Red Green

Red Green

The title character of The Red Green Show, Red Green (Steve Smith) is the leader of Possum Lodge and a self-proclaimed handyman who is constantly extolling the virtues of duct tape. He is married to Bernice Green and does not have any children. He is seldom seen without his trademark red-and-green suspenders, and he spends much of his time finding creative ways to solve various handyman problems or consorting with his friends and fellow Lodge members.

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. 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", an early 80s model Dodge Ram cargo van, painted as a grey possum on a pale blue background, and with a license plate reading "POSSUM". It is one of Red's few vehicles that actually runs, and it has played (and donated) many parts in Handyman Corner projects.

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.

Red is probably best known for his fondness of duct tape ("the handyman's secret weapon"), which he sees as the solution to virtually every problem he faces. This leads to a severe panic on his part when the Lodge temporarily runs out of duct tape.

• Debut: The Big Inboard
• Final Episode: Do As I Do
• Complete Filmography

Key segments

• Handyman Corner
• Handyman Tips
• Midlife
• Red's Advice To Teenagers
• Adventures With Bill
• The Experts
• The Possum Lodge Word Game
• Possum 911
• Red's Poetry
• Red's Campfire Songs
• Auto Biography
• Meet Your Member

Red's profile

• Sex: Unashamedly male
• Eye Color: Blue with a touch of wry astigmatism
• Address: Possum Lodge
• Weight: Great investment (goes up 10% a year)
• Date of Birth: Christmas Eve 1945 (almost perfect)
• Hair Color: Grey mixed with skin tones
• Aliases: Bernice's Old Man

Catch phrases

• "Quando Omni Flunkus, Moritati."
• "If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy."
• "Remember, I'm pulling for you. We're all in this together."
• "Keep your stick on the ice."

Behind the scenes

The character of Red Green first appeared on Steve Smith's first TV series Smith & Smith, which he hosted with his wife, Morag Smith, in 1979, twelve years before The Red Green Show premiered. Red then appeared on the duo's subsequent shows, Me & Max and The Comedy Mill. On Smith & Smith and The Comedy Mill, Red appeared in segments very similar to both Handyman Corner and Midlife. On Me & Max, Red was stated to be the uncle to the Smith's two children, though to which of the parents he was related was left unclear.

See also

• Steve Smith (comedian) on Wikipedia