Happy Saturday!
When I woke up this morning and hopped on Twitter, I discovered it’s Catherine O’Hara’s birthday today. Then, when I jumped on the IMDB, I found that, actually, her birthday was yesterday (March 4th).
It’s entirely possible I have different memories of Catherine O’Hara than many of you. She’s become well known for movies and TV shows like Schitt’s Creek, A Series of Unfortunate Events, 30 Rock, Where the Wild Things Are, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Best in Show, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and, of course, Home Alone. Not to mention Dick Tracy and Beetlejuice.
But, for me, I’ll always remember Catherine O’Hara as a part of the wonderful acting troupe that was SCTV.
When I was growing up, SCTV was on TV at 11:30 Friday nights. Back then, it was shot in Edmonton — on location and in studio. Seeing the city I was born and raised in littering the background of the outdoor skits, especially when I was young, leant a special flavor to the show.
And, let’s face it, SCTV showcased some incredibly talented performers that have gone on to do some great and popular work — Martin Short, Harold Ramis, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, and, of course, Catherine O’Hara. In addition, Tony Rosato, Robin Duke, Andrea Martin, and Joe Flaherty did some really great, creative work. All of it on a shoestring budget.
And, while Bob and Doug McKenzie might have been SCTV’s most mainstream bit, there were tons of other hilarious and memorable characters that littered the show — Station Managers Guy Cabellero and Edith Prickley; Chef Marcello from Cooking With Marcello; Count Floyd, the host of Monster Chiller Horror Theater; Newscaster Earl Camembert; and the Schmenge Brothers.
If you’re looking to pass a bit of time this weekend, plug SCTV into Youtube and see what you can find.
You can find me on Twitter or on Facebook and let me know what you thought.
Have a great weekend.