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Grand Ole Opry
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Grand Ole Opry
Genre
Country, bluegrass, gospel
Running time
30-minute segments (7:00 pm–9:30 pm)
Country of origin
United States
Language(s)
English
Home station
WSM radio
Sirius XM Satellite Radio
Announcer
Eddie Stubbs
Created by
George D. Hay
Recording studio
Nashville, Tennessee
Original release
November 28, 1925 (1925-11-28) – present
Sponsored by
Humana
Cracker Barrel
Dollar General
Website
www.opry.com
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country-music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, which was founded on November 28, 1925, by George D. Hay as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM. Currently owned and operated by Opry Entertainment (a division of Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc.), it is the longest-running radio broadcast in US history, albeit not the longest-running one on a radio network.[1][2] Dedicated to honoring country music and its history, the Opry showcases a mix of famous singers and contemporary chart-toppers performing country, bluegrass, Americana, folk, gospel, and comedic performances and skits.[3] It attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world and millions of radio and Internet listeners.
The Opry's current primary slogan is "The Show that Made Country Music Famous".[4] Other slogans include "Home of American Music" and "Country’s Most Famous Stage".[3]
In the 1930s the show began hiring professionals and expanded to four hours; and WSM, broadcasting by then with 50,000 watts, made the program a Saturday night musical tradition in nearly 30 states.[5] In 1939, it debuted nationally on NBC Radio. The Opry moved to a permanent home, the Ryman Auditorium, in 1943. As it developed in importance, so did the city of Nashville, which became America's "country music capital".[6] The Grand Ole Opry holds such significance in Nashville that its name is included on the city/county line signs on all major roadways. The signs read "Music City|Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County|Home of the Grand Ole Opry".
Membership in the Opry remains one of country music's crowning achievements.[7] Such country music legends as Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins, Roy Acuff, the Carter family, Bill Monroe, Ernest Tubb, Kitty Wells, and Minnie Pearl became regulars on the Opry's stage. In recent decades, the Opry has hosted such contemporary country stars as Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Rascal Flatts, Dierks Bentley, Little Big Town, Blake Shelton, Chris Young, and Ricky Skaggs. Since 1974, the show has been broadcast from the Grand Ole Opry House east of downtown Nashville, with an annual three-month winter foray back to the Ryman since 1999. Performances have been sporadically televised in addition to the radio programs.
Contents
[hide]
1 History
1.1 Beginnings
1.2 Name
1.3 Larger venues
1.4 1960s
1.5 Grand Ole Opry House
1.6 Return to Ryman Auditorium
1.7 2010 flooding
2 Broadcasts
3 Membership
4 Controversies
5 Commercialization
6 Honors
7 See also
8 Notes
9 References
10 External links
History[edit]
Beginnings[edit]
Decorative brickwork at Opryland Hotel depicting Ryman Auditorium with Minnie Pearl and Roy Acuff
The Grand Ole Opry started as the WSM Barn Dance in the new fifth-floor radio studio of the National Life & Accident Insurance Company in downtown Nashville on November 28, 1925. On October 18, 1925, management began a program featuring "Dr. Humphrey Bate and his string quartet of old-time musicians." On November 2, WSM hired long-time announcer and program director George D. "Judge" Hay, an enterprising pioneer from the National Barn Dance program at WLS in Chicago, who was also named the most popular radio announcer in America as a result of his radio work with both WLS and WMC in Memphis, Tennessee. Hay launched the WSM Barn Dance with 77-year-old fiddler Uncle Jimmy Thompson on November 28, 1925, which is celebrated as the birth date of the Grand Ole Opry.[8]
Some of the bands regularly on the show during its early days included Bill Monroe, the Possum Hunters (with Dr. Humphrey Bate), the Fruit Jar Drinkers with Uncle Dave Macon, the Crook Brothers, the Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers, Sid Harkreader, Deford Bailey, Fiddlin' Arthur Smith, and the Gully Jumpers.[9]
Judge Hay, however, liked the Fruit Jar Drinkers and asked them to appear last on each show because he wanted to always close each segment with "red hot fiddle playing". They were the second band accepted on Barn Dance, with the Crook Brothers being the first. When the Opry began having square dancers on the show, the Fruit Jar Drinkers always played for them. In 1926, Uncle Dave Macon, a Tennessee banjo player who had recorded several songs and toured the vaudeville circuit, became its first real star.[9]
Signs welcoming motorists to Nashville on all major roadways include the phrase "Home Of The Grand Ole Opry".
Name[edit]
The phrase "Grand Ole Opry" was first uttered on the air on December 10, 1927.[10] At the time, Barn Dance followed the NBC Red Network's Music Appreciation Hour, a program of classical music and selections from grand opera presented by classical conductor Walter Damrosch. On that particular night, Damrosch had remarked that "there is no place in the classics for realism." In response, Opry presenter George Hay said:
Friends, the program which just came to a close was devoted to the classics. Doctor Damrosch told us that there is no place in the classics for realism. However, from here on out for the next three hours, we will present nothing but realism. It will be down to earth for the "earthy".
Hay then introduced DeFord Bailey, the man he had dubbed the "Harmonica Wizard", saying:
For the past hour, we have been listening to music taken largely from Grand Opera. From now on, we will present the "Grand Ole Opry".
Bailey then stepped up to the mic to play "The Pan-American Blues," his song inspired by the Pan-American, a premier L&N Railroad passenger train.[10][11]
Larger venues[edit]
As audiences for the live show increased, National Life & Accident Insurance's radio venue became too small to accommodate the hordes of fans. They built a larger studio, but it was still not large enough. After several months with no audiences, National Life decided to allow the show to move outside its home offices. In October 1934, the Opry moved into then-suburban Hillsboro Theatre (now the Belcourt); and then on June 13, 1936, to the Dixie Tabernacle in East Nashville. The Opry then moved to the War Memorial Auditorium, a downtown venue adjacent to the State Capitol. A 25-cent admission was charged to try to curb the large crowds, but to no avail. On June 5, 1943, the Opry moved to the Ryman Auditorium.
Roy Acuff
Ryman Auditorium, the "Mother Church of Country Music"
Top-charting country music acts performed during the Ryman years, including Roy Acuff, called the King of Country Music, Hank Williams, Webb Pierce, Faron Young, Martha Carson, Lefty Frizzell, and many others.
