Steelers-linked Catherine O'Hara trivia

[jeemie]

I never knew this SCTV skit that featured O'Hara, Martin Short, John Candy, Joe Greene, and Rocky Bleier existed.

Learn something new every day.

https://x.com/steelcitystar/status/2017 ... 00772?s=20

PS Warning- IMO the skit is actually very bad and not at all funny...lol!

[bradshaw2ben]

I never knew this SCTV skit that featured O'Hara, Martin Short, John Candy, Joe Greene, and Rocky Bleier existed.

Learn something new every day.

https://x.com/steelcitystar/status/2017 ... 00772?s=20

PS Warning- IMO the skit is actually very bad and not at all funny...lol!

It's actually funnier if you watched those TV shows or the era like Emergency and the like, who always had some kind of sick kid and a celebrity cameo-- trope of the times. And the fake feet alonwe are worth seeing.

[jeemie]

I never knew this SCTV skit that featured O'Hara, Martin Short, John Candy, Joe Greene, and Rocky Bleier existed.

Learn something new every day.

https://x.com/steelcitystar/status/2017 ... 00772?s=20

PS Warning- IMO the skit is actually very bad and not at all funny...lol!

It's actually funnier if you watched those TV shows or the era like Emergency and the like, who always had some kind of sick kid and a celebrity cameo-- trope of the times. And the fake feet alonwe are worth seeing.

I got the trope- just thought it could have been executed better,

[jebrick]

I was just telling my wife I remember O'Hare from her second city days with John Candy and Eugene Levi.

[franco>madden]

Yeah sorry Jeems, your college marching band expertise may be unparalleled on this esteemed website, but you missed badly on your critique of this one. In your defense, that link was incomplete and a little misleading so you'll be cut some slack ...

First of all this came after SB 14 and the Steelers were on top of the world with 4 Lombardi's, leading to all kinds of magazine cover stories and media & advertising appearances, including Mean Joe's iconic Coca Cola TV spot, as well as this actual Swanson's Hungry Man Dinners commercial featuring Joe & Rocky :

https://x.com/steelcitystar/status/1761 ... 93573?s=20

That in turn inspired a perfect collision of the rising to prominence, underground humor troop at SCTV, who were just hitting the big time AND many of whom happened to be true yinzers or adjacent (a number of the series' ongoing tropes concerned the "tri-state area" meaning PA, WV & OH --- think Candy and Eugene Levy as Stan and Yosh Shmenge, the "Polka Kings", famed leaders of The Happy Wanderers)

So they totally jumped on the Stillers' popularity and signed Joe & Rocky as guest hosts. The entire episode featured several pieces with the two players, including a send-up of those stuffy PBS/BBC soap-opera-type dramas, called "Mean Joe Greene Theatre," and several "Big Dude TV Dinner" commercial skits as well.

The cliched "win one for the sick kid" skit is still one of our favorites 40 years later; we still parrot lines like Martin Short's "Pleeeeease Joe!" and John Candy's apologetic, "You want I should beat him? I'll beat him real good for you, Joe!" Plus O'Hara thoughtfully asking Greene, as he comes out of retirement to play once more, to please "play like a demented bull-elephant."

And nothing beats Candy's over-the-top exuberant jump and cheer when Mean Joe agrees to the kid's request "Yeeeeaaahhhh!! Yeah, yeah!" --- which I pretty much re-enacted note-for-note when Polamalu crossed the goal line and crushed the Ravens in our legendary 2009 AFCC win

[SteelerDayTrader]

Yeah sorry Jeems, your college marching band expertise may be unparalleled on this esteemed website, but you missed badly on your critique of this one. In your defense, that link was incomplete and a little misleading so you'll be cut some slack ...

