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02 July 2007
In The Beginning...
2 of 2 found this helpful It is stated in the liner notes of the DVD itself. "On Saturday Nights after work at 1:00 a.m. we'd all watch the shows. We agreed that they were funnier than us". That was from Dan Akroyd.
One of the special features is the cast's recollection of the beginings of Second City Comedy moving to television. It is extremely informative and humorous.
It's so sad that the incredible comic genius that was John Candy had to pass as early as he did. In the special features of Volume 1, the cast does a 30 minute reflection on him. For those of us that loved the humor of John, there could not be a finer rememberance.
That's in no way to down play Harold Ramis, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas and later on Martin Short. They were, and still are incredible talents. (I wish I could meet them all) Being able to go back and watch them whenever I want on DVD is my comic dream come true.
Now I've never been to Chicago and the furthest into Canada as I've ever gone has been Niagra Falls but I must say (Ed Grimley) that this is the true Modern Day Vaudevillian's hand-book... on DVD. The roots of Second City Comedy far outweigh the talent shown in the series, but out of all of the choices that there were for this cast, I believe that no finer decisions could have been made.
The talent that these comic artists had at such a young age would be considered almost intellectual and un-heard of by today's standards. (Monty Python and maybe The Kid's In The Hall)
I remember back in the day, (like most) we didn't have cable yet and most local channels would sign off the air late at night. I stumbled across SCTV in 1978 at the age of 11 by accident. Needless to say, I'm warped the way I am today thanks to SCTV... just kidding... kind of. I didn't understand a great deal of it at first but the skits, lines and images stuck with me. The older I got, the more I began understanding the humor.
In high school my Political Science teacher would watch that show and throughout the week, I was the only student in his class that he could reflect on the humor with. I was almost a nerd... ok I was. OK... I still am!!!
When I was 19 I went into radio on the air doing overnights (in Arkansas God help me) at a lame FM rock & roll station. I went by the name of Gerry Todd. Yes ladies and gentlemen I would even wish everyone "A good good morning to you".
I will always honor SCTV. From Guy Cabellero's programming talent, to the ear shattering / song-stylings of Miss Lola Heatherton. From the side splitting humor of Bobby Bittman to the English skills of Fureeny Sklurosa. From the international communication lessons of Robert and Douglas McKenzie to the technical wizardry with 3-D special effects of Dr. Tongue, any person that was born before 1975 will just love this entire collection. Not just Volume 1 but all of them.
This may have sounded like memories more than a review but that's just what SCTV is for me. If you love true comedy, this is a collection for you.