SCTV - The William B. Show

Broadcast 02/18/83. At least Irving Cohen shows up.
From my dilapidated tape collection. And whatever the hell...

[@Jack1839]

William B. was definitely one of my favorite John Candy characters. Candy's portrayal of the anxious and awkward William B. with that unique nervous laugh was endearing and brilliant. The interactions between William B., Sammy Maudlin, Bobby Bitman, Skip Bitman, Lola H., Irving C. and others with their gamut of raw emotions were always hilarious and priceless. Thanks for the posting and thank you SCTV!

[@bufnyfan1]

I think William B. was a parody of Ed McMahon, Johnny Carson's announcer

[@mrnastey9]

So brilliant. John Candy was amazing and SCTV was the most underrated comedy show of all time.

[@garylobo348]

Could not agree more. And Candy was the straw that stirred the drink.

[@hoibsh21]

Every year SNL pats itself on the back by running an anniversary special every few months.

[@ryanpeterson8668]

Wasn't underrated in our house..always caught it. It was frustrating trying to get other people into it however

[@james414]

SCTV was the best!

[@jeanniemainzer8551]

It blew SNL away. Way more talent. I watched it all the time in my teens, but I appreciate it more now at 60.

[@kengruz669]

Never before or since has a talk show host had such a memorable entrance and exit for their first and only episode.

[@chaplainmattsanders4884]

😂😂

[@missmeow8791]

John Candy makes me cry laughing to this day. Such a brilliant comedy legend. Miss him!

[@garybeauchamp3623]

He was underrated. He was great in SCTV and the movies he did. We miss you John.

[@adamfitzgerald911]

Irving Cohen is most likely the greatest forgotten character in comedy.

[@theBaron0530]

Yep. There are probably a lot of people who know, "Give me a 'C', a bouncy 'C'!" and don't know where it comes from.

[@magmasunburst9331]

I found an old two volume biography of Washington that was an Irving Cohen dedication volume as some kind of gift/promotion he did.

[@jamespfitz]

On EBay I recently found a 78 of him doing a duet with Ben Bernie on "Nagasaki"

[@fjccommish]

The man had talent. I wrote a song about it./ Irving Cohen, a talented man, who writes the music he can. It has a beat, and you can dance to it, he's clever at making lyrics. You don't get this kind of talent today. Dah dah dah,...whatever the hell else you want to put in there.

[@margaretross9150]

@@fjccommish 🎶

[@edwardmcintosh01]

OMG, bad jokes, bad timing, bad coordination, runaway guest = a great show. Long live William B !

[@tomh.2405]

He's the Spinal Tap of talk-show hosts.

[@ModMokkaMatti]

Runaway host. 💥

[@jasonhurd4379]

Love the crickets during William B's opening monologue. And I think Irving Cohen is my spirit animal.

[@h20-p6g]

So funny, the crickets.

[@maxshenkwrites]

And the sound of coughing in the audience.

[@danielschnee2666]

I used to watch these sketches on TV back in the day when they first aired. The thing that was so great was that they were for anyone. Kids loved the slapstick, the adults loved the not-so-subtle digs at various stars and politicians... this was pure gold for everyone. And as you grew up you started to get more and more of the references, so they got better and better as time went on. Irving Cohen to this day is still an iconic Canadian TV character...

[@42awww]

We were watching the night this aired, as was our Friday night custom by this point. NO social event could stop us. The first time we saw this, we roared with unrestrained laughter. The kind where one can't breathe. Forty years later, it still stands as an absolute SCTV classic.

[@dragonflysurgeon]

"Roy? What the hell kinda name is Roy?" I say this in my head every time I hear the name Roy. Remembering this comedy genius since I was 12

[@lancasterII]

"The William B. Show will NOT be seen again next week." Ten minutes in and cancelled. Even Guy Cabellero has his limits.

[@fjccommish]

If Johnny Larue had been the producer, he would have been able to get it at least 13 minutes.

[@h20-p6g]

@@fjccommishThey could never take a meeting together so he to go elsewhere. It's too bad though because LaRue knew how to turn the screws. He would have got William B 13 minutes and a crane shot. 👍

[@fjccommish]

@@h20-p6g I think LaRue could have gotten Bittman as a guest.

[@h20-p6g]

@@fjccommish True. Despite his fame I don't think Bittman was hard to get. But he could carry a show and he'd take the heat off William B for an hour. You might have saved the William B show if only they'd asked you- the universe is so needlessly cruel.

