Miskel Spillman
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Mrs. Miskel Spillman (b. Germany, September 8, 1897 - d. New Orleans, March 30, 1992) was the winner of the first and only "Anyone Can Host" contest on the Saturday Night Live television program, and hosted SNL's December 17, 1977 broadcast. An 80-year-old German immigrant and grandmother from New Orleans, Spillman was the second oldest host in SNL's history (two weeks younger than Ruth Gordon when she hosted) and the only non-celebrity to host the program. She had appeared with the four other contest finalists, selected out of around 150,000 essay contest applicants, on the November 19, 1977, broadcast, hosted by Buck Henry, and was the winner of the subsequent write-in vote. In an interview in People Magazine when she was 92, she claimed, "I need one more cheap thrill, since my doctor told me I only have another 25 years left." Her appearance on the show was marked by a joke involving cast member John Belushi and their sharing a joint.
The broadcast she hosted was, finally, notable for a performance by musical guest Elvis Costello in which Costello aborted his performance of "Less Than Zero" after thirty seconds and performed "Radio Radio", an as yet unreleased song critical of the broadcast establishment, instead.
