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The Red Green Show is a Canadian television
that aired on various channels in Canada, with its ultimate home at , and on
() stations in the , from 1991 until the series finale April 7, 2006, on CBC. The Red Green Show is essentially a cross between a
series, and is a parody of , , , and other outdoors shows (particularly ). Reruns currently air on CBC Television, , and various
stations. It was produced by , which is owned by
and . Directors on the series include ,
and William G. Elliott.
The Red Green set used for filming in 2004.
The title character,
(), is a handyman who tries to find shortcuts to most of his projects, trusting most of his work to , which he calls "the handyman's secret weapon". He is the president of the Possum Lodge, a
men's club in the small
town of , near the also-fictional town of . He and his fellow lodge members had their own TV show in which they gave lessons and demonstrations in repair work and outdoor activities, and advice for men.
The show's basic concept was that of a
show, taped in part on a hand-held camera by Red's nephew Harold. The show's structure evolved over time and included several regular segments that appeared in almost every episode. These segments were interspersed with each episode's three main plot segments. The most frequent segments were "The Possum Lodge Word Game", "Handyman Corner", and "Adventures with Bill".
Red attempted to demonstrate creative and often humorous ways to tackle relatively common tasks, such as taking out the trash or making use of derelict cars, or to create something extravagant out of whatever he could get his hands on. Memorable examples included a
made out of a van on pallets and a , a
made from two propane tanks, a hybrid car from recycled golf carts and satellite dishes, and a kiddie ride made from a bar stool attached to the agitator of a . , "the handyman's secret weapon," was almost always the fastener of choice. In one episode, he tried to duct tape the - border as a potential solution to . The segment customarily concluded with the
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."
A black-and-white segment in the form of a narrated home movie, in which Red and Bill attempted to accomplish a task, trying out a sport, or go on some adventure, invariably leading to . Later in the series, other characters were featured, sometimes without Red or Bill. Red narrated each Adventure as the action occurred.
Structured like
or , the objective was to get a contestant to say a certain word in 30 seconds by giving them various clues. On this program however, the contestant almost always gave answers that were either way off or very odd throughout the segment, but finally said the correct word by accident. Often Harold would announce that week's prize in a misleading way, to make it sound much more interesting.
Red gives out sage advice from behind his
workbench, usually talking to older men about married life or coping with changing society ("Let's face it", he quipped in one episode, "these days, if you're not young, you're old.") This segment always concluded with, "Remember, I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together."
Red and another character, standing together at the base of the basement stairs in a close-up, giving men advice on how to get out of various jams, usually with their wives, although Red was often replaced by another character in later seasons.
In earlier episodes, Red often recited small bits of
in the woods. The segments were named depending on the season and had a humorous twist on a famous saying. For example, the winter segment is named "".
In many shows, Red and Harold could be seen sitting at a , with Red usually strumming a
and singing an original humorous song with Harold providing vocal accents and percussion with various items such as spoons, gas cans and junk metal. In later seasons, the characters gave brief biographical sketches (consisting of various odd historical photos accompanied by narration) of "famous" Possum Lake residents.
A regular segment where Harold would read a letter supposedly from a viewer and Red would answer it, often misinterpreting what the viewer was asking. This evolved into "The Experts", where Red and another character answer alleged letters from viewers and always give ridiculous advice, often debating on what the viewer meant or needed.
Ranger Gord's "educational" safety
(featuring
animals that looked like Red and Harold) and occasional advice segments with Dalton Humphrey, Winston Rothschild and Mike Hamar.
In the season Mike Hamar was introduced, he would often try to help Red around the lodge, but with humorously disastrous results due to mis-communications or Mike trying to imitate Red's corner cutting shortcuts.
Hap Shaughnessy appeared in many segments and always told outlandish stories about his life to Red and occasionally another character, who would doubt Hap's claims and start making jokes about them. Among other things, Hap claims to have been an , to have fought , to have invented
and , and to have once advised
on how many fingers to put on .
