Mama called, and Dave Thomas is returning to his comedy homestead on the Second City stage in Chicago.
The legendary improv comedy enterprise's Canadian satellite launched Thomas' long-running career in comedy, leading to his work on classic sketch comedy show SCTV and his current career as head of his own production company. With Second City preparing to celebrate its 50th anniversary, Thomas (above, center) is heading to the Windy City for the big reunion show.
"I've always been a good friend of Andrew Alexander (Second City's current owner)," Thomas told Wired.com. "He's done a lot to support young comics who've come through Second City over the years. And I want to support that -- and the anniversary."
The Second City reunion is set for Dec. 12, with two shows featuring a collection of classic sketches and a panel reunion of SCTV alums Thomas, Harold Ramis, Catherine O'Hara, Joe Flaherty and Andrea Martin.
It's easy to follow the family tree when it comes to SCTV. The influence of the Canadian comedy powerhouse and its long-form, character-driven sketches runs through countless productions that followed.
Without SCTV (and without Second City's influence in Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles, etc.), you lose The Kids in the Hall, The State and The Upright Citizens Brigade. You give up a huge chunk of casting from Stripes, Ghostbusters and the Christopher Guest movies (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show). And, in terms of the sheer number of talented comics the show pumped into TV and movies, only the longer-running Saturday Night Live can compete.
And Thomas was at the epicenter of SCTV's evolution.
While studying English at Canada's McMaster University, Thomas found himself drawn to theater and comedy. But after graduation, he wasn't the type who'd sacrifice everything for a shot at performing.
"I wasn't going to be a waiter so I could be an actor," Thomas said. "If I was going to be in show business, I was going to be in show business. If I wasn't, I was going to do something else for a living. I was too impatient for that road."
Thomas went on to a brief career as an advertising copywriter before his undeniable flair for comedy brought him back to Toronto and the Second City stage with Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Gilda Radner and Eugene Levy. It was one of those rare points in entertainment history where an extraordinary mix of talented people was drawn together.
"Toronto was a hub for a bunch of cities," Thomas explained. "There wasn't anything going on in Detroit for comics, so that's why Gilda Radner came to Toronto. There wasn't anything going on in Maine, so that's why Andrea Martin came to Toronto. It grew from that central location."
The success of the Toronto Second City company led to the on-again, off-again SCTV sketch comedy series on NBC that helped turn Thomas, Candy, Levy, Ramis, O'Hara, Flaherty and Martin into stars, alongside Rick Moranis and Martin Short.
Once the program settled into a regular cast and time slot on Friday nights after Carson, SCTV's Canadian production locations kept it just far enough off NBC's radar that the writers and cast could so some of the most original and ingenious sketch comedy in the history of television -- earning 13 Emmy nominations and winning two.
Thomas alone came up with such unforgettable creations as Doug McKenzie, Lin Ye Tang and Tim Ishimuni, alongside his spot-on impressions of Bob Hope and Carl Sagan.
This reporter's personal favorite SCTV character was Bill Needle. Melonville's resident media critic (and part-time member of Maudlin's 11), Needle was permanently irritated at his job and the world in general. Thomas has bits prepared for Needle as part of the anniversary show.
"NBC would try to send executives up to us to watch over what we were doing," Thomas said. "But they usually left after a few weeks. The network didn't know what to do with us because we weren't afraid to shut down the show. If they weren't willing to let us do the show the way we wanted to do it, we'd quit."
To a member, the SCTV cast went on to success in movies and other TV shows. As for Thomas, his own sketch show and supporting shots on sitcoms eventually led to his current home at Animax Entertainment, as a founding partner and president. Originally the animation company behind MTV's Popzilla and The Animated Adventures of Bob and Doug McKenzie, the company is growing into live-action and online productions.
But this week, Thomas' focus is on Chicago and the reunion show.
"Generations of comics have come through (Second City) over the years," he said. "And I always look forward to the next generation of talented people coming out of there. Plus, I think the show itself will be a lot of fun."
Images courtesy NBC, Animax Entertainment
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