Michael O'Donoghue
Dive into the dark wit and daring satire of Michael O’Donoghue — the American writer, actor, and original head writer of Saturday Night Live. Explore his life, creative approach, controversial legacy, and memorable lines.
Introduction
Michael O’Donoghue (January 5, 1940 – November 8, 1994) was a provocative, uncompromising American writer, performer, and satirist. He is best known for his work with National Lampoon magazine and as the first head writer of Saturday Night Live. With a style steeped in black humor, shock, and a willingness to push boundaries, O’Donoghue helped define a new mode of late-night satire. Though his tenure on SNL and in comedy was fraught with conflict and controversy, his influence resonates in generations of comedic writers who followed.
Early Life and Education
Michael Henry Donohue was born on January 5, 1940, in Sauquoit, New York. His father worked as an engineer, and his mother stayed at home.
He attended the University of Rochester, where he was involved in theater and published early work in the campus humor magazine Ugh!. During that period he began writing experimental plays—often confrontational or absurdist in tone—such as The Twilight Maelstrom of Cookie Lavagetto, a dark satire on violence, and cycles of one-act plays under the umbrella Le Theatre de Malaise.
After drifting in and out of formal schooling, O’Donoghue spent time in regional theater and attempted to create his own experimental troupe, known as Bread and Circuses, to stage his plays.
One of his early breakout successes was The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist, a serialized, somewhat erotic satire of adventure comics published in Evergreen Review (illustrated by Frank Springer). It became a cult reference for underground and countercultural comics.
These formative years shaped O’Donoghue’s sensibility: he embraced subversion, the grotesque, and a kind of dark formal precision.
Career & Major Work
National Lampoon & Early Satire
In the late 1960s and early 1970s, O’Donoghue became a key figure at National Lampoon magazine, working alongside Henry Beard, Doug Kenney, Tony Hendra, and others. He contributed pieces that embodied Lampoon’s edgy, irreverent voice: among his notable works are “The Vietnamese Baby Book” (a grotesque parody of war injury), the “Ezra Taft Benson High School Yearbook” parody, Tarzan of the Cows, and the recurring “Underwear for the Deaf.”
He also helped edit The National Lampoon Encyclopedia of Humor and co-wrote the satirical album Radio Dinner with Tony Hendra and Bob Tischler. During this era he also worked on The National Lampoon Radio Hour, a sketch show that extended Lampoon’s humor into audio and performance.
However, tensions and conflicts were frequent. After a misunderstanding with publisher Matty Simmons, O’Donoghue departed Lampoon—taking with him Anne Beatts (who had been his collaborator and romantic partner). His departure signaled both the volatility of his temperament and the uncompromising demands he placed on comedic space.
Saturday Night Live & “Mr. Mike”
When Saturday Night Live launched in 1975, producer Lorne Michaels recruited O’Donoghue as his first head writer. O’Donoghue also became one of the on-air performers, delivering what is often considered the first line ever broadcast on SNL: in the opening sketch, his character (an English teacher) has John Belushi repeat absurd sentences—“I would like to feed your fingertips to the wolverines”, “We are out of badgers … would you accept a wolverine in its place?”—before abruptly dropping dead. That moment immediately signaled that SNL would allow strange, shocking, dark humor.
On screen, O’Donoghue adopted the alias “Mr. Mike”, delivering Least-Loved Bedtime Stories, surreal monologues, and satirical sketches in a bleak, off-kilter style. One of his better-known SNL pieces is “The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise”, a subversive sci-fi send-up starring Belushi.
His approach on SNL was polarizing: he pushed against network constraints, frequently clashing with producers over content. In later seasons when SNL faltered, O’Donoghue was brought back (1981) by Dick Ebersol to reenergize the show. But his volatile temperament, mood swings, and confrontational style often made collaboration difficult. On one early day back he reportedly had writers score the walls with “DANGER” in black magic marker.
He eventually was dismissed again after proposing a controversial sketch, “The Last Days in Silverman’s Bunker”, which compared network executives to Nazi figures. That sketch was never aired.