The show usually concluded with Red giving a message to his wife, Bernice (usually a ), and delivering his signature piece of life advice in the form of a hockey metaphor: "Keep your stick on the ice." This was followed by a general meeting of the Possum Lodge membership while the credits rolled, which began with the ritual stating of the Lodge motto: "Quando omni flunkus moritati" ( for "When all else fails, play dead"). From season six onward, this was often followed by the Man's Prayer: "I'm a man, but I can change, if I have to, I guess." In the final episode of the series, a revised version of the prayer was said: "I'm a man, but I changed, because I had to. Oh well." Steve Smith later identified that this was a tribute to his wife Morag, who had simply commented, "Oh well," upon viewing the first episode back in 1991. In one episode, women take over Possum Lodge and change the prayer to ". I'm in charge, get over it."
Steve Smith as Red Green
Smith originally created the character of Red Green for his
sketch comedy series . The sketch was a parody of the long-running Canadian outdoors show
(), starring , in which Red and his friends would show silent films of their fishing trips with commentary at "Scuttlebutt Lodge". The character also appeared in
before becoming the focus of his own series.
The Red Green Show was produced first by
in , then by
in , then by the , before finally finding its permanent home at
for the 1997 season (its seventh) onward. The show was renamed The New Red Green Show upon its move to Global, and would keep this title until its second season at CBC.
The show ended April 7, 2006 after its 15th season with exactly 300 episodes. (This longevity inspired a joke in one episode, where Red says "The question is, can you do anything with crap? Obviously the answer is yes, we're in our fourteenth season.")
The last episode was filmed on November 5, 2005, at the Showline Studios Harbourside location. At the time the season began taping, the
locked out staffers who were members of the , rendering the show's regular studios at the
unavailable. The last episode concluded with the show breaking the
by thanking the audience and fans for their popularity. In addition, the Man's Prayer was changed to "I'm a man / but I changed / because I had to / Oh, well."
The low-budget movie
(2002), was based on The Red Green Show. It was screened in select American theaters, but did not receive a wide release. It has since appeared occasionally on
stations during pledge drives. It is also available on DVD.
As the show gained popularity, Steve Smith also wrote a syndicated newspaper column, as Red Green, titled North of 40 in which he would give advice to readers.
In previous years, the show would stage live mini-telethons (sometimes called "Red Green-a-thons") for public television stations in the United States. These usually coincided with national PBS fundraising drives, and featured contests between various PBS stations carrying the show. This was done to encourage new stations to carry Red Green, for those who already have it to continue it, and in one year Red playfully dumped stations that chose to discontinue the show in a wheelbarrow.
Since 2000, Red Green has been the "Ambassador of Scotch Duct Tape" for .
On December 14, 2008, a retrospective special title "The Red Green Story-We're All In This Together" aired on select PBS stations. The special was released on DVD along with a book. Also, despite stating after the show's final episode that he planned to permanently retire his character, in 2010, Smith embarked on the "Wit and Wisdom Comedy Tour", in which he gave live performances as Red Green in cities across the United States and Canada.
As a result of the success from the Wit and Wisdom Tour, Steve Smith announced on November 29, 2012, a new "How To Do Everything" Tour which kicks off in Canada in the fall of 2013 before going to the US in the spring of 2014.
Some of the characters that appeared during the 2004 season of the show.
The title character of The Red Green Show, Red () is the leader of Possum Lodge and a self-proclaimed handyman who is constantly extolling the virtues of
("the handyman's secret weapon"). He is married to Bernice Green and does not have any children. He is seldom seen without his trademark red-and-green suspenders and Canadian military field manoeuvres cap.
According to Red's DVD biography, Red became the leader of Possum Lodge after gradually becoming more involved with it over time and becoming "the only guy nobody hated." At one point, he borrowed a large sum of money from his brother just before his brother lost his job at the bank. In repayment, Red employed his nephew Harold as the producer and director of The Red Green Show.
In addition to being a handyman, Red also has several main philosophies in life, some of which are passed on to the lodge as a whole. Chief among them is the phrase "Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati" (pseudo-Latin for "When all else fails, play dead"). He also concludes each of his Handyman Corner segments with the phrase, "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."
Red owns what is known as "the Possum Van", a
, painted as a grey
on a pale blue background, and with a license plate reading simply "POSSUM". It is one of Red's few vehicles that actually runs. It has played (and donated) many parts in Handyman's Corner projects. After the series ended, the van was scrapped.
