SCTV on DVD
Shout! Factory and The Second City collaborated to release five SCTV box sets:
- Volumes 1 - 4 include all of the 90 minute NBC shows (Series 4 and 5)
- The Best Of the Early Years includes 15 half-hour shows selected from Series 2 and 3.
They also released a few discs from the NBC sets individually, along with a Christmas-themed compilation; none of these other releases contain material not already available on the box sets.
In 2012, Volumes 1-4 were repackaged in a 21 disc set called The SCTV Collection.
The remaining Global (Series 1 and 2) and CBC (Series 3) shows, along with the Cinemax (Series 6) shows have never been officially released. While the producers always stated that they hoped to release everything, the campaign is currently on what looks to be permanent hiatus.
This page collects a variety of information about these releases, along with a description of the only official commercial SCTV release prior to the DVDs, the Best of John Candy on SCTV VHS.
See also The Making of SCTV On DVD - exclusive behind the scenes shots of the making of the DVD sets, courtesy The Second City.
All the DVDs are NTSC format, Region 1, and available from fine retailers everywhere.
Volume 1
Released: 8 June 2004
Five discs, includes 24 page colour booklet.
Discs 1 and 4 of this box set were also released separately as a two-volume set by Time Life (released 14 April 2004). The content on these discs is identical to that of the corresponding discs on the box.
Disc 1 and Disc 2 of this set are also available separately at retail.
What's On It
Nine 90 minute episodes from series 4 (episodes 79 through 87, NBC production cycle 1) produced for NBC, and which aired in the spring of 1981.
View the episode information in the Guide
Track Times
Extras
Commentary: Joe Flaherty and Eugene Levy on Polynesiantown and Moral Majority
Featurette: SCTV Reunion from the 1999 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival (63 minutes)
Featurette: SCTV Remembers
Featurette: Origins Of SCTV (25 minutes)
Featurette: The Craft Of SCTV (29 minutes)
Featurette: Remembering John Candy (27 minutes)
Changes
While Shout did a great job securing music for the set, there were some edits. Blow by blow:
- Episode 1: The end credits music has been changed to the Ira Newborn Cycle 2 theme; the original had a recording of "Thanks for the Memories."
- Episode 2: Part 1 of Polynesiantown has been moved forward, swapped with Brenda Vaccaro commercial and Sammy Maudlin. The end credits music ('Do Do Do Da Da Da' by The Police) has been changed to the Ira Newborn Cycle 2 theme.
- Episode 3: The Star Wars music in Empires Are A Girl's Best Friend has been changed to a similar-sounding theme.
- Episode 4: Clean!
- Episode 5: Clean!
- Episode 6: The repeat of Indira has been removed. The Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young music (Gerry Todd Show) has been changed, though the "White Christmas" vocals remain.
- Episode 7: The end credits music has been changed to the Ira Newborn Cycle 2 theme.
- Episode 8: The bumper for The Nobel has been moved from the first break to the very last piece in the show. The Kovak Expert commercial has been moved from segment 2 to segment 5. The bumper for The Tubes on Scuttlebutt Lodge has been removed. A seemingly new (?) bumper for Roy Orbison has been inserted before his performance of "Working for the Man." Bumpers for The Silly Bastard and One On the Town have been reshuffled throughout the show. The end credits music has been changed to the Ira Newborn Cycle 2 theme.
- Episode 9: Max Lax and Shakespeare in the park have been swapped in the running order. The Mckenzie Brothers National Anthem music has been replaced with the GWN theme. Fantasy Island has been moved to the end of the show and its SCTV Afternoon Movie identifier has been removed. Finally, many bumpers have been shuffled.
Note that some of the sketches (e.g., Lee A Iacocca's Rock Concert) from previous series were edited when they were put in the Network 90 shows. The DVDs include the Network 90 edited versions, as originally broadcast by NBC - they were not edited by the DVD producers.
Reviews
DVD Movie Guide
DVD Talk
TV Shows On DVD
DVD Verdict
DVD Authority
DVD Town
The Digital Review
Access Magazine
Audio Video Revolution
A.V. Club: Nathan Rabin blogs watching Cycle 1 on DVD
Volume 2
Released: 19 October 2004
Five discs, includes 24 page colour booklet and postcard.
What's On It
Nine 90 minute episodes from series 4 (episodes 88 through 96, NBC production cycle 2) produced for NBC, and which aired fall/winter of 1981.
