In 1982 the writer Michael O'Donoghue co-wrote a legendary sketch for "Saturday Night Live" called "The Last Days in Silverman's Bunker." It imagined his former boss, Fred Silverman, recently fired from running the entertainment division of NBC, as Hitler sealed away in an underground bunker, brooding about the forces and bad programming choices that had led to his demise in network television. A set was designed with the eagle of the Third Reich clutching the NBC logo in its talons. Mr. Silverman was to be played by John Belushi. To no one's surprise, network executives banned it from the air and O'Donoghue was fired.

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