SCTV - High Q

[kpyng]

Truman Capote?...

[honkyzilla]

Love to love you baby?

[monsterthrash]

Way to go, Townsend!

[12161euclid]

so perfect from start to finish. sctv was a great ensamble that was always over shadowed by lorne micheals and co. (not that i don't love SNL).

[fredhetz]

@12161euclid, much agreement on all points.

[Krashdavus]

Margart Meehan - The Beatles? One of my fav. SCTV lines ever. Right up there with Gus Gerstofferson's "dun dun dun daaa!"

[tknippe]

way to go townsend!

[jb92034]

Funniest shit ever! Loved that show -too bad there's nothing as hilarious as this anywhere today (Comedy Central ? yeah right)

[free2bpoppie]

5? It must be sad to live without a sense of humor. This is FUNNY!!

[AmbassadorJediSpock]

"Love to love you baby"

Hahahaha!

[spacecowboy5000]

"Way to go Townsend!" I'm surprised Alex didn't have a heart attack by the end.

[9162vb48]

This was myabsolute favorite SCTV sketch.

I love the way Catherine O'Hara kept messing up Eugene Levy's shit.

Would I love to ring *her* buzzer! ... YEAH, BABY!

[acqua257]

Almost had a heart attack-from LAUGHING my ASS off!!! I used to love watching this show with my dad.Thanks for posting and bringing back GREAT memories!(of when I was 17,and in my "sexual prime"!haha)

[fredhetz]

@acqua257, I am concerned about your posterior and your heart in light of your post. Please seek medical help immediately.

[kanukster]

5 People went to Parkdale!

[gullwingtrucks]

cathrine o hara was/is so underated.....she just speaks so funny..

[IshadaKatzteilov]

@gullwingtrucks She wrote this sketch.

[DarkCountDooku]

This is more like "In the Know" on PBS

"Well that's what I meant"

"Well you didn't say that!"

The way she says

"the Beatles"

Hahahahaha!

[bozomahoney]

LMAO !!!

[devtrev]

I love how John Candy's character is named Peter Townsend for absolutely no reason - and it's spelled wrong to boot. Genius.

[kagiso3741]

@devtrev I think it was just a smart alec made up name that a high school student might give .. but it isnt funny if you have to explain it .. like I just did ..

[devtrev]

@kagiso3741 Well, then you didn't get it. I didn't need it explained.

[UFOSPACE1999]

Margaret Meehan...Henry Miller, Victor Hugo, and Jerry Lewis....THEN on nitetime HI Q...the Beatles,

[MrHopeful4]

Well, that's what I meant. Keep your grubby fingers off the buzzer............Way to goooo Bridgeman. Way to Go Townssendddddd. That's what I said. Come on. I'll take you on.

[cflisthebest]

The honesty's Too Much??

[ftsjr]

A $250 college scholarship? That wouldn't pay for half your books for one semester. RIP John Candy.

[Neville6000]

@ftsjr: Maybe back then, it did, for community college.

[miniredsatan]

margaret meehan is GOD!! henry miller?? victor hugo? hahahahaha.....oh, 30 years old and still CLASSIC!

[fredhetz]

@miniredsatan, you should know that I wish to marry Margaret Meehan. When the wedding takes place, you will be invited.

[miniredsatan]

@fredhetz rock on fred! you rule for posting up sctv.

[fredhetz]

@miniredsatan, I bow humbly.

[CorvusCorone68]

@fredhetz wait i'm confused, i thought you were crazy about Catherine O'Hara, who PLAYED Margaret Meehan, does Margaret Meehan even exist? or am i completely mixed up with their names?

[fredhetz]

@CorvusCorone68, I am crazy about both Catherine O'Hara and the character she plays, Margaret Meehan. The issue is my inability to always see the difference between TV and what you might call "the real world." Please donate generously to a charity that might help me. Thank you.

[CorvusCorone68]

@fredhetz hehehe yer funny

[logancody05]

Watch it again, and if you haven't already done so, concentrate on Eugene Levy's eyes. They're extremely expressive, and bring home the full array of emotions that Alex is experiencing.

[fredhetz]

@logancody05, you're exactly right. Levy has always gotten the most out of his face, including his eyes. 

[fbwangus8736]

Way to go Townsend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mrkallman]

"love to love ya, baby". LOL

[GlobalPunditOrg]

For other SCTV fans here, i just uploaded the full 2 hour youtube.com/watch?v=rS1nNIyJIt­4

Disc 5, Vol. 1 of the DVD for everyone to enjoy - it also has a 1999 cast reunion & Q&A moderated by Conan O'Brien at the end. Enjoy, all - (and of course, please rate and comment your SCTV reminiscences).

youtube.com/watch?v=rS1nNIyJIt­4

[charlyW34]

Cathy Mifsud!