One hour of the Opry was nationally-broadcast by the NBC Red Network from 1939 to 1956; for much of its run, it aired one hour after the program that had inspired it, National Barn Dance. The NBC segment, originally known by the name of its sponsor, The Prince Albert Show, was first hosted by Acuff, who was succeeded by Red Foley from 1946 to 1954. From October 15, 1955 to September 1956, ABC-TV aired a live, hour-long television version once a month on Saturday nights (sponsored by Ralston-Purina), pre-empting one hour of the then-90-minute Ozark Jubilee. From 1955 to 1957, Al Gannaway owned and produced both The Country Show and Stars of the Grand Ole Opry, filmed programs syndicated by Flamingo Films. Gannaway's Stars of the Grand Ole Opry was the first television show shot in color.[12]
On October 2, 1954, a teenage Elvis Presley made his only Opry performance. Although the audience reacted politely to his revolutionary brand of rockabilly music, after the show Opry manager Jim Denny told Presley's producer Sam Phillips that the singer's style did not suit the program.[13]
1960s[edit]
In the 1960s, as the hippie counterculture movement spread, the Opry maintained a strait-laced, conservative image with "longhairs" not being featured on the show. The Byrds were a notable exception. Country rock pioneer Gram Parsons, who at that time was a member of The Byrds, was in Nashville to work on the band's country rock album, Sweetheart of the Rodeo.[14] The band's record label, Columbia Records, had arranged for The Byrds to be allowed to perform at the Ryman on March 15, 1968, a prospect that thrilled Parsons.[14] However, when the band took the stage the audience's response was immediately hostile, resulting in derisive heckling, booing and mocking calls of "tweet, tweet" and "cut your hair"[15][16] The Byrds further outraged the Opry establishment by breaking with accepted protocol when they performed Parsons' song "Hickory Wind" instead of the Merle Haggard song "Life in Prison", as had been announced by Tompall Glaser.[14]
Another artist that ran afoul of the Opry's stringent standards was Jerry Lee Lewis, who, after several years of success on the country charts, made his first and only appearance on the show on January 20, 1973. Given two conditions for his appearance (no rock and roll and no profanity), Lewis proceeded to disregard both (referring to himself as a certain unairable maternal insult at one point) and, in a continuous 40-minute set, played a mixture of his rock and roll hits and covers of other singers' country songs. Lewis was said to be bitter about how he was treated when he first arrived in Nashville in 1955 and supposedly used his Opry appearance to exact revenge on the Nashville music industry.[17]
Grand Ole Opry House[edit]
Grand Ole Opry House
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Grand Ole Opry House
Show map of Tennessee Show map of the US Show all
Location
2804 Opryland Drive, Nashville, Tennessee 37214[19]
Coordinates
36°12′24″N 86°41′32″W / 36.20667°N 86.69222°W / 36.20667; -86.69222Coordinates: 36°12′24″N 86°41′32″W / 36.20667°N 86.69222°W / 36.20667; -86.69222
Area
4 acres (approx.)[19]
Built
1972-74[19]
Architect
Welton Becket & Associates; Pierre Cabrol[19]
Architectural style
Modern/Brutalist[19]
Restored
2010 (flood damage remediation)
NRHP reference #
14001222[18]
Added to NRHP
January 27, 2015
The Ryman Auditorium was home to the Opry until 1974. By the late 1960s, National Life & Accident desired a new, larger and more modern home for the long-running radio show. Ryman Auditorium, already 51 years old at the time the Opry moved there, was beginning to suffer from disrepair as the downtown neighborhood around it fell victim to increasing urban decay. Despite these shortcomings, the show's popularity was increasing and its weekly crowds were outgrowing the 3,000-seat venue. The Opry's operators were seeking to build a new air-conditioned theatre with a greater capacity, ample parking, and the ability to easily serve as a television production facility. The ideal location would be in a less urbanized area of town, providing visitors a more controlled, safer, and more enjoyable experience.[20]
National Life & Accident purchased farmland owned by a local sausage manufacturer (Rudy's Farm) in the Pennington Bend area of Nashville, nine miles east of downtown, and adjacent to the newly constructed Briley Parkway. The new Opry venue was to be the centerpiece of a grand entertainment complex at that location, which would later come to include Opryland USA Theme Park and Opryland Hotel.
The theme park opened to the public on June 30, 1972,[21] well ahead of the 4,000-seat Opry House, which debuted nearly two years later, on Saturday, March 16, 1974.
Opening night was attended by sitting U.S. President Richard Nixon, who played a few songs on the piano.[22] To carry on the tradition of the show's run at the Ryman, a six-foot circle of oak was cut from the corner of the Ryman's stage and inlaid into center stage at the new venue.[23] The artists on stage usually stand on the circle as they perform.
While the theme park was closed and demolished following the 1997 season, the Grand Ole Opry House remains in use. The immediate area around it was left intact through the construction of Opry Mills, which opened in May 2000.
The Opry continues to be performed every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday at the Grand Ole Opry House from March through November each year.
Grand Ole Opry logo used from 2005 to 2015
The Grand Ole Opry House was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 27, 2015.[24][25]
Return to Ryman Auditorium[edit]
Following the departure of the Opry, Ryman Auditorium sat mostly vacant and decaying for twenty years. An initial effort by National Life & Accident to tear down the Ryman and use its bricks to build a chapel at Opryland USA was met with resounding resistance from the public, including the influential musicians of the time. The plans were abandoned, and the building remained standing with an uncertain future. Despite the absence of performances, the building still held such significance as an attraction that it would remain open for tours.[26]
In 1991 and 1992, Emmylou Harris performed a series of concerts there and released some of the recordings as an album entitled At the Ryman. The concert and album's high acclaim renewed interest in reviving Ryman Auditorium as an active venue. Beginning in September 1993, Gaylord Entertainment undertook a full renovation of the Ryman, restoring it into a world-class concert hall that reopened with a broadcast of A Prairie Home Companion on June 4, 1994.[26]
On Sunday, October 18, 1998, the Opry held a benefit show at Ryman Auditorium, marking its return to the venue for the first time since its final show on March 15, 1974.[27] The show was well received by fans, performers, and management alike, and so the decision was made to host the Opry's regular shows there on January 15 & 16, 1999 as part of the celebration to commemorate 25 years at the new venue.
Beginning in November 1999, the Opry was held at Ryman Auditorium for three months, partly due to the ongoing construction of Opry Mills. The Opry has returned to the Ryman for the three winter months every year since, allowing the show to acknowledge its roots while also taking advantage of a smaller venue during an off-peak season for tourism.[27] While still officially the Grand Ole Opry, the shows there are billed as Opry At The Ryman. From 2002 to 2014, a traveling version of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular took up residence at the Grand Ole Opry House each holiday season while the Opry was away. It was replaced by Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical beginning in 2015.[28]
2010 flooding[edit]
In May 2010, the Opry House was flooded, along with much of Nashville, due to the Cumberland River overflowing its banks. While repairs were made, the Opry itself remained uninterrupted. Over the course of the summer of 2010, the broadcast temporarily originated from alternate venues in Nashville, with Ryman Auditorium hosting the majority of the shows. Other venues included the TPAC War Memorial Auditorium, another former Opry home; TPAC's Andrew Jackson Hall; Nashville Municipal Auditorium; Allen Arena at Lipscomb University; and the Two Rivers Baptist Church.[29]
Much of the auditorium's main floor seating, the backstage areas and the entire stage (including the inlaid circle of wood from the Ryman's stage) was underwater during the flood. While the Grand Ole Opry House's stage was replaced thereafter, the Ryman circle was restored and again placed at center stage in the Grand Ole Opry House before shows resumed.[30][31] The remediation following the flood also resulted in a renovated backstage area, including the construction of more dressing rooms and a performer's lounge.
The Opry returned to the Grand Ole Opry House on September 28, 2010 in a special edition of the Opry entitled Country Comes Home that was televised live on Great American Country. The evening was filled with one-of-a-kind Opry moments. Martina McBride and Connie Smith dueted on Smith's signature hit "Once a Day", and other collaborations included Dierks Bentley and Del McCoury ("Roll On Buddy, Roll On"), Josh Turner and Lorrie Morgan ("Golden Ring"), and Montgomery Gentry and Charlie Daniels Band ("Devil Went Down To Georgia"), among others. The show closed with an all-star guitar jam featuring Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Steve Wariner, Ricky Skaggs, and Marty Stuart.[32]
Broadcasts[edit]
Dolly Parton at the Opry in 2005
The Grand Ole Opry is broadcast live on WSM-AM at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday nights, shortened from a previous time start of 6:30. A similar program, the Friday Night Opry, airs live on Friday nights.From February through December, the Tuesday Night Opry is also aired live.[33] Wednesday shows are typically presented in the summer months. The length of the show varies; as of October 2016, the show runs three nights a week for 2¼ hours each night (the Saturday night shows have often extended as late as midnight).
