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The Second City
The Second City is an improvisational comedy enterprise. It is the oldest improvisational theater troupe to be continuously based in Chicago, with training programs and live theaters in Toronto and New York. Since its debut in 1959, it has become one of the most influential and renowned in the English-speaking world. In February 2021, ZMC, a private equity investment firm based in Manhattan, purchased the Second City. The Second City has produced television programs in both Canada and the United States, including '' SCTV'', ''Second City Presents'', and '' Next Comedy Legend''. It has been a starting point for many comedians, award-winning actors, directors, and others in show business, including Joan Rivers, Del Close, Alan Alda, Alan Arkin, Harold Ramis, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, John Candy, John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dave Thomas, Chris Farley, Tim Meadows, Colin Mochrie, Ryan Stiles, Mike Myers, Nia Vardalos, Steve Carell, J ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Paul Sills
Paul Sills (born Paul Silverberg; November 18, 1927 – June 2, 2008) was an American director and improvisation teacher, and the original director of Chicago's The Second City. Life and career Sills was born Paul Silverberg in Chicago, Illinois, to a family who believed in the teachings of modern-day Judaism. His mother was teacher and writer Viola Spolin, who authored the first book on improvisation techniques, ''Improvisation for the Theater''. Spolin in turn was the student of play therapy theorist Neva Boyd. In 1948, Sills enrolled in the University of Chicago, where he established himself as a director, co-founding Playwright's Theater Club. There, with fellow actors Ed Asner, Edward Asner, Byrne Piven and Zohra Lampert, they blended Spolin's improvisational techniques with established theater training. In 1955, Sills and David Shepherd (producer), David Shepherd founded the Compass Players, the first improvisational theater in the United States, where he directed Shelley ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sketch Comedy
Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches" or, "skits", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. While the form developed and became popular in music hall in Britain and vaudeville in North America, today it is used widely in variety shows, as well as in late night talk shows and even some sitcoms. While sketch comedy is now associated mostly with adult entertainment, certain children's television series such have used it, too. The sketches may be improvised live by the performers, developed through improvisation before public performance, or scripted and rehearsed in advance like a play. History Sketch comedy has its origins in music hall and vaudeville, where many brief humorous acts were strung together to form a larger programme. In the 1890s, music hall impresario Fred Karno developed a form of sketch comedy without dialogue, and in 1904 he produced a sketch called ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Show Business
Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, producers, and distributors), the term applies to the creative element (including artists, performers, writers, musicians, and technicians) and was in common usage throughout the 20th century, though the first known use in print dates from 1850. At that time and for several decades, it typically included the initial definite article ''the''. By the latter part of the century, it had acquired a slightly arcane quality associated with the era of variety, but the term was still in active use. In modern entertainment industry, it is also associated with the fashion industry (creating trend and fashion) and acquiring intellectual property rights from the invested research in the entertainment business. Industry The global media and entertainment (M&E) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dave Thomas (actor)
David William Thomas (born May 20, 1949) is a Canadian actor, comedian and television writer, known for being one half of the duo Bob and Doug McKenzie with Rick Moranis. He appeared as Doug McKenzie on '' SCTV'', for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award out of two nominations, and in the film '' Strange Brew'' (1983), which he also co-directed. As a duo, they made two albums, '' The Great White North'' and '' Strange Brew'', the former gaining them a Grammy Award nomination and a Juno Award. His other notable acting credits include '' My Man Adam'' (1985), '' The Experts'' (1989), '' Coneheads'' (1993), '' Rat Race'' (2001), '' Beethoven's 5th'' (2003) and '' Santa's Slay'' (2005). He is also known for playing Russell Norton in the TV series '' Grace Under Fire'' (1993–1998) and provided the voice of Tuke in ''Brother Bear'' (2003), and '' Brother Bear 2'' (2006). Early life David William Thomas was born May 20, 1949, in St. Catharines, Ontario. He is the eldest son of Briti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Catherine O'Hara
Catherine Anne O'Hara (born March 4, 1954) is a Canadian and American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She started her career in sketch comedy, sketch and improvisational comedy in film and television before expanding her career taking dramatic roles. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Catherine O'Hara, several accolades including two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. She started her career in the sketch comedy series ''Second City Television'' (1976–1984) where she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, Primetime Emmy Award. She gained acclaim acting in films such as ''After Hours (film), After Hours'' (1985), ''Heartburn (film), Heartburn'' (1986), ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Home Alone'' (1990) and ''Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (1992). She collaborated with Christopher Guest acting in his mockumentary films ''Waiting for Guffman'' (1996), ''Best in Show (film ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eugene Levy
Eugene Levy (born December 17, 1946) is a Canadian actor and comedian. Known for portraying flustered and unconventional figures, Levy has won multiple accolades throughout his career including four Primetime Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. He was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2011, and was made Companion of the Order of Canada in 2022. Levy started his career in Canada starring in the 1972 musical production of '' Godspell'' and the sketch series '' SCTV'' (1976–1984), the latter of which he also wrote and earned two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. He collaborated with Christopher Guest in a series of films as a co-writer and actor in '' Waiting for Guffman'' (1996), '' Best in Show'' (2000), '' A Mighty Wind'' (2003), and '' For Your Consideration'' (2006). He is known for his role in the '' American Pie film series'' (1999–2012) and also appeared in '' National Lampoon's Vacation'' (1983), '' S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dan Aykroyd
