The Second City - First Family of Comedy
Interview With SCTV's Dave Thomas
Anyone who knows Saturday Night Live or SCTV knows many of the most famous cast members all came out of Second City, an improv and sketch comedy theater troupe based out of Chicago (with more troupes in Toronto, Las Vegas and other cities). Notable alums include SNL's Dan Aykroyd, Gilda Radner, John Candy, Chris Farley, Bill Murray, Mike Myers, Tina Fey, Martin Short; Christopher Guest improv players Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara; and famed comedic actors Bonnie Hunt, Steve Carell, Shelley Long, Jim Belushi. (There's tons more.)
Acorn has released The Second City: First Family of Comedy, a behind-the-scenes documentary on the troupe's history that features interviews with much of the famed graduates. SCTV's Dave Thomas, a Second City alum who's best known for "The Adventures of Bob & Doug McKenzie: Strange Brew," his skit with Rick Moranis, and recent appearences on Arrested Development and Weeds. We got Mr. Thomas to wax nostalgic on the old days of Second City and share some memorable tales as well as his own recommendations. -- Ellen A. Kim
Hello Dave - Thanks for talking to Amazon.com today.
Always a pleasure to talk to the merchants of tomes.
You host part of Second City: The First Family of Comedy and contribute many memories from being an alum. Can you share with us one memorable tale from the early years of Second City?
Now I realized I had taken the street theater thing too far. What was I going to do? Arrest this woman? What if she got violent? But before she even got to me, Candy was off the stage and into the audience. He took her by the arm and led her backstage, saying, "You are barred from this theater. You are never allowed to come here again." Then he opened the door behind the stage and tossed her out into the alley behind the theater. When he closed the door, we both burst out laughing. It was one of those moments of stage where the whole theater becomes the stage and it all gets much more exciting and fun.
Say it's your first day as a member of the theater troupe. Is the atmosphere more like a) the first day of junior high, b) basic training, or c) rushing a fraternity?
It's not like any of those things. Anyone who joins a theater troupe has been there in their minds many times before the actual thing happens.
Who are your greatest comic influences?
Peter Sellers, Jonathan Winters, Bob Hope.
Which young comedians (Second City or not) impress you right now?
When you were in Second City, was there one person everyone knew right away, "Oh, he/she will easily be a big star"? Or anyone who was a late bloomer?
Actually, I kinda felt that they were all going to be big stars and they all did. I was on stage with Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin. I think the only one I was worried about was me.
You were famous for playing Bob Hope, most recently in a Simpsons episode. Did you ever meet Mr. Hope, and what did he think of your impression?
Yeah, I met Bob Hope many times. I did a couple of shows with him, played golf with him, went to his house. It was really crazy.
Second City is legendary in Chicago. Is there a membership card you can whip out and get, say, a better table or free parking anywhere?
My membership card is my face--with an upcoming expiry date that will make it unusable very soon.
You've appeared in episodes of Arrested Development, Weeds and King of the Hill. What's the funniest show out there right now?
I like a lot of shows. The Simpsons is still consistently good. I love Boston Legal. I think David E. Kelley's summations that he writes for James Spader are absolutely brilliant. Letterman and Conan O'Brien make me laugh a lot. I also watch other weird stuff like Heroes. I love sci-fi.
Since we're Amazon, we'd like to know what films/DVDs you're watching, what books you're reading, or what CDs you're listening to. Any recommendations?
I'm very happy Flyboys was released on DVD. I missed it when it came out [in theaters]. I liked The Departed. I just read A Futile and Stupid Gesture: How Doug Kenney and National Lampoon Changed Comedy Forever. I knew Doug and a lot of those guys, so it was interesting to see how Karp portrayed them. I am about to read The Stolen Child: A Novel by Keith Donohue. I'm looking forward to that.
Customer Review: SCTV
SCTV ONE OF THE GREATEST IN COMEDY-HAS JUST BOMBED!! THIS IS LIKE A INTERVIEW NOT THE SHOW BIG DIFFERENCE....I WAS VERY DISAPOINTED.NISHEKO
Customer Review: Good, but better if you're from Canada
I somewhat enjoyed this series of 3 specials made for Canadian TV. However with the exception of Tina Fey and Rachael Dratch there is no focus on any comedians spawned from Chicago past 1990. I was pleased with the first 2 segments, which chronicled its beginnings in Chicago in the 50's through SCTV in the 80's, but the third segment left me unsatisfied. George Wendt, Shelley Long, Tim Kazurinsky, Mary Gross, Dan Castellaneta, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Bob Odenkirk, Steve Carell, Paul Dinello, Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert; these are just some noteworthy alumni which are NOT EVEN MENTIONED in this series.
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