SCTV - for those who like a certain type of comedy
Update: I started doing this SCTV summary myself, only to find that this site exists, so why reinvent the wheel???
SCTV NOTES (this is in progress as I’m going through the discs)
I've been ordering SCTV DVD's from Netflix and have been reminded of my deep love for SCTV and everyone involved. I'm not sure who first discovered SCTV in my house, gowing up. I'm thinking it was my brother, Eric. It used to be on channel 9 in NY. Eventualy it was on NBC and then Cinemax. Who the hell were these people? I had no idea, whatsoever. But Eric and I laughed our asses off at and with them.
How does SCTV compare to SNL?
SCTV had lots more sets and on-location type skits.
They started getting pressure from their various networks to have more celebrities, as well as more celebrity impersonations, presumably because of SNL. I felt that SCTV was more of a timeless show, more of a ‘fine wine’ kind of thing. A little "brainier" and esoteric than SNL (don't get me wrong, I am a big SNL fan.) Maybe even eccentric. Some people love it and some just don’t get it at all, or at least just not find it funny. I sit here just enjoying the hell out of it and laughing. My husband on the other hand, tends to wander off into the bedroom to read. Different tastes, I think. You have your usual fan controversial fan stuff – “the earlier shows were the best!!” “It all went to hell after Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas left…” I loved all of it. Such a talented and brilliant cast.
My favorites were often some of the lesser known characters and skits – “Happy Hour” and John Hemphill, for example. A kids show hosted by alcoholic Happy Marsden from a bar, featuring the black and white Western show “Six-Gun Justice” and Sammy The Goose. Sammy the Goose has figured prominently in my consciousness for the last 20-something years. I even like “The Days of the Week”, the SCTV soap opera. ( I heart Mojo and Billy). "The Date Debate" and "HalfWits" were so much fun, and to me seemed to be a harbinger of SNL's very amusing "Jeopardy" routine.
See this site for some soundbites: http://www.sctv.org/clips.htm
Impersonations:
Andrea Martin - Bernadette Peters, Barbara Streisand ("Rich and Jealous"), hilarious Alice B. Toklas, brilliant Linda Lavin
Eugene Levy - Lorne Greene
Martin Short - Robin Williams, Jamie Farr
John Candy - Gertrude Stein, Merle Olson
Rick Moranis - Merv Griffin
Dave Thomas - Bob Hope
Joe Flaherty - Gavin MacLeod
SCTV 'celebrities':
Bobby Bitmann ("How are ya??!!!" Bad stand-up comedian - a precursor to Krusty the Clown, if you ask me. ) E. Levy
Count Floyd, host of "Monster Chiller Horror Theatre" (Flaherty)
Lola Heatherton ("I wanna bear your children!!") (O'Hara)
Sclerini Peroso - Cleaning woman at SCTV who can't speak English, just imitate it (Martin)
Ed Grimley - who everybody now knows from SNL (Short)
Farm Film Celebrity Blowup
w/ Big Jim McBob and Billy Sol Hillock (Flaherty & Candy - ignorant hicks interviewing and then blowing up celebs)
Alex Trebel, host of "The Halfwits" (Levy)
Edith Prickley Programming director, (Martin)
Guy Cabellero, Head of the network,gets around via wheelchair although he can actually walk.
Sammy Maudlin Silver-tongued host of a his own eponymous variety show, in the vein of Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin (Flaherty)
William B. Williams - sort of an Ed McMahon sidekick type, sprung from the Sammy Maudlin show and miserably trying to make it on his own. (Candy)
Irving Cohen – hilarious elderly cigar-smoking composer (‘ you know in the old days, we had a thing that we called …”vau-de-vil-leh!” & “give me a C, a bouncy C!”) (Martin Short)
Various members of the cast went on to bigger and better (? , well maybe more popuar) things. Catherine O'Hara had success in "Home Alone". Joe Flaherty was terrific in the way underrated "Freaks and Geeks". Eugene Levy nearly broke my heart in Christopher Guest's "A Mighty Wind".
