Joe Flaherty

Sunday Screening: SCTV – “2009: Jupiter and Beyond”

The 1983-84 season of SCTV was its last…but it was my first! Season six aired bi-weekly on Superchannel in Canada, where I was first introduced to the show. One of our favourite sketches was “2009: Jupiter and Beyond”, the “authorized” sequel to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001.

Starring “Paul Simon” (Rick Moranis), “Art Garfunkel” (Joe Flaherty) and “Ernest Borgnine” (Eugene Levy)!  Co-starring Irving Cohen and Idella Voudry (Martin Short and Mary Charlotte Wilcox)!  Directed by Woody Tobias, Jr (also Levy).  That pesky monolith is up to no good again!  Or is it?

I guess you’ll just have to watch 2009: Jupiter and Beyond yourself to understand the riddle of the monolith.

Sunday Screening: Maudlin O’ the Night (SCTV)

I’ve been watching a lot of classic SCTV lately, and this is the second Sunday Screening from the show.  It’s quirky stuff that resonates only with those who have a more…refined taste in comedy.  Like those of us from the Great White North.

Sammy Maudlin is Joe Flaherty’s late night talk show character.  Maudlin had been doing the late night talk show host thing for years, until an ill-advised 80s reboot under the name Maudlin O’ the Night.  This is a wry satire of Alan Thicke’s Thicke of the Night reboot in the early 1980s.  Sammy kicked out sideman William B. Williams (John Candy) and replaced him with “The Zanies” – four idiots headlined by Howie Soozloff (Martin Short).  Howie Soozloff is a spot-on parody of early period Howie Mandel.

It was Martin Short’s performance as Soozloff that had me in stitches.  Other guests include Henry Kissinger (Eugene Levy) and Jennifer Beals (Andrea Martin).  Maudlin O’ the Night is a trainwreck waiting to happen, so just watch it unfold.

One of my favourite episodes as a kid.

Sunday Screening: The Queen Haters – “I Hate the Bloody Queen”

I haven’t been posting Sunday Screening videos for the last couple weeks. If I’m asking you to watch me for several hours every Friday night, the last thing I want to encourage is even more screen time.

However I’ve also been watching a lot of classic SCTV lately, and this one always comes up.  A spoof of “God Save the Queen”, this is “I Hate the Bloody Queen” by the Queen Haters!

The Queen Haters:

  • Martin Short – lead vocals
  • Eugene Levy – lead guitar
  • Joe Flaherty – bass guitar
  • Andrea Martin – rhythm guitar
  • John Candy – drums

This performance is from Mel’s Rock Pile hosted by Rockin’ Mel Slirrup (Eugene Levy)

“I Hate the Bloody Queen”

I’ve always had a dream
I’d like to meet the Queen
I’d punch her in the face
Yeah, that would make me laugh

I’d love to kick her in the teeth
And then I’d make a picture of it
In lovely Ektachrome
And then I’d give it to the Prince

(Chorus)
I hate the bloody Queen
She made me go to school
I hate the bloody Queen
And all her bloody rules

I’d like to drown the queen
Off the coast of Argentine
Throw her off a battleship
With her Falkland war machine

She taxes me to death
I can’t afford me dope
I’d like to get her high
Yeah, that would make me laugh

(Chorus)

I feel sorry for you Lady Di
Havin’ a mother-in-law like that