SCTV Review: The Irwin Allen Show (3-15) / Big Brother (3-16)

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RATINGS SYSTEM:
***** - Classic
**** - Great
*** - Good/Average
** - Meh
* - Awful

“The Irwin Allen Show” (season 3, episode 15, originally aired Dec. 26, 1980)

MEN ON WOMEN

  • Raoul Wilson (Eugene Levy) reads some viewer mail and gets excited talking about bikinis with his guests (Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis).

  • The final appearance for Levy’s sleazy Raoul Wilson. One of the things that makes this character for me is Levy’s body language, especially his hands.

  • The strongest parts of the sketch were Raoul enjoying the theme song (“Savage Lover” by The Ring) and his growing excitement at the letter from the co-ed; I felt it dropped off a little during the part with Moranis and Thomas, even though Thomas just grunting “Yeah!” orgasmically was funny.

  • Funny detail with Moranis’ character having an unexplained scar and band aid on his face.

*** 1/2

MESSAGE FROM GUY: MEN ON WOMEN

  • Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty) defends the presence of “Men On Women” on SCTV. Then his wife calls.

  • A funny postscript to the sketch, with the first sign of how quickly Guy will fold when it comes to pressure from other people.

  • Who’s doing the voice of Googie? The gruff voice is hilarious.

*** 1/2

KANADIAN KORNER (#15)

  • Bob (Rick Moranis) has Doug (Dave Thomas) try to demonstrate how to roll your own smokes while you have ski gloves on.

  • It definitely seems like they’re both a few beers in here; at one point Doug laughs that he “ruined the show” when he has trouble getting the glove on, and Bob says that it’s not a real take after a crew member in a toque appears on set.

  • The wolf pelt and back bacon sandwich are still visible on the table.

  • No crawl this week.

****

COOKING WITH MARCELLO

  • Marcello (Tony Rosato) and stuntwoman Patty Lee Taylor (Robin Duke) show how to make breakaway bottles and do movie stunts.

  • Jeff Robbins pans this sketch in Second City Television, but I actually enjoy it more than the other Cooking with Marcello installments; Rosato’s actually more of a straightman in this sketch, playing off of Duke’s loopy stuntwoman character.

  • Robin Duke mentioned in an interview (I think it was on Ian Talks Comedy) that the “stunt chair” was one that was cut apart and glued back together; the look of pain when she gets hit wasn’t just acting.

***

PROMO: TAXI DRIVER

  • Woody Allen (Rick Moranis) asks “Are you talking to me?”

  • Moranis’ Woody Allen impression is great as usual, and I love the fumble with the gun that ends up going off.

****

BILL NEEDLE’S MAILBAG (#6)

  • Bill Needle’s (Dave Thomas) show has been cut down to 30 seconds.

  • This is where they really find these segments’ rhythm, with an increasingly frazzled Bill Needle.

*** 1/2

MESSAGE FROM GUY: IRWIN ALLEN SHOW

  • Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty) gets a call from the Leutonians, still trying to unload their captive Moe Green after two years.

  • A second Guy Caballero message in the same show; like the first one, this revolves around a phone call, with the Leutonian Liberation Front (who sound more Latin American here) willing to drop their ransom from 1 million dollars to just sending a cab. Guy’s callousness toward’s Moe getting slapped around in the background is pretty funny (“Give him my regards”).

*** 1/2

THE IRWIN ALLEN SHOW

  • Disaster film producer Irwin Allen (Rick Moranis) interviews and endangers Shelley Winters (Robin Duke), Red Buttons (Dave Thomas) and Charlton Heston (Joe Flaherty).

  • A fun and quick-moving sketch, with Robin Duke debuting her Shelley Winters impression and Joe Flaherty bringing back his Heston. Some good laughs from Irwin’s callous disregard for the safety of his guests (“Who’s still alive back there?”).

  • According to Dave Thomas in SCTV: Behind The Scenes, the stunt guy playing Robert Wagner ended up burning his neck and all of the hair on the back of his head; he was also originally only paid $50 for the stunt, so Thomas got whoever had money on them to pony up $50 of their own to pay him.

  • The part where Red Buttons gets attacked by giant bees reminds me of the Conan O’Brien bit with the character “protected from three inch bees”. I wonder if this sketch was an influence.

  • Since Flaherty is playing Heston, an extra takes over the Fred deCordova role in the continuation of the running gag.

****

Final thoughts: A strong show, if not quite a classic, with a better than usual Cooking With Marcello, two funny Guy Caballero messages, and a very good finish with The Irwin Allen Show. Oddly enough, Andrea Martin is MIA this week; I guess they couldn’t work any of her pieces into the lineup this week.

MVP:

  • Dave Thomas

Rhodes version differences:

  • Removed: Message From Guy: Men On Women

Allarcom version differences (show #65C):

  • Removed: Kanadian Korner 15 (moved to 97C/33A)

  • Added: Marlon Perkins Wildlife Dinner Restaurant (from 3-25)

Blair version differences (show #25A):

  • Removed: Kanadian Korner 15 (moved to 33A/97C), Taxi Driver promo, Bill Needle’s Mailbag #6

  • Edted: The Irwin Allen Show

  • Added: Tomorrow, Today, Tonight promo (from 3-19), Kanadian Korner 26 (from 3-19)

Additional screen captures from this episode are available here.

“Big Brother” (season 3, episode 16, originally aired Jan. 2, 1981)

GOT A MINUTE?

  • Dr. Sid Dithers (Eugene Levy) is slow to get around to the topic of stress.

