SCTV
1976–1981
Seasons
Season 1
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E1
Backstage
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E2
Murder at SCTV
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E3
Ethnic Humour
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E4
Crosswords
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E5
Match Unto My Feet
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E6
Memoirs of Anton Chekhov
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E7
Dialing for Dollars
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E8
Shock Theatre
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E9
Philosophy Street
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E10
Therese et Joe
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E11
Broads Behind Bars
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E12
The Taxidermist
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E13
Ben Hur
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E14
The Hefty Neil Story
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E15
Leave It to Beaver
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E16
Goodbye America
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E17
Galaxy 66
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E18
Madame Blitzman
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E19
The $129,000 Question
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E20
Dr. Tongue's House of Wax/SCTV Boogie
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E21
The Sammy Maudlin Show
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E22
World at War
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E23
The Grapes of Mud
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E24
Officer Friendly
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E25
The Man Who Would Be King of the Popes
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E26
Lust for Paint
Season 2
- E1 Premiere As the show starts, the scripts are not finished. The first on-screen appearance of Guy Caballero, in a wheelchair (which he uses for respect) with a phone. And, seemingly out of nowhere, Lola Heatherton appears, fully formed, in her first special. Additional Viewing: 70s TV series The Love Boat and The Incredible Hulk.
- E2 Bob Hope Desert Classic Monster Chiller Horror Theatre: The House of Cats; SCTV Sports Central: Desert Classic; Commercial: Delay; Betty Bain: Professional Juror; Promo: Masterpiece Theatre: Naughty Chambermaids; Bob Hope Desert Classic
- E3 Kidnapping of Moe Green The Leutonian Liberation Front has threatened Moe Green with his life and his career. Once the dirty deed is done, SCTV's on-air personalities cannot hide their relief.
- E4 SCTV Solid Gold Telethon Sammy Maudlin, Bobby Bittman and Johnny LaRue anchor the show-length star-studded charity telethon. A great celebrity schmooze fest. The Solid Gold Telethon marks the first of three telethons SCTV would air in an attempt to get cash from viewers; it was followed by Pledge Week in Series 4, and the very final SCTV episode, Pledge Week in Series 6. The Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme duet is an almost note-for-note parody of Jackie and Roy's rendition of the tune "You Smell So Good", a jazz classic. (Thanks Charlie R)
- E5 Writer's Strike Something of a sequel to the first episode as Ernest Kirsch, SCTV writer, goes on strike, disrupting regular programming. At SCTV News, Floyd and Earl are forced to write their own copy. Caballero (still in a wheelchair with a phone) starts a tradition of giving speeches to the camera - as the show progressed, he would become more and more verbose, but here he's brief and to the point.
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E6
Municipal Election
Earl Camembert faces a conflict of interest as Johnny LaRue's campaign manager as SCTV News covers the municipal elections and Johnny's run for council.
Additional Viewing: The 1978 TV miniseries The Bastard, starring Tom Bosley; 70s sitcom Three's Company.
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E7
Farm Film Report/Arabs
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E8
The Mirthmakers/Happy Endings
It appears there isn't any happiness on television, except on SCTV. Earl Camembert gives a bright side to tragic news stories. Lin Ye Tang must answer to viewers who have complained about the contents of Chinese Fairy Tales. And a Triple Feature Movie has three different settings with identical plots. The Mirthmakers, Chinese Fairy Tale, Happy Endings
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E9
Undersea World
The first appearance of gameshow host Alex Trebel, hosting the high school quiz show High Q.
Additional Viewing: The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau, the long-running nature show from the 60s and 70s.
Second City notes: Marriage Counsellor originated in the 1976 revue For a Good Time Call 363-1674, Thomas and O'Hara reprising their respective roles here.
