Floyd Robertson
Encyclopedia
Floyd Robertson is a fictional news anchor
and reporter, portrayed by Joe Flaherty
on the Canadian
sketch comedy
series SCTV
in the 1970s and 1980s. He was a co-anchor, with Earl Camembert
(another fictional newscaster, played by Eugene Levy
), of the SCTV News. In addition, he doubled as the long-running horror host
Count Floyd
on Monster Chiller Horror Theatre.
. (Shortly after Floyd Robertson debuted, Lloyd Robertson changed networks, and became the longtime CTV National News
anchor.) Other than the name and occupation, the character shares no real similarities with the Canadian news anchor.
Floyd Robertson was presented as the respectable, well-dressed member of SCTV's news team, who reported on the important national and international news stories (including a series of natural disasters in the semi-fictional Africa
n nation of Togoland
); while the bespectacled, nerd
y and obliviously self-important Earl Camembert – dressed in loud checkered jackets and matching bow tie
s, and his black hair in a semi-afro
style – was stuck with the more trivial and frivolous items (such as a fire at a doily
factory). Besides the difference in journalistic credentials, Robertson's lucrative annual six-figure salary was a sore point with Camembert, who was paid only union scale and was forced to anchor or co-anchor all of SCTV's newscasts from sign-on to sign-off.
When not informing viewers of the news of the day, Robertson served as a straight man
to Camembert's antics, including playing tape music
to accompany news items he was reading, or doing an entire newscast while under the influence of marijuana
, or eating dinner
on the set during a newscast, or filing a report from a recently-opened local delicatessen
when he was supposed to travel to New Delhi
, India
, or entering the set on roller skates
and wearing what Robertson aptly called "Jimmy McNichol hand-me-downs." More significantly, after Camembert served as campaign manager for the ultimately unsuccessful political run of SCTV personality Johnny La Rue (played by John Candy
), Robertson announced on the air that he would be reporting his colleague for violations of journalistic ethics.
Robertson had particular scorn for Camembert's editorial
s, on one occasion laughing throughout his co-anchor's piece. Another time, when Camembert gave a particularly outrageous editorial in which he made disparaging remarks about women newscasters, Robertson coldly informed him that, if given the chance to co-anchor with a woman, he would drop Camembert in a heartbeat.
On some occasions, Robertson pushed his luck with Camembert. At the end of one newscast where Robertson made fun of his co-anchor's unorthodox proununciation of his surname, the ill-humored Camembert responded by punching him in the jaw. Another time, when Camembert was in severe pain from an impacted wisdom tooth
, Robertson decided to make him laugh by ending the newscast with a humorous item about a man and his wife visiting a pet shop
. Robertson, however, kept pushing the punch line
to the point where Camembert, at the end, went for his throat. On one of the few occasions where SCTV News had commercial
s, the sponsor was a toy
company run by Robertson himself, whose only product line was the "Mr. Earl" doll
(which was clearly patterned after Camembert, and also a spoof
of Saturday Night Live
s Mr. Bill). The ad so enraged Camembert that he abruptly cancelled an editorial he planned to give about friendship
, and at the end of the newscast once again lunged at Robertson.
Robertson's disdain for Camembert extended to his son, Earl Junior, who when trying his hand at co-anchoring a newscast was bullied mercilessly by Robertson. But Camembert was not the only colleague to be subjected to Robertson's wrath: When Walter Cronkite
(as impersonated by Dave Thomas
), filling in for Camembert one night, fabricated a "big story" about an explosion
at a laundromat
, Robertson snapped at him as well.