[@fjccommish]

@@h20-p6g Don't pretend LaRue wouldn't have done the same thing as I suggested. The man was a genius. He had the chops to get it done, the pull in the biz if you will. Bittman could have carried the opening show. You put Bittman and Lola Heatherton on this show regularly, make the Shmenge Brothers the music directors, and the William B. show would still be going today.

[@joegausch]

"So Jolson comes to my office he says write me a tune I say Jolson that's fine but pass me the spoon" Words to live by !!!

[@tomh.2405]

I love the little crunching sound every time he puts his weight on his wounded ankle.

[@postatility9703]

Candy gives a clinic in how to make awkward as brilliantly funny as possible.To see Candy and Short together again is simply priceless!

[@loyaldude10]

Martin Short was absolutely brilliant. actually all of the SCTV people were

[@donmoore7785]

The biggest of the Half Wits!

[@free2roam674]

My favourite Jerry Lewis impression as well. Absolute classic, just like the show.

[@sashek8451]

His Jiminy Glick shows the brilliance of his improv skills, I can never get enough 😂😂😂

[@davidells6760]

William B is the anti- Jiminy Glick

[@JCO2002]

I remember this from years ago in Canada. SCTV was brilliant. I never understood the attraction for SNL. Poor, vague, uncompleted sketches that relied mostly on mugging for the camera. SCTV rules.

[@BrianSmith-ix3ns]

Python taught us and them that a bitskitsketch don't need no stinking ending...or a beginning or a middle for that trapped in a format box

[@BrianSmith-ix3ns]

matter

[@daveerickson9524]

In my opinion "you got that right"

[@argelbargel7680]

@@BrianSmith-ix3ns I would argue, but it would just be contradictions.

[@user-cp3cz5lv4o]

JCO2002 Spot on. SCTV > SNL always.

[@schizoidboy]

The sad thing is this is the William B Show is probably more entertaining than most things you see on TV these days.

[@schizoidboy]

@Sean Myers And that's the best you can come up with..?

[@robkunkel8833]

My sister, who is ... was ... in TV “these days”, after reading your comment, committed suicide, yesterday. It was the final straw. It’s not your fault. She was in and out of rehab. Sad how cruel life can be. Thanks.

[@schizoidboy]

@@robkunkel8833 I'll say a prayer for her.

[@biasedjedi4353]

@@robkunkel8833 Not a funny joke.

[@racheldiederich838]

@@robkunkel8833 all of us need to remember how things we do and say effects others.

[@stevea.7406]

Brilliant forced laughter...he had to create a perfect blend of pain, fear and insecurity that sounded like laughter.

[@42awww]

Which stemmed from his own feelings of inadequacy. He got over it thankfully for him. And us.

[@Margatroid]

I love how it sounds like he's crying.

[@hotpoint76]

Holy crap! About time someone posted this masterpiece!

[@edwardmcintosh01]

Well said, this is a masterpiece....wish there were a couple of skits of his "show"

[@shaggystair9549]

It is like witnessing a birth of a black hole by a star folding in on itself. This is one of the greatest bits of all comedy!!

[@AmyLSacks]

There's a little William B. in us all.

[@oggjoshua]

Now that is how you tell a McLean Stevenson joke!

[@dondajulah4168]

Many have tried, few have mastered

[@iancurtisspectre3744]

Poor Mac...66 and out...Larry Linville only made it to 60...damn M*A*S*Hame

[@BigDogCountry]

HELLO LARRY!

[@howardstern666]

One of my favorite Irving Cohen lines.

[@klondikebelridge1996]

@@BigDogCountry I had crush on the 2 daughters on that show as a 10 or so year old.

[@positivelastaction3957]

Love the crickets. SCTV was the best sketch comedy ever.

[@DPaine-rg6iz]

that giggle willam b. does kills me everytime

[@garylobo348]

That was Candy's staple, his go-to... That fake-sincere laugh of his... And it's the funniest one I've ever seen any human being do. Gets me every single time.

[@PositiveLastAction]

William B. Best second banana in all of Mellonville.

[@cheapthrilll6323]

PositiveLastAction thats saying alot.

[@fjccommish]

When you're a second banana, you're still a banana.

[@positivelastaction3957]

@@fjccommish True

[@Mickju]

There's nothing this funny these days.

