Short Take on Akira Yoshimura, Production Designer

by G. Jack Urso

 

One of the unsung heroes of Hot Hero Sandwich is the production designer Akira Yoshimura. Better known as Leo by his colleagues, Yoshimura was responsible for the set design of the show, from the sets for the sketches to the black and neon main stage set (known as the “Disco Set” in production documents), where the musical performances were filmed. By the time Hot Hero Sandwich debuted in 1979, Yoshimura had already been pursuing his trade in the same Studio 8H where Saturday Night Live has been filmed since the show’s debut in 1975.

 

Left, Yoshimura in 1979, tagged as "The Japanese Mick Jagger," by artist
and Hot Hero Sandwich writer Sherry Coben.
Right, Yoshimura in the Hot Hero Sandwich group photo.

Yoshimura rarely gives interviews, and I was hard-pressed to find a single one before an extensive interview he provided The Wall Street Journal, Feb. 25, 2025. According to the report, Yoshimura was born in Chicago to a family of 11 children. He got started in set design at Loyola University Chicago and continued studying design at Yale’s drama school. Afterwards, Yoshimura moved to New York where he ended up doing set design for Broadway productions as well as opera. During his 50-year long career at SNL Yoshimura has missed a total of one episode — a remarkable achievement particularly given the demands of Saturday Night Live.

The pressure for Yoshimura at Hot Hero Sandwich was likely just as intense. Hot Hero only had access to Studio 8H for four weeks and the days on set, as attested by audio engineer Joel Spector, could run as long as 22 hours. There were several recurring sets Yoshimura was responsible for in addition to “the Disco Set.” These include Ted’s Café, the Nightmare High classroom and associated sets, Ym’s and Ur’s spacecraft interior, and various house and apartment interiors. Additionally, there were various one-shot sets that had to be constructed and dressed. Although unconfirmed, Yoshimura likely had the assistance of the same stage crew that was available for SNL, making the short deadlines and quick turnarounds possible.

Leo Yoshimura as Lt. Sulu on Saturday Night Live.

Yoshimura also has had a second career of sorts as a bit player on Saturday Night Live. His most frequent role has been as a laconic Lt. Sulu for various Star Trek sketches, delivering his lines with a deadpan hilarity.

The Hot Hero Sandwich main stage “Disco Set” with its neon against a glossy black set emulating Ted’s Café reflects both the show and a late 1970s design aesthetic. Its minimalistic design keeps the focus on the performers with the neon acting as a sort of framing device, allowing the viewer’s eye to pick out individuals on stage easier than if set against a black background alone.

This reveals Yoshimura’s talent goes beyond set design and construction to include an understanding of artistic sensibilities and how the TV audience needs to be visually engaged to keep their eyes on the screen.

And we did.

Concluding Thoughts

Yoshimura today (IMDb).

According to SNL writer James Downey, quoted in The Wall Street Journal article talking about Yoshimura, “Apart from his genius at design, the main secret to Leo’s success, and especially his longevity, is extreme grumpiness which has long served to frighten the writers and to keep them at bay, allowing him to focus on his craft undisturbed.”

I always seek some words of wisdom from our Hot Heroes for future generations and as Yoshimura observes in The Wall Street Journal article, “If you say no, you shut any discussion down. My feeling is that it’s more productive to say yes. You have to always find a way to say yes. That philosophy is valuable in any business — and essential at SNL.”

As well as in life.

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