Red's dry, often sarcastic wit is balanced by a strong sense of camaraderie with his fellow lodge members, partly because he directs most of his sarcasm toward Harold. Despite this, Harold and the rest of Possum Lodge seem to regard Red with a high level of respect, though occasionally some of the lodge members will challenge his authority in one way or another.
Harold () is Red's nephew and the fictional producer and director of The Red Green Show. He is a —he has a significant , wears thick glasses, is very eager and sensitive. He is often appalled by the behaviour of the other lodge members (and even Red himself), and he puts a lot of effort into trying to change everyone's behaviour, usually with little or no success.
Harold's advanced knowledge of , television and technology originally landed him the job of producer and director of the TV show, often wielding a portable device with dials and a keyboard, used to create the show's visual effects and transitions, though he didn't have it in later seasons. Later in the show's history, he became employed at Multicorp and went to work in the neighbouring town of Port Asbestos. He later became the publicity manager for Possum Lake, and eventually fell in love with Bonnie (), a commercial truck driver who shares nearly all of his unusual mannerisms. The two were married in the final episode of the series.
Harold and Red spend much of their time on the show trading insults and poking fun at each other. While they have shown they can cooperate with one another at times, Harold is often very critical of Red's ideas and schemes, but usually ends up going along with them anyway.
In the film Duct Tape Forever, Harold is not a member of the Possum Lodge. At the end, the brotherhood accept him and take him in.
Dalton () is the owner of Humphrey's Everything Store and is one of Red's best friends. He is one of the few financially successful lodge members. He is a cheapskate and tries to conserve money as much as possible, shortchanging and cheating people. When he isn't complaining about the state of things at his store, he generally complains about his troubled marriage to Ann Marie and their daughter's spending habits.
Dalton has been with the show since season 4 and takes part in the vast majority of the show's main storylines. He has a strong relationship with Red, joining him on his regular fishing trips and taking part in many aspects of the Possum Lodge operations. He also takes his fatherhood very seriously, often trying to pass on his ideas and wisdom to other people (most notably Harold). He generally tells people exactly what he thinks of them, even if it means offending them.
Ann Marie only appeared onscreen once, in the final episode, in which she and Dalton renewed their wedding vows (her face was obscured by her bridal veil); however, she was sometimes seen in shadow in scenes set near their home (her voice was provided by ). Their daughter, Tabitha, appeared in the film , played by , although there she goes by the name Mandy.
Mike () is a career criminal who joined Possum Lodge while on parole from federal prison. He has become another of Red's best friends and often tries to help out around the Lodge, though he is not very good at handyman tasks in general. He talks a lot about his troubled childhood—mostly about his mother (an ) and many fathers. Mike suffers from low self-esteem and poor planning, usually causing those around him to try to cheer him up again. He is the only character who regularly refers to Red as "Mr. Green." As revealed in the final episode, Mike eventually becomes a police officer.
Winston () is the owner and sole employee of Rothschild's Sewage and Septic Sucking Services. Like Dalton and Mike, Winston is one of Red Green's friends and takes part in the day-to-day operations at Possum Lodge. He is always seen wearing a , a white button-down shirt, a bowtie and hip waders. He is generally upbeat and has a positive outlook on life, and is usually able to look on the bright side of things even in the face of certain disaster. He is also a fan of
speakers Anthony Anthony (whom he likes to quote) and Walter Mollusk.
A true entrepreneur, Winston describes sewage and septic sucking as his lifelong dream. He owns his own equipment and a septic truck—apparently his only means of transportation, even on his usually unsuccessful dates. Throughout the series, he appears in a wide variety of commercials advertising his septic sucking business, almost always with a humorous quip ("We're number one in the number two business"; "We'll take that smell off your hands";"We come in a truck and leave in a day" etc.). In later episodes, his commercials tend to parody the advertising campaigns of numerous Canadian companies.
He also has a tendency to confuse certain phrases and adages, saying things like "" or "".
