If Barney Fife and Home Improvement'sTim Taylor had a pair of love children, they might have turned out something like Red Green and his nephew Harold. This was the first thing that struck me about The Red Green Show.
I had not heard of Red Green prior to sampling the DVD set The Red Green Show: The Infantile Years. Strange, since the show ran for 15 seasons, from 1991 through 2006. Three hundred episodes aired in Canada (where it originated), on PBS, and now on Comedy Central. There were several specials, a weekly syndicated news column, three books, and a feature film. In short, it was a pop culture phenomenon.
Where have I been?
If you’re like me and are clueless about what The Red Green Show is about, "The Infantile Years" is an excellent introduction to the craziness. The set contains every episode of the first three seasons: “When Possum Lodge first opened its doors...(and couldn’t get them shut again).”
The title character, Red Green (played by former teacher and the show’s originator, Steve Smith), is a lazy, somewhat inept handyman, complete with requisite grey beard and lumberjack shirt. His look belies a folksy charm and a dry wit; the twinkle in those blue eyes says don’t judge a book by its mountain man cover. He is smarter than he looks.
The show takes place mostly in the Possum Lodge and is produced by Harold, Red’s goofy but extremely bright nephew (played to geeky perfection by Patrick McKenna). Harold wields his “special effects axe” (an old Commodore 128 keyboard attached to a two by four dotted with strange looking dials and doo-hickeys) like a talisman. He is a computer geek; the instrument is his power and protector. With his overbite, slicked back hair, and Barney Fife bravado, he has all the makings of an easy mark. Red takes advantage of him every so often, but his need for the kid’s expertise outweighs the temptation to spew out cruel barbs. His attempts to treat Harold with as much goodwill as he can muster are sometimes painful-yet hilarious-exercises in restraint.
Article comments
1 - Jonathan Sullivan
I love this show! I used to watch this before Red Dwarf on PBS.