what i'm watching: canadian comedy, baseball
The Sox were rained out last night, so, feeling lazy and tired, we ended up watching a bunch of shows on the Comedy Network, including Air Farce and Kids In The Hall. We saw our second or third episode of The New Red Green Show, which is surprisingly funny.
I've been trying to figure out how to describe this show to non-Canadians. It's a spoof on a home-improvement show, hosted by a redneck whose answer to every challenge is duct tape. It makes sport of country folks, and men in general, but in (what seems to me, anyway) a warm and self-knowing way, as in, this is us, ain't we funny. The host, played by Steve Smith, has a deadpan delivery a la the great Bob Newhart. The show he hosts from "Possum Lodge" is "a fishing show, a fix-it show, and a men's advice program all rolled into about 3/4".
What do you guys think? Hate it? Love it? Ignore it?
* * * *
I haven't been blogging about baseball, but it's basically all I think about right now. The Red Sox are driving us insane, in a dead-heat tie with the Yankees for the division, and a half-game behind Cleveland for the wild card. The Yankees won last night, which technically puts them a half-game up, but only because the Sox were rained out. Boston plays a double-header today.
I feel like playoffs have already started, and in a way they have: at the end of this week, two of those teams will be alive, and one will go home for the winter.
I will be crushed if the Red Sox don't win the division. I say that about ten times a day; just wanted to go on record here.
I want to be excited that hockey season is about to start, but I can't focus on that until after the World Series. I do like seeing all the hockey news on Sports Centre (not to mention how that is spelled!). The national focus on hockey must be how baseball once was in the US. I like it.
* * * *
"Missed It By That Much." As I'm sure you heard, Don Adams, a/k/a Maxwell Smart, died yesterday at the age of 82. There was an actor forever identified with one role. No matter what he did later in his career, Adams would always be Agent 86. Get Smart is one of my all-time favorite shows.
I've been trying to figure out how to describe this show to non-Canadians. It's a spoof on a home-improvement show, hosted by a redneck whose answer to every challenge is duct tape. It makes sport of country folks, and men in general, but in (what seems to me, anyway) a warm and self-knowing way, as in, this is us, ain't we funny. The host, played by Steve Smith, has a deadpan delivery a la the great Bob Newhart. The show he hosts from "Possum Lodge" is "a fishing show, a fix-it show, and a men's advice program all rolled into about 3/4".
What do you guys think? Hate it? Love it? Ignore it?
* * * *
I haven't been blogging about baseball, but it's basically all I think about right now. The Red Sox are driving us insane, in a dead-heat tie with the Yankees for the division, and a half-game behind Cleveland for the wild card. The Yankees won last night, which technically puts them a half-game up, but only because the Sox were rained out. Boston plays a double-header today.
I feel like playoffs have already started, and in a way they have: at the end of this week, two of those teams will be alive, and one will go home for the winter.
I will be crushed if the Red Sox don't win the division. I say that about ten times a day; just wanted to go on record here.
I want to be excited that hockey season is about to start, but I can't focus on that until after the World Series. I do like seeing all the hockey news on Sports Centre (not to mention how that is spelled!). The national focus on hockey must be how baseball once was in the US. I like it.
* * * *
"Missed It By That Much." As I'm sure you heard, Don Adams, a/k/a Maxwell Smart, died yesterday at the age of 82. There was an actor forever identified with one role. No matter what he did later in his career, Adams would always be Agent 86. Get Smart is one of my all-time favorite shows.
*Love* Red Green, although I don't make a point of watching regularly. It's been around for years, is ALWAYS on somewhere, and I take it for granted.
ReplyDeleteI've been watching Steve Smith on one show or another for most of my life. He and his wife Morag starred in their own comedy show, "Smith and Smith," when I was young; the highlights were the silly songs Steve would write. "Come and visit my planet, we have 23 flavours of granite ..."
"Me and Max" was pretty dreadful, but "The Comedy Mill," featuring some up-and-coming Canadian comedic talent, wasn't bad.
Now if the CBC would get back on track, you could watch Rick Mercer's Report. Even better than baseball!
Morning L-Girl
ReplyDeleteALPF
The Red Green Show is in it's 15th? year I think. I worked on the show for the first 6 years when it was shot here in Hamilton. Steve Smith is as nice as a performer can get! He always keeps the crew involved and treats everybody with respect. The show was an absolute blast to work on and most of us were sad to see the day he moved to Toronto and the CBC. However, it was the best thing for him and the show to get the national exposure it deserves.
I don't look back on too many other productions with as much fondness.
Marnie, that sounded great, until...
ReplyDeleteEven better than baseball!
