It’s been years since SNL writers John Mulaney and Simon Rich met and became collaborators, though they remain in snyc. The veteran comics recently reunited to talk about the Broadway play Rich wrote that stars Mulaney, and they reminisced about their time writing some of the funniest sketches in Saturday Night Live's history. Apparently, it was love at first sight for the duo, and they immediately started working on material upon meeting. Unfortunately, it seems their first go at things was a flop within their first hour meeting each other.
The scribes sat down on Late Night with Seth Meyers, where they chatted about meeting for the first time, and what it was like working on SNL. Apparently, they both had strong first impressions of each other. Rich saw a DVD of some of Mulaney’s stand-up jokes, and was instantly struck by how clever and funny he is. The feeling was mutual, as the comic read Rich’s book, Ant Farm: And Other Desperate Situations, and became an admirer of his.
However, when they wrote their first sketch together upon their first encounter, it wasn’t the perfect marriage they anticipated. John Mulaney described the failed sketch they ultimately concocted:
It was called Cash for Silver. Do you remember those Cash for Gold ads? This was… if you don’t remember them, they were just trying to buy everyone’s gold. This was… Bill [Hader] in a tight shot asking for your silver. ‘Please send silver, we’ll send you cash.’ People are like ‘What about silver utensils?’ ‘Yes!’ ‘What about silver picture frames?’ ‘Yes!
Of course, like many SNL sketches, the premise had a twist. Simon Rich divulged the reason for Bill Hader’s character demanding silver, and it was very ridiculous. He said:
And he’s increasingly…he’s very insistent and frantic, and you gradually realize why, and it’s because he and his family are marooned on werewolf island.
They also both explained that the reason the character was so frantic was because they needed to make enough bullets by the full moon to get off the island. There was also a lot of plot involved, with Kenan Thompson asking a lot of questions, and characters making deals with werewolves and boat captains. Rich explained that they were very concerned about making sure everything made sense narativelly:
We knew if we left a plot hole in there, viewers would be aghast.
The sketch actually sounds hilarious, and the twist is absolutely bonkers and so out there, Also, I can totally imagine Bill Hader and Kenan Thompson selling this with their iconic comedic sensibilities, and the writing duo had a great SNL cast to work with during their tenure. Hearing them describe the insane segment is certainly enough to make me laugh, and it's impressive, considering that the writers thought of this idea immediately after being introduced.
Failed sketches have been brought back before, with “Lobster Diner” becoming an instant hit and spawning musical sketch sequels, despite not making it past the table read when John Mulaney first pitched it as a writer. Maybe it’s time for “Cash For Silver” to see the light of day.
However, even with the initial description of the sketch, it’s pretty easy to see why it failed. It includes a lot of details, it's wordy and somewhat convoluted for what should be an easy-to-follow SNL segment. This seems like the kind of sketch that writers love and seems perfect on paper but doesn’t translate on stage to everyday viewers. Even if it didn’t work, “Cash For Silver” still serves as the origin story for Rich and Mulaney’s long collaboration, which later led to successful sketches like “What’s That Name?” and “Kissing Family.” So, in the end, failing together led to them succeeding together.
Fans can see John Mulaney starring in Simon Rich’s play, All In, at the Hudson Theater in New York City from now until January 12th, 2025. You can also revisit some of their iconic sketches they wrote together by checking out old Saturday Night Live episodes, which are now streamable with a Peacock subscription.
