THX7966

GROUND-BREAKING COMEDY "SCTV" DEBUTS ON HOME VIDEO FROM SHOUT! FACTORY

SCTV NETWORK/90, VOLUME 1

5-Disc Boxed Set Includes Nine 90-Minute Episodes Featuring the Comic Genius of John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara and Dave Thomas, Plus Bonus Material including Four New Documentaries and the 1999 Aspen Comedy Arts Festival Program, In Stores June 8th


LOS ANGELES, CA - Welcome to Melonville (of the Tri-State area), home of the SCTV television network and programs such as popular game show "What's My Shoe Size?," disco dance program "Mel's Rock Pile" and Canada's intelligent talk show "Great White North." SCTV is once again "On The Air." Eighteen years after production ended on the original episodes, the two-time Emmy(r)-winner* SCTV will be available for the first time on home video, in the form of a 5-disc DVD set from Shout! Factory. Starring comedy's brightest northern lights Eugene Levy (American Wedding), Joe Flaherty (National Security), Andrea Martin (My Big Fat Greek Wedding), Catherine O'Hara (A Mighty Wind), Dave Thomas (Who's Your Daddy?) and the late John Candy (Uncle Buck), the DVD set includes the first cycle of nine, 90-minute episodes that aired on NBC, new interviews with writer Harold Ramis (Analyze That), producers, cast and crew, and more. SCTV Network/90 - Volume 1 will be available on June 8th for $89.98 (suggested retail price).

When Shout! Factory COO Bob Emmer began researching licensing for SCTV, he was surprised to learn the series had never been released on home video, in any format. "We began dealing with the vast music clearance issues and, after more than a year of hard work, we were able to obtain the necessary licenses to enable us to release the first boxed set. This collection will make even the most serious fans very happy," remarks Emmer.

SCTV Network/90 - Volume 1 contains nine, unedited 90-minute episodes including appearances by unforgettable characters Johnny LaRue, Yellowbelly, Edith Prickley, Bob and Doug McKenzie, and Lola Heatherton, and hilarious shows such as "Sid Dithers Private Eye," "Monster Chiller Horror Theatre," "Mr. Science," "High Q," "The Sammy Maudlin Show," and the Bob Hope/Woody Allen parody "Play It Again, Bob." These episodes also feature plenty of promo and commercial spoofs, and performances by musical legends Levon Helm, Dr. John and Southside Johnny. The 5-disc set contains four new documentaries: "SCTV Remembers" with original cast members Levy, Flaherty, O'Hara, Thomas and Martin, and executive producer Andrew Alexander (and co-owner of The Second City theater); "Origins of SCTV" with vintage photos and clips from Chicago's Second City Theatre; "The Craft of SCTV" with costume, hair and make-up designers; "Remembering John" with original cast, actor Martin Short, writers, and Bernard Sahlins, The Second City theater co-founder and producer 1959-1985; "SCTV Reunion" from the 1999 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival hosted by Conan O'Brien. The SCTV Network/90 - Volume 1 DVD set will be packaged with a 24-page booklet containing an introduction by Alexander, and essays and tributes by O'Brien, Ben Stiller, Fred Willard, Dan Ackroyd and Dr. John, accompanied by images of rare photographs and memorabilia.

TomOpus

LasVegasMichael

Definately picking this one up!

Wannabe

I loved the the first 30-minute shows, but apparently there's some licensing or rights issues with them. I hope they're released some day.

Sex Fiend

Awesome news !! This is one of my holiest of holy grails on DVD. Hopefully, there will be other season sets to follow. I'm concerned to hear of the issues/problems with the earlier 30 minute show seasons, however. Those shows are indispensible to SCTV fans, although many of the skits were reprised in the first set of 90 minute shows that aired on NBC in the early 80's.

Can't wait for June !

Buford T Pusser

I was about to post the info.

I loved this show and will be getting this.

Shout Factory is a new force-first Freaks and Geeks, now this!