[yogafan6500]

One of the funniest sketches from SCTV. XDDDDD

[TimelordR]

SCTV was just the funniest thing there was on late night TV on weekends! Eugene Levy was in top form in that skit.

[CrankyOldster]

Maybe the most accurate parody of high school quiz programs, from the eager-to-please Catholic school girl to the rumpled dopes who really aren't nerds but just love buzzing in. The peanut gallery laff track of derisive friends is a treat too.

[mississauga0909]

Classic!

[mrjasonoreilly]

Fantastic!

[Madelow56]

Essentially the same as "half wits", still amazingly funny.

[cd637299]

Semi-related----does anyone remember a Jeopardy! champion with the REAL name of Margaret Meehan? It was about 6 years ago or so. I kid you not.....(dunno if Alex made any references during the interview segment)

[fredhetz]

@cd637299, you got me curious and I did a few searches. Apparently there was really a "Jeopardy" contestant named "Margaret Meehan!" Thanks for the info -- too funny.

[rsgalhero]

Favourite skit.

[Graehaus]

woot The frantics and SCTV.. what a sketch

[ba9719]

would you like some more PANCAKE"S!?

[LlamasWithAtaris]

I'm an academic competitor. Eerily familiar. :P

[LukeAlto2007]

Wow, I can't believe that's Eugene Levy, the awkward dad form American Pie.

[7beers]

One of the all-time funniest!!!

[goldenagenut]

Every cast member on SCTV was so funny,what a group of talent!

[randomlybro]

<3 this show, corner gas, and red green :)

[EuchridEucrow1]

Whoever put the laugh track in here was a fucking idiot.

I believe when it originally aired in Canada, there was no such device. NBC shoved it in afterwards.

[fredhetz]

@EuchridEucrow1, my recollection is that someone not terribly skilled at doing the laugh track was connected with the show when it was being produced in Edmonton. In other words, I don't believe that - at least in this case - it was an NBC thing.

[wmbrown6]

@fredhetz - Actually, when this "High Q" sketch was produced (in Season 2), "SCTV" was based out of Global TV studios in Toronto. They didn't move to Edmonton until the third season. These laugh tracks appear to have been associated with "SCTV" from the very start.

[fredhetz]

@wmbrown6, thanks for the info. I stand corrected.

[GlobalPunditOrg]

@fredhetz the name of the 'character' O'Hara played was also the actual name of her mother - & the school she went to!...minutiae, but hey!...

[fredhetz]

@GlobalPunditOrg, I thrive on minutiae, especially when it concerns Catherine O'Hara! Thank you.

[gds2112]

@EuchridEucrow1 that was part of the skit ,

[RetroCaptain]

@EuchridEucrow1

Good day,

You are correct, sir!

[kennymidd99]

LMFAO "are you deaf?"

[amour16]

Hahaha Joe flaherty!!

[fuckingfuckdat]

Is this show Canadian

[fredhetz]

@fuckingfuckdat, it's no longer in production but when it was, it was made in Canada.

[jerodarts]

@fredhetz It still plays in Canada.

[c0mf0rta61ynum6]

Does anybody else when he says Peter Townsend get Pete Townshend (guitarist for The Who) in their head?

[fredhetz]

@c0mf0rta61ynum6, yes!

[UFOSPACE1999]

Margaret Meehan...lol Catherine is funny in this.

[gorillabelly1]

Catherine O'Hara's great in this!!!

[fredhetz]

@gorillabelly1, she was/is the best.

[mondocaneman]

lololol old good memories!!

[deweytrux]

All the SNL game show skits and the like owe their existence to these early SCTV parodies. Brilliant, groundbreaking stuff. Never equalled.

[mje2k]

'I will clear the studio if you pinheads don't keep quiet!!!!" Can you imagine Alex Trebek actually losing it on Jeopardy one night and yelling this to his audience? LOL

[ApeLikeCreature]

"Love to Love You Baby." LMAO!

[sm6161]

"Way to go, Trebel". hahahahaha

[MurrowSon]

Check out their Fantasy Island show on my channel.

[MurrowSon]

This is one of my favorites. I have video from the late 70s.

"Margaret Meehan, Parkdale."

[fredhetz]

@MurrowSon, I have made it clear elsewhere that I have a deep and enduring love for Margaret Meehan. While your post does not necessarily suggest that you are trying to encroach on my relationship with her, I still must say - just in case - BACK OFF, PAL! SHE'S MINE! Thank you.

[MurrowSon]

"The Beatles?"

"Love To Love Ya, Baby?"

"Victor Hugo?"

