The Great White North

My 1981 Bob & Doug McKenzie 

Great White North comedy album,

in pristine condition.... cheers!

Back in the late 70's, I found myself a cool little homegrown TV show called SCTV, aka Second City Television. Pretty much every comic actor off that show went on to very big things in Hollywood. Like John Candy, Rick Moranis, Harold Ramis, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy. Even Martin Short. And a few others during its 1976 to '84 run.

The sketch comedy show was an offshoot of the Toronto Second City troupe.... well, you might already know that the Second City comedy clubs are sprinkled across North America, and provide a creative forum for young aspiring comics. The Toronto club had a wealth of talent at the time, and these good folks took their show onto broadcast TV. And what a pop culture phenom they spawned!

Not only has the show itself become an institution (a Canadian one, at that) but the myriad of crazy characters, the inventions of the cast members, have carried on as legendary fixtures of the program, some still popping up here and there in these modern times. 

The most famous characters, of course, would be Bob and Doug McKenzie, the lovable hosers from the Great White North (that's Canada, eh). Their low-key antics were largely improvised as they bantered about beer, backbacon, and other Canadianisms. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas played the toque and plaid-wearing dopes with the stubby bottles.

Ed Grimley, the geeky character played by Martin Short found new life beyond SCTV, as he appeared on SNL on occasion. John Candy gave life to vain variety show star Johnny LaRue, a role conceived with such nuance that one forgets this guy isn't real. And Flaherty's Count Floyd found an unusual forum for fame beyond the show... rock band Rush used some film footage of the corny Dracula-style character to open one of their songs (The Weapon) in their 80's concerts. 

A fun little recollection of the SCTV legacy

as written by troupe member Dave Thomas

SCTV played out like an early version of 30 Rock.... sort of. The fictitious TV station was run by the tyrannical owner and president Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty), who went about in a wheelchair, even though he was a physically fit man. But mentally insane, I must say. The weaselly, heavily sweating Moe Green (Harold Ramis) managed the station for a time, then was succeeded by Edith Prickley, hilariously portrayed by Andrea Martin; decked out in leopard-skin outfits, Prickley was a flamboyant and crass addition. 

Oh, and news anchors Floyd Robertson (Flaherty again) and Earl Camembert (Eugene Levy) were always funny in their own style of cringe humour, usually where Floyd mocks and humiliates Earl on the air. Never a dull moment. 

Some of these actors put their impressive celebrity impressions to work as they mimicked stars like Bob Hope (Thomas) and Woody Allen (Rick Moranis). Watching an episode of SCTV was like seeing an entire programming day in the life of a TV station. We got news, sitcoms, dramas, talk shows, kids shows, commercials, game shows, you name it. All were done as parodies, though the brilliant comedy could lean in any given direction... from silly to dark humour and anywhere in between on the laugh scale. 

I watched SCTV in all of its incarnations, from its early half hour format to its sadly bloated late night slot, which ultimately led to its demise. Though I haven't seen the show in decades, I still have an appreciation for the imaginative genius behind it. The collaborative forces were key to its success and longevity. Sure, the individual actors honed their chops during the course of the program, but they were a troupe first and foremost, an ensemble cast. And it didn't take long to see great biting comedy that could only be briefly matched by the SNL gang of the 70's and part of the 80's. 

My personal favourite segment from SCTV was The Great White North. I still own my near mint condition vinyl record by Bob and Doug, with a guest appearance by Rush's Geddy Lee on the hit song "Take Off!". I no longer own a turntable to play this LP, but I do have a CD version.... for Christmas listening, since there's a Yuletide theme on the album. Oh yeah, and though the Bob and Doug logo is nearly worn off, my trusty bottle-opener is still in fine working order. Yup, I was a fan - of both Great White North - and beer. 

Well used since '81, my Bob & Doug McKenzie

bottle opener is still in active service