First of all this came after SB 14 and the Steelers were on top of the world with 4 Lombardi's, leading to all kinds of magazine cover stories and media & advertising appearances, including Mean Joe's iconic Coca Cola TV spot, as well as this actual Swanson's Hungry Man Dinners commercial featuring Joe & Rocky :

https://x.com/steelcitystar/status/1761 ... 93573?s=20

That in turn inspired a perfect collision of the rising to prominence, underground humor troop at SCTV, who were just hitting the big time AND many of whom happened to be true yinzers or adjacent (a number of the series' ongoing tropes concerned the "tri-state area" meaning PA, WV & OH --- think Candy and Eugene Levy as Stan and Yosh Shmenge, the "Polka Kings", famed leaders of The Happy Wanderers)

So they totally jumped on the Stillers' popularity and signed Joe & Rocky as guest hosts. The entire episode featured several pieces with the two players, including a send-up of those stuffy PBS/BBC soap-opera-type dramas, called "Mean Joe Greene Theatre," and several "Big Dude TV Dinner" commercial skits as well.

The cliched "win one for the sick kid" skit is still one of our favorites 40 years later; we still parrot lines like Martin Short's "Pleeeeease Joe!" and John Candy's apologetic, "You want I should beat him? I'll beat him real good for you, Joe!" Plus O'Hara thoughtfully asking Greene, as he comes out of retirement to play once more, to please "play like a demented bull-elephant."

And nothing beats Candy's over-the-top exuberant jump and cheer when Mean Joe agrees to the kid's request "Yeeeeaaahhhh!! Yeah, yeah!" --- which I pretty much re-enacted note-for-note when Polamalu crossed the goal line and crushed the Ravens in our legendary 2009 AFCC win

Swiss burner account ?? Lol

[jeemie]

Yeah sorry Jeems, your college marching band expertise may be unparalleled on this esteemed website, but you missed badly on your critique of this one. In your defense, that link was incomplete and a little misleading so you'll be cut some slack ...

First of all this came after SB 14 and the Steelers were on top of the world with 4 Lombardi's, leading to all kinds of magazine cover stories and media & advertising appearances, including Mean Joe's iconic Coca Cola TV spot, as well as this actual Swanson's Hungry Man Dinners commercial featuring Joe & Rocky :

https://x.com/steelcitystar/status/1761 ... 93573?s=20

That in turn inspired a perfect collision of the rising to prominence, underground humor troop at SCTV, who were just hitting the big time AND many of whom happened to be true yinzers or adjacent (a number of the series' ongoing tropes concerned the "tri-state area" meaning PA, WV & OH --- think Candy and Eugene Levy as Stan and Yosh Shmenge, the "Polka Kings", famed leaders of The Happy Wanderers)

So they totally jumped on the Stillers' popularity and signed Joe & Rocky as guest hosts. The entire episode featured several pieces with the two players, including a send-up of those stuffy PBS/BBC soap-opera-type dramas, called "Mean Joe Greene Theatre," and several "Big Dude TV Dinner" commercial skits as well.

The cliched "win one for the sick kid" skit is still one of our favorites 40 years later; we still parrot lines like Martin Short's "Pleeeeease Joe!" and John Candy's apologetic, "You want I should beat him? I'll beat him real good for you, Joe!" Plus O'Hara thoughtfully asking Greene, as he comes out of retirement to play once more, to please "play like a demented bull-elephant."

And nothing beats Candy's over-the-top exuberant jump and cheer when Mean Joe agrees to the kid's request "Yeeeeaaahhhh!! Yeah, yeah!" --- which I pretty much re-enacted note-for-note when Polamalu crossed the goal line and crushed the Ravens in our legendary 2009 AFCC win

I grew up on the 1970s Steelers.

I know the times and I know what they were trying to do.

Just didn't think this skit was well executed. I haven't seen the other skits you mentioned, but they sound promising. More promising than this setup.

[DumlinBumlinStumlin]

I never knew this SCTV skit that featured O'Hara, Martin Short, John Candy, Joe Greene, and Rocky Bleier existed.

Learn something new every day.

https://x.com/steelcitystar/status/2017 ... 00772?s=20

PS Warning- IMO the skit is actually very bad and not at all funny...lol!

It's actually funnier if you watched those TV shows or the era like Emergency and the like, who always had some kind of sick kid and a celebrity cameo-- trope of the times. And the fake feet alonwe are worth seeing.

Never missed Emergency, it was a plethora of up and coming actors and actresses

[LakecrestSteeler]

I never knew this SCTV skit that featured O'Hara, Martin Short, John Candy, Joe Greene, and Rocky Bleier existed.

