Al Franken looks back on 50 years of ‘Saturday Night Live’

Millions of viewers will tune in next Sunday to enjoy “SNL50: The Anniversary Special,” a three-hour broadcast celebrating one of the most enduring and impactful institutions in TV history. But only a few hundred celebrities will be invited to be part of the studio audience.

Al Franken will have one of those coveted seats. And if there’s any justice, it’ll be near the front of the house.

The former U.S. senator and fellow Minnesotan Tom Davis made up the famed comedy duo Franken & Davis. They were integral members of the “Saturday Night Live” story, creating memorable sketches in the early years, then returning in the 1980s to help guide the ship through choppy waters.

“It just doesn’t feel like 50 years,” Franken said recently in a phone interview from his Manhattan home. “It’s quite an achievement.”

No other Minnesotans have played such significant roles in the show’s success. But the history lesson would be incomplete without a tip of the hat to Brave New Workshop (BNW), the Twin Cities-based improv company founded by Dudley Riggs 14 years before “SNL” went on the air in 1975.

That’s where Franken and Davis started performing while they were still attending the Blake School. Davis, who died in 2012, actually joined the BNW cast the summer after “SNL’s” inaugural season, learning from improv legend Del Close, whom Riggs had hired as a consultant.

The duo’s legendary “French Chef” sketch, in which Dan Aykroyd’s Julia Child slowly bleeds to death, includes a moment when Child tries to call 911 for help, learning too late that the phone is just a prop.

“We were looking for a joke to end the sketch and ended up relying on a stage object,” Franken said. “That came out of training at Dudley Riggs.”

The Minnesota duo worked closely with the future “Ghostbusters” star. At one point, Aykroyd and Davis were roommates.

“He was also my writing partner until the day he died,” Aykroyd told the Star Tribune in 2018. ”My daughter was actually with him when he passed away. A wonderful guy. We came up with the Coneheads together. One of my favorite things we did was the ‘Dr. Deacon’s Haunch Crack Powder’ commercial.”

Pat Proft, who worked at BNW in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, recognized a lot of Minneapolis-bred comedy in the early days of “SNL.”

“To me, it was Brave New Workshop stuff,” said Proft, who worked on scripts for the films “The Naked Gun” and “Hot Shots!” “It was young people doing comedy. Physical stuff. Satire. The same kind of sensibility. It was fun to see the thing that you were doing become this thing on television.”

But despite sharing similar DNA, Brave New Workshop, which is still in operation, never became a breeding ground for “SNL” talent the way Second City and the Groundlings did.

Franken and Davis had already moved to Los Angeles when an agent recommended them to “SNL” creator Lorne Michaels. They were the only writers he hired for the premiere season that he didn’t first meet in person.

James Cada, who was part of the BNW cast when the TV show was being assembled, said some network folks attended one of the Minneapolis shows and even had drinks with some cast members. But Riggs, who died in 2020, was worried that NBC would steal his talent and use characters developed on his stage.

“The next day, Dudley’s attorneys showed up with contracts,” said Cada, who remains a formidable actor and director in the Twin Cities. “He wanted everyone to know that anything we did was his property. I don’t know if that had anything to do with NBC not picking any of us, but we never saw them again.”

Cada remembers being impressed by the early episodes — and being envious.

“The bulk of their cast was really strong,” he said. “We were fairly strong, but never like they were. That was a little frustrating.”

Proft, who was a regular at LA’s Comedy Store when the show launched, had let Davis and Franken crash at his beach house when they initially hitchhiked to LA in college. He had also worked with Chevy Chase on “The Smothers Brothers Show,” where the future “SNL” star entertained his fellow writers with pratfalls.

Despite those connections, Proft never got tapped by Michaels.

“I think Franken, Davis and Chevy kept bringing my name up, that I should be there, but I got the sense that Lorne didn’t like me,” Proft said. “Maybe he came down to the Comedy Store and didn’t like what I was doing. Franken and Davis were really political and offbeat, doing edgy things about Nixon. They were perfect for him. I just did bits.”

It’s not that BNW alums didn’t end up getting national exposure. Mo Collins spent six seasons on “Mad TV.” Peter Tolan’s writing credits include “The Larry Sanders Show” and “Analyze This.” Melissa Peterman stars in NBC’s “Happy’s Place.”

None ended up working on “SNL.”

“I always was upset about that,” Proft said. ”A lot of great people and material have come out of Brave New Workshop, but it never got the attention it deserved.“

Franken isn’t sure why Michaels and his team never recruited directly from the Twin Cities, although he’s quick to point out that the Midwest always has been well represented by talent like Detroit’s Gilda Radner, Chicago’s Bill Murray and Madison’s Chris Farley.

Franken considers BNW and “SNL” to be important stops in his comedy career.

While he’s mostly remembered as a writer, he’s also proved himself in front of the camera.

In the ‘90s, his character Stuart Smalley was so doggone lovable, that it got its own movie. Franken was even under serious consideration to become “SNL” Weekend Anchor, a role that ended up going to Norm Macdonald. (Franken now says Michaels made the right choice.)