[@sckarow]

I love how Cohen casually puts down William B on his own show.

[@garylobo348]

Nothing casual about it my friend...

[@sckarow]

@@garylobo348 Were Martin Short and John Candy having a feud or something?

[@Vichedges]

@@sckarow That or they were just playing characters on a fictional show. Definitely one of those.

[@fjccommish]

Cohen was a giant of the industry. He had talent more in his little finger than William B ever had. But there's a place for a second banana...to make talented people look more talented while at the same time bringing down the talent on the stage so the average person isn't too intimidated.

[@stevecathym3566]

Candy's forced laugh through clenched teeth gets me Every. Single.Time.

[@gordongordon98]

Steve & Cathy M reminds me of Brandt in the big lebowski

[@robkunkel8833]

Every single time. Yes.

[@tomh.2405]

And the bonus is that his anguished cries as he's walking off the stage at the end sound pretty much exactly like his forced laugh.

[@gxulien]

Even funnier when interspersed with, "Please, Mr. Caballero".

[@outtathyme5679]

Candy brought real pathos to his performances

[@h20-p6g]

Yes, he could make it a real challenge when he wanted to.

[@fjccommish]

Yes. William B didn't leave because he was angry at being insulted, belittled. He left because he took it to heart that he's not talented, and he concluded he was bringing down the show.

[@edwardst.boniface7469]

Absolutely agree - one thing about William B is, although he's hopeless and a joke and totally unsuited to the career, you FEEL for him too. John Candy puts the character right between absurd and sad-sack at the same time in a way that makes you care as well as laugh. This is why I love SCTV - there was this incredible acting that went along with the LOL comedy...

[@mattyboyanderson]

@@edwardst.boniface7469 Thank you for pointing this out. I was trying to determine exactly why the SCTV crew was better than anyone else; they're not only funny, but all brilliant actors on top of it. No wonder they all work so well in the Christopher Guest films, and elsewhere.

[@eveltyler7688]

@@mattyboyanderson ...I think this is why some of the characters from SCTV itself, and the talented characters who invented and portrayed them did so unexpectedly well like Ed Grimley who had his own animated show, and 'The Hosers' Bob & Doug McKenzie who actually had their own movie STRANGE BREW. There was always a core of humanity there to identify with and laugh with, not just at them. Yes they were caricatures, but affectionate ones. Many of the SCTV people like Rick Moranis, Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara and particularly Martin Short did well in their Hollywood careers because they had that empathy in their performances. And they really did have to earn their skills, the budgets for SCTV were tiny even by usual TV standards and they made the most of what they had from the beginning...

[@assateaguecottage8378]

Those old low budget local shows were hysterically bad. Joe Franklin comes to mind. It was so terrible but you had to watch it. This skit captures that perfectly

[@lanechange2795]

The William B show will NOT be seen again next week.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

THANK you for reminding me of this classic! Martin Short's "Give me a C! A bouncy C!"

[@bareknuckles2u]

OMG, this is so intense! It's hilarious and embarrassing at the same time. The way they worked with dead air time was amazing. I can't imagine a show today having the nerve to do that. I might be wrong on that. I wouldn't know for sure because I stopped watching tv shows.

[@TyrSkyFatherOfTheGods]

"Give me a C - a bouncy C!" I love Irving.

[@BrianSmith-ix3ns]

with a Quantro and sody

[@jasonhurd4379]

Da-dada-da, da dada da

[@timmmahhhh]

@@jasonhurd4379 ...and whatever the hell else you want to throw in there!

[@saltdog1497]

A hit tune!

[@toadelevator]

Short shows total trust there at 4:26 ! One of the greatest sketches this crew ever did imho.

[@MultiCappie]

Not ahead of "Vikings and Beekeepers".

[@porflepopnecker4376]

It's THE greatest.

[@MrJDOaktown]

@@MultiCappie Don't forget bathing.

[@tuskedbeast]

To present a procession of intentionally un-funny, tortured and/or hostile characters is such radical, weird television, then or now. But what's even more bizarre is the HEART in these characters. SCTV was brilliant.

[@kamuzu]

Sammy Maudlin surprise appearance on William B's first show............pure genius , pure gold.

[@garylobo348]

Right. Just like Bob Hope (Dave Thomas) would walk into Sammy's show, with absolutely nothing to say besides hyping his upcoming lame specials. That's Gold Jerry, Gold!

