Tim Taylor was the man on Home Improvement who provided laughs to viewers for a total of eight seasons. His show called Tool Time was inspirational and hilariously unique in a way only Tim Allen could make it. Those who binge-watched the show or watched it air live might know a lot about it, but there are some key hidden details they probably missed.
We have created a list of these details for you to look back on and reminisce as you remember the genuine laughs the show provided. It was iconic and a staple in many homes as families crowded around the television screen. Keep reading to learn about the ten hidden details you never noticed in Home Improvement!
They Shut Down a Runway
Season three came with a lot of action-packed excitement, and one of those episodes involved a drag race. Tim and Bob were holding a charity event and when Bob made more money, Tim challenged him to a race. They held it at the Burbank Airport, but the entire airport had to shut down so they could film the episode. It might have been a large expense on the producer's tabs but the fans can all agree that the footage was well worth the price tag.
Randy Was Older Than Brad
The show featured three brothers, where Brad was the eldest and Randy was the middle child. It might surprise you to learn that the actor who played Randy (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) was older than the actor who portrayed Brad (Zachery Ty Bryan).
Jonathan had an entire month on Zachery, but his bigger build made him the eldest child in the series. Those who watched the show probably didn't notice the difference, but we would be surprised if the kids on set didn't bring it up from time to time.
The 'Tool Time' Audience Was the Live Studio Audience for the Show
This is a little known fact and those who religiously watched the show may not even have noticed this minor detail. The audience that sat and watched Tool Time in the show, was actually the same live audience that was watching the filming of Home Improvement. It served as an added bonus for those lucky enough to get a seat as they could now proclaim to their friends and family that they were in the background of a television show.
Allen's Clothing Supported Michigan Schools
The show was set in the state of Michigan, and to sell the story Tim had a wardrobe that consisted of college and university gear from schools located in Michigan. It was free advertising for them, but that doesn't mean the costume designer didn't make a mistake.
There is one episode where Tim wears a sweatshirt from a school in South Carolina, called Wofford College. We are not sure how this mistake happened, but it did and it will forever remain in the history books.
The Idea for the Show Came From This Old House
If you watched all of the seasons of Home Improvement, then you would recognize the name, Bob Vila. This was not a fictional character, in fact, he had his own show on PBS called This Old House. This was an actual home improvement show where Bob and his buddy Norm Abram remodeled houses, which is where this show got its original idea. It is obvious that the PBS show had no hard feelings about this comedic rendition of their series as he appeared on the show numerous times as Tim's arch-nemesis.
Tim Allen and Jonathan Taylor Thomas Had Some Issues
The issue between these two began when Jonathan declared that he was leaving the show to work on his studies during the eighth season of Home Improvement. Tim Allen was okay with this until Jonathan went back on his word.
He went on to make multiple films instead, which was not his initial reason for deciding to back out of the show. Subsequently, the two actors had a falling out and Jonathan was even left out of the final episode due to his serious betrayal.
Wilson Wasn't a Random Character
The character Wilson was actually born from Tim Allen's past. He remembered as a boy talking to his neighbor on the other side of a fence, but he could only ever see half of his face. Tim decided that the Wilson character had to be born, and it was not until the final episode that the show revealed his true face. People loved Wilson and the idea of him, which is why he stuck throughout the entirety of the series.
An Illinois Area Code
Tim would say a lot of things on Tool Time that ended up with him in trouble, but usually Al stepped in to try and remedy the situation before it could get out of hand.
Al would throw up a cue card with the mailing address and phone number of the show, but something was off with the area code. The phone number given was (815) 555-TOOL, which might seem reasonable until you realize the area code is for Illinois — not Michigan.
Klaus Was a Real Person
The taping of Tool Time generally involved Tim calling for a man named 'Klaus' to play some music. We had all assumed that this man was made up as this mystery man never showed his face, but he was actually very real. They used the first name of the sound engineer who worked on the show, Klaus Landsberg, to fill in for the name of the guy who played music on Tool Time. It might also interest you to know that he worked on Tim Allen's other show, Last Man Standing, as well.
Halloween Candy
There was a Halloween episode where Randy answers the door and two children dressed as Buzz Lightyear and Simba arrive at the door. Tim Allen was the voice for Buzz Lightyear and the actor who played Randy voiced Simba.
When Randy passed out the candy he was obviously going to favor the Simba costume as he gave the lion seven, while Buzz left with a measly single candy bar. It was a nice tribute by the show to the other roles the actors played in the movie industry.