Daniel Edward Aykroyd ( ; born July 1, 1952) is a Canadian actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. Aykroyd was a writer and an original member of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" cast on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from its inception in 1975 until his departure in 1979. During his tenure on ''SNL'', he appeared in a recurring series of sketches, particularly featuring the Coneheads and the Blues Brothers. For his work on the show, he received five Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series, Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series in 1977. After his departure, he has since returned to guest roles. Aykroyd's most famous roles are as The Blues Brothers, Elwood J. Blues in ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers'' (1980) and ''Blues Brothers 2000'' (1998) and Ray Stantz, Dr. Raymond "Ray" Stantz in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984), and ''Ghostbusters II'' (1989) (he has reprise ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Belushi
John Adam Belushi ( ; January 24, 1949 – March 5, 1982) was an American comedian, actor, singer and musician. He was one of seven ''Saturday Night Live'' cast members of the first season. He was arguably the most popular member of the ''Saturday Night Live'' ensemble. Belushi had a partnership with Dan Aykroyd. They had first met while at Chicago's the Second City comedy club, remaining together as cast members on the inaugural season of the television show ''Saturday Night Live''. Born in Chicago to Albanian-American parents, Belushi started his own comedy troupe with Tino Insana and Steve Beshekas, called "The West Compass Trio". Bernard Sahlins recruited him for The Second City comedy club. Once there he met Aykroyd, Brian Doyle-Murray, and Harold Ramis. In 1975, Chevy Chase and Michael O'Donoghue recommended Belushi to ''Saturday Night Live'' creator and showrunner Lorne Michaels, who accepted him as a new cast member of the show after an audition. Belushi develope ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Candy
John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian actor and comedian who is best known for his work in Hollywood (film industry), Hollywood films. Candy first rose to national prominence in the 1970s as a member of the Toronto branch of the Second City and its Second City Television, SCTV sketch comedy series. He rose to international fame in the 1980s with his roles in comedy films such as ''Stripes (film), Stripes'' (1981), ''Splash (film), Splash'' (1984), ''Brewster's Millions (1985 film), Brewster's Millions'' (1985), ''Armed and Dangerous (1986 film), Armed and Dangerous'' (1986), ''Spaceballs'' (1987), ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' (1987), ''The Great Outdoors (film), The Great Outdoors'' (1988), ''Uncle Buck'' (1989), and ''Cool Runnings'' (1993). He also appeared in supporting roles in ''The Blues Brothers (film), The Blues Brothers'' (1980), ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' (1983), ''Little Shop of Horrors (film), Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gilda Radner
Gilda Susan Radner (June 28, 1946 – May 20, 1989) was an American actress and comedian. She was one of the seven Saturday Night Live cast members, original cast members of the "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from its inception in Saturday Night Live (season 1), 1975 until her departure in Saturday Night Live (season 5), 1980. In her sketches on ''SNL'', she specialized in parodies of television stereotypes, such as advice specialists and news anchors. She also played various original characters. In 1978, Radner won an Emmy Award for her performances on the show. She also portrayed those characters in her highly successful one-woman show ''Gilda, Live'' on Broadway theatre, Broadway in 1979 and later Gilda Live, on film in 1980. After leaving ''Saturday Night Live'', she appeared in various films, including three with her future husband Gene Wilder, with whom she first appeared in 1982's ''Hanky Panky (1982 film), Hanky ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bill Murray
William James Murray (born September 21, 1950) is an American actor and comedian, known for his deadpan delivery in roles ranging from studio comedies to independent dramas. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Bill Murray, several accolades including a BAFTA Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Primetime Emmy Awards as well as a nomination for an Academy Award. Murray was awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2016. Murray became a national presence on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1977 to 1980, receiving a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Series. He established his stardom by acting in a string of successful comedy films, including ''Meatballs (film), Meatballs'' (1979), ''Caddyshack'' (1980), ''Stripes (film), Stripes'' (1981), ''Scrooged'' (1988), ''What About Bob?'' (1991), and ''Groundhog Day (film), Groundhog Day'' (1993). He also had supporting roles in ''Tootsie (film), Tootsie'' (1982), ''Little Shop of Hor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harold Ramis
Harold Allen Ramis ( ; November 21, 1944 – February 24, 2014) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. His film acting roles include Egon Spengler in ''Ghostbusters'' (1984) and ''Ghostbusters II'' (1989), and as Russell Ziskey in '' Stripes'' (1981); he also co-wrote those films. As a director, his films include the comedies ''Caddyshack'' (1980), ''National Lampoon's Vacation'' (1983), ''Groundhog Day'' (1993), '' Analyze This'' (1999) and '' Analyze That'' (2002). Ramis was the original head writer of the television series '' SCTV'', on which he also performed, as well as a co-writer of ''Groundhog Day'' and '' National Lampoon's Animal House'' (1978). The final film that he wrote, produced, directed, and acted in was '' Year One'' (2009). Ramis' films influenced subsequent generations of comedians, comedy writers and actors. Filmmakers and actors including Jay Roach, Jake Kasdan, Adam Sandler, Judd Apatow, and Peter and Bobby Farrelly have listed his films among th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