Franken’s strengths as a performer are evident in “The Residence,” a Shonda Rhimes-produced whodunit that starts streaming next month on Netflix. He plays a fictional U.S. senator with mannerisms that might remind you of his former Washington, D.C. colleagues Lamar Alexander and Charles Grassley.

Franken’s role is small, but he more than holds his own with a veteran cast that includes Uzo Aduba, Susan Kelechi Watson and Giancarlo Esposito.

“I’m not an actor, but I use my improv training,” said Franken, who also hosts “The Al Franken Podcast,” with new episodes dropping on Sundays. “Improv can be very funny, but you have to be in the right mindset and surrender to it. You have to do justice to the character.”

Franken is looking forward to catching up with old friends next weekend, especially original cast members Laraine Newman and Jane Curtin. But he’ll also be thinking about Davis and how unfortunate it is that his old partner won’t be sitting next to him.

“He’d be enjoying this,” Franken said. “I miss him.”

The only thing missing from the party to celebrate the TV show’s half-century on the air is more cowbell. Here are the best ways to get in on the fun.

“SNL50: The Anniversary Special”: The most memorable cast members and hosts cram into Studio 8H for a three-hour live tribute that promises to be one of the greatest comedy gatherings of all time. 7 p.m. Feb. 16, NBC

“SNL50: The Homecoming Concert”: Dave Grohl, Bonnie Raitt, Miley Cyrus and Bad Bunny are among the marquee names who will be on hand for this live concert hosted by Jimmy Fallon from Radio City Music Hall. Live streaming 7 p.m. Feb. 14, Peacock

“Ladies & Gentlemen...50 Years of SNL Music”: Questlove directed this insightful documentary that doesn’t shy away from controversial moments like Sinéad O’Connor ripping up a picture of the pope. Peacock

“SNL50: Beyond Saturday Night”: Instead of trying to track the show’s entire past, this docuseries focuses on four milestones. One episode, “The Weird Year,” takes you behind the scenes of the rocky 1985-86 season in which Lorne Michaels, Al Franken and Tom Davis returned to revive the show. Peacock

“Live From New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live”: Those seeking a more thorough history lesson have to check out this unfiltered read from James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales, first published 20 years ago. Available online and in bookstores.

“Saturday Night”: This 2024 movie revolves around the hours leading up to the premiere episode. It’s full of factual errors, but director Jason Reitman captures the spirit — and tension — of that monumental evening. Netflix

“Fly on the Wall”: Cast favorite Dana Carvey and David Spade look back at the show that put them on the map with help from famous friends. New episodes of the podcast drop on Wednesdays. audacy.com/podcast

No prominent cast members in the show’s history have deep Minnesota ties. But when it comes to music, our state has been well represented. Here are 10 performances and sketches that stand out:

Bob Dylan, “Gotta Serve Somebody” (1979): Dylan was deep into his Christian music period when he made his only “SNL” appearance, which explains why “Serve” was the only hit of the three songs he warbled. Timothée Chalamet also favored obscure tunes when he channeled Dylan on “SNL” last month.

“Bob Dylan Meets Woody Guthrie” (1980): Host David Carradine reprised his role as Guthrie from the movie “Bound for Glory” for this short sketch in which young Dylan (Patrick Weathers) steals lyrics from both his hospitalized hero and his nurse.

Prince, “Partyup” (1981): Prince’s first “SNL” performance was also his most memorable. The upbeat number ends with him knocking over the microphone stand and storming offstage. He returned to Studio 8H in 1989, 2006 and 2014.

The Stray Cats, “(She’s) Sexy+17″ (1983): Lead singer Brian Setzer didn’t move to Minneapolis until around 2005, but we’re going to go ahead and claim this rare rockabilly entry in “SNL” history as one of our own.

The Replacements, “Bastards of the Young” (1986): Rolling Stone magazine hailed this as the show’s second-greatest musical moment, behind only David Bowie’s 1979 take on “The Man Who Sold the World.” Unlike Bowie’s carefully choreographed number, Paul Westerberg and company whipped up pure chaos.

Morris Day and the Time, “Chocolate” (1990): Day let an expletive fly at the end of this high-energy number. He didn’t get yelled at, despite the fact that notorious hothead George Steinbrenner was host.

Soul Asylum, “Somebody to Shove” (1993): The band was riding high when it made its only appearance on the show. A few months later, David Spade impersonated lead singer Dave Pirner (badly) in a sketch imploring Michael Jordan not to leave the NBA.

“B108FM” (2012): This parody of a fictional Minnesota radio station won’t make any highlights reels, but host Lindsay Lohan seems to be having a ball poking fun at morning-zoo formats.

Prince Christmas Special (2013): Fred Armisen played Prince 11 times between 2004 and 2012, usually as the host of a talk show. The best of the bunch may be when he shares his Travis Bickle impression with guest Robert De Niro. Maya Rudolph, who has fronted a Prince tribute band, is sass personified as his sidekick, Beyoncé.

Lizzo, “Horny Zookeeper”( 2022): The rapper/singer has become a recent favorite, showing up three times in the past six years. For the episode in which she also hosted, Lizzo got super silly with the “Please Don’t Destroy” gang who insist on helping her write this barbaric number.