Still Standing (2015) s01e04 Episode Script

1
How much do you love
Willow Bunch, well a bunch.
[laughter]
Are you living
up to your potential?
I can hardly
get my laundry done.
For his cock mama
for his cock papa ♪
This is like a very
ancient version of Twister
Willow Bunch sounds
like something you buy for
15 bucks at Home Sense.
When you grow up in small
town in Newfoundland;
you see the people have a sense
of humour about hard times.
Check Check
I turned that into
a career and hit the road.
MC: Mr. Jonny Harris!
Now I'm on a mission; to
find the funny in places
you'd least expect it,
Canada's struggling small towns.
Towns that are against the ropes
but hanging in there.
Still laughing in the
face of adversity.
Welcome to Willow
Bunch, Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan. sure delivers
on stunning prairie cliches,
but if you stray South down
along the US boarder
you'll find a little town
with an unassuming name:
"Willow Bunch"
But trust me, this tiny
town has a giant story.
But I had a bit of a
hard time getting here.
As soon as I left the
trans Canada and I was
coming down - I started
to lose my way and I was
asking people how to get
here and they're telling
me things like it's between
climax and big beaver.
And I was always told
that Saskatchewan was
flat and boring.
Not so.
There's this beautiful
valley with lush meadows,
and trees and and
You're not trying to keep
that a secret are ya?
[Laughter]
Unfortunately one thing
that wasn't a secret,
businesses closed
down or up for sale.
Doris O'Reilly at the
museum told me all about it.
There are some places for
sale like the gas station,
variety store.
Because the decline in
population I think
its hard to keep
a business going.
So what lead to the decline?
Because there was nothing
for the young people.
They didn't want to farm
and not everybody
wants to be a farmer.
They moved away.
We've become a
retirement community.
Struggling a little but
for the most part
happy to be here
But this quiet little town,
holds some of the
best kept secrets
of the old west.
Doris told me that Sitting Bull,
Cheif of the Sioux,
The man who brought down
General Custer, sat right here.
No bull.
Why did Sitting Bull come here?
To get away from the
American authorities.
After the battle
of Little Bighorn
General Custer's
last stand, right?
Chief Sitting Bull
came here to seek asylum.
He came to Willow Bunch
to meet with it's founder
Jean Louis Legare.
And Legare took him in.
He welcomed him.
That's pretty noble thing
of him to do I think.
And he looked after
them and fed them and
helped them out.
Could you imagine when he
first found out,
one of Sitting Bull's scouts
comes up and he's like
oh Chief Sitting
Bull is coming here
oh that's great, is
there anybody with him?
[Laughter]
400 eh?
Okay I think that's doable sure.
Can you tell me why he's
leaving the States?
Oh my.
Oh my.
So General Custer is he?
Oh my.
Oh my.
Do you have any idea how long
they'll want to stay here?
[Laughter]
And Jean Louis Legare he
was a strong man and if he
said he was going to
help someone, he did.
Doris then told me that he
billed the Canadian government
Furnishing provisions
for 492 Indians.
48,000 dollars for
expenses incurred and
losses sustained.
The government of Canada
gave him back 2,000
dollars of the 48,000.
What a rip.
In the end the Canadian
government sent him a
fraction of what he
thought he deserved and
that folks was the birth
of Revenue Canada.
[Laughter]
He was a great man he just
needed a great accountant.
[Laughter]
I found a town in
transition - Willow Bunch
managing retirees is a bit
like Legare struggling
with Sitting Bull's
clan where to put them?
How long will they stay?
Will they make a mess, ya know?
The big draw for people to
Willow Bunch now is the
Willow Bunch golf course
I can see why it's
absolutely stunning.
We call it a hidden
paradise down here in
southern Saskatchewan.
I went to meet with
Sharleine Eger
Hi guys!
She introduced me to several
people who are there.
They bring their RVs down.
So you guys have been
coming here for ten years?
Yeah ten years.
Yes I can see you're
really roughing it here
I can't imagine.
I don't know if you can
call it camping if
you got a 60 ft RV and
satellite TV but.
The only way your sleeping
gear is going to get wet
is if the waterbed breaks.
[Laughter]
Jay is the young fella who
runs the golf course now.
Jim is the old fella who
used to run the golf course.
But he has no respect
for his elders.
No. Nope.
He won't go in the bush
and look for my golf balls
or anything like that.
I always wondered that
must be a little bit weird
for Jason right?
