Great stuff, and just remembering the first time I saw some of these made me laugh out loud (discomfiting, as I'm at work, but it pays to freak out the coworkers at times). I'm especially happy that the Pryor/Chase and 'Argument Clinic' sketches made both lists.
I'm still amazed that there's nothing listed from the original "Laugh-In," or "Flip Wilson" (what, no Geraldine?).
One favorite of mine was from "Fridays": The Ronny Horror Show, which managed to skewer both the Reagan administration AND a certain, beloved midnight movie. The Gipper in the Frank N. Furter part, Poppy Bush as Riff the bulter, and Tricky Dick in the Eddie slot ("Whatever happened to Watergate?!"). Reagan's Rocky monster turns out to be a black militant, and the Brad & Janet ultimately reveal themselves to be left-coast radicals ("Let's fight the system again!")
I've only seen this in horrible multiple-generations-removed copies, and I can't tell you who played what. Still a damn funny piece from an otherwise useless show.
LM, you need to give more warning with these sketches. Nearly spewed on a brand new laptop, and I'm still picking coffee soaked bread crumbs outta my nose..
man, Canadians are to comedy what Belgians are to chocolate.
schweet!
What makes the Conway outtakes so fantastic to me is seeing the other cast members struggle so mightily to keep it together. You can see the same thing if you search for "Stuart Bloopers" from MadTV, which in the mid-late-90's had some very talented people. On Saturdays when I was on-duty, since I was going to be up late anyway, I always made it a point to watch. I would count their "Wizard of Oz Lost Ending" as one of my favorites.
Also, Monty Python's "Piranha Brothers" sketch, a show within the show with a quick visual reference to their revered "Silly Walks" sketch.
And SCTV's "Tex and Edna Boil's Prairie Warehouse and Curio Emporium" series.
Carol Burnett, Laugh-In, Flip Wilson, Dick Van Dyke, and a lot of others were stuff you could watch with your parents and yes, it was wonderfully entertaining, but Monty Python and SCTV were 1) from someplace else, not the US, 2) on late at night. Mom and Dad didn't necessarily "get" them, and so they seemed more subversive. But oh, so funny.
And regarding Bill Murray's turn as Joe DiMaggio--how many other people have you ever heard attempt a Joe DiMaggio impersonation, let alone get the voice intonation right? I bet if 'ol Joe ever saw this skit, he was not pleased.
All good picks, LM. The Argument Clinic has long been on my list of favorite Monty Python skits.
Though for sheer gob-smacking silliness, I still say it's hard to beat the Fish-Slapping Dance.
I'm surprised, though, that no one's yet mentioned The Young Ones.
Favorite SNL piece: Last Voyage of the Starship Enterprise. Nobody would think of Belushi as Capt. Kirk, but IMHO he nailed it. And the moment where Aykroyd's Spock tossed logic out the porthole and lost his cool was hysterical.
Belushi's Don't Look Back in Anger is another favorite...especially a later, tribute version where, after JB says "I'm a dancer!" they cut to him dancing as Jake Blues.
i have also been surprised at the lack of marx brothers in these lists. most of their movies/stage shows were done by stringing vaudeville sketches into a sloppy framework of a story. groucho's turn with the parliament of fredonia, the production number to war we're gonna go from duck soup, the "why a duck?" bit from the coconuts all classics.
i keep a good supply of marx brothers handy, them, and a banjo is better than prozac.
SCTV: Bunker-Buster of Comedy.
We breed 'em funny up here, what can I say?
Must also give props to a TeeVee series named for another glorious Canuck troupe, from Newfoundland: CODCO. If you can get their stuff anywhere, do so - consumption of food & beverages during viewing constitutes a severe choking hazard. Think "Kids In The Hall" with the "Harsh" button dialed up several notches. They seemed to consider offensiveness to be a vitamin, so it's NOT light-hearted fare. Newfoundland had a major Catholic-priest pedophile scandal in the 1980s ... & these folks were all over it like ugly on a duck. Mary Walsh from CBC's "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" is a CODCO alumnus.
All of the above mentioned skits are great. I'm surprised no one has mentioned any great sketches from "A Bit of Fry and Laurie." For the longest time, it was difficult to find in the US, but is now abundant and available on DVD. They had a nod to Python in their approach but F&L were wholly unique comedians.
This one is my all time favorite. Puts me on the ground laughing every time:
The Subject of Language
And for the more politically minded:
Young Tory of the Year
Aw man, that SCTV stuff takes me back. CCCP-1, Moscow Television. I Was A Teenage Communist.
Forget it Johnny; it's Polynesiantown.
I've always been partial toward Monty Python's 'Dead Parrot' skit.
The Kids in the Hall had a big hand in crafting my sense of humor. Yes, it's very twisted. I came mighty close to actually puking when I saw that Chicken Lady sketch the first time. I'd just never seen anything that gross on TV.
The Upright Citizens Brigade "ass pennies" sketch that was on the IFC list is also simply ingenious.
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