The Opry can also be heard live on Willie's Roadhouse on channel 59 on Sirius XM Satellite Radio. A condensed radio program, America's Opry Weekend, is syndicated to stations around the United States. The program is also streamed on WSM's website.[33]
ABC broadcast the Grand Old Opry as a monthly series from 1955 to 1956. PBS televised annual live performances from 1978 to 1981.[34] In 1985, The Nashville Network began airing an edited half-hour version of the program as Grand Ole Opry Live; the show moved to Country Music Television (expanding to an hour in the process), and then to the Great American Country (GAC) cable network[35] with its Opry Live show no longer televised.[36] RFD-TV carries reruns of Opry telecasts under the title Opry Encore.[37]
Membership[edit]
Main Article: List of Grand Ole Opry Members
Little Jimmy Dickens, at the time the second-oldest living Opry member, at Opry House in 2004. The circle of wood is from the Ryman Auditorium's stage.
Regular performers at the Grand Ole Opry can be inducted into the organization as a member, by way of an existing member nominating them. Opry membership must be maintained throughout an artist's career and expires when the performer dies. Although a number of legendary country artists either lost their Opry membership (such as Hank Williams, Sr. and Willie Nelson) or never received it in their lifetimes (longtime leading hitmakers Merle Haggard, George Strait, and Conway Twitty being prominent examples), receiving Opry membership is considered an honor equivalent to a hall of fame induction.
Controversies[edit]
In April 1963 Opry management made a rule that members had to perform on at least 26 shows a year to keep their membership active.[38] WSM dropped the number of required performances to 20 in January 1964;[38] in 2000 the minimum number of Opry performances was at 12.[39] The minimum number of performances has reduced over the years, but artists offered membership are expected to show a dedication to the Opry with frequent attendance.[39]
Another controversy that raged for years was over allowable instrumentation, especially the use of drums and electrically amplified instruments. Some purists were appalled at the prospect; traditionally a string bass provided the rhythm component in country music and percussion instruments were seldom used. Electric amplification, then new, was regarded as the province of popular music and jazz in 1940s. Though the Opry allowed electric guitars and steel guitars by World War II, the restrictions against drums and horns continued. They caused a conflict when Bob Wills[40] and Pee Wee King[41] defied the show's ban on drums.
Commercialization[edit]
June Carter Cash at the Opry in 1999
The company has enforced its trademark on the name "Grand Ole Opry", for which it owns trademark registrations in the United States and in numerous countries around the world.It has taken court action to limit use of the word "opry" (which the organization has not directly trademarked) to members of the Opry and products associated with or licensed by it, and to discourage use of the word in ways that would imply a connection to the Grand Ole Opry.[42] In late 1968, for instance, WSM sued Opry Records, a record label that was independent of WSM,[43] and the court stated that "the record is replete with newspaper and magazine articles and clippings which demonstrate conclusively that the term 'Opry', standing alone as defendant has used it, is constantly used in country and western music circles in referring to plaintiff's 'Grand Ole Opry'."[44] The court also stated "the defendant has appropriated, at its peril, the dominant or salient term in the plaintiff's mark, a term which identified the 'Grand Ole Opry' in the mind of the public many years before the inception of 'Opry Records' – the name adopted by defendant."[45] In another case, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board granted summary judgment that the term "Opry" is a generic term (and thus no more protected than the words "Grand" or "Ole") but the Federal Circuit court reversed this decision.[46] As recently as 2009, the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board granted judgment against Texas Opry House, LLC, which had filed a trademark application for TEXAS OPRY HOUSE.[47]
In 2004, it was announced that the Grand Ole Opry had contracted for the first time with a "presenting sponsor", Cracker Barrel, and the sponsoring company's name would be associated with Grand Ole Opry in all its advertising.[48] Humana, Inc., Cracker Barrel, and Dollar General are the present sponsors of the Opry.[49]
Honors[edit]
Peabody Award, 1983
National Radio Hall of Fame induction, 1992
See also[edit]
Country music portal
Country Music Association
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
Notes[edit]
Jump up ^ "Radio – Long Players". Guinness World Records. Retrieved April 4, 2010.
Jump up ^ "NRK article - Barnetimen er gammaldags (The 'Childrens-hour' is old-fashioned) (norwegian)". Norsk RiksKringkasting. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
^ Jump up to: a b "About The Opry". Grand Ole Opry. Gaylord Entertainment. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Grand Ole Opry". Gaylord Opryland. Gaylord Hotels. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Music/Grand Ole Opry". The Radio Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 26, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Grand Ole Opry". The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Columbia University Press. Missing or empty |url= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
Jump up ^ "Country Music History". Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. Country Music Foundation, Inc. Retrieved January 28, 2010.
Jump up ^ "History of the Opry". Grand Ole Opry. Retrieved August 8, 2012.
^ Jump up to: a b Tassin, Myron (1975), Fifty Years at the Grand Ole Opry (1st ed.), Pelican Publishing, ISBN 978-0882890890
^ Jump up to: a b "Deford Bailey". Country Music Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on August 19, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
Jump up ^ "Lost and Found Sound: The Pan American Blues". NPR. November 20, 2000. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
Jump up ^ "ABC-TV to Air 'Ole Opry' Live Once Monthly" (October 8, 1955), The Billboard, p. 1
Jump up ^ Gaar, Gillian G. "Box Set Spotlights Elvis Presley's Surviving Early Work at Sun Studio." Goldmine Feb. 2013: 40-44. Print.
^ Jump up to: a b c Rogan, Johnny. (1998). The Byrds: Timeless Flight Revisited. Rogan House. ISBN 0-9529540-1-X.
Jump up ^ Allen, Michael. (2005). "I Just Want to Be a Cosmic Cowboy".
Jump up ^ Fricke, David. (2003). Sweetheart of the Rodeo: Legacy Edition (2003 CD liner notes).
Jump up ^ Dunkerley, Beville. Flashback: Jerry Lee Lewis Drops an F-Bomb on the Grand Ole Opry. Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
Jump up ^ National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
^ Jump up to: a b c d e f National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Grand Ole Opry House
Jump up ^ The Grand Ole Opry: The Making of an American Icon - Colin Escott - Google Boeken. Books.google.com. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Theme Park Timelines". Timelines.home.insightbb.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
Jump up ^ Hurst, Jack Nashville's Grand Ole Opry (New York: H.N. Abrams, 1975)
Jump up ^ Smith, Loran (January 24, 2013). "A visit to the Grand Ole Opry brings precious memories". The News-Reporter. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
Jump up ^ Eleanor Kennedy, "Nashville's newest historic place: The Grand Ole Opry House", Nashville Business Journal, February 26, 2015.
Jump up ^ Todd Barnes, [Grand Ole Opry House added to National Register], The Tennessean, February 27, 2015.
^ Jump up to: a b The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Oxford University Press, USA. January 4, 2012. p. 444. ISBN 978-0-19-992083-9.
^ Jump up to: a b Fay, Byron (January 25, 2010). "Grand Ole Opry Ryman Reunion Celebration-October 18, 1998". Fayfare's Opry Blog. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
Jump up ^ "The Grinch to Steal Christmas in Nashville". PR Newswire. May 13, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
Jump up ^ "Home | Grand Ole Opry". Search2.opry.com. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
Jump up ^ Cooper, Peter (May 10, 2010). "Opry House's famed circle stays center stage after flood". USA Today. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
Jump up ^ Hackett, Vernell (August 25, 2010). "Grand Ole Opry Floor Restored for September 28 Reopening". TheBoot.com. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
Jump up ^ [1] Archived August 31, 2013, at the Wayback Machine.
^ Jump up to: a b "Tune In". Grand Ole Opry. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
Jump up ^ Fay, Byron. "First Televised Opry Show on PBS-March 4, 1978". FayFare's Opry Blog. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
Jump up ^ "History of the Opry". Grand Ole Opry. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
Jump up ^ "GAC's Presents Opry Live". GAC (Great American Country). Retrieved December 9, 2012. [permanent dead link]
Jump up ^ http://www.rfdtv.com/story/34115094/opry-encore#.WSY32EdtnIU
^ Jump up to: a b "Four Dropped From 'Opry' To Return on Christmas". Billboard: 50. November 27, 1965.
