Teasers, Tags and "Tool Time" Trivia Quiz

Answer: He flashed her

Tim Taylor was invited to participate in a caber toss, and spent much of the episode wearing a traditional Scottish kilt. In the tag scene, Tim Allen lifted his kilt and flashed Patricia, breaking-up the entire cast and crew. In 1997, while participating in an Internet chat with fans on AOL, Pat described this moment as one of the funniest things that had happened to her on "Home Improvement", adding, "We got a lot of letters asking me what he was wearing underneath." Pat never said what (if anything) Tim had on under his kilt, but judging by her reaction and facial expression during the tag, it's probably a fair bet that the answer is nothing.

Answer: Headlight alignment

At the close of the segment, Tim shared a closeup shot with Hick, telling the studio audience, "... this is the face of the man that aligned the headlights" (as Jack Elam's trademark eyes roamed wildly). We were also introduced to Eddie and Hick's favorite bar, Big Mike's Tavern, and their favorite sandwich, the "Stinky". The pungent Stinky sandwich was Hick's own invention: "Limburger cheese, sauerkraut, big slice of Bermuda onion, and some hot mustard."

This episode, "Birds of a Feather Flock to Taylor", also featured a very poignant scene between Ernest Borgnine and Tim Allen, during which Eddie taught Tim a valuable lesson about unconditional love and marriage. Over beers at Big Mike's, Eddie reminisced about Tildy, his deceased wife of 45 years. He told Tim about some little porcelain cats that he always hated, but Tildy insisted-on displaying on their window sill. Eddie's advice to Tim was that he didn't always need to understand Jill, he just needed to love her.

Answer: Lefties

As the show opened, Al mentioned that many astute "Tool Time" viewers had noticed he and Tim were both left-handed. After giving right- and left-handed salutes to lefties, Tim and Al had a short contest trimming bushes with left-handed clippers. Later, Tim learned that Wilson, a widower, was melancholy because his 25th wedding anniversary was approaching. Wilson had met his late wife Catherine in Mindo-Nambillo, and they'd made a pact to return for their silver anniversary.

In a touching role reversal, Tim was able to offer some sage advice to Wilson, helping him understand that he didn't need to move to Ecuador to keep the memory of his beloved wife alive.

Answer: Barbara Ann

Jill specifically asked the Beach Boys to sing "Barbara Ann" with her, in the key of G. Wilson joined-in with Jill and group. Al Jardine, Matt Jardine, Bruce Johnston, Mike Love and Carl Wilson all appeared as themselves.

Answer: Both Heidi and Lisa

Lisa (portrayed by Pamela Anderson) was the "Tool Time" girl during the first two seasons of "Home Improvement". Lisa appeared with the K&B boys during their musical debut, in the first season episode "Stereo-Typical".

Debbe Dunning took over as the new "Tool Time" girl, Heidi, begining with the third season. She remained a member of the cast for the duration of the show. Heidi appeared with the K&B boys (and several other "Tool Time" regulars) during the series finale, "The Long and Winding Road, Part III". During the filming of the very last "Tool Time", the band played "Burnin' Down The House".

The boys from K&B Construction (primarily Rock Lannigan, Pete Bilker, and Dwayne Hoover) were popular recurring characters throughout the run of the series, appearing in nine different episodes. Casey Sander portrayed Rock, Mickey Jones played Pete, and Gary McGurk was Dwayne.

Answer: Car Guy of the Year

Tim was slated to be crowned "Car Guy of the Year" at a banquet in Saginaw, Michigan. On their way to Saginaw, Jill and Tim - and a very pregnant Heidi - got mired in a traffic jam on the I-75 freeway. Tim took a shortcut and then ran out of gas. While they were stranded, Heidi went into labor. Jill and Tim successfully delivered Heidi's baby at a rural gas station, following Wilson's step-by-step instructions over the telephone.

During the sixth season of "Home Improvement" Debbe Dunning was expecting a child in real life, so the writers worked-in a pregnancy for her character Heidi. Debbe gave birth to her daughter, Spencer Schae Timmons, in December of 1996. She and Steve Timmons, a former US Olympic volleyball player, were married in 1997. The couple had their second child, a son named Stony, in 2000.

Answer: Wilson shot it down with a bow and arrow

The teaser for this episode, "Believe It or Not", did feature a clip of the classic "Oh, the humanity!" footage of the Hindenburg going down in flames, but Tim's flying saucer didn't suffer the same fate.

Wilson privately divulged to Tim that he believed in UFOs, and had experienced an encounter with extra-terrestrials outside the Turkish city of Kapadocia. Tim scoffed at him, and later told the guys down at Harry's Hardware about Wilson's controversial beliefs. When Wilson came into the store the guys ridiculed him, cracking several jokes at his expense. Wilson accused Tim of making him "the laughingstock of the neighborhood", and was even more angry because Tim had violated his trust and confidence. When Tim initially tried to patch things up over the back yard fence, Wilson shot down his flying saucer. Tim was finally able to regain Wilson's good graces after Randy helped him use the Internet to make a serious study of unexplained phenomena, and he became more open to the possibilities of the unknown.

Answer: Salute to Grass

Tim and Al saluted clippers, fertilizer and sprinklers, but not the lawn itself. On the home front, Tim was preoccupied trying to get his hot rod to start, causing him to ignore several necessary repairs around the house. Jill finally got frustrated waiting for Tim to fix things and hired a professional repairman, greatly irritating Tim. Things eventually worked out for the best after the repairman helped Tim get the hot rod running. David Correia played the guest role of Gus, the repairman.

Answer: Hickory and Western Red Cedar

Al "Dare to be Dull" Borland made a valiant effort to discerne the third type of wood, elaborating, "It's a hard wood from the Pacific Northwest. This particular piece seems to have some type of a fungus." Alas, the odor from Tim's sock was so overpowering that Al had to jetison the board, tossing it squarely onto Tim's bare foot.

Answer: Jimmy Carter

Former President James Earl Carter, Jr. appeared in the episode "The Eve of Construction". As a "Tool Time" feature, Tim and Jill captained teams in a competition to build two houses for Habitat for Humanity. Tim's team consisted of himself and several professional athletes, including Denver Broncos' quarterback John Elway, and heavyweight boxer Evander Holyfield. Jill's team consisted of herself, Al, Wilson, and skilled women from the professional trades. Naturally, Jill won the competition handily.

Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit charitable organization dedicated to building homes and eliminating poverty housing worldwide. Since being founded in 1976, Habitat has built more than 150,000 houses throughout the world. Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn have been active supporters of Habitat since the early 1980s. If you're interested in learning more about this beneficial organization, visit their web site at www.habitat.org.