Tom,
I'm a bit late on the discussion, but to solve the problem with just the one speaker playing, you can buy a SCART->RCA outlet which features L/R-Audio and Video/S-VHS connectors. The ones I use are switchable from Input to Output, so you're able to use the connections in both directions. They were about 5 bucks each. (you only need one)
Disclaimer: I'm from Europe and I'm assuming that you guys in the US have the same connections on your TVs as we have, but with TV-norms you never know...
Hope this helps,