Bill () is the star of the "Adventures with Bill" segment, in which he and at least one other character (usually Red) attempt to perform relatively simple tasks or try a sport or game in the clumsiest, most accident-prone way possible. (These segments are done in a silent home-movie format with a voiceover by Red.) Bill rarely actually speaks, and has only appeared on the main set of the show in the second season (still silently) and in the series' final episode—these are also the only times Bill is ever seen in colour (though he shows up in color at the end of the credits sequence for the first season, at least), since the "Adventures" segments are shown in black & white. When something goes wrong, as it invariably does each episode, Bill can be heard these are anticipation of injury, not actual injury, such as Bill screaming as he falls off the ladder, not when he hits the ground. In some segments, Bill can be heard speaking in gibberish, but the explanation for not hearing him clearly is usually that the camera they use for these segments has a weak microphone. Later in the show's history, the "Adventures with Bill" segment was expanded to include more characters and not necessarily Bill himself.
In each "Adventures" segment in which Bill appears, he usually attempts to do something of an outdoors nature, such as backpacking, building something, chopping down a tree, or playing a sport. Each of his actions are basically slapstick comedy routines—for example, when he swings an axe, it flies out of his hands and smashes into another character or Red's Possum Van. In what has become a classic occurrence, Bill often manages to knock one or both of the side mirrors off the van. He can also store large tools and miscellaneous items in his overalls, and
on demand. Many segments show Bill getting hurt somehow, but apparently not seriously or permanently. (One segment in particular ends with Bill's arms crushed and flattened in a grape press.) There is generally no continuity from one "Adventures" segment to the next, and Bill comes back in the following episode good as new.
Ranger Gord () is the local
who spends almost all of his time alone in Fire Watch Tower 13 and, later in the series, Tower 3. His full name is Gordon Ranger, but he prefers not to be called "Ranger Ranger." He is always seen wearing his ranger outfit (which he apparently launders using only a blow dryer), and he finds various eccentric ways to pass his time, even while Red is visiting. For example, he has been seen making nature-sounds tapes by mimicking animal noises into a tape recorder, and he claims to use baked beans as his alarm clock. In one episode, he is found by Red to be hibernating.
Gord has worked in his watch tower for more than eighteen years without a paycheck and claims to have been a forest ranger his entire life. His apparent reason for becoming a ranger was that he thought
was talking directly to him in one of his famous public service announcements ("Only you can prevent "). He frequently breaks out in tears during Red's visits as he talks about how lonely he is and/or how much of a sacrifice he makes at his job. During one visit, Gord claimed to have gotten so lonely that he ate the watch tower and then later moved on to another tower in season 7. Gord sometimes laments his lack of recognition. Once, he thought that someone had left him some honorary medallions only to learn from Red that they were
(Gord thought that a
cap was for being a "bud of the forest"). On another occasion, Gord justified his lack of communication with his superiors as a sign that he was doing a "good job protecting the forest," to which Red suggested that his superiors most likely forgot about him. In truth, it turned out that he had been dismissed many years ago, but the message had never gotten to him.
Later in the series (seasons 9 to 13, between 1999 and 2004), Ranger Gord made a series of 23 short "educational" cartoons about the environment. Written, animated, produced, directed, and voiced by Gord himself, these films always feature an animated version of Gord as a musclebound superhero type, and Red and Harold Green make appearances as a
and beaver, respectively. (Dalton and Mike also appear in one short, depicted as a bear and a raccoon, respectively.) The cartoons' subjects have included finding money at the end of a rainbow, planting a cell phone to grow a telephone pole, and waging a fire fight against the sun and its deadly . The cartoons were actually written by staff writers starting with Shaun Graham, who wrote the six original shorts. All 23 shorts were designed, directed, and animated by
of Frog Feet Productions.
The original fire watch tower shown in seasons 1–2 was the treehouse in Steve Smith's backyard in , that he had put up for his sons.[] From seasons 3–6, it was filmed in an actual watch tower (in reality located at , Ont.). By season 8, it was a set. Gord appeared in the lodge during season 7, saying that he had eaten the front two legs of the tower and caused it to fall over. In the movie , the tower had burned down and Ranger Gord was then in charge of a
with unfinished tracks.
