SCTV even at the height of its popularity was NEVER as popular and well known as Saturday Night Live. Part of that was because for its first three plus seasons it was a show out of Canada seen late at night on syndication. No network promotions. You stumbled upon it by accident or a good friend turned you onto to it.

18 years ago, production stopped forever on the program. Then, after too many mediocre movies John Candy died too young.

Now on DVD comes a 5 DVD collection: SCTV Volume 1 Network 90. These are the first 9 shows that were on NBC in the late spring to early summer of 1981. Should you buy the DVD set? Is SCTV everything it was cracked up to be? Take-off, you hoser. How dare you even ask such a question eh?

SCTV surpasses Saturday Night Live, Your Show of Shows (Sid Caesar’s Show), and The Tonight Show with Steve Allen and Ernie Kovacs as the best comedy-parody show on television. It was smarter, funnier and more bizarre than Saturday Night Live. Most of the original SNL cast began as members of the Chicago and Toronto branches of Second City Television (with a few of L.A.’s Groundlings members to round out the cast.) Several more including; Harold Ramis, John Candy, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, Catherine O’Hara, Tony Rosato, Robin Duke, Martin Short and others compromised what became the SCTV television show, which began as a low budget affair in Canada on Global in 1976, and moved with a slightly higher budget to CBC by 1978. The original 78 shows were 30 minutes long and created on location and in the studio without a live audience.

The concept of the show involved the programming day of a low budget, small town commercial television station. So some of the fictitious characters that ran the TV station became running characters on the show. Never before did a show cross the lines the way this one did. There was a running comic soap opera involving the SCTV station staff and of course all of those wonderful satires of pop-culture which included every type of American and some Canadian television programs.

Inspired brilliance gave us moments like Woody Allen, Gregory Peck, Bob Hope and Sid Dithers in separate versions of TAXI DRIVER. The famed FANTASY ISLAND parody that suddenly became a Casablanca parody that morphed into a Hope/Crosby road picture satire that ended like a parody of the last scene in Wizard of Oz. Who else would come up with this stuff?

There was John Candy’s Johnny LaRue character who produced and starred in Polynesian Town which itself wasn’t the greatest satire of CHINATOWN (it actually had little to do with CHINATOWN)but it was a pleasant enough diversion that also served as an excuse to showcase a couple of songs by Dr. John. Then there was that crane shot that ended the sketch. The crane shot that caused Candy's LaRue character to go grossly over-budget and got him fired from SCTV. He subsequently begged for his job back and eventually got to host the very low budget Street Beef show. But that show ended with a small riot breaking out in downtown Melonville and concluded with a Helicopter Shot.

If this sounds utterly absurd and like nothing you have ever experienced before.. well that’s why I embraced and loved the show when I first started watching it sometime in 1977 or was it 1978.

Most of the time it was brilliant. Every once in a while a 30-minute segment was flat and just didn’t work. This was a bit frustrating to fans who would constantly be telling everyone they knew to watch this crazy show that usually aired at 1;00 a.m. on Saturday morning. If a newbie saw a rare ‘bad’ episode of the show, they would wonder what the big deal with this show really was. Then for several months in late 1980 and early 1981 it disappeared. Thankfully it reappeared in a new 90-minute version on NBC. The first few NBC shows borrowed mostly old sketches and created some new wrap-around segments. That’s why you’ll catch glimpses of Harold Ramis and Rosato and Duke who had left the show long before it was carried by NBC. Now that it was on a big network a lot more people could watch it. Unfortunately it's target audience was partying on Friday Nights so it was still an under-watched cult show.


This is the show that excited everyone from Conan O'Brien to Jerry Seinfeld and paved the way for Ben Stiller’s Show, Kids in the Hall, Mr. Show and many others. But at their best, these shows were just not as good as SCTV was.
It ceased production 18 years ago and fans have been waiting for the day when SCTV would be on the air again courtesy of DVD. Oh Happy DAY !!!

Okay, it’s not perfect, we don’t get a huge box set featuring the 100 plus episodes of the show, which aired from 1976 through 1983 in various forms.

Instead we are teased with a fairly generous 5 disc set that spotlights the first 9 episodes of the 90 minute NBC show that aired in 1981-1982 on Friday Nights. It’s a good place to start.