...you lost me at the end there. I do look forward to the end of the CBC lock-out, but this is just not possible.
for my tastes it's a little repetitive -- the range of material is too narrow for me.
I could definitely see it becoming a little one-note. I noticed Rick Green, because I always look at writing credits.
ALPF, how cool! That's really nice to hear about Smith, too.
I heard about Don Adams over the radio last night while driving around. That really brought me down. When I was a really little kid, Get Smart was my favourite show. I always thought CONTROL was the coolest possible name for any international spy agency. The Beatles have a song called Maxwell's Silver Hammer (though when I was four, the popular version in Canada was by The Bells, a group from Manitoba, and that's the one I like)... I thought they were singing about Maxwell Smart and calling him "Maxwell Silverhammer". :) For those in the animation know, Don Adams was also our own Inspector Gadget.
ReplyDeleteFarewell, Don... you should have made it to 86. Or 99.
For those in the animation know, Don Adams was also our own Inspector Gadget.
ReplyDeleteAnd for those old enough to remember, Tennessee Tuxedo.
Red Green's been on for years, now ... I grew up watching Smith&Smith, then Red Green. The older episodes were funniest, before all the side characters became regulars, but it's still pretty good. "Handyman's Corner" is what makes the show. The black&white sketches always feature some great physical comedy, also.
ReplyDeleteAnd it contains the best piece of advice any man has ever received:
"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."
Love that.
I'm sad about Don Adams, too - I just loved "Get Smart".
ReplyDeleteI hope you're having a great time in Toronto. I wish like anything we could move there, but our particular line of work keeps us in Los Angeles. I have family there,and I spent 3 months of every year there till I was in my early 20s. When we lost my grandparents and had to sell their house, I felt like I lost my home.
Toronto is such a great city. Diverse, cosmopolitan, friendly and clean (at least that's how I remember it!). And if you're in the mood for something delicious from the bakery, do yourself a favor and check out the Little Pie Shoppe on Yonge, just north of Eglinton. It's been there since before I was born, and it still rocks. I still dream about their petit fours...
Canadian humor rules! I'm still a die-hard SCTV fan, too - it's a great comedy tradition.
And it contains the best piece of advice any man has ever received:
ReplyDeleteThat's on the website as Red's tagline. Great stuff.
Alicia: thank you! So far, so good.
I never watch Red Green, although I watched Smith and Smith as a young lad. But, if you are looking for Canadian shows to watch, I recommend This Is Wonderland and DaVinci's Inquest.
ReplyDeleteI always likened Don Adams to George Reeves (TV's original Superman - and out comes my inner comic book geek). Couldn't get recognized for any other role, though he had many which were quite diverse, and showed his acting range to be well beyond the minimal requirements of a superhero role. Sadly, though, just as Adams was seen only as Agent 86, Reeves was seen by the public only as Superman, and not as an actor with a lot of talent.
ReplyDeleteReeves, sadly, was found dead of a gunshot wound that was ruled a suicide due to depression over a stalling post-Superman career.
As epitomized by Don McLean (and this applies to Adams also, and all those who were limited by typecasting):
I don't want to be like old George Reeves
Stuck in a Superman role.
I've got a long way to go in my career
And some day my fame will make it clear
That I had to be a Superman
He came from another place deep in his mind
As far as the planets in space.
As galaxy's mysteries start to unwind
Some changes are bound to take place.
Though gravity constantly weighs on my travels
My mission is close to adrift
Though I can be strong when my power unravels
I still come to you for a lift.
I know I can fly when my plane hits the sky
I believe I've got nothing to lose.
But when I'm alone with the bed and the phone
I get the terminal metropolis blues
I flew to the coast where Superman's Ghost
Lay shot on the bedroom floor
He said "Watch out for TV it crucified me,
but it can't crucify me no more."
"I'm red white and blue, I've got justice to do
I'm the man of your fantasy dreams
But I'm an alien man from an alien land
Who's alive on your orthicon screens.
I once ruled the world and when flags were unfurled
I performed for you live not on tape.
But the public is cruel when played for a fool
As you see by the blood on my cape."
"Well I never was real or stronger than steel.
I'm a figment of Freudian need.
And the video screen is a psychotic scene
And it's all done with mirrors and green
My agent just called, the talks have been stalled
I soon will be pulled from the air.
But the image persists in the video mists
That a Superman still will be there!"
I don't want to be like old George Reeves
Stuck in a Superman role.
I've got a long way to go in my career
And some day my fame will make it clear
That I had to be a Superman.
This Is Wonderland and DaVinci's Inquest.
ReplyDeleteDuly noted (for after the WS) - thanks ZF.
