 Franken and Davis were recruited as two of the original writers ( and occasional performers ) on Saturday Night Live ( SNL ) ( 1975 – 1980 , 1985 – 1995 ) . In Season 1 of SNL , as apprentice writers , the two shared a salary of $ 350 per week . Franken received seven Emmy nominations and three awards for his television writing and producing while creating such characters as self @-@ help guru Stuart Smalley . Another routine proclaimed the 1980s to be the " Al Franken Decade " . Franken and Davis wrote the script to the 1986 comedy film One More Saturday Night , appearing in it as rock singers in a band called " Bad Mouth " . They also appeared in minor roles in All You Need Is Cash and in the Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd film Trading Places . 
