Synopses & Reviews
Hear (on 2 audio CDs – included):
* John Belushi try to bluff his way through an oral exam to avoid the draft
* Mike Myers as a Canadian border guard who "closes" Canada
* Bonnie Hunt singing "Up, Up And Away" as an annoying "on-hold" entertainer
* John Candy playing Dan Aykroyd's rebellious, hockey-hating son
And read about:
* Bill Murray demonstrating the proper way to deal with a heckler
* Alan Arkin's pre-Second City days as a troubadour with The Tarriers
* Where Gilda Radner first came up with "Emily Litella"
* How Second City alum Martin Short "discovered" Mike Myers
Since 1959, The Second City has been producing cutting-edge satire and wickedly funny improvisation, while keeping countless individuals of questionable character off the streets for a couple of hours each night. It has also trained thousands of young performers in the art of improv-based theater.
The Second City recounts the early years of the comedy troupe's biggest stars, including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Mike Myers, Gilda Radner, Alan Arkin, Joan Rivers, David Steinberg, Robert Klein, Chris Farley, Martin Short and John Candy, as well as some of today's hottest directors, like Harold Ramis (Analyze This), Mike Nichols (The Birdcage), Betty Thomas (Private Parts) and Bonnie Hunt (Return to Me).
Author Sheldon Patinkin, one of Second City¹s founding fathers, tells the story of Second City like no else can--with rare photos, profiles and backstage stories you were never supposed to hear. The Second City is both funnier and more poignant than you could have imagined. The book includes two full-length audio CDs containing hilarious classic scenes like:
* "Football Comes to the University of Chicago" (with Alan Arkin and Severn Darden)
* "Brest Litovsk" (with John Belushi and Joe Flaherty)
* "Motivational Speaker" (with Chris Farley, Tim Meadows and Bob Odenkirk)
Plus new, never-before-heard material that will leave your sides aching.
Review
"It may sound hubristic for Second City's Patinkin to call the group 'the single most important influence on comedy in North America in the last half of the [20th] century,' but with this package (a book and two CDs) he surely makes his case....The book provides a solid, entertaining chronicle of the artistic and entrepreneurial energy behind Second City, enlivened with sidebars, interviews, and contributions from alumni like Alan Arkin, Dan Aykroyd, and George Wendt. Recommended for all humor collections." Library Journal
Review
"The entire recent tradition of American theatrical satire can be summed up in three words: The Second City." New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
The Second City improvisational troupe's storied history of unchained, live comedy forms the backdrop for the evolution of comedy over the past 40 years. Integrating text, rare photos, and narrated audio CDs, "The Second City" highlights the hilarious people that redefined humor, including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Mike Meyers, Gilda Radner, Alan Arkin, Martin Short, and Chris Farley. "A Temple of Satire".--"Time Magazine". Full color.
Synopsis
The Second City improvisational troupe's storied history of unchained, live comedy forms the backdrop for the evolution of comedy over the past 40 years. Integrating text, rare photos, and narrated audio CDs, "The Second City" highlights the hilarious people that redefined humor, including John Belushi, Bill Murray, Mike Meyers, Gilda Radner, Alan Arkin, Martin Short, and Chris Farley. "A Temple of Satire".--"Time Magazine". Full color.
Table of Contents
Disc 1. Intro / Bill Murray -- Everybody's in the know / Barbara Harris -- Football comes to the University of Chicago / Alan Arkin, Severn Darden, Andrew Duncan, Eugene Troobnick -- Our children / Joan Rivers, Bill Alton -- Cab stand / Avery Schreiber, Jack Burns -- Mary Smith / Fred Willard -- Believe it or not / Robert Klein, Fred Willard -- Lenny Bruce / Del Close, Avery Schreiber -- The narcs / Brian Doyle-Murray -- Brest Litovsk / John Belushi, Joe Flaherty -- V.D. / Harold Ramis, David Rasche, Eugenie Ross-Leming -- I quit / Dan Ackroyd, John Candy, Rosemary Radcliffe --Issues and alibis / Bill Murray, George Wendt, Tim Kazurinsky, Danny Breen, Bruce Jarchow -- White Horse Tavern / Jim Belushi, Will Porter Aldis -- Rabbi / Martin Short.