CAUTION:
The program IS dated. Far less than other television shows from the mid 70's through 1982 but SCTV mined pop-culture and mid to late 70's television for its comic gold. This isn’t a problem for anyone born before 1965 or those who have a good familiarity with mid to late 1970’s North American television. You’ll get most of the references and understand exactly what is being satirized and parodied.

However for those born in the late 1970s and early 1980s onward, the satires of Orson Welles commercials, Merv Griffin, Dick Cavett, Sunrise Semester shows may not have the same impact as those of us who grew up watching the real ones on pre-cable TV. I think everyone will find the pre-MTV GERRY TODD SHOW segments pretty amazing, and the parodies of well-known movies and television shows will work. I don’t know on how many levels one might enjoy Catherine O’Hara’s Lola Heatherton or Joe Flaherty’s Sammy Maudlin, but you don’t have to remember the real Lolas or Judy Garland’s break-down to know it’s clever and funny stuff.

Over the course of the more than hundred shows the characters became endearing staples of cult comedy to fans of the show. We loved station president: Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty), and station manager; Edith Prickly, John Candy’s prima-Donna Johnny LaRue, and the news men Earl (Levy) and Floyd (Flaherty), especially when Floyd became a Count and hosted Monster Chiller Horror Theater. There was the polka variety show hosted by those happy wanderers: Stan and Yosh Shmenge (Eugene Levy and John Candy who would later have the LAST POLKA HBO special);

Bob and Doug MacKenzie who changed Kanadian Corner to the Great White North and eventually had two huge novelty song hits with their version of the 12 days of Christmas and TAKE-OFF with Rush’s Geddy Lee that led to a movie which pitted the two back-bacon eating Beer hunting, toque-wearing hosers against Max Von Sydow in the cult movie: Strange Brew.

"Mel's Rock Pile," was the best send-up of Don Kirshner's Rock Concert hosted by Mel Slurp (Eugene Levy) and then there was the "The Sammy Maudlin Show," with star Sammy (Joe Flaherty) and his announcer, William B.; which was a spin-off of The Merv Griffin Show with Rick Moranis as Merv but made fun of all the show bizzy talk shows from Joe Franklin to Mike Douglas and everything in-between. And then there was the continuing soap opera "The Days of the Week" which featured the entire cast.

Dave Thomas as Bob Hope or Walter Cronkite ‘killed’. I also have a special place in my heart for Harold Ramis as Moe Green during the first season of SCTV.

The regulars on the last dozen or so shows that proved the end of it all in 1983 were seen on Cinemax and while older members made occasional appearances, the regulars were down to just Flaherty, Martin, Levy and Short.

It is certainly a cause for celebration that finally, most of the music clearances have been done and SCTV is once again back on the air. Throw those televisions out of the window and enjoy.

For those reading through the DVD booklet, the promise has been made that soon the 30-minute shows will be released on DVD as well. I can’t wait.

Here’s what you’ll get for your money in this special 5
DVD disc edition.

DISC 1:

NBC NETWORK 90 SHOWS: Season 4, Cycle 1 Episode #79 May 15, 1981 ONE ON THE TOWN

High Q/English for Beginners/Leave it to Beaver 25th Anniversary/Great White North aka Kanadian Korner/One on the Town/Play it Again, Bob/ Spray on Socks/ All The Long Leggedy Beasties.

Musical Guest: Levon Helm With: Tony Rosato (Lou Feringo) Robin Duke (Lou's Makeup Assistant) Harold Ramis (The Anxiety Syndrome/The Jury Member/The Dancer)

Alex Trebel (Eugene Levy) hosts the frustrating "High Q" A classic from the shows early years making fun of all those College Bowl quiz game shows of yore; Perini Scleroso (Andrea Martin’s brilliant pigeon English talking foreigner) attends an English class with an extremely straight-laced suburban teacher played by Catherine O’Hara;

Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug (Dave Thomas) McKenzie of the recently renamed KANADIAN KORNER… now called GREAT WHITE NORTH examine disco, boating, and seagulls; Earl Camembert (Eugene Levy) tries to get an interview from the elusive Levon Helm on his show, "One on the Town";

A tycoon (Joe Flaherty) who loses his fortune in "The $Millionaire" is still addicted to giving away his money and sends his assistant (John Candy) out to try and change an unhappy couples life with a check for $50 dollars! ;

Woody Allen (Rick Moranis) meets his idol, Bob Hope (Dave Thomas) in the classic PLAY IT AGAIN, BOB parody of PLAY IT AGAIN, SAM. This one is as much to watch today because of Allen’s homage to Bob Hope “Curse of the Jade Scorpion.”