Have to say that I loved Get Smart as well. Apparently he did not mind the connection though. Strange to lose two great sixties icons in such a short period(Bob Denver).
ReplyDeleteAs a little trivia, when Adams signed on to do Get Smart he was offered two contracts; the first had more money up front, the second gave him points in the show. He took the second and was apparently set for life financially. Probably part of the reason he didn't fight the typecasting too much.
Doesanyone remember a show he did in the late 70's called "Screen Test"?
Yes, Red Green is one of the best shows on CBC... I luv the episode where he makes a hummer by duct taping 2 K-car's together! Classic! :D
ReplyDeleteThe funniest show on TV right now has got to be Rick Mercer's Monday Report. I can't wait for the lockout so that I can see more of em!
Anonymous Peter? Is that you??? :)
ReplyDeleteLiam J, cool factoid re Don Adams. So many performers got screwed out of their syndication rights. I'm glad to know Agent 86 did not!
ReplyDeleteI never heard of Screen Test. Do tell!
I'd have to say The Red Green Show is really not my cup of tea. My favourite Canadian comedy right now is Corner Gas. Unlike most other Canadian comedy shows like Royal Canadian Air Farce or The Red Green Shows which are sketch comedy, Corner Gas has revived that hoary old chestnut, the sitcom. Fortunately, it's much better than the tripe produced by the big US networks. Like all Canadian shows, it is a bit uneven, but when it's good, it's very good.
ReplyDeleteI've seen ads for Corner Gas. I'm not much for sitcoms, but I'll check it out. (After the WS, of course.)
ReplyDeleteMy favourite Canadian comedy right now is Corner Gas.
ReplyDeleteOne of the few TV shows -- or things in general -- to actuall features Saskatchewan as something other than a punchline.
I used to be a farmer
And I made a living fine
I had a little stretch of land
Along the C.P. line
But though I tried and tried
The money wasn't there
And bankers came and took my land
And told me fair was fair
I looked for any kind of job,
The answer always no
"Hire you now?" they'd always laugh
"We just let 20 go"
The government they promised me
A measly little sum
But I've got too much pride
To end up just another bum
Then I thought who gives damn
If the jobs are all gone
I'm going to be a pirate
On the river Saskatchewan
And it's a heave ho, high ho,
Coming down the plains
Stealing wheat and barley
And all the other grains
And it's a ho hey, high hey,
Farmers bar your doors
When you see the Jolly Roger
On Regina's mighty shores
Well you'd think the local farmers
Would know that I'm at large
But just the other day I saw
An unprotected barge
I snuck up right behind them
And they were none the wiser
I rammed their ship and sank it
And I stole their fertilizer
A bridge outside of Moose Jaw
Spans a mighty river
Farmers cross in so much fear
Their stomachs are a-quiver
Because they know that Tractor Jack
Is waiting in the bay
I'll jump the bridge and knock them cold
And sail off with their hay
And it's a heave ho, high ho,
Coming down the plains
Stealing wheat and barley
And all the other grains
And it's a ho hey, high hey,
Farmers bar your doors
When you see the Jolly Roger
On Regina's mighty shores
Well, Mountie Bob he chased me
He was always at my throat
He'd follow on the shoreline
Cause he didn't own a boat
But cutbacks were a-coming
And the Mountie lost his job
And now he's sailing with me
And we call him Salty Bob
And it's a heave ho, high ho,
Coming down the plains
Stealing wheat and barley
And all the other grains
And it's a ho hey, high hey,
Farmers bar your doors
When you see the Jolly Roger
On Regina's mighty shores
A swinging sword, a skull and bones,
And pleasant company
I never pay my income tax
And screw the GST (screw it!)
Prince Albert down to Saskatoon,
The terror of the sea
If you want to reach the co-op, boy,
You gotta get by me
And it's a heave ho, high ho,
Coming down the plains
Stealing wheat and barley
And all the other grains
And it's a ho hey, high hey,
Farmers bar your doors
When you see the Jolly Roger
On Regina's mighty shores
Well, pirate life's appealing
But you just don't find it here
I heard that in Alberta
There's a band of buccaneers
They roam the Athabasca
from Smith to Fort Mackay
And you're bound to lose your Stetson
if you have to pass their way
Winter is a-coming
And a chill is in the breeze
My pirate days are over
Once the river starts to freeze
I'll be back in springtime
But now I have to go
I hear there's lots of plundering
Down in New Mexico
And it's a heave ho, high ho,
Coming down the plains
Stealing wheat and barley
And all the other grains
And it's a ho hey, high hey,
Farmers bar your doors
When you see the Jolly Roger
On Regina's mighty shores
The Last Saskatchewan Pirate
by The Arrogant Worms
Red-Green is one of those shows that has been around so long, it just seeps into the culture. I don't watch it but have seen a bit of it from time to time ( I don't watch TV much at all). Anyway, we have a deep love of duct tape in our house and one of my favorite things to tease dh with is the line 'if women don't find you handsome, they should find you handy'. :-)
ReplyDeleteGet Smart is another one of those things. God, I loved that show as a kid. Watched it faithfully. I'm sorry that Don Adams died.
