History Series / WayneAndShuster

* CameraScrew: an early silent sketch involving the two painting the interior of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. The camera is on an angle so that the tower looks vertical, but the pair and their equipment are constantly leaning/falling over/sliding around.

-->'''Marc Antony:''' Yes. I just made a speech over the body of Caesar. I said, "Friends, Romans and countrymen,
lend me your ears!"\\

--> "[[IncrediblyLamePun That's not softshoe, that's heavy metal!]]"
--> "[[HurricaneOfPuns My mom told be there'd be knights like this...]]"

-->'''Bartender''': What're you drinking?
-->'''Flavius''': Gimme a martinus.
-->'''Bartender''': You mean a martini.
-->'''Flavius''': If I wanted two I'd ask for them

--> '''Shuster''' Are you sure we're alone?\\

* CowboyEpisode: "A Fistful of Fingers", which was a send-up of {{Spaghetti Western}}s. They also did an episode long parody of the ''Series/KungFu'' TV show.

* {{Arrowgram}}: In their ''Series/KungFu'' parody, a throwing knife with a note attached buries itself in the wall next to the railroad president's head.

-->Bartender: What're you drinking?
-->Flavius: Gimme a martinus.
-->Bartender: You mean a martini.
-->Flavius: If I wanted two I'd ask for them
* ExactWords: A parody of ''Literature/TheDevilAndDanielWebster''features a man making a DealWithTheDevil to become Canada's greatest hockey player. When he becomes sick of hockey and wishes to return to music (like his mother wanted), the Devil holds him to his contract which says he must play at the stadium or forfeit his soul. The Webster character examines the contract and points out that it does not stipulate he must play ''hockey'', so the player becomes the stadium's organist.

* LightsOffSomebodyDies: Parodied in a sketch where SherlockHolmes and Watson are holding a SummationGathering in a stately country home. Every time that Holmes dramatically announces who the murderer is, the lights go out. When they come back on, the suspect he has just named is dead. After all of the suspects have been killed, Holmes deduces that he must be in the wrong house.

There was a weekly television series in the 1950s, but that gave way to the better known appearances on ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow '' (where they appeared ''67'' times!) and their monthly CBC specials that ran from the early 1960s to the 1980s. Later CBC-aired and syndicated compilations of their skits from the 60s-80s are also marketed under this title, as well as ''Wayne and Shuster in Black and White'', which recirculated episodes from the 1950s and 60s. The secret to their longevity was part that they agreed early on to keep their relationship strictly professional; they otherwise kept each other out of their personal lives to prevent tensions from work affecting them.

An early sketch comedy series that went through a number of different incarnations. Hosted by the Canadian comedy team of Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. The earliest version was ''Shuster & Wayne'', a radio program they were given as a result of their earlier radio work ''The Wife Preservers''. The next show was ''The Wayne and Shuster Show'' created for Creator/{{CBC}} radio in 1946 after they left the army after the second world war. There was a weekly television series in the 1950s, but that gave way to the better known appearances on ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow '' (where they appeared ''67'' times!) and their monthly CBC specials that ran from the early 1960s to the 1980s. Later CBC-aired and syndicated compilations of their skits from the 60s-80s are also marketed under this title, as well as ''Wayne and Shuster in Black and White'', which recirculated episodes from the 1950s and 60s.

* CowboyEpisode: "A Fistful of Fingers"

Their comedy has been referred to as literate comedy combined with a liberal amount of slapstick. They often mixed classic references, genre parodies, silly puns and bloodless violence in equal parts (not to mention copious references to Canadian culture, at least on their CBC shows). A famous example being the retelling of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' as the modern, [[FilmNoir noir-ish]] detective story ''Rinse the Blood off My Toga''. They also parodied and spoofed then current events and popular culture such as ''All in the Royal Family'' (''{{Hamlet}}'' with ''Series/AllInTheFamily'') and ''[[Franchise/StarTrek Star Schtick]]'' and even ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' done as an in-period PoliceProcedural. Most of their shows also included a least a couple of comedic musical numbers.

