographs, poster designs, and screening reports. Unique to this production is the documentation of writing done for trailers and commercials, with contributions from Steve Koren and Dinah Minot.

is one of only two films that feature Michaels’s work as a writer as well as a producer. Screenplays include a draft copy belonging to co-writer Randy Newman with Michaels’s notes. Production materials include stills, editing notes, travel planning, and notes from Michaels. Publicity and marketing materials are better represented, and contain correspondence related to unproduced spinoffs, including an animated series and film sequel. Scripts and synopses for later planned musical theater adaptations are filed in Series IV. Projects.

Originally titled Billy the Kid: a mid-western, was the first film to star Chris Farley as part of a deal made with Paramount Pictures. Script drafts show that the screenplay underwent extensive revisions under numerous writers within a short time frame, and revisions continued during the production's shooting. Numerous versions of the screenplays include handwritten notes by Michaels on dialogue and pacing.

Production materials include a large amount of correspondence related to revisions, music, schedules, and cast, as well as the overlapping chronology of Michaels’s other projects during this year. Editing notes, schedules, casting materials, and reports are also present. Publicity and marketing material includes audience reports from two different screenings, press breaks, posters, publicity stills, and invitations and programs from the premiere.

is one of the more comprehensively documented film productions. Screenplays include five drafts by Steve Koren, as well as revisions created over a year of script development. Production material includes call sheets, cast and crew lists, music and soundtrack correspondence, and stills. In the publicity materials, there is an emphasis on marketing including campaign approval packages, promotional reports, home video design proofs, press kits, and screening reports. Also present are audience research cards, a survey report, and printouts of the film’s 1999 website design proofs.

and

The commercial success of the first film is documented in the extensive collection of publicity material. This includes a comprehensive record of national press coverage and movie reviews in the form of bound volumes and packets compiled weekly by Paramount Pictures. Magazines, newspapers, and box office reports are also present. Graphic design elements and official posters document the promotional campaign. The script development process is captured from the first treatment by Mike Myers through the fourth green revision of the shooting script. Production documentation is more limited, with correspondence and material from the location planning and post-production stages appearing in modest quantities.

Material from reveals how quickly the development of this sequel began after the premiere of the first. Similar to the first production, scripts and publicity material offer the broadest view, although there is an increase in the amount of production documentation present for this film, especially in the form of photographs. Shots by Elliot Marks depict behind-the-scenes and on-camera action and also include headshots of Michaels taken as part of a publicity shoot.

Series III. Theater, 1979-2023

Material in this series documents Michaels’s production of three Broadway shows, , , and , as well as , a musical that did not make it to Broadway. The largest volume relates to the two productions of , the first at La Jolla Playhouse in 1995, and the second, featuring a script rewritten by David Mamet, at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre in 1996. Annotated script drafts, correspondence, casting material, schedules, and press clippings reveal these productions’ history from concept to opening night. In addition to this, the collection contains scripts and other material for the studio album recorded in 1995.

Series IV. Projects, 1967-2019

The bulk of the Projects series, which is arranged alphabetically by title, consists of script drafts and other material for unproduced or unaired television programs and films. A few titles written or conceived by Michaels in this series include an outline and notes for a semiautobiographical movie tentatively titled Women, Money and Restaurants that Michaels worked on in the late 1970s, a screenplay called The Liar from 1986 based on the Jon Lovitz character, and a screenplay titled The Saturday Night Live Movie from 1990. Other projects that progressed further in the screenwriting and pre-production process have script drafts annotated by Michaels, including the films August Blow-Out by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay; Dieter by Mike Myers, Jack Handey, and Michael McCullers; Mall Cops, a buddy movie pitched as a vehicle for Kenan Thompson, Jimmy Fallon, and/or Horatio Sanz; and a screenplay by Tina Fey known as The Untitled Williamsburg Project or Curly and Vic. As the above-mentioned titles demonstrate, many of the projects were created by writers for and/or feature cast members. Some of the film projects in this series are also documented in the script development material from Paramount Pictures and SNL Studios filed in Series VI. Subseries H. Office files.

Material for television includes scripts, production, and publicity material for the unaired pilot episode of America’s Most Terrible Things, starring Chevy Chase, as well as a different unproduced series titled The Chevy Chase Show; scripts for Brothers in Atlanta, a planned HBO series by Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin; scripts and production material for Thick and Thin, an unaired sitcom pilot by Paula Pell; and a script for a planned spinoff by Robert Carlock and Tina Fey labeled Untitled Jack Donaghy Pilot.

The series contains little material related to early projects developed by Broadway Video in the 1980s and 1990s; some additional information on these unproduced screenplays and television projects is filed with Broadway Video material in Series VI. Subseries H. Office files.

