SCTV - Best Of The Early Years
by John Bell
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, John Candy, Rick MoranisDirector: John Bell
Brand: Universal Studios
Writer: Andrew Alexander
Writer: Brian Doyle-Murray
Writer: Brian McConnachie
Writer: Jim Fisher
Writer: Jim Staahl
Writer: Sheldon Patinkin
Writer: Tom Couch
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Running Time: 415 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-10-24
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Shout Factory Theatr
Movie Reviews of SCTV - Best Of The Early Years
Movie Review: SHOUT FACTORY DROPS THE BALL
Summary: 1 Stars
Let me explain this one star review right out of the gate. These shows are GREAT, this boxed set is NOT. SCTV was a classic in studio (and dare I say better performed and a more creative) alternative than the charter cast edition of SNL. The celebrity impersonations are all classic, the skits were ground breaking and when familiar characters reappeared, the new sketches were refreshingly different. That being said, the desire to see all of the earliest 30 minute length shows should have resulted in a stronger demand than just this one set.
SCTV's 30 minute shows ran from 1976 to 1981 with Candy and O'Hara (all but omitted from this set's content but featured on the cover) involved with the show until '79, Ramis (also missing) from '76 to '78 and Thomas, Levy, Flaherty Martin, Rosato, Duke. The majority of these short shows clearly come from the last two years (1980-1981) because Candy, O'Hara, and Ramis are all but missing completely from ever show included in the box. The sad reality of this set is that it is now three years old.
There are two possible reasons why Shout failed to release ALL of the 30 minute shows. The first reason is that Shout just might not be in a position (be it copyright issues or show availability) to release all of the shows. The second possibility is that Shout decided it was against their interest to release all of the earliest shows because of lackluster sales of the previous four 90 minute DVD sets.
I am willing to believe that Shout only has the right to the 1980's shows but that does not make this set "The Best of the Early Shows." I recommend purchasing the 90 minute sets and waiting for Shout to release all of the earliest shows in sequential order from 1976 to 1981. The likelihood of this happening in the near future is not likely because the barrage of Shout Factory SCTV releases now 3 years old.
Summary of SCTV - Best Of The Early Years
SCTV's best half-hour episodes from 1978 - 1980 are showcased in this 3-DVD collection. From its humble beginnings in 1976, SCTV transformed from a half-hour comedy airing monthly in Canada on the Global Television Network to a widely embraced series that, by the third season, was airing weekly on the CBC and syndicated in the U.S.Guy Caballero and Edith Prickley were born in the early years. The McKenzie Brothers started here. Earl Camembert, Floyd Robertson, Johnny LaRue, Sammy Maudlin and Bobby Bittman-characters destined to become household names-were first beamed into consciousness here.
Starring: John Candy, Robin Duke, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, Tony Rosato and Dave Thomas
Special Features Include:
Commentaries by Robin Duke, Joe Flaherty and executive producer Andrew Alexander
The featurette "Looking Back With Andrea Martin,"
CBC news magazine segment "The McKenzie Brothers - Take Off, Eh"
Examining the impact The Great White North had on Canada
"Andrew Alexander Answers Fan Mail."
Even the worst of SCTV would be superior to much of what passes for contemporary sketch comedy. This three-disc set collects 15 of the now-legendary 30-minute syndicated episodes from 1978-80 that initially formed the bedrock of SCTV's Network 90 incarnation (now available in its entirety on DVD). There are but three episodes from season 2, which feature SCTV's most popularly known ensemble: John Candy, Joe Flahrety, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, and Dave Thomas. Arguably the best of these is "On the Waterfront Again," with Levy's old school and out of touch comedian Bobby Bittman and O'Hara's B-list entertainer Lola Heatherton appearing on "The Sammy Maudlin Show" to promote their hopeless remake of the Brando classic. The bulk of this collection hails from season 3, which lamentably saw the departure of Candy and O'Hara, but also the auspicious arrival of Rick Moranis. Also joining the cast were the unsung Tony Rosato (who does a wicked Lou Costello in "Midnight Express Special") and Robin Duke. They would later make the jump to Saturday Night Live, which gets an upstart thumping in the episode, "Thursday Night Live." One of the season's running gags is a series of promos for Taxi Driver, recast with Woody Allen, Dick Cavett, Gregory Peck, and even Bob Hope ("You talkin' to me? Nobody talks to me that way. I didn't let Darryl Zanuck talk to me that way."). Thomas's definitive Hope also pops up to upstage Bittman on "The Sammy Maudlin Show" to promote "I Owe Peking 2000 Dollars," and alongside Moranis' uncanny Woody Allen in the masterpiece, "Play It Again, Bob." Thomas and Moranis make their momentous first appearances throughout this season as bickering, beer-swilling brothers Doug and Bob McKenzie, SCTV's breakout characters. "The Great White North" (a.k.a. "Kanadian Korner"), their sublimely silly improved segments, introduced such Canadian patois as "Take off," "Hoser," and "Beauty, eh?" into the pop culture lexicon.
SCTV mastered the art of cross parody. "My Factory, My Self," one of Martin's finest half hours, somehow combines An Unmarried Woman, Coming Home, Norma Rae, Kramer vs. Kramer, and The China Syndrome. It's unfortunate that The Early Years represented in this collection do not extend to the first season (Harold Ramis fans, arise!). But these gems are dazzling in their--to quote the hilarious "The Trial of Oscar Wilde" sketch--"sparkling wit and unbelievable intelligence." Some of the references are dated (anyone remember gossip columnist Rona Barrett, transformed here into sportscaster Ronny Barrett?). But we agree with SCTV station manager Guy Caballero. This is "the hippest comedy you'll ever see." --Donald Liebenson
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