- History Bites
Infobox Television
show_name = History Bites
caption = History Bites Logo
format =Sketch comedy /Docudrama
camera =
picture_format =
audio_format =
runtime =
creator =Rick Green , Writers: Duncan McKenzie,Danny DiTata ,Jeremy Winkles ,Eric Lunsky ,Amy McKenzie , David Ravvin (season 1)
developer =
executive_producer =David C. Smith
starring =Rick Green ,Ron Pardo ,Janet van de Graaf ,Teresa Pavlinek ,Peter Oldring ,Sarah Lafleur ,Danny DiTata ,Jeremy Winkles ,Eric Lunsky ,Amy McKenzie , Duncan McKenzie,Sam Kalilieh
narrated = Rick Green
opentheme =
endtheme =
country = CAN
language = English
network =History Television
first_aired = 1998
last_aired = 2003
num_episodes = 102
list_episodes = List of History Bites episodes
website = http://www.historybites.com
imdb_id = 0231028
tv_com_id ="History Bites" was a
television series on theHistory Television network that ran from1998 -2003 . Created byRick Green ("The Frantics", "Prisoners of Gravity ", "The Red Green Show "), "History Bites" explored what would be on television if the medium had been around for the last 5,000 years of human history. Typically, a significant historical event was chosen and mock news, sports and entertainment programming was created around it. Each episode included several segments of Green offering historical background of the episode's chosen era and otherwise showed frequent shifts from one comedy sketch to another (as well as returning to certain sketches repeatedly) representing achannel-surfing viewer who never watched any one sketch for more than a few minutes at a time.Reruns of "History Bites" are currently being shown on
History Television andThe Comedy Network .ynopsis
Contemporary movies, television shows and personalities (
Martha Stewart , Don Cherry,Tom Brokaw ,Dennis Miller ,Larry King andAndy Rooney , among others) were comically adapted to the chosen era. For example, the legendary revenge story of the "47 Ronin " of early 1700sJapan was told in the style of a made-for-TV movie modelled on the real-life film "The Godfather ". Television sitcoms such as "Seinfeld " and "All in the Family " were also frequently parodied, with the characters commenting on time-appropriate events, be itJoan of Arc 's virginity or the benefits of joining the elitePersian Immortals . Game and reality shows were parodied as well, including a depiction of theDonner Party as participants in an1846 version of "Survivor", and almost every episode featured segments that parodied "Jeopardy! ", "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and/or "The Weakest Link ", in which contestants answered trivia questions about the common beliefs of the featured era.Anachronism s were frequent and deliberate, adding to the show's distinctive humour. For example, in one episode set in AD 100 and focusing on gladiatorial combat, the "Zamboni family" was responsible for tidying theColosseum between bouts, in reference to modernZamboni machines that clean rink surfaces during intermissions athockey games.ettings
The earliest (by far) setting for an episode is 6000 BC, in which viewers were advised on pre-
monotheism ritual as well as the new technologies ofagriculture , thebow and arrow andhouse -building. It also included a parody of a hospital show in which the treatment for every ailment was atrepanning . The most recent setting was 1880, in an episode largely about "The Shootout At Fly's Photographic Studio", a historically more accurate description of the event commonly known as theGunfight at the O.K. Corral .The show's production values improved over its five seasons, increasing and refining the use of sets, costumes and props. Never lost was Green's message (stated explicitly in the first episode and alluded to in the closing of each episode) that fond nostalgia for the past is misplaced and that the lives of our ancestors were rife with oppression, ignorance (including casually-held
antisemitic and/orracist beliefs), disease and suffering. Ultimately, the title "History Bites" has a double meaning, referring to the "soundbites "-like nature of the short clips from each sketch, as well as the often brutal and unpleasant nature of the history being satirized.Episodes
Parodies
Films, television programs and personalities parodied on "History Bites" include:
Recurring
Individual
*"
American Justice ", as "Medieval Justice" to tell the story of theKnights Templar
*"Annie Hall ", adapted to be set duringThe French Revolution
*"A Beautiful Mind", adapted to tell the story of SirIsaac Newton
*"The Day the Earth Stood Still", adapted to tell the story ofChristopher Columbus
*"The Godfather ", adapted to tell the story of the47 Ronin
*"TheOlympic Games "
*"The Jerry Springer Show ", adapted to tell the story ofMary, Queen of Scots
*"Thelma and Louise ", adapted to tell the story ofBoudica
*"The Osbournes ", adapted to tell the story ofPope Alexander VI Animation
The fifth season of History Bites and most of the specials feature cartoon segments in a wide variety of styles animated by
Bryce Hallett aka [http://www.frogfeetproductions.com/art.html Frog Feet Productions] These include parodies of "" (aka Captain Puritan), "Pokémon "/anime cartoons, "Scooby Doo " and1950s educational films as well as original material and styles in the specials. The cartoons are short but ambitious considering the modest budget of the show.pecials
*"History Bites" "The End Of The World" was a one-hour special on how people reacted to the first new millennium on
December 31 ,999 .After the end of the 5th season, History Bites continued with a series of one-hour specials. These episodes did not feature the channel-surfing theme that earlier episodes did.
