"See you're probably not so familiar with that name because his family is Chinese" is hilarious, I'm pretty sure even when the joke was written that would have been a fair response. It really carries the energy of trying to tell your friend a joke you heard and they just refuse to play along perfectly. Only discovered this show recently, and I can how it earned its reputation!
There's a version I saw in the 90s on Comedy Central, where a comedy duo whose names I wish I could remember, did the routine the same as Abbott & Costello, except they replaced "Who, What, and I Don't Know" with actual players who were playing with the Yankees. So the routine would go "Tino Martinez is the man on first base?" "Tino Martinez." "The man on first." "Tino Martinez." etc, and the routine plays out exactly the same, but with real names. It's great.
In the context of their vaudeville act, Dave is supposed to be the straight man, and Kevin is the funny man. But the genius of this is that in the context of the sketch itself, they are playing the opposite roles -- *Kevin* is playing the straight man by doing what he's supposed to do, acting as the audience would expect in that context, and it's Dave who is being the "funny man", a ridiculous idiot, utterly failing to understand his role in the double act, much to the consternation and exasperation of the actual straight man, Kevin.
The audience is already on board as soon as Dave introduces himself, that's a sign of the genius at work here I think. If you had no familairity with Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley's work on the show, you'd probably never expect Dave to be the straight man of the two. McDonald has the more expressive face and the more eccentric voice, which actually make him better suited to the straight man role. Its counter intuitive, but the humour of a straightman character comes from when they inevitably break under the progressively escalating obtuseness of the foil. Kevin McDonald excellently portrays the frustration of the imaginary vauvadille audience into his character so we can really get the sense that we're watching this on stage in real life, which does a great job of drawing the real audience in and subverting our expectations by breaking the format of a traditional sketch. The guys from Kids in the Hall are all genius and seriously underrated in my book, although probably not to all the people who saw it the first time around.
What I love about this sketch and these two comments is that it provides a counter example to when people say that explaining a joke makes it less funny. It's not funny if you have to explain a joke, but it's really funny if you don't have to explain a joke, but do it anyway.
@@Scarybug Especially when it comes from a place of love for the material and the form; rather than just "um actually"-ing it to death. Some people explain jokes the way a child explains something they just learned and think no one else could possibly know. This is one of the greatest comedy sketches of all time, and for good reason.
Usually when you analyze and pick apart comedy it becomes less funny but here it did the opposite and is why this is one of the most brilliant bits ever.
If memory serves this was the first sketch I ever saw from them and was immediately hooked. We'd end up having viewing parties for each new episode though high school.
@@richardday3136 If you already know the punchline to a joke, sometimes its funnier (to you) to ruin it for the person telling the joke. Depending on your sense of humour, watching your friend try to recover the joke or try to write it off is usually harder to predict and thus more likely to result it something funny. I call it chaos humour theory, and its totally undone by dads who repeat the joke until you play along.
@@Andy-sy9yl a what? Is that that crap where Alphabet/google/youtube's weirdo employees didn't program something right and there's just random responses hanging out in the general comment section? They must have had their heads buried in the "safe beenbag closet" or whatever that day because someone heard the word white and got so offended they balled their eyes out.
Woah this is great. The words 'Simpsons did it' were rising in my throat, until I took a quick trip to Wikipedia to see that this aired in 1989 or thereabouts. Suck on that Scully and Weinstein, or whomever.
Towards the end : "your the worst straight man ever" More irony in this : He is the straightest straight man of all time. There was obviously miscommunication between himself and McGuillicutty before they went on stage.
Yes. The original is very not corny. However copying it many years later is, and they know that. Neither of them belong on stage. The "funny man" is so unfunny that he has to rely on cliches and hammy delivery to the point that the "straight man" doesn't even realize that he's trying to be funny.
Not corny? That’s one of the most brilliant comedy sketches ever written! And Abbott and Costello had the best comic timing of any duo I have ever seen! That’s like saying Michael Jordan was not a bad basketball player.
A standup comedian’s worst nightmare- the ultimate straight-man who treats the jokes as if they’re everyday discussions. Perfectly balanced by McGillicutty’s ludicrously exaggerated overacting.
OK, it’s illogical, but funny--the who’s on first bit. And these guys took it a logical and hilarious next step. Yeah, I f’n LOL’d on this! I like it. I love it! If ya don’t, ya don’t get it. Go back to Abbot and Costello school!
I see what your problem is. Look, you are confused by their names, because they all sound like questions. Well I'll explain it to you. You see on first base is Hu. Samuel Hu. And you're probably not used to that name because his grandfather was Chinese. And on second base is Hector Watt. W-A-T-T. Watt. And that's not such an odd name, because James Watt invented the steam engine. And on third base is Phil Iduno . I-D-U-N-O. Iduno. But if you say that fast it sounds like the phrase, "GEE I DUNNO," but it's actually Iduno. Phil Iduno.