Previews and Commercials on this episode include: -"The Merv Griffin Show" with Rick Moranis as Merv Griffin with his large padded butt , Joe Flaherty as Yasser Arafat, Dave Thomas as Liberace, Tony Rosato as Lou Feringo, and Robin Duke as his make-up artist. -"Dr Benson: Credit Psychiatrist" with Dave Thomas as the fast-talking Dr Benson, John Candy as the neurotic, Andrea Martin as the paranoid, Catherine O'Hara as the nymphomaniac, Joe Flaherty as the kleptomaniac, Eugene Levy as the manic depressive, and Harold Ramis as the anxiety syndrome. -

"Message from Prickly" with Andrea Martin as Edith Prickly and Joe Flaherty as the guy with the Sausage. -"Dan Money" with Joe Flaherty as Dan Money, John Candy as funky guy, Dave Thomas as the man with the broken watch, Eugene Levy as the judge, Harold Ramis as the jury member. -"20 Depressing Hits by Connie Franklin" played by Andrea Martin. If this doesn’t have you laughing nothing will. -"Half DeWitt " with Andrea Martin as Joyce Dewitt selling an exercise program. -"Masterpiece Theatre" presents All the Long-Leggedy Beasties with Joe Flaherty as Alistair Cook and Dave Thomas as the veterinarian who seems anxious to kill beloved pets that are brought to him to be saved. John Candy plays the farmer, and Catherine O'Hara is the old woman. -"Spray-On Socks" with Andrea Martin as the Hot babe, Eugene Levy as the man with drooping socks, John Candy as the man with the solution, Dave Thomas, Joe Flaherty, Catherine O'Hara and Harold Ramis as dancers.

Episode #80 Season 4 Cycle 1 Airdate: May 22, 1981 POLYNESIANTOWN

Tim Ishimuni/Polynesiantown/Great White North/Sammy Maudlin/SCTV British Film Festival/Gerry Todd

Musical Guest DR. JOHN.

Japanese Talk Show host Tim Ishimuni (Dave Thomas) chats with the Godzilla-like GROGAN (John Candy) supposedly about the monster’s self-help anger management book. SCTV gives Russian weight lifter, Yuri Rozmanovich (John Candy) his own variety show called: "Yuri-Getting to Know You".

The classic Polynesian Town satire of Chinatown it features two Dr. John song performances and John Candy as Johnny LaRue sets up what will become a running gag through dozens of future SCTV episodes involving the expensive crane shot that LaRue goes over-budget on. He ends the film with an expensive ‘crane shot. It nearly ruins LaRue. In future episodes he is nearly fired, relegated to the low budget Street Beef Show etc. Years later in Michael Moore’s `1995 comic film, Canadian Bacon featuring John Candy there is a reference to the SCTV crane shot joke during the final credits. It all began here!!! ;

Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug (Dave Thomas) McKenzie share a funny story about a traveling incident; The Sammy Maudlin (Joe Flaherty) Show examines drugs and Hollywood; Ben Bumme (Joe Flaherty) presents three British films starring (Dave Thomas loosely doing Richard Burton, Richard Harris and Malcolm McDowell impressions): "Look Back in a Bloody Rage", "The Loneliness of a Long-Distance Mum", and "Clockwork Leathernecks";

It’s the debut of the video DJ Gerry Todd Show (Rick Moranis). He watches videos (like the incredibly funny Mel Torme like rendering of TURNING JAPANESE), gives the weather report and gives a sick man (Dave Thomas) some money.

Previews and commercials in this episode include: -"5 Neat Guys Neatest Hits"-"Kwallada" with Dave Thomas as Donny Osmond, Catherine O'Hara as Marie Osmond, -"Message from Prickly" with Andrea Martin as Edith Prickly, John Candy as Johnny LaRue, -"The Larry Siegel Show" with Rick Moranis as Larry Siegel, Catherine O'Hara as the voice of Elaine and announcer, Andrea Martin as Ma Siegel, and Dick Blasucci as Mark Greenstone. –The incredibly funny EVITA parody done as: "Indira, Live at the Ackron Arena" with Andrea Martin as Indira Gandhi and Joe Flaherty as Slim Whitman. –

Andrea Martin again kills doing her "Brenda Vaccaro for Bren's Genfem Protecteze Pons" commercial. "The Rosemans" with Eugene Levy as Mr. Roseman and Andrea Martin as Mrs. Roseman. -"Will: The Movie" with Dave Thomas as G. Gordon Liddy, Joe Flaherty as Richard Nixon, Eugene Levy as Henry Kissinger, Rick Moranis as Al Haig, and John Candy as the delivery guy. -"Crazy Hy's: TV's" and also “Crazy Hy’s Satellite Dishes with Eugene Levy as Crazy Hy and Rick Moranis as Silent Hy."