^ Jump up to: a b Morris, Edward (April 20, 2000). "Grand Ole Opry Looking Toward Building Its Audience". CMT/CMT News. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
Jump up ^ Kienzle, Richard. (2003). Southwest shuffle: pioneers of honky-tonk, Western swing, and country jazz. New York: Routledge. pp. 254-257.
Jump up ^ Hall, Wade. (1998). "Pee Wee King". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 283–4.
Jump up ^ "WSM Back in Court Again - Files 2d Suit Over Name". Billboard. 81 (21): 51. May 24, 1969.
Jump up ^ "Opry Records Sued For Infringement". Billboard. 80 (50): 29. December 14, 1968. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
Jump up ^ WSM v. Bailey, United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.297 F. Supp. 870 (M.D. Tenn. 1969), at 872-3.
Jump up ^ WSM v. Bailey, 297 F. Supp. 870 (M.D. Tenn. 1969), at 873.
Jump up ^ Opryland USA, Inc. v. The Great American Music Show, Inc., 970 F.2d 847 (Fed. Cir. 1992).
Jump up ^ US Trademark Trial and Appeal Board, opposition number 91188534.
Jump up ^ Lovel, Jim (December 20, 2004). "Cracker Barrel Reloads Marketing Arsenal". AdWeek. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Sponsors". Grand Ole Opry. Retrieved December 9, 2012.
References[edit]
Hay, George D. A Story of the Grand Ole Opry. 1945.
Kingsbury, Paul (1998). "Grand Ole Opry". In The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 208–9.
Wolfe, Charles K. A Good-Natured Riot: The Birth of the Grand Ole Opry. Nashville: Country Music Foundation Press, 1999. ISBN 0-8265-1331-X.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grand Ole Opry.
Official website
Grand Ole Opry on TV Internet Archive Complete show of April 28, 1956 in black & white
Library of Congress Local Legacies Project: Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry at Outlaws Old Time Radio Corner
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[show]
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Grand Ole Opry
Founder: George D. Hay
Member Groups
Diamond Rio
Gatlin Brothers
Montgomery Gentry
Oak Ridge Boys
Old Crow Medicine Show
Osborne Brothers
Rascal Flatts
Riders in the Sky
The Whites
Member Female Artists
Terri Clark
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Patty Loveless
Loretta Lynn
Martina McBride
Reba McEntire
Lorrie Morgan
Dolly Parton
Jeanne Pruett
Jeannie Seely
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Member Male Artists
Trace Adkins
Bill Anderson
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Garth Brooks
Jim Ed Brown
Roy Clark
John Conlee
Jimmy Dickens
Joe Diffie
Vince Gill
Jack Greene
George Hamilton IV
Alan Jackson
Stonewall Jackson
Hal Ketchum
Del McCoury
Jesse McReynolds
Ronnie Milsap
Craig Morgan
Jimmy C. Newman
Brad Paisley
Stu Phillips
Ray Pillow
Charley Pride
Darius Rucker
Blake Shelton
Ricky Van Shelton
Ricky Skaggs
Mike Snider
Ralph Stanley
Marty Stuart
Mel Tillis
Travis Tritt
Josh Turner
Keith Urban
Steve Wariner
Member Artist Legends
Roy Acuff
Patsy Cline
Carter Family
George Jones
Bill Monroe
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Kitty Wells
[show]
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Members of the Grand Ole Opry
Roy Acuff
Trace Adkins
David "Stringbean" Akeman
Bill Anderson
Jack Anglin
Eddy Arnold
Ernest Ashworth
Chet Atkins
DeFord Bailey
Bobby Bare
Bashful Brother Oswald
Humphrey Bate
Dierks Bentley
Binkley Brothers' Dixie Clodhoppers
Clint Black
Margie Bowes
Rod Brasfield
Garth Brooks
Jim Ed Brown
The Browns
Carl Butler and Pearl
Archie Campbell
Bill Carlisle
Martha Carson
The Carter Sisters
Maybelle Carter
Johnny Cash
June Carter Cash
Roy Clark
Terri Clark
Zeke Clements
Patsy Cline
Jerry Clower
John Conlee
Stoney Cooper
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text:
List of Home Improvement characters
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article contains character information for the American television sitcom Home Improvement.
Contents
[hide]
1 Taylor family
1.1 Tim Taylor
1.2 Jill Taylor
1.3 Brad Taylor
1.4 Randy Taylor
1.5 Mark Taylor
1.6 Marty Taylor
1.7 Jeff Taylor
2 Friends of the family
2.1 Al Borland
2.1.1 Family, fashion sense, and career
2.1.2 Al's beard
2.1.3 Al's knowledge of tools and home improvement
2.1.4 Love life
2.1.5 Running gags surrounding Al
2.2 Wilson Wilson, Jr.
2.3 Lisa
2.4 Heidi Keppert
2.5 Harry Turner
2.6 Benny Baroni
3 Other recurring characters
4 References
Taylor family[edit]
Tim Taylor[edit]
Timothy "Tim" Taylor (Tim Allen) – Tim Taylor (the character has a birth date of October 1954) is the father of the family. Ever the know-it-all, Tim believes he has an incredibly wide knowledge of tools, electronics, and general mechanics. In reality, he is highly accident-prone. He actually does have a significant amount of skill as a general handyman, but can be overly confident and prone to spectacular mishaps. He often forgets a crucial step, ignores instructions, makes ill-advised modifications, or comes to inaccurate conclusions. The only exception to this ineptitude is when working on cars, at which he excels. He is left-handed but actually does a great deal of his work with his right hand. Taylor's "arch enemy", so to speak, was the real-life home improvement specialist, Bob Vila. In one memorabley insane episode Tim was competing against Bob Vila in a lawnmower contest for charity-Tim actually installed a jet engine on his machine-which resulted in Tim causing chaos and destruction! Tim hosts a home improvement show called Tool Time with his best friend, Al Borland. While Al is his co-host, Al constantly must remind Tim of safety regulations and practices. Tim often ignores Al's advice, and this frequently results in an accident. While it is constantly mentioned that Tool Time is a limited local home improvement show that sits very high on the channel dial, Tool Time seems to have a very wide audience in the state of Michigan, and is progressively broadcast to more outlets across the Midwest (A season 5 episode has Tim, Al, and Bud brainstorming for ideas on how to bring the show into the Chicago markets). Tim often boasts at his popularity for hosting the show, although many people state that they like Al better. A running gag involves people encountering Tim in public and stating, "Oh, we always watch Tool Time...we love Al." To which an annoyed Tim would reply, "Oh yeah, we all love Al." In later seasons, however, it is learned that Tim actually has a higher fan base than Al.
Because of the numerous accidents in which he is involved, both on his TV show and at home, it is a recurring joke that Tim is on a first name basis with the hospital staff, and it is often suggested that Tim has special offers available to him for being a repeat customer. Another gag is that Tool Time fans believe his many accidents are staged, to show people what not to do. However, many of Tim's modified inventions work but are often too powerful, like his new ice cube dispenser in season 2. Tim often garbles advice he heard from Wilson and/or otherwise makes stupid remarks – although on one episode Tim stuns Jill and Wilson by putting forth sound advice of his own. Another running gag is Tim accidentally causing damage or destruction to anything he touches – such as destroying the world's smallest car or running over golf carts with a Marine Corps tank. Tim has an unhealthy obsession with Halloween and Christmas, going to extraordinary lengths to scare others and competing with "Doc Johnson" in the annual neighborhood Christmas lighting contest, which he has rarely won.
