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MAThere were plenty of stressful moments at the set of Home Improvement, but there was only one time I was truly frightened. Not in a meeting. Not over ratings. Not during a rewrite. It happened on the Tool Time set, in front of a live audience, with cameras rolling and nowhere to hide.
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Tim climbed into a Bobcat for a scene, and within seconds something felt off. What was supposed to look out of control suddenly was out of control. From the booth, David, Carmen, and I watched as the machine began bouncing in a way no rehearsal had prepared us for.
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At one point, we all stood up at the same time. Not out of excitement. Out of fear. The Bobcat lifted, tilted, and for a split second I was convinced it was going to tip over and crush Tim. Your brain moves fast in moments like that. Faster than dialogue. Faster than comedy. You stop thinking about the show and start thinking about the person.
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Just before it could happen, the machine slammed back down and crashed into a table instead. The audience laughed, because that was the joke. But in the booth, we all exhaled at once. I remember thinking, very clearly, we just dodged a bullet.
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The irony was impossible to miss. Tim was supposed to look out of control, and he absolutely was. The difference was that this time, it wasn’t scripted. It was real. And it reminded us just how thin the line can be between comedy and catastrophe, especially in front of a live audience.
If you’ve enjoyed these behind-the-scenes stories from Home Improvement, you might enjoy the longer reflections in Glimpses. Click the link in the bio to learn more.
@mattallenwilliams
