1977 Catherine O’Hara playful promotional shoot

Canadian Legend, [Link removed - login to see], poses in an ad for the iconic 1977 Salvador Dalì Edition Lincoln Mercury.

In 1977, during her early years in the Toronto comedy scene that would soon evolve into SCTV, Catherine O’Hara appeared in a now‑cult‑favorite promotional shoot built around the tongue‑in‑cheek “Salvador Dalí Edition” Lincoln Mercury campaign. The concept parodied the era’s fascination with designer luxury cars, imagining a surreal, Dalí‑branded automobile package. O’Hara, along with fellow performers Joe Flaherty and Dave Thomas, helped bring the idea to life in a series of comedic promotional materials that blended straight‑faced glamour with the absurdity that would soon define her career.

This color photograph captures O’Hara seated on the bumper of a late‑1970s Lincoln Continental Mark V, posed with the poised seriousness of a luxury‑car spokesmodel. The vivid lighting, clean studio backdrop, and warm tones of the car’s finish all contribute to the illusion of a genuine high‑end advertisement. The humor lies in the contrast: a young O’Hara, styled for a glamorous automotive campaign, promoting a fictional “Dalí Edition” vehicle that never existed outside the comedic imagination of the SCTV troupe.

Color stills like this were typically used for promotional kits, print ads, or internal marketing mock‑ups, making this version a particularly striking artifact. It offers a rare glimpse of O’Hara just before her breakout, capturing both her comedic roots and the playful experimentation that shaped her early career.