While Tim has a very good relationship with his wife, he is quick to admit defeat in any conflict they become engaged in. He also works hard to maintain healthy relationships with his three sons, although he relates more closely to Brad than Randy or Mark.
Tim is occasionally chauvinistic in attitude, usually putting women down or sometimes seeing them as inferior(But he often must absorb the same insults against men from Jill). He also tends to mock those who are overweight, such as Al's mother or his mother-in-law (until she loses weight), and can be juvenile in attitude on many occasions. A running gag involves Jill's distaste for his attitude, in that she says "You're pathetic" every time he goes too far. Tim is an avid fan of all the local sports teams; the Detroit Lions, the Detroit Pistons, the Detroit Red Wings, and the Detroit Tigers. He is also a big fan of boxing, the Indy Racing League, and tractor pulls. Many scenes take place in the garage during his favorite hobby, working on one of his two hot rods, one of which he built from the ground up, and the other existing vehicle that he restored.
While he occasionally considers moving on professionally, Tim remains the main host of Tool Time until the final episode of Home Improvement. Before he was cast on Tool Time, he worked as a traveling tool salesman. Tim barely graduated from college, but later receives an honorary Doctorate from Western Michigan University. Tim is famous for his ever-popular noisemaking, which he refers to as a "Simian grunt."
His mother is alive for the entire series, however his father died when Tim was eleven years old. There has always been some disparity between how many brothers Tim has. On several occasions in the later seasons, it is mentioned that Tim has four brothers, but in earlier seasons he is stated to have five, however, seven have been mentioned by name (Marty, Jeff, Rick, John, Steve, Brian, and Danny).
Tim always thinks things need "more power", and is often seen wearing sweaters from Michigan-based colleges. Tim thinks he knows everything there is to know about tools.
Tim is the only character to appear in every single episode. A close second is Jill, who only missed the second part of the series finale (unless one counts the flashbacks shown).
Jill Taylor[edit]
Main article: Jill Taylor
Jillian "Jill" Patterson Taylor (Patricia Richardson) – Jill (born November 1956) is Tim's wife and the mother of Brad, Randy, and Mark. Jill graduated from Adams High School (taken from an actual high school in Rochester Hills, Michigan) in 1973. Jill is intelligent, practical, and has a dry sense of humor that doesn't often fly with her family. After she decides that her career is not fulfilling, Jill dedicates herself toward earning her master's degree in Psychology. While she is very motherly and domestic in nature, she is apparently a very bad cook, as Tim and the three boys often make remarks about her cooking. Her strong femininity is often in direct conflict with Tim's masculinity, occasionally leading her to wonder why they work as a couple.
Jill comes from a strong military family, and sometimes uses her upbringing to solve several family squabbles. Her father was a Colonel in the US Army and is referred to as such. Jill has four sisters, all of whom have appeared: Robin, Carrie, Tracy, and Linda. (A fifth sister, Katie, was briefly mentioned by Jill's mother in the season 2 episode, "Much Ado About Nana", and in the season 4 episode, "Quibbling Siblings", but never again.) She often appears overwhelmed at the fact that she is the only female in a family with three sons and no daughter. She appears closest to her youngest son, Mark, as she remarks a few times that Mark is the only one who still has the ability to be open-minded to accept the things that Jill likes as opposed to being the typical "boy". Early on, she has a temporary job working at a magazine, and later in the series, Jill is a psychology student. She also does a significant amount of volunteer work, especially for the local library.
Jill has a strong feminist side and enjoys opera, theatre, and the ballet. She occasionally tries to be interested in sports and tools but always ends up relating to her husband over his buried sensitivity. Jill also considers it her mission to get Tim, Brad, Randy, and Mark to do the right thing. Jill refers to any or all of her sons, as well as Tim by their full names when she is angry. Jill likes to "match-make", with mixed results, as she did set up Al with Ilene, who were together for a few seasons, and Wilson and one of her professors in another successful relationship. She also has a thing for cars – driving at different times an Austin-Healey 3000 (which Tim hates because he doesn't understand British wiring) and a cherry red Chevy Bel-Air Nomad; in two memorable episodes, Jill is furious with Tim for driving her Healey without permission and for wrecking her Nomad. In other memorable episodes, Jill is extremely angry at Tim when he calls her an "old Hen" on TV and when she finds out he bought $4,000 worth of game tickets for the Detroit Pistons.
Brad Taylor[edit]
Bradley Michael "Brad" Taylor (Zachery Ty Bryan) – (born January 1981) is the oldest, most athletic and strongest of the three boys, once seen throwing Randy around when they got into an argument. While all three boys are portrayed as troublemakers at one point or another, Brad gets into the most serious trouble. He is the only one to have a run-in with the police (after throwing bricks at windows in an abandoned greenhouse) and was once discovered in possession of marijuana, which he admitted to smoking. On the other hand, Brad was the only Taylor son to co-host an episode of Tool Time, and the one seen doing the most extensive work on Tim's Hot Rod, and is the son to which Tim relates to the easiest. Although he often struggled with his school work, he has extraordinary athletic ability, especially playing soccer. Throughout the series, he was offered numerous opportunities to make a career out of soccer, including the offer to play for a professional team in England (the fictitious Birmingham Chubbs). This was rejected when his parents refused to allow him to give up college to play professional soccer. Later in the series, despite a knee injury which threatened to put an end to his athletic pursuits, he earned a college scholarship to UCLA. Brad has a prominent attraction to women, including his mild infatuation with Tool Time 's Heidi Keppert. Brad and Tim enjoy working on classic cars.
Brad got along well with Randy, especially early on in the show. The two are often seen working together to tease Mark, attempting to cover up Brad's actions to keep him out of trouble, or just hanging out together. Brad and Mark don't share many things in common until they get older, especially in the 8th season where they develop a close bond while Randy is away in Costa Rica.
Randy Taylor[edit]
Randall William "Randy" Taylor (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) – Randy (born February 8, 1982) is the middle child, ultimately the smartest of the three boys, and frequently the most mischievous troublemaker. Randy's intelligence eventually led to him skipping ahead to advanced math and science classes, and was often the cause of sibling rivalry with Brad. Randy inherited Tim's talents as a jokester. Randy in the later seasons is noticeably a lot shorter than his brothers and his height is often made fun of by Brad. Whenever Tim was in trouble with Jill, Randy was always there with a quick remark that would almost always get him in trouble. Although initially sharing mostly the same interests as Brad and his father, throughout his adolescence Randy became very conscious about the environment and civil rights. He became very skeptical of the intentions of organized religion, especially Christian denominations, and became a vegetarian in later seasons. He wrote for the school newspaper, where he concentrated on social and political issues, including criticizing Binford for its pollution record, which led to a fierce disagreement with Tim. Unlike Brad who dated many different girls, Randy, for the most part, only dated one girl, Lauren, whom he remained with for the rest of the series.
Randy is generally the most level-headed son in the family, although because he is an intelligent boy, he was also prone to arrogance, jealousy, and sometimes a little prejudice. His father has a tendency to dislike and mock anything he has no interest in, such as ballet and opera, and Randy inherited this attitude, which ironically puts him at odds with Tim, since Randy has no interest in cars and tools. Out of all the Taylor boys, Randy is the one with the least respect for his father. He once called his father's show "Fool Time", and compared his father to an ape. When Tim brought Brad onto Tool Time, Randy immediately called it a stupid show and acted hateful towards Tim and Brad. During high school, he wrote a school article that turned many adults against Tim for Binford's pollution record, threatening his father's reputation, and he bitterly disapproved of Brad's jockish article earning the paper's front page, which was usually occupied by Randy's articles. He does however mend his relationships with them after learning the error of his ways.