Learn something new every day.

https://x.com/steelcitystar/status/2017 ... 00772?s=20

PS Warning- IMO the skit is actually very bad and not at all funny...lol!

Thanks Jeems. I laughed…It was worth watching just for that moment when Short snapped at his mom. Never saw this before.

[langer]

What about the Blood Sucking Monkeys from West Mifflin?

[Dan Smith--BYU]

Blood sucking monkeys was the great Yinzer Joe Flaherty who killed it on SCTV and later in Freaks and Geeks.

Count Floyd is an homage to Bill Cardille and Chiller Theatre from WIIC (NBC affiliate) now WPXI.

Would you like more...SYRUP???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R3G_beQccA

I think we need to set that fake broadcast up with Rocky and Mean Joe for Swiss during the Steelers next early playoff game so this time they can win.

The genius of SCTV was that they incorporated their low budget into the comedy by running a fictional low budget local station with all the cost cutting.

Maybe Nuttig should take a hint and just turn the Pirates into the Savannah Bannanas. Same idea.

Damn SCTV was good. I think the Schmenges played at several wedding receptions I went to back in the day.

O'Hara was damn sexy as Lola Heatherton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV07kiYsbLo

[langer]

Blood sucking monkeys was the great Yinzer Joe Flaherty who killed it on SCTV and later in Freaks and Geeks.

Count Floyd is an homage to Bill Cardille and Chiller Theatre from WIIC (NBC affiliate) now WPXI.

Would you like more...SYRUP???

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R3G_beQccA

I think we need to set that fake broadcast up with Rocky and Mean Joe for Swiss during the Steelers next early playoff game so this time they can win.

The genius of SCTV was that they incorporated their low budget into the comedy by running a fictional low budget local station with all the cost cutting.

Maybe Nuttig should take a hint and just turn the Pirates into the Savannah Bannanas. Same idea.

Damn SCTV was good. I think the Schmenges played at several wedding receptions I went to back in the day.

O'Hara was damn sexy as Lola Heatherton.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DV07kiYsbLo

I loved Chiller Theatre. He had a 3D movie that was supposed to be groundbreaking and all that, you had to get your 3D glasses from Stop-n-Go to properly watch it.

I think it was something with a gorilla. Just awful.

Late night TV was great for a few years. SCTV, Night Flight, ARTS, MTV, SNL when it was funny. All kinds of weird shit.

[Dan Smith--BYU]

SNL was NEVER the funniest comedy show on TV.

In the 70s, SCTV was better, in the 80s it sucked until about 1987 then In Living Color and Simpsons was better, then in the 00s Chapelle and SouthPark was better, in the 10s possibly in the early decade with Bill Hader they were the best but then Key and Peele were better and now anything is better.

[franco>madden]

SNL was NEVER the funniest comedy show on TV.

In the 70s, SCTV was better, in the 80s it sucked until about 1987 then In Living Color and Simpsons was better, then in the 00s Chapelle and SouthPark was better, in the 10s possibly in the early decade with Bill Hader they were the best but then Key and Peele were better and now anything is better.

Agree with 90% of your assessment.

However I'd posit that the glory days of SNL's 1990-92 lineup (boasting an incredibly talented cast which featured the incomparable Phil Hartman, Mike Myers, Dana Carvey, Dennis Miller, Chris Rock, Rob Schneider, Chris Farley and David Spade) was the zenith for the series, and during those couple years was definitely as good as anything on the tube.

[Dan Smith--BYU]

Yeah I agree 1987-1993 was the best cast without any weakness (Miller, Hartman, Myers, Carvey, Hooks, Nealon, then Farley Spade) and then later the Bill Hader Kristen Wiig cast was good but in 1990 In Living Color was the best comedy show on the air along with the Simpsons.

By 1990 the SCTV cast was killing it in movies and Candy was the biggest star.

Strange Brew is one of the most underrated films of all time and I say this without any sarcasm: one of the best film adaptations of Hamlet.