[@sralyn]

@@garylobo348 Didn't Britney Spears walk into Letterman's show once?

[@janemarinelli2838]

John Candy was brilliant😥

[@NevadaBoss]

"da deee da dee...and whatever the hell else u wanna put in there..." . they dont write em like that anymore...(ps..little inside joke in the opening monologue..."As much as I love Sammy & Company"...which was the actual name of the real Sammy Davis show that Maudlin parodied. God this show as so fkn brilliant...

[@jeanniemainzer8551]

John Candy's little giggle is so infectious. He did it on "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" as well, and it never failed to make me smile. We sure lost a good one too soon with his passing.

[@jaytaylor7740]

I thought I'd seen all the SCTV eps, but I don't remember this one. Poor William B; from one humiliation to another. Thanks for posting and thanks for all the comments below.

[@yenomeerf]

LA DA DA ...DEE DEE DEE.. And whatever the hell else you wanna put in it.

[@BrianSmith-ix3ns]

Shut the fuck up Vick Dick

[@h20-p6g]

It's so so funny.

[@h20-p6g]

@@BrianSmith-ix3ns That's enough glue for the night. What the hell is the matter with you?

[@Local_yokels_monsters_myths]

I just think about the movies John Candy could have done, I miss this man. He brought me joy and a deep down laugh that none else could!!!

[@laurawestervelt476]

We love the Irving Cohen show!

[@MerkinMuffly]

Whatever the hell else you want to throw in there.

[@plekkchand]

Candy was a virtuoso.

[@lovedicedtomatoes9653]

John Candy had me in tears during this. So funny.

[@michaelmccall3234]

Seeing Irvin Cohen come out on the show was hilarious!! When he slowly buttons his jacket and it stays unbuttoned....and when William B. finally pushes him down into his chair...Priceless!!

[@porflepopnecker4376]

My all-time favorite SCTV sketch! And it's STILL better than "The Chevy Chase Show"!

[@1515gator1]

I love how William B. shoves Cohen down into his seat both times.

[@michaelmccall3234]

Hilarious!!

[@illcuration]

I'd watch the William B. show over anything on late night. Candy=Genius

[@paulbrennan5646]

What a great opening, lots of laughs!!!

[@jrm2383]

Bringing the ratings down, so you start your own show? Hilarious!

[@flashkaput]

Yeah I grew up on SNL but it's been SCTV that's seared into my brain

[@BrianSmith-ix3ns]

you need a Paul Fistinyourface...no relation to a certain Mr. Throatwobbler-Mangrove-Luxury-Yachet

[@lancasterII]

If I could get Irving Cohen's entry cue music as a ringtone, I'd totally use it.

[@tomh.2405]

The smoked aviator glasses are a nice touch.

[@ryanpeterson8668]

William B rocked them well

[@kevinsmith5318]

SCTV was one of the best shows ever. The wit and intelligence of it, the characters, entertained this Canuck to no end. SNL doesn’t hold a candle to it.

[@donmoore7785]

I still miss John Candy, and always will. Martin Short honing his impersonation skills, years before bringing us Jiminy Glick.

[@garylobo348]

Can you imagine Jiminy Glick interviewing William B? It's too wonderful to even think about. Two hours wouldn't be enough!

[@sralyn]

@@garylobo348 That would rule!

[@richardherbst8081]

"There goes a %100 yutz! "

[@billyrock8305]

Greatest talk show in history. Watched it every Saturday as a kid. Once got Williams autograph after a show. A funny gentleman! Even Gave me his broken Bic pen! I did smell booze though. 😳 🍺

[@crusty21]

Love it....This skit was probably what scared Ed McMayhem from going solo...or ever inviting Irving Cohen on the tonight show.

[@fjccommish]

I like to watch....SCTV...it's on the KZbin...great memories...of all the funny things...those people did..and they were funny....and daa daa daa whatever the hell else you want to put in there.

[@jedibill111]

You know, life just ain't be the same since the cancelled the William B show.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Poor William B. Walks off his own show.

[@crs290]

For one brief, shining moment, Sammy hosted two talk shows in the same night.

[@yenomeerf]

I think martin short did this bit on Carson's tonight show. Trying to find it still.

[@theBaron0530]

He reprised the character on SNL, in the "Broadway Gumby Rose" sketch. "Det's not a Morey Amsterdam sandwich! I'll tell you what goes into a Morey Amsterdam sandwich! Give me a 'C', a bouncy, 'C'!..."