At least one sketch implicitly suggested that Robertson, in addition to co-anchoring the SCTV News, was also the station's news director
(a common practice in the earlier years of television). After SCTV's resident foreigner, Pirini Scleroso (played by Andrea Martin
), botched a taped field report, Camembert pointedly reminded Robertson that he was responsible for her being hired as a reporter in the first place.
n television network
NBC
in 1981 (as SCTV Network 90), Robertson was turned into an alcoholic
who veered between being on the wagon and falling off it. Fans of the Floyd Robertson character believe that this change was a mistake, and that from then on he lost his credibility as an anchor. This new reputation became such that in the "Zontar" episode (series 4, cycle 2, episode 3), in which Robertson was among the SCTV personalities who fell under Zontar's spell, Camembert (who wasn't affected) assumed that his colleague was once again anchoring under the influence.
on the movie series Monster Chiller Horror Theatre. The humor derived not only from the fact that the movies shown were extremely cheesy and anything but scary, but also that Floyd's definition of what was scary differed significantly from what was intended for the juvenile audience that was Monster Chiller Horror Theatres target. For example, at the end of the screening of the Swedish existentialist drama Whispers of the Wolf, Floyd asked, "You think it's not scary to be depressed
?") After weakly defending the film, Floyd would then usually admit that the film wasn't scary ("All right, it wasn't scary!"), but promise that next week's film would be really scary.
There were three SCTV episodes where it was made evident who was the man occupying the vampire
costume and makeup, mock Transylvania
n vampire accent, and frequent werewolf
howl. The first time was in the very first edition of Monster Chiller Horror Theatre (from series 1, episode 18), where it was clearly mentioned in the opening credits
: "With Floyd Robertson as Count Floyd." During one newscast, Earl gave a heartfelt testimonial to Robertson, mentioning that in addition to his news career, he had delighted children for years as Count Floyd. Another was in the very last edition of SCTV News (from series 6, episode 17), where an obviously inebriated Robertson showed up late to the newscast after a Monster Chiller Horror Theatre taping, still wearing his Count Floyd makeup. During that broadcast, he announced that Monster Chiller Horror Theatres sound engineer
was retiring, thus completely upstaging Camembert's announcement that he was retiring from the newscast.
The dual role of Robertson / Count Floyd is a reference to the formerly common practice in television for on-air staff to also serve as the host of a kiddie/cartoon show. Many local weathermen or announcers would wear a costume and host a cartoon show or even a horror show, as Floyd did.
News presenter
A news presenter is a person who presents news during a news program in the format of a television show, on the radio or the Internet.News presenters can work in a radio studio, television studio and from remote broadcasts in the field especially weather...
and reporter, portrayed by Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty
Joe Flaherty is an American-Canadian actor and comedian. He is best known for his work on the Canadian sketch comedy SCTV, from 1976 to 1984, and as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks...
on the Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
sketch comedy
Sketch comedy
A sketch comedy consists of a series of short comedy scenes or vignettes, called "sketches," commonly between one and ten minutes long. Such sketches are performed by a group of comic actors or comedians, either on stage or through an audio and/or visual medium such as broadcasting...
series SCTV
Second City Television
Second City Television is a Canadian television sketch comedy show offshoot from Toronto's The Second City troupe that ran between 1976 and 1984.- Premise :...
in the 1970s and 1980s. He was a co-anchor, with Earl Camembert
Earl Camembert
Earl Camembert is a fictional news reporter and anchorman portrayed by Eugene Levy on the Canadian sketch comedy show SCTV, which aired in the 1970s and 1980s.-Career:...
(another fictional newscaster, played by Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, television director, producer, musician, and writer. He is known for his work in Canadian television series, American movies, and television movies. He is the only actor to have appeared in all eight of the American Pie films, as Noah Levenstein...
), of the SCTV News. In addition, he doubled as the long-running horror host
Horror host
Horror hosts are a particular type of television presenter, often tasked with presenting low-grade films to television audiences. This tradition is primarily American, though there have been a few international hosts over the years.-Film Packages:...
Count Floyd
Count Floyd
Count Floyd is a fictional character featured in television and played by comic actor Joe Flaherty. He is a fictional horror host in the tradition of TV hosts on local television in the United States and Canada....
on Monster Chiller Horror Theatre.