The Projects series also includes scripts and other material for films that were produced without Michaels’s involvement, including and , and scripts, drafts, and proofs that were submitted as unsolicited material or sent to Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences members with a For Your Consideration letter during the Oscars judging period.

Series V. Correspondence, 1968-2023

Materials for this series are grouped chronologically and include many subgroups; personal, professional, solicitations, requests, birth announcements, holiday cards, thank-you notes and Valentine’s Day cards. Distinctions between incoming and outgoing correspondence reflect original labels. An additional subgroup, Notable people, is ordered alphabetically by last name and contains letters that were originally housed separately from other correspondence. Formats are extremely varied, with letters, memoranda, email printouts, postcards, and telegrams, among others. Further description is found within the folders on paper sleeves and reflects the original title provided by the creator. Solicitations for charitable donations and requests for interviews and personal appearances are filed under the heading solicitations. The majority of the correspondence is related to the film and television entertainment industry and projects Lorne Michaels participated in.

Notable correspondents are wide-ranging, from alumni such as Dan Aykroyd, Chevy Chase, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, Mike Myers, John Mulaney, and Gilda Radner to industry colleagues from NBC, Paramount Pictures, and other entertainment companies. Correspondents usually described as personal by original labels include Alec Baldwin, Candice Bergen, Steve Martin, Paul McCartney, Mike Nichols, Jack Nicholson, and Paul Simon. Due to the overlapping personal and professional nature of many of Michaels’s relationships, correspondence from certain individuals may be filed under personal or professional. Similarly, individuals described in the Notable people subgroup may be found in paper sleeves labeled notable or special in later, less-represented years of correspondence.

The Paper Scan binders in this series consist of material previously selected for digitization, consisting primarily of correspondence, with a few production documents from and various printed materials. Each binder also contains an inventory of its contents.

A partial index of correspondent names in this collection is included in this finding aid.

Series VI. Professional Papers, 1861-2023

Material in this series relates mostly to professional activities not associated with a specific production and is arranged into thirteen subseries. Subseries may represent a shared context or format and are organized alphabetically.

Subseries A. Appointment books contains a selection of datebooks and daily planners kept by Michaels and his assistants from 1977-1992 documenting meetings with friends, colleagues, and individuals connected to the production of and other works, and his travels and attendance at various events during this period.

Subseries B. Awards contains extensive correspondence, photographs, speech drafts, programs, invitations, and other documents related to awards and other forms of recognition. Most are awards given to Lorne Michaels or to productions on which he worked. The most extensive group is that pertaining to the Emmy Awards, with material from 1969 to 2022. Other honors with a high volume of material include the Order of Canada, the Mark Twain Awards, the Canada Walk of Fame, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Some material relates to other honorees, especially Steve Martin, Paul Simon, and Tina Fey. An Awards Portfolio is also included which compiles official certificates for major awards.

Subseries C. Collected material describes items across a wide variety of formats kept out of personal interest. The largest subset of this material consists of books, many written, or given as gifts by, colleagues of Michaels. Some are in the form of unpublished manuscripts, and some include inscribed dedications. Other formats present in significant quantities are postcards, posters, programs and press kits, and tickets. Other items relate to Michaels’s interests in world travel, sports, history, and the activities of friends and colleagues.

Subseries D. Early life and career contains material from Michaels’s childhood and early adulthood. The earliest material in this subseries, dating from the 1950s, include letters and postcards written by Michaels to his parents from summer camp, a report card from Hebrew school, and scripts and a certificate from his bar mitzvah. Michaels’s teenage years and his growing interest in theater are documented by handmade programs from musicals and plays staged at his high school and summer camps as well as published ones from shows he attended in Toronto and New York. Manuscript and electronic files from his college days at the University of Toronto include additional theater programs, student magazines, and records from his commencement in 1966. Looseleaf diary pages that detail Michaels’s daily life after graduation as a young man in Toronto and drafts of monologues and comedic routines document his earliest work as a writer. Notable in this subseries are drafts of jokes and a screenplay outline written for and presented to Woody Allen in the late 1960s. The subseries also contains numerous scripts for CBC television or radio productions by writers other than Michaels; it is not known whether these scripts were produced. A Writers Guild of America welcome and information packet documents Michaels’s arrival in Los Angeles to work on and then , bringing his early career period to a close

Subseries E. Events is organized chronologically and contains primarily programs and correspondence related to galas, benefit shows, festivals, premieres, and other large-scale events not dedicated to the conferral of awards. Individual files within this subseries contain material related only to one event. This is different from Subseries F. Invitations, where individual files contain material relating to many events within a specified date range. These files include smaller and more personal events such as birthday and holiday parties. Invitations may also be found in Series V. Correspondence.

