Joe Flaherty earned guffaws among fans of 香蕉视频直播淪CTV香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淔reaks and Geeks,香蕉视频直播� but the comedian was also a 香蕉视频直播渕entor香蕉视频直播� and the 香蕉视频直播渇unniest香蕉视频直播� among his pals, famous friends said Tuesday as word spread of Flaherty香蕉视频直播檚 death.
Martin Short, Andrea Martin and Dave Thomas were among the 香蕉视频直播淪CTV香蕉视频直播� alumni to pay tribute to the American-born actor and writer for helping shape Canada香蕉视频直播檚 comedy scene 香蕉视频直播� from the nascent days of a Toronto-based Second City stage to teaching students in the comedy program at Humber College.
香蕉视频直播淎t a dinner or an occasion, Joe was the funniest at the table 香蕉视频直播� and the brightest as well,香蕉视频直播� said Short, who first met Flaherty in 1972.
Flaherty, who was born in Pittsburgh, spent seven years at The Second City in Chicago before moving north of the border to help establish the company香蕉视频直播檚 Toronto outpost.
He went on to become a founding cast member of 香蕉视频直播淪CTV,香蕉视频直播� a sketch series about a fictional TV station that was stacked with buffoons in front of and behind the cameras. He was part of a team that won Emmys in 1982 and 1983 for writing on the show.
Flaherty香蕉视频直播檚 most famous characters included network boss Guy Caballero and the vampiric TV host Count Floyd.
Short described Flaherty as a sort of leader, helping newer cast members 香蕉视频直播� including Short 香蕉视频直播� get their bearings on set.
香蕉视频直播淚香蕉视频直播檇 be in the edit bay, and I didn香蕉视频直播檛 know what I was doing. I香蕉视频直播檇 say, 香蕉视频直播楯oe, get in here!香蕉视频直播� and he香蕉视频直播檇 come in and go, 香蕉视频直播楾hat香蕉视频直播檚 the take!香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播極h, look at that!香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈 Short recalled.
香蕉视频直播淎nd he香蕉视频直播檇 be laughing. You know, some people in comedy don香蕉视频直播檛 really laugh at other people. They香蕉视频直播檙e too competitive. Joe was never that way.香蕉视频直播�
Short said he and the rest of the SCTV cast had several video calls with Flaherty over the last month, when it became clear his health was declining.
Flaherty died Monday at age 82 after a brief illness, his daughter Gudrun Flaherty said. She called him 香蕉视频直播渁 kind, sweet soul who blessed all who knew him and those who loved his work.香蕉视频直播�
Andrea Martin, who was also on the calls, said they reminisced about their time on 香蕉视频直播淪CTV香蕉视频直播� and how lucky they felt to have been a part of it.
香蕉视频直播淛oe was really the motor of the show, so we were all too happy to talk about it,香蕉视频直播� she said.
香蕉视频直播淗e also had been in Second City longer than anybody. He was older than all of us, so he was our teacher. He was our mentor. He was our fellow cast member in acting as well as writing. So we looked up to him.香蕉视频直播�
Flaherty also helped pioneer a particular style of comedy, said fellow cast member Dave Thomas.
He recalled one early sketch that was all at once a parody of the TV show 香蕉视频直播淔antasy Island,香蕉视频直播� and the films 香蕉视频直播淐asablanca,香蕉视频直播� 香蕉视频直播淩oad to Morocco香蕉视频直播� and 香蕉视频直播淭he Wizard of Oz.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淲eaving all of those elements together in one sketch, it was a long sketch and it was very ambitious, but it was the beginning of a style of writing on TV that Joe and I pioneered together in the second season (of 香蕉视频直播楽CTV香蕉视频直播�),香蕉视频直播� Thomas said.
Even after The Second City was set up in Toronto in 1973 and 香蕉视频直播淪CTV香蕉视频直播� aired its final episode in 1984, Flaherty continued to have an impact in Canada, helping to found Humber香蕉视频直播檚 comedy writing and performance program back when it was still just a summer workshop.
He served as its artistic director, and later as an artist-in-residence.
香蕉视频直播淧eople were auditioning for the program and he was so compassionate and open and that really blew me away,香蕉视频直播� said Andrew Clark, who heads the college program.
香蕉视频直播淚 knew he was funny, so I expected all of that. But it was so interesting to see香蕉视频直播e treated these auditioning students as if it were 香蕉视频直播楽CTV.香蕉视频直播櫹憬妒悠抵辈
Flaherty was introduced to later generations through memorable turns as a jeering heckler in the 1996 film 香蕉视频直播淗appy Gilmore香蕉视频直播� and as an old-fashioned dad in the TV comedy 香蕉视频直播淔reaks and Geeks,香蕉视频直播� which ran from 1999 to 2000.
Adam Sandler, who co-wrote 香蕉视频直播淗appy Gilmore,香蕉视频直播� said on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that he 香蕉视频直播渨orshipped Joe growing up香蕉视频直播� for the characters he played on 香蕉视频直播淪CTV.香蕉视频直播�
香蕉视频直播淭he nicest guy you could know. Genius of a comedian. And a true sweetheart. Perfect combo,香蕉视频直播� Sandler wrote.
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