As news anchor
Floyd Robertson's name was originally derived from that of CBC news anchor Lloyd RobertsonLloyd Robertson
Lloyd Robertson, OC is the currently the co-host of CTV's weekly magazine series, W5. Robertson previously served as the chief anchor and senior editor of CTV's national evening newscast, CTV News with Lloyd Robertson, until September, 2011, when he retired from the CTV National News...
. (Shortly after Floyd Robertson debuted, Lloyd Robertson changed networks, and became the longtime CTV National News
CTV National News
CTV National News is CTV's flagship newscast, which airs at 11:00 p.m. local time on the CTV stations across Canada, and live at 10:00pm ET, with repeats hourly up until 2 a.m. ET on CTV News Channel, CTV's 24-hour cable news television channel, and the previous day's can be seen on the Internet. ...
anchor.) Other than the name and occupation, the character shares no real similarities with the Canadian news anchor.
Floyd Robertson was presented as the respectable, well-dressed member of SCTV's news team, who reported on the important national and international news stories (including a series of natural disasters in the semi-fictional Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n nation of Togoland
Togoland
Togoland was a German protectorate in West Africa from 1884 to 1914, encompassing what is now the nation of Togo and most of what is now the Volta Region of Ghana. The colony was established during the period generally known as the "Scramble for Africa"...
); while the bespectacled, nerd
Nerd
Nerd is a derogatory slang term for an intelligent but socially awkward and obsessive person who spends time on unpopular or obscure pursuits, to the exclusion of more mainstream activities. Nerds are considered to be awkward, shy, and unattractive...
y and obliviously self-important Earl Camembert – dressed in loud checkered jackets and matching bow tie
Bow tie
The bow tie is a type of men's necktie. It consists of a ribbon of fabric tied around the collar in a symmetrical manner such that the two opposite ends form loops. Ready-tied bow ties are available, in which the distinctive bow is sewn into shape and the band around the neck incorporates a clip....
s, and his black hair in a semi-afro
Afro
Afro, sometimes shortened to fro and also known as a "natural", is a hairstyle worn naturally by people with lengthy kinky hair texture or specifically styled in such a fashion by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair...
style – was stuck with the more trivial and frivolous items (such as a fire at a doily
Doily
A doily is an ornamental mat, originally the name of a fabric made by Doiley, a 17th-century London draper. Doily earlier meant "genteel, affordable woolens", evidently from the same source....
factory). Besides the difference in journalistic credentials, Robertson's lucrative annual six-figure salary was a sore point with Camembert, who was paid only union scale and was forced to anchor or co-anchor all of SCTV's newscasts from sign-on to sign-off.
When not informing viewers of the news of the day, Robertson served as a straight man
Double act
A double act, also known as a comedy duo, is a comic pairing in which humor is derived from the uneven relationship between two partners, usually of the same gender, age, ethnic origin and profession, but drastically different personalities or behavior...
to Camembert's antics, including playing tape music
Tape Music
Tape Music is an experimental 10" vinyl release by Jack Dangers. The vinyl release was coupled with the album Sounds Of The 20th Century No2 when released as a flexi disc vinyl....
to accompany news items he was reading, or doing an entire newscast while under the influence of marijuana
Cannabis (drug)
Cannabis, also known as marijuana among many other names, refers to any number of preparations of the Cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug or for medicinal purposes. The English term marijuana comes from the Mexican Spanish word marihuana...
, or eating dinner
Dinner
Dinner is usually the name of the main meal of the day. Depending upon culture, dinner may be the second, third or fourth meal of the day. Originally, though, it referred to the first meal of the day, eaten around noon, and is still occasionally used for a noontime meal, if it is a large or main...
on the set during a newscast, or filing a report from a recently-opened local delicatessen
Delicatessen
Delicatessen is a term meaning "delicacies" or "fine foods". The word entered English via German,with the old German spelling , plural of Delikatesse "delicacy", ultimately from Latin delicatus....