Catherine O’Hara previews” Lola Heatherton in Concert". The classic "Yellowbelly" with John Candy playing Johnny LaRue as Yellowbelly—another SCTV classic high point. -"Message from Guy" with Joe Flaherty as Guy Caballero and Andrea Martin as cleaning woman, Perini Scleroso. –

The funny running gag preview of the SCTV original movie "Melvin and Howard I" with Rick Moranis as Melvin Dumar, Joe Flaherty as HOWARD Hughes, and Eugene Levy as HOWARD Cosell, Dave Thomas as HOWARD Baker, John Candy as Curly (3 Stooges) HOWARD. –

The very funny preview of "The Babe Ruth Story" with John Candy as Babe Ruth, Joe Flaherty as the father, Catherine O'Hara as the mother, Donald Cowper as Bobby, and Harold Ramis as the doctor.

EXTRA: SCTV REMEMBERS: Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty remember how it was in interview and clips. We also hear from Andrea Martin, Catherine O’Hara, Dave Thomas and others.

DISC 2

Episode #81 Season 4 Cycle 1 Airdate: May 29, 1981. SOUTHSIDE FRACASAND
AND
EPISODE # 82 Season 4 Cycle 1 Airdate June 19, 1981 COMPILATION

Comment With David Brinkley/Cooking With Prickley/Mr. Science/Sammy Maudlin/What's My Shoe size?/Great White North/Mel's Rock Pile

Musical Guest: Southside Johnny

David Brinkley (Rick Moranis) makes an appearance; Edith Prickly (Andrea Martin) and her sister, Edna Boil (Andrea Martin) while hosting a cooking show; Johnny LaRue (John Candy) makes coffee on "Mr. Science"; On The Sammy Maudlin (Joe Flaherty); Bobby Bittman’s (Eugene Levy) monologue is interrupted when Bob Hope (Dave Thomas) makes a surprise appearance to show outtakes from his new movie: "I Owe Peking 2000 Dollars";

The black and white classic TV. WHAT’S MY SHOESIZE with host John Charles Bailey (Eugene Levy) where contestants guess someone's shoe size; Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug (Dave Thomas) McKenzie complain about small parking lots at donut shops. MELS Rock Pile Dance Finals hosted by Mel Slirrup (Eugene Levy) and special guest star RICHARD HARRIS singing a very very long version of McArthur Park; a man (Joe Flaherty) tells his son "scary" stories on "Shock Theatre: Early to Bed". The film parody "The Man Who Would Be King of the Popes" with Joe Flaherty as Peter O'Toole as the King, Catherine O'Hara as Katherine (Cathyrn) Hepburn, Richard Burton (Thomas) as the Pope, Dave Thomas as Richard Harris as the King of Popes, and Eugene Levy as Victor Spinetti the tailor.

The first appearance of Joe Flaherty as Gene Siskell and Dave Thomas as Roger Ebert is seen on this episode. They would return several times on SCTV and then on Martin Short’s HBO special I, MARTIN SHORT GOES HOLLYWOOD.

Commercials AND previews include: "Tex and Edna Boil's Organ Emporium: Rhythm Ace" with Dave Thomas as Tex Boil and Andrea Martin as Edna Boil.

The hilarious classic SCTV bit is repeated with: "Taxi Driver with Woody Allen" (Rick Moranis) "Taxi Driver with Gregory Peck" with Joe Flaherty as Gregory Peck. "Extreme Close-Up with Dave Thomas" with Dave Thomas as the host and Harold Ramis as Moe Green. -"Taxi Driver with Sid Dithers" with Eugene Levy as Sid Dithers. "Chet Vet the Dead Pet Remover" with Dave Thomas as Chet. –The very funny "My Fair Lady" parody featuring Andrea Martin as Perini Scleroso as Eliza Doolittle, Joe Flaherty as Rex Harrington, Jr as Prof. Henry Higgins, and Dave Thomas as Sir Wilfred Moose-Moryn as Colonel Pickering. –ONLY FOR WOMEN Andrea Martin’s talk show. Sid Dithers (Eugene Levy) : Private Eye. Dick Cavett (Moranis) interviews Dick Cavett and the Igmar Bergman film parody Hour of the Wolf that winds up as a not so scary movie on Count Floyd’s MONSTER HORROR CHILLER THEATER.

