Guy Caballero

Guy Caballero is a fictional character on the television series SCTV played by Joe Flaherty. President and owner of the fictional SCTV network, Caballero usually appeared on the series to introduce various network programs, although he also occasionally got wrapped up in behind-the-scenes storylines.

Character

Cheap, dishonest, gruff, and prone to making meandering patriotic speeches for no good reason, Caballero liked to affectionately describe his employees as "the SCTV family," although he routinely treated them with disdain. His most notable quirk, however, was his use of a wheelchair despite not needing one; he believed that the wheelchair helped earn people's 'respect'. Though his personal past was left deliberately shady, it was mentioned several times that he was an illegal alien (from South America) who had managed to buy his way in to the United States "When he showed up in Panama with suitcases full of Nazi gold." Caballero has a huge mansion named "Casa del Forgeo" that he paid for by forging checks, but he is too cheap to pay for a phone inside the house -- instead, he had his mansion built near a payphone.

It is revealed in one Cinemax episode of the show that Guy's idea of a fun weekend is hanging out in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven and daring teenagers to buy him beer. Guy's wife, Googie, was infrequently mentioned and never seen. He also had two sons (Ricky and Sonny, played by Rick Moranis and Eugene Levy and a daughter (Connie, played by Andrea Martin).

Guy Caballero was originally a character heard only over the phone in two first-season SCTV episodes aired in 1977. (Both times, he called Moe Green while on the air to complain about Moe's show "Dialing For Dollars".) The character made his first physical appearance in the SCTV second season opener, aired in September, 1978, and was thereafter a fixture of the show, appearing regularly from that point on.

It is rumored that Flaherty based the mannerisms and appearance of the character on Laurence Olivier's portrayal of Loren Hardman in the movie The Betsy, released earlier in 1978. Adapted from the Harold Robbins book of the same name, the movie portrays Loren Hardman as the gruff business patriarch of an automobile empire. Like Caballero, Hardman wears a white suit and white panama hat, and rides in a wheelchair even though he can walk.

Don Caballero's debut album, For Respect, pays tribute to Guy Caballero and SCTV throughout the album.

Notable SCTV Storylines

• Caballero and actor DeForest Kelley (the latter played by Dave Thomas) team up to prevent aliens from taking over the network and the world.

• Caballero develops a long-running feud with star Johnny LaRue, as a result of LaRue's TV movie Polynesiantown running significantly over budget. Caballero forces LaRue to take the demeaning job of hosting the cheap show "Street Beef."

• Caballero is briefly fired by the network's board of directors, after involving Fred Willard (playing himself) in a scam that involves pocketing money meant for the station.

• Caballero develops a feud with the presidents of ABC, CBS, and NBC, resulting in a gangland-style war which parodies The Godfather.

• In the episode of SCTV that parodies the disaster film "The Towering Inferno", Caballero brushes off concerns about his supposed invalid status by standing up and announcing, "I have strong legs!" He then proceeds to trip and fall down the stairwell of the burning building (the camera occasionally cutting away to show his progress until he finally reaches the ground floor).

See also

• Edith Prickley