Edgar Montrose () is Possum Lodge's explosives enthusiast. He believes that any problem (including leaky roofs and invasive weeds) can be solved with explosives. He is usually seen wearing singed overalls, a cracked construction helmet and a pair of ear protectors, though he rarely covers his ears with them. According to himself, Edgar was born in , and he started using explosives at a young age. He later enlisted in the Army and was dishonourably discharged after only three weeks, when he blew up the main office ("turns out they were only thinking of building a new one").
Edgar's heavy use of explosives over the years has caused him to lose most of his hearing, which often leads to nonsensical responses to questions and comments. (For example, Red will ask him, "What have you brought for us today, Edgar?" and Edgar will respond, "Oh, just fine, Red.") He is also missing a finger on his left hand, though the story of how he lost it changes each time he tells it. He claims to not have many friends, and according to his DVD biography, he has "yet to meet a woman that likes to spend a Saturday night watching [him] blow a fully grown Douglas Fir tree clean over the lake."
Edgar's middle initials, K.B., are rumored to stand for "Ka Boom!", his favourite catchphrase. His favourite movie is , saying, "Did you see that baby go up at the end?" After seeing the movie , Edgar thought that the "Native guy" should have received an
for his role. (Greene had been nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Kicking Bird in the movie, but lost to .)
Hap Shaughnessy () is the water-taxi captain of Possum Lake, but he is much better known at Possum Lodge for his self-aggrandizing tall tales. In virtually every appearance he makes on the show, he makes a ridiculous claim to have been a significant person in history, or to have accomplished some incredible feat. Nobody else on the show believes him, but he will go to great lengths to tell his stories anyway. For example, he has claimed that he owns a hat that belonged to
himself, that he once filled in for
of the , and that he even died and came back to life at the . In one episode, it is hinted that he lies about his past because he has a poor self-image.
Hap is always seen wearing a
baseball cap, which is a nod to Pinsent's own military service as a soldier in the Regiment during the early 1950s.
Ed Frid () is Possum Lake's second
(the first being Garth Harble). Ironically, he is deathly afraid of almost all animals and believes they are out to get him. He is featured on The Red Green Show in the "Talking Animals" segment, in which Red tries to get him to show the audience a small animal, such as a weasel or a leech. Invariably, something goes wrong and causes Ed to panic, usually bringing an abrupt and comedic end to the segment.
Buzz Sherwood () is a local
known around Possum Lake for his eccentric antics in his small Cessna seaplane, which he moors on the Possum Lodge boat dock. He has an incredibly boisterous personality, often acting extremely hyperactive and happy-go-lucky. Despite being in his 40's, he still views himself as a kid, and is known for his wild laughter and habit of punching people's arms in greeting.
Bob Stuyvestant () works for the Ministry of Natural Resources, and is almost always seen playing golf, although he always plays poorly. Bob knows everything there is to know about golf but can't seem to apply it to his own game. Same with women – Bob has been married 5 times. When out golfing, Bob claims to be "conducting undercover research" for the Ministry, claiming that he is taking soil and air samples (He once claimed that his golf ball was a "dimpled ergonometer", and that his putter was a "wind speed calibration wrench").
Glen Braxton () is the operator and only employee of Braxton's Marina. Glen is a large and incredibly lazy man, often seen sitting on his lawn chair or napping. He has suffered multiple heart attacks, and has seven daughters. In earlier seasons, he would appear with Red in the "Boating Tips" segment, where he would give advice or instructions on how to maintain and care for boats. However, he would often make Red perform these tasks for him, citing his poor health as leaving him unable to do it himself.
Dwight Cardiff () is the only character ever shown to be lazier than Glen Braxton. Dwight is the operator at the Port Asbestos Marina, although he occasionally traveled to the Lodge to appear on the show. Dwight is unwilling to do anything that requires him to move, such as going inside when it rains (what he calls "passive environmental interaction"). He also claims to have had a pet snail as a child, but it "ran away on him".
Dougie Franklin () is an American immigrant who drives a huge
and who is a self-proclaimed expert in two areas of life: cars and women. His brother Ben was seen in a few episodes, played by Ian Thomas' actual brother
Kevin Black () is a yuppie developer from the big city who is usually outwitted by the landowners of Possum Lake. Kevin Black appeared in the sixth and seventh seasons. He is frequently surprised by the rural aspects of Possum Lake, such as the idea of having to dig a well in order to get water.