[@bkatbamna]

Awesome. Thanks for posting.

[@eatanddrinklikeaeuropean7608]

Thanks for putting this up! I love this one!

[@Renegade_2023]

SCTV still has the ability to make me snort laugh!

[@goldenagenut]

" We're going to be going to a commercial...no we're not..." 😆 I still miss John Candy, dern it. " There goes a 100% yutz." Lol Martin Short has always been a riot, still is!

[@krisscanlon4051]

Watch that lunatic Martin Short in his prime oh I love this character oh my God too good

[@99baji99]

His character on Kimmie Schmidt is b-a-n-a-n-a-s-BANANAS! He never lost it. When he pulled out Jackie Rogers Jr. on What's Up with That I lost it.

[@brownsugar2456]

You'll always be a star to me John 🌟

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

This is one of the few long sketches that's great!

[@pmatula3080]

Poor William B. Who booked Irving Cohen?

[@lancasterII]

A GENIUS booked the king of songwriting!

[@marlinperkins6910]

Now, Irving, THAT is the kind of first guest on your new talk show!

[@djrychlak4443]

I preferred the William B. Show to the Tonight Show back in the day. And Sammy Maudlin was the king. Those were heady times for late night entertainment.

[@garylobo348]

I love how Irving Cohen high-steps his way onto the set. 85 and aging fast... And then rips William B a new one at every opportunity. Some first guest. Kinda like Bill Murray with Letterman.

[@jabronicamel1957]

John Candy RIP

[@dangottlieb5383]

Hidden within the brilliant hilarity of John Candy's character is a very tragic and deep philosophical moment: at about 9:45 you can see William B. having an existential epiphany in which he see's the truth of his own absurd existence and actually does something very brave: walks off his own show and exclaims to himself and to the world "I don't wanna play anymore!"

[@tedmichaels1951]

William B….one of the greatest ever!

[@djrychlak4443]

That's a focking Tour de Force performance. Fantastic!

[@jprz13]

Aw, to bad Bitman didn’t show up 😍

[@jond1965]

I miss John Candy. One of my all time favorites.

[@WitchesCoven-vy8cz]

So FUCKING funny. Love the crickets during William B.'s monologue. Classic

[@bertmustin]

The inspiration for the Chevy Chase Show.

[@jessfrankel5212]

Funnier than Chevy Chase.

[@marc108]

Tremendous show ...

[@argelbargel7680]

Gimme a C, a bouncy C.

[@MarcosElMalo2]

Oh my god, it’s the Eric Andre Show!

[@fjccommish]

In the midst of the silliness, the skit also showed real friendship - Sammy Maudlin comes to the set to bail out his pal William B.

[@ThePboy24]

When did Senator Orrin Hatch morph into Irving Cohen???

[@BrianSmith-ix3ns]

FUCK Errin BoobyHatch escapee sour puss wad of nothing

[@elainebmack]

Short has that old time Brooklyn/ Yiddish accent down pat.

[@robertcombs55]

5 STARS!!!!

[@hoochdini]

My brother used to do a decent William B. impersonation...and he was only 11 years old when this stuff came out.

[@Imintune...]

Funny that Sammy shows up and takes over the show after william falls apart.

[@fjccommish]

The portrayal is of a friend rescuing his friend.

[@jmd26]

So much here that is just so perfect. Candy plays William B as EXACTLY what he is here- a second banana with no one to play off of. And Irving Cohen- the songs are funny and all, but what I love is the blunt assessment Irving gives William B of his career choice. He's talking to him as if they were at the Stage Deli- "It's your funeral." So much packed into one sketch.

[@magmasunburst9331]

0:46 How a real man cries, laughing through his tears...

[@bradspringer2372]

What an uncomfortable skit. Brilliant

[@yuckyool]

Please . . . just once: Can we have Jimminy Glick interview Irving Cohen!?

[@Payton20ADZ]

Too funny love how they poke fun at bad talk shows

[@nolagospeltracts8264]

They gave him the crappiest set ever.

[@MartinMcCauslin]

I can't find it on youtube so maybe it never happened but i remember the "bouncy c" bit on SNL - I think Eddie Murphy was Gumby and the scene was set in a bar...

[@luthoratemybaby]

Martin McCauslin yeah it’s not on here. You can find it online

[@patd9737]

Martin Short did Irving Cohen on SNL more than once after he became an SNL cast member.