The Tom Green Show
Encyclopedia
The Tom Green Show is a North American television show that first aired in September 1994
on Rogers Television 22, a community channel in Ottawa
, Ontario
, until 1996
, and was later picked up by The Comedy Network
in 1997
. (In 1996, Tom Green
also produced a pilot episode for CBC Television
, although the CBC did not pick up the series.)
In January 1999
, the show moved to the United States and aired on MTV
. The MTV show stopped production when Green was diagnosed with testicular cancer
in March 2000, but continued to appear on the channel via reruns and other promotional materials. In 2003, the show was revived as The New Tom Green Show. In 2006, Green launched Tom Green Live
, a new live call-in show for his website. Later renamed Tom Green's House Tonight, the show takes place in his own living room.
and co-hosted by two of his long-time friends, Glenn Humplik, who occupied the couch, and Phil Giroux, who sat behind a window at the back of the set and became known as "the guy in the window," usually drinking cups of coffee. Derek Harvie
, who co-wrote the show with Green, occasionally appeared in the segments. Many of the sketches were targeted at his parents, both of whom appear to be embarrassed and not impressed by their son's antics.
on his microphone while interviewing people on the street. On several occasions, Green has dressed up in women's clothing and wore exaggerated makeup and a wig, while parading around the street in a peculiar "persona." In "Oxymen Girls", he walked around the streets in this fashion while applying a white creamy substance liberally on his face while screaming "Oxymen makes me really pretty!" repeatedly to unsuspecting passers-by. One particular skit had him taking the film crew to a pharmacy to buy condoms, as he repeatedly used the word "condoms," lectured the pharmacists on STDs and described his various plans for sexual activity. He also frequently abused his parents on the show, at one point waking them up in the wee hours of the morning by planting a severed cow's head in their bed, because his father was a fan of The Godfather
films. During an interview with his parents for their 30th anniversary, he turned the discussion into asking questions about their sex life.
In one of the more notorious stunts on the show, he had an X-rated, lesbian-pornographic scene painted on his father's car (which he called the "Slutmobile") to surprise his parents, because he thought they "liked lesbians." This went on to the point where he drove the car to a crowded bus stop to take his father to work, while embarrassing him at the same time. In another sketch, he painted their house plaid
while they were away for a week, but he ended up painting it back to normal after being threatened with the loss of his car. Other examples of Green's stunts was where he picked a female audience member to go on a date with him in the studio. While Green was playing his guitar serenading
the young woman, Glenn dropped his pants to show Green's and her names written on his posterior. At the premiere of the movie Grey Owl
, he posed as a journalist, sang to actor Pierce Brosnan
and kissed him. Occasionally, Green's skits were less off the wall, such as "People Helpers", where Green and a crew member seriously assisted wheelchair users, the skit more being about Green spoofing his own self.
One of the stunts that was considered hilarious and notorious in an episode was attempting to undercut competition. He dresses up as a pizza delivery boy working for a fake pizza restaurant called 'Undercutters' and follows a real pizza delivery to its destination in a neighborhood. There Tom quickly gets to the customer before the real delivery boy comes and pretends to do regular business to see if the pizza boy would be provoked. It ends up angering the customer, the pizza boy, and a neighbor who destroys Tom's pizza equipment (a fishing kit with toppings inside) and chases him out of the neighborhood with a hammer.
Tom once brought a list of negative comments that people said about Long Beach, California
to the city itself. He then goes around reading the comments to local residents who are rather surprised or not amused by the negativity of the comments. Although some found it extremely funny on the comments of the city, others replied that 'that was rather dumb about em'. In the Bahamas on vacation, Tom and Glenn Humplik head to a zoo to disturb some flamingoes. While filming in the woods, Tom finds a dead cat and brings it to the veterinarian.
Tom also started intercom pranking in retail and department stores featured in an episode where he and his crew deliberately head into the stores and Tom shouts bizarre things on the PA like 'tasty corn, tasty corn, tasty tasty tasty corn' or 'Mom I'm lost at the front desk' etc., surprising or angering managers and employees working in the stores. They eventually ask him to leave, after which Tom angers them even more by repetitively going on the intercom or not taking what they say seriously. In one case, a manager forces Tom to stay in the store, citing that it was private property and that he intended make Tom pay a fine for trespassing it. As he makes Tom walk to his office, Tom deliberately makes an escape, making the manager chase after him. He even encourages viewers how to do it saying, "No you're not allowed to do that. But if you want to do it, just go ahead and pick up the phone and press the button that says Page".
At the end of one episode, Tom comments on how the show does not make any observations on regular life. He responds saying that he will start by commenting on people with a bullhorn often embarrassing them with inappropriate comments on whatever they are doing.