This is one of Levy's best impersonations, esp. since I despise

Trebek's ego and smarminess, as if knowing obscure trivia is really something key to life.

[thurin68]

This is what is called "pee your pants" funny..OMG this was such a tremendous show..Nothing else quite like it..

[fredhetz]

@thurin68, I do not assume responsibility for the cost of replacing, repairing or washing your pants if you pee them as a result of watching this video.  Otherwise, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[loyaldude10]

@thurin68 --show was hilarious; so creative and zany

[das81]

this is better than Saturday Night Live.

[IndependenceHD]

"The Beatles."

[franchise1998]

"YOu wanna come up here? I'll take you on huh? Because you're 17 - STILL IN YOUR SEXUAL PRIME?" I remember that line from when I first heard it - thanks for posting.

Classic line from a classic show . . . great memories.

[fredhetz]

@franchise1998, great memories for me as well.

[logancody05]

SNL on its best night couldn't hold a candle to SCTV on its worst!

[ironmanboy]

@logancody05 You took the words right out of my mouth! So true! 

[donaldoflea]

This is classic comedy television....bring it back!

[psycold]

Catherina O'Hara, wasn't she the one that told a bunch of bad jokes that totally flopped at the Olympics?

[mierpaul]

SCTV and SNL were the best things to come out of comic televsion.

[fredhetz]

@mierpaul, they're two of my favorite shows. I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[Bagelbutcher]

@mierpaul

SNL, The Simpsons, South Park - They all owe a debt to SCTV.

Nobody could ever match the genius of SCTV, the funniest TV show in the history of the world.

[mje2k]

Margaret Meehan, Parkdale?

Love to love you baby?

Classic!

[fredhetz]

@mje2k, I have made it clear in other posts that I am in love with and one day hope to marry Margaret Meehan. So HANDS OFF!

[guapounggoy]

I teach English to a bunch of kids in Taiwan grades 7 through 9....and this is a lot like a typical class and I'm very much like the host.

[fredhetz]

@guapounggoy, I hope you wear the ruffled tux.

[thommacintyre]

GREAT stuff. still funny decades later

[fredhetz]

@thommacintyre, their stuff does hold up remarkably well.

[socksumi]

The Beattils, ha ha.

[annachestnut]

ah youth!

[IndependenceHD]

WAY TO GO BRIDGEMAN!

[mje2k]

I will have to ask you to keep your grubby fingers off the buzzer until I've finished asking the question.

[mje2k]

Way to go TOWNS-end!!!!

[filmphobia]

@mje2k You're right! Not in their wildest dreams, even in their prime, could SNL touch SCTV.

[teamguido555]

@mje2k it was james bridgeman he shouted that to

[dartmouthhoop]

Truman Capohtay?

[wmbrown6]

@dartmouthhoop - Apparently, he thought the name was "Capoté" (note the accent).

[wmbrown6]

Apparently, he thought the name was "Capoté" (note the accent).

[interestingXmonster]

Ah, memories...when I was a kid when she said "the honesty's too much" I nearly died laughing...I went around saying it for a few months afterwards as well...I'm glad I stumbled on this. Thanks for posting!

[fredhetz]

You, sir, are a fine human being!

[fredhetz]

@interestingXmonster, my pleasure!

[DrPhilMusic]

It's so funny how Eugene Levy (Alex trebek) goes from calm to crazy by the end of the skit. it's so funny to see him blow up like that.

[cinchbassist]

Pure clasic comedy. Genius!

[mondocaneman]

hilarious!!!!!!!!!!

[fredhetz]

Glad you liked it, mondocaneman.

[wickedfeylady]

Catherine's awesome in this one

[fredhetz]

She does rule, doesn't she, wickedfeylady?

[wickedfeylady]

She most certainly does.

[DrPhilMusic]

Catherine O'Hara = Hot

[free2bpoppie]

The first couple of seasons of sctv, were the funniest shows I have ever seen!

These shows were genius!

I love Eugene Levy's reactions on this!

Thanks for posting it!!!!

[fredhetz]

My pleasure, free2bpoppie!

[Victorgoleche75]

ah ... sctv, those were the days

my favourites were the schmenges

thanks for the upload

[VITIXER]

This is classic! :D

[fredhetz]

Glad you liked it, Vitixer.

[mje2k]

Thanks for posting this amazing show.

[fredhetz]

@mje2k, you're very welcome.

[boothl232]

I'd say, since Levy & Candy were both Canadians, that this was based on the Canadian show.

Also a few of the SNL cast came from SCTV

(Martin Short for one) .

[collegeman1988]

Has anyone ever thought about playing a practical joke on the real Alex Trebek like this? I wonder if he would come unglued like Eugene Levy or Will Ferrell?

