Word: second
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...With SNL a breakout hit, Second City executives decided to develop a sketch-comedy series of their own, launching SCTV in 1976. In its early days, SCTV was aired only on Canadian television. The cast included standouts from the troupe's Toronto branch such as John Candy and Eugene Levy. The series introduced the stereotypical, "eh"-saying Canadian brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie, played with aplomb by Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis. The McKenzie brothers hosted The Great White North, a commentary show with topics ranging from Canada's geography to tutorials on how to trick beer companies into giving...
...Second City co-owner and chief executive Andrew Alexander attributes this to the intelligence expected of cast members: "Respect your audience. Keep the bar as high as you can. Don't talk down to your audience, and don't go for the obvious joke." The troupe - whose early members included Mike Nichols, Joan Rivers and Del Close - became known for its brainy wit as seen in sketches like "Football Comes to the University of Chicago." The routine shows a coach's unsuccessful attempt to teach four students the rules of the game. But they can't seem to operate outside...
...Second City moved down the street into a bigger venue. While its décor and ethos remained intact, the late '60s and early '70s brought a number of changes. The new generation of comedians - including Belushi and Harold Ramis - was coming in and bringing with it a style of comedy that reflected the radical attitudes of the time. Belushi performed six nights a week, perfecting the physical gonzo style of comedy he would later make famous. (See John Belushi in TIME's top 10 post-SNL careers...
...Second City opened a second theater in Toronto. When Sahlins scouted the city, he found not only an extensive talent pool, but also considerable local support. Sahlins enlisted Alexander, a Canadian entrepreneur who had briefly worked at a Chicago theater, to run it. The new venue "struggled for a while" as he remembers, but soon the outlook for Second City - and its brand of satiric comedy - changed forever. On Oct. 11, 1975, Lorne Michaels, along with fellow NBC employee Dick Ebersol and president of the network Herb Schlosser, launched Saturday Night Live, a genre-defining mix of music and sketch...
...likes of Aykroyd, Radner and Belushi started to appear on SNL, Second City got a reputation as a breeding ground for up-and-coming comics. Sahlins would sometimes refuse entry to poachers, including Michaels, because it distracted the actors and changed their motives for performing at Second City...