Harold Ramis RIP

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Joe Migliore
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Harold Ramis RIP

Postby Joe Migliore » Wed Feb 26, 2014 2:38 am

Perhaps this program has not yet achieved status as true archaeology, but this is for anyone who remembers the anarchic joy of watching SCTV for the first time. There was a moment in time when Saturday Night Live was no longer the hippest show on television.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty2EKPv-GnY

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Harold Ramis RIP

Postby Richard M Roberts » Wed Feb 26, 2014 1:40 pm

Joe Migliore wrote:Perhaps this program has not yet achieved status as true archaeology, but this is for anyone who remembers the anarchic joy of watching SCTV for the first time. There was a moment in time when Saturday Night Live was no longer the hippest show on television.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ty2EKPv-GnY



SCTV has certainly aged better than SNL has, the quality of the writing and the ensemble cast was light years above SNL in its heyday (which ended five years after it was on the air) and, while old SNL shows may have a quaint nostalgic feeling as one fast-forwards through the dross to find the occasional good moment, we watch the old SCTV shows in their entirety and still laugh frequently and regularly. It was a hell of a show.

And though Harold Ramis was only an SCTV denizen for one season, he did contribute some good moments, may he rest in peace.


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Gary Johnson
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Re: Harold Ramis RIP

Postby Gary Johnson » Wed Feb 26, 2014 5:06 pm

Ramis' true strength during the initial first couple of series of SCTV was in his writing. Even after he stopped appearing on camera during the second series (they weren't even called 'seasons' since they only produced one half hour a month) he was still contributing sketches until Hollywood called.
And it's those first 3 series, before NBC came calling, that had grabbed my attention back then. They were syndicated to the U.S. about a year after their initial Canadian broadcasts to whatever markets were wise enough to pick them up (my market was one of them). Even though those early shows had limited budgets and zero production values, the intelligent material and creative cast more than made up for those deficiencies.

And I never looked at SCTV as an alternative to SNL. Like Python's Flying Circus, it was just another direction that TV humor could take.

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Re: Harold Ramis RIP

Postby Richard M Roberts » Wed Feb 26, 2014 5:46 pm

Gary Johnson wrote:Ramis' true strength during the initial first couple of series of SCTV was in his writing. Even after he stopped appearing on camera during the second series (they weren't even called 'seasons' since they only produced one half hour a month) he was still contributing sketches until Hollywood called.
And it's those first 3 series, before NBC came calling, that had grabbed my attention back then. They were syndicated to the U.S. about a year after their initial Canadian broadcasts to whatever markets were wise enough to pick them up (my market was one of them). Even though those early shows had limited budgets and zero production values, the intelligent material and creative cast more than made up for those deficiencies.

And I never looked at SCTV as an alternative to SNL. Like Python's Flying Circus, it was just another direction that TV humor could take.



Considering the talent pools for both shows were fed from the same Second City trough, I think it is perfectly reasonable to compare the two shows. Somehow, being stuck up in Edmonton rather than the Big (Road) Apple perhaps led to more creativity and imagination (and perhaps less cocaine use) and therefore a better product. In any event, SCTV was and remains a better show then SNL.


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Re: Harold Ramis RIP

Postby Gary Johnson » Wed Feb 26, 2014 8:28 pm

Humor-wise, SCTV's strength were parody and satire. SNL's was anti-establishment. Even though both shows dug into the same talent pool of Second City, SNL had just as many National Lampoon alums on their staff, which played into the post-Watergate "fuck you" attitude that permeated the country at the time.

To me these two shows (and for SNL I am speaking of the first 5 years) are Astaire and Kelly. They both excel at dance - just in different ways.

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Re: Harold Ramis RIP

Postby Richard M Roberts » Wed Feb 26, 2014 8:39 pm

Gary Johnson wrote:Humor-wise, SCTV's strength were parody and satire. SNL's was anti-establishment. Even though both shows dug into the same talent pool of Second City, SNL had just as many National Lampoon alums on their staff, which played into the post-Watergate "fuck you" attitude that permeated the country at the time.

To me these two shows (and for SNL I am speaking of the first 5 years) are Astaire and Kelly. They both excel at dance - just in different ways.



I think of them more as "apples and offal", with SNL the latter, and it began to smell a lot quicker the less fresh it became, instead of fermenting into a fine wine or a hardy hard cider.

Rewatching those SNL shows, my main feeling was "what was it I thought was funny?", especially that first year, where Chevy Chase's stardom is now completely incomprehensible to me (he's nothing but smug, even on SNL, which was the only place I ever thought he was funny). There are occasional good sketches, but there is a lot more dross. SCTV just keeps getting better and better, the writing and construction, especially on the 90 minute shows, is good, and the performances were more focused and on the money.

SCTV not anti-establishment? Yeah right, I think it was way more successfully counter-culture and subtly subversive than SNL, which became an "institution" in it's tragic-hipness and predictability. It should have been cancelled decades ago.


Say what you want Johnson, I'm going to continue comparing them, and saying SNL was basically lame.


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Re: Harold Ramis RIP

Postby Gary Johnson » Thu Feb 27, 2014 2:19 am

As if I thought you would ever change your position??

I'm merely expressing my likes......or is is my dislikes....I forget.
Is this where I just 'watch my mouth??'

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Re: Harold Ramis RIP

Postby Richard M Roberts » Thu Feb 27, 2014 2:24 am

Gary Johnson wrote:As if I thought you would ever change your position??

I'm merely expressing my likes......or is is my dislikes....I forget.
Is this where I just 'watch my mouth??'



If that's your idea of a good time, or we can just agree to disagree, or argue it a bunch more. Or somebody else can give an opinion.


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Re: Harold Ramis RIP

Postby Gary Johnson » Thu Feb 27, 2014 2:51 am

No one else here is allowed to give an opinion at half past anytime......

(Go check your email)

Richard M Roberts
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Re: Harold Ramis RIP

Postby Richard M Roberts » Thu Feb 27, 2014 11:52 am

Gary Johnson wrote:No one else here is allowed to give an opinion at half past anytime......

(Go check your email)



Oh baloney, you can disagree and hail SNL to the high heavens if you wish, I'm just not going to join in with you, unless you can convince me otherwise. I said SNL had its moments, but SCTV had a lot more of them, and whole shows that clicked as well.


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