All language subtitles for Still.Standing.S01E02_English

You're the only town who's
mascot is a dead canary.

(Laughs)

♪

There's actually a
bear right there!

Holy Crap

♪

Well we're suffering
but we're gonna survive.

When you grow up in small
town in Newfoundland you see

that people have a sense of
humour about hard times.

Check, check.

I turned that into a
career and hit the road.

Mr. Johnny Harris

Now I'm on a mission to find
the funny in the 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
Coleman, Alberta.

It's a town as wild as the
west with a past as rocky

as the mountains and its
name tells the miner's story.

Coleman, nestled along the
border of Alberta and B.C.

I like how the
Alberta/British Columbia

border runs along the
continental divide.

The cartographers came
here up through the

foothills of the rocky
mountains, along the

continental divide until
they got here and one of

them was like this is
stupid, just go north,

this is stupid.

Almost a century later
Coleman's lost its

mine and other
businesses followed.

I'm Lisa.
-Lisa, nice to meet ya.

Nice to meet you too.
-Jonny.

Lisa Sygutek here
showed me around town.

I knew it was only a
matter of time before

I met a cougar in this town.

(Laughter and applause)

Lisa's family runs the
newspaper so she's been

digging the dirt on this
mining town for a while.

All these little tiny tiny
houses are all miner shacks.

Although it's bigger than
my apartment in Toronto.

She told me that Coleman
is a friendly town,

people don't generally
lock their doors here.

Although I should lock my
house because some person

snuck into my house and
stole all my underwear but

you know other than that...

I get it. I get it.

Happened before I got
here for the record;

for the record.

There's Crow right there.

That's crow right there.

And the seven sisters.

It's like this
unbelievable,

breathtaking,
beautiful view.

Full of tragedy.
-Full of tragedy. -mhm

There is a history of
disaster in this town

that is remarkable.

So we are going to turn
left at that big sign.

That says Frank Slide -ok

I had no idea.

I was looking forward to
having a go on the

Frank Slide, it sounded fun.

So this is the Frank
Slide, this is what is

known as Turtle mountain
and it is the largest rock

slide in Canada, 90
million tonnes of rock

came off that mountain in
the middle of the night

and buried an entire town.

Approximately 90 people
died and it happened

in a matter of seconds.

It's unbelievable.

What I find amazing is
people's attitude towards it.

You guys don't
hide it away,

it's out there, you embrace it.

You have to embrace the
tragedy because it's what

made us the strong
people we are.

So we may be poor we may not
have a lot of industry,

we may not have
a lot of things,

but no matter what's
happened to us, we've pulled

together as a community
and we've made it happen.

That's the attitude
I'm getting at.

She was telling me
all about how

everybody's getting
geared up for the

Hillcrest centennial
celebration.

This year is going to mark
the hundredth anniversary

of the Hillcrest mine
disaster which is

Canada's worst mine disaster.

The Hillcrest mining
disaster was responsible

for 400 fatherless
children;

that's more than
Charlie Sheen.

(Laughter)

Now I'm starting to
fear for my life.

Well they have called it
disaster alley and I think

when you grow up here
you have this sense that

what's the next thing
that is going to happen?

Then I thought to myself
Coleman, Alberta

it's got to be tough to get
life insurance here.

(Laugher)

But I was in the mine with
Ron Hrudy and Crystal here,

she's the executive
director of the tours there.

This is our mine portal
and we're going to go

about a thousand feet
underground today 300 meters.

This piece of timber,
it's been here so long

it's actually petrified.

Which means it didn't
get scared,

it just turned from wood
to stone over time.

Yeah I get it, everything
in here is petrified.

These days this mine
is only open for tours.

Miners like Ron have to
go across the border

to B.C to work now.

Ron himself is a
third generation

underground tough guy.

What do we got here Ron?

Okay that's called
an air pick.

You couldn't use dynamite,
you'd have to dig all

that out with this here.

That's got some
weight to it.

Yeah they'd use two of
them, one in each arm.

One of these in each hand?

No.
-Yeah, yeah.

Like I can't even
and I'm strong,

like really strong like.

Imagine how strong
them guys were.