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E10
Edith Prickley Station Manager
Edith Prickley has succeeded Moe Green as SCTV Station Manager. (Naturally, she rubs Guy Caballero the wrong way.) Her first day on the job sees the world television premiere of Jaws 23, where Amity residents want to lure a mackerel into town for the Fourth of July. Edith Prickley: Station Manager, Shoot at the Stars, Jaws 23' Sore Loser
- E11 SCTV 30th Anniversary Show Features the show-length, star-studded salute to SCTV's 30th anniversary, with some great parodies of 50's television. Additional Viewing: Branded, the 1965 TV show starring Chuck Connors; and What's My Line?, the long-running 50s panel show. While Kirk Douglas made two appearances as a mystery guest on What's My Line? (in 1953 and 1960), he was never a guest panelist (his second wife, Anne Buydens, did appear as a guest panelist on a 1966 show, however). Coincidentally, Andrea Martin, like Arlene Francis, is of partial Armenian descent, while Catherine O'Hara, like Dorothy Kilgallen, is from an Irish-Catholic family. The opening sequence of What's My Shoesize? has more in common with the 1968-75 syndicated version of What's My Line? (Thanks William Brown
- E12 Whispers of the Wolf/The Occult Mr. Science: Acid and Electricity, SCTV News: SCTV is Haunted, Fireside Chat: Firewood, 4th Degree, Monster Chiller Horror Theatre: Whispers of the Wolf, Words to Live By with Mulciber Arimaspians
- E13 Bad Acting In Hollywood Features Sid Dithers Private Eye and the superb Bad Acting In Hollywood. Additional Viewing: Bad Acting In Hollywood is a parody of That's Hollywood, a late 70s TV show hosted by Tom Bosley that looked at historic Hollywood films (mostly from 20th Century-Fox) (Thanks Jim Donato). Johnny Dark Always Rings Twice parodies 30's and 40' gangster films; start with Little Caesar from 1931. The Phil Donahue Show, which ran through the 70s and 80s, was the precursor of all modern daytime talk shows. C.P.O. Sharkey was a mid-seventies sitcom starring Don Rickles.
- E14 Alfred Hitchcock Presents Additional Viewing: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, the 50s anthology series hosted by the man himself. Murder Is Bad For Your Health is (possibly) a parody of the 1948 film An Act Of Murder, starring Florence Eldridge and Fredric March (thanks Dusty Towne); Cecil and Cynthia appear again in Series 3's Gaslight.
- E15 Fighting Air Dogs Promo: Undercover Policewoman, SCTV News: Marijuana, Commercial: Daylea Yogurt, Masterpiece Theatre: The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Mohicans Galore, Cretin's Island, Commercial: Mike's Mercenaries from Amco the Toy People, SCTV Movie of the Week: Fighting Air Dogs over the Pacific
- E16 Death Takes No Holiday Phil from Phil's Nails (later the Garment King) is a send-up of Phil Givner, who did similar commercials for his carpet outlet back in the 70's in Toronto. Additional Viewing: William Castle was a director of B-movie thrillers that usually featured a gimmick of some sort. His 1961 film Mr Sardonicus featured The Punishment Poll, a gimmick whereby the movie audience could vote to determine how the movie would end. The Amazing World of Kreskin, the early 70s mentalist show hosted by the Amazing Kreskin.
- E17 Rock Concert Features the first Tex and Edna Boil Organ Emporium commercial, while Bob Clark in the Mailbag segment is a very similar character to Bill Needle, who would take over the Mailbag in series 3. Additional Viewing: Mind Games includes a neat little parody of the 1966 film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, starring Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. They parodied the film again (in a radically different way) in Fast Talking Playhouse.
- E18 Fantasy Island Features the show-length parody of Fantasy Island, which itself incorporates a bevy of parodies of classic 40s pictures. Additional viewing: the 70s hit TV show Fantasy Island; Hope and Crosby road pictures; Casablanca; and The Wizard of Oz.
- E19 On the Waterfront Again The second episode in a row to feature a show-length sketch, an episode of The Sammy Maudlin Show with Bobby Bittman promoting his remake of On the Waterfront. Maudlin music is "Soulful Strut" by Young-Holt Unlimited. Additional Viewing: On The Waterfront, the 1954 classic
- E20 SCTV Disco SCTV Boogie, from episode 20 of the first series, has been rechristened SCTV Disco. Additional Vieweing: Lou Grant, the Mary Tyler Moore Show spinoff series starring Ed Asner; Art Linkletter's House Party, a long-running TV series during the 50s and 60s, included a segment Kids Say the Darndest Things.
- E21 Pipeline Notable for the unusual Pipeline documentary and the Dr Braino Hour (featuring "Casey Jones" by Grateful Dead and "Fresh Air" by Quicksilver Messenger Service).
