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“Saturday Night Live” creator donates archive to Harry Ransom Center

Lorne Michaels’ archive of prominent films, the famous comedy sketch show, and early works will go on display this fall.

January 15, 2025 • 
Laura Figi
A black-and-white photograph featuring Lorne Michaels standing confidently with his arms crossed on a television studio set. The foreground includes large camera equipment and operators, while the background reveals additional crew members and an elevated viewing area. The studio lighting and detailed machinery emphasize the bustling production environment.

Lorne Michaels pictured on the set of “SNL” in the 2000s.

Photo via Harry Ransom Center

Live from the Harry Ransom Center, it’s Saturday Night.

“Saturday Night Live” creator and executive producer Lorne Michaels donated his archive to the Harry Ransom Center at UT Austin.

Shelley Duvall, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Lorne Michaels, and Laraine Newman

Shelley Duvall, Jane Curtin, Gilda Radner, Lorne Michaels, and Laraine Newman together in 1977.

Photo courtesy Harry Ransom Center

Austinites will be able to see parts of the collection in an exhibition called “Live from New York! The Making of Lorne Michaels” from Saturday, September 20-Sunday, March 15, 2026.

The Lorne Michaels Collection will not only feature historical pieces from the 50-year “SNL” body of work, but it will also include documents from “The Kids in the Hall,” “Wayne’s World,” and “Mean Girls.”

Some of Michaels’ earliest work — like “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and “The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show” — will also have a place.

The collection will be available for research in January 2026.

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