View the episode information in the Guide
Extras
Commentary: Dave Thomas, Dick Blasucci and John McAndrew on CCCP1, Andrea Martin and Catherine O'Hara on I'm Taking My Own Head and SCTV Staff Christmas Party
Featurette: The Norman Seeff Photo Sessions (40 minutes)
Featurette: SCTV Remembers 2 - Eugene Levy and Joe Flaherty (14 minutes)
Featurette: The Juul Haalmeyer Dancers - Juul Haalmeyer (9 minutes)
Featurette: The SCTV Writers - Blasucci, McAndrew, Paul Flaherty, Bob Dolman, Mike Short, and Doug Steckler (26 minutes)
Featurette: SCTV Emmy (4 minutes)
Photo Gallery: 62 polaroids behind the scenes
Easter Egg: Zontar the Thing From Venus (5 minutes) (press right arrow while Zontar Play is selected)
Changes
Once again the producers did an exemplary job getting the discs out, but some edits still had to be made. Blow by blow:
- Episode 1: Perry Como is the edited syndicated version. The Cruisin' Gourmet music ('The Disco Strangler') has been replaced; in doing so, a cue was missed (after "the bird is dead") and the laugh track has been replaced with a different one. The end credits music ('We'll Meet Again') has been replaced with the Ira Newborn theme.
- Episode 2: Dusty Towne's renditions of 'Something' and 'Just the Way You Are' have been cut. The outro music for The Fishin' Musician ("Gone Fishin'", performed by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong) has been replaced. Power Play and Cow Malt Liquor have been moved from the end to the middle of the running order.
- Episode 3: In Zontar Wrap Part 2, Edith Prickley singing 'Whistle While You Work' has been cut.
- Episode 4: The Merv Griffin Show has several changes - Merv's rendition of 'Light My Fire' has been replaced; Mrs. Robinson has been replaced; in Heffner's penthouse, Merv's rendition of Graham Nash's Chicago (We Can Change The World) has been cut. The Looney Tunes theme has been replaced at the end of Videodating.
- Episode 5: Gordon Lightfoot no longer sings every song ever written, as Supercalifragalisticexpialidotious has been cut. The end credits music (The Friends of Mr Cairo by Jon and Vangelis) has been changed to the Ira Newborn Cycle 2 theme.
- Episode 6: Clean.
- Episode 7: Clean.
- Episode 8: Music and announcer for the Davey Crockett Fur ad has been replaced. The music for Wishbone's walk on ('Rawhide') in The Lone Ranger Show has been replaced.
- Episode 9: 'Zip a De Doo Dah' was cut from the start of Norman White and The White Scat Chorale.
Reviews
DVD Movie Guide
DVD Verdict
DVD Talk
DVD Town
TV Shows On DVD
Volume 3
Released: 1 March 2005
Five discs, includes 20 page colour booklet; some editions also included a bonus CD Classic Moments From the Second City Stage, featuring audio of sketches from The Second City stage (compiled from the two CDs included in Sheldon Patinkin's book The Second City).
What's On It
Nine 90 minute episodes from series 4 (episodes 97 through 105, NBC production cycle 3) produced for NBC, and which aired spring/summer of 1982.
View the episode information in the Guide
Extras
Commentary: Joe Flaherty, Dick Blasucci and Paul Flaherty on Pre-Teen World Telethon, Dick Blasucci and Mike Short on Rome, Italian Style
Featurette: SCTV at the Museum of Television and Radio (70 minutes)
Featurette: The Producers - Andrew Alexander and Patrick Whitley (29 minutes)
Featurette: That's Life profile of John Candy (6 minutes)
Featurette: SCTV Remembers 3 - Catherine O'Hara and Martin Short (25 minutes)
Photo Gallery: John Candy
Easter Egg: Home Movies (1 minute) (press right arrow while Pet Peeves Play is selected)
Changes
Another DVD set, another set of mostly minor edits. What we've stumbled across so far:
- Episode 1: The Tribute to John Belushi was cut.
- Episode 2: A Harmonica Gang tune is changed in Maudlin's Eleven; Shake 'N Bake features all different music; the noise pollution in National Committee Against Noise Pollution is different.
- Episode 3: The outro music for The Fishin' Musician ("Gone Fishin'", performed by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong) has been replaced.
- Episode 4: Edna Boil audition music by the sax playing family (Benny Hill Theme) has been changed.
- Episode 5: Stairways to Heaven was cut. Linsk Minyik's performance of Stairway to Heaven on the Happy Wanderers was cut. The outro music for The Fishin' Musician ("Gone Fishin'", performed by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong) has been replaced.
