SCTV

[Stanislav]

I loved SCTV, and am sure there are at least a few other fans on the board. What are some of your favorite episodes/recurring bits/characters?

My favorite individual episodes are:

-- The whole "Godfather" parody. I especially liked the "hits" on rival networks while Guy renews his license (reciting the Television Code like an oath).
-- The Russian satellite intruding on SCTV's signal. I love the attention to detail -- some of the CCCP footage actually has that slightly smeary, low contrast quality of an early analog PAL-to-NTSC standards conversion! (And you gotta love the "new Soviet minicam" that is as big as a small car...)
-- The CBC programming replacing SCTV during a strike. Dead-on, but affectionate take-off on Canadian TV.

I also loved any of the mash-ups they did by cross-breeding two shows or movies: "The Merv Griffith Show," "Benny Hill Street Blues," "The Bowery Boys in the Band," etc.

Favorite recurring bits:

-- The Great White North, obviously...
-- Big Jim McBob and Billy Sol Hurock in the Farm Report/Farm Film Report/Farm Film Celebrity Blow-Up. (I love how the show evolved over the years from a simple farm show parody, to reviewing films, to having celebrity guests get "blowed up real good.")
-- And, of course, Count Floyd. How could you not love Count Floyd?

Your favorite SCTV memories?

 

[Corky Marlowe]

Dang!!! All Of The Above plus...

Any episode of "Mel's Rock Pile"

"Night School Hi-Q" hosted by "Alex Trebel"

Any bit with Sid Dithers..."Sho, did ye drive to San Fransisky or did ye flew?"

The programs on the aforementioned 3CP1..."Today Is Moscow", "Tibor's Tractor", "Hey Georgi!", "What Fits Into Mother Russia"

"What's My Shoe Size?" with guest panelist Kirk Douglas..."Must be some kind of a FREEEAK!!!"

And, of course, "The Sammy Maudlin Show" with frequent guest,comedy legend Bobby Bittman (Remember "Maudlin's Eleven", with Bobby's less successful brother Skip who had landed a gig as the warmup for "Make Room For Daddy"?)

 

[Stanislav]

And, of course, "The Sammy Maudlin Show" with frequent guest,comedy legend Bobby Bittman (Remember "Maudlin's Eleven", with Bobby's less successful brother Skip who had landed a gig as the warmup for "Make Room For Daddy"?)

I remember the Carson-esque anniversary clip show, where not only the sets and costuming and style mimicked each era perfectly (low-key suits, lots of smoking on camera in the 50's; nehru jackets and lava lamps in the 60's, etc.), but even the technical format of each clip was perfectly reproduced (grainy kinescope look for 50's; the blooming color and saturated lighting of a 60's videotape that's been through several dubs, etc.) -- exactly the sort of variety of video quality you would see in an actual clip show. Thinking of this along with the pseudo "standards conversion" of the CCCP stuff, you have to figure someone on their staff was well-versed in the technical history of the medium.

 

[wbhist]

I also enjoyed many of the "SCTV News" sketches with Joe Flaherty as Floyd Robertson and Eugene Levy as Earl Camembert. The one where Floyd introduced a report from Earl in New Delhi, but Earl was at a new deli (rimshot), was priceless.

And then the "Midnight Express Special" with Abbott & Costello (Levy, Tony Rosato).

 

[dhett]

"The Fishin' Musician"

"Magnum PEI"

Worth mentioning again: "The Great White North"

I had a Canadian roommate in college, so I was able to enjoy the show even more. You had to be Canadian (or at least watch Canadian TV regularly) to catch some of the humor.

 

[gr8oldies]

Also on Thursday at Nine:

Who can forget "Indira" coming to the Akk-ron civic center, featuring Slim Whitman

"Polynesiantown" with Dr. John

Loved "Maudlin's Eleven"

Anyone remember "King of the Popes"?

Just about anything with John Candy as Johnny LaRue

The SCTV news featuring Mayor Tommy Shanks' (John Candy)'s son's "kidnapping" (he was at the neighbors IIRC)

Dave Thomas as Walter Cronkite

"Play it Again Bob" featuring Dave Thomas' Bob Hope playing off Rick Moranis' Woody Allen

"The Great White North Palace" Bob and Doug's all-star special with Tony Bennett

Dave Thomas as Harvey K-Tel

And for giggles, "Lola Heatherton" on location with Mother Theresa

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Dr. Tongue's 3-D House Of Stewardesses
(or most any of the "3-D movies").

