"Don't touch that dial! Don't touch that one either! And stop touching yourself! SCTV is on the air!"
SCTV is a television station for the city of Melonville run by Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty), owner and president who sits in a prop wheelchair to gain respect. The station broadcasts a range of cheap local programming such as soap opera "The Days of the Week", and schlocky horror movies such as "Dr. Tongue's 3-D House of Stewardesses" on "Monster Chiller Horror Theater".
Guy is too cheap to pay the ransom when Station Manager Moe Green (Harold Ramis) is captured by terrorists. On show 10 in Season 2, Guy announces that Moe Green is being replaced by Edith Prickley (Andrea Martin). She is a scream in her leopard-skin print outfit and over-the-top personality. Edith Prickley announces her plans for new programming: "Boobs, bums, good-looking hunky guys, and no more sports."
Everybody is great in the show, and John Candy is clearly the star. He has recurring roles as the vain and flamboyant Johnny La Rue; Harry "the guy with a snake on his face" who owns a porn store; vacuous Melonville Mayor Tommy Shanks; and Yosh Schmenge and his Leutonian polka band. He also plays Dr. Tongue, alien "Zontar" and does many devastating impressions. In three episodes he impersonates Divine and is even funnier than the original. Billy Sol Hurok (Candy) and Big Jim McBob (Flaherty) host "Celebrity Farm Report" and explode their guests, saying, "They blowed up, blowed up real good."
The show is similar to SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE and MONTY PYTHON'S FLYING CIRCUS. It is more timeless than SNL and has less of an edge. SNL, because it is live, must be topical and deal with current affairs. Therefore, we don't get much of the humour when we watch old shows, which might have skits about politicians we've completely forgotten. There was some cross-pollination with SNL. Martin Short, Robin Duke, and Tony Rosato moved to SNL, and SNL producer Don Novello came to SCTV for a while.
And unlike Monty Python, SCTV cannot cut from one sketch to another without resolution. It must stick to it's TV parody format. However, it does jump around in a similar manner by rapidly juxtaposing promotional clips, parodies, commercial send-ups, original characters, and impersonators of celebrities. The constant mixture of sketches of any length make it similar to Monty Python and SNL. Anything for a laugh.
SCTV is a writer's show, scripted mostly by the talented cast. Scripts range from good to excellent, and are quite dense. Shows must be watched alertly several times to be truly appreciated. The SCTV cast includes: John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, Catherine O'Hara, Harold Ramis, Tony Rosato, Rick Moranis, Donald Cowper, Peter Wildman, Dick Blasucci, Robin Duke, Jayne Eastwood, and Monica Parker.
(Moe Green on Dialing for Dollars)
Moe Green: "We're trying to reach Mr. Paul Pope of Melonville to see if he knows the name of tonight's movie."
Moe Green: (on phone) "Hello. Hello, is this Paul Pope?"
Pope Paul: "No. This is Pope Paul"
Moe Green: "Pope Paul? We seem to have reached the Vatican, ladies and gentlemen. Well, hello, your Holiness, this is Moe Green on Dialing for Dollars."
Pope Paul: "Moe Green? Weren't you... hamana hamana"
Moe Green: "Uh, no. Your Holiness, we're trying to find someone who can tell us the name of tonight's movie."
Pope Paul: "Movie?"
Moe Green: "Yes. Would you like to take a guess? If you're correct, you'll win the jackpot of sixteen dollars."
Pope Paul: "Uh... hmmm... The Doberman Gang?"
Moe Green: "Oooo, I'm sorry, that isn't the name of tonight's movie, so that means that our jackpot will increase to seventeen dollars."
SECOND CITY TELEVISION first aired on Global TV in Canada on September 21, 1976, and ran for 2 seasons. It was a low-budget show produced by the Toronto branch of Chicago's Second City troupe. In 1980, after a year break, it moved to CBC for its third season. These 3 seasons were also syndicated in the US starting in 1977. In 1981, the series became "SCTV Network 90" then just SCTV, a 90 minute show on NBC. It continued to air on CBC as an hour show compiled from the NBC broadcasts. In 1983 it moved to Superchannel in Canada and Cinemax in the US for its final season as "SCTV Channel" with 45 minute shows. The last broadcast was July 17, 1984. There are 156 colour episodes in syndication, and all are 30 minute re-edited shows. For too many years SCTV was unavailable on home video, but it is now out on DVD.
Some of the most common sketches include SCTV News with Floyd Robertson (Joe Flaherty) and Earl Camembert (Eugene Levy), "The Sammy Maudlin Show", "Mel's Rock Pile" with Rockin' Mel Slirrup (Eugene Levy), and the "Great White North" with Bob and Doug McKenzie (Rick Moranis & Dave Thomas). The two beer-guzzling hosers' popularity led to the feature film STRANGE BREW (1983).
Impersonations of celebrities are generally brilliant. John Candy plays Orson Welles, Julia Child, Luciano Pavrotti, Divine, Jackie Gleason, Alfred Hitchcock, etc. Eugene Levy plays Ricardo Montalban, Henry Kissinger, Milton Berle, and is perfect as Perry Como. Andrea Martin does Barbra Streisand, Connie Francis, Ethel Merman, Mother Teresa, etc. Catherine O'Hara plays Katharine Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Elizabeth Taylor, Brooke Shields, and as Lola Heatherton constantly says, "I love you. I want to bear your children." Martin Short is terrific as Jerry Lewis, Dustin Hoffman, Brian Linehan, Jamie Farr, etc. Dave Thomas is so perfect as Bob Hope, that the real Bob Hope complimented and hired him.
During the NBC years the show featured musical guests such as Doctor John, John Mellencamp, Boomtown Rats, Natalie Cole, Hall and Oates, and Tony Bennett. The musical stars were there at NBC's insistence and usually are included in sketches. Other guests include Robin Williams, John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, Carol Burnett, and Bill Murray.
SCTV is a great show. John Candy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis, and Rick Moranis went on to bigger things. But some of their best comedy performances are on SCTV.
