then this list will help you answer those questions. The life, or lack thereof, of a proprietor of a gas station, which is the only stop for miles around and a hub of action on the Prairies. Another possible Oscar, thought Butt at the time, was Paul Soles, a well known Canadian character actor with a variety of credits. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. Two successive sitting prime ministers, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper, made cameo appearances; Corner Gas is the only fictional sitcom (as opposed to sketch comedy series) in which sitting prime ministers have appeared. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. briouxtv[at]rogers.com Brent disagrees but can't bear to tell her about the inappropriate connotations of that phrase. Wright performed at virtually every major theatre company in Canada. Canadian broadcaster CTV, which. "Gopher It" featured then Prime Minister Stephen Harper as himself. I dont know that any of them should have been an actor. I wanted to exit gracefully, on top of our game. Van, however, was in poor health by the time Corner Gas was about to go into production. Way back before he lucked into scoring Peterson for the part of Oscar, however, Butt had a couple of other guys in mind for the role. [23] Ben Mulroney, host of TV shows Canadian Idol and eTalk Daily and the son of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, parodies himself during the third season episode "Dog River Vice".[24]. TSN sportscaster (and U8TV: The Lofters alumnus) Jennifer Hedger and her SportsCentre colleague Darren Dutchyshen appeared as themselves in the episode "Face Off". He manages to out-chat Lacey while talking about cats during the same episode. The Toronto-born actor now really is 90. Fox calls Parkinson's disease 'the gift that keeps on taking' in candid new interview, CTV National News for May 1: Remembering Gordon Lightfoot, 1938 - 2023: Remembering the legendary Gordon Lightfoot, Dramatic rescue on Lake Huron in Ont. [48][55] Free land was awarded through the Corner Gas website which enabled a Quebec couple to move to Climax. The cover art for the seasons differ from the Region 1 releases. Oscar and Emma Leroy's virtual home features Corner Gas bloopers. By the halfway point of the promotion, more than 40,000 litres of free gasoline had been pumped. [4] The show averaged one million viewers per episode. [24] Eight Canadian radio stations broadcast the show live at the start of the fourth season. Series creator Brent Butt has said the town lies somewhere between Regina and Saskatoon; these two cities are 257 kilometres (160mi) apart, so this fact does not contradict anything said on the series. Ken Read, also known as "The Crazy Canuck," is a champion alpine skier and member of the Canadian Olympic Committee. Hank then debated with them the location of Mercy (the Saskatchewan town where Little Mosque takes place) in relation to Dog River. But he thought it was funny and he agreed to do it. The Canadian Comedy Awards include Best Direction (TV Series)20042006, Best Male Performance (TV)2004 and 2005 (Brent Butt), 2007 (Eric Peterson), Best Female Performance (TV)2006 (Janet Wright) and Best Writing (TV Series)2004 and 2007. The secondary plots are sometimes slightly intertwined with the other stories. [39] In late September 2004, to promote the start of the second season, the cast members of Corner Gas travelled to cities across Canada where they pumped gas at local service stations for the day (the fuel being provided to motorists free of charge). Theme Song: ["Not A Lot Goin' On"] You can tell me that your dog ran away / Then tell me that it took three days / I've heard every joke / I've heard every one you'd say / You think there's not a lot goin' on / Look closer baby, you're so wrong / And that's why you can stay so long / Where there's not a lot goin' on. which began September 21, 2005. Tiffani Thiessen auditioned for Rachel Green on Friends. They could tell they werent being sold something. This is our third time saying goodbye. In fact, the term "the city" has been used at various times in the series to refer to Regina. CTV National News reporter Rosemary Thompson appears, playing herself in a scrum with the Prime Minister at the gas station. O'Brien mixed humour and pathos in chronicling his four-year illness on his blog The Big Diseasey and had posted a meditation about faith -- or lack thereof -- just hours before his death. Fitzy saw Davis in the aftermath as the only first responder there and gave him the new title of Chief, Volunteer Fire Department. You never had to say, I wonder what Janets thinking. You just never had to think that, and we all loved her for it. Brent and Lacey in a scene from Corner Gas Animated. One thing I keep going back to is there was a sort of authenticity to Corner Gas. Gabrielle Sunshine Miller (born November 9, 1973) is a Canadian actress who, since the start of her career in 1993, has appeared in many television films and series episodes, including leading roles in two of Canada's most popular concurrently-running series, the sitcom Corner Gas (2004-09) and the comedy-drama Robson Arms (2005-08). He appears three times: twice to poke fun at Sweden and once to almost get hit by a thrown newspaper during the appropriately named "Ruby Newsday". Back before those actors were assembled, however, others were considered. Her family