Extra: ORIGINS OF SCTV : A fascinating 25 and a half minute history of how Second City began in Chicago, expanded into Toronto and was the breeding ground for many of Saturday Night Lives original performers and most of the SCTV stars. Harold Ramis and Bernard Sahlins and others are interviewed.

DISC 3

Episode #83 Season 4 Cycle 1 Airdate: June 19, 1981

Sunrise Semester/Great White North/Bad Acting in Hollywood/Lunch Time Street Beef/The Grapes of Mud/Words to Live By

Musical Guest Robert Gordon

Johnny LaRue (John Candy) goes broke after losing money on "Polynesian town" and tries to get a new show. Mr. Wilcox (Joe Flaherty) shows how even you can do impressions of Ed Sullivan and James Stewart on "Sunrise Semester" and Dr. Cheryl Kinsey (Andrea Martin) shares some phrases for faking an orgasm; Bob (Rick Moranis) cooks bacon while Doug (Dave Thomas) McKenzie wears snow chains;

Tom Boslee (John Candy) hosts BAD ACTING IN HOLLYWOOD which features the court room scene from "Johnny Dark Always Rings Twice" (Joe Flaherty as J. Dark); LaRue gets a low budget show: "Lunch Time Street Beef" it ends in a small riot and a HELICOPTER SHOT!!!. ; In parody of Grapes of Wrath called Grapes of Mud, The Joad family moves from California to Oklahoma to escape the flying mud; Rabbi Karlov (Rick Moranis) shares some wisdom about insults.

NOTE: Commercials in this episode: -"Tri-Promo: Tomorrow, Tonight, Today" -"Philips Milk of Amnesia" with Andrea Martin as the woman who forgets if she has even taken a drink of the medicine. -"My Life: One More Time" with Rick Moranis as Woody Allen and Andrea Martin as the female Woody Allen. -"Phil's Nails" with Eugene Levy as Phil the Garment King. -"Biller Hi-Lite" with Joe Flaherty as Maxy Stein and Eugene Levy as Jake Primo. -"Long Distance" with Catherine O'Hara as the complaining woman, Andrea Martin as the concerned neighbor, and John Candy as the angry neighbor.

Episode #84 Season 4 Cycle 1 Airdate: July 10, 1981 MORAL MAJORITY SHOW

Moral Majority/Critics Corner/Mrs. Falbo's Tiny Town/National Midnight Star/Doorway to Hell/Great White North

THIS IS THE 1982 EMMY WINNING EPISODE that features the recurring MORAL MAJORITY satire as Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty) tries to make new commercial sponsor Sunbright happy by making sure the content of SCTV shows is safe, clean and always complimentary toward SUNBRIGHT products. Bill Needle (Dave Thomas) on "Critic's Corner" nearly blows it.

On Mrs. Falbo’s Tiny Town, Mrs. Falbo (Andrea Martin) is dealing with an injury and counts to ten with Mr. Messenger (John Candy); Rawl Withers (Eugene Levy) gives the news and watches "Kissinger's Drunken Rampage" (with Levy as Kissinger); Lin Ye Tang (Dave Thomas) hosts an episode of "Doorway to Hell" called "The Man Who Lived in a Box" and accidentally gives away the ending, and nearly next week's ending as well;

Count Floyd (Joe Flaherty) watches clips of "Dr. Tongue's 3D House of Stewardesses" (with John Candy in the title role); Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug (Dave Thomas) McKenzie, on why people honk when you slow down to look at a car accident; Floyd Robertson (Joe Flaherty) rejoins Earl Camembert (Eugene Levy) as a newscaster after trying to quit his substance abuse; On the Gerry Todd Show Gerry (Rick Moranis) watches music videos and looks for a lost dog.

