Laraine Newman still remembers the moment she realized “Saturday Night Live” had staying power.
In the earliest days of the show, she “had no idea who was watching” the sketch comedy series, Newman said during a visit to the 3rd hour of TODAY on Feb. 10.
However, one chance celebrity encounter in the lobby of 30 Rock, where the show is filmed in New York City, completely changed that.
“Out of my peripheral vision I see these forms, and they come into focus and it’s John (Lennon) and Yoko (Ono),” she said.
“And as John’s passing he goes, ‘Hi, Laraine,’” she added, using a British accent for effect.
“Not ‘hi,’” she emphasized. “‘Hi, Laraine.’”
That name-check was “an inkling” of the show’s success, she said.
Newman, 72, was one of the original “SNL” cast members who launched the show in 1975, along with comedy legends such as Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase and Gilda Radner.
Some of her most memorable characters on the show include the teenaged Connie Conehead and public access TV host Christie Christina.
When “SNL” first started, Newman said she “had no idea” it was going to be a hit and described the show as “just the redheaded stepchild of NBC.”
She also said when she visited the show years later for the 40th anniversary, she was amazed at how much the costume department had grown since the early days.
“Our wardrobe was one room with a bedsheet that separated the women from the men, and with a sign just for Danny that said, ‘Must wear underwear,’” she said.
Newman was an original member of the Groundlings, a Los Angeles-based improv group with dozens of notable alumni, including Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig.
Former “SNL” cast member Will Forte was also a member of the Groundlings, and he appeared via video message on the 3rd hour of TODAY to ask Newman a question.
“How did your training at the Groundlings prepare you most for ‘SNL’?” he said. “Also, would you please answer in your Celine Dion voice?”
Newman didn’t miss a beat.
“OK, well, you know, the structure of the show was exactly the same,” she said in a pitch-perfect Celine Dion accent. “You are onstage in a costume, offstage you change, you come back.”
This week, “SNL” alumni from all eras of the show will appear daily on TODAY leading up to the “Saturday Night Live” 50th anniversary special on Feb. 16.