discovered a passion for local theatre and Wright joined her sister Susan as co-founder of Saskatoons Persephone Theatre in 1974. After enjoying a run as a top-rated sitcom from 2004 to 2009, Corner Gas returned for a 2014 movie before getting new life in an animated series that debuted in 2018. [34] Another benefit was held during the summer of 2007. Karen Pelly, tweeted: Today we lost a warrior woman with a big beautiful heart and soul. Deriving its name from the roadside gas station in the fictional town of Dog River, Saskatchewan. For Corner Gas Animated, Michael J. Hard to imagine, but John Travolta passed on the role of Forrest Gump. [6], The show focuses on the lifestyle of small-town folk; though set in a small town in Saskatchewan, it is not chiefly about Saskatchewan or Canada, but rather the day-to-day interactions of the residents of Dog River. We werent trying to be something else. A welcome email is on its way. She just pushed through.. His father died saving his entire, Paul Kinistino (Mark Dieter) is the bartender at the Dog River Hotel. Facts about his life, such as his childhood spent in Victoria and Inuvik and his adult years living in Regina and Winnipeg, appeared alongside a self-deprecating summary of his professional accomplishments. The series was carried by WGN America during the 20082009 television season; it was not broadcast in Chicago on WGN-TV. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. We had her on a scooter, you see it in the movie, her character, we wrote it in that shes riding a scooter, he said. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. With Brent Butt, Gabrielle Miller, Fred Ewanuick, Eric Peterson. and are streaming on Crave and Amazon Prime. You hear the term bittersweet and this is the perfect example of that. Main also constructed Dog River's first building, a wooden shack that would later be burned down by Hank Yarbo a century later in order to maintain the accuracy of his Lego scale model of the town (he ran out of blocks and could not make a replica of the shack. Then he sent me a nice note on Twitter congratulating us and thanking us for asking him to be part of the show., Why do you think Corner Gas resonated and lasted as long as it did? When we spoke last year, you told me the show would go to 2044. Small-town Saskatchewan has never been so - animated. rights reserved. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings. Im just very sad. Award-winning stage and screen actress Janet Wright, the frank-talking and resilient comedy star best known for her portrayal of the long-suffering matriarch on ``Corner Gas,'' died Monday in Vancouver at the age of 71. Corner Gas can also be verifiably called the most successful of these shows. [38] At the Canadian Entertainment Network Awards, Season one DVD was honoured as "Best Canadian DVD-English". He originally developed the storyline for CTV and The Comedy Network. COPYRIGHT Bill Brioux (BRIOUX.TV) 20072022. [citation needed] Unlike the Canadian release, the Australian version of Season 3 contains anamorphic widescreen versions of the episodes. [citation needed], On October 3, 2019, Amazon-owned IMDb announced that it will be exclusively streaming the entire Corner Gas franchise on their platform for free to US viewers beginning in October 15, 2019.[36]. As a comedy writer, he was tall.". The town has its own newspaper, The Dog River Howler (usually just called "The Howler"), to which almost everybody has contributed at one point or another. From our newsroom to your inbox at noon, the latest headlines, stories, opinion and photos from the Toronto Sun. Comedy Inc. star Roman Danylo makes a cameo as a passenger sitting next to Lacey on a plane from Alberta to Vancouver. Ed Deline (James Caan), the president of operations, and his right-hand man Danny McCoy (Josh Duhamel) led the team that handled everything from security emergencies and card-counting scandals to . Davis, 23, was leaving the club at the time and intervened to protect a teen boy from being assaulted by a group of men. In the scene, he flip flops based on the crowd. We thought theyd decline that. Surjik remembered Wright for her ability to be upfront and outspoken with her friends and colleagues. Corner Gas also lays claim to seven Leo Award wins. With the exception of the first episode and "Dark Circles," the police use only one of them. That was the goal going into it., Ryan Reynolds makes a cameo in Monday nights finale. In the same episode Dan Matheson, a news anchor for CTV, appeared as himself. Today, its hard to imagine anyone other than Peterson yelling Jackass! on Corner Gas. The type of beating that would crush a lot of people and she found a way to (keep going). Brent Butt calls 'Corner Gas Animated' ending 'bittersweet', Bar that booted patrons over Bud Light controversy begs for business, Canadian legend Gordon Lightfoot dead at age 84, Popular TSN radio host Jeff O'Neill on leave: Report, LILLEY: Ontario school board bans cops until shamed by public outrage, Megyn Kelly causes stir posing poolside in 'Make Women Female Again' MAGA-style hat. ), A real-life Regina tour operator regularly takes busloads of tourists to Rouleau to visit "Dog River". Corner Gas has the distinction of running for 107 episodes without a single major cast change, and all of the core cast members (i.e. It was a show about a gas station in Saskatchewan surely no one was going