Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!
Could you handle the duties of being the show's host?
Howdy! It’s Joey, back with more Fun Fact Friyay. Treat this intro as a cold open, because we’re about to smash cut to the fact!
An 80-year-old grandma once hosted Saturday Night Live as part of an “Anyone Can Host” contest.
Saturday Night Live is in the midst of its 50th season, which is obvious to anyone who has watched anything on NBC over the past several months. The show’s big 50th anniversary special is Sunday, February 16, which should be a delightful celebration of a half-century of shenanigans.
The show was a lot more experimental in its early days. It had an “Attack of the Atomic Lobsters” episode where the aforementioned atomic lobsters slowly destroyed the 30 Rock set. Occasionally, they’d have a host who stayed in character the entire time, like Paul Reubens as Pee-Wee Herman.
One of the strangest things the show tried revolved around the Christmas episode of the show in 1977. SNL had only been on the air for about two-and-a-half seasons, and it ran an “Anyone Can Host” contest as a fun way to drum up interest.
Contestants were asked to write a 25-word blurb as to why they should be the show’s host. Here’s what Miskel Spillman, a German grandma wrote:
“I’m 80 years old. I need one more cheap thrill since my doctor told me I only have another 25 years left.”
The show pared down over 150,000 entrants to five finalists, who appeared on a November 19 broadcast to win over the viewing audience. One of the finalists was then-governor of South Dakota Richard Kneip, but the winner was Spillman, a German grandma.
Her speech during the broadcast: “I’m Miskel Spillman. I’m old.” The crowd went wild, and Spillman earned hosting duties for the Christmas show on December 17, 1977.
Spillman’s monologue was the highlight of her hosting duties. She got an assist from SNL legend Buck Henry and shared a joint with John Belushi. After her appearance, she still supported the show, finding Dana Carvery’s Church Lady particularly endearing. She lived to be 94 years old, so her doctor was off by about a decade.
Spillman is the only non-celebrity to host the show and was the oldest host until 88-year-old Betty White took the stage on May 8, 2010.
A bonus fun fact: This episode got Elvis Costello banned from SNL for many years. His record label requested that he play his song “Less Than Zero,” but Costello switched it to “Radio Radio” as a form of protest.
Lorne Michaels, SNL’s head honcho, didn’t like that, and Costello was banned. That ban has since been lifted and Costello performed an additional three times over the years.
We will likely never see a non-celebrity host SNL again, but it’s nice to know us commoners were represented at least once on the screen.