It's not _really_ a joke per se, it's the comic trying to end the bit somehow that makes it seem funny. It was just a bad improv on the character's part to try to salvage something in the end. But of course Mr. Green doesn't have the capacity to play along.
To be fair, the baseball team thing is a retell of Abbott and Costello's famous Who's On First routine, which if done properly is a great piece of comedy and not a bad joke at all. Kevin just exaggerates the delivery such that the jokes sound contrived, in order to emphasise how bad Dave is at following such an obvious lead.
@@harryforman3573 Oh, I see what the problem is. You see, Bill was making a joke about Protodvd's comment being similar to one that the character Mr. Green would make.
I was so looking forward for YEARS to watching KITH skits because I adore Dave Foley. I haven't laughed once. SCTV is still a riot and the best Canada has ever produced.
Kevin is trying to tell really bad jokes and Dave seems unaware that he's doing comedy. The joke is how inappropriate it is for such a humorless person to be performing.
Dave Foley made everyone laugh just by introducing himself: “and I’m Green”.
Dave and Kevin sketches are always tops
the straightest straight man in the history of comedy .....aaaaaaamazing
The strait man should have been played by Scott Thompson.
HETERO, SEXUAL
I didnt think it was possible to make Whos On First any funnier.
I stand corrected.
"See you're probably not so familiar with that name because his family is Chinese" is hilarious, I'm pretty sure even when the joke was written that would have been a fair response.
It really carries the energy of trying to tell your friend a joke you heard and they just refuse to play along perfectly.
Only discovered this show recently, and I can how it earned its reputation!
There's a version I saw in the 90s on Comedy Central, where a comedy duo whose names I wish I could remember, did the routine the same as Abbott & Costello, except they replaced "Who, What, and I Don't Know" with actual players who were playing with the Yankees. So the routine would go "Tino Martinez is the man on first base?" "Tino Martinez." "The man on first." "Tino Martinez." etc, and the routine plays out exactly the same, but with real names. It's great.
Oh, and how could I forget? The cartoon Animaniacs did a take on the routine set in a concert with the groups The Who, Yes, and The Band.
@@billyeveryteen7328 the who?
@@tuseroni6085 Yes.
In the context of their vaudeville act, Dave is supposed to be the straight man, and Kevin is the funny man. But the genius of this is that in the context of the sketch itself, they are playing the opposite roles -- *Kevin* is playing the straight man by doing what he's supposed to do, acting as the audience would expect in that context, and it's Dave who is being the "funny man", a ridiculous idiot, utterly failing to understand his role in the double act, much to the consternation and exasperation of the actual straight man, Kevin.
The audience is already on board as soon as Dave introduces himself, that's a sign of the genius at work here I think.
If you had no familairity with Kevin McDonald and Dave Foley's work on the show, you'd probably never expect Dave to be the straight man of the two. McDonald has the more expressive face and the more eccentric voice, which actually make him better suited to the straight man role. Its counter intuitive, but the humour of a straightman character comes from when they inevitably break under the progressively escalating obtuseness of the foil.
Kevin McDonald excellently portrays the frustration of the imaginary vauvadille audience into his character so we can really get the sense that we're watching this on stage in real life, which does a great job of drawing the real audience in and subverting our expectations by breaking the format of a traditional sketch.
The guys from Kids in the Hall are all genius and seriously underrated in my book, although probably not to all the people who saw it the first time around.
What I love about this sketch and these two comments is that it provides a counter example to when people say that explaining a joke makes it less funny. It's not funny if you have to explain a joke, but it's really funny if you don't have to explain a joke, but do it anyway.
@@Scarybug Especially when it comes from a place of love for the material and the form; rather than just "um actually"-ing it to death. Some people explain jokes the way a child explains something they just learned and think no one else could possibly know. This is one of the greatest comedy sketches of all time, and for good reason.
Usually when you analyze and pick apart comedy it becomes less funny but here it did the opposite and is why this is one of the most brilliant bits ever.
Dave still owes him 10 dollars though. He gave him both tens.
@James oh my god. you.
I actually didn't notice until just now, either.
I think Dave noticed, but he waited so long to get the first 10 back he thought maybe he deserved it.
The Kids In The Hall represented comedy at its finest . All of the actors were brilliant .
"Oh, I see what your problem is!" Lmao
Dave foley is 1. My favorite comedian ever and 2. My favorite on KITH. The slight smirk on his face always gets me 😭
If memory serves this was the first sketch I ever saw from them and was immediately hooked. We'd end up having viewing parties for each new episode though high school.
I just want to say that these characters are PERFECT for Kevin & Dave! :-D
Dave actually is a straight man after all.
