Bob Tischler, Writer Who Helped Save ‘Saturday Night Live,’ Dies at 78

Bob Tischler, a former Saturday Night Live producer credited with helping to revitalize the show after its disastrous 1980-1981 season, died last month, his son told The New York Times Sunday. He was 78.

Tischler died on July 13 from pancreatic cancer at his home in Bodega Bay, California.

He got his start in audio recording, producing the National Lampoon Radio Hour as well as the comedy magazine’s first record—1972’s Radio Dinner. Tischler went on to produce two more records for the magazine through the 1970s.

He later worked on multiple albums for his friend John Belushi—a National Lampoon alum and one of the original SNL cast members. Tischler produced four albums for the Blues Brothers—Belushi’s musical comedy duo with Dan Aykroyd that they later featured on SNL.

That included the Blues Brothers’ first album, Briefcase Full of Blues, which topped the Billboard charts in 1978 and has since gone double platinum. He also produced the soundtrack for the duo’s eponymous film in 1980, which included performances by Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, James Brown, and other soul, blues, and jazz luminaries. The soundtrack peaked at 13 on the Billboard chart.

Tischler was first brought on as a producer on the pioneering sketch comedy program in 1981. Lorne Michaels, the show’s founder, left before the 1980 season and was replaced by Jean Doumanian. The season that followed is widely considered a low point in SNL’s 50-year run, and Doumanian was quickly replaced by Dick Ebersol for the 1981-1982 season.

Ebersol brought in Tischler as a producer in 1981. He was eventually promoted to head writer after Michael O’Donoghue, a veteran writer and another National Lampoon alum, was ousted after writing a sketch comparing a fired NBC executive to Adolf Hitler.

In his 2022 autobiography, Ebersol described Tischler as “steady, calm, and respected” in his role as head writer. He wrote for several rising stars at the show, including Eddie Murphy, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Joe Piscipo, and Jim Belushi. He also wrote for the star-studded 1984 season, which saw the return of Martin Short and Billy Crystal.

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Tischler left SNL after Michaels returned in 1985. He continued his career as a television producer and writer, working on sitcoms including Boy Meets World and Empty Nest.