Bizarre

In our super-silly p.c. dreamworld of 2003, it's just great to go back to an era where one didn't have to bite one's tongue and/or stifle a laugh at classic comedy, where the genuine foibles of various ethnic groups and "lifestyle" choices were open to examination and, yes, even ridicule.

Only two other commentators here, one a Canadian who predictably trashes a program produced on his own soil, and an American who loved it (like me...although a Canuck).

John Byner was a GENIUS!!!!

This show ran for a few years on HBO and later went into syndication. Hosted by the great comedian John Byner (who was very prominent in the late '70s & early '80s - notably as "Detective Donoghue" on "Soap" - but rather forgotten today), it was most notable for two things: it was the first sketch comedy show to regularly feature nudity (busty topless women often figured as punch lines in racy blackouts - this was cable, after all); and, it was where gifted comic writer Bob Einstein (brother of Albert Brooks) created his popular character "Super Dave Osbourne," the daredevil with extremely bad luck. Indeed, Super Dave became a minor cult phenomena in the '80s, the character's existence extending even after "Bizarre" bit the dust (much as Cassandra Peterson's "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" continued to flourish after "Movie Macabre" was cancelled). It was a very funny show which will probably never see the light of day again, but, if it pops up in syndication (with the nudity sliced out, of course), check it out - it's funny without bare breasts!

This show is one of a kind. Though i don't really like the show myself, I have to admit there's something about it that keeps you glued. It's one of those shows you can watch and say to yourself "this is so stupid and disgusting... I'll just finish watching it..." it's great to have something so low brow and so politically incorrect actually work. Unfortunatley, it rarely worked since. BTW, if ány of you are still looking for it, get a satellite and get The Comedy Network. They still play it all the time.

The sketches on this show were edgy for it's time. I saw most of the series when it aired on syndicated TV. They would bleep out the obscene words with a loud "honk" car horn sound which made it even funnier! The Bigot Family sketches always cracked me up. Even though it was a "racey" sketch it always ended with Byner as the Irishman saying "but we still love each other". Another one of my faves was the McDrive-thrus. Every show had a different one like: McJoke- in-the-Box, McSex-in-the-Box, & McCheech & McChong-in-the-Box. Super Dave was also great. He was like a human Mr. Bill. This needs to be out on DVD...soon!

Ah, it brings me back! I watched Bizarre on broadcast television between 1980 an 1983, my last years of high school. Eastern Quebec in those years was far away from cable, oh my! It was on black and white TV and it wasn't even a Quebec broadcast but some New Brunswick channel (CHSJ ?), that the antenna only received to 90%. I think we only got 3 channels back then anyway! Super Dave's antics always had me howling.

But I remember these 2 particular skits that counted as my first ever time laughing to tears (except at my teachers of course). They were both of the puppet show nature... for some reason, maybe cuz I was a young girl, maybe cuz my hometown was quite "liberal" I don't even remember topless babes, hmmm... But anyway, the 2 skits:

A simple down turned hand dressed as superman, with the 2 "peace fingers" as legs, flying around in front a black curtain, I don't know why, in print it sounds so lame, but the way it was done was just a riot. It was a really good spoof of Superman, which had to be one of my first satirical laughs, weeeee

The other was a puppet fly on a stick, bumping into a light bulb, in front of a black curtain, OVER AND OVER AGAIN, going bzzzzz bump, bzzzzz bump, bzzzzzz bump, bzzzzz bump. You know, in that same exact annoying way as when you're trying to quietly read a book at night with your ceiling light on and some dumb fly just don't get the message that it's pointless to fly to the darned light bulb.

They both made me cry, I loved the show entirely, as much as Benny Hill!