In the Eighth Season of the show, Randy leaves for Costa Rica (along with Lauren, who stayed in a nearby town), reappearing in only one episode when he came back for Christmas. On that occasion, Randy felt that so much had changed in his absence that he no longer fit in with the family, although confiding in Wilson aided his feelings. Unlike Tim and Brad, Randy is not good with his hands and does not enjoy working on crafts or the Hot Rod. Randy often relates more with his mother, with whom he shares his intelligence and enjoyment of acting (although Tim embarrassed Randy during one acting scene thanks to a malfunctioning stage prop). In another episode Randy's party with friends was ruined due to Tim putting on too many coats of floorwax-which resulted in his girlfriend getting a sprained ankle.
Early on in the show, Brad and Randy were portrayed as "partners in crime". While they did argue like normal brothers, they generally bonded over their mutual enjoyment of teasing Mark. As they got older, they grew apart somewhat, as Randy became more focused on school and social issues and Brad became more focused on athletics and girls.
Early on Randy and Mark generally only get along when united against Brad, though things improved somewhat as they got older.
Mark Taylor[edit]
Marcus Jason "Mark" Taylor (Taran Noah Smith[1]) – Mark (born March 1985) is the youngest and most sensitive of the three boys.[2] He relates very closely with his mother, especially after the first season. He does not share many interests with his brothers or father, and in the early seasons was often the victim due to his naïveté of some practical joke that Brad and Randy had thought up on the spot for him. Mark is not a troublemaker, as he doesn't possess a joking demeanor or even a hint of a mean streak. On the rare occasions that Brad or Randy include him on pranks, Mark often blows their cover by responding to someone when he is not supposed to or divulging too much information. This divulging of information not only gets Brad and Randy in trouble, but often Tim as well, especially when he is trying to keep something he said or did from Jill. During adolescence, Mark began to adopt a more "goth" look and an anti-establishment kind of attitude, the cause of which was founded in his feelings of social isolation. While Mark's darkening demeanor worried Tim and Jill on several occasions, it never turned into anything extremely destructive, although a homemade horror movie he created was a bit more twisted than they expected. His Gothic appearance was gone by the end of the series. Mark enjoys film production and music, took karate and pilot training, and became a proficient cook. During the early seasons of the show Mark is seen in a Cub Scout uniform-sans badges.
Mark's relationship with Brad and Randy was often adversarial, especially in early seasons as he was often the butt of their jokes, pranks and teasing. While Mark never truly bonded with Randy, in the final season Mark and Brad grew very close as the result of the dynamic of their relationship changing when Randy left for Costa Rica. Mark eventually became taller than Randy.
Marty Taylor[edit]
Martin "Marty" Taylor (William O'Leary) – Marty (born in 1964) is Tim's youngest brother by ten years. As their father died when Marty was just one year old, Tim is the closest thing he knows to a father. Marty was often picked on by his older brothers, much as Mark is by Brad and Randy. He is often seen bouncing from job to job, unable to hold a steady career, partially due to autism. For the majority of the show's run, Marty was married to Nancy (Jensen Daggett), and they had identical twin girls, Gracie and Claire.
Jeff Taylor[edit]
Jeffrey "Jeff" Taylor (Thom Sharp) – Jeff is Tim and Marty's oldest brother (exact age unspecified). He is extremely frugal and suffers from male-pattern baldness, both of which make him a frequent target of Tim's jokes. Like Marty, Jeff has trouble maintaining a steady job. It is mentioned that he has made a number of bad business ventures (such as a drive-thru pet store), was divorced twice, and didn't finish college (as mentioned by Jill's sister in one episode). Jeff eventually makes an investment in Tim's hardware store.
Friends of the family[edit]
Al Borland[edit]
Al Borland
Home Improvement character
First appearance
"Pilot"
Last appearance
"The Long and Winding Road"
Portrayed by
Richard Karn
Information
Family
Alma Borland (mother)
Cal Borland (brother)
Albert E. "Al" Borland (Richard Karn) – A master plumber and licensed contractor, Al is Tim's un-hip sidekick on the show-within-a-show Tool Time and best friend. His personality is an exact opposite of Tim's – he is reserved, quiet, does not show much enthusiasm and has a wide array of professional knowledge concerning tools. Al made frequent suggestions that he should be the host of Tool Time instead of Tim. Al does not make as much money as Tim, in fact it is implied that his salary is not very big at all. In the episode, "Brothers and Sisters", Al says that he gets a very small paycheck. In the episode, "Fifth Anniversary", it is revealed that a big reason why Al was chosen to be Tim's assistant was because Al was the only assistant applicant that was willing to work for the salary that was offered. Al could be characterized as a "mama's boy"; he spent a great deal of time attempting to please his mother Alma – who was severely overweight (though she was never seen). She died from a heart attack near the end of the series after Al asked her permission to marry Trudy. His father was almost 60 when Al was born. Young Al has mechanical talent-constructing a model crane out of wood. Al was engaged to an orthodontist named Ilene for a time, but they ended up calling off the wedding. He also dated Greta Post who appeared a few times in the series. In a later season, Al met a wealthy exterminator named Trudy. They hit it off and were married in the show's final episode. Al might have been based on Norm Abram of This Old House because of the resemblance (flannel shirts, beard, pudgy, etc.) and the fact that Al does all the "real work" on the Tool Time show (much like Norm did on This Old House). In the episode "No, No, Gadot", Tim and Al were arrested for scalping hockey tickets. In a holding cell, an inmate named George approached them and asked if they were "the guys from that TV tool show", and Tim responded with "why, yes, I'm Bob Vila, and this is Norm". Al has a big brother named Cal who is a physicist, and unlike some other siblings around the world, they had never gotten into a physical fight. Instead, they usually settled their disputes over a cup of tea. In a flashback episode of the Tool Time premiere, Al was noted to be a Pisces and had a clean-shaven face, while Tim had a beard. Al has his own fan club. Like Tim, Al is left-handed and his favorite board games are Parcheesi, Chinese Checkers, Scrabble and Bingo. His favorite movie is My Fair Lady. One episode had a pet of Al's, a turtle named "Scooter," which Tim accidentally dropped in cement. With his dry wit, Al serves as the show's (both Tool Time and Home Improvement) straight man to the wackier, more outgoing Tim. Beginning at the end of the fifth season, Al invented a second source of income for himself by inventing a board game based on Tool Time, which features Tim, Al and Heidi as playable characters.
Family, fashion sense, and career[edit]
Borland is slightly overweight, and always seen wearing flannel, which Tim cracks jokes about consistently. The reason he always wears flannel came from his father, who, when asking young Al to assist in their own various home projects, would put his old flannels on Al to keep him clean or warm. Al wears flannel as a tribute to him after he died.
Tim also often criticizes Al's mother, Alma Borland, who is never seen (except her hand and forearm), but is apparently severely overweight. In one of the later episodes, Al announces to his mother he is getting married. Immediately afterwards, she screams, passes out, and dies. (she was holding a breadstick, which was all that was seen) When hearing the news, the breadstick shook violently and fell over. The coffin, shown at her funeral, is double-wide to keep the humorous tone.
Al also has a brother, Cal, who looks and dresses almost exactly like him, though he is a physicist ("Sisters and Brothers"). In the episode commentaries featured on the Season 1 DVD Set, the executive producers reveal that "Cal" was a fan from Texas who sent his photo in a fan letter. Upon seeing his resemblance to Al, the producers brought him in to be Al's brother, Cal.