Taking over the job from
someone he still shows up
every day to make sure
you're doing a good job.
[Laughter]
I come up just about every
morning - oh 4:30 -
just to look at the view.
And somewhere down in the town
Jason's down there with
one eye open going
he's watching me already,
I can feel it.
[Laughter]
How's he doing with it?
If it would have been
anyone else I probably
would have shot him.
Oh ya?
Over here is where Sitting
Bull camped out.
Do you think he'd be
any good at golf?
Hole 7 - that's where Jean
Louis Legare and
Chief Sitting Bull had
encamped and some people say
on a quiet night you can
hear their spirits
discussing whether they
should use a pitching
wedge or a nine iron.
[Laughter]
If anything Shar I'm
afraid I'm blowing the
secret for the locals
of Willow Bunch.
It is our own little
paradise but we're
willing to share.
Some Canadians secrets
need to stay secret like
the fact that there's
clam juice in a caesar,
that never should have got out.
[Laughter]
A bigger surprise the
Saskatchewan having hills
There's black gold
in them there hills!
Black gold.
More than a trillion
bottles of oil bigger
than Saudi Arabia.
This place is a gold mine.
Willow Bunch sounds like
something you'd buy for
15 bucks at Home Sense right?
You're wife would say to ya,
honey we need some shams,
a couple of flounces and
willow bunch for the bedroom.
[Laughter]
Sometimes you gotta learn
the local legends,
know the larger than life
characters to really be
able to size a place up
Waaaaaay up.
And all our ball teams
were the giants or the
giant was always a part
of Willow Bunch.
Like I saw the pub that
was called the Jolly Giant
Well we call him our
Willow Bunch giant.
Edward Beaupre was
8'3 at the age of 22.
I mean this guy we all
know Andre the Giant right?
Edouard was a foot
taller than him.
Oh my.
Size 22 shoe in the end.
Give him a high five.
It's a good thing he's
wearing a top hat because
it helps him look tall.
Nichole not only curates
the exhibit there but
she is his great niece.
So she's protecting his
family memory with the
passion that only
family can allow.
And this is him with?
He's sitting and even when
he's sitting he's taller
than his dad.
It would be hard
to punish your child if
that were the case.
Edouard go to your room!
No.
Okay carry me up to mine?
[Laughter]
He came from a family of 20.
A family of 20?
There wasn't a lot of
money and he felt a
responsibility.
So And being the eldest
he wanted to help
out his parents.
He got into the circus.
He ended up working
for Barnum and Bailey.
There's not a lot of
criteria in hiring the
tallest man right.
You don't need to nail the
interview or anything right?
It would just be like Hey
Eduard stand next to that guy.
Okay Eduard you're hired -
that guy - you're fired.
Unfortunately he died at
the early age of 23 but
they said he was still
growing at the time.
Wow.
He died at the World's
Fair in St. Louis.
There wasn't enough money
to bring him back
home for a burial.
His body was abandoned
at the morgue.
His body disappeared.
Then some kids found it in
an abandoned warehouse,
eventually it ended up on
display at the
University of Montreal.
It's like he went on tour
after he died which
makes me think of
Keith Richards.
[Laughter]
It was my father's dream
that he'd get
him back and he did.
For all that sadness
there's a bit
of a happy ending now.
He's back in Willow Bunch.
Home and at peace.
He had a proper burial
here and now Nichole works
diligently so that we can
all remember him the way
we should remember him.
With dignity and literally
a great man.
Even newcomers to this town
are a colourful bunch.
I went to visit Alan Harmony.
Alan specializes in
interpreting dreams.
Which is the kind of thing
I don't usually buy into.
Why Willow Bunch?
I was brought here as a
result of a series of dreams.
I'm looking around the
landscape and going holy Toledo.
I was shown this in the dream.
Alan's written books about how
dreams can predict the future.
Well there's no
one else that does what
I do let's put it that way.
Right.
His powers seem to have
steered him right
with real estate.
When the town's school fell
victim to population decline,
Alan picked up
the building for a song.
The town could have
bought it for a dollar
and they didn't.
But Alan told me that
a lot of great men
throughout history have
used their dreams,
things they've seen in their
dreams to achieve greatness.
Like Einstein and Edison
and Bell and Tesla and
people like that.
And now I understand that
if I'm ever going to be a
truly great man I need
to do more napping.
[Laughter]
You have to learn to take
a look at the plays on
words within the words.