[sdgakatbk]

I don't remember this skit. This was hilarious.

[wmbrown6]

The funny thing is . . . if Eugene Levy were to do his "Alex Trebel" character today, he wouldn't need a moustache . . .

[cro44magnum]

Poor Alex. Overqualified and overwhelmed.

[thepoopman72]

peter townsend looks like john candy

[psammysam]

You're kidding, right?

[thepoopman72]

yeah

[wmbrown6]

Come to think of it, so did Mike Roach of "Night School Hi-Q." ;)

[crty81]

Now I know were SNL got the idea for their jepordy sketches.

[wmbrown6]

From what I've read, Catherine O'Hara herself wrote this sketch.

[fredhetz]

Did not know that -- thank you, wmbrown6.

[rosesandcream]

It's true. And she wrote the "Night School IQ" sketch too.

[NevadaBoss]

"

Is it just me or does Bridgman look suspiciously like Arthur Andrew Liggett of sister show Half Wits?

no, i don't know...sorry. never mind...

[wmbrown6]

I don't know . . . has anyone noticed that Bruce Moffet looks like a "square/nerdy" relative of Possum Lodge's resident hippie bush pilot Buzz Sherwood?

[Neville6000]

@NevadaBoss: It's the same actor, Joe Flaherty.

[sarnow76]

"Way to go Townsend/Bridgeman!" I love the hecklers.

[boobtuber06]

Where is that SCTV ident they did between skits with the funky synth music!? I really digged that.

[mje2k]

The best ever! Thanks for putting this on youtube. Brings back many fond memories.

[fredhetz]

My pleasure, mje2k!

[VANVALIS]

My blood pressure is going up just watching Alex!

[circusguy]

Eugene Levy ROCKS! "Way to go Townsend!!" HA HA!!

[fredhetz]

circusguy, it should have caught on as a catch phrase.

[wmbrown6]

@circusguy - Notice at 2:47 and 3:04, how Levy shows he's a master of the "slow burn."

[kosai19]

My favourite Eurgene Levy character was the guy selling used fruit :P

Can't find it on Youtube sadly.

[fredhetz]

kosai19, I'll see if I can track it down.

[kosai19]

Hey thanks!

I think the character's name was Mel of Mel's Used Fruit :P

[tjamesleger]

Yeah, he had one hell of a little dance!  Fred Astaire/Desperate Clown Salesman kind of routine.

[Toestubber]

This is one of the best SCTV sketches ever. I know what you mean about Margaret Meehan. Hilarious and poignant. Catherine O'Hara was a genius!

[fredhetz]

Still is, Toestubber! When Margaret Meehan and I are wed, you will be invited.

[sadhuable]

Lol....I know what they were mocking... this skit is a takoff of a show that used to run here in the 70s. The kids were from some of the best schools in the country and typically would answer the question halfway through, sometimes earlier.

[OofusTwillip]

That's Peter Wildman, of the Frantics, as Bruce Moffet, in the bottom right corner.

He appeared in a few sketches in the first couple of seasons of "SCTV".

[fredhetz]

OofusTwillip, I salute your knowledge of people in comedy!

[OofusTwillip]

I spent a lot of my formative years going to tapings of the Frantics' CBC radio comedy series, "Frantic Times". Today, their kids are older than I was when I went to those tapings. Paul Chato (another Frantic) is in the l-o-n-g process of converting all the episodes of "Frantic Times" into an MP3 box set, so someday soon (with luck), the world will be able to listen to them again!

[SaskBlade]

He was also Buzz Sherwood on the Red Green Show.

[WC3POchannel10A]

I love the audience mocking them also.

[tgillspy]

it s feels good to laugh your butt off

[fredhetz]

Amen, tgillspy.

[smizzman]

Margaret ..I will have to ask you to keep your grubby fingers off the buzzer until I've finished asking the question !!!!!! ....LMAO ..Classic !!!

[fredhetz]

smizzman, I've made no secret of my love for Margaret Meehan. When we are married, I will invite you to the ceremony.

[smizzman]

lol  ..Thanks Fred ;)

[simonjeste]

classic, first season I think.

You gotta wonder if THIS was the inspiration for the George Costanza character ;)

Okay, I mean a mix of real-life Larry David, plus Alex Trebel (anger management issues, sir?)

[simonjeste]

seriously, wow I expect him to yell "Alex is getting upset! SERENITY NOW!!!"

[soupman99]

way to go Townsend!!..lol

[fredhetz]

That really should have caught on as a catch-phrase.

[gnawbot]

Great stuff!

[famousmortimer263]

Oh Margaret Meehan, I love you:) lol