Miskel Spillman
| Miskel Spillman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 8, 1897 Germany |
| Died | March 30, 1992 (aged 94) New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Occupation | Television presenter, actress |
| Years active | 1977 |
| Employer | Lorne Michaels (1977) |
| Salary | $3,000 |
Miskel Spillman (September 8, 1897 – March 30, 1992) was the winner of the first and only "Anyone Can Host" contest on NBC's late-night variety series Saturday Night Live, and hosted the December 17, 1977, broadcast of the show.
An 80-year-old German immigrant and grandmother from New Orleans, Spillman held the record as the oldest host in SNL's history (two weeks older than Ruth Gordon when she hosted) for many years, until it was broken on May 8, 2010, by 88-year-old Betty White. Spillman remains the only non-celebrity to host the program.
The contest was first mentioned on the October 8, 1977, episode (hosted by Madeline Kahn), with producer Lorne Michaels giving the rules and address; various members of the cast gave the rules and address on the following two shows.
The contest required entrants to submit a postcard (no letters) with a 25-words-or-less essay to a designated address by November 1, 1977, stating why they would like to host Saturday Night Live. The five people whose essays were deemed the funniest by Michaels and the cast would be flown, all expenses paid, to New York for an appearance.
Michaels stated on the October 8 show that absolutely zero bias would be held against entrants, and only required them to have "talent and a strong belief in [themselves]". He further stated that any applicant who tried to personally hand their essay to Michaels or a cast member would immediately be disqualified.
Spillman appeared with the four other contest finalists, selected out of around 150,000 applicants, on the November 19 broadcast (hosted by Buck Henry); despite the continued stating of zero bias, Garrett Morris expressed disdain that none of the finalists were African-American during the cold open.
In her essay, Spillman wrote that "I need one more cheap thrill, since my doctor told me I only have another 25 years left." Among the other contestants were Richard Kneip, then the incumbent Governor of South Dakota.
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