He's explained this to me
now, he's got plans to
well he's got plans,
he's got plans.
[Laughter]
I saw a cup and it
was placed on a book.
What's the analogy there?
I think I know.
Cup, c-u-p.
It means you saw
somebody urinate.
No you're close, c up,
look up, look up in a book,
oh I get it, bingo.
He told me, he told me
that what he's trying to
accomplish is beyond the
grasp of most people and
I most humbly concede
I am most people.
[Laughter]
With Sitting Bull and Legare,
I've learned this place
has an incredible story.
But enough
with the history books.
Willow Bunch's deep past
is written in stone.
I went to visit
the visit the petroglyphs.
History is important.
If you want to know where
you're going you need to
know where you've been.
Wes Bloom was showing me
the petroglyphs basically
it's ancient First Nation's
carvings in the rocks.
This Jonny is a warrior head.
It's fairly menacing looking.
There's human hands,
warriors, bison hooves.
328 carvings right here
and then we go to
an area that is quite
controversial.
So if you can imagine left
hand, right hand and here
we have a male genetilia.
This is like a very
ancient version of twister.
I'm not going to put my
genitalia where it's -
I'm glad to hear that.
So there's the symbol for
a great plains grizzly
being held onto by human
hands and then a human
phallus pointed at the grizzly.
And mating with this
plains grizzly.
That's a bold move.
It was so the shaman could
gain the power of the
plains grizzly.
Don't try and get the
power of the grizzly you
already have a lot of
power and it's clearly
gone to your head.
[Laughter]
And now I also understand
why I don't see a whole
lot of grizzlies in here.
[Laughter]
Sure The grizzlies may
have stayed away
and I never saw a Sasquatch,
but the area has seen
the return of the fransaskois?
singing, laughing
Old Father Joe
wants us all to ♪
pray for his cocker
spaniel who is sick. ♪
For his cock mama
for his cock. ♪
For his cock papa
for his cock. ♪
For his cocker
spaniel who is sick ♪
Not all newcomers to
Willow Bunch are from
away, some people are
actually returning home
like the Campagne family,
they're sort of local celebs.
They had a very popular
group Hart Rouge.
Great band.
Before the turn of the
century this whole region
was called La Hart Rouge.
I mean this is
an old French town,
it's one of the oldest
towns in Saskatchewan.
Turned out there were tens of
thousands of Fransaskois.
The name for Francophone
Saskatchewaners.
Basically our dad who was
a farmer all his life but
loved to sing, he thought
well I'm going to teach
them French songs and
that will sort of help
perpetuate the language
and the culture.
It did
until the French community
died out when people
moved on to bigger places.
But a few years ago, the
Campagnes came back.
So at 50 years old I
decided to come back.
And the land here
attracted all of us back.
Solange was the first
one to come back and she
started organically
growing kamut and flax and
all kinds of other things
that children push
to the side of their plate.
You want to learn
something in French?
My french is very poor but
I'd be willing to try.
sings French songs
My French is rusty,
but music is universal
and the sentiment of this
love song almost
brought me to tears.
Now they have a huge
annual Fransaskois music
festival that draws
thousands of people to
celebrate their culture,
where it all started,
Willow Bunch.
It's extreme here.
It's always been a
dynamically opposed like
the French the English,
the cold, the hot.
And the Métis brought in a
whole other culture too.
So really they're able
to accomplish in a three
minute song, what the
Canadian government have
had a hard time
doing in 300 years.
[Laughter]
I wondered, how does a
town with such varied roots,
somehow keep it all together?
Is it a town of different
opinions Willow Bunch?
Yes -How so?
Every small town is.
You know you'll have four
different opinions on anything.
So you just don't have
one, it's better.
So this bar is sort of
like Switzerland.
It's okay everyone is so
different I've never met
a person I didn't find
something I could like about.
That's what I like
about you, Dawn
She chose smaller town
life two years ago.
Dawn used to work for an
optometrist in Assiniboia
she left that job and her
boss didn't see it coming.
[Laughter]
I mean I've never locked
the doors to my home.
Is that right?
I've never taken my
keys out of my vehicle.
I'm happy with being able
to cross the street and
not really pay attention
and I think there's
a stop sign in town but
I'm not sure.
Dawn - there are
several stop signs.
I think maybe a trip back to the
optometrist office is in order.
Folks she says she leaves
her keys in her car,
somebody take them.
How can you not
want that for life?
If you can make a living
here, then, you should.
