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.
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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 would then select the best ones for use on the program. To their shock, the comedians found that this filler material had become one of the most popular parts 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 The Hour, 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. 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. [1] 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'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 9th, 2007 interview, Thomas credited the McKenzie Brothers as a successful comedic creation of which he was quite proud.
