Pittsburgh references (UPDATED)
I've noticed that Pittsburgh-native Joe Flaherty slipped a LOT of Pittsburgh references into the show (strange, considering Canadians especially wouldn't get them)... just a few I caught:
* One of the 'globe' bumpers in Season 4 Cycle 1 mentioned SCTV's broadcast channels in Pittsburgh and nearby Blawnox, PA.
* The 'Battle of the PBS Stars' episode featured Martin Short as Fred Rogers, as well as an unknown extra as Mr. McFeely.
* Count Floyd was based on former Pittsburgh horror host Chilly Bill Cardille.
* In fact, one of Count Floyd's movies was "Mutant Monkeys from West Mifflin, PA". His description of the unseen films includes mentions of the Golden Triangle (an area of downtown Pittsburgh) and Sewickley, PA.
* A Camembert news report (can't remember the episode - it may have been in Volume 3?) mentions the Fort Pitt Tunnel.
* Vic Arpeggio, who was needless to say played by Joe Flaherty, was once fired from the Joe Negri Trio - a real local band, fronted by Joe Negri of "Mr. Rogers".
* Gene Shalit's variety show includes a performance of "It's A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood".
* Gil Fisher mentioned going to the Knights of Columbus to watch Steeler highlights.
* In the "Indecent Exposure" runner, John Candy's character in the boardroom segment is said to have killed a broad in Beaver Falls - which is, in reality, the name of a town about 30 minutes away from Pittsburgh.
* The same episode includes Guy Caballero giving Martin Short's character in the boardroom scene miniature bottles of vodka from Allegheny Airlines, a now-defunct Pittsburgh-based predecessor of USAir.
* That very same sketch features Guy repeatedly joking about Billy Barty, who was born in nearby Washington County.
Anyone catch more? Being a Pittsburgh native myself, these little touches make the show a lot more loveable to me... (I'm almost certain that I once heard a mention of Don Brockett, also from "Mr. Rogers", but I may be confusing SCTV with something else.)