 

[Legend City]

Like SCTV? Hell, my tagline is from the show.

Loved the Merv/Andy Griffith show. 5 neat guys, Hugh Betcha, Edith Prickley, Harry "The guy with the snake on his face", Gerry Todd, "I want to bear your children", Sammy Maudlin, Willie B. Williams, Guy Cabballero, Ed Grimley and the rest.

I have all the DVD's, such great work, such a great cast, I miss the inventiveness.

 

[mleach]

One really could write a book about all the great stuff that was on SCTV.

Even though I was told back in the "good ole days" that I "was crazy", I actually liked SCTV, Fridays and even Not Necessarily the News a lot better than SNL. One big thing about those shows, they really did take risks and pretty much put anyone who was in the in the news at the time to be a subject in a skit. Today on the other hand I have heard that there are actually subjects that are "taboo" as far as SNL goes. Last year when I was in Denver I seem to recal hearing on their local radio ( Alice 105.9 ) that SNL was planning to do a skit about former Colorado preacher Ted Haggard ( a preacher who for years slammed gays in his church only to be playing around at the same time with a male hooker ) only to have NBC/SNL backing out from doing such a skit. Fear perhaps? Had this incident happened back in the early 80s, I am sure shows wlike SCTV, Fridays, even SNL they would have done such a skit.

Another interesting thing with SCTV I had noticed.....even though You Tube is full of old SCTV skits, it seems they don't stay on there for very long. Last year someone had uploaded a clip of Andrea Martin doing an "ad" for The Hooker Handbook plus another one with Martin making fun of singer Connie Francis and her "depressing" music. Both funny as hell !! However one week they were there, the next week..gone and I haven't seen them since.

 

[Stanislav]

Another interesting thing with SCTV I had noticed.....even though You Tube is full of old SCTV skits, it seems they don't stay on there for very long. Last year someone had uploaded a clip of Andrea Martin doing an "ad" for The Hooker Handbook plus another one with Martin making fun of singer Connie Francis and her "depressing" music. Both funny as hell !! However one week they were there, the next week..gone and I haven't seen them since.

The Copyright Cops at work. We could devote an entire thread to discussing YouTube/copyright issues, and this will venture a bit OT, but...

Obviously, whoever currently holds the rights to the SCTV shows wants you to buy the DVDs, not watch skits for free online. I can understand that to a certain extent, and there are merits to both sides of the whole copyright issue. OTOH, SCTV originally aired on free OTA TV (except for the last batch of shows done for Cinemax), when VCRs were available, and anyone who wanted to could have taped and saved (and later replayed for friends) that material. Tens of thousands probably did. And if I have done so, and you come to my house and I play the tapes for you, that is perfectly legit. No money is changing hands. YouTube is the same thing, but on a much vaster scale, and that is what unnerves the rights holders. Sharing videos with others pre-Internet was inherently limited and hampered by the use of bulky physical media and the necessity of that media to be present when viewing. Put it on the Net, and instantly millions around the world can view it.

The other side of the coin is that YouTube could be viewed as free advertising. Sure, a lot of folks will just grab as many SCTV clips off YT as they can and save them. But many of these people probably would have never sprung for the DVDs anyway, so they don't really represent lost sales. And there are likely some folks who are younger, never heard of SCTV, see some clips online, and are motivated to buy the DVDs to have more material, in better quality video, with all the extras (outtakes, interviews, commentary) associated with those releases. And that makes money for the rights holders in the long run.

What really irks me is when they kill stuff on YouTube that, while technically copyrighted, has no commercial value whatsoever to the rights holders. Things like 25 year old local newscasts; old obscure music videos (Does anyone even DO music videos anymore? The genre is basically dead.); old TV shows that never had huge ratings, never generated enough episodes to be syndicated, and are of interest to a tiny handful of cult aficianados, etc. Stuff that they have no intention of ever releasing on DVD because it simply wouldn't be profitable to do so. The footage is sitting in a vault somewhere and making not a dime for the owners, but put it on YT and you're very likely to get it deleted.

I could go on, but I'll refrain. Bottom line is, the Internet and easy forms of copying, disseminating, and saving video and audio material render the old rules of copyright irrelevant and anachronistic in the digital age. Yes, some form of protection should exist for copyrighted material, but the scope and terms need to be refined and made more realistic for the digital age. The media industries are usually scared of new technology that they cannot directly control, but all their bullying and legal threats aren't going to make it all go away. They need to change their game plan and business model rather than futilely try to fight off the inevitable.