Ron Hruby's a perfect
example of this attitude

I'm trying to get at.

Ron he's witnessed death
in the mines first hand.

Yet he can still
go down there.

He can take me down there.

Teach me about the place.

I got hurt underground in
1981 in the mine from

a high water pressure
explosion that broke my back,

broke my right leg,
cut off my left arm and

they sewed it back on it,
lucky I've got full use of it.

Jesus. Did you keep
working in the mine?

Oh after I healed up a
come back to the mine.

You know such a dangerous
profession and between

here and Hillcrest and
the Frank Slide there's a

different sort of attitude
towards life with people

who are you know facing
the possibility of peril.

You live for the moment
in those days.

It's a history of danger,
there's so much danger;

the shootings during the
prohibition days or the

probability of a bear
attack or the numerous

mining disasters and
always referenced with a

smile and a sense of pride
and here you are now

out at the comedy show.

(Laughter)

Just happy to be
alive I guess.

(Laughter & Applause)

I feel excited and afraid
in this town.

I wasn't sure if a town
like Coleman

flames out or simply fades away

Alright Jonny.

Do you want to carry
the kid for a bit?

The kid's getting heavy.

I can't believe you did such a
crap job of tying my tie.

Of course around here
the future has a way of

creeping up on you.

Crap hold on.

Hey you guys!

There's actually a
bear right there.

Go to the road.
Guys go to the road!

Holy crap.

It's getting tougher for
boom and bust spots like

Coleman to bounce back.

The mine closed and they
were forced to join other

towns to become the
Crow's Nest Pass region.

And Buddy Slapak says
there's been nearly a

century of turf wars
between these towns.

When I was a kid for
example I wouldn't dare go

to Bellevue without a gang,
you wouldn't survive,

they had one in Bellevue
called the night riders.

The night riders.

The night riders, riding
horses, some with capes on.

On horses with capes?

Yeah and they'd go around
beating up other

kids from other towns.

But they couldn't do
that underground because

everybody's life depended
on cooperating

with everybody else.

But once the men went
underground all that

animosity went away.

This is the guy who's
going to help you make it

through the end of your
shift, til you get back up

to see the light of day
and then and only then you

cold cock him with
your lunch pail.

(Laughter)

Buddy is 82 years old, he's
still a sharp as a tack.

Lisa told me that you're
the oldest editor in Canada.

She thinks so but I don't
know it's hard to say.

I believe it.

But when Buddy started out
in journalism,

everything he reported people
believed it like it was

written in stone, because it was
actually written in stone.

(Laughter)

He's got some great stories,
he's had a wild run,

he's had some crazy jobs.

I used to drive
for the brothel.

I did that for the girls
at the brothel down there.

Are you serious?

Yes I even worked for a
funeral home for five years.

How many morticians you
think learned to do

makeup from prostitutes?

(Laughter)

Thanks Buddy, Nana never
looked so... trampish.

(Laughter)

But Buddy joined the paper
and the rest is history,

legal history.

I got sued three times.

You got sued three times?

And lost all of them,
good track record.

Are you serious?

That officially makes
suing Buddy the fourth

largest industry
in Coleman.

(Laughter)

I branded him
as a communist.

So he took you to court.

And I lost that case.

Buddy's kind of like Coleman
itself, he's lived hard.

Next time I wrote a story,
accused him you know

he acted like a
bloody juvenile,

put it in the paper,
he sued me.

He's boomed and
busted before.

So what happened
with the last one?

We got sued by the
ratepayers, it costs us

twelve thousand dollars.

So I guess I'm paying
for lunch then?

Yeah you're
paying for lunch.

Doing up dead bodies,
fighting communists and

driving hookers
around the mountains.

Buddy could be the world's
most interesting man.

(Laughter)

Well we're suffering but
we're going to survive.

And like Coleman I can't
see Buddy fading away now.

It would be like a
betrayal of the history

of that built him.

♪

Who else did I get
to oh, Joe Trotz.

I went up to Joe
Trotz's place.

One of the few big events
still going in Coleman is

the annual pro rodeo, 32
years running started

by a guy named Joe Trotz.

