Thank You, Catherine O'Hara

 Thank You, Catherine O’Hara

Hello and welcome to Cinema Wellman. I am your host, David and today I just want to say a quick thank you to Catherine O’Hara.

If you’re a fan of smiling or laughing, chances are some of that was caused by Catherine O’Hara at some point in your life.

Whether she was Lola Heatherton, Delia Deetz, Kate McCallister, Moira Rose, or Gail the Mister Softee driver from After Hours, Catherine O’Hara is most likely personally responsible for provoking many of your own smiles and laughs over the years.

Born in Toronto, Canada in 1954, Catherine O’Hara was one of the brightest bulbs in television and movies in a career spanning half a century.

The world got sadder last week with her passing at the age of 71.

I was at work that day, and it was Crystal who informed me of the sad news. It was interesting to notice the reactions of others when they learned of her passing. My team at work is made up of people of varied ages, so everyone had their “own” Catherine O’Hara, which makes her even more special.

My first thoughts went to where I first saw Catherine O’Hara, and that was as a key member of the SCTV Television Network in 1976.

I was in 8th grade, and SCTV was absolutely hysterical! It was part of my "Trinity" of comedy along with Monty Python and SNL.

    The cast of that show included comedy greats; Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, John Candy, Dave Thomas, Andrea Martin, Harold Ramis, Rick Moranis, Martin Short, and O’Hara.

    I actually used to think O'Hara and Levy were married in real life due to their chemistry, and I was treated to that, in a way, during "Schitt's Creek."

The characters created by those actors on SCTV were so different from any other characters I had ever seen on a sketch show. The format of that show was also very unique for sketch comedy.

It was about a fictitious television station in Melonville, state unknown. Each episode was basically a programming day at the station which was run by Flaherty’s Guy Caballero.

Worth a look if you’ve never seen an episode. 

Being introduced to Catherine O’Hara as an 8th grader allowed me to follow her for what seems to me like my entire life.

From then on, movies and television shows became more screen-worthy just by her involvement in them.

I’m a big fan of Martin Scoresese’s 1985 film After Hours, and although it’s a small part, O’Hara’s Gail is one of the best of a bizarre group of individuals we meet on one evening in New York City.

Then came Delia Deetz in Beetlejuice (1988), and Kate McCallister in Home Alone (1990). 

Macaulay Culkin called her “mom” since playing her son in that movie, and I think that’s so sweet and is a reflection on the kind of person Catherine O’Hara was. 

And you cannot ignore Sheila Albertson, Cookie Fleck, Mickey Crabbe, and Marilyn Hack in director Christopher Guest’s masterful quirky quartet Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). 

All four of those films are so bizarre and amazing; you need to see them to believe them. 

We all know real people like the characters in those movies!

You didn’t always have to see her to appreciate her either. There are plenty of animated films I’ve watched and thought, “Is that Catherine O’Hara?” usually followed by a thought of “perfect casting.”

O’Hara leant her talented voice to four animated films that were nominated for Best Animated Feature Oscars, and I can tell you with 100% confidence that she was one of the reasons for those nominations.

Those films were Monster House (2006), Frankenweenie (2012), Elemental (2023), and The Wild Robot (2024).

Other notable animated O’Hara performances include Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993), Chicken Little (2005), and Over the Hedge (2006). 

Catherine O’Hara was a treasure in the true sense of the word, and before I wrap things up, I just wanted to share a few things I found out about her while prepping for this episode.

She was one of seven children which is a LOT! A good friend of mine growing up was one of seven, and that’s a lot of kids! I spent time there. That was a lot of kids.

O'Hara met her husband, Bo Welch, on the set of Beetlejuice where he was a production designer.

As a wedding gift, Tim Burton gave them tickets for a private tour of the Vatican! That could not have been cheap!

Catherine O’Hara is featured on a Canadian postage stamp in a series that also featured Canadian comedians Jim Carrey and Mike Myers.

And she WROTE one of the most memorable SCTV sketches, “High-Q” which is a game show parody featuring Eugene Levy as “Alex Trebel” and it was my mother’s absolute favorite comedy sketch ever.

Well, that is a wrap from a Cinema Wellman that’s a little darker today, but we just wanted to remember someone we never met but consider a friend. 

A special thanks to my niece, Allison, for requesting this episode. Thank you Cici for “forcing me” to watch endless Catherine O’Hara clips for “research” resulting in plenty of smiles and laughs by me, along with a few tears. 

We hope you’re with us tomorrow…

TOMORROW? Are you here tomorrow, Chet? Am I paying you overtime? 

In any event, we’ll be back tomorrow for a Super Sunday Wellman Bowl Special.

Until then, take care. 

And don’t forget to fold in the cheese.