Throughout his tenure, O’Donoghue had a love/hate relationship with SNL: he saw it as the platform for boundary-pushing satire but chafed under institutional limitations. He contributed to the show in 1975–1978, 1981, and again in 1985.
Other Work & Film
O’Donoghue also took occasional acting roles and writing assignments in film. He had minor parts in Manhattan (1979) and Wall Street (1987). He co-wrote Scrooged (1988), a modern comedic adaptation of A Christmas Carol; though he disliked the theatrical cut, he insisted his original script was superior.
In 1979, he assembled Mr. Mike’s Mondo Video, a sketch/variety special intended for NBC but ultimately rejected; it was released theatrically instead. He also wrote or proposed many unproduced screenplays—Saturday Matinee (with Chevy Chase), Arrive Alive, Biker Heaven, War of the Insect Gods—some of which gained legendary status among comedy circles.
Interestingly, he also had a music credit: O’Donoghue co-wrote the country song “Single Women” (1982), which originated as an SNL sketch.
Style, Voice & Personality
O’Donoghue’s comedic voice was marked by:
-
Black humor & shock: He specialized in tension, grotesque imagery, and disquieting juxtapositions. He did not shy from discomfort.
-
High formal ambition: His sketches often had precise construction, recurring callbacks, and an architectural sense of satire.
-
Defiance of censorship: He regularly pushed boundaries, provoking conflicts over what was permissible in network TV.
-
Cult of Mr. Mike: His on-screen persona became a mythic presence—dour, cryptic, menacing yet deadpan.
-
Volatile temperament: O’Donoghue was known for mood swings, creative clashes, and unpredictability. These made him both formidable and difficult to work with.
In interviews he was often critical of network culture, of sitcom conventions, and of media complacency. His ambition was to unsettle, not comfort.
Legacy & Influence
Michael O’Donoghue’s impact on American satire and television comedy is significant, though bittersweet.
-
He shaped SNL’s early tone, helping to validate that late-night sketch comedy could be daring and boundary-pushing.
-
Many writers and comedians cite him as an influence—someone who refused to compromise comedic edge for mass appeal.
-
His Lampoon and SNL work left behind a legacy of dark satire that inspired subsequent shows like The Kids in the Hall, Mr. Show, The Chris Rock Show, The Daily Show, and more.
-
The mythology around him—his volatility, his conflicted genius—has made him a cult figure, the archetypal “scary writer” in comedy folklore.
-
He is portrayed by Tommy Dewey in the upcoming 2024 film Saturday Night, which dramatizes the early days of SNL.
Though few of his original shows beyond SNL endured, his approach to satire left a mark on how sketch comedy could push limits.
Notable Quotes
O’Donoghue was not known for quotable aphorisms in the way others are, but some remarks and lines reflect his style:
-
On refusing Land of Gorch (the Muppet sketches on SNL):
“I won’t write for felt.”
-
From his sketch work (as transcribed or remembered):
“I would like to feed your fingertips to the wolverines.” – part of his first SNL sketch line.
He generally let his work (the sketches, the structure) speak more than his soundbites.
Lessons from Michael O’Donoghue
-
Artistic integrity can be costly. O’Donoghue rarely compromised; his conflicts with collaborators and networks were part of his identity. That approach yields influence, but also volatility.
-
Voice matters. Even in a collaborative writers’ room, he cultivated a unique style—dark, precise, unsettling—that made his contributions recognizable.
-
Comedy can discomfit. He believed comedy need not reassure—it could provoke, unsettle, challenge.
-
Boundaries are useful. His clashes with censors and norms show that pushing the boundary is part of the creative work.
-
Legacy lives in influence. Though not always commercially comfortable, his ideas continue in subsequent comedic voices.
Conclusion
Michael O’Donoghue was a paradox: a feared presence in writer rooms, but a beloved icon for many who value uncompromising wit. He helped define the early edges of Saturday Night Live, challenged norms of television satire, and left a mythic aura around the idea of the “dangerous comic.” While his life ended prematurely in 1994 from a cerebral hemorrhage, his creative boldness continues to echo. For those studying comedy, satire, and the tensions between art and mass media, O’Donoghue remains a compelling, instructive figure.