Dave Foley is 52 years old today, and to celebrate, we’re going to look back at some of his best efforts on The Kids In The Hall. Foley got his start with the Canadian sketch comedy troupe, and for seven years, they brought us some of the funniest sketch comedy the world has ever seen. In these six sketches, Foley was at his absolute best.
Bad Doctor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pbjypn9JtKE
A great monologue in which Dave plays what might be the worst doctor in the world. He explains that he has coasted by on charm his entire life, and as a result, is now Chief Surgeon at a large hospital despite having no qualifications whatsoever. At the end of the sketch, Dave reveals that the inspiration for his sketch was his very real fear of medical malpractice.
A Good Attitude Towards Menstruation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppuMaQ4hZE4
Ladies, Dave wants you to know that he has a good attitude towards menstruation, so much so that he utters that phrase several times during this hilarious monologue. As it goes on, we realize that Dave might actually have too good of an attitude towards the process, to the point where it starts to come of a little creepy. But hey, if he were Shaman, he wouldn’t be so competitive.
Communism
Dave basically predicts Fox News with this monologue, as a paranoid commentator who wants to let us know that even though the Cold War is over, those Russians still can’t be trusted. Not when they’re teaming up with the Killer Bees! Seriously, turn on Hannity for about five minutes and see if you don’t stuff just as crazy as everything Dave says in this bit. This segment was a little too prophetic.
USA & Canada
In which Dave explains the subtle differences between our respective nations. For example, while America is a republic with a President and congress, Canada is ruled by a small boy with supernatural powers (whom we are all quite fond of). Oh, and contrary to popular belief, Canada’s National Anthem is not “O, Canada,” but rather “The Night Chicago Died” by Paper Lace. The best part of this bit is probably the very end, when Dave notes that despite Canada’s problems, “at least we have universal health care.” Even in the 90s, they were rubbing it in about that one…
Cause Of Cancer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WP3X0dSV9kI
This sketch explores the unlikely event that a comedy troupe would discover the cause of cancer. That cause, of course, being fellow cast member Bruce McCullough. The interaction between Dave and Bruce in this is spectacular, with “I’m sorry I caused all that cancer” being one of the funniest sentences of all-time. We don’t quite know how he managed to cause all that throat and bowel cancer (“I guess I was just on a roll”), but this is pretty much a flawless two-minute sketch.
McGuillicutty & Green
In which Dave plays the worst straight man ever, or maybe the best. He and Kevin McDonald are two Vaudeville performers, except Dave keeps ruining all the jokes. An attempt at Who’s On First fails when he simply explains that a lot of the players names sound like questions, and yes, that could be a bit confusing (“Oh, now I understand your problem.”). His complete cluelessness ruins the whole routine, and he never seems to be bothered in the slightest. A flawless parody of old-school comedy to be sure.
