40 Rare Photos From the Set of 'Saturday Night Live'

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1975 One of the show's signature sketches since the first season is "Weekend Update." Here, Chevy Chase films the segment in front of the live audience. NBC - Getty Images

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1975 Musical guests Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Agnetha Faltskog from ABBA hang out in their dressing room backstage. Fin Costello - Getty Images

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1975 Cast member John Belushi and guest Desi Arnaz go over the episode's script with a production member. NBC - Getty Images

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1977 Cast member Gilda Radner challenges the show's guest, professional football player Fran Tarkenton, to an arm wrestling competition on set. NBC - Getty Images

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1977 Comedians Steve Martin and Gilda Radner pose for the cameras while rehearsing for their "Lovers" skit. NBC - Getty Images

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1977 SNL cast members Bill Murray, John Belushi, Garrett Morris, and Steve Martin are seen hanging out backstage on set. NBC - Getty Images

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1978 The control room for SNL in the late '70s was just as busy of a place as it is today, as the show has been live since its inception. NBC - Getty Images

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1978 Crowds of people line up outside of NBC studios for a chance to snag tickets to the live show. Today, it's tradition for the show to have an annual ticket lottery to nab seats to a live taping. NBC - Getty Images

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1979 Jane Curtin was one of the original cast members of SNL, and remained on the show until the end of the 1980 season. Here, she works the camera for an episode in 1979. NBC - Getty Images

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1979 Alan Zweibel, Laraine Newman, John Belushi, and Brian Doyle-Murray film a cold opening skit for a 1979 episode in one of the studio's backstage dressing rooms. NBC - Getty Images

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1980 Bill Murray goes through his notes for the night's "Weekend Update" segment. The comedian replaced original cast member Chevy Chase in the sketch in 1977. NBC - Getty Images

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1982 Steve Martin joins magician Harry Anderson at a cast party after the show in the early '80s. To this day, the cast still gathers for an after-party following each episode. Gary Gershoff - Getty Images

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1982 Joe Piscopo appears in a sketch impersonating David Letterman. As the comedian looks in the camera, his cue cards can be seen in the wings. NBC - Getty Images

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1982 Saturday Night Live's makeup artist uses a photo of Andy Rooney to make sure the prosthetics for actor Joe Piscopo were just right before his sketch. NBC - Getty Images

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1983 Cast member Eddie Murphy enters backstage dressed as his famous character, Dion. Murphy reportedly called SNL talent coordinator, Neil Levy, every single day for a week to land his audition. Anthony Barboza - Getty Images

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1985 Billy Crystal (left) and Jim Belushi (right) dressed as Prince and Hulk Hogan. The two actors join cast member Julia Louis-Dreyfus (far right) backstage during a show. NBC - Getty Images

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1986 Cast member George Wendt films the opening monologue, while famous director Francis Ford Coppola sits in the director's chair. NBC - Getty Images

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1987 Candice Bergen practices her opening monologue during rehearsal for an episode in which she was the host. She was the first woman to host SNL and did so five times between 1975 to 1990. NBC - Getty Images

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1987 Director Paul Miller gives notes to comedian John Lithgow while filming the "Cross Country" sketch. NBC - Getty Images

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1989 Saturday Night Live uses automated horses and green screens for a western skit with Phil Hartman, Woody Harrelson, and Dana Carvey. NBC - Getty Images

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1991 SNL cast members Chris Farley and Chris Rock are seen at one of the show's cast parties with actor Christian Slater. New York Daily News Archive - Getty Images

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1991 Rob Schneider poses with child star Macaulay Culkin, who appeared on the show in 1991 as the celebrity host. At 11 years old , he was the second youngest hostDrew Barrymore beat him at 7 years old. New York Post Archives - Getty Images

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1992 Show creator and producer, Lorne Michaels, meets with celebrity guest Jason Priestley, who was a big deal at the time thanks to 90210. NBC - Getty Images

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1992 Dressed as George Bush, Dana Carvey films a scene for the show with costar Chris Farley. NBC - Getty Images

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1993 John Malkovich and Sarah Silverman chat backstage after an episode. Silverman was a cast member on the show until the end of the season in 1994. NBC - Getty Images

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2001 Cast member Will Ferrell greets the night's celebrity guest, Jennifer Lopez, while filming a promo video. Lopez has hosted the show twice, most recently in 2010 . NBC - Getty Images

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2005 Former cast member, Mike Myers, joins musical guest Kayne West backstage after the show. Myers was a cast member on the show from 1989 until 1995. NBC - Getty Images

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2008 Darrell Hammond gets his prosthetics done in hair and makeup before a show. Charles Ommanney - Getty Images

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2008 Fred Armisen's wig sits in hair and makeup. The comedian became known during the 2008 election for playing Barack Obama. Charles Ommanney - Getty Images

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2008 Alec Baldwin and Lorne Michaels stand backstage with Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin, as they watch Tina Fey perform an impression of the politician on the show. NBC - Getty Images

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2012 Kate McKinnon and Jason Sudeikis are seen in costume as they film a pre-taped segment for the live show on the streets of New York City. DISCIULLO/Bauer-Griffin - Getty Images

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2015 Fred Armisen and Kristen Wiig are seen dressed as their characters Garth and Kat backstage. The characters are completely improvised , with Armisen leading the charge and Wiig following his lead. NBC - Getty Images

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2015 Chris Hemsworth jokes around on set with Bobby Moynihan prior to his guest appearance. NBC - Getty Images

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2016 "Weekend Update" host Seth Meyers hangs out with SNL cast members Kenan Thompson and Leslie Jones backstage. NBC - Getty Images

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2017 Kate McKinnon tries on prosthetics with Star Trek actor Chris Pine before the live taping. NBC - Getty Images

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2017 Melissa McCarthy gets her hair and makeup done before an appearance. The actress was a frequent guest in 2017, as she regularly played White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. NBC - Getty Images

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2019 Aidy Bryant and Kate Mckinnon dress as Matthew Whitaker and Wilbur Ross for one of the show's political sketchs. NBC - Getty Images

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2019 Bowen Yang is seen getting ready for the show backstage. Yang joined the cast in 2019 as the first Asian American cast member. NBC - Getty Images