[franco>madden]

I think you're right on the Hader era --- there are youtube compilations of those Hader/Wiig/Armisen numerous episodes in the recurring series, "The Californians" that are *holy crap* ridiculously funny. A high point in the entire 51 seasons for sure.

Guess I'll have to check out Strange Brew -- of course it was hugely popular at the time but never saw as it's one of my lesser fave SCTV bits --- interesting on the Hamlet angle though. (As far as modern Shakespeare, I think I'm one of the only big fans of Mazursky's Tempest, 1982, featuring beautiful photography in NYC and the Greek Islands, a fantastic moody Stomu Yamashta soundtrack, and a great cast: John Casavetes & Gena Rowlands, Raul Julia, and a young and completely gorgeous and captivating pre-activism Susan Sarandon, plus (offstage), Oingo Boingo's "I Love Little Girls" hilariously juxtaposed during a scene with Molly Ringwold taking a swim that prolly wouldn't be allowed these days ... )

[Dan Smith--BYU]

The Northmen was a pretty cool adaptation of it.

With a twist.

[langer]

One can't forget Jan Hooks, she was actually funny, and really cute. Sad how her life turned out. Loved her.

Strange Brew was just not that good, I was so hopeful going in to see it. There was a theatre at RT19 and Fort Couch, forget the name, saw it there. Almost lost my OP wallet that night.

I stopped watching SNL with the advent of unfunny Will Ferrell. Try too hard and no payoff, and with a one sided political slant. It didn't have that unexpected bizarre and off the wall humor the older shows had, maybe also the musical guests sucked.

Then I saw him in Wedding Crashers, and he was hilarious. Might be the last funny movie ever made.

This is also pretty funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hPp4dgmrc8

I unfortunately caught Trvor Noah's jokes at the Grammys. Incredibly stupid and blase. Easy dumb humor is the worst. No thought put into anything. Anyone who can judge good jokes doesn't get work.

Is Andrew Dice Clay responsible for the degradation of stand up...maybe.

[Steeldrama]

Going to agree with Langer about Wedding Crashers being the last movie I saw in the theater that was truly funny.

I’m not a huge Will Ferrell fan either but Step Brothers was damn funny which came out shortly after Wedding Crashers

My Best Friend’s Girl with Dane Cook and Kate Hudson was more low budget funny around that same time early 2000’s time period as well.

Old School and Hall Pass good for a laugh as well from around that time.

This thread got me to thinking though

Are there just no funny writers anymore or is comedy just a dead genre with people hooked on bingeing entire series like Landman etc?

Anyway

Sunday nights in college in the early 90’s were must watch TV. The Simpsons, Herman’s Head, Married With Children were good, but it was In Living Color that truly made me laugh. Fire Marshall Bill and Homey D the Clown etc was creative humor... to me at least.

Y’all really know your comedy better than I do. I just watch the shit, not really a critic. Some clips and shows y’all mentioned I never heard of.

[Steeldrama]

I’m admittedly old and cranky, but standup comedy another genre that is seemingly in sharp decline.

My son likes that Matt Rife guy whose standup appears on Netflix. I mean I chuckle here and there but I’m hardly doubled over. He basically just interacts with the crowd a lot. If it’s not staged, I give him credit for being semi-quick witted.

Most of the standup on Netflix I can’t get through the first 5 minutes. I made my son change the channel on Marcello somebody or other.

You see ten minutes of Jim Gaffigan you’ve seen it all yet somehow he’s got like a dozen Netflix specials.

Anyway

I’m probably too impatient to find someone new that’s funny, but again is standup dead? The standup as I/we know it???

The old George Carlin specials on HBO were appointment TV. Genius. A guy like him would really fit my now cranky personality. “…I’ll tell you where youre goin’..30 feet in the fucking air is where you’re goin!”

I’ll still go on youtube and watch clips of the Rodney Dangerfield 1984 young comedians special. The Sam Kinison bit might be the funniest 5 minutes I’ve ever seen. “YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT! NOTHING GROWS OUT HERE! NOTHING’s GONNA GROW OUT HERE!…”

Robin Williams standup always struck me funny. Hyper (coked up) as all get out but another dude that was a genius actor and comedian.

