Search - SCTV, Second City Television Network Volume 3 (5 Disc Set) on DVD

Samuel K. (Solvanda)
Reviewed on 11/25/2018...

This was basically the Canadian version of Saturday Night Live. Ran from 1976-1984. Used to watch reruns of it as a kid. I've brought this show up over the years and am surprised how many folks have still never heard of it. You can see right here in the cast listing that this production was bursting with actors who got their start here and then went on to become Hollywood heavyweights.

So far, there's been 4 sets released of SCTV, a Holiday Specials, and Best Of Dvd. Each set is kind of a snippet of episodes from a certain genre of SCTV's history. At this point it doesn't look very promising that the rest of the episodes will ever make it to daylight, which is a shame, as there are 135 episodes out there (varying from 30-90 minutes each.) Much of it was clever, genius, and downright loony.

The People's Global Golden Choice Award-winning show

R. Treynor | Columbus, Ohio | 03/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Another great box from Shout! Entertainment. Some excellent skits are contained within. Specifically:

* The Pre-Teen World telethon (with Rick, Eugene, and John as the pre-teen band The Recess Monkeys doing a cover of Chiliwack's "My Girl")

* The first Schmenge Bros. sketch (including commercials for Schmenge Travel and Schmenge Records)

* "Chariots of Eggs" with Hall & Oates.

* The first Al "No Song and Dance Here" Peck Used Cars ad

* The People's Global Golden Choice Awards

* "The Days of the Week" soap, in six parts. ("Didn't you have amnesia?" "Um...maybe. I don't remember.")

* The Battle of the PBS stars



If you've read Dave Thomas' book, watching the last 3 or 4 of these shows will remind you of how burned out he said he was, and it shows in a few pieces. (e.g. "Charlie's Kitchen.")..but the addition of Martin Short to the cast gave the show a great shot in the arm, and this box set contains the only three shows where Short, Moranis, Thomas, and O'Hara are all together.

Martin Short isn't utilized as much as he became later in the run of the show, but he does shine in "Jerry Lewis Live On the Champs-Elysees"



Overall, the production values are at their best here. The makeup, costumes, sets and camera work are much improved in this cycle.



The DVDs have the same great navigation as Vol. 2, with titles to the shows, and chapter stops on the sketches. I even found an easter egg on disc 3, which is the first I've found on any of the volumes (silent home movies from backstage at Edmonton.)



Two new commentaries: one from Joe Flaherty with Paul Flaherty and Dick Blasucci (not very entertaining, although they allege that Eugene Levy is a billionaire after making "New York Minute" with the Olsen Twins). Another from writers Dick Blasucci and Mike Short (more informative and less rambling than the other one.)



The bonus features

* SCTV -The Producers. Not as entertaining nor as informative as I would have imagined.

* That's Life w/ John Candy - a "PM Magazine"-type segment, showing John Candy at home. Short and sweet.

* SCTV Remembers, Pt 3 - Catherine O'Hara and Martin Short are very entertaining in this 20 minute segment.

* John Candy photo gallery - nice photos from the sets taken by his wife.

* SCTV at the Museum of TV & Radio - very nice segment. I wish it was longer than an hour. Rick Moranis was among the cast members at this event, and it is the first "extra" on any of the volumes to include is recollections.

* The booklet includes a nice little intro by Jennifer Candy (John's daughter) and the script to the Jerry Lewis sketch.



If you have the first two volumes, you won't be disappointed with Vol. 3. Good stuff.



(note: I have one beef with Vol. 3. The packaging is different: Vol. 3's DVDs overlap to save space....This makes the width of the box set about 1/16th of an inch narrower than the other two, which is nice - but the overlapping DVDs are a pain. - You need to remove Disc 2 to get to Disc 1.)"

Very Funny, Mostly

Scott McFarland | Manassas, VA United States | 03/30/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The "Stairways To Heaven" sketch that has been cut for music rights issues is a hilarious sketch. Boo to Led Zeppelin or their management for not letting it be seen.



On the plus side, the bonus CD of Second City stage material is great - funny and smart.



The show was becoming more refined in this "cycle", and gentler. Two performers whose manic energy had always been an asset, Dave Thomas and Catherine O'Hara, were soon to depart along with Rick Moranis. They each do good work on here, but less of it and Thomas and Moranis do write a couple of long, insipid sketches near the end that appear to be tryouts for writing bad Hollywood movies. And a lot of other mediocre stuff ("Shake and Bake" for example, is pretty sad. These guys had been so brilliant in seasons/cycles past).



Personally I prefer the previous cycles. But when the good gags came here, they were pretty amazing. Eugene Levy's "The Days of the Week" pieces are a highlight of nearly every episode, and great. Levy's Howard Cosell imitation, seen here in "The Battle of the PBS Stars", will bring tears to your eyes. "I Was A Teenage Communist" is perfection in brainy satire.



Like every other season or cycle of SCTV, there is some great, amazing stuff on here.

"

Remember - The SC Stands For Second City!

sundayclub | 03/20/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After decades in legal limbo, the classic SCTV episodes are finally available to the public on an ever-growing assortment of DVD box sets. This third volume documents the various changes that occurred over a crucial ten-month period in 1982. The most obvious change was the arrival of Martin Short, which coincided with the departure of Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas and Catherine O'Hara. A less noticable change was the gradual disappearance of the laugh tracks; this was a subtle indication that the cast was becoming more attentive to style and craft.

During a ten-month period in 1982, only nine original episodes were aired, and that's a lot of reruns. The writers were simply not prolific enough to satisfy the demand for more high-quality material. In addition, the cast now seemed reluctant to indulge in physical humor, preferring the quiet character-driven comedy that was Second City's trademark. The only time you saw an energetic performance was when they were making fun of energetic performers, such as Eugene Levy's manic impression of Borscht Belt comic Jack Carter, Martin Short's brutal take on Jerry Lewis, or Andrea Martin's blaring imitation of Ethel Merman's singing voice.

The bonus features in this box set include a CD of live sketches and songs from the Second City archives (now the property of Sony) with narration from Second City alum Robert Klein. The sound quality varies from track to track, but it's still fascinating listening for comedy historians. Fans may be surprised to learn that Martin Short and Catherine O'Hara only worked together in a handful of episodes; this box set includes a hilarious new interview where the two crack each other up with impromptu impressions.

The last episode in this box set features Rick Moranis' swan song for SCTV; his "Soapy Maxwell" piece ends with him walking off the set after an awkward pause because the scene has no ending. Dave Thomas as Bill Needle exits sentimentally, Jimmy Durante-style, after announcing his retirement from TV. Catherine O'Hara would return for guest appearances along with Thomas, but she chose not to make a grand farewell in this final episode. Her performance in "Love Slaves Of The Southwest" is a fascinating character study.

Technical note: three major edits have been made because of publishing rights issues. A John Belushi farewell tribute has been deleted from the "Great White Palace" episode, Rick Moranis' polka version of "Stairway To Heaven" has been awkwardly edited from the "Happy Wanderers" piece, and Bill Murray's scene from "Days Of The Week" no longer uses "Mrs. Robinson" as its theme. Despite these deletions, I'm still recommending this box set as high-class entertainment - just don't throw out your old videotape copies yet."