Welcome to The Second City Archives, in which we post an exclusive clip each week of some of comedy’s biggest superstars performing early in their careers on the legendary Chicago stage. Second City has generously given us a glimpse into their extensive archive of live performances, and over the coming weeks we’ll be sharing some rare and retro comedy never before seen on the web.
This week we’re taking a break from highlighting comedic legends to unearth an old Second City clip you never knew you wanted – a 41-year-old Mel Gibson giving live improv a shot back in 1997. According to Second City, this performance took place during a later version of Paradigm Lost and included ensemble performers Rachel Dratch, Scott Adsit, Rachel Hamilton, Kevin Dorff, Stephnie Weir, and Jim Zulevic. Braveheart hit theaters two years before this performance, so get ready for lots of Scottish accents and pretend drinking.