Eddie Murphy delirious was an all-timer (stupid red leather getup aside).

Old Richard Pryor, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle make me chuckle but rarely double over. Some of it too race driven and political for my tiny brain but I get the gist and applaud their talent.

Seinfeld’s standup I don’t find hysterically funny, but I appreciate the intelligent delivery and innate observations.

Saw Frank Caliendo in Vegas a while back. Again, not doubled over laughing, but a well put together act of his celebrity impressions that after a day of drinking and gambling hit the spot.

Hell, I’m old enough to remember my dad bringing home the old, chrome HBO cheater box a guy at worked hooked him up with.

One of the first things I remember watching on HBO was Bill Cosby Himself. I of course laughed but man my parents were crying with laughter at that one. “…God Dammit get over here! But dad I thought my name was Jesus Christ!” Yes Cosby obviously a sicky, but that was some intelligent, well delivered material.

If I’m HBO and Netflix I re-run some of the all-time classics. Just put on one legendary comedian a month and watch the ratings clobber the crap these new guys are putting out.

Get off my lawn indeed

[langer]

This would never ever ever be allowed on any TV station, whatever they are anymore.

Dave lost his edge as he got an inflated head. The mid-80s were a golden era for people breaking new ground with the new media.

There's a guy named Sam Hyde who posts on youtube and elsewhere who is funny. Very low key sarcastic ironic humor that you're not sure is humor, Andy Kaufman like but without the bizarre characters and reality-evasion. Also topical and not an insane batshit progressive looking for acceptance like everyone else.

https://youtu.be/qj9DdTXxDFU

[Deebo]

I’m admittedly old and cranky, but standup comedy another genre that is seemingly in sharp decline.

My son likes that Matt Rife guy whose standup appears on Netflix. I mean I chuckle here and there but I’m hardly doubled over. He basically just interacts with the crowd a lot. If it’s not staged, I give him credit for being semi-quick witted.

Most of the standup on Netflix I can’t get through the first 5 minutes. I made my son change the channel on Marcello somebody or other.

You see ten minutes of Jim Gaffigan you’ve seen it all yet somehow he’s got like a dozen Netflix specials.

Anyway

I’m probably too impatient to find someone new that’s funny, but again is standup dead? The standup as I/we know it???

The old George Carlin specials on HBO were appointment TV. Genius. A guy like him would really fit my now cranky personality. “…I’ll tell you where youre goin’..30 feet in the fucking air is where you’re goin!”

I’ll still go on youtube and watch clips of the Rodney Dangerfield 1984 young comedians special. The Sam Kinison bit might be the funniest 5 minutes I’ve ever seen. “YOU LIVE IN A FUCKING DESERT! NOTHING GROWS OUT HERE! NOTHING’s GONNA GROW OUT HERE!…”

Robin Williams standup always struck me funny. Hyper (coked up) as all get out but another dude that was a genius actor and comedian.

Eddie Murphy delirious was an all-timer (stupid red leather getup aside).

Old Richard Pryor, Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle make me chuckle but rarely double over. Some of it too race driven and political for my tiny brain but I get the gist and applaud their talent.

Seinfeld’s standup I don’t find hysterically funny, but I appreciate the intelligent delivery and innate observations.

Saw Frank Caliendo in Vegas a while back. Again, not doubled over laughing, but a well put together act of his celebrity impressions that after a day of drinking and gambling hit the spot.

Hell, I’m old enough to remember my dad bringing home the old, chrome HBO cheater box a guy at worked hooked him up with.

One of the first things I remember watching on HBO was Bill Cosby Himself. I of course laughed but man my parents were crying with laughter at that one. “…God Dammit get over here! But dad I thought my name was Jesus Christ!” Yes Cosby obviously a sicky, but that was some intelligent, well delivered material.

If I’m HBO and Netflix I re-run some of the all-time classics. Just put on one legendary comedian a month and watch the ratings clobber the crap these new guys are putting out.

Get off my lawn indeed

My wife and I really like John Mulaney.

[Dan Smith--BYU]

Nate Bergatze is a legit stand-up stand-up talent.

He almost saved SNL with his George Washington sketches.