He also explored the quirks of his friends. Green drew attention to Giroux's unusual laugh and discomfort with the smell of copper. One sketch aired when Glen had to urinate, but couldn't because Tom and the camera crew were in proximity (but still reasonably far away). They aired clips from a lengthy argument of whether a bear or a cougar would win in a fight.
", encouraging visitors to download the song off his website, burn it onto CDs and distribute it to friends. After airing the music video on his show and appealing to his audience to request it, the song became an instant number one hit on Total Request Live
. He quickly called for the video to be retired because "it's not fair to 98 Degrees
." Later, in his autobiography, he revealed that MTV had pressured him to do so in order to maintain the image that Total Request Live was, in fact, a live request show (the next week's episodes had been pre-taped on location, and the producers of the show were completely unaware of "The Bum Bum Song" at the time).
, Green visited his parents in Canada with Monica Lewinsky
, and used the occasion to fool local reporters into thinking that they would make an important "announcement" together, which turned out to be a related to Monica's new interest in designing fabric handbags.
In 2000, Green made a one-hour special out of his testicular cancer surgery. It focused on his reaction to the cancer diagnosis, as well as his family's, and footage of the actual surgery was included in one scene. The episode received wide critical acclaim for revealing a vulnerable, human side of an otherwise juvenile television personality.
In March 2002, he also starred in and directed a one-hour special called The Tom Green Subway Monkey Hour, where he tormented strangers in Japan
.
. In 2008, the show was renamed Tom Green's House Tonight. The show takes place in Green's own living room in the Hollywood Hills
overlooking the San Fernando Valley
.
1994 in television
The year 1994 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1994.For the American TV schedule, see: 1994-95 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
on Rogers Television 22, a community channel in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, until 1996
1996 in television
The year 1996 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1996.For the American TV schedule, see: 1996-97 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:...
, and was later picked up by The Comedy Network
The Comedy Network
The Comedy Network a Canadian English language Category A specialty channel owned by Bell Media specializing in comedy programming.The channel operates two time shifted feeds, East and West ....
in 1997
1997 in television
The year 1997 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1997.- Events :-Debuts:-Miniseries:*Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac, a reunion of the 1979–93 series*The Last Don...
. (In 1996, Tom Green
Tom Green
Michael Thomas "Tom" Green is a Canadian actor, rapper, writer, comedian, talk show host and media personality. Best known for his shock humour brand of comedy, Green found mainstream prominence via his MTV television show The Tom Green Show...
also produced a pilot episode for CBC Television
CBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
, although the CBC did not pick up the series.)
In January 1999
1999 in television
The year 1999 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1999.For the American TV schedule, see: 1999-00 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
, the show moved to the United States and aired on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. The MTV show stopped production when Green was diagnosed with testicular cancer
Testicular cancer
Testicular cancer is cancer that develops in the testicles, a part of the male reproductive system.In the United States, between 7,500 and 8,000 diagnoses of testicular cancer are made each year. In the UK, approximately 2,000 men are diagnosed each year. Over his lifetime, a man's risk of...
in March 2000, but continued to appear on the channel via reruns and other promotional materials. In 2003, the show was revived as The New Tom Green Show. In 2006, Green launched Tom Green Live
Tom Green Live
Tom Green's House Tonight is an Internet-based talk show hosted by Tom Green. In addition to its primary broadcast on TomGreen.com, the show was syndicated on television stations throughout North America...
, a new live call-in show for his website. Later renamed Tom Green's House Tonight, the show takes place in his own living room.
Personalities
The Tom Green Show was a comedy show hosted by Tom GreenTom Green
Michael Thomas "Tom" Green is a Canadian actor, rapper, writer, comedian, talk show host and media personality. Best known for his shock humour brand of comedy, Green found mainstream prominence via his MTV television show The Tom Green Show...
and co-hosted by two of his long-time friends, Glenn Humplik, who occupied the couch, and Phil Giroux, who sat behind a window at the back of the set and became known as "the guy in the window," usually drinking cups of coffee. Derek Harvie
Derek Harvie
Derek Kevin Harvie is a Canadian entertainment writer and producer. Harvie grew up in Ottawa, and graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in film and literature....
, who co-wrote the show with Green, occasionally appeared in the segments. Many of the sketches were targeted at his parents, both of whom appear to be embarrassed and not impressed by their son's antics.