End of editorial. We now return to our regularly scheduled thread...

 

[KML0224]

The boxing match between Mister Rogers and Julia Child!

 

[Stanislav]

The boxing match between Mister Rogers and Julia Child!

"Battle of the PBS Stars" -- yeah, that was a good'un...

Two more just came to mind that struck my funny bone:

-- "Mrs. Falbo's Tiny Town" when she and Mr. Messenger visit a prison, and she gets caught up in a lockdown. ("Looks like it's just me and you, Missus Fab-lo...") Also, love John Candy's broad reaction shot after Mrs. Falbo asks one inmate what he's in for, and he snarls, "Manslaughter!" Somehow, Candy could do the most over-the-top "takes" that would be too broad even in a Three Stooges movie, and yet it works.

-- Tex and Edna Boil...after Tex leaves her and she's "auditioning" replacements on-air in the subsequent commercials.

See, with a show like SCTV, in a "favorites" thread like this, it won't take long for just about every bit to be mentioned by somebody. It's all good...

 

[gr8oldies]

I did borrow the boxed set from the library. As for copyright issues, the cast members had enough on the ball to copyright their charachters, so from what I undertand that's why it took so long to issue the episodes on DVD. That's also why John Candy could take The Schmenge Brothers to "Home Alone".

How about the awards show where SCTV won all of them (Sammy Maudlin beating Johnny Carson?).

 

[wbhist]

How about the awards show where SCTV won all of them (Sammy Maudlin beating Johnny Carson?).

Ah yes, "The People's Global Golden Choice Awards."

 

[therealjm12]

From the dark side of the Balkens... The Shmenge Brothers. Look, it's de fish from the movie!!! (from the salute to fellow Latonian born John Williams -Villiams). And what about Strike, Spare, and Shmenge?

 

[Robnoxious]

The boxing match between Mister Rogers and Julia Child!

Fred Rogers cheated by clocking Julia Childs with King Friday XIII!

 

[mleach]

The Copyright Cops at work. We could devote an entire thread to discussing YouTube/copyright issues, and this will venture a bit OT, but...

Obviously, whoever currently holds the rights to the SCTV shows wants you to buy the DVDs, not watch skits for free online. I can understand that to a certain extent, and there are merits to both sides of the whole copyright issue. OTOH, SCTV originally aired on free OTA TV (except for the last batch of shows done for Cinemax), when VCRs were available, and anyone who wanted to could have taped and saved (and later replayed for friends) that material. Tens of thousands probably did. And if I have done so, and you come to my house and I play the tapes for you, that is perfectly legit. No money is changing hands. YouTube is the same thing, but on a much vaster scale, and that is what unnerves the rights holders. Sharing videos with others pre-Internet was inherently limited and hampered by the use of bulky physical media and the necessity of that media to be present when viewing. Put it on the Net, and instantly millions around the world can view it.

The other side of the coin is that YouTube could be viewed as free advertising. Sure, a lot of folks will just grab as many SCTV clips off YT as they can and save them. But many of these people probably would have never sprung for the DVDs anyway, so they don't really represent lost sales. And there are likely some folks who are younger, never heard of SCTV, see some clips online, and are motivated to buy the DVDs to have more material, in better quality video, with all the extras (outtakes, interviews, commentary) associated with those releases. And that makes money for the rights holders in the long run.

What really irks me is when they kill stuff on YouTube that, while technically copyrighted, has no commercial value whatsoever to the rights holders. Things like 25 year old local newscasts; old obscure music videos (Does anyone even DO music videos anymore? The genre is basically dead.); old TV shows that never had huge ratings, never generated enough episodes to be syndicated, and are of interest to a tiny handful of cult aficianados, etc. Stuff that they have no intention of ever releasing on DVD because it simply wouldn't be profitable to do so. The footage is sitting in a vault somewhere and making not a dime for the owners, but put it on YT and you're very likely to get it deleted.

I could go on, but I'll refrain. Bottom line is, the Internet and easy forms of copying, disseminating, and saving video and audio material render the old rules of copyright irrelevant and anachronistic in the digital age. Yes, some form of protection should exist for copyrighted material, but the scope and terms need to be refined and made more realistic for the digital age. The media industries are usually scared of new technology that they cannot directly control, but all their bullying and legal threats aren't going to make it all go away. They need to change their game plan and business model rather than futilely try to fight off the inevitable.

