The Second City history

The cast of Second City -- Bill Mathieu, Howard Alk, Eugene Troobnick, Andrew Duncan, Barbara Harris, Mina Kolb and Severn Darden -- assemble for one of the skits in the new satirical revue entitled, "The Third Programme," circa 1960. (Chicago Tribune archive photo)

When Arkin returned to the New York stage, it was in a 1961 Broadway revue, From the Second City.

The Second City had earlier been featured on television in Chicago, and in the fall of 1963 a series of specials were broadcast in England called Second City Reports.

In 1967, he met a Tribune interviewer at the Camellia Room, a posh San Francisco restaurant, wearing a turtleneck sweater, corduroy pants cut off at the knees, and a gas mask.

Bernard Sahlins, director of Second City theater, in 1970. (Earl Gustie/Chicago Tribune)

…in 1973, when Chicago’s famed Second City theatre established a troupe there that became a proving ground for a number of Canadian actors who went on to become motion-picture stars, including Dan Aykroyd, Catherine O’Hara, John Candy, and Martin Short.

In early 1974 Sahlins sold the rights to operate Second City Canada for $1 to a young British-born music and theater promoter named Andrew Alexander, who then borrowed $7,000 to reopen it in a former firehouse that had been converted into a tavern.

In 1975 a new comedy television series debuted on NBC called Saturday Night Live, which made stars of a cast that consisted largely of such Second City alumni as Aykroyd, Radner, Bill Murray, and John Belushi.

In 1976 Andrew Alexander partnered with Canadian gambling industry executive Len Stuart to form Old Firehouse Productions (later known as Second City Entertainment), which began producing a low-budget 30-minute program called Second City TV, in part to keep the theater’s cast from defecting.

In 1979 Alexander and Stuart cut a deal to produce the show in partnership with Allarcom Broadcasting, Ltd., and the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC), and moved production 3,500 miles west to Edmonton, Alberta, for two years, where a Second City club was opened for a time.

In 1981 NBC began airing a 90-minute version of the program (cut to an hour in Canada) on Friday nights at 12:30, which lasted two seasons before it was briefly switched to pay-cable network Cinemax in shortened form.

During 1982 Old Firehall Productions had grossed $13 million Canadian, of which only $2.5 million came from its theater.

Second City's ownership shifted from cofounder Bernard Sahlins to Canadian Andrew Alexander in 1985.

After graduating with a theatre degree (1986) from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Colbert joined the Second City comedy improv troupe in Chicago.

Andrew Alexander and his recently deceased partner Len Stuart acquired The Second City in 1987.

In 1988 a new Chicago-area performance space was opened in the suburb of Rolling Meadows and a joint television production venture was formed with Ron Howard’s Imagine Films.

Gilda Radner passes away of ovarian cancer on May 20th, 1989 at age 42.

The following year The Second City opened a theater near Los Angeles to give the company a presence near the film and television industry, though it operated at only about half of capacity and closed in mid-1990.

Earnings from the operation helped subsidize the company’s less-profitable theaters, with corporate events accounting for approximately $2 million of the $18 million the company took in during 1994.

With inspiration from the more experimental Second City e.t.c., in 1995 a revue titled Pinata Full of Bees debuted on the Chicago mainstage that featured edgier material and sketches which dissolved into each other or used recurring characters.

Colbert worked on several other television projects before joining in 1997 Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, which was hosted by Jon Stewart.

Del Close passes away on March 14th, 1999, after holding a “living wake.”

During 2000 the company formed a new unit called Second City Theatricals to develop scripted live shows, with the first title to emerge, Hamlet! The Musical, debuting at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater during the summer.

In the spring of 2001 The Second City opened a revue in the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, and a year later a new franchised theater was added in Cleveland.

_____, “Wacky SCTV Put Canada on Comedy Map,” Toronto Star, March 9, 2002.

In 2003 the nonprofit Second City Foundation was established to coordinate the firm’s diversity, outreach, education, and scholarship activities.

While business remained strong in the United States, in December 2004 the company’s Toronto theater filed for protection from its creditors, citing poor ticket sales due to declining tourism.

In August 2005 the Detroit theater was moved to the suburb of Novi in partnership with Andiamo Restaurant Group after its downtown lease ran out.

In 2006 Columbia College Chicago began allowing students to attend Second City improv classes for full college credit.

Smith, Sid, “How America’s Most Renowned Improv Club Keeps Its Long Winning Streak Alive,” Chicago Tribune, May 20, 2007.

Inspired by the initial fundraising efforts of his 'SCTV' peers, Andrew Alexander officially establishes The Second City Alumni Fund in 2008.

Colbert used the donations received by his Super PAC to purchase mock television advertisements during the 2012 presidential campaign.

As of 2014, Second City has been awarded 37 Jeff Awards in total, including recognition for the work of Bernie Sahlins, Mick Napier, Rachel Dratch, Shelley Long, Jackie Hoffman, David Pasquesi, Nia Vardalos, and Keegan-Michael Key.

However, in 2017 Colbert seemed to hit his stride, and the show’s viewership dramatically grew.

Starting in fall 2018, DePaul’s School of Cinematic Arts offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in comedy filmmaking, the most comprehensive programs of their kind.