- Episode 6: Closing credit music (from Chariots of Eggs) was replaced with the generic theme.
- Episode 7: Clean.
- Episode 8: The outro music for The Fishin' Musician ("Gone Fishin'", performed by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong) has been replaced.
- Episode 9: Music from The Graduate was replaced in The Days of the Week.
Volume 3 does mark the first time an entire sketch (Stairways to Heaven) has been cut. Apparently, Jimmy Page doesn't license Stairway to Heaven, in particular, ever, full stop. Other Zeppelin tunes have been licensed, e.g., Almost Famous, but director Cameron Crowe tried and failed to get Stairway.
Reviews
DVD Movie Guide
DVD Verdict
TV Shows On DVD
DVD Talk
DVD Town
Digitally Obsessed
Pop Matters
Volume 4
Released: 13 September 2005
Six discs, includes 20 page colour booklet and eight trading cards.
What's On It
12 90 minute episodes, all of series 5 (episodes 106 through 177, NBC production cycles 4 and 5) produced for NBC, and which aired in 1982-83.
View the episode information in the Guide: Discs 1-3; Discs 4-6
Extras
Commentary: Joe Flaherty and Martin Short on CBC, Catherine O'Hara and Martin Short on Christmas
Featurette: Hinterland Who's Who (2 minutes)
Featurette: Goin' Down the Road - Jayne Eastwood and Joe Flaherty (8 minutes)
Featurette: SCTV At Play (8 minutes)
Featurette: SCTV Remembers 4 - Martin Short (31 minutes)
Featurette: Sammy Maudlin at Second City - Joe Flaherty (12 minutes)
Featurette: The Producers 2 - Len Stuart (4 minutes)
Featurette: The Red Fisher Show (6 minutes)
Changes
Another DVD set, another set of mostly minor edits. What we've stumbled across so far:
- Episode 1: The Journal hunky boot report music replaced
- Episode 2:
- Episode 3: The John Williams music in the Happy Wanderers Salute has been replaced with vaguely similar polka music; Stars In One theme music ("Off Broadway" by George Benson) replaced, requiring new announcer voiceovers
- Episode 4: Curly no longer sings the theme from The Graduate
- Episode 5:
- Episode 6: Gene Upshaw and Ed Garvey's song on Count Floyd's Scary Little Christmas has been replaced with various frightening sound effects
- Episode 7: Stars In One theme music ("Off Broadway" by George Benson) replaced, requiring new announcer voiceovers
- Episode 8: Sandler and Young's version of 59th Street Bridge Song cut; Stars In One theme music ("Off Broadway" by George Benson) replaced, requiring new announcer voiceovers
- Episode 9:
- Episode 10:
- Episode 11: clean
- Episode 12: The outro music for The Fishin' Musician ("Gone Fishin'", performed by Bing Crosby and Louis Armstrong) has been replaced; Midnight Cowboy II music ("Everybody's Talking" by Nilsson) replaced; Stars In One theme music ("Off Broadway" by George Benson) replaced, also requiring new announcer voiceovers
Miscellaneous bumpers have also been removed throughout the set, and the closing credit music for all shows has been replaced with the generic theme.
Reviews
DVD Movie Guide
DVD Talk
DVD Verdict
Washingtom Times
New York Times
Three discs, includes one insert per disc with episode info.
