Sketch Comedy's Greatest Gay Hits

A series of skits titled “Steps” showed three gay men discussing life and current events. Two (played by Thompson and Dave Foley) were vapid and self-centered, and primarily concerned with superficial interests. A third, Riley, (played by Kevin McDonald) was an intellectual interested in politics, civil rights and gay representation in the media. The central gag dealt with differences in ideology, not simply sexuality:

Meanwhile, “Bear Attack” was a skit that required some knowledge of gay culture to get the joke.

In the sketch, two straight guys drive out to a remote bar rumored to be a great place to score. It becomes immediately apparent that they’ve traveled to a gay bar, but they stick around hoping to hook up with a woman. However, a bear-ish guy sees Kevin McDonald and – through the magic of beer goggles – sees him as another bear. As Kevin tries to get away, the scene cuts back and forth to memories of a scoutmaster giving advice on surviving a bear attack.

The Kids in the Hall also featured sketches where the cast played semi-fictionalized versions of themselves. Thompson was always fully out when playing himself, and his sexuality was used to open up further comic possibilities.

In one such skit, Scott begins behaving bizarrely and uncharacteristically libidinous, hitting on every guy on the set. When confronted by his fellow cast members, Scott reveals he extended his vacation by sending an android of himself to work for him, and apparently “forgot to factor in societal restriction. ” In the end, Scott finds another good use for the robot:

While Kids in the Hall may represent a watershed when it comes to gay representation in sketch comedy, they weren’t the only show to deliver visibility with laughter.