Stunts
The show became notorious for Green's outrageous stunts, like feigning sex with a dead moose on the side of the road and putting dog fecesFeces
Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...
on his microphone while interviewing people on the street. On several occasions, Green has dressed up in women's clothing and wore exaggerated makeup and a wig, while parading around the street in a peculiar "persona." In "Oxymen Girls", he walked around the streets in this fashion while applying a white creamy substance liberally on his face while screaming "Oxymen makes me really pretty!" repeatedly to unsuspecting passers-by. One particular skit had him taking the film crew to a pharmacy to buy condoms, as he repeatedly used the word "condoms," lectured the pharmacists on STDs and described his various plans for sexual activity. He also frequently abused his parents on the show, at one point waking them up in the wee hours of the morning by planting a severed cow's head in their bed, because his father was a fan of The Godfather
The Godfather
The Godfather is a 1972 American epic crime film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, based on the 1969 novel by Mario Puzo. With a screenplay by Puzo, Coppola and an uncredited Robert Towne, the film stars Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Robert Duvall, Sterling Hayden, John Marley, Richard...
films. During an interview with his parents for their 30th anniversary, he turned the discussion into asking questions about their sex life.
In one of the more notorious stunts on the show, he had an X-rated, lesbian-pornographic scene painted on his father's car (which he called the "Slutmobile") to surprise his parents, because he thought they "liked lesbians." This went on to the point where he drove the car to a crowded bus stop to take his father to work, while embarrassing him at the same time. In another sketch, he painted their house plaid
Plaid
Plaid may refer to:Material* A plaid or full plaid is a pleated cloth worn with the modern kilt, made from the same tartan and worn cast over the shoulder and fastened at the front* The belted plaid or "great kilt", earlier form of the kilt...
while they were away for a week, but he ended up painting it back to normal after being threatened with the loss of his car. Other examples of Green's stunts was where he picked a female audience member to go on a date with him in the studio. While Green was playing his guitar serenading
Serenade
In music, a serenade is a musical composition, and/or performance, in someone's honor. Serenades are typically calm, light music.The word Serenade is derived from the Italian word sereno, which means calm....
the young woman, Glenn dropped his pants to show Green's and her names written on his posterior. At the premiere of the movie Grey Owl
Grey Owl (film)
Grey Owl is a 1998 biopic directed by Richard Attenborough and starring Pierce Brosnan in the role of real life British schoolboy turned Indian trapper "Grey Owl," Archibald Belaney , and Annie Galipeau as his wife Anahareo. With brief appearances by Graham Greene and others. The screenplay was...
, he posed as a journalist, sang to actor Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan
Pierce Brendan Brosnan, OBE is an Irish actor, film producer and environmentalist. After leaving school at 16, Brosnan began training in commercial illustration, but trained at the Drama Centre in London for three years...
and kissed him. Occasionally, Green's skits were less off the wall, such as "People Helpers", where Green and a crew member seriously assisted wheelchair users, the skit more being about Green spoofing his own self.
One of the stunts that was considered hilarious and notorious in an episode was attempting to undercut competition. He dresses up as a pizza delivery boy working for a fake pizza restaurant called 'Undercutters' and follows a real pizza delivery to its destination in a neighborhood. There Tom quickly gets to the customer before the real delivery boy comes and pretends to do regular business to see if the pizza boy would be provoked. It ends up angering the customer, the pizza boy, and a neighbor who destroys Tom's pizza equipment (a fishing kit with toppings inside) and chases him out of the neighborhood with a hammer.
Tom once brought a list of negative comments that people said about Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
to the city itself. He then goes around reading the comments to local residents who are rather surprised or not amused by the negativity of the comments. Although some found it extremely funny on the comments of the city, others replied that 'that was rather dumb about em'. In the Bahamas on vacation, Tom and Glenn Humplik head to a zoo to disturb some flamingoes. While filming in the woods, Tom finds a dead cat and brings it to the veterinarian.
Tom also started intercom pranking in retail and department stores featured in an episode where he and his crew deliberately head into the stores and Tom shouts bizarre things on the PA like 'tasty corn, tasty corn, tasty tasty tasty corn' or 'Mom I'm lost at the front desk' etc., surprising or angering managers and employees working in the stores. They eventually ask him to leave, after which Tom angers them even more by repetitively going on the intercom or not taking what they say seriously. In one case, a manager forces Tom to stay in the store, citing that it was private property and that he intended make Tom pay a fine for trespassing it. As he makes Tom walk to his office, Tom deliberately makes an escape, making the manager chase after him. He even encourages viewers how to do it saying, "No you're not allowed to do that. But if you want to do it, just go ahead and pick up the phone and press the button that says Page".
At the end of one episode, Tom comments on how the show does not make any observations on regular life. He responds saying that he will start by commenting on people with a bullhorn often embarrassing them with inappropriate comments on whatever they are doing.
