Everything about Bob And Doug Mckenzie totally explained
Bob and Doug McKenzie were a pair of fictional
Canadian brothers who hosted "The Great White North", a
sketch which was introduced on
SCTV for the show's third season when it moved to the
CBC in
1980. Bob is played by
Rick Moranis and Doug is played by
Dave Thomas.
History
"The Great White North" (originally known as "Kanadian Korner") was a panel show that played upon
Canadian stereotypes. Bob and Doug, two dumb
beer-swilling brothers wearing heavy winter clothing and
tuques, would comment on various elements of
Canadian life and culture, frequently employing the
interjection "
Eh?" and derisively calling each other a "
hoser." Among the topics discussed were snow routes, the
Canadian-built robot arm on the
Space Shuttle, the inappropriateness of bedtime stories about dog fights, and "why there aren't enough parking spaces at take-out doughnut shops."
The sketch was conceived when
SCTV moved to the CBC television network. Each episode to be broadcast on that network was two minutes longer than those
syndicated to the United States. The CBC network heads asked the show's producers to add specifically and identifiably
Canadian content for those two minutes. Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas thought that this was a ridiculous request, since the show had been taped in Canada, with a mostly Canadian cast and crew, for two years. The request inspired them to create a
parody that would incorporate every aspect of the humorous stereotype of Canadians.
The segments were videotaped at the end of a day's shooting, with just Thomas and Moranis and a single camera operator. The sketches were for the most part improvised on the set, and after doing several such ad-libbed bits, they'd then select the best ones for use on the program.
To their shock, the comedians found that this filler material had become the most popular part of the show. They rode the crest of a fad that produced two comedy albums and a movie,
Strange Brew. The first album is noted for the song "Take Off" which featured fellow Canadian
Geddy Lee of the rock group
Rush chorusing between the McKenzies' banter. The popularity eventually faded, but the act is still fondly remembered by Canadians as an affectionate parody of themselves. On their album,
The Great White North they sing their own improvised version of "
The Twelve Days of Christmas", which is frequently played on the radio around the holidays in both Canada and the United States.
The sketch's signature "coo-roo-coo-coo-coo-coo-coo-coo" theme, according to Dave Thomas in an interview on, is based on the
flute music used in Canadian television nature vignettes, such as
Hinterland Who's Who.
Legacy
The duo revived the act in
television commercials for
Pizza Hut and the
Molson Brewing Company, and played a variant of the act for the
Walt Disney Pictures animated feature film Brother Bear and its
sequel, with their characters being a pair of goofy
moose named Tuke and Rutt.
Currently,
Animax Entertainment (of which Dave Thomas is executive creative director) is developing an animated version of Bob & Doug. According to Thomas, the
Global Television Network will air it. An animated teaser short also produced by Animax Entertainment appeared on the
Strange Brew DVD. The teaser is currently available on Animax's website.
McFarlane Toys produced Bob and Doug McKenzie action figures in September,
2000.
(External Link
)
A new "Two-Four Anniversary Special" aired on
May 20 2007 on the
CBC. It was a retrospective on the history of the characters and their popularity, featuring interviews with various celebrities, classic clips, and new material featuring the pair. It was hosted by former Canadian
Prime Minister Paul Martin.
In
2007, on
Rush's
Snakes & Arrows tour, a short film of Bob and Doug McKenzie is shown as an intro to the song
The Larger Bowl.
On November 20, 2007 Bob and Doug McKenzie's 2-4 Anniversary was released on DVD. The DVD, re-edited by Dave Thomas himself, was twice as long as the broadcast and featured several classic McKenzie sketches from SCTV in their entirety, new footage filmed on the Great White North set and an hour's worth of bonus features. A Bob and Doug McKenzie bottle opener was included in every DVD. On this same date a Bob and Doug ringtone of the famous call (Coo Roo coo coo coo coo coo coo) was also released in Canada.
Opinions of the creators
In Dave Thomas's behind-the-scenes book on
SCTV he reports that he and Moranis disliked the characters because they felt the network forced the characters on them and that they, as actors, were overly identified with beer drinking. However, when interviewed with his real-life brother,
Ian, on
CBC Radio One's
Sounds Like Canada with
Shelagh Rogers, Dave Thomas stated he felt no ill will towards the Doug McKenzie character at all. During this February 9, 2007 interview, Thomas credited the McKenzie Brothers as a successful comedic creation of which he was quite proud.
Discography
Further Information
Get more info on 'Bob And Doug Mckenzie'.
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