Throughout its fifteen-season run, The Red Green Show sported a cast of well over forty secondary and minor characters, ranging from fellow Possum Lodge members to guests making single appearances and even audience members appearing on the set. During the second season, the regular cast was expanded to include many different lodge members, none of whom were kept on for appearances after the second season. The cast, while primarily male, did include occasional female characters as well, including network executive Kelly Cook () and Anne-Marie Humphrey (), Dalton's wife.
In addition to the already long list of characters, there are several characters who are frequently referred to, but are never seen. The most frequently mentioned are Red's friends Junior Singleton, Buster Hadfield, Moose Thompson, Stinky Peterson, and Old Man Sedgwick. The in-show descriptions of these characters are often far-fetched and outlandish. For example, Old Man Sedgwick's age is never officially disclosed, although he is reported to have known
when he (John) was only a child, and in one episode, he is said to have been born "sometime in the mesozoic era".
Main article:
Acorn Media has released portions of The Red Green Show on DVD in Region 1 in various incarnations.
In , they released six compilation DVDs labeled as "Stuffed and Mounted" volumes 1 through 6. Each DVD contains episodes from various seasons of the show up to season 10 (the most current season at the time these DVDs were released). However, there were no episodes from season two. These DVDs feature a spoken-word introduction by Steve Smith (out of character, as evidenced by his higher-pitched voice).
In 2006, Acorn began to release the series on DVD in complete season sets. Of note, the releases are identified by year, thus the 7th season is labeled as "1997 Season", the 8th season is "1998 Season", and so on. Seasons 7 through 11 were released in this format.
In 2010, Acorn changed formats again, they began releasing compilation sets which contain episodes from multiple seasons all grouped together. The first release- The Red Green Show: The Infantile Years features all 72 episodes from the first 3 seasons in a 9 disc set. Extras include introductions by Steve Smith and Red & Harold character biographies. Seasons 4 through 6 were released in The Red Green Show: The Toddlin' Years. Seasons 7 through 9 were released in The Red Green Show: The Delinquent Years. Seasons 10 through 12 were released in The Red Green Show: The Midlife Crisis Years. On September 20, 2011, Acorn released The Red Green Show: The Geezer Years, which contains episodes from the final three seasons (13–15).
Release Date
The Red Green Show: 1997 Season
May 2, 2006
The Red Green Show: 1998 Season
May 15, 2007
The Red Green Show: 1999 Season
February 26, 2008
The Red Green Show: 2000 Season
September 16, 2008
The Red Green Show: 2001 Season
March 10, 2009
The Red Green Show: The Infantile Years – Seasons
January 26, 2010
The Red Green Show: The Toddlin' Years – Seasons
November 2, 2010
The Red Green Show: The Delinquent Years – Seasons
March 15, 2011
The Red Green Show: The Mid-Life Crisis Years – Seasons
May 31, 2011
The Red Green Show: The Geezer Years – Seasons
September 20, 2011
The Red Green Show: The Complete High Quantity Collection
October 16, 2012
Description
Release Date
Red Green, DVD (Duct-Tape Virtuoso Deluxe)
A collection of segments from various episodes centering around duct tape
May 8, 2001
A full-length feature movie in which Red and Harold enter a duct-tape sculpture competition
April 29, 2003
Red Green: Hindsight is 20/20
A retrospective on The Red Green show
May 11, 2004
It's a Wonderful Red Green Christmas
A collection of Christmas episodes
October 19, 2004
Red Green's We Can't Help It, We're Men
A collection of shorts and segments about men
May 10, 2005
The Red Green Story: We’re All in This Together
A retrospective on The Red Green Show, two years after the final season
2008 ( only)
Red Green is Special
Box set containing Hindsight is 20/20; Duct Tape Virtuoso Deluxe; We Can't Help It, We're Men; and The Red Green Story.
May 12, 2009
Nancy MacPhee (October 7, 2011).
Shaun Graham Bio
Wild Sound
Animation Unleashed: 100 Principles Every Animator, Comic Book Writer, Filmmaker, Video Artist, and Game Developer Should Know, by Ellen Besen, 2008 Michael Wiese Productions, Studio City,CA , p225
Lambert, David (August 21, 2012). .
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