No, I’m a vaudevillian. 😂😂😂😂
I still use " I should have never saved you from those seals"
I still squash peoples heads most days.
What seals? I auditioned for this RUclips comment!
dude came dressed up for a KITH skit
I still don't understand that part, what was that even about?
Oh, I see what your problem is...
Love how they had Abbott and Costello in this skit
Please give me my money.
Also, he ends up with all the bills. I just noticed that.
Just take it!
"Hey buddy, I need change .do you have two tens for a five? "
Give Me some money. I'm broke and I want to get some vodka tomorrow. Guess what kind.
This is the most awesome Canadians being Canadians ever.
I love that comedy, especially from the Kids In The Hall actors!😂👏🏻👍🏻💚😘
I deal with people like Mr. Green every day.
You must be a comedian.
@@LordsofMedia Well most jokes seem to fall flat in most settings because most people seem to be lacking in both imagination and historical knowledge.
@@richardday3136 If you already know the punchline to a joke, sometimes its funnier (to you) to ruin it for the person telling the joke. Depending on your sense of humour, watching your friend try to recover the joke or try to write it off is usually harder to predict and thus more likely to result it something funny.
I call it chaos humour theory, and its totally undone by dads who repeat the joke until you play along.
Especially on Facebook
I totally forgot about this one, thank you for posting. My comedic heroes when I was ten years old glued to the tv watching them.
I found the complete Kids In the Hall Collection at Menards of all places
How much?
Curse Menards for being a regional store that my state is outside of!
Menards is the fucking nuttiest store
looks like I’m going to Menards
They sell DVDs at Menards?!
@mosyemessy1988 Yes- I'm glad a few people watched this. It was always one of my favorite KITH skits.
Woah. old random Lev comment lol. Keep up the good work
Fool's Disclosure
Whose on home
#twosdaystauntology
@Reign Baker Don't talk to the scam bots. Also sorry to hear about your computer getting infected (I'm assuming).
@@Andy-sy9yl a what? Is that that crap where Alphabet/google/youtube's weirdo employees didn't program something right and there's just random responses hanging out in the general comment section? They must have had their heads buried in the "safe beenbag closet" or whatever that day because someone heard the word white and got so offended they balled their eyes out.
This reminds me of all the people I had to work with while doing comedy
Honestly I feel like this routine would have slayed back in the day because everybody knew the other one
Such a good sketch!
I remember when I lived in Maine I got the CBC. I loved Kids in the Hall it was my whole childhood lol
Its a vaudevillian take on a vaudevillian act... how meta.
one of my all time favs !
Woah this is great. The words 'Simpsons did it' were rising in my throat, until I took a quick trip to Wikipedia to see that this aired in 1989 or thereabouts. Suck on that Scully and Weinstein, or whomever.
Who would’ve thought these two would go on to Voice Disney characters?
Me
I think it's just a line where the audience is asked to clap, as if they were seals. But then Green steps on the line. :)
I've heard so many ideas about what that line is supposed to be about and that finally seems to make sense
I thought they were trying to say he was a cold/dead fish
I know this skit better than the real "Who's on First."
@Jim McCracken
He's... not saying it wouldn't.
Towards the end : "your the worst straight man ever" More irony in this : He is the straightest straight man of all time. There was obviously miscommunication between himself and McGuillicutty before they went on stage.
Frankly, that's the best vaudeville act I've ever seen.
Kevin was born to play a somewhat hacky Vaudevillian.
No, that was the beauty of Kids in the Hall.
yeah I actually only recently heard the real original who's on first, and it's not nearly as corny as parodies of it make it sound
Yes. The original is very not corny. However copying it many years later is, and they know that. Neither of them belong on stage. The "funny man" is so unfunny that he has to rely on cliches and hammy delivery to the point that the "straight man" doesn't even realize that he's trying to be funny.
It is still brilliant and one of the funniest bits of all time!
Not corny? That’s one of the most brilliant comedy sketches ever written! And Abbott and Costello had the best comic timing of any duo I have ever seen! That’s like saying Michael Jordan was not a bad basketball player.
@@thehorseformerlywithoutana2522 irony.
Your name is r/woooooosh
What? It's not corny at all.
3:49 Bah Staaahd!🤣
My only regret is that I have but one "like" to give.
Man bro I love Dave Foley in this well let me explain everything.
In this sketch Kevin somehow looks like both Wayne and Garth from Wayne's World at the same time.
Few things are less funny or depressing than having to explain why a joke is funny. Some people just... don't get it.
Wait, what do you mean?
Mr Green; the personification of some RUclips comments...IT WAS JUST A JOKE Mr rathole20187!
Then they became "Sizzlers"
Years before Big Bang Theory.
A standup comedian’s worst nightmare- the ultimate straight-man who treats the jokes as if they’re everyday discussions. Perfectly balanced by McGillicutty’s ludicrously exaggerated overacting.