SCTV NOTES (this is in progress as I’m going through the discs)
I've been ordering SCTV DVD's from Netflix and have been reminded of my deep love for SCTV and everyone involved. I'm not sure who first discovered SCTV in my house, gowing up. I'm thinking it was my brother, Eric. It used to be on channel 9 in NY. Eventualy it was on NBC and then Cinemax. Who the hell were these people? I had no idea, whatsoever. But Eric and I laughed our asses off at and with them.
How does SCTV compare to SNL?
SCTV had lots more sets and on-location type skits.
They started getting pressure from their various networks to have more celebrities, as well as more celebrity impersonations, presumably because of SNL. I felt that SCTV was more of a timeless show, more of a ‘fine wine’ kind of thing. A little "brainier" and esoteric than SNL (don't get me wrong, I am a big SNL fan.) Maybe even eccentric. Some people love it and some just don’t get it at all, or at least just not find it funny. I sit here just enjoying the hell out of it and laughing. My husband on the other hand, tends to wander off into the bedroom to read. Different tastes, I think. You have your usual fan controversial fan stuff – “the earlier shows were the best!!” “It all went to hell after Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas left…” I loved all of it. Such a talented and brilliant cast.
My favorites were often some of the lesser known characters and skits – “Happy Hour” and John Hemphill, for example. A kids show hosted by alcoholic Happy Marsden from a bar, featuring the black and white Western show “Six-Gun Justice” and Sammy The Goose. Sammy the Goose has figured prominently in my consciousness for the last 20-something years. I even like “The Days of the Week”, the SCTV soap opera. ( I heart Mojo and Billy). "The Date Debate" and "HalfWits" were so much fun, and to me seemed to be a harbinger of SNL's very amusing "Jeopardy" routine.
See this site for some soundbites: http://www.sctv.org/clips.htm
Impersonations:
Andrea Martin - Bernadette Peters, Barbara Streisand ("Rich and Jealous"), hilarious Alice B. Toklas, brilliant Linda Lavin
Eugene Levy - Lorne Greene
Martin Short - Robin Williams, Jamie Farr
John Candy - Gertrude Stein, Merle Olson
Rick Moranis - Merv Griffin
Dave Thomas - Bob Hope
Joe Flaherty - Gavin MacLeod
SCTV 'celebrities':
Bobby Bitmann ("How are ya??!!!" Bad stand-up comedian - a precursor to Krusty the Clown, if you ask me. ) E. Levy
Count Floyd, host of "Monster Chiller Horror Theatre" (Flaherty)
Lola Heatherton ("I wanna bear your children!!") (O'Hara)
Sclerini Peroso - Cleaning woman at SCTV who can't speak English, just imitate it (Martin)
Ed Grimley - who everybody now knows from SNL (Short)
Farm Film Celebrity Blowup
w/ Big Jim McBob and Billy Sol Hillock (Flaherty & Candy - ignorant hicks interviewing and then blowing up celebs)
Alex Trebel, host of "The Halfwits" (Levy)
Edith Prickley Programming director, (Martin)
Guy Cabellero, Head of the network,gets around via wheelchair although he can actually walk.
Sammy Maudlin Silver-tongued host of a his own eponymous variety show, in the vein of Mike Douglas, Merv Griffin (Flaherty)
William B. Williams - sort of an Ed McMahon sidekick type, sprung from the Sammy Maudlin show and miserably trying to make it on his own. (Candy)
Irving Cohen – hilarious elderly cigar-smoking composer (‘ you know in the old days, we had a thing that we called …”vau-de-vil-leh!” & “give me a C, a bouncy C!”) (Martin Short)
Various members of the cast went on to bigger and better (? , well maybe more popuar) things. Catherine O'Hara had success in "Home Alone". Joe Flaherty was terrific in the way underrated "Freaks and Geeks". Eugene Levy nearly broke my heart in Christopher Guest's "A Mighty Wind".
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