It’s gone down in Beatles lore as one of the great what-ifs of all time. After turning down millions of dollars from promoters, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels came so close to finally convincing the Beatles to reunite — well, two of them anyway: John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Michaels pulled off an hilarious stunt which led to the reunion. SNLIt was broadcast in 1976, 45 year ago. This was just a few months after the events shown in The Beatles: Get BackThe highly anticipated docuseries of director Peter Jackson in three parts. That will appear on Disney Plus next Week.
The Disney Plus series, which consists of three episodes of two-hour duration, will follow the creation of Let it be, generally regarded as the band’s messy, unpolished breakup album. Indeed, the group was so dissatisfied with how things ended that the musicians got together one more time afterward to record a proper farewell — the elegiac, masterful album Abbey Road. That was it. The greatest band of all times left the stage. Each member went on to pursue solo careers, enjoying varying degrees success. Meanwhile, “When are The Beatles getting back together?”The 1970s saw this become an irritatingly familiar refrain. Then Michaels created his hilarious gag.
“A certified check, for three … thousand dollars”
45 years ago today Lorne Michals, SNL producer, offers to pay the Beatles $3000 in order to reunite on the show.
Later, John Lennon said that he and Paul McCartney were together watching in NYC. They were SO close to walking unannounced to the studio. But they were too tired. pic.twitter.com/FzP0klmJEG— Eric Alper 🎧 (@ThatEricAlper) April 25, 2021
Promoters believed that large sums of money would be enough to make it work. Michaels, however, figured an appeal to the group’s sense of humor might have a better chance of succeeding. On an SNLBroadcast that you can view at the bottom this post, he appealed.
I’ll describe some of what transpired, just in case the video below ever gets pulled from YouTube. “Hi, I’m Lorne Michaels, producer of Saturday Night,”He says it right at the end of the segment. “Right now, we’re being seen by approximately 22 million viewers. But please allow me, if I may, to address myself to four very special people. John, Paul, George, and Ringo. The Beatles.”
Michaels says that rumors have been swirling lately about the possibility of the band getting back together. Given how unique and special the band was, he acknowledges the news and welcomes it. “It’s for this reason that I’m inviting you to come on our show.” It’s also been said, he adds, “that no one’s been able to come up with enough money to satisfy you.”
Then he makes his offer. “If it’s money you want, there’s no problem here. The National Broadcasting Company has authorized me to offer you a certified check for three … thousand dollars.”
What could have been?
The crowd bursts into laughter. Michaels keeps his cool and presses on.
“Here it is,”He says this while holding a $3000 check that was made out to The Beatles. “Can we get a close-up of this, Dave?
“All you have to do is sing three Beatles tunes. She loves you — yeah, yeah, yeah? That’s $1,000, right there. You know the words, it’ll be easy.”He also said that the members can split the check in any way they like. “If you want to give Ringo less? That’s up to you.”
What’s so great about this bit of SNLHis story is that Lennon was just a few blocks from his New York City apartment. He was live-broadcasting the show. McCartney, who was visiting the area, decided to go see Lennon. McCartney also was there, and they were both watching the show together. The pair thought McCartney’s offer was so clever, they briefly considered getting into a taxi to get to the show. However, the story goes that they decided that they were too tired to take a taxi and decided to leave it at that.
Peter Jackson’s Beatles docuseries
Be that as it may, for tens of millions of Beatles fans around the world, next week’s Disney Plus series (with the three episodes airing over three days, on November 25, 26, and 27) will indeed be a reunion, of sorts.
For most of us, the series will entail footage we’ve never seen before. Footage that’s actually been more or less collecting dust in a vault for 50 years.
Original Let it BeThe making-of documentary was intended to accompany the album. The original movie’s editing ended up looking more like the making of the album than the dissolution. Jackson, all these years later, was tasked with re-editing the movie — not to tell a different story, but a more complete one. He also included a TonBeatles fans will love the footage.
The first clip is available at #TheBeatlesGetBack and experience Peter Jackson’s three-part event beginning November 25 on @DisneyPlus. #letitbe @johnlennon @paulmccartney @georgeharrison @ringostarrmusic pic.twitter.com/GczRbz9Eay
— The Beatles (@thebeatles) November 12, 2021
Even better, the Disney Plus special features something that most Beatles fans have not seen before. It’s the band’s infamous rooftop concert. “What emerges is an unbelievably intimate portrait of The Beatles, showing how, with their backs against the wall, they could still rely on their friendship, good humor, and creative genius,”The Disney Plus press materials for the docuseries are available here. Also, “The docuseries features — for the first time in its entirety — The Beatles’ last live performance as a group, the unforgettable rooftop concert on London’s Savile Row, as well as other songs and classic compositions featured on the band’s final two albums.”
Lorne Michs tried to reunite The Beatles when he was a teenager
This is the clip we mentioned above. SNL’sLorne Michals, trying to accomplish the impossible. It’s amazing to consider what might have been.