When Al was younger, he took fencing in school and served in the Navy as a Lt (j.g.) with the Seabees, and although he wanted to see the world, he was stationed in Fallon, Nevada (interestingly enough, in the episode where Al mentions this, he uses the shibboleth pronunciation of "Nevada", which is uncommon for an outsider, especially someone living in the midwest). After finishing his military service, Al was a construction crane operator (AFL–CIO Local 324), then apparently got certified as a master plumber and carpenter before getting the job on Tool Time. Al drives a 1983 Mercury Grand Marquis station wagon which his mother passed down to him, and has put much time and effort into preserving the vehicle. While Al has similar interests of Tim such as cars, he has some rather odd interests, such as being able to deduce different types of wood by smell rather than appearance or texture.
Al gets along well with Tim's sons. However, just like Tim, Al has faced problems and needed to seek the advice of Wilson. Outside of his job, Al has made investments such as becoming part owner of Harry's Hardware and marketing a successful board game based on Tool Time, whose object is to avoid hospitalization.[3]
Al's beard[edit]
Al's beard is also a constant joke by Tim. In one episode where Tool Time is celebrating their fifth anniversary show, Al is shown in the first ever episode of Tool Time clean shaven, while Tim has a beard.[4]
Al's knowledge of tools and home improvement[edit]
He generally knows what he is doing more than Tim, and he seems to have a better knowledge of tools and home improvement than Tim. In the first episode of Tool Time, he was described as a "master plumber" by Tim Taylor. He also is very serious about his job, unlike Tim, who often jokes and messes up the project. Al often speaks fondly of his time as a U.S. Navy Seabee. Although Tim is the one who messes up most of the projects on Tool Time, Al is often the one who is blamed for the mishap, or is injured by the mishap. On rare occasions Al would cause a mishap of his own, but these were more due to overcalculating than Tim's attitude of "more power". Despite this, Tim and Al are good friends offstage, and Al often helps out, either by helping with home projects, or by watching his children.
Love life[edit]
Throughout the series, Al has had four different girlfriends. In season one, Al went out with Greta Post, whom he met while she was volunteering to help out during a Tool Time show. Al then showed an interest in Jill's friend Karen, but when he learned she found another man Al took it well and rebounded. He almost went out with Tim's ex-girlfriend Stacey Lewis, however, he wasn't interested in her as much as he thought. From seasons three through five, Al went out with Dr. Ilene Markham, an orthodontist who is sisters with one of Jill's co-workers. They got engaged, but they decided at the wedding that they shouldn't marry. Al met a woman named Trudy in season seven and married her in the finale episode in 1999.
Running gags surrounding Al[edit]
His overweight and overbearing mother.
Tim jokes about Al's mom "looking for a smorgasbord".
He is always wearing flannel.
His beard.
His popularity with the female Tool Time fans, a source of amazement and confusion for Tim.
His love of Bingo.
His fanatic admiration of fellow home improvement television host Bob Vila.
Whenever Tim suggests doing something particularly stupid, dangerous or both, Al replies in deadpan fashion, "I don't think so, Tim".
When Tim would make a particularly sexist or otherwise offensive remark, Al would hold up a large sign with Tim's mailing address and say, "That's Tim Taylor, care of Tool Time, PO Box 32733, Detroit, Michigan, 48252" Sometimes Tim will rip the sign half-way in his sentence, but Al would just pick up another sign and finish.
His often unlucky relationship with women, despite (or possibly because of) him being more sensitive than Tim.
Wilson Wilson, Jr.[edit]
Wilson (right) speaking from behind his fence to Tim.
Wilson W. Wilson, (Earl Hindman) – Tim's neighbor and confidant. As a child, his parents did not allow him to speak to his neighbors, so he really likes talking to Tim and Jill. Wilson serves as an all-wise sage in the show, doling out advice to the Taylor family and seemingly always knowing just what to say to solve a problem. While most of his appearances were to help the Taylors, on seldom occasion someone who was in the extended family, or a nonmember, such as Al, would seek out Wilson's advice. He has traveled the globe and learned much from virtually every culture in existence. He has a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies, studying "extinct languages and forgotten cultures." His house is full of artifacts along with a pet myna bird named Mozart who appeared infrequently. Wilson was married at one point, but his wife Catherine died long before the series begins (in a November 1994 episode, Wilson revealed that that month would've marked his and Catherine's 25th anniversary).
At first it was unclear whether "Wilson" was his first name or last, but his full name is revealed as Wilson Wilson, Jr. In Season 6, it is revealed that his cousins are the Wilsons of The Beach Boys. He has a grown niece named Willow Wilson (China Kantner), who appeared regularly in the seventh season when she moved in with him for a while. His usual greetings are "Well, hi-dee-ho ..." or "Hi ho, there neighbor" or "good neighbor" when greeting Tim, "neighborette" when greeting Jill, and "Taylor lad(s)" when greeting the Taylor boys.
A visual gag is that Wilson's face isn't shown in its entirety, originally (and most commonly) with the bottom half obscured by the tall privacy fence that separates the neighbors' yards. This gag is extended over the course of the series with other objects (or a beard) obscuring the bottom of his face, or the bottom half showing but the top obscured (such as by a mask), or his full face shown but covered by paint. The audience finally sees Earl Hindman's full face unobscured in the series finale's curtain call. This was based on how Tim Allen saw a next-door neighbor when he was growing up.
Lisa[edit]
Lisa (Pamela Anderson) – Binford's first "Tool Girl." A secondary cast member on Tool Time, Lisa's job was to introduce Tim and Al and to hand them any tool they requested. When Pamela Anderson chose to leave Home Improvement to pursue a role on the syndicated series Baywatch, she was written out of the series after Season 2 and it was stated that Lisa was training to be a paramedic. She returned for a guest appearance several years later, having become fully qualified.
Heidi Keppert[edit]
Heidi Keppert (Debbe Dunning) – The second "Tool Girl" (beginning in Season 3) and a master electrician.[5] Initially, the character was seen only in and around the Tool Time set. In later seasons, her personal life crossed paths with Tim and Al on a number of occasions. She gave birth to a daughter (Amy) and suffered marital problems during the show's run. In Season 8 Episode 24 (Dead Weight), Heidi reveals to Tim that her breasts twitch when she is nervous. In the last episode of the series, Heidi revealed she was pregnant for a second time. Her outfits typically showed off her very large cleavage during the "Tool Time" episodes. Tim speculated that many men came to the show just to see Heidi. It is revealed in multiple episodes that Tim's son, Brad, has a crush on her.[5] In seasons seven and eight, her role on Tool Time increased so much that she was eventually given main cast billing in the opening credits.
Harry Turner[edit]
Harry Turner (Blake Clark) – Owner of "Harry's Hardware", where Tim spent a great deal of his time (and money) and in which Al eventually became part owner. He is married – not-so-happily – to Delores (Shirley Prestia), and the couple bad-mouths one another behind their respective backs on every occasion(But Dolores rarely follows this rule). Also has four sons, one Dennis (David DeLuise), with whom he has a somewhat rocky relationship. In one episode Harry told Tim that he had gotten a vasectomy. In another episode it is mentioned he served in the United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War.
Benny Baroni[edit]
Benny Baroni (Jimmy Labriola) – One of Tim's buddies who hangs out at the hardware store. Benny is a bit of a slacker and notoriously known as a freeloader – his trademark being drinking coffee and eating donuts. Benny has not had a job in years, mainly because he doesn't like to work. He makes money by gambling and betting on horse races. On one episode ("A House Divided", Season 4.18) While the "Tool Time" crew is fixing up Benny's aunt's house, the structure is blown up due to Benny's negligence and is not Tim's fault; furthermore when Tim and his family are moving furniture back into the twice repaired Benny's aunt house, Benny, rather than helping out, lies back on a lawn chair to watch the others do the work. He is also known for being inconsiderate of others; at one point, he even ate at a soup kitchen regularly to avoid paying for meals. One episode ("The Look", Season 5.07) Tim was selling season Pistons tickets (Tim had 2 tickets for each game and each pair cost $100) and Benny not able or willing to buy any of the tickets kept offering to go to the games with the people who were buying them, even people he didn't even know, so he could go to the games without paying for a ticket. Ironically in a rare instance of performing earnest work, Benny once appeared on an episode of Tool Time for "Tim and Al's Fantasy Kitchen", where he was shown cutting meat inside a walk-in freezer.