Previews and commercials in this episode include: -"Sunrise Semester: Post Natal Exercises" with Andrea Martin as Betty Thomas Nihauser. -"Poochare Dog Food" with Eugene Levy as the hip guy and Andrea Martin as the woman. -"Sunbright" -"Message from Guy" with Joe Flaherty as Guy Caballero. -"Sunbright Detergent" with Eugene Levy as the pitchman and Catherine O'Hara as the housewife. -"The Merv Griffin Show: Return to Mayberry" with Rick Moranis as Merv Griffin, Dave Thomas as Fred Travelina as Gomer Pyle, Joe Flaherty as Bernie, Catherine O'Hara as Aunt Bea, Eugene Levy as Floyd the Barber, and John Candy as Otis . -"Sunbright Dishwashing Soap" with Eugene Levy as the pitchman and Catherine O'Hara as the housewife. (It ends on a sour note, interrupted by Critic’s Corner and then returns) The hilarious "The Brooke Shields Show" with Catherine O'Hara as Brooke Shields, Rick Moranis as Brooke's mom, John Candy as Tip O'Neill, and Joe Flaherty as Kirk Douglas. "Bill Needle for Sunbright Cleanser" with Dave Thomas as Bill Needle and Catherine O'Hara as the housewife.

"Harry's Discount Sex Shop" with John Candy as Harry, the Man With the Snake On His Face and Dick Blasucci as Chuck. -"This Space Available, Call for Rates" -"Floyd Robertson for Rolling Hills" with Joe Flaherty as Floyd Robertson. -"Crazy Hy's: Home Studio" with Eugene Levy as Crazy Hy and Rick Moranis as Silent Hy. -"Carpets Galore" with Rick Moranis as Mike McDonald.

EXTRA: Remembering JOHN CANDY. A 27 Minute tribute of stories from fellow SCTV cast members and clips from the show remembering JC.

DISC 4

Episode #85 Season 4 Cycle 1 Airdate: July 17, 1981
Pledge Week

Farm Film Report/Mel's Rock Pile 20th Anniversary/Tracking the Unknown/Critic's Corner/Fireside Chat/Great White North

Musical Guest Roy Orbison

After losing a million dollar advertising contract from the Sunbright incident, Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty) decides to hold a pledge week for SCTV even though they are a commercial network. Viewers are encouraged to pay up or they will have to watch hours of old black and white soccer matches. Donate money and you’ll get a tour of the studio. One of those getting a tour is none other than THE ELEPHANT MAN and before long an angry mob is after him. Meanwhile Mayor Tommy Shanks conducts a fireside chat and feeds biscuits to his stuffed dogs. It’s also the 20th Anniversary of Mel’s Rock Pile and Mel brings back dancers who were on the original show and even has his first guest Roy Orbison returning.

There’s also Hugh Betcha’s (Joe Flaherty) Short Story Play Playhouse, which spoofs the last short story O. Henry ever wrote. Also featured are Earl Camembert (Eugene Levy), Bobby Bittman (Eugene Levy), Count Floyd (Joe Flaherty), Lola Heatherton (Catherine O'Hara), Dr. Tongue (John Candy), The Elephant Man (Dave Thomas), and Lin Ye Tang (Dave Thomas); On the Farm Film Report: Big Jim McBob (Joe Flaherty) and Billy Sol Hurok (John Candy) name their favorite domestic films, the best being "Scanners" because things BLOW UP REAL GOOD.

Edith Prickly is in TRACKING THE UNKNOWN, which combines footage shot in a public park with obvious stock footage. Bill Needle (Dave Thomas) berates RCA for depriving NBC of satellite time; Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug (Dave Thomas) McKenzie moan about the use of calculators in school.

Previews and commercials include: -"Dr Shekter" with Rick Moranis as Dr Shekter and Eugene Levy as the patient. -"Pit Stop Deodorant" with Andrea Martin as Jan Wilson, John Candy and Eugene Levy as the mechanics. -"Daylea Yogurt" with Dave Thomas as the interviewer, Andrea Martin as Anna Karmalov, and Catherine O'Hara as Ogla Demetrov.

Episode #86 Season 4 Cycle 1 Airdate: July 24, 1981
BOUNCIN' BACK WITH LOLA

Wrong Side of the Bed with Bill Needle/Lola Wrap/The Fishin' Musician/You!/Bouncin' Back to You/The Nobel

Musical Guests Fee Waybill and The Tubes

Critic Bill Needle (Dave Thomas) hosts the morning show; WRONG SIDE OF THE BED and his only guest is the obviously inebriated pill-popping Lola Heatherton (Catherine O'Hara); Lola's musical special is cancelled by Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty), sending her into manic depression; We learn about Lola’s and Guy passionate former affair.

