Take Off Eh! Canadian comedy stars reunite raise $325,000 for spinal cord injury

For the first time in decades, Bob and Doug McKenzie were back together again.

TAKE OFF, EH!

The Great White North reunion of Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, chewing the cheese curds over beer, politics and the invention of rap, was all part of an all-star cavalcade of Canadian comedy stars, raising more than $325,000 on Tuesday at The Second City Toronto — all to benefit Jake Thomas’s Road to Recovery and Spinal Cord Injury Ontario.

Jake Thomas, nephew of Dave Thomas, became paralyzed from the waist down from a spinal cord injury he suffered in January during a snowmobile accident.

Multiple SCTV stars, alums from SNL, The Kids in the Hall, musicians and even Michael Douglas lent a hand to the proceedings. Martin Short put on his best Jiminy Glick to interview Rick Mercer. Dan Aykroyd Blues Brothered it up for an auction. Catherine O’Hara and Eugene Levy performed duets as Bobby Bittman and Lola Heatherton. Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Scott Thompson, Robin Duke, Katherine Greenwood, Paul Shaffer, Ian Thomas, Murray McLauchlan and Geddy Lee also all performed.

In addition to the $325,000 raised by TAKE OFF, EH!, both ‘Jake Thomas’s Road to Recovery’ and Spinal Cord Injury Ontario are still accepting charitable contributions at gofundme.com/jakethomasmuskoka and sciontario.org/donate.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

View all posts by Sean L. McCarthy →