"Queen of Deadpan" Jane Curtin on old school "SNL"

(CBS News) Since the 1970s, Jane Curtin has been one of comedy's leading ladies. Her groundbreaking work as an original cast member on "Saturday Night Live" earned her the nickname "The Queen of Deadpan."

Curtin discussed her time on the iconic show on "CBS This Morning" Friday, saying it is the talent -- the likes of Billy Crystal, Gilda Radner, Jan Hooks, Bill Murray and many others -- that made the show great, as well as the lack of a form.

Curtin said, "It didn't really have a plan when it first started out, so it was allowed to evolve into something and it's involved into this thing that has lasted."

"CBS This Morning" co-host Charlie Rose added, "And then there's Lorne."

Referring to the show's creator and executive producer, Lorne Michaels, Curtin said, "And then there's Lorne, the man at the top, who -- despite himself -- has a huge hit on his hands."

Amid laughs, Curtin said, "Well, you know. I mean he was always -- he was always very sort of long-suffering, and understandably so. When you ask writers to cut a sketch, and they add eight minutes to it, that's hard, especially when you have 20 minutes left to do the show."

These days, Curtin appears in the CBS drama "Unforgettable." She plays a medical examiner with a sardonic wit. For more about that role and why she considers it "the best job anybody can have in television," watch the video above.