The Dave Thomas Comedy Show
Encyclopedia
The Dave Thomas Comedy Show (later simply Dave Thomas) was a sketch-based, half-hour, five-week summer replacement series, which aired on CBS
in the summer of 1990. The show starred Canadian
comedian Dave Thomas
, who is best known for an earlier sketch comedy series, SCTV
. Thomas himself served as head writer, while the writing staff included Hollywood scriptwriter Ed Solomon
and future celebrity Mike Myers
. The series debuted May 28, 1990.
, Don Lake, Julie Fulton
and David Wiley made up the supporting cast of various characters in the sketches, while veteran character actress Fran Ryan
had a recurring role as a wise-cracking waitress also named Fran Ryan. In addition, the series usually featured big-name guest stars (John Candy
, Dan Aykroyd
, Chevy Chase
, Martin Short
and Catherine O'Hara
) Thomas knew from The Second City
and other previous projects -- although the musical guest for the series finale was actually a fictionalized version of Johnny Cash
played by Dave himself. John Roarke, Valerie Bromfield, and Rick Overton were also occasionally featured in supporting roles.
with references to the fact that they were on a television series.
and TV Guide
applauded a trio of sketches in which Thomas impersonated notable personalities in absurdist situations -- Edward Woodward
as his Equalizer
character reimagined as "the Humiliator" (who uses insults rather than guns to incapacitate criminals), Jack Palance
miscast as a creepy sitcom star (who still uses his catch-phrase from Ripley's Believe it or Not!
), and Max von Sydow
as a depressed barber who inadvertently terrorizes his customers by chatting casually about his obsession with death.
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in the summer of 1990. The show starred 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...
comedian 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...
, who is best known for an earlier sketch comedy 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 :...
. Thomas himself served as head writer, while the writing staff included Hollywood scriptwriter Ed Solomon
Ed Solomon
Ed Solomon is an American writer, producer and director. After graduating from Saratoga High School and UCLA, Solomon came to fame as one half of the writing duo that created the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequel.Solomon was born in Saratoga, California...
and future celebrity Mike Myers
Mike Myers (actor)
Michael John "Mike" Myers is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and film producer of British parentage...
. The series debuted May 28, 1990.
Cast and guest stars
Anson Downes, Teresa GanzelTeresa Ganzel
Teresa Ganzel is an actress, comedienne, and cartoon voice-over actress.-Career:Teresa Ganzel was best known as a recurring cast member of The Tonight Show starring Johnny Carson, having replaced the late Carol Wayne as the Matinee Lady in the popular "Mighty Carson Art Players" skits...
, Don Lake, Julie Fulton
Julie Fulton
Julie Fulton is an American actor, perhaps best known for playing several characters in the Summer variety Dave Thomas Comedy Show consisting of comedy sketches and shown on Second City Television debuting May 28, 1990....
and David Wiley made up the supporting cast of various characters in the sketches, while veteran character actress Fran Ryan
Fran Ryan
Fran Ryan was an American character actress featured in television and films. She was born in Los Angeles, California....
had a recurring role as a wise-cracking waitress also named Fran Ryan. In addition, the series usually featured big-name guest stars (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...
, Dan Aykroyd
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward "Dan" Aykroyd, CM is a Canadian comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician, winemaker and ufologist. He was an original cast member of Saturday Night Live, an originator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters and has had a long career as a film actor and screenwriter.-Early...
, Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase is an American comedian, writer, and television and film actor, born into a prominent entertainment industry family. Chase worked a plethora of odd jobs before moving into comedy acting with National Lampoon...
, Martin Short
Martin Short
Martin Hayter Short, CM is a Canadian actor, comedian, writer, singer and producer. He is best-known for his comedy work, particularly on the TV programs SCTV and Saturday Night Live...
and Catherine O'Hara
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine Anne O'Hara is a Canadian-American actress and comedienne. She is well known for her comedy work on SCTV, and her roles in the films After Hours, Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and The Nightmare Before Christmas, and also in the mockumentary films written and directed by Christopher Guest...
) Thomas knew from The Second City
The Second City
The Second City is a improvisational comedy enterprise which originated in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood.The Second City Theatre opened on December 16, 1959 and has since expanded its presence to several other cities, including Toronto and Los Angeles...
and other previous projects -- although the musical guest for the series finale was actually a fictionalized version of Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
played by Dave himself. John Roarke, Valerie Bromfield, and Rick Overton were also occasionally featured in supporting roles.
Format
Dave introduced every episode with a monologue that typically segued into the first sketch. Despite the often larger celebrity status of his guest stars, Thomas himself usually played the lead in the sketches, with his celebrity guests in co-starring roles. In addition to sketches, the show featured semi-scripted interview segments on the set of "Fran's Diner," where Dave and his guests would chat over coffee or a meal. Fran's Diner was also the setting for a running gag which appeared in every episode, in which Dave, as a customer, would chat with Fran and experience vivid daydreams which invariably spoofed stereotypical male sexual fantasies filled with beautiful women -- only to be disappointed that the reality was Fran and her diner. In these segments, the punchline would typically involve Fran somehow knowing the content of Dave's daydream, or breaking the fourth wallFourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
with references to the fact that they were on a television series.
Notable sketches
Critics from such publications as Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
and TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
applauded a trio of sketches in which Thomas impersonated notable personalities in absurdist situations -- Edward Woodward
Edward Woodward
Edward Albert Arthur Woodward, OBE was an English stage and screen actor and singer. After graduating from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art , Woodward began his career on stage, and throughout his career he appeared in productions in both the West End in London and on Broadway in New York...
as his Equalizer
The Equalizer
The Equalizer is an American television series that ran for four seasons, initially on CBS, between 1985 and 1989. It starred Edward Woodward as an aging New York vigilante with a mysterious past...
character reimagined as "the Humiliator" (who uses insults rather than guns to incapacitate criminals), Jack Palance
Jack Palance
Jack Palance , was an American actor. During half a century of film and television appearances, Palance was nominated for three Academy Awards, all as Best Actor in a Supporting Role, winning in 1991 for his role in City Slickers.-Early life:Palance, one of five children, was born Volodymyr...
miscast as a creepy sitcom star (who still uses his catch-phrase from Ripley's Believe it or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not!
Ripley's Believe It or Not! is a franchise, founded by Robert Ripley, which deals in bizarre events and items so strange and unusual that readers might question the claims...
), and Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow
Max von Sydow is a Swedish actor. He has also held French citizenship since 2002. He has starred in many films and had supporting roles in dozens more...
as a depressed barber who inadvertently terrorizes his customers by chatting casually about his obsession with death.