SCTV Review: Bad Acting in Hollywood (2-13) / Alfred Hitchcock Presents (2-14)
/RATINGS SYSTEM:
***** - Classic
**** - Great
*** - Good/Average
** - Meh
* - Awful
“Bad Acting in Hollywood” (season 2, episode 13, originally aired Dec. 9, 1978)
PROMO: DONOHUE IN THE MORNING
Donohue (Dave Thomas) discusses the issues that are on everybody’s mind.
A little one-note (even if that is deliberate), but the editing keeps this pretty fast-paced. I did like him asking the nun whether there was sex after death.
***
SID DITHERS: PRIVATE EYE
Mr. Steele (Joe Flaherty) enlists Sid (Eugene Levy) to track down his missing daughter (Catherine O’Hara).
The first appearance of Sid Dithers since season 1’s “Match Unto My Feet”, where he was still called Morris. Eugene Levy’s gift for timing makes the main conceit of the sketch work, but the funniest parts were Andrea Martin’s informant character ratting out her own son (Dave Thomas), and the Thomas/O’Hara two-hander where he roughs her up while trying to teach her “hooking basics”.
*** 1/2
PROMO: U.F.O. SHARKEY
Don Rinkles (John Candy) investigates U.F.O.s and insults minorities in his new sitcom.
Candy’s Don Rickles impression is pretty funny; I also enjoyed the detail of having the other actors stand on a platform so Candy looks shorter.
It looks like the black extra in this sketch also played the banjo player in “Liverboat” two episodes back.
*** 1/2
ENOUGH ABOUT ME
Katherine Timber (Catherine O’Hara) won’t let guest Maureen Jolly (Andrea Martin) get a word in edgewise about her experiences living in Africa.
Another returning character from season 1; unfortunately, while Catherine O’Hara is good at inhabiting this character, here she’s a little too good at making her even more annoying this time around.
The sight of Andrea Martin’s character having an African-style nose ring hits a little differently now that septum rings are fairly common.
**
PROMO: FISH POLICE
When fish disregard the law, it’s up to the Fish Police to stop them.
A nice, tight promo; pretty much everything is funny because it leans into how dumb the premise is (“Set the ocean on fire!”).
I love how the boat scene is just achieved with a shaky camera.
****
BILLER HI-LITE
Punch-drunk old boxers Maxy (Joe Flaherty) and Jake (Eugene Levy) argue over whether the beer has “less taste” or “better calories”.
Enjoyable; both Flaherty and Levy are pros at playing people who aren’t quite all there, and they’re good at capturing that both boxers are on slightly different wavelengths.
*** 1/2
BAD ACTING IN HOLLYWOOD WITH TOM BOSLEE
Tom Boslee (John Candy) narrates the questionable choices made in “Johnny Dark Always Rings Twice”.
A very fun piece, with everyone in the cast getting a chance to ham it up; Catherine O’Hara’s business with the cigarette alone is priceless. I also love the ridiculous ending (“POYL HARBAH?”)
There is some question as to whether the narration is necessary (shades of Mikey Day on SNL), but considering this is a parody of a real show (That’s Hollywood!) that featured Tom Bosley’s narration, I’ll let it slide.
Very nice job with making the sound tinny like a scratchy old film print. The show’s increasing use of details like that helped their parodies work even better, particularly during the NBC and Cinemax years.
Beginning with this episode, Harold Ramis is no longer credited as script supervisor, though he remains credited as a writer.
****
Final thoughts: A good show, if mostly unremarkable; while Enough About Me is pretty much skippable, Fish Police and Bad Acting In Hollywood more than make up for it.
MVP:
Eugene Levy
Rhodes version differences:
Removed: Biller Hi-Lite (appears in 2-23)
Blair version differences:
Removed: Promo: Fish Police (moved to 2-15)
Added: new syndication promo for Alfred Hitchcock Presents (Robert Corness v/o)
Edited: Bad Acting in Hollywood (bumper and commercial break added before Boslee extro)
Additional screen captures from this episode are available here.