On the Fishin’ Musician Gil Fisher (John Candy) introduces the band, The Tubes. They spend the day fishing for big mouth bass (Gil loves fishing but never eats fish) and then the Tubes perform Su Su Sushi!;

Moments before News air-time Earl Camembert (Eugene Levy) believes he has finally got a hot story to scoop his co-anchor Floyd Robertson (Joe Flaherty) and he reports Lola's alleged suicide, sparking interest with viewers and putting Guy on the spot. . . of course it isn’t true.

Libby Wolfson (Andrea Martin) talks with Saul Reuben (Rick Moranis) about women's problems on the afternoon talk show for women YOU.

Lola's special goes on and she insults her ex-boyfriends in a song and is escorted off stage, The Tubes fill up the time by performing"Talk to Ya Later"; A parody of the film The Prize called NOBEL proves to be very funny stuff indeed.

Previews and Commercials include Gene Shalit’s Critics Special with Eugene Levy at Shalit and Joe Flaherty and Dave Thomas play critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Catherine O'Hara as Rhoda Barrett.

"John MacEnroe for Coffee" with Rick Moranis as John MacEnroe and Dave Thomas as the good calm Dr Robert Angly (parodying Robert Young), with Eugene Levy as MacEnroe’s agent.

"Jake LaMotta's Raging Bull-B-Q" with John Candy as Jake LaMotta, Rick Moranis as Joey, Eugene Levy as the customer, and Catherine O'Hara as the waitress. "K-Tel Product Crusher" with Dave Thomas as Harvey K-Tel.

EXTRA The Craft of SCTV The make and costume folks tell some tales, show some pictures and clips along with some of the cast members making an interesting 29 minute behind the scenes special.

DISC 5

Episode #87 Season 4 Cycle 1 Airdate: July 31, 1981 GREAT WHITE NORTH.

Bob and Doug Wrap/Money Talks/Johnny LaRue Excercise/The Heys of Our Lives/Fantasy Island/PSA: Mental Illness/Great White North

Musical guest: Ian Thomas (Himself)

Bob (Rick Moranis) and Doug (Dave Thomas) McKenzie go to a club with Johnny LaRue (John Candy) and steal his interviewee, fellow hoser Ian Thomas, for "Great White North"; Money Talks’ Brian Johns (Eugene Levy) talks with wealthy William Douglas (Rick Moranis) in his Bel Air mansion.; LaRue exercises while eating; HEYS OF OUR LIVES –a classic SCTV soap opera parody.

The Famed Fantasy Island satire which veers into a take-off of Casablanca, Hope and Crosby road pictures and of course The Wizard of Oz. Dom Strom (Eugene Levy) warns of the seven signs of mental illness; Bob and Doug finally get Ian Thomas on "Great White North"; Mel Torme (Rick Moranis) sings two nation anthems to sign off.

Previews and Commercials include: "Max Lax Coffee Laxative" with Andrea Martin "Harry Filth" with John Candy as Harry Filth, Joe Flaherty as the captain, Harold Ramis as Cal, and Catherine O'Hara as the bystander. -"Shakespeare in the Park" with Joe Flaherty as Norman Gorman as Hamlet. –The "Anne Murray Super Special" with Andrea Martin as Anne Murray and Catherine O'Hara as Rita Coolidge. -"The David Susskind Show" with Rick Moranis as David Susskind, John Candy as the moccasins retailer, Catherine O'Hara as the Denim representative, Dave Thomas as the rock promoter, and Eugene Levy as the practioner. -"LaRue Tachi Portable Quadraphonic System" with John Candy as Mr. Mambo.

EXTRA: SCTV REUNION A special part of the 1999 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival was the SCTV REUNION which was taped as a 63 MINUTE HBO SPECIAL . Conan O’Brien hosts Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin (who in 2003 was on Broadway in a straight revival of OKLAHOMA), Catherine O’Hara, Harold Ramis, Martin Short and Dave Thomas.Rent it first if you don’t have a familiarity of North American television circa 1974 to 1982.

For everyone else…save up your money and get a copy. If you aren’t falling off the couch, and hurting from laughing so much there is something wrong with you. Enjoy.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12