Yes, for a stand up comedian, that WOULD be a nightmare, since they work alone.
okay i like it now
I have the entire series on DVD
Same here
Deconstructed vaudeville.
OK, it’s illogical, but funny--the who’s on first bit. And these guys took it a logical and hilarious next step. Yeah, I f’n LOL’d on this! I like it. I love it! If ya don’t, ya don’t get it. Go back to Abbot and Costello school!
I see what your problem is. Look, you are confused by their names, because they all sound like questions.
Well I'll explain it to you. You see on first base is Hu. Samuel Hu. And you're probably not used to that name because his grandfather was Chinese. And on second base is Hector Watt. W-A-T-T. Watt. And that's not such an odd name, because James Watt invented the steam engine. And on third base is Phil Iduno . I-D-U-N-O. Iduno. But if you say that fast it sounds like the phrase, "GEE I DUNNO," but it's actually Iduno. Phil Iduno.
Mr Green would get a Netflix special or a Ted Talk.
No, I'm a vaudevillian.
Just like to point out that Mr. Green just made 10 bucks.
Seems to be a pre-Gracie Allen George Burns reference.
WAIT PAUL BELLINI WAS HERE??
Deliberately butchering Vaudeville and making it funny.
Thanks. I almost missed that.
The straightest straight man in the busines.
This has always been one of my favorites but, I never understood the "I should had never saved you from the seals" joke. Anybody care to explain?
It's not _really_ a joke per se, it's the comic trying to end the bit somehow that makes it seem funny. It was just a bad improv on the character's part to try to salvage something in the end. But of course Mr. Green doesn't have the capacity to play along.
mrgees100peas Kevin said on his twitter that they said it to have some open ended other story that leaves people wondering.
Kait Plum mission accomplished. wondered about it for years.
I assumed it had to do with Mr. Green being like a cold, dead fish or something like that
@@StreelightCrosswalks I was the one who asked Kevin that question on Twitter!
May I build a small shrine to worship all of Kevin's good works? I'm not Canadian. Should I take this up with the property manager?
What happens when a straight man goes too far 🤣
tbh I find it interesting analyzing a joke.. I'd have gotten along well with Data.
❤
Now I want pizza. But not that pizza.
I can see the pancake makeup on their faces.
Is it wrong that I laughed for reasons which probably weren't meant to be laughed at?
-MrJesusdude
MrJesusdude never
McGillicuddy would later try again with an Asian guy. I think.
Who else auditioned, if Mr Green ultimately got the job???
Mr. Cyan and Mrs. Yellow.
Me.
Funny thing is they are using USD.
Is McGuillicutty a common name in Canada? I can't imagine it is 😄
Not sure. But it was Lucy Ricardo’s maiden name in I love Lucy. Maybe it’s an homage.
I'd go with McLowenstein.
lev?
I don't recognise the "saved you from the seals" routine, and can't imagine where that would go. Could anybody elucidate?
Seals are the audience. When they clap they are like seals. The seals have left the beach and you might hear crickets.
McGillicuddy, not "McGuillicutty." Good grief.
I am reminded of Eric and Tim Great Job with this sketch... It's like anti- humour. Intentionally bad comedy using cliche and tired concepts.
What happened to those suits?
The lighting in this skit is kinda eerie.
Maybe it's actually Simon and hecubus in disguise
@@Auriam ahh, touche
Get off the stage Green !
Hu's Watt Eyedunno
Sterling Food stamps. Trifling.
To be fair, the baseball team thing is a retell of Abbott and Costello's famous Who's On First routine, which if done properly is a great piece of comedy and not a bad joke at all. Kevin just exaggerates the delivery such that the jokes sound contrived, in order to emphasise how bad Dave is at following such an obvious lead.
Thank you Mr. Green.
But that's not Mr. Green. That's protodvd.
Who?
@@harryforman3573 Oh, I see what the problem is. You see, Bill was making a joke about Protodvd's comment being similar to one that the character Mr. Green would make.
@@MetaWarlord135 thanks Mr green
i dont understand why green is trying to cheat the money. he endedup wiht $30 after he was owed $10
He already had $20 and was owed $10. It just made him whole.
Scott Thompson is the worst straight man I’ve ever seen.
Oh when he plays the straight business man it is fantastic.
I was so looking forward for YEARS to watching KITH skits because I adore Dave Foley. I haven't laughed once. SCTV is still a riot and the best Canada has ever produced.
Kevin is trying to tell really bad jokes and Dave seems unaware that he's doing comedy. The joke is how inappropriate it is for such a humorless person to be performing.
I.. I.. I dont get it.. Is it just.. really dry humor?
Close. It's intentionally dry humor.
Not enough politicalization and 'equity', but I'm sure they'll add that now to be, 'un-funny' like SNL.