- E22 Consumer Action Line Features the mysteriously cut from syndication Family Crisis Game Show. Syndication Note: Family Crisis was dropped; replaced by Wara Wara Wara from 1-2 (2)
- E23 Relaxing With Raoul / Dining With LaRue Promo: Take the Money and Run, Natalie Wingneck, Commercial: Big Giant Restaurant, Relaxing with Raoul, Commercial: National Council of Antique and Restricted Automatic Weapons, Dining With LaRue: French Restaurant
- E24 The Flaming Turkey Hugh Betcha's Insights and Firing Squad, both first seen in Series 1, return; Socrates is now played by Thomas (replacing Ramis) - the numbskulls are stilled played by Levy and Candy. Second City notes: A Flaming Turkey-style ballet parody was featured in the 1975 revue Alterations While You Wait; the stage version was also introduced by Candy.
- E25 Best Of 1 Promo: Lola Heatherton In Concert, Donna: Barbara Streisberg, Promo: U.F.O. Sharkey, What's My Shoesize?, Commercial: Phil's Nails, Bob Hope Desert Classic
- E26 Best Of 2 Rerun package: all sketch material was seen earlier in the season. Speaking of Talk with Lou Jaffe, Commercial: Long Distance, Family Crisis Game Show, Commercial: Tex and Edna Boil's Organ Emporium: Rhythm Ace, The $Millionaire, SCTV Rock Concert with Big Jim and Billy Sol,
Season 3
- E1 Lee Iacocca's Rock Concert After Edith Prickley introduces the season, SCTV kicks off its third year with Pirini Scleroso in My Fair Lady (promo only). Then comes the debut of Great White North (aka Kanadian Korner). Earl Camembert gets his tongue twisted during SCTV News. Then it's Lee A. Iacocca Rock Concert, where the host asks the U.S. government to save the show from financial peril.
- E2 Thursday Night Live In an attempt to capture the hip comedy audience, SCTV goes "live". Also features the "K-Tel Fast Talking Playhouse" version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
- E3 Death of a Salesman Molly Earle revives her Crazy Crafts series after a 15-year hiatus. Guy Caballero introduces a live production of Death of a Salesman with George Carlin, Deforest Kelly, Ricardo Montalban, and Margaret Hamilton. Playing the ghost of Ben is John Belushi.
- E4 My Factory, My Self Dolly (Andrea Martin) goes from victim to victor in this spoof of the overly earnest women’s lib films of the 70s.
- E5 Death Motel Count Floyd offers up this so-called scare classic, with a rare in-studio interview with star Woody Tobias, Jr.
- E6 The Lone Ranger Show Sunrise Semester delivers a lesson in Conversational New Yorkese, with the words ""shower,"" ""super,"" and ""lawyer"" as examples. On 60/20, Earl Camembert tries to analyze TV's impact on society and gets impacted himself. Guy Caballero addresses the need to sustain a good orbit for SCTV's satellite.
- E7 Play It Again, Bob Woody Allen tries to jumpstart Bob Hope's flagging film career with this strange cinematic love letter. Also features "The Trial of Oscar Wilde".
- E8 Gaslight The classic thriller is given the satiric SCTV approach. Also features Dick Cavett talking to his most appropriate guest – himself.
- E9 Man's Ability To Imitate Sunrise Semester: Man's Ability to Imitate with Mr Wilcox, PSA: Concerned Children for Truth In Advertising, Rebuttal: National Organization to Reinstate Cigarette Advertising, Teaser: SCTV News, Kanadian Korner 17: Snowshoes for Spatulas, Promo: Monster Chiller Horror Theatre: The Odd Couple, Promo: Sea Talk, SCTV News: Earl Plugs Products, omment with David Brinkley: Viletones, Promo: The Invisible Man, Cooking With Marcello: Lobster Cacciatore
- E10 Mel's Rock Pile Promo: Shakespeare in the Park, Cheryl Kinsey, Traveling Sexologist, Kanadian Korner 19: Boom Shadows, Stuff that Bug Us, Promo: The Merv Griffin Show: Arafat, Liberace, Ferigno, Message from Guy: Viewer Mail, PSA: Participaction, Promo: Flashing Eyes, Mel's Rock Pile: Speed of Light
- E11 The Sammy Maudlin Show Bob Hope crashes Bobby Bittman's appearance to discuss his new multi-night special. Also features a clip of Taxi Driver starring Gregory Peck.
