# SCTV-The show SNL wanted to be when it grew up! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 10, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604 "2005-10-10T18:04:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/21 "2005-10-11T00:58:40Z")
I wasn’t much on SCTV - too hit and miss. There was one odd bit they did concerning Michael McDonald’s backup singing bit on Christopher Cross’ “Ride Like the Wind”. His only line is “…such a long way to go…”. It had Rick Moranis as McDonald waking up and realizing he’s late for the recording session (which we see already in progress). Moranis fights his way through heavy traffic and gets to the studio just in time to sing his one line. He then turns around and goes home. I did like Count Floyd and the _Monster Horror Chiller Theater_ with the numeorus Dr. Tongue’s 3-D House of (something) movies. ---
**Author:** ![Tentacle\_Monster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba9def/32.png) [@Tentacle\_Monster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tentacle_Monster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/22 "2005-10-11T13:22:34Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > I would add **Monty Python** to the mix as well. They’re British. Does that count? Anyway, I pine for the days that SCTV was on after Conan O’Brien, instead of Carson Daly. ---
**Author:** ![JeffB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeffb/32/188_2.png) [@JeffB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JeffB)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/23 "2005-10-11T13:47:01Z")
> [@K364](#): > > I think the most disappointing transition from television to movies had to be the career of Eugene Levy. He was _brilliant_ in SCTV. Now he plays the “uptight dad” role… thats’ it, just that one role. You’re leaving out his roles in the Christopher Guest movies: _Waiting for Guffman_, _Best in Show_ , and _A Mighty Wind_. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/24 "2005-10-11T14:06:13Z")
My fave SCTV bit was the Lola Falana Christmas special. The glee with which filtered Christmas through Las Vegas showgirl sensibilities was hilarious. That said, the original SNL was better than SCTV, but many succeeding SNL’s were not nearly as good, barely registering as comedy. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/25 "2005-10-11T14:40:43Z")
Heck, **my** favorite all-time SCTV moment didn’t even come on the show. During their 1981-1984 tours Rush had Count Floyd introduce one of their songs, _The Weapon_. I can still remember busting out laughing when he said… “Kids! This is a scary SCARY song! And to be scared you got to have your 3-D glasses! If you don’t you’ll be watching this in ONE-HALF-D, let me tell you that!” ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/26 "2005-10-11T16:10:58Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > They’re British. Does that count? Well, seeing as how SCTV is Canadian, yes. Now, as to the OP, I generally agree but: > [@](#): > > While SNL writers were concentrating on how to write a sketch using the word “douchebag” The sophomoric certainly has its place in humor. The douchebag sketch (the premise being a party of people who had something famous named after them, e.g. the Earl of Sandwich; invited to the party are Lord and Lady Douchebag) was pretty hilarious. Of course it was juvenile but who says comedy always has to be hi-falutin’? I always adored Andrea Martin on SCTV. Libby Wolfson, Edith Prickley, the (IIRC) no-name Eastern European maid, and the crown jewel, Edna Boil. I _loved_ Tex and Edna Boil and their organ emporium. “Right Tex?” “That’s right, Edna!” Remember the shock when Tex actually stopped playing the organ and told Edna “that’s wrong”! Dave Thomas wrote a book about ten years ago on the whole SCTV experience. Lots of photos, remeniscences (sp?) from all of the then-surviving cast members and a number of the production people. Worth a look for even the casual SCTV fan. I wish someone would have the balls to re-televise the shows in their original forms instead of the horribly chopped-down-for-syndication 30 minute versions. With the meta-story of the TV station there’s so much that just doesn’t work in the chopped format so it never gets shown. And the DVDs are ridiculously expensive. ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/27 "2005-10-11T16:39:02Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > I always adored Andrea Martin on SCTV. Libby Wolfson, Edith Prickley, the (IIRC) no-name Eastern European maid \ That was Pirini Scleroso. > [@Otto](#): > > And the DVDs are ridiculously expensive. Not if you get them for your birthday! (which I just did, last week.) ---
**Author:** ![Bob\_Scene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e19adc/32.png) [@Bob\_Scene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bob_Scene)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/28 "2005-10-11T17:04:52Z")
My favorite moment on SCTV was when the Soviets took over the SCTV satellite and started using it to broadcast communist propaganda, including a show called “What Fits Into Russia?” where Rick Moranis had a huge magnetic map of Russia and he would take scale-sized maps of other countries and stick them to it and then laugh maniacally about how small they were by comparison. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/29 "2005-10-11T17:15:07Z")
Was there any connection between SCTV, and the Second City comedy troupe out of Chicago (which gave us, IIRC, Dan Aykroyd and Bill Murray)? (I need to know for my thesis…) ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/30 "2005-10-11T17:23:21Z")
Yes, the television show was an outgrowth of the comedy troupe franchise started in Toronto. I have been watching the bonus features on the DVDs, and Dave Thomas and others credit Del Close with the idea of a TV show about a TV station. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/31 "2005-10-11T17:34:23Z")
SCTV is an outgrowth of the Toronto branch of the Chicago group, which was first. Aykroyd and Murray, IIRC, both got their starts in Canada. [Second City history](http://www.secondcity.com/?id=history/timeline) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/32 "2005-10-11T17:43:39Z")