Copenhagen

I never saw the show and was wondering if I enjoyed things like Mr Show and the Ben Stiller show would this be up my alley?

SideShow

Wow, this has been one of my top DVD wants, thanks so much for posting this!

Copenhagen- the humor is nothing like Mr Show or Ben Stiller (for one thing this show is over 20 years old) but it's hilarious and anybody who loves sketch comedy should check it out.

Darryl

I've been waiting for this box set since I heard rumors floating around about a January 2004 release. Here's to hoping more sets follow!

Jack Straw

What, no Bobby Bitman (aka Eugene Levy) "How Are Yaaahh..." sketch? Loved the Bitman line where they are doing an ancient Rome gladiator sketch and he gives out a shout to the "Caesarian section" of the crowd.

BassDude

Bobby Bitman doing "On the Waterfront...Again!"

I was gonna post this as well, but shoulda known my DVDTalk counterparts would already have the info.

Finally!!! And a day before my B-day!

Jack Straw

The could nomiate his eyebrows for a best supporting facial hair Emmy.

Andalusia

Awesome! I need my Count Floyd fix.

Jazzbutcher

I wonder if this will be available in the tiny Republic of Togo.

Buford T Pusser

Episode guide:

www.sctvguide.ca/episodes/sctveps.htm

The Exister

Mmmmmm... Andrea Martin....

Deke Rivers

great news! where did you get this info from?

Daytripper

Best news all week. What a great great GREAT show! So many hilarious characters/skits. What was the one where Martin Short played a child star on some sitcom that lasted years? Where he actually played a kid the entire time. And his TV mom apparently couldn't get any work towards the end of the show other than some dancing pickle in commercials. I believe it was called "Oh That Rusty". And Rusty's catch phrase was "Al-righ-ty!" and he whiped his hands. Does anyone remember this?

BassDude

Looks like it came from here:

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=1101

jough

So this isn't a season set, just a best of?

I don't know. I may start buying if they released them all eventually, but remember those best of South Park and Friends discs, which were replaced later with full season sets?

Yeah. I'm torn, because I'd love to have SCTV on DVD, but not like this.

Yancy

I'm with you on Andrea Martin... and let's not forget Catherine O'Hara!

And to the guy who was asking how SCTV compares to "Ben Stiller" and "Mr. Show" - "SCTV" is way, way more inspired, and obviously less a product of these "ironic" times. "Stiller" and "Mr. Show" were all about ribbing existing cliches, there wasn't that much true comic invention going on. Gen-X has a real problem with just going for it and being funny - most of our humor is of the ironic, removed kind (and it sucks)

But "SCTV" is more a product of the original counter-culture, and therefore far more pure and inspired...

TheAllPurposeNothing

Actually, after checking the SCTV episode guide link Buford T. Pusser posted, this set is definitely not a best of. It seems to contain the first cycle of the 4th season. So, instead of a full season, its the first third.

When they first started talking about doing a full third season box, I thought they were crazy anyway. That's 27 90 min episodes, which would have been a massive undertaking. You're talking about nearly 36 hours of programming (without commericals). That's approx. 10 discs without any extras.

Makes more sense to break them up, IMHO.

jough

All of the SCTVs I know and love were only 1/2 hour long anyway.

Bah.

Sex Fiend

Yes, this is most definitely a 'proper' release in the sense that it is the actual original shows, as broadcast by NBC in the early 80's when they first picked it up out of syndication. It is unfortunate that it will only be the first nine episodes of season four - the remaining 18 eps of that season contained much of the better stuff from that season. On the plus side, the first nine eps did reprise many bits done during the three seasons when SCTV was in half hour syndication.

I'm just hoping that we won't be left hanging and that all of the remaining cycles/seasons (including the original three in syndication) will be released on a timely basis.

Rico Diablo

I agree with SideShow that the feel is very different. It's really got a low-budget feel to it and it's...different.

But hilarious. I'll definitely be picking this up.