when he was supposed to travel to New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, or entering the set on roller skates
Roller skates
Roller skates are devices worn on the feet to enable the wearer to roll along on wheels. A first basic type of roller skate consists of a boot with four wheels with ball bearings, arranged in the same configuration as the wheels of a typical car.-History:...
and wearing what Robertson aptly called "Jimmy McNichol hand-me-downs." More significantly, after Camembert served as campaign manager for the ultimately unsuccessful political run of SCTV personality Johnny La Rue (played by John Candy
John Candy
John Franklin Candy was a Canadian actor and comedian. He rose to fame as a member of the Toronto branch of The Second City and its related Second City Television series, and through his appearances in comedy films such as Stripes, Splash, Cool Runnings, The Great Outdoors, Spaceballs, and Uncle...
), Robertson announced on the air that he would be reporting his colleague for violations of journalistic ethics.
Robertson had particular scorn for Camembert's editorial
Editorial
An opinion piece is an article, published in a newspaper or magazine, that mainly reflects the author's opinion about the subject. Opinion pieces are featured in many periodicals.-Editorials:...
s, on one occasion laughing throughout his co-anchor's piece. Another time, when Camembert gave a particularly outrageous editorial in which he made disparaging remarks about women newscasters, Robertson coldly informed him that, if given the chance to co-anchor with a woman, he would drop Camembert in a heartbeat.
On some occasions, Robertson pushed his luck with Camembert. At the end of one newscast where Robertson made fun of his co-anchor's unorthodox proununciation of his surname, the ill-humored Camembert responded by punching him in the jaw. Another time, when Camembert was in severe pain from an impacted wisdom tooth
Wisdom tooth
A wisdom tooth, in humans, is any of the usually four third molars. Wisdom teeth usually appear between the ages of 17 and 25. Most adults have four wisdom teeth, but it is possible to have fewer , or more, in which case they are called supernumerary teeth...
, Robertson decided to make him laugh by ending the newscast with a humorous item about a man and his wife visiting a pet shop
Pet store
A pet store or pet shop is a retail business which sells different kinds of animals. Pet stores also sell pet food, supplies, and accessories....
. Robertson, however, kept pushing the punch line
Punch line
A punch line is the final part of a joke, comedy sketch, or profound statement, usually the word, sentence or exchange of sentences which is intended to be funny or to provoke laughter or thought from listeners...
to the point where Camembert, at the end, went for his throat. On one of the few occasions where SCTV News had commercial
Television advertisement
A television advertisement or television commercial, often just commercial, advert, ad, or ad-film – is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization that conveys a message, typically one intended to market a product...
s, the sponsor was a toy
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
company run by Robertson himself, whose only product line was the "Mr. Earl" doll
Doll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
(which was clearly patterned after Camembert, and also a spoof
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
of Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
s Mr. Bill). The ad so enraged Camembert that he abruptly cancelled an editorial he planned to give about friendship
Friendship
Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations. Friendship and association are often thought of as spanning across the same continuum...
, and at the end of the newscast once again lunged at Robertson.
Robertson's disdain for Camembert extended to his son, Earl Junior, who when trying his hand at co-anchoring a newscast was bullied mercilessly by Robertson. But Camembert was not the only colleague to be subjected to Robertson's wrath: When Walter Cronkite
Walter Cronkite
Walter Leland Cronkite, Jr. was an American broadcast journalist, best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years . During the heyday of CBS News in the 1960s and 1970s, he was often cited as "the most trusted man in America" after being so named in an opinion poll...
(as impersonated by Dave Thomas
Dave Thomas (actor)
David "Dave" Thomas is a Canadian comedian and actor. He was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, but moved to Durham, North Carolina where his father, John E. Thomas, attended Duke University and earned a PhD in Philosophy. Thomas attended George Watts and Moorehead elementary schools...
), filling in for Camembert one night, fabricated a "big story" about an explosion
Explosion
An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
at a laundromat
Self-service laundry
A self-service laundry is a facility where clothes are washed and dried. They are known in the United Kingdom as launderettes or laundrettes, and in the United States, Canada, and Australia as laundromats or washaterias...
