(Not) Live From New York Public Library: It's Saturday Night Live Books!
Famed sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live—responsible for launching the careers of generations of comedians and writers—is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The occasion will be marked by a Homecoming Concert of past musical guests and a live Anniversary Special looking back on beloved sketches and joined by cast members and guest hosts. Over these five decades, the show has had a deep influence on comedy, late night television, and popular culture. Whether you're a devoted fan or have dipped in and out over the years, you may enjoy these titles about the show's behind-the-scenes history as well as memoirs by some of its indelible cast members and writers.
Lorne: The Man Who Invented Saturday Night Live
by Susan Morrison
Lorne Michaels has become a revered and inimitable presence over his 50 years at the helm of Saturday Night Live, and this volume provides unprecedented access to Michaels and SNL for the definitive story of how he created and maintained a comedy institution.
Saturday Night: A Backstage History of Saturday Night Live
by Doug Hill and Jeff Weingrad
Discover the intimate and original history of Saturday Night Live. From its rebellious beginnings as an outlaw comedy program produced by an unruly band of renegades to becoming a TV institution, this book captures it all. From battles with NBC to internal conflicts within the cast and crew, you'll uncover love affairs, betrayals, rivalries, drug problems, overnight successes, and bitter failures, all intertwined with the creation of some of the most original and outrageous comedy ever.
Wild and Crazy Guys: How the Comedy Mavericks of the '80s Changed Hollywood Forever
by Nick de Semlyen
Wild and Crazy Guys opens in 1978 with Chevy Chase and Bill Murray taking bad-tempered swings at each other backstage at Saturday Night Live, and closes 21 years later with the two doing a skit in the same venue, poking fun at each other, their illustrious careers, triumphs and prat falls. In between, de Semlyen takes us on a trip through the tumultuous '80s, delving behind the scenes of some of the biggest comedies of the day and chronicling the larger-than-life antics of Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Eddie Murphy, John Belushi, John Candy, and Rick Moranis.
Live from New York: The Complete Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live
by James Andrew Miller and Tom Shales
A lavish history of the seminal, long-running television series draws on backstage anecdotes and uncensored reminiscences to create an entertaining oral history of Saturday Night Live from the perspective of its stars, guests, and writers.
Memoir & Biography
Hello, Molly!
by Molly Shannon with Sean Wilsey
Hello, Molly! sheds new and revelatory light on the life and work of one of our most talented and free-spirited performers. The memoir spans Molly’s time on Saturday Night Live—where she starred alongside Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Cheri Oteri, Tracy Morgan, and Jimmy Fallon, among many others. At the same time, it explores with humor and candor her struggle to come to terms with the legacy of her father, a man who both fostered her gifts and drive and was left with the impossible task of raising his kids alone after the loss of her mother.
The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts
by Tom Farley Jr. and Tanner Colby
A portrait based on personal stories by friends and family members traces the late comedian's passionate dedication to bringing laughter into the lives of others, his successes on Saturday Night Live and in numerous top films, and the incapacity for moderation that led to his fatal battle with drugs and alcohol.
Bossypants
by Tina Fey
From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon, comedian Tina Fey reveals all, and proves that you're no one until someone calls you bossy.
A Very Punchable Face
by Colin Jost
In a collection of humorous essays, the Saturday Night Live head writer and Weekend Update co-anchor tells the story of his life so far. From growing up in a family of firefighters on Staten Island to commuting three hours a day to high school, to attending Harvard while Facebook was created, to working at SNL and touring as a stand-up comedian, Jost shares how he has navigated the world like a slightly smarter Forrest Gump.
Leslie F*cking Jones
by Leslie Jones
Introducing the woman behind the laughs, this audacious memoir reveals what it took to for Leslie Jones to become one of America’s most beloved and plain-speaking superstars, encouraging others to let go of the fear and self-doubt holding them back to live a bigger life than ever imagined.
Based on a True Story: Not a Memoir
by Norm MacDonald
Wild, dangerous, and flat-out unbelievable, here is the incredible memoir of the actor, gambler, raconteur, SNL veteran, and one of the best stand-up comedians of all time. Macdonald tells the story of his life from his origins on a farm in the-back-of-beyond Canada and an epically disastrous appearance on Star Search to his account of auditioning for Lorne Michaels and his memorable run as the anchor of Weekend Update on Saturday Night Live.
Yes Please
by Amy Poehler
The actress best known for her work on Parks and Recreation and Saturday Night Live reveals personal stories and offers her humorous take on such topics as love, friendship, parenthood, and her relationship with Tina Fey.
When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice from a Professional Clown
by Kenan Thompson with Dibs Baer
In this heartwarming and surprising ode to growing up, getting older and wiser and learning from your mistakes, SNL’s longest-ever-serving cast member shares hilarious yet poignant essays that offer any reader valuable advice on parenting, focusing on positivity and having fun in life.
I Exaggerate: My Brushes With Fame
by Kevin Nealon
In I Exaggerate: My Brushes with Fame, comedian and actor Kevin Nealon shares original full-color caricatures and funny, endearing personal essays about his famous friends. Alongside his portraits and doodles from script margins and cocktail napkins, Nealon takes readers through his memories of everything from the set of Saturday Night Live with Chris Farley and Dana Carvey to his idolization of James Taylor, the eulogy he gave at his dear friend Garry Shandling’s funeral, and much more. Part memoir, part coffee table book, this is a charming and gorgeously illustrated project from a comedy all-star that is sure to delight.
Baby, Don't Hurt Me: Stories and Scars from Saturday Night Live
by Chris Kattan with Travis Thrasher
The comedy veteran offers a behind-the-scenes look at the show and his personal life, blending celebrity-filled photographs with laugh-out-loud stories about his childhood, early career and memorable performances from seven seasons of Saturday Night Live.
Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama
by Bob Odenkirk
The star of Mr. Show, Breaking Bad, and Better Call Saul discusses his early career as a cult comedy writer, including his four-year stint as a writer on Saturday Night Live where he survived that legendary gauntlet by the skin of his gnashing teeth and stashed away the secrets of comedy writing.
Summaries provided via NYPL’s catalog, which draws from multiple sources. Click through to each book’s title for more.