The original Second City troupe in Chicago gave us Burns ans Schreiber, and at least one movie, a very weird science fiction comedy called **The Monitors** , which I haven’t seen in eons: > **[The Monitors (1969) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064684/)** > > The Monitors: Directed by Jack Shea. With Guy Stockwell, Susan Oliver, Larry Storch, Avery Schreiber. Earthlings chafe at the peace established by a benevolent alien race and set about to rebel. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/33 "2005-10-11T17:53:47Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > SCTV is an outgrowth of the Toronto branch of the Chicago group… Which makes sense, since Chicago is known as “the Second City”. ---
**Author:** ![jsc1953](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5daacb/32.png) [@jsc1953](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jsc1953)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/34 "2005-10-11T18:01:14Z")
[hijack]After reading the Second City history on the link above, I’m amending my thesis: all American\* comedy derives from Second City and National Lampoon. (\*British humor has its own ancestry – Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Goon Show, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore, Monty Python). ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/35 "2005-10-11T19:02:04Z")
> [@Tentacle Monster](#): > > [Monty Python is] British. Does that count? SCTV was largely Canadian so I don’t see why not. > [@jsc1953](#): > > [hijack]After reading the Second City history on the link above, I’m amending my thesis: all American\* comedy derives from Second City and National Lampoon. > > (\*British humor has its own ancestry – Spike Milligan, Peter Sellers, Goon Show, Peter Cook & Dudley Moore, Monty Python). True, but you shouldn’t underestimate the influence Python had on American comedy as well. It was much like the effect the 60’s British Invasion had on American rock n’ roll. (Although, it should be mentioned that there was a lot of cultural cross-pollination in both cases.) ---
**Author:** ![Balduran](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cc9497/32.png) [@Balduran](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balduran)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/36 "2005-10-11T19:15:45Z")
> [@K364](#): > > I think the most disappointing transition from television to movies had to be the career of Eugene Levy. He was _brilliant_ in SCTV. Now he plays the “uptight dad” role… thats’ it, just that one role. It was already mentioned some of his other roles in smaller movies. I read an interview with (IIRC Eugene Levy) where he said at one point he and his family moved to LA to further his movie career. The first day he brought his kids to school he saw how they had to go through metal detectors in case they had weapons. At that point he said (paraphrased) “Forget it, I’m moving back to Toronto”. Perhaps that’s why he doesn’t have the big roles. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/37 "2005-10-11T19:19:05Z")
> [@K364](#): > > Bruno, the gnarled, hunchback companion of Dr. Tongue He played Woody Tobius Jr., who played Bruno. I say this not to nitpick but to set up one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite eps. Woody Tobius Jr. is directing 2001 A Space Odyssey and Martin Short is playing the old man. The scene is shot as a documentary of a film in the making. Short is being interviewed and his comment, (in the voice he uses), is, “Woody Tobius Jr. is a perfectionist. Only, you can’t see it in any of his work.” Then he starts laughing to himself. Then you have Eugene Levy playing Ernest Borgnine, “They’re not trying to hurt us, they’re trying to help us.” Mrs. Prefect and I still giggle over those two lines, whoever can fit them in to conversation is the king/queen of the hour. > [@JeffB](#): > > You’re leaving out his roles in the Christopher Guest movies: _Waiting for Guffman_, _Best in Show_ , and _A Mighty Wind_. I believe he has two left feet. ---
**Author:** ![kingpengvin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9dc877/32.png) [@kingpengvin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kingpengvin)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/38 "2005-10-11T19:53:18Z")
Levy still has pitch perfect timing. A mighty wind has him playing a character every bit as funny and memorable as his classics. Though it is no Woody Tobias Jr. In explaining teh powerhouse of Dr Tounge and Francis Ford Coppala working on 3D Steak from the heart TOBIAS JR: “With two greats like that working together you have to ask your self who’s gonna win,” DR TOUNGE: “I think you mean how can you lose,” TOBIAS JR: “I stand by what I said.” My favorite moment and the pure genius of teh show is Levy playing (As he puts it) Post stroke Floyd the Barber (Andy Griffith show) asking “Don” Cabalero to break Opies legs. In the Godfather episode. ---
**Author:** ![Bytegeist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9dc877/32.png) [@Bytegeist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bytegeist)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/39 "2005-10-11T21:31:53Z")
> [@Bob Scene](#): > > My favorite moment on SCTV was when the Soviets took over the SCTV satellite and started using it to broadcast communist propaganda, including a show called “What Fits Into Russia?” where Rick Moranis had a huge magnetic map of Russia and he would take scale-sized maps of other countries and stick them to it and then laugh maniacally about how small they were by comparison. \*Now hhere ees Texas — ze “Lone Star” state. How does eet compare to Mother Russia? - click \* WAAH HA HA HA HA HA! \* ---
**Author:** ![dasgupta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@dasgupta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dasgupta)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604/40 "2005-10-11T22:03:23Z")
> [@JeffB](#): > > You’re leaving out his roles in the Christopher Guest movies: _Waiting for Guffman_, _Best in Show_ , and _A Mighty Wind_. More than roles, Levy co-wrote all of those. I can’t comment on how much dialog each wrote, but the WGA gives him credit on all three, as well as the next one, _For Your Consideration_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sctv-the-show-snl-wanted-to-be-when-it-grew-up/325604.md?page=3)