to watch that. [6] Prairie Pants Production is a company assembled by Brent Butt, Virginia Thompson and 335 Productions. [24] Noted actress Shirley Douglas (mother of Kiefer Sutherland, and daughter of Tommy Douglas, former Premier of Saskatchewan) plays a woman with the hots for Oscar in "Trees a Crowd". CTV CEO Ivan Fecan makes a cameo appearance during the episode "Blog River". Corner Gas Official 14.8K subscribers Subscribe 102 2.6K views 1 year ago Eric Peterson has thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the Corner Gas: Animated world on account of the "wonderful". Ive always had a list of dream gets and sometimes you get them and sometimes you dont. Often she is vague and senile, but she has been known to make pointed remarks about the other characters. I love you Janet., And Tara Spencer-Nairn, who played Dog River police department Const. The volunteer system was reestablished after Hank, Davis, and Oscar lit an uncontrollable leaf fire and the fire department did not respond as they were chasing a stray dog (the same one Hank thought to be "The Littlest Hobo"). [24] (The episode aired the same day Goodale filed a "mini-budget" in the House of Commons.) He is best known for his role as Brent Leroy on the CTV sitcom Corner Gas, which he also co-created. [26][27] Many components of Dog River are, in fact, real attributes of Rouleau, notably the combined liquor and insurance store.[28]. Corner Gas is the only gas station for 60 kilometres (37mi) in any direction (according to the first two episodes of season one, "Ruby Reborn" and "Tax Man"). If I Could Squeegee the Sky" in the episode "Hook, Line and Sinker". He also hosted the late night talk show Canada After Dark as well as the public affairs series Take 30. The series completed its run following broadcast of its sixth season on April 13, 2009, with a total of 107 episodes. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. On March 7, 2007,[20] CTV clarified its press release, stating it was a season finale, and on March 13, 2007, CTV confirmed an order for a 19-episode fifth season, that premiered on September 24, 2007. During episode "Physical Credit", Read receives a browbeating from Oscar (which first aired the day after closing ceremonies of the 2006 Winter Olympics). He is quite paranoid about losing his job and thinks that anyone will do anything for the position of mayor, although no one really wants it. The first two seasons having the group of the cast in front of the gas station which is in the distant background, while the third season has them in front of the grain silo. How does it feel that its coming to an end now? and are streaming on Crave and Amazon Prime. Paul Mather, Mark Farrell, Brent Butt, Andrew Carr, Kevin White, Robert Sheridan, Norm Hiscock, Dylan "Worts" Wertz and Gary Pearson all contributed to writing the series. It was written by Toronto journalist Michele Sponagle and was produced in conjunction with CTV, Penguin Canada, and Prairie Pants Productions. Corner Gas E-Talk 2/3. What does 'You can tell me that your dog ran away. Brent Butts animated Corner Gas character Brent Leroy in a scene from Corner Gas Animated. He died at his Winnipeg home on Sunday night, said his agent Lisa Marie Schwartz. Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. [37] From the fourth season forward, the episodes are presented in proper anamorphic widescreen. [54] In October 2019, after a third season renewal, during the second season broadcast, it was announced that Amazon's IMDb TV (now Amazon Freevee), starting October 20. Janet was an artist on an uncompromising search for the truth in all its unvarnished beauty, said Stratford Festival artistic director Antoni Cimolino, who directed Wright as Ma Joad in the 2011 production of The Grapes of Wrath. Its headlines are usually rife with inaccurate, sensationalist reporting. "The thing about people that truly understand comedy is they have a way of twisting things so that we can see things in a different light. Re-runs still air on CTV, CTV2, CTV Comedy Channel, Much, MTV, E! O'Brien's ability to find humour in even the bleakest situation was one of his defining traits, Thompson said. [37] Unlike the past sets, the third-season DVD set is presented in widescreen (letterboxed on 4:3 televisions, Windowboxed on widescreen TVs). Wanda refuses to help Oscar think of another gift but Oscar's desperate, having asked Josh where Lacey is, asked for Karen's advice at the Foo Mart and a girl on the street, who suggested a spa day. Her film credits include The Perfect Storm, opposite George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg, and TV appearances on series Dark Angel, The King of Kensington and The Beachcombers. When the pumps closed at 'Corner Gas' five years ago, the end of the beloved CTV sitcom was an emotional time for its close-knit cast. In reality, O'Brien's resume was both more diverse and more celebrated. Corner Gas - watch online: stream, buy or rent Currently you are able to watch "Corner Gas" streaming on Crave or for free with ads on CTV, Noovo. [6], Corner Gas received two awards at the 7th Canadian Comedy Awards. Mike Holmes, the star of Holmes on Homes, helps to fix Oscar's bathroom. Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Butt has risen to stardom for his role in . He brought the gang back together to voice Corner Gas Animated. The surnames of all of the main characters and some recurring characters on the show (except for Mayor 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald) are names of small towns in Saskatchewan. The wonderful thing about her as an actress especially in something like Corner Gas she brought so much to that part as only Janet could. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. During the fifth season three episodes bring in notable personalities. In order to play down this unsavoury branch of her family tree, Lacey instead used a story that Karen made upthat pioneers somehow got hold of a hot air balloon, got an aerial view of the town site, and noticed that the creek formed a shape similar to that of a dog's leg. He tends to take his position very seriously. Pat Fiacco, then-mayor of Regina, appears in the episode "Whataphobia" as Stan, the owner of Dog River's miniature golf course. The bush was only planted for those two scenes. were filmed at Canada Saskatchewan Production Studios in Regina. If you are wondering, "Who are the actors from Corner Gas?" I always assumed hed give us a polite decline, but we were able to reach out to him directly and he said hed love to do it. Millions have also heard his voice from his animation efforts. She knew a lot about the art of acting and the art of theatre as a director, Peterson said. Julie Stewart played a paint store clerk (parodying her role in Cold Squad) in "Grad 68". Two segments of production footage with time code circulated on YouTube also seemed to indicate a series finale as imminent despite the show's continued success in Canada and recent U.S. sale. Brent Butt says it's the 'authenticity' of the show. The cast of Corner Gas: (L-R) Tara Spencer-Nairn, Lorne Cardinal, Eric Peterson, Nancy Robertson, Janet Wright, Brent Butt, Gabrielle Miller and Fred Ewanuick Photo by CTV Yet no one in the series mentions it, despite the town being exceptionally small. [24] Prior to the debut of Corner Gas, the cast had appeared on Gabereau's CTV talk show, during which Brent Butt promised to get the talk show host a guest appearance. Actor Fred Ewanuick, who played Hank Yarbo, posted on his Twitter account: We lost a member of our family. In the first season Kevin McDonald of The Kids in the Hall played Marvin Drey, a disliked Revenue Canada agent in the episode "Tax Man"'. In the 60s, Soles voiced Hermey the elf in the Rankin/Bass perennial special Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer and later in the 60s provided the voice of Spider-Man in the late-60s animated series. The film was released for a limited theatrical run in December 2014.[1][2][3]. She was 71. The Dog River Police have two police cars, both 1994 Ford Crown Victorias. [11], Corner Gas was produced by CTV and Prairie Pants Production. The next issue of Your Midday Sun will soon be in your inbox. In an unusual case, WGN America picked up the fifth season's episodes while they were airing contemporaneously on the show's original network CTV. [6], On April 6, 2009, Saskatchewan premier Brad Wall signed a proclamation that declared April 13, 2009, "Corner Gas Day" in Saskatchewan. mean. The town's name is an homage to series creator Brent Butt's hometown of Tisdale, Saskatchewan, through which the Doghide River flows. This practice of looking down on neighbouring towns is common in many prairie communities, primarily those in Saskatchewan and Alberta, such as Tisdale, Melfort, and Wilcox. [51] TSN's Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole are in the film (formerly of Fox Sports 1),[52] as well as TSN anchor Darren Dutchyshen and Olympic Gold Medalist Jon Montgomery. She won the best actress Genie Award in 1992 for Bordertown Cafe, and won the best supporting actress in a dramatic program or miniseries award in 2003 for Betrayed. To order copies of [37] In keeping with the theme of the series, each DVD set included a coupon good for a free coffee at Petro-Canada service stations. An adjoining coffee shop, The Ruby, is owned by Lacey Burrows (Gabrielle Miller), who inherited it from her Aunt Ruby. She was one of those people that, for whatever reason, she took a beating in a number of ways, said Butt. The popularity of the hit sitcom caused such a rush for tickets that the Globe Theatre's online ticket sales system briefly went down as a result. Can they hit 4M or 5M per game in Round 2? [24] Then-federal finance minister Ralph Goodale appears as a Ruby Caf customer in "Picture Perfect". There is definitely a sadness because we were having a good time doing the show and we would have been happy to keep going. The grain elevator was repainted to read "Dog River" instead of "Rouleau"; however, the water tower still reads "Rouleau" with post production effects used to repaint it to read "Dog River" in the first season episode "Grad 68". Star Newspapers Limited and/or its licensors. She was also a regular or semi-regular on the TV series . Ive learned long ago, never say never with this group. Trudeau, didnt he teach drama for awhile? So he was good in his thing. 2023 Toronto Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. [24] The second season was released on DVD on September 27, 2005,[37] and features the distinction of being one of the few regular TV series whose DVD box set includes described video for the visually impaired. "Poor Brent" has an appearance by long-time CTV National News anchor Lloyd Robertson, playing himself.