* LargeHam: Oh, yes.

* LongRunners: Wayne and Shuster's first show, ''The Wife Preservers'', aired in 1941. They continued to perform until the late 1980s; Wayne succumbed to cancer in 1990. Shuster continued to act occasionally and host retrospectives until shortly before his own death in 2002.

* WorldOfPun: They ''never'' pass up an opportunity. ''Ever''.

An early sketch comedy series that went through a number of different incarnations. Hosted by the comedy team of Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. The earliest version was ''Shuster & Wayne'', a radio program they were given as a result of their earlier radio work ''The Wife Preservers''. The next show was ''The Wayne and Shuster Show'' created for Creator/{{CBC}} radio in 1946 after they left the army after the second world war. There was a weekly television series in the 1950s, but that gave way to the better known appearances on ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow '' (where they appeared ''67'' times!) and their monthly CBC specials that ran from the early 1960s to the 1980s. Later CBC-aired and syndicated compilations of their skits from the 60s-80s are also marketed under this title.

Their comedy has been referred to as literate comedy combined with a liberal amount of slapstick. They often mixed classic references, genre parodies, silly puns and bloodless violence in equal parts (not to mention copious references to Canadian culture, at least on their CBC shows). A famous example being the retelling of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' as the modern, [[FilmNoir noir-ish]] detective story ''Rinse the Blood off My Toga''. They also parodied and spoofed then current events and popular culture such as ''All in the Royal Family'' (''{{Hamlet}}'' with ''Series/AllInTheFamily'') and ''[[Franchise/StarTrek Star Schtick]]'' and even ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' done as an in-period PoliceProcedural.

* CatchPhrase: "Julie, don't go!" from "Rinse the Blood Off My Toga" became a catch phrase on both sides of the border and was often reprised and sometimes worked into other sketches (though it's always delivered by a female character rather than Wayne or Shuster).

Their comedy has been referred to as literate comedy combined with a liberal amount of slapstick. They often mixed classic references, genre parodies, silly puns and bloodless violence in equal parts (not to mention copious references to Canadian culture, at least on their CBC shows). A famous example being the retelling of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' as the modern, [[FilmNoir noir-ish]] detective story ''Rinse the Blood off My Toga''. They also parodied and spoofed then current events and popular culture such as ''All in the Royal Family'' (''{{Hamlet}}'' with ''AllInTheFamily'') and ''[[Franchise/StarTrek Star Schtick]]'' and even ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' done as an in-period PoliceProcedural.

An early sketch comedy series that went through a number of different incarnations. Hosted by the comedy team of Johnny Wayne and Frank Shuster. The earliest version was ''Shuster & Wayne'', a radio program they were given as a result of their earlier radio work ''The Wife Preservers''. The next show was ''The Wayne and Shuster Show'' created for Creator/{{CBC}} radio in 1946 after they left the army after the second world war. There was a weekly television series in the 1950s, but that gave way to the better known appearances on ''Series/TheEdSullivanShow '' (where they appeared ''67'' times!) and their monthly CBC specials that ran from the early 1960s to the 1980s.

Their comedy has been referred to as literate comedy combined with a liberal amount of slapstick. They often mixed classic references, genre parodies, silly puns and bloodless violence in equal parts. A famous example being the retelling of Creator/WilliamShakespeare's ''Theatre/JuliusCaesar'' as the modern, [[FilmNoir noir-ish]] detective story ''Rinse the Blood off My Toga''. They also parodied and spoofed then current events and popular culture such as ''All in the Royal Family'' (''{{Hamlet}}'' with ''AllInTheFamily'') and ''[[Franchise/StarTrek Star Schtick]]'' and even ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'' done as an in-period PoliceProcedural.

While some of the sketches might be slightly dated, and the style of comedy can seem a little old fashioned, much of their work is still side-splittingly funny and should be watched when the chance is given.

* BreakingTheFourthWall: occasionally, the boys notice the audience, the sound effects, the soundtrack...

* LongRunners: Wayne and Shuster's first show, ''The Wife Preservers'', aired in 1941.