, Robertson snapped at him as well.
At least one sketch implicitly suggested that Robertson, in addition to co-anchoring the SCTV News, was also the station's news director
News Director
A news director is an individual at a broadcast station or network or a newspaper who is in charge of the news department. In local news, the news director is typically in charge of the entire news staff, including journalists, news presenters, photographers, copy writers, television producers,...
(a common practice in the earlier years of television). After SCTV's resident foreigner, Pirini Scleroso (played by Andrea Martin
Andrea Martin
Andrea Louise Martin is an American and Canadian actress and comedienne. She has appeared in films such as My Big Fat Greek Wedding, on stage in productions such as My Favorite Year, Fiddler on the Roof and Candide, and in the television series, SCTV.-Personal life:Martin, the oldest of three...
), botched a taped field report, Camembert pointedly reminded Robertson that he was responsible for her being hired as a reporter in the first place.
Post-1981
After SCTV was picked up by the AmericaUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n television network
Television network
A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
in 1981 (as SCTV Network 90), Robertson was turned into an alcoholic
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
who veered between being on the wagon and falling off it. Fans of the Floyd Robertson character believe that this change was a mistake, and that from then on he lost his credibility as an anchor. This new reputation became such that in the "Zontar" episode (series 4, cycle 2, episode 3), in which Robertson was among the SCTV personalities who fell under Zontar's spell, Camembert (who wasn't affected) assumed that his colleague was once again anchoring under the influence.
As Count Floyd
Robertson also had a long run as Count FloydCount Floyd
Count Floyd is a fictional character featured in television and played by comic actor Joe Flaherty. He is a fictional horror host in the tradition of TV hosts on local television in the United States and Canada....
on the movie series Monster Chiller Horror Theatre. The humor derived not only from the fact that the movies shown were extremely cheesy and anything but scary, but also that Floyd's definition of what was scary differed significantly from what was intended for the juvenile audience that was Monster Chiller Horror Theatres target. For example, at the end of the screening of the Swedish existentialist drama Whispers of the Wolf, Floyd asked, "You think it's not scary to be depressed
Depression (mood)
Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person's thoughts, behaviour, feelings and physical well-being. Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, or restless...
?") After weakly defending the film, Floyd would then usually admit that the film wasn't scary ("All right, it wasn't scary!"), but promise that next week's film would be really scary.
There were three SCTV episodes where it was made evident who was the man occupying the vampire
Vampire
Vampires are mythological or folkloric beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, regardless of whether they are undead or a living person...
costume and makeup, mock Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
n vampire accent, and frequent werewolf
Werewolf
A werewolf, also known as a lycanthrope , is a mythological or folkloric human with the ability to shapeshift into a wolf or an anthropomorphic wolf-like creature, either purposely or after being placed under a curse...
howl. The first time was in the very first edition of Monster Chiller Horror Theatre (from series 1, episode 18), where it was clearly mentioned in the opening credits
Opening credits
In a motion picture, television program, or video game, the opening credits are shown at the very beginning and list the most important members of the production. They are now usually shown as text superimposed on a blank screen or static pictures, or sometimes on top of action in the show. There...
: "With Floyd Robertson as Count Floyd." During one newscast, Earl gave a heartfelt testimonial to Robertson, mentioning that in addition to his news career, he had delighted children for years as Count Floyd. Another was in the very last edition of SCTV News (from series 6, episode 17), where an obviously inebriated Robertson showed up late to the newscast after a Monster Chiller Horror Theatre taping, still wearing his Count Floyd makeup. During that broadcast, he announced that Monster Chiller Horror Theatres sound engineer
Audio engineering
An audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
was retiring, thus completely upstaging Camembert's announcement that he was retiring from the newscast.
The dual role of Robertson / Count Floyd is a reference to the formerly common practice in television for on-air staff to also serve as the host of a kiddie/cartoon show. Many local weathermen or announcers would wear a costume and host a cartoon show or even a horror show, as Floyd did.