“Alfred Hitchcock Presents” (season 2, episode 14, originally aired Dec. 16, 1978)
ONLY FOR WOMEN
Chris (Andrea Martin) tries to help Patricia Donovan (Catherine O’Hara) see the upside of her divorce, but ends up commiserating with her.
Good performances from both O’Hara (doing an impression of Geraldine Page’s character in Woody Allen’s Interiors) and Martin; the latter’s sudden breaking into a sob always makes me laugh, even if it is expected.
O’Hara would use the same mannerisms and appearance for her Maureen Wallace character during the NBC years.
****
SCTV MOVIE OF THE WEEK: HATS OF THE WEST
A stranger (Joe Flaherty) criticizes The Sundance Kid’s (Dave Thomas) taste in headwear.
Another piece of silly fun, which works by how straight the actors are playing everything.
Second City Toronto stage performers Peter Aykroyd (Dan’s brother, who would join SNL as a writer/featured player the next season) and Tony Rosato (who has been playing bit parts all season) get some extended dialogue as the two cowboys discussing hats at the beginning.
*** 1/2
PROMO: CONSUMER CONCERN
Patsy Manuel (Catherine O’Hara) and her guests discuss the issues facing consumers, including flammable children’s wear.
This feels like it was originally supposed to be a full-length sketch that was re-edited into a promo when they realized it didn’t work. Fortunately the brevity makes this idea work better.
That drawing of the child in the banana suit looks familiar; was it from a children’s book?
***
LONG DISTANCE
An old lady (Catherine O’Hara) bemoans her friend’s lack of phone calls while ignoring the ringing telephone next to her.
Very interesting character voice from O’Hara here; I don’t think I’ve heard her do anything else like it on the show. I’m also impressed with her ability to stay locked into her rant while the chaos begins to escalate.
*** 1/2
SCTV SPORTS SPECIAL PRESENTATION: MELONVILLE SNOOKER CHAMPIONSHIPS
Lou Jaffe (Eugene Levy) brings us the match between Fast Alki Stereopolis (Joe Flaherty) and Lenny “Golden Arm” Bouchard (John Candy).
A fair bit going on here, including the return of Alki Stereopolis (and his roast beef on a kaiser and “chhem sendwich”), Lou Jaffe (in his last appearance) interfering with the game he’s calling with his shrill voice, and some fun with an improperly-positioned camera.
***
ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS - PART I
Alfred Hitchcock (John Candy) introduces tonight’s episode.
Not going to assign this a rating, though Candy’s performance is pretty funny.
THE DEVIL’S TOWERING 10-G UPSIDEDOWN INFERNO
Pitchman (Dave Thomas) gives the details of what riders experience.
Another one of Thomas’s manic pitchman pieces, which usually work just from the sheer commitment he has to the material. Nice touch with the people in line walking away as he describes the ride.
***
ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS - PART II
Cecil (Joe Flaherty) tries to off his annoying wife Cynthia (Andrea Martin) in “Murder Is Bad For Your Health.” Hitchcock (John Candy) compares tonight’s show to his best films.
Andrea Martin is so delightfully annoying in this (“Do you think I’m pretty with my eyes bulging out?”); it makes sense that they would bring back Cyril and Cynthia for the next season’s parody of Gaslight. The ending with Hitchcock re-enacting his films (and lapsing into a Curly Howard impression) is also quite enjoyable.
Nice joke with Ernest Kirsch (from episodes 1 and 5) being the writer of tonight’s episode. Also note the fake Armenian surname for the actress playing Cynthia, a nod to Andrea Martin’s heritage.
****
Final thoughts: It’s not especially ambitious, nor does it reach classic status, but this breezy collection of sketches is consistently good, with a strong start and finish, and no big missteps like in the previous episode.
MVP:
(tie) Andrea Martin / Catherine O’Hara
Rhodes version differences:
Removed: Promo: Consumer Concern
Blair version differences:
Removed: Promo: Consumer Concern (moved to 2-17)
Added: new syndication promo for Fighting Air Dogs (Robert Corness v/o)
Additional screen captures from this episode are available here.