*"History Bites" "Mother Britain", airing onCanada Day ,July 1 ,2005 , covering the history of the relationship between Canada and Britain from the first explorers to thepatriation of the Constitution. It featured actors portraying all 21 Canadian Prime Ministers up to that point.
*"History Bites" "Uncle Sam ", about the history of U.S./Canada relations.
*"History Bites" "The Separatists", a special that aired June 24th, 2007 on the history of separatists movements in Canada from the Upper and Lower Canada Rebellions to theClarity Act .
*"History Bites" "Celine Dion ", aired on Feb. 10, 2008, examined the history of Canadians moving to the United States for fame and money.Actors
Regulars on the show (along with the characters they played) include:
*
Ron Pardo :David Letterman ,Ed Sullivan ,Howard Stern ,Dennis Miller , Don Cherry,Tom Brokaw ,Ted Koppel ,Ivan the Terrible ,Larry King ,Regis Philbin ,Julius Caesar ,Justinian I ,William Shakespeare ,Henry Hudson ,Bill Maher , "Dating Game " contestant,Jerry Seinfeld ,Jerry Springer , interviewed merchant.
*Rick Green :Ron MacLean ,Hugh Downs , Timmy the "Jeopardy!" contestant, Dating Game contestant, interviewed monk.
*Bob Bainborough : period newscaster,game show host,infomercial lawyer ,Andy Rooney , Tamerlane,Galileo Galilei ,Nostradamus ,John Calvin ,Oliver Cromwell ,Pythagoras ,Neolithic doctor, Shakespearean actor,Samurai ,Vlad the Impaler , Alexander the Great's general.
*Janet van de Graaf : Martha Stewart,Bev Downer ,Barbara Walters ,Greta Van Susteren ,Anne Robinson , Empress Theodora, period on-location newscaster, interviewed noblewoman.
*Teresa Pavlinek : period newscaster, Cleopatra, Neolithic nurse, interviewedValley girl peasant, interviewedPuritan woman,Hatshepsut .
*Peter Oldring : Children's show host,Cheng Ho ,Alexander the Great , Bill Maher,George Costanza (Seinfeld ), "Dating Game" contestant, dating infomercial host, interviewed rebellious teenager.
*Sarah Lafleur : video show host,Elaine Benes (Seinfeld ), dating game contestant,Joan of Arc .
*Danny DiTata (writer):Steve Irwin ,Wyatt Earp ,Jesus ,Richard Simmons ,George Costanza (Seinfeld), leper.
*Jeremy Winkles (writer):Paul Shaffer , common man.
*Eric Lunsky (writer):Charles the Simple , Native American,Egypt ian architect, interviewed merchant, interviewed peasant.
*Amy McKenzie (writer):Judge Judy , Shakespearean actor (not actress), interviewed peasant.
* Duncan McKenzie (writer):Abraham Lincoln ,William Farel , Leonard the "Jeopardy!" contestant.
*Sam Kalilieh : Throk (Neolithic farmer), Sostratos of Sycion (OlympicPankration champion),Thutmoses III ,Sargon of Akkad ,Tom Green , Pistachio thegladiator , interviewed common man.Notable guest stars include:
*Patrick McKenna
*Wayne Robson
*Jessica Holmes
*Bob Martin
*Mag Ruffman External links
* [http://www.historybites.com History Bites]
*imdb title|id=0231028|title=History Bites
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