Recurring characters and sketches
The show also had a few recurring characters and sketches, including Billy Bob (a redneck who loved caramels and shaking his leg), Hockey Guy (a hockey player who would skate up in front of people and clumsily fall down), and a police station sketch.He also explored the quirks of his friends. Green drew attention to Giroux's unusual laugh and discomfort with the smell of copper. One sketch aired when Glen had to urinate, but couldn't because Tom and the camera crew were in proximity (but still reasonably far away). They aired clips from a lengthy argument of whether a bear or a cougar would win in a fight.
"The Bum Bum Song"
When the show moved to MTV, Green released a single called "Lonely Swedish (The Bum Bum Song)Lonely Swedish (The Bum Bum Song)
"Lonely Swedish " is a novelty song by Canadian comedian Tom Green, created in 1999 for The Tom Green Show. When the show moved to MTV, Green released it as a single, encouraging visitors to download the song free of charge from his website, burn it onto CDs and distribute it to friends...
", encouraging visitors to download the song off his website, burn it onto CDs and distribute it to friends. After airing the music video on his show and appealing to his audience to request it, the song became an instant number one hit on Total Request Live
Total Request Live
Total Request Live is a television series on MTV that featured popular music videos. TRL was MTV's prime outlet for music videos as the network continues to concentrate on reality-based programming. In addition to music videos, TRL featured daily guests...
. He quickly called for the video to be retired because "it's not fair to 98 Degrees
98 Degrees
98 Degrees is an American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, California....
." Later, in his autobiography, he revealed that MTV had pressured him to do so in order to maintain the image that Total Request Live was, in fact, a live request show (the next week's episodes had been pre-taped on location, and the producers of the show were completely unaware of "The Bum Bum Song" at the time).
Special episodes
In one episode aired in early 20002000 in television
The year 2000 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2000.For the American TV schedule, see: 2000-01 United States network television schedule.-Event:-Debuts:-1940s:...
, Green visited his parents in Canada with Monica Lewinsky
Monica Lewinsky
Monica Samille Lewinsky is an American woman with whom United States President Bill Clinton admitted to having had an "improper relationship" while she worked at the White House in 1995 and 1996...
, and used the occasion to fool local reporters into thinking that they would make an important "announcement" together, which turned out to be a related to Monica's new interest in designing fabric handbags.
In 2000, Green made a one-hour special out of his testicular cancer surgery. It focused on his reaction to the cancer diagnosis, as well as his family's, and footage of the actual surgery was included in one scene. The episode received wide critical acclaim for revealing a vulnerable, human side of an otherwise juvenile television personality.
In March 2002, he also starred in and directed a one-hour special called The Tom Green Subway Monkey Hour, where he tormented strangers in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
The New Tom Green Show
The show was briefly revived by MTV in 2003 as The New Tom Green Show, which was retooled to have more of a late-night talk show format, but was cancelled by MTV a few months after its premiere due to MTV deciding that wasn't the direction they wanted to go in.Tom Green Live! / Tom Green's House Tonight
On June 15, 2006, Tom Green launched Tom Green Live!, a live call-in talk show broadcast on his website TomGreen.com. It began as a partnership between Green and ManiaTV!ManiaTV!
ManiaTV is a digital television network that produces, packages and distributes premium live celebrity TV shows for the 13-34 youth/young adult market. According to comScore, ManiaTV reaches over 10 million viewers each month. It was founded by Drew Massey....
. In 2008, the show was renamed Tom Green's House Tonight. The show takes place in Green's own living room in the Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
overlooking the San Fernando Valley
San Fernando Valley
The San Fernando Valley is an urbanized valley located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of southern California, United States, defined by the dramatic mountains of the Transverse Ranges circling it...
.
Rumored Hitler segment
- A frequent rumor says that the show was cancelled because of an alleged segment where Green shows up at a Bar Mitzvah dressed as Adolf HitlerAdolf HitlerAdolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. Green, however, has repeatedly denied that such a segment exists. He mentions the rumor in his 2004 autobiography, Hollywood Causes Cancer, stating that it started when some Boston teenagers were caught videotaping themselves performing that particular stunt and, when asked by security, they used the name "Tom Green". Green says, "I would never do a mean-spirited, anti-Semitic joke like that - it's both abhorrent and not funny...To this day I still get asked about it, and it's annoying. So again, for the record, it didn't happen. There is nobody on this planet that has ever seen this bit on tape because it does not exist. If it did exist, it would have certainly reared its ugly, hateful head on the Internet by now. But it won't, because it doesn't exist. I've never put on a Hitler costume. In fact, I've never even been to a Bar Mitzvah."