John Belushi Almost Refused To Sign His Contract For Saturday Night Live
March 16, 2023 4:36PM CDT
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- John Belushi almost blew his chance with ‘Saturday Night Live’.
- Belushi was integral to “Saturday Night Live’s” early success and stayed with the show through 1980 before transitioning completely to movies. It’s fair to say the actor owed much of his early success to the show.
- In the book “Live From New York: The Complete, Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live as Told by Its Stars, Writers, and Guests,” Belushi’s longtime manager, Bernie Brillstein, explains the harried backstage situation. He said:
- “Five minutes before the first show, I came through the back door where the food and coffee was and there was Belushi, sitting on a bench with Craig Kellem, who was the associate producer, and Craig was saying, ‘John, you’ve just got to sign your contract. NBC won’t allow you on the air until you do.'” Brillstein admits he lied to Belushi to get him to sign, telling him he wrote the contract, but the actor still wouldn’t sign it until Brillstein agreed to be his manager.
- Who is your all-time favorite ‘SNL’ cast member?
