In 1977, Lorne Michaels thought it would be a good idea to take “Saturday Night Live” (then in its second season) to New Orleans right in the middle of Mardi Gras for a live, primetime Sunday night episode. To say it didn’t go well is to say “Jaws 4” was a worthy sequel to the original, or New Coke was a good idea, or skinny-dipping in the Everglades is a smart move..
At the time, SNL was a red-hot cultural phenomenon, and its cast of seven had become instantly-dentifiable TV stars, mobbed wherever they went. Unfortunately, they weren’t prepared to be thrust into the middle of huge crowds of drunken revelers and forced to wing it when events like the Bacchus parade didn’t take place as planned. The debacle that ensued has been written about in several places, most notably the book “Live From Saturday Night” by Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller.
This week, Jane Curtin — one of the original Not Ready For Prime Time Players — was asked about the experience by Seth Meyers (who, several decades later, became the show’s head writer and Weekend Update anchor). Here’s her story…