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

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.

poor Dave Thomas ;_;

everyone got votes tho, so that's kind of a nice thing.

Every one of these SCTV clips posted to advocate for one of the cast members reminded me of the brilliance of another one. So I think we call this a tie.

Ryan Seacrest is an SCTV sketch character come to life. like a cross between Dick Clark, Merv Griffin and Johnny LaRue

It's time for Christmas In Leutonia! Who's got the egg?

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

and let's have a big shout out to Baker's Keyboard Lounge in Detroit

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

I love that John Candy didn't even know what Divine's voice sounded like, but just took an educated guess from pics of him.

really? wow. that's fantastic

not christmas but open 24 hours a day

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8NQZGXEcm0

where's LaRue's Christmas crane?

I can't find it on youtube!

found!

not youtube but awesome nonetheless. thanks for reminding me, Morbs :)

http://www.johncandy.com/VideoDetail.aspx?VideoID=42&VideoSection=16