Other recurring characters[edit]
Karen (Betsy Randle) – feminist friend of Jill who is very obnoxious towards Tim, often helping Jill mock and discourage Tim. Tim finds her irritating. While she finds her rivalry with Tim innocent and harmless, she has no qualms passively accusing Tim of being unfaithful, making Jill feel insecure about their marriage. Moved to California after Season 2 - this coincided with the start of her regular role of Amy Matthews on Boy Meets World, another ABC sitcom.
Ilene Louise Markham, D.D.S. (Sherry Hursey) – an orthodontist, and Al's first serious girlfriend. On their wedding day, she and Al mutually agreed not to get married and ended their romance on a positive note. Her last appearance was in Season 6.
Marie Morton (Mariangela Pino) – neighbor of the Taylors; close friend of Jill.
Joe Morton (Robert Picardo) – Marie's overactive and obnoxious husband; the "meat man" who irritates Tim, until Morton finds a hard to find jalopy replacement part for Tim; ran out on Marie in Season 5 - this coincided with Picardo's taking the role of "The Doctor" on Star Trek: Voyager.
Jennifer Sudarski (Jessica Wesson) – Brad's first love interest who always called him "Bradley", later moved to Ohio.
Angela (Kristen Clayton) – Former girlfriend of Brad, known for being a constant motor-mouth. She dumped Brad for a guy with his own car. Brad suffered from a bout of depression because of this, but eventually rebounded.
Ashley (Leigh Ann Orsi) – girlfriend of Brad, went to boarding school from Season 5 onwards
Beth (Anndi McAfee) – Randy's first girlfriend who left town
Lauren (Courtney Peldon) – Randy's tomboy girlfriend, left for Costa Rica with him in Season 8.
Lillian "Nana" Patterson (Polly Holliday) – Jill's mother. Before Lillian's first appearance, she was joked at by Tim as being largely overweight, though in her first appearance, Lillian has become thin again, having used Tim's jokes on Tool Time as motivation. Lillian speaks with a very notable Southwestern accent and is caring and supportive to Jill whenever she has troubles.
Colonel Fred Patterson (M. Emmet Walsh) – Jill's father, died in his sleep from a heart attack in Season 6. He had a long career in the Army and his favorite movie is Patton. He somewhat gets along fine with Tim, but doesn't particularly respect him, never calling him by his name but instead calling him "Hey You".
Delores Turner (Shirley Prestia) – Harry's overbearing and demanding wife; a New York Knicks fan who can devastate men with "The Look". Her worsening asthma causes Harry to sell the hardware store and move to Arizona in Season 8. Delores and Harry are shown to constantly be arguing whenever they are seen together. Delores is shown several times to work at a local coffee shop as a waitress, where she continues to be sharp-tongued to customers
Nancy Taylor (Jensen Daggett) – Wife of Marty Taylor. They are divorced in Season 8.
John Binford (Noble Willingham) – founder of Binford Tools, died early in Season 3.
Maureen "Producer" Binford (Vicki Lewis) – John Binford's overeager and annoying daughter, she ran Tool Time for a brief time during Season 2, constantly reminding Tim in a sing-song voice that she was the Producer of the show, which allowed her to cause many changes to the show that Tim hated.
Trudy McHale (Megan Cavanagh) – an electrician and heiress to her family's fortune whom Al married in the final episode.
Cal Borland (Keith Lehman) – Al's brother, a physicist.
Felix Myman (Al Fann) – professional plumber and frequent participant in Tool Time's projects.
Rock Flanagan (Casey Sander) – construction worker at K&B Construction. Somewhat loud, and charismatic, Rock always responds to guest appearances on Tool Time by saying, "It's always great to be here, Timmy!" In K&B's "all-tool band", his instrument is a grinder run over an empty oil drum.
Dwayne Hoover (Gary McGurk) – construction worker at K&B Construction. The "straight man" of K&B, he always has to interrupt Pete whenever he is about to say a story that is too revealing by saying, "This is not the time, nor the place!" In K&B's band, he plays hammers on an anvil.
Pete Bilker (Mickey Jones) – construction worker at K&B Construction. Whenever he is called by name from Rock, Pete usually responds, "That would be me." In K&B's band, he plays empty plastic fuel cans as drums, using screwdrivers as drumsticks.
Carrie Patterson (Tudi Roche – the real-life wife of Richard Karn), Jill's sister, a world-traveling photographer.
Willow Branch Leaf Wilson (China Kantner) – Wilson's laid back niece, just goes by Willow, saying she "pruned it back".
Lucille Taylor (Bonnie Bartlett) – Tim's widowed mother.
Bud Harper (Charlie Robinson) – head of Binford Tools, Tim's boss. Bud interacts a lot with Tim and Al, even offering Tim season tickets to the Detroit Pistons. He does not particularly respect Al, even at one point suggesting Al get fired, however Tim defended Al from this.
Jason (Jarrad Paul) – Eddie Haskell-like friend of Brad, often claims to be a fan of Tool Time even though he's never actually seen the show and gains favor with Tim by pretending to ask for advice about tools.
Samantha Hayes (Maggie Lawson) – A college student who dated Brad, although she was four years his senior, which troubled Jill and Tim. In one episode, she and Brad impulsively decided to get married at their young age, but Tim and Jill successfully tricked them to realize their mistake.
Patty (Tammy Lauren) – Jill's friend in season six and seven
Morgan Wondell (Danny Zorn) – The much hated producer of Tool Time during the final season. He apparently has no interest in tool shows, and constantly made changes to the show's premise, even staging a Jerry Springer Show-like riot in the audience, and planning to stage more destructive accidents. Rather than let Wondell turn their show into "Trash Time", Tim, Al, and Heidi quit in the series finale.
Milton (Milton Canady) – friend of Tim, often a guest on Tool Time; when he's around, people tend to make gay references, leading to him snapping "Hey, I don't go for that sort of thing!".
Art Leonard (Dick O'Neill) – Tim's old shop teacher who inspired him to enter the world of tools; stops by several times; at one point has a fling with Tim's mother.
George Sparky Henderson (Patrick Cronin) – friend of Tim and fellow car enthusiast.
Antonio (Vasili Bogazianos) – a sarcastic waiter who is always seen serving the Taylors at high-class restaurants; constantly jokes about the Taylors being cheap.
Alma Borland – Al's unseen, overbearing, obese mother; is the butt of many of Tim's jokes; dies of a sudden heart attack in Season 8.
Ronny (Kaylan Romero) – Mark's goth friend in season 7. Almost never speaks a word and constantly disturbs Tim and Jill with his silent but haunting demeanor.
References[edit]
Jump up ^ TV Guide: TV on DVD 2006: The Ultimate Resource to Television Programs on DVD (Macmillan, 2005), 113.
Jump up ^ Hazim, Madinah; Hooper, Michael (August 25, 2001). "Ex-sitcom actor battling parents: Lawrence attorney helping with fight". The Capitol Journal Online.
Jump up ^ [Tanks For the memories Season 5/15]
Jump up ^ "dubai movers". TV Acres.
^ Jump up to: a b "Home Improvement Archive – Script for [4.08] Quibbling Siblings". Home Imporovement Archive.
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Category:Scottish comedians
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values: تصنيف:كوميديون اسكتلنديون – Arabic

values: رده:کمدین‌های اهل اسکاتلند – Persian

values: 분류:스코틀랜드의 희극인 – Korean

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