The Shreveport Story Behind the First-Ever Saturday Night Live

Saturday Night Live has just been through a rough patch heading into the show's 51st season, but the legendary late-night show still marches on. SNL has always been about star power. The very first episode featured guest host and stand-up comedy legend George Carlin. Long before George Carlin landed a gig with SNL and made a name for himself on the stage, he had his roots in a place far from Studio 8H in New York City: Shreveport, Louisiana.

Barksdale Air Force Base: A Comedian's Unlikely Start

Before Carlin ever grabbed a microphone to tell a joke, he was stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City. Carlin didn't last long in the Air Force, as he was proud to admit he had problems with submitting to authority, though his commanders thought he was also just as lazy. After only serving from 1954 to 1957, the Air Force gave Carlin a general discharge.

From Shreveport Airwaves to Hollywood

Lucky for Carlin, he managed to snag a civilian job for himself before the Air Force kicked him to the curb. George Carlin became a radio show host on KJOE, which was once one of the most popular radio stations in Shreveport. This was Carlin's foot-in-the-door moment for what would be a legendary career. It wasn't stand-up comedy, but it was an outlet for Carlin to develop the skills any comedian relies on.

After a few short years, Carlin's work on the Shreveport airwaves caught the attention of someone in Fort Worth, Texas. It was the station KXOL that gave Carlin a bigger audience and his first comedy partner, Jack Burns. Burns and Carlin would leave Fort Worth quickly after this to host their own morning radio show in Hollywood.

How Shreveport Influenced SNL's First Episode

Carlin and Burns proved popular enough for both men to go their separate ways, though it's inarguable that Carlin had the more lucrative career. Carlin's solo work became the stuff of legend, and it is still revered by some as the greatest comedy ever written. Superstardom came quickly for Carlin, and when NBC needed a hilarious celebrity to host the first-ever Saturday Night Live, they knew they could rely on the man who got his start as a celebrity in Shreveport.