End of editorial. We now return to our regularly scheduled thread...

I understand what you are saying and very TRUE the copyright/You Tube debate has been..well debated quite a bit over the years on this site as well as others. However there is one thing about this issue ( the yanking of clips from You Tube ) that few either notice or dont even know.

For many years ANYONE meaning a third party could had gotten a clip removed from You Tube over copyrights. You, me, anyone..could have done that and it really was a BIG problem. Classic example...a few years back one of our local high schools did a talent show where the students were making fun of TV ( mmmm..sounds like their version of SCTV ;D ). One of the students in the cast had uploaded the clip on You Tube only to have it "removed at the quest of Frederick County, Virginia Public Schools". However the school system did NOT do such a thing. After a bit or research between Frederick County Schools and You Tube, somehow they traced the whole thing back to some kid in Wyoming. What was the prupose of someone in a state some 2000 miles away doing this? Your guess is as good as mine. Today only certain people have the power to get a clip removed and I believe they must do the "request of removing" only by regular mail or fax ( not email ). Easier for You Tube to know if the person bitching over the issue really has a case.

Of course there are exceptions. In some TV markets ( could be the case between studios ) there is that so-called "gentlemen's agreements" which allows the competition to get a clip removed. Last year on another site I remember reading this is the case in the Cincinatti market ( example..WLWT can get a WCPO clip removed even though WLWT has NOTHING to do with WCPO ). I wonder if its the case here? SNL/Lorne Michaels/NBC getting SCTV clips removed? Just a guess since I don't know. However since someone earlier brought up the fact that the stars of SCTV copyrighted their own characters, chnances are that is the case here.

 

[Stanislav]

For many years ANYONE meaning a third party could had gotten a clip removed from You Tube over copyrights. You, me, anyone..could have done that and it really was a BIG problem. Classic example...a few years back one of our local high schools did a talent show where the students were making fun of TV ( mmmm..sounds like their version of SCTV ;D ). One of the students in the cast had uploaded the clip on You Tube only to have it "removed at the quest of Frederick County, Virginia Public Schools". However the school system did NOT do such a thing. After a bit or research between Frederick County Schools and You Tube, somehow they traced the whole thing back to some kid in Wyoming. What was the prupose of someone in a state some 2000 miles away doing this? Your guess is as good as mine. Today only certain people have the power to get a clip removed and I believe they must do the "request of removing" only by regular mail or fax ( not email ). Easier for You Tube to know if the person bitching over the issue really has a case.

It's a little better now, but while YouTube makes some effort to identify the person/company requesting the takedown, they are under no obligation to get any proof that the requester actually owns the copyright. There was a case like that recently, where some corporation (I forget who...Viacom, maybe?) demanded that clips be removed that had at one time aired on one of their cable channels, but in point of fact, they did NOT own the rights to the shows in question -- the producers of the shows did, so they really had no legal standing. The Scientologists are infamous for this, too -- having clips critical of their "religion" taken down when there is no copyrighted material used and it is just fair comment and criticism of their practices.

Under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act), if your clip gets the boot, you can contest it if you feel it was wrongly removed, but who's going to bother to go to that paperwork, legalese and trouble over a YouTube clip? (Unless they themselves are actually the rights holder and some other party demanded its removal.)

 

[cowboybud]

I did borrow the boxed set from the library. As for copyright issues, the cast members had enough on the ball to copyright their charachters, so from what I undertand that's why it took so long to issue the episodes on DVD. That's also why John Candy could take The Schmenge Brothers to "Home Alone".

How about the awards show where SCTV won all of them (Sammy Maudlin beating Johnny Carson?).

That, and the music clearances..NBC insisted on them having a musical guest (who they would incorporate into a sketch) on each show.

 

[cee]

And what about Strike, Spare, and Shmenge?

Wasn't this from The Last Polka? I never saw that bit, but read about it. SCTV occasionally made some inside jokes about local tv programming from nearby Buffalo, NY. There was a daytime women's bowling show on Channel 4 in Buffalo in the late 60s or early 70s called "Strikes, Spares and Miss's"(correct spelling?). IIRC, Van Miller, the original play by play man for the Buffalo Bills, was the host. I've always assumed SS&S was a parody title/inside Buffalo joke.