But there's signs of
something much bigger than
retirees and tourists
coming to town.
There's talk about oil
rigs that are being
drilled in the area and
So there's change
on the horizon?
Yeah just started.
I got a lump in my throat.
We've never had
anything like that.
Some people think oh
aren't you going to be happy?
No.
It's actually scary.
I like the way it is.
That's the fundamental
question for small towns
that are struggling is you
want more people, you want
more money, you want more
industry but do you?
In a way
Do you understand
what comes with it?
I said well Dawn what do
you see in the future of
Willow Bunch?
And she pointed over to
the sign and said well
Friday night is rib night.
[Laughter]
Beyond that really is
anyone's guess I suppose.
Of course I'm not really
saying it right am I?
You guys don't say Willow Bunch,
you say Willowbunch.
Willowbunch.
As in how much you
love Willow Bunch?
Well a bunch.
[Laughter]
I wanted to get a better picture
of the future of this place,
and I'd heard about
another newcomer who could
paint that picture by number.
Pleased to meet you sir.
Nice to meet you,
welcome to my home.
Gordon Spowart is
a numerologist.
He invited me over for pie.
[Groans & Laughter]
You ain't seen nothing yet.
The numerological
institute of Canada.
Mhm.
It's only me.
It's only one person.
Really?
So you're number one.
Well That's the
good thing about it.
Gordon told me that he
could tell me all kinds of
information just from the
first vowel of my first name.
I said "O".
[Laughter]
That's is 10, 16, 7.
That is 10, 16, 22.
Every letter in your name
signifies a different number
That's 1, 6, 5,
1, 2, 8, 1, 5, 4, 1.
It sounded like an
auctioneer going.
36, 37, 10, 1.
9, 2, 8, 1, triple 9, 1.
7 0 9 2 5 0 5 3 3
5, and I said sold!
And I ended up buying his couch.
You have mastery
at your fingertips,
are you living
up to your potential?
I can hardly get
my laundry done.
As for Willow bunch, he
told me a simple story of
a farming town's
demise by the numbers.
Once upon a time the farms
would be a hundred to a
thousand acres.
So there would be 20
farmers, with three, four
kids each, that's eighty
people, a hundred people.
Now that's one farm.
But this areas' future
is so much bigger.
Well the oil field there's
more than a trillion
bottles of oil bigger
than Saudi Arabia.
This place is a gold mine.
People are going
to be coming here.
How will they handle it?
Well Gordon moved here
after 48 years in Toronto
and he says the key to
change is to do what
Legare and Sitting Bull
did, - make the most of
the space you've got.
And that's one of the
reasons why I built a
labyrinth out in the back yard.
And the idea is you
meditate on something,
and as you weave your way to
the centre of the circle
hopefully you'll have some
clarity on the matter
So you're accessing your
feminine intuitiveness as
well as your male
aggressiveness and it's
balancing it out
for you in harmony.
Well it's good for me
cause I have both
sets of genitals.
Finally, a labyrinth
when you need one.
Because there was still some
Stuff about Willow Bunch
I was still trying to sort out.
I couldn't really attach
a singular identity
to Willow Bunch,
it's a real hodgepodge right.
At first I was thinking
is it a historical
Métis community where
Sitting Bull sat?
Or is it a geological wonder?
Is it a home of a famous giant?
A refuge for outlaws?
And then I realized it is,
it's all of these things
but a few new bits
and bobs as well now.
You know everybody here's
a little different and is
a different colourful
square on this quirky
quilt of a town.
And from what I'm told
of Saskatchewan winters
you're going to need a
quilt, you're going to
need a quilt and a
tuque and gloves.
Just before I came over to
the Jolly Giant for the
show tonight my mom gave
me a ring she said oh
you know how's it going
in Saskatchewan?
I said mom I stood in the
shadow of a giant,
walked circles in a circle,
played twister on the
petroglyphs and sang some
songs with the
Fransaskois singers.
She said Jonathan what
are you talking about?
I said mom I'm talking
about Willow Bunch,
Saskatchewan.
Thanks so much everybody,
you've been great.
We're all working together
as a very small community.
You forget how the
rest of the town how much
there is here, how many
different people.
So now I think people will
get an idea of really how
interesting the town is.
Yeah it's nice to get a
little positive reaction
to the area and a lot
of the people here.
Good show.
It was funny.
Very proud, very proud.
It was personal
so that was nice.
He really learnt something
I think so that's good.