  • This works better than Dithers’ appearance in Hollywood Salutes Its Extras, as it gives Eugene Levy more of a chance to use his comic timing.

  • The line about how stress can cause depression, anxiety, stroke, death, “or even worse” was my favourite.

*** 1/2

KANADIAN KORNER (#28)

  • Bob (Rick Moranis) tries to pass Doug (Dave Thomas) off as a “mystery guest”.

  • Another funny installment, as is normal for these sketches, with the sheer ineptitude of trying to disguise Doug with just earmuffs over his eyes.

  • It also looks like they had a few extra breakaway bottles from the Cooking With Marcello sketch.

  • This was the last sketch of the third taping session, and the last one of the season to be recorded in the studio setting; the first part of the outdoors arc will air in show 3-22.

  • This week’s crawl is a letter from Gord McKenzie (chairman, Nazi Party) accusing the show of being Federalist propaganda, followed by Bob and Doug’s response (“Are we related or what?”).

*** 1/2

PROMO: TAXI DRIVER

  • Bob Hope (Dave Thomas) asks “Are you talking to me?”

  • Another strong installment in the Taxi Driver runner, with Thomas inhabiting Bob Hope as he usually does. Loved the “yeah…well, goodnight!” ending.

****

THE NEW YEAR

  • On New Years Eve, Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty) and Edith Prickley (Andrea Martin) drink and dream about the future, where Bobby Bittman (Eugene Levy) interviews station personalities as they prepare to ring out 1983.

  • Interesting framing device, with Caballero dreaming about Prickley dreaming about the station’s New Year’s party. I wonder how much of this was influenced by the practical issues raised by Andrea Martin’s limited availability and Joe Flaherty’s unplanned vacation.

  • Caballero passing out before the end of his sentence was pretty funny.

  • The party scene is interesting because it’s a rare scene that involves the whole season 3 cast together at the same time. It’s mostly a setup for the rest of the runner, but there are some highlights like an overly frisky Prickley throwing herself onto Bobby Bittman, Rabbi Karlov (Rick Moranis) continuing to blather on to nobody in particular long after the cameras move away, and Molly Earl (Robin Duke) affirming Bobby’s comment that she’ll be “biting the dust soon”.

  • The switchover to the Orwellian world was handled well, with just some graphics and voiceovers. The use of Orson Welles as the face of Big Brother always makes me laugh.

*** 1/2

COMRADE KANGAROO

  • Comrade Kangaroo (Dave Thomas) shows how to use a paper megaphone to listen for parents partaking in forbidden activities.

  • I’m enjoying how Thomas is playing the character here, trying to put a gentle face over the totalitarian indoctrination but also letting the bloodthirst slip out.

  • The bit with Comrade Kangaroo “making” a megaphone only to bring out one he had prepared earlier was great.

  • “Mr. Screen, can you tell Big Brother that mommy and daddy are in there moaning and enjoying sex and having a great time, and something should be done about it?”

*** 1/2

COMRADE ALLEN

  • Comrade Allen (Tony Rosato) leads proles in their daily exercises.

  • The most forgettable segment of the whole Orwell arc; nothing wrong with it, and Rosato gives a good performance, it’s just that it’s a little too straightforward and not enough of a twist on TV programming.

***

PROMO: DOUBLETHINK

  • The game show where contestants demonstrate their loyalty to Big Brother for basic necessities.

  • This is great, particularly Eugene Levy’s cheery, sing-song “It’s off to the rat cage for you!” as Thomas gets dragged away.

  • Nice touch with the audience clapping in unison.

****

THE PRAISE BIG BROTHER SHOW

  • Jim (Rick Moranis) and Tammy Faye Bakker (Robin Duke) welcome guest 67002HestonC (Joe Flaherty).

  • A funny spoof of The PTL Club, and something that really works well in a 1984 parody.

  • Good callback with the chocolate ration being “raised” again to 12 grams.

  • Joe Flaherty’s Charlton Heston returns for the second show in a row and emerges as a sort of hero in the sketch; after Jim slips up by referring to “freedom fighters”, Heston takes the opportunity to speak forbidden truths while explosions rock the set and the Bakkers try to stop him.

****

PRICKLEY AND CABALLERO EXTRO

  • Edith Prickley (Andrea Martin) and Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty) awaken from and reflect on their dreams.

  • It was necessary to wrap things up; I used to find this a little too stretched out, but there are some laughs from Mrs. Prickley musing that the shows weren’t bad, and the Caballero part seems to be another opportunity for Joe Flaherty to improvise and deliberately pad things out, which makes it even funnier.

  • Nice meta touch with Caballero in the “real world” wrapping things up, complaining about how confusing it was getting, and speculating that they might win something for being “slick and weird”.

  • Great button at the end with the altered credits and the ending voiceover “Thank you for watching Big Brother. Big Brother has been watching you.”

*** 1/2

Final thoughts: An adventurous episode with a great idea behind it. The whole of the Big Brother sequence was more than the sum of its parts and should be watched all together for full effect, but there were some particularly good sketches this week.

MVP:

  • Joe Flaherty

Rhodes version differences:

  • Removed: Got A Minute (moved to 3-18)

Allarcom version differences (show #66C):

  • Removed: Taxi Driver promo (moved to 117C)

  • Added: Tomorrow, Today, Tonight promo (from 3-19)

Blair version differences (show #76A):

  • Removed: Kanadian Korner 28

  • Edited: Prickley and Caballero extro

  • Added: new promo for Mel’s Rock Pile: Blough Brothers (Robert Corness v/o)

Additional screen captures from this episode are available here.