Decades before the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland, here's an ultimately unsold pilot for a potential series, a sketch comedy anthology entitled From Cleveland, as aired on The CBS Late Movie as a "Special Presentation" over WBBM Channel 2. It is presented mostly uncut, save for editing out of the commercial breaks. It's basically a strange amalgamation of the comedy of Bob & Ray mixed with SCTV (none of whom are actually 'From Cleveland' originally)

[modification note: some of the music featured in this special had to be reversed, or quality degraded, to avoid YouTube blocking]

This pilot features Bob Elliott and Ray Goulding (credited as "The Bob & Ray Radio Show") as late-night disc jockeys introducing sketches featuring members of the cast of Second City Television (SCTV), credited in order: Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara and Dave Thomas. The pilot was made before a third season of SCTV was picked up (on which all but Ms. O'Hara participated; she would not return until SCTV Network 90 on the NBC Network the following year; notably missing from this show is John Candy). Except for the two veteran radio comics' segments, the sketches were all taped in Cleveland itself (and would have aired in that city over what was then WJKW Channel 8, but ironically, and in actuality, never did).

Includes:

Tail end of "Special Presentation" bumper (voiceover by Norm Stevens)

Show opening titles

First sketch, with Eugene and Dave as loudmouthed derelicts on the street mingling in-between their individual rantings and harassments of passersby, followed by Bob & Ray presiding over a jackpot contest and then inside a surprise party, then the radio hosts host a nature chat program

Brief shots of Ban Roll-On commercial and K-Tel "Sundown" record offer before recording cuts to next segment, inside a classroom where a teacher (Catherine) meets parents of trouble students; as our hosts preside over a "State Your Case" feature, Bob Hope (Dave) emcees a "Toughman Championship" competition (the real Bob Hope grew up in Cleveland, incidentally); and a skit in a bar; after which Bob & Ray close the program as a new day dawns

Show closing credits

Brief shot of PSA for United Way (with "Fair Share" check shown) before recording ends

This aired on local Chicago TV on Friday, October 24th 1980 during the 10:30pm to 11:30pm timeframe.

About The Museum of Classic Chicago Television:

The MCCTv (FuzzyMemoriesTV) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit whose primary mission is the preservation and display of off-air, early home videotape recordings (70s to early 80s, mostly) recorded off of TV (in Chicago or other cities now too); things which would likely be lost if not sought out and preserved digitally. If you have any old 1970s videotapes recorded off of TV please email: tapes@fuzzy.tv Even though (mostly) short clips are displayed here, we preserve the entire broadcasts in our archives - the complete programs with breaks (or however much is present on the tape), for historical preservation. For information on how to help in our mission, to donate or lend tapes to be converted to DVD, please e-mail tapes@fuzzy.tv Thank you for your help!

свернуть