Michael O'Donoghue facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Michael O'Donoghue
Born	Michael Henry Donohue (1940-01-05)January 5, 1940 Sauquoit, New York, U.S.
Died	November 8, 1994(1994-11-08) (aged 54) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Writer
Genre	Black humor
Years active	1964–1994
Spouse	Janice Bickel ​ ​ (m. 1963; annulled 1964)​ Cheryl Hardwick ​ (m. 1986)​

Michael O'Donoghue (January 5, 1940 – November 8, 1994) was an American writer and performer. He was known for his dark and unique style of comedy. He was a very important writer for National Lampoon magazine. Michael O'Donoghue was also the first head writer for Saturday Night Live. He was even the first person to speak a line on that famous TV show.

Early Life and Creative Beginnings

Michael O'Donoghue was born Michael Henry Donohue in Sauquoit, New York. His father, Michael, was an engineer. His mother, Barbara, took care of him at home.

Michael started his career as a playwright and actor. He studied at the University of Rochester starting in 1959. His first published writing appeared in the school's humor magazine, Ugh!.

After working briefly in San Francisco, Michael returned to Rochester. There, he created a group called Bread and Circuses. They performed his early, experimental plays.

In 1968, Michael worked with artist Phil Wende. They created an illustrated book called The Incredible, Thrilling Adventures of the Rock. This book had a simple idea: a rock sits in the same spot for thousands of years. Nothing much happens until two boys find it.

This book led Michael to meet Christopher Cerf, an editor at Random House. Cerf had been part of the Harvard Lampoon. Through Cerf, Michael met other writers who wanted to start a national comedy magazine.

In 1969, Michael O'Donoghue and George W. S. Trow wrote a film script. It was for the movie Savages, released in 1972. The film tells the story of "Mud People" who find a fancy old house. They change into high-society types for a party. Then they turn back into Mud People.

National Lampoon Magazine Contributions

Michael O'Donoghue was a founding writer and editor for National Lampoon magazine. This magazine was known for its satirical and often dark humor. Michael helped shape the magazine's unique style for many years.

Some of his most famous works include "The Vietnamese Baby Book." This piece humorously listed a baby's war injuries. He also created "The Ezra Taft Benson High School Yearbook." This was a funny preview of the Lampoon's later High School Yearbook Parody. Other popular works were the comic "Tarzan of the Cows" and "Underwear for the Deaf."

He also edited and wrote much of the Lampoon's Encyclopedia of Humor. Michael co-wrote the album Radio Dinner. Because of its success, he directed and acted on The National Lampoon Radio Hour. He later left the magazine after a misunderstanding.

While at the Lampoon, Michael met Anne Beatts. They became a couple and later worked together on Saturday Night Live.

Saturday Night Live Years

Michael O'Donoghue became the first head writer for Saturday Night Live. This show was originally called NBC’s Saturday Night. On the very first episode, Michael appeared in the opening sketch. He played an English teacher telling John Belushi to repeat funny, strange phrases. Then, his character comically dropped dead.

He also appeared as a "Vegas-style" impressionist. He would praise famous people like Mike Douglas and Tony Orlando and Dawn. Then he would imagine how they would react to painful things. The loud screams that followed were inspired by his real-life migraine headaches.

Michael was known for not wanting to write for Jim Henson's Land of Gorch sketches. These sketches featured puppets in the early years of SNL. He famously said, "I won't write for felt."

Later, Michael created the character "Mr. Mike." This was a serious, dark figure who told "Least-Loved Bedtime Stories." One famous story was "The Little Engine that Died." One of his most notable SNL sketches was a Star Trek spoof. It was called "The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise" and was a big hit for Belushi.

In 1979, he made a TV special for NBC called Mr. Mike's Mondo Video. It had some wild content, so the network didn't air it. It was then released as a movie in theaters.

Michael returned to SNL in 1981 to help revive the show. He was known for his strong personality. He once spray-painted "DANGER" on his office wall. He liked Eddie Murphy because Murphy wasn't afraid of him.

Michael left the show again after writing a sketch that was never aired. It compared NBC network president Fred Silverman's problems to Adolf Hitler's final days.

On October 26, 1986, Michael married Cheryl Hardwick. She was the musical director for SNL. Michael returned to SNL again in 1985 when Lorne Michaels came back. His last contribution to the show was a song. It was called "Boulevard of Broken Balls" and was performed by Christopher Walken in 1992.

Other Creative Works

Michael O'Donoghue also acted in several movies. He had a supporting role in the 1985 comedy Head Office. He also had small parts in Manhattan (1979) and Wall Street (1987).

He co-wrote the 1988 movie Scrooged. Michael said he disliked the movie that was released. He felt that he and his co-writer, Mitch Glazer, had written a much better version. He also wrote many screenplays that were never made into movies. One famous unproduced script was Saturday Matinee with Chevy Chase.

Michael also found success as a country music songwriter. His most famous song was Dolly Parton's "Single Women" (1982). This song was first created for an SNL skit. It later inspired a 1984 TV movie called Single Bars, Single Women.

In 1992, Michael created a sketch show pilot called TV for the Fox network. It featured Kelly Lynch and was directed by Walter Williams. However, like much of Michael's work, it was considered too unusual for regular TV.

Later Life and Passing

Michael O'Donoghue had a long history of severe migraine headaches. On November 8, 1994, he passed away. He was 54 years old and died from a brain hemorrhage.

Biography

A book about Michael O'Donoghue's life was published in 1998. It is called Mr. Mike: The Life and Work of Michael O'Donoghue. The book describes him as a very important person in American popular culture. It says he was a main creative force for many humorists and satirists of his time.

Writing Credits

• Evergreen Review (1966, 1969) (Periodical)
• The Adventures of Phoebe Zeit-Geist (with Frank Springer) (1966) (Comic)
• National Lampoon (1970–1974) (Periodical)
• National Lampoon Radio Dinner (with Tony Hendra and Bob Tischler) (1972) (LP)
• The National Lampoon Encyclopedia of Humor (1973) (Editor)
• Savages (with George W.S. Trow) (1972)
• National Lampoon Radio Hour (1973–1974) (Radio)
• Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle (with Anne Beatts) (1975) (Adaptation)
• Saturday Night Live (1975–1978, 1981) (TV)
• Gilda Live (with Gilda Radner, Lorne Michaels, Anne Beatts, Rosie Shuster, Alan Zweibel, Marilyn Suzanne Miller, Paul Shaffer and Don Novello) (1980) (Stage/Film)
• Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (with Mitch Glazer, Emily Prager and Dirk Wittenborn) (1979)
• Single Women (1982) (Song)
• Scrooged (with Mitch Glazer) (1988)
• Spin Magazine ("NOT MY FAULT" Column) (1993–1994) (Periodical)

Unproduced Screenplays

• Arrive Alive (with Mitch Glazer)
• Biker Heaven (with Terry Southern and Nelson Lyon)
• Saturday Matinee (with Chevy Chase)
• War of the Insect Gods (with Mitch Glazer, Emily Prager and Dirk Wittenborn)

Filmography

See Also

• "The Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise"