*THROWS TV OUT THE WINDOW* Favo(u)rite SCTV cast member

"San Francisky? So how did you came, did you drove or did you flew?"

― buzza, Sunday, March 25, 2012 5:41 PM (43 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

otm

re the queen haters: as great as Martin Short was, John Candy nearly upstaged him by doing, uh, nothing.

why wd SCTV be popular here? don't you have to be old enough to remember David Brinkley?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mN7NxDpm7Y&feature=share

The inspiration for "Mel's Rock Pile" (an original clip from the late '70s, incorporated into a version of the show that aired 20 years later):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aH_nrUWecQ

i understand that most of the SCTV cast/crewmembers had real-life inspirations. Count Floyd, eg, was based on some Pittburgh TV host with a similar schtick.

i for one, have always been curious if there was a real-life inspiration for Harry the Guy w/ the Snake on His Face:

http://www.polarblairsden.com/actorsjohncandy18.JPG

I always wondered what Americans made of the episode (when they were on NBC) that was an extended parody of CBC, our national network. They had the Goin' Down the Road remake, the Hinterland Who's Who spots (a real one below), etc. Don't know about Harry the Snake Guy, but Floyd Robertson (Count Floyd) was based on Lloyd Robertson, a longtime CTV anchor--just the name, really, it wasn't an imitation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-aoWSpFor0

Morbz helping prove that Moranis is the right vote here.

Maybe I'm just easily amused, but I thought that episode was hilarious without being at all familiar with the source material. Same with the David Brinkley bit.

maybe I just soaked up enough canadian culture from watching Owl TV

I used to think Martin Short's "Brock Linehan" character was a big freak until I saw a clip of the real-life Brian Linehan. Hardly a parody at all.

a lot of stuff i loved as a good involved references way over my head, when you're 6 and you see a jimmy durante impression in looney tunes you don't think 'who does that refer to,' you think it's hilarious!

although the ensemble are great, this is one of main reasons i voted for John Candy -- and it's still comprehensible (thanks to Borat et al):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btnIRlBidQc

OTOH, Dave Thomas deserves a vote just for this one (late 1970s/early 1980s Al Pacino fans oughta love it):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrQHNyXJIHo&feature=related

I think it adds something to SCTV when you're familiar with some of the more arcane references (I always tell my students that they're missing at least a quarter of the jokes on The Simpsons), but the people are so good, it's not crucial. I think Tex and Edna Boyle were based on real TV spots Dave Thomas had seen somewhere; I've never seen them and find the bit great anyway.

Proof in point, I just looked up the origin of "Pow Wow The Indian Boy"

in the Peter Pan spoof they did w/ Candy as Divine, Short is playing standup fixture David Steinberg as Captain Hook. The in-jokes there are 1) Steinberg was directing SCTV at that point, and 2) Short nonsensically calls someone "John," bcz Steinberg was one of the few regular Tonight Show guests who would call Johnny Carson "John."

Brock Linahan is my favorite Martin Short character

"I think you're a little confused Brock..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62erUbihKRU

voting John Candy

always remembered the Moranis-Mel Torme bit, again scarcely an exagg of late Torme.

God, this show came at such a critical time for me, since Nick at Nite starting airing 30-min edits in '88/'89 along with golden age SNL. I was 12 at the time and this seriously burnt deep ruts into the freshly forming neural pathways of my comedy nerdling mind.

I'm trying to decide whos the equivalent of Phil Hartman on the show, the castmember so well-rounded he could kill and get absorbed into any sketch or character, even if he wasn't the star of the show.

I'm narrowing it down to Candy, Moranis, or Flaherty.

Moranis and Short were the most chameleonlike. Candy was always to some degree Candy ... probably his only non-blustery regular characters were quietly deranged Mayor Shanks and the ineffable Dr Tongue.

Catherine O'Hara easily as her absolute deadpan dedication to fully believable although fully whacked characters is basically my favorite type of comedy. She never goes for the easy joke if it betrays the character and never does a wink at the camera that she knows what she's doing is funny.

I've always been pretty annoyed by Martin Short with the exception of Jiminy Glick. Harold Ramis is an okay director, forgettable as an actor. Always found Eugene Levy to be the weakest of the Christopher Guest crew. Rick Moranis is okay but never stood out to me.

The rest I like but not as much as O'Hara.

Joe Flaherty was always great at playing characters getting angry at the idiocy around them(guy cabarello, the newsreader) or even when he disgusted at himself (count Floyd)

I did enjoy when Dave Foley used his christmas special from some years ago to just go an SCTV sketch with Dave Thomas & Flaherty

I never found Martin Short annoying until, inevitably SNL. They ran Ed Grimley right into the ground, true to "catchphrase comedy" form.

O'Hara and Martin were amazing, I often forget that 2 women played all those characters.

c'mon, just for his Floyd the Barber version of the opening Godfather monologue ("Oooooopie and his friends brooooke my barrrrrber pole") Levy was phenomenal.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_G_AO0iVw5w

I can hear that one w/out playing it

My all-time favorite moment of (muted) bluster from Candy is his reaction to the "You" feminist play at 6:24 here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eg8EMWu6LCQ

"This is a bad play."

Kingfish, you know Floyd Robertson the newsreader and Count Floyd were the same character, right? Count Floyd was a weekend gig Robertson did to make ends meet -- the self-loathing Count and the alcoholic self-deluded 'serious journalist' were one really well-written package.

loved everytime they staged a fight scene and used a dummy as a double.

You know, I never knew that. I haven't seen the show in years.

i have martin short to thank for turning me on to whatever happened to baby jane? in particular (and robert aldrich in general) b/c of the "whatever happened to baby ed?" skit.

Kingfish, you know Floyd Robertson the newsreader and Count Floyd were the same character, right? Count Floyd was a weekend gig Robertson did to make ends meet -- the self-loathing Count and the alcoholic self-deluded 'serious journalist' were one really well-written package.

― Whiney Houson (WmC), Wednesday, March 28, 2012 3:46 PM (34 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

ya i loved that.

i guess if you didn't grow up watching lloyd robertson and earl cameron (aka earl camembert), there are some li'l things you can miss, but it's funny anyway

Das Boobs (The Boobs)

the Count Floyd Ingmar Bergman parody is genius ...

(can't get to Youtube till later to post it)

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4BCMJiQ8gU

count floyd and ingmar bergman ... scary!

I think I'm going to give my vote to Andrea Martin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZR4Kk5RT_Kg

excellent choice, vegemite!

Marcie Odette, ex Solid Gold Dancer is my favorite. The routine on Dusty Towne's Christmas Special is still one of my favorite things EVER

"And you know I used to work with her mother at Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit..."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liOtOSR_Pp0

geez these are pretty much my 9 fav people ever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YS5rAXkcwOQ

this skit scared the shit outta me when i first saw it as a little kid, mainly b/c i also hate beets.

really needed to see this on Oscar night

http://www.video.simplystreepmedia.com/view/702/catherine-ohara-impersonates-meryl-streep-on-sctv-1981/

Whoever it is, I hope there's a tirteen-tirteen tie at the top.

I'm enjoying this thread, but I still won't vote.

baby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DyFisvHV7Y

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

Surprised Andrea Martin finished ahead of Catherine O'Hara, and myself, I'd move Levy up. Smart vote distribution, though. As many of us pointed out, so difficult.

thanks for posting that Morbs

comedy hardman stuff, he wd've liked it

definitely!

from Dave Thomas' post-SCTV CBS series (which ran 5 episodes, perhaps bcz this material is both arcane and brilliant)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pb6iI1r8zw

"have some muesli"

Somebody just mistakenly rang my doorbell looking for somebody named Joe Flaherty. I missed my chance to pretend to be Count Floyd and say "so scary!"

loool

So I can no longer feeling too silly to finally admit that I frequently play a game with my dog where I lean my face into hers, swaying back and forth while humming Dr. Tongue's 3D "doo-doot" music while she tries to bite my nose?