What's On It
15 30 minute episodes
Three episodes from series 2: Municipal Election (2-6), 30th Anniversary (2-11), and On the Waterfront Again (2-19)
Twelve episodes from series 3: Thursday Night (3-2), My Factory My Self (3-4), Death Motel (3-5), Play It Again Bob (3-7), Gaslight (3-8), Sammy Maudlin (3-11), Hollywood Salutes Its Extras (3-14), Irwin Allen Show (3-15), Big Brother (3-16), Two Way TV (3-17), Midnight Express Special (3-19), and Dick Cavett (3-24)
View the episode information in the Guide: Series 2; Series 3
Extras
Commentary: Joe Flaherty and Robin Duke, Andrew Alexander
Featurette: Looking Back With Andrea Martin
Featurette: The Mackenzie Brothers: Take off, Eh (CBC The Journal profile)
Featurette: SCTV at the Firehall
Changes
- 1 Election:
- 2 30th Anniversary:
- 3 On the Waterfront:
- 4 Thursday Night: Closing credits music changed to the Ira Newborn theme (obscuring Cronkite's rambling monologue)
- 5 My Factory:
- 6 Death Motel: Edna Hymbecker no longer sings Killing Me Softly
- 7 Play It Again, Bob: Closing credits music changed to the Ira Newborn theme
- 8 Gaslight:
- 9 Sammy Maudlin:
- 10 Hollywood Salutes: Star Wars title music in Sneak Previews has been replaced; Hawaii 5-O theme music in Hawaii 5-Ho has been replaced; closing credits music changed to the Ira Newborn theme
- 11 Irwin Allen:
- 12 Big Brother:
- 13 Two Way TV: The Cruisin' Gourmet has been replaced with Tex and Edna Boil from 3-6 (The Lone Ranger Show)
- 14 Midnight Express Special: Randy Newman's performance has been shortened and the music ("Pants") replaced by generic music
- 15 Dick Cavett: Love Boat Deer Hunter promo is cut
Reviews
DVD Movie Guide
DVD Talk
DVD Verdict
Volumes 1-4, all 21 discs, with each set repackaged in keepsake cases.
What's On It
39 90 minute episodes
The entire NBC run, with DVD extras. The discs are identical to the discs in the separate Volumes; each volume comes in its own keepsake DVD case (replacing the digipaks of the original releases), and without the booklets or extras such as trading cards.
Released: 13 September 2005
Single disc with two 90 minute episodes, the first and second episodes of series 4. The disc is identical to Disc 1 on the Volume 1 box, including the extras from that disc.
View the episode information in the Guide: One On the Town; Polynesiantown
Disc 1 was also released as SCTV Volume I by Time Life as part of a two-disc set, along with disc 4 of the volume 1 box set.
Released: 13 September 2005
Single disc with two 90 minute episodes, the third and fourth episodes of series 4. The disc is identical to Disc 2 on the Volume 1 box, including the extras from that disc.
View the episode information in the Guide: Bob Hope In China; Southside Fracas
Released: 19 October 2005
Single disc with two 90 minute Christmas episodes, episode 7 of cycle 2 (included in the Volume 2 box), and episode 6 of cycle 4 (included in the Volume 4 box), with the same commentary tracks. Also includes the Juul Haalmeyer featurette from the Volume 2 DVD box set.
View the episode information in the Guide: SCTV Staff Christmas Party; Christmas
Reviews
IGN Filmforce
Rhino Recommends
VHS, 60 minutes, released in 1992. Prior to the DVDs, this was the only officially released SCTV.
This is a 60 minute compilation of SCTV bits featuring John Candy, including the following sketches:
Street Beef Wrap 1: Caballero's Office (4/3-9)
Commercial: 5 Neat Guys Gold (4/2-4)
SCTV Sports: Battle of the PBS Stars Part 1: Boxing (boxing scene only) (4/3-7)
excerpt Half Wits (5/5-1)
excerpt The Millionaire (2-7)
excerpt Promo: Liberace's Musical Tribute to the Holidays (4/2-7)
Promo: Monster Chiller Horror Theatre: Dr Tongue's 3D House of Stewardesses (4/1-6)
Promo: Hey, Giorgy! (4/2-1)
Commercial: Jake Lamotta's Raging Bull-B-Q (4/1-8)
Commercial: Shmenge Travel (4/3-5)
Farm Film Celebrity Blow-Up: Dustin Hoffman as Tootsie (5/5-1)
Commercial: Harry's Discount Sex Shop (4/1-6)
excerpt SCTV Staff Party Part 2 (4/2-7)
Leave It to Beaver 25th Anniversary Party (1-15)
excerpt The Sammy Maudlin Show: 23rd Anniversary Part 1 (1959) (5/4-1)
excerpt Promo: Stars in One: Steve Roman (5/5-1)
excerpt Fantasy Island (violin scene) (2-18)
Commercial: Tommy Shanks - Get Him Out of There (5/4-3)
Promo: Small Town Dick (4/2-4)
excerpts Days of the Week (4/3, 5/2)
What's My Shoesize? (2-11)
Commercial: K-I-L Ammo (4/2-9)
excerpt The Godfather Part 1: The Wedding (4/2-6)
Street Beef: Christmas Part 1 (4/2-7)
excerpt Dusty Towne Sexy Holiday Special (4/2-7)
excerpt Alfred Hitchcock Presents (2-14)
excerpt The Tim Ishimuni Show (4/1-2)
Street Beef: Christmas Part 2 (4/2-7)
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