Al Borland

Infobox character
colour = lightblue
name = Al Borland
series = Home Improvement


caption =
first = "Pilot"
last = "The Long and Winding Road"
age = 50 in 2008
born = September 22, 1958
portrayer = Richard Karn

Albert "Al" E. Borland is a fictional character from the TV sitcom "Home Improvement" played by Richard Karn. He is portrayed as Tim Taylor's un-hip sidekick on the show-within-a-show "Tool Time". He is also one of Tim's closest friends. According to the season 1 DVD, the character's original name is supposed to be 'Glenn'.

Al has many similarities to Norm Abram, the co-host/carpenter of real-life home improvement show "This Old House". Much like Al, Norm is bearded, always wears plaid flannel shirts, gives safety warnings before starting a project, has an encyclopedic knowledge of tools, and is usually unflappable if something goes wrong. Whereas Norm is a master carpenter, Al was introduced as a master plumber in earlier episodes of the series. With his dry wit, Al serves as the show's (both "Tool Time" and "Home Improvement") straight man to the wackier, more outgoing Tim.

Family, fashion sense, and career

Borland is slightly overweight, and always seen wearing flannel, which Tim cracks jokes about consistently. He wears flannel so often that, in the wedding episode, Tim bets his friends that Al is wearing a flannel thong. The reason he always wears flannel came from his father, who, when asking young Al to assist in their own various home projects, would put his old flannels on Al to keep him clean or warm. Al wears flannel as a tribute to him after he died.

Tim also often criticizes Al's mother, Alma Borland, who is never seen, but is apparently severely overweight. She died in one of the later episodes when Al asks for her permission to marry Trudy.

Al also has a brother, Cal, who looks and dresses almost exactly like him, though he is a physicist ("Sisters and Brothers"). In the episode commentaries featured on the Season 1 DVD Set, the executive producers reveal that "Cal" was a fan from Texas who sent his photo in a fan letter. Upon seeing his resemblance to Al, the producers brought him in to be Al's brother, Cal.

When Al was younger, he served in the Navy, and although he wanted to see the world, he was stationed in Nevada. Al owns a 20% share in Harry's Hardware, a local hardware store. He drives a 1983 Mercury Grand Marquis which his mother passed down to him. He collects keys from classic cars and even designed a board game based on "Tool Time", which he sold and marketed to great success.He has several years of his life on several VHS tapes.

Al's beard

Al's beard is also a constant joke by Tim. In one episode where "Tool Time" is celebrating their fifth anniversary show, Al is shown in the first ever episode of "Tool Time" without a beard & Tim with a beard. This is a homage to "This Old House" where in the first season Norm Abram is clean shaven.

Sometimes Tim refers to Al's beard as "stingy" and "do-do birdy".

Al's knowledge of tools and home improvement

He generally knows what he is doing more than Tim, and he seems to have a better knowledge of tools and home improvement than Tim. In the first episode of "Tool Time", he was described as a "master plumber" by Tim Taylor. He also is very serious about his job, unlike Tim, who often jokes and messes up the project. Al often speaks fondly of his time as a U.S. Navy Seabee. Although Tim is the one who messes up most of the projects on "Tool Time", Al is often the one who is blamed for the mishap, or is injured by the mishap. Despite this, Tim and Al are good friends offstage, and Al often helps out, either by helping with home projects, or by watching his children.

Love life

Throughout the series, Al has had four different girlfriends. In season one, Al went out with Greta Post, who he met while she was volunteering to help out during a "Tool Time" show. He almost went out with Tim's ex-girlfriend Stacey Lewis, however, he wasn't interested in her as much as he thought. From seasons three through five, Al went out with Dr. Ilene Markham, an orthodontist who is sisters with one of Jill's co-workers. They got engaged, but they decided at the wedding that they shouldn't marry. Al met a woman named Trudy in season eight and married her in the finale episode in 1999.

Running gags

*His overweight and overbearing mother.
*His noted "wearing flannel".
*His beard.
*His weight.
*Sometimes Tim makes fun of him being dull or unattractive.
*Al being popular with the female Tool Time fans.
*Al's love of Bingo.
*Al's admiration of fellow home improvement television host Bob Vila.
*When Tim would suggest doing something particularly stupid, dangerous or both, Al would reply, "I don't think so, Tim".
*When Tim would make a particularly sexist or otherwise offensive remark, Al would hold up a large card with Tim's mailing address and say, "That's Tim Taylor, care of Tool Time, PO Box 32733, Detroit, Michigan, 48252"