Documenting the hour and a half before the first broadcast of Saturday Night Live on October 11, 1975, Jason Reitman’s new film Saturday Night illustrates just how much chaos played out before the novice cast announced, “Live from New York.” There’s a haphazardness in the unfinished scripts, set pieces, and run-of-show schedule; even the clothes on the Not Ready for Prime Time Players are barely put together.
Both a ‘70s period piece and a love letter to a special moment in comedy history, the film’s wardrobe amplifies how newly-minted SNL boss Lorne Michaels and his troupe of rising comics were taking a counterculture approach to launching the late-night show. Costume designer Danny Glicker mimicked this radicalness when recreating the looks worn by the real-life people the film portrays—from bell bottoms to mix-matched thrift shop threads to their sketch costumes.
