''The Last Polka'' is a 1985 comedy

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

. It was written by and starred

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 Tor ...

and

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 ...

, and directed by

John Blanchard John Blanchard is a Canadian television director and producer. He is best known for his directorial work on the sketch comedy series '' SCTV'', '' The Kids in the Hall'', '' CODCO'', ''MADtv'' and the talk show '' The Martin Short Show'' for w ...

. ''The Last Polka'' follows the life, careers, and final concert of Yosh (Candy) and Stan (Levy) Shmenge, two brothers from the fictional country of Leutonia who become the biggest polka duo the world has ever seen, presented as a mixture of live concert performances and filmed scenes. Many fellow ''Second City Television, SCTV'' performers including Rick Moranis, Catherine O'Hara, and Robin Duke appear in the film. Dave Thomas (actor), Dave Thomas narrates. The live concert in the film is a loose parody of The Band's concert movie ''The Last Waltz''. Special guests and longtime Shmenge collaborators include The Lemon Twins (Duke, O'Hara and her real life sister Mary Margaret O'Hara) doing a medley of their "hits" and also Linsk Minyk (Moranis) performing a medley of road songs that culminates in a version of the Doors' "Touch Me (The Doors song), Touch Me". One scene has The Shmenges performing in an outdoor stadium Michael Jackson salute concert, complete with glitter outfits, sequin glove, and a polka version of "Beat It". The Shmenges were originally created as characters for the television series ''Second City TV'' and were also known on ''SCTV'' as The Happy Wanderers. ''The Last Polka'' was produced for and first broadcast on the HBO cable network. Both

and

were nominated in 1985 for a Cable Ace Award in the Best Performance in a Comedy Special category.

External links

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NY TIMES Archives - TV Review
English-language Canadian films Canadian musical comedy films Canadian mockumentary films 1980s musical comedy films Canadian comedy television films 1985 television films 1985 films Films with screenplays by Eugene Levy 1980s Canadian films Canadian musical television films 1985 musical films {{musical-comedy-film-stub