He was a great entertainer.
Laura
The Sox-Yanks situation is GOING to come down to the final series. We all knew it from the beginning and in a way, there wasn't anything we could do about it. It's that stupid Sox destiny thing.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to keep myself together, having just moved to Florida and being AWAY FROM THE SOX, as in, I can't get them on TV. We didn't move here early enough in the season to get the package, so we're stuck streaming WEEI on our computers. Yesterday was the first time we could do it, and it was RAINED OUT.
*wails*
Off topic:
ReplyDeleteEven though the role is largely ceremonial, what do you think of the fact we now have a black, foreign born women as our head of state (replacing a Chineese foreign born women)?
Hey Jonniker, welcome to wmtc. Always nice to have another citizen of RSN here.
ReplyDeleteWhat a drag you can't get the games!! We paid for the whole package again, just for September.
I don't believe in Sox destiny, tho. Like Manny said, "You make your own destination"!
L-girl on iPAQ (watching the game right now!)
"what do you think of the fact we now have a black, foreign born women as our head of state"
ReplyDeleteI think it's brilliant. (I also think she's beautiful.)
I blogged about it when she was appointed, asking what the G-G position is (which I now understand).
L-girl on iPAQ
Jonniker! so cool to see you on wmtc! Its like running into an old friend in another city.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Laura :-)
(L-girl, Jonniker is one of the ubiquitous perfumistas!)
nver thought I'd be able to say this in my lifetime but, without denegrating her tremendous intellectual accomplishments: She is magically babelishous!!! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, the first time I posted about her, I hesitated to remark on her beauty, not wanting to appear sexist. But there's no getting around it. She's gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteHow nice that Kyahgirl and Jonniker have a reunion here at wmtc! But would someone please tell me...
(L-girl, Jonniker is one of the ubiquitous perfumistas!)
what this means?? :)
Even though the role is largely ceremonial, what do you think of the fact we now have a black, foreign born women as our head of state
ReplyDeleteNot quite head of state -- that's still the Queen. The GG is a viceroy.
Even though the role is largely ceremonial, what do you think of the fact we now have a black, foreign born women as our head of state
ReplyDeleteNot quite head of state -- that's still the Queen. The GG is a viceroy.
Come to think of it... We've had a forign born woman as our head of state for over half our existence as a country: Victoria for 34 years, and Elizabeth for 53.
Red Green is also broadcast in the States via PBS
ReplyDeleteNot on the East Coast, it's not...
We've had a forign born woman as our head of state for over half our existence as a country: Victoria for 34 years, and Elizabeth for 53.
ReplyDeleteGood point! :)
You're right. I've never seen it on any of the East Coast / Upstate NY PBS stations.
ReplyDeleteGrew up watching the Burlington, VT PBS (I was raised in Southern Quebec) and it was never on there.
Not sure where exactly it's become a cult hit! Oh well...!
Franc, are you still there...?
ReplyDeleteLast night before bed, I was flipping channels and found the Red Green Show - on Detroit PBS! Must have been a midwest thing!
I wish you had a link, so I could tell you this...
I'll have to eventually setup a link!
ReplyDeleteThat's so funny! PBS-wise, I guess Toronto is stuck between Western NY and the Midwest!
I was actually going to mention the Detroit PBS station on my previous post as in "perhaps on the Detroit station?" but glad you found it...I just knew I remembered him being "seen" in the midwest correctly!
I think I'm remember the report quoting that Winconsin had the biggest fan base for his show...Northern Wisconsin being somewhat similar to Northern Ontario I suppose?!
I used to watch the Detroit PBS once in a while when I had Starchoice satellite installed. You actually had the option to switch all major US stations to either Buffalo or Detroit so I'd picked Detroit which I thought was more interesting...
I always found their local shows to be superior to the Buffalo station for some reason.
Sorry for the typo's as I'm in a bit of a rush...
ReplyDeleteHey Franc, glad you were still checking out this thread!
ReplyDeleteI bet you're right - Wisconsin might feel some recognition with Red Green.
We seem to get a lot of Buffalo and Detroit stations on our cable package. I'm still figuring out what's what - and barely, still there's still baseball to watch.