Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1533885
24 PROP CULTURE I SPRING 2025 It was a treat to be able to bring to life and really shape the essence of some amazing "Not ready for prime time players," such as John Belushi, Chevy Chase (who I later worked with on Fletch Lives), Gilda Radner, Dan Aykroyd (who I worked with on North), Garrett Morris, Jane Curtin, and Laraine Newman. These were iconic characters I grew up with, and now I had the chance to step into their world and help bring it to life. I knew it would be a high task to do the show justice, and accuracy down to the smallest details would be important, even and especially, including the chaotic background action that defined the world of SNL. When I started prep on Saturday Night, I immediately reached out to Larry Demmler, the Property Master of SNL since 1978. I went to New York to meet up with Larry and Wally Ferensten, who was in charge of SNL cue cards, to tour the actual Property Department and cue card station. It was very cool to see exactly how they prepare, their technique, and how they run the show. I got to meet Akira "Leo" Yoshimura, the longtime art director from the beginning, and we had a great chat. I got a perspective only he could provide. I actually stayed for the live on-air show and was treated like a king! They were all so nice, and that trip really shaped my research and process of how I approached the show. Larry was an invaluable resource. I explained to him the scope of the various props we would need to create, and he started the process of obtaining scripts, schedules, and show rundowns—anything he could get his hands on from that time. He shared many behind-the-scenes photos of the crew and stagehands throughout his decades-long tenure. He explained how loose it was in the early days. Everyone had friends dropping in to visit and check out the dress rehearsals—and with no credentials! That would never be possible today, but it was a very trustworthy time in the late '70s and '80s. No computers or social media posts to worry about—the good old days! I knew it would be essential to the design of the show to get the show's iconic props absolutely right, including Andy Kaufman's 1950's portable phonograph, which takes center stage in a pivotal moment near the end of the movie. Talking to Larry, it was in an NBC archival museum, and chances of obtaining it were slim. Next, I reached out to Property Master Emily Ferry of Man on the Moon to see where she obtained it. Unfortunately, she had used the original as they still had it at Studio 8H at that time. With vital preparation assistance from my friend and fellow Property Master, Brad Einhorn, we were able to locate and acquire many period- correct parts and materials for the RCA Victrola SES 4 phonograph. I then had one manufactured from scratch with 3D-printed parts replicated from Frontman Billy Preston (Jon Batiste) and his band. Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc.