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Friday, September 8 at 9 p.m.
On CBC Newsworld: Saturday September 9 at 10 p.m. ET
and Sunday September 10 at 7 p.m. ET
The final episode in our series explores how Second City revolutionized
the world of comedy by pioneering improvisation. Hosted by Second City alumnus
Joe Flaherty, the show features a cast of comedy greats who got their start
with Second City, honing their comedic skills by learning to improvise.
The hour is an entertaining blend of comic sketches, movie clips and exclusive
interviews with the likes of Tina Fey, Alan Arkin, Mike Myers, Martin Short,
Patrick McKenna and Colin Mochrie.
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From left: Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy,
and John Candy. |
It all started in Chicago in 1959, when the Second City troupe tried a daring strategy: they took suggestions from the audience, and then improvised the second half of each show. Archival clips feature some of those early skits, where comedians learned to take risks, and found out it wouldn't kill them to fail. Lessons in comedy's high wire act would shape many a stellar career. "I prefer improvisation to reciting lines," says Mike Myers, who performed with Second City before jumping to Saturday Night Live and Hollywood fame. "You don't know what's going to happen next. It's exciting and it was great training."
Martin Short also credits Second City for developing one of his most enduring characters - the lunatic Ed Grimley. "It taught you to trust your instincts, " he says. "Second City was monumental in every aspect of my career." The improvisational skills he learned also helped in the creation of a totally unscripted series featuring the obnoxious talk show host, Jiminy Glick. Even Red Green's nerdy nephew, Harold, was indirectly discovered on a Second City stage. After Steve Smith saw Patrick McKenna perform, he knew he would be perfect for the role. And when "Whose Line" made Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles the most famous improvisers on television, Second City training could again take a bow.
"Improvisation was a nice mix of the actor's brain and the writer's brain working together," says Tina Fey, who rose to fame as co-anchor of Saturday Night Live's Weekend Update. "Second City shaped the kind of writer I am today and everything about me." Early improvisational sketches show Tina working up a scene with Rachel Dratch, and as a stripper lecturing her businessman client on etiquette.
Good improvisers also make good actors and directors, as Second City graduates Alan Arkin and Harold Ramis can attest. Arkin and actor John Cusack improvised much of the film "Gross Point Blank", while Ramis says Bill Murray's role in "Caddyshack" was almost entirely improvised.
Today, Second City continues to train the next generation of comedians. Everywhere there's a Second City stage - from Toronto, Detroit and New York to Las Vegas and L.A. - young hopefuls learn the art of improvisation. For one trainee on the Chicago stage, life has indeed come full circle. Jennifer Candy is performing on the same Second City stage where her father first honed his comedic skills. His name was John Candy.
Links
The Second City
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