In Subseries G. Memorials, programs, correspondence, and speech notes have been preserved from events celebrating significant individuals in Michaels’s life and work, including John Belushi, Chris Farley, and Gilda Radner.

Subseries H. Notebooks and notes contains both complete notebooks with specific purposes and loose notes on a variety of branded stationeries and scrap papers. Notebooks are either address books filled out with contact information or largely blank books with a few pages of writing. Looseleaf notes typically consist of musings, reminders, or preliminary ideas for pieces of writing present in more developed form in Subseries L. Writings. Notes often appear alongside small amounts of collected material.

Subseries I. Office files contains organizational records from several companies with which Michaels has been affiliated. The subseries is divided geographically, with the New York City subgroup representing work more directly subject to the oversight of Lorne Michaels. Formats vary widely, but the most common are correspondence, design materials, building information, official invitations, project tracking documents, script coverage, reports, and lists.

The greatest volume of the New York City material relates to the activities of Michaels’s longstanding production company Broadway Video, with a smaller amount from the company’s predecessor, Above Average. Files pertaining to the Michaels Goldwyn company document the initial branding efforts for this collaboration with John Goldwyn. The group of materials labeled LM Office represent administrative files not associated with one particular workplace or which concern Michaels’s personal affairs. A small portion of the office files capture activities from the early years of SNL Studios, a production studio founded in 1997 to support and spinoff films.

The Los Angeles portion of the material consists mostly of script coverage coming from the offices of Jill Messick and Hilary Marx, who represented Broadway Video during the company’s first-look film deal with Paramount Pictures beginning in 2003.

Subseries J. Photographs and artworks. Photographs make up the vast majority of this subseries. The first group of photographs features Michaels as the primary or only subject. Many of these photographs were taken in a professional context and are attributable to photographers involved in other areas of Michaels’s work, such as Edie Baskin of and Elliot Marks of the film crew. The second group contains photographs of Michaels with one or more additional subjects, especially notable friends and colleagues. The third group consists of photographs not featuring Michaels as a subject. The fourth group compiles all files that used the label Photos Lorne Likes in the original documentation. These images generally feature Michaels as a subject, sometimes with others present. The Publicity photographs group contains a binder of digitized photographs and a file with negatives and extra prints. This group gives some insight into the processes of editing and choosing photographs for use in publications.

A selection of photographs is housed separately within several binders and portfolios. Most of these photographs belong to a body of scanned material accessible in digital format. Binders contain 3-ring pages of sleeved prints and Polaroids, each of which is labeled with a sequential identifier that corresponds to a digital file name. Portfolios contain matted prints of photographs, many of which were pulled by previous researchers for inclusion in books and documentaries.

An Index of Photographic Subjects included with this finding aid records the names of individuals featured in photographs in this subseries and elsewhere in the collection.

Subseries K. Professional organizations presents limited documentation of Michaels’s involvement with the academies of film and television in the US and Canada, as well as with the Writers Guild of America. Most often this comes in the form of official correspondence and newsletters, reports, membership applications, and member cards. Files are also present for other organizations but with minimal content.

Subseries L. Publicity is made up of clippings, magazines, printouts of online articles, and newspapers organized into subject files. An initial file, LM articles and interviews, documents coverage of Michaels himself from 1974 to 2023 and includes clippings, magazines, and books. Many of the press materials are present in multiple formats that may include the original article, photocopies, and digital scans. Prior to arrival at the Harry Ransom Center, press material considered significant was selected for rehousing to address preservation concerns, especially regarding acidic newsprint. This original arrangement has been preserved under the deacidified special press heading.

Michaels collected a vast amount of press related to friends, productions, projects, current and former cast and crew, comedy, television and industry developments, and other interests. Due to the complex nature of his network, there are many places in the collection where press related to an individual or project can be found either with a production or in this series. For example, clippings related to Tina Fey in 2009 can be found in , , and the subject file Fey, Tina. Headings are ordered alphabetically, and most headings are names of individuals in Michaels’s professional sphere, but there are also reviews, industry events, and film and television companies and networks. Collected press breaks are filed under the name of the company who compiled them. Press related to NBC includes breaks compiled by the NBC Entertainment Publicity department from 2006 to 2007. There is also a number of magazines and newspapers with unidentified subjects.

Subseries M. Writings consists of notes and drafts created in the preparation of a speech, article, or piece of correspondence. These are a mix of handwritten documents (often on legal pad paper) and printouts of typed material, some also with handwritten annotations. Drafts for speeches often relate to events also documented in the Awards, Events, and Memorials subseries. This material is organized chronologically.