So Long, Catherine O'Hara (1954-2026)

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I was posting up my usual five articles for Urban Contemporary Friday including the anniversary ones when I got word online that Toronto-born-and-raised comedian, actress and screenwriter Catherine O'Hara passed away rather suddenly today at the age of 71 in Los Angeles. As has been the case with a number of celebrities who had worked with her and her fans who had enjoyed her work over the decades, I was absolutely stunned since she's been so well-known as one of the funniest ladies I've ever seen on the telly.

Although I didn't know who she was at the time, in retrospect, I did see O'Hara for the first time in my life when she was featured in a commercial for headache medicine. Although the title mentions that this was filmed in 1979, I have to go with one commenter underneath the video and disagree. I think I saw this much earlier in the decade. All this time, I'd assumed that O'Hara's companion in the ad was fellow "SCTV" alumna Andrea Martin but I was wrong there.

Of course, in the years since, O'Hara has become famous for her roles in "Home Alone" (even Japanese media has mentioned her passing because of her role as Kevin's mother) and "Beetlejuice". And even more recently, she gained a lot of acclaim in the sitcom "Schitt's Creek" and in the hit program "The Last of Us". All throughout the past few hours here in Canada, various stations have had tributes to the comedian and interviews with those who worked with her with one question being a common denominator: "What will you remember her best for?". Of course, depending on the interviewee, the movies came up and "Schitt's Creek" but for me, it will always be "SCTV" which started in the mid-1970s. For those who have been steady readers of "Kayo Kyoku Plus", you may already know that I have never hidden my love for the show and have even devoted ROY articles indirectly to it such as for Joe Flaherty who passed away a few years earlier and my favourite theme by Ira Newborn among the different themes used for the show

I literally grew up with her and laughed at her when she was doing some of her celeb impressions (Lucille Ball, Kate Hepburn, etc.) and her original characters for the "SCTV" network such as Lola Heatherton and the exasperated English teacher, Lucille Hitzger. I can sympathize with Ms. Hitzger to a certain degree.

I had heard of the CBC sitcom "Coming Up Rosie" which had a two-year run starting from 1975 but never saw it myself. O'Hara and the late John Candy were already working on the earliest iteration of "SCTV" at the time at Global Television Network, but they also had recurring roles on "Coming Up Rosie" as well. 

My condolences go to the O'Hara family, friends and many fans. It will be a very sad few days in Canada, but I hope that Catherine will give all of our respects to John, Joe, Tony and Harold wherever they are now.

Harry Belafonte/Michiko Hamamura -- Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)

 

I was sorry to hear that singer-activist Harry Belafonte had passed away earlier today at the age of 96. His name and face were familiar to me when I was a child since I remember him appearing on a number of variety shows on American television. For that matter, he also used to show up on a number of those K-Tel record compilations. 

The legendary Belafonte has had a long discography but of course, I will always know him for "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)". I didn't know the song's origins as a Jamaican folk song which possibly go all the way back to the beginnings of the 20th century with it being covered by various artists over the years. However, it will always be the Belafonte cover that I know best when it was released in 1956 (it premiered several years before my time so it's not a ROY article).

"Day-O" had already reached immortal status by the late 1980s but it incurred further pop culture legend status when it was used in "Beetlejuice" in 1988. The Halloween-themed classic was filled with hilarious scenes so it says something when much of the cast was induced to sing and dance to Belafonte's trademark song to become the standout scene of the movie. Catherine O'Hara can make everyone laugh (and has shown to be an adept dancer as well on "SCTV") but I was stunned to see famed television interviewer Dick Cavett in on the joke, too.

All the way back in the 1950s and 1960s, it was common for Japanese singers to cover the hits from the West, and so was the case with "Day-O". Known as "Banana Boat" in Japan, it was released in March 1957 as sung by 19-year-old Michiko Hamamura（浜村美智子）from Kagoshima Prefecture as her debut single. The Belafonte version had lyrics written by Lord Burgess and William Attaway, but the one for Hamamura who sang it in both Japanese and English had the Japanese portion provided by Seiichi Ida（井田誠一）. Although other versions of the song were released at around the same time, the Hamamura cover was the one that had the most success by selling around 300,000 copies; she would appear on the Kohaku Utagassen that year to perform it. She even became known as either "The Banana Boat Girl" or "The Calypso Girl" because of "Day-O", although in her J-Wiki file, she admitted at one point that she really wasn't into calypso but was more of a jazz fan.

Hibari Misora（美空ひばり）also contributed her vocals to the song at least once. My condolences to Belafonte's family, friends and fans.