- E12 Night Gallery Crazy Crafts: Bingo Drop Cans, Teaser: SCTV News, Kanadian Korner 13: Name that Smoke, Promo: Tom Snyder MD, SCTV News: Earl on roller skates, Grizzly Abrams, Hugh Betcha's Night Gallery, Signoff: The National Anthem
- E13 Star Wars Sunrise Semester: Do It Yourself Advertising with Phil, Promo: Chick Monk Roadie for the Defence, Teaser: SCTV News, Kanadian Korner 24: Star Wars, SCTV News: 4th Anniversary, Commercial: Mr Earl Doll, Commercial: Joni Mitchell's For Dogs Only, Bill Needle's Mailbag, Message from Guy: SCTV Premiere of Star Wars, Commercial: Videotech Complete Home Entertainment System, Dialing for Dollars: The Fly Returns to Beneath the Planet of the Apes
- E14 Hollywood Salutes Its Extras This SCTV special acknowledges the tireless efforts of Tinsel Town's talented background artists. Also features a clip of Taxi Driver starring Dick Cavett and a promo for the new "Hawaii Five-Ho".
- E15 The Irwin Allen Show The famous disaster film producer hosts his own catastrophe-plagued talk show. Also features "Cooking with Marcello".
- E16 Big Brother At the stroke of midnight, New Year's Eve 1983, TV is overtaken by Big Brother.
- E17 Two Way TV / Pit Bulls As the latest in television technology is explained, journalist Earl Camembert infiltrates an illegal dogfight. Also features Molly Earle and her Crazy Crafts.
- E18 Alpha Channel Commercial: Gordon Lightfoot Sings Every Song Ever Written, Cooking with Marcello: Vatican, Kanadian Korner 18: Sports, Crazy Crafts: Bob, Message from Guy: Alpha Channel, Promo: Alpha Channel, Bill Needle's Mailbag, Dialing for Dollars: Partridge Family Goes to Mars
- E19 Midnight Express Special Live from a Turkish prison, it's Abbott and Costello hosting the premiere rock and roll showcase. Also features "Sunrise Semester: Basic Photography with Edith Prickley".
- E20 Cookery Crock / Cartoon Coroner Sunrise Semester: Disasters in the Home with Edith Prickley, Commercial: Nasex Nasal Deodorant, Bill Needle's Mailbag, Kanadian Korner 20: Stuff that Bugs Us, Promo: Freddie De Cordova Show, Cookery Crock, Quincy: Cartoon Coroner
- E21 The Mating Game Promo: Starting Out with Bill Needle, Commercial: Eskimo Arts, Message from Prickley: The Mating Game, Teaser: SCTV News, Kanadian Korner 22: Parking at Donut Places, Promo: Taxi Driver with Sid Dithers, SCTV News: Walter Cronkite, The Mating Game
- E22 Gene Shalit's America Sunrise Semester: Societal Behavior with Norman Gorman, Commercial: Henry Moore for American Express, SCTV Special News Report: Chez Mona, Teaser: SCTV News, Kanadian Korner 29: Kicked out of studio, SCTV News: W.A.S.A.S.L., Comment with David Brinkley: Quality Smoke, Gene Shalit's America, Dialing for Dollars: Space Week
- E23 Mel's Rock Pile: MacArthur Park Sunrise Semester: Greek Travel with Alki Stereopolis, Message from Prickley: Mel's Rock Pile, Promo: Jackie Stewart's Wide World of High Voices, Exercise Is Easy with Lucky Ibsen, Kanadian Korner 30: Stolen Car, Mel's Rock Pile: Richard Harris
- E24 Dick Cavett Bobby Bittman makes an appearance on the PBS staple's talk show to promote his new film, Funny Stuff. Also features another lesson in Italian cuisine from Chef Marcello.
- E25 The Cisco Kid Message from Prickley: The Cisco Kid, Commercial: Marlon Perkins' Wildlife Dinner Restaurant, Promo: Neil Jung, Psychiatrist, Promo: The Love Boat, Kanadian Korner 33: Doug Builds a Studio, The Cisco Kid Part
- E26 The Best Of Season 3 Rerun package: all sketch material was seen earlier in the season. Message from Guy: Satellite Model, Sunrise Semester: Do It Yourself Advertising with Phil, Promo: The Merv Griffin Show: Arafat, Liberace, Ferigno, Kanadian Korner 24: Star Wars, Promo: Taxi Driver with Bob Hope, Dick Cavett: Dick Cavett, Promo: Elvis 'n Costello, K-Tel's Fast-Talking Playhouse: Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, Tri-Promo: Black Man, White Boy, Promo: My Fair Lady, Promo: My Life One More Time, Commercial: Ella Fitzgerald for Mamorex Video Tape, Signoff: The National Anthem
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