Lorne Michaels’ ‘SNL’ Archive Goes to University of Texas

The archives of the man behind the slogan “Live From New York” are on their way to Texas.

Lorne Michaels, the creator of “Saturday Night Live,” has donated his archives to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas, including hundreds of boxes containing material relating to the show, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

The collection includes storyboards for the classic “Coneheads” sketches and material chronicling the birth of the Blues Brothers, “Wayne’s World” and thousands of other sketches that have collectively transformed television comedy and American pop culture since the first episode of the series, hosted by George Carlin, broadcast on October 11, 1975.

Michaels served as producer or executive producer of “SNL” for all but five seasons in the 1980s, when he left to pursue other creative projects.

“This is an extraordinary resource that documents the career of Lorne Michaels, who in some ways, for many of us, represents our own youth and early adulthood,” said Stephen Enniss, director of the Ransom Center. “His impact has been enormous.”

The donation came directly from Michaels, who contacted the center more than a year ago, Enniss said. It traces the full arc of his career, including his early days as a writer and performer in Toronto’s comedy scene and his pre-“SNL” work on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” and “The Beautiful Phyllis Diller Show.”