I kid you not.

Joe here he's got a riding
academy, he clears roads,

does rope tricks,
started a rodeo.

Joe is Alberta's answer
to Batman right here.

(Laughter)

Except he's got a bigger
belt buckle,

he's got a bigger belt buckle.

These boys are practicing up,

they're doing some groundwork,

taking the steers out of
chutes here and waa.

He took him down
pretty quick there.

Yeah he did.

You wanna give this a try?

I was a bit nervous I
wasn't sure how I was

going to fit in but these guys
are like manly cowboy men.

Every now and then like
just for a laugh,

I'll go up like behind my cat
and I'll take him by the back

legs and I'll tip him and
his arse goes over and

then rest of him plops
down, it's something like

that but starting with the
head and slightly larger.

Animal yeah.

Yeah I figure
I'm good for it.

You could probably come up
to the ranch here in the

next day or two and
get you practiced up.

Oh yeah?

Yeah, get some
clothes on you,

you know get some
cowboy boots.

Yeah I'll find
something to wear.

♪

Before I wrestle sorry
rastle a steer I got to

warm up with a guy who
trains people to steer

clear of all
kinds of wildlife.

And I went out
with John Clarke.

Had a hell of a
day with John here.

Due to cutbacks he's the
only wildlife officer

for a huge region.

This is a corridor.

You know it has grizzly
bears, black bears going

through all the time.

He's responsible for
keeping the bears away

cause the restraining
orders are not working.

Last week we had a
cougar near Coleman.

Oh yeah? A cougar?

And we had a wolf like he
was just passing through

but wow what an experience;

I got to see a wolf.
-Yeah yeah.

There's bobcats and cougars
and wolves and bears.

I guess in Coleman the
rule is kill or be killed.

(Laughter)

You know take your walkman
or iphone off enjoy

your surroundings right.

Oh crap, hold on, hey guys,

there's actually a
bear right there.

Holy shit -Guys!

Alright let's
go, let's go.

Come on guys,
go to the road.

Guys go up to the road.
-Holy crap.

You know the old question
does a bear shit in the woods?

I don't know but I know
if I see a bear,

I will shit in the woods.

(Laughter & Applause)

We got you.

It's a fake bear.

Are you even
messing with me?

We'll go see the bear.

He went out in the woods,
set this thing up so

we would happen upon it.
(applause)

This guy owes me a
new pair of underwear.

Yeah I got some bear spray.

Then my animal preparedness
training began.

Once and a while they
do maul somebody.

But I remembered Lisa told
embrace the danger.

Holy cow! There's a bear,
okay go ahead spray him.

Ron told me, live
for the moment.

John taught me be
prepared for anything.

Never point it
at your face.

Whoa!

You know we've got bears,
we've got avalanches,

we have trees
falling on people.

I was really starting to get
the hang of this place.

Have escape routes okay.

See I do that for a
zombies but I should

probably apply that
to out in the wild.

But I think you should
come back in the fall when

all the bears are out
and walking around.

Ah I don't know,
I don't know.

You would have fun.

The more dialed in to
Coleman I got

the more concerned I became
about it's survival.

♪

I was still a bit
intimidated by Coleman.

I mena,how did this fierce
but struggling rocky mountain

town survive through
the tough times before

and rise up from the
ashes again and again?

I went to meet one woman
who seemed to embody

the Coleman spirit.

Well who wouldn't say this is
the best place in the world.

It's beautiful.
-It is.

I got to have a lovely
chat with Kay Kerr,

the crown jewel of the
Crow's Nest Pass.

93 years old, making it
to 93 is remarkable,

making it to 93 in this
area is unbelievable.

(Laughter)

You worked with John
Diefenbaker is that right?

Hard worker, we had to be
at work at 8 o'clock

in those days.

I wouldn't accept that.

(laughs)

Not only did Kay survive
the depression,

she went on to become an
entrepreneur and inventor.

So tell me what your
connection to

Kentucky Fried Chicken is?

Well I had four
franchises.

In this area?
-Mhm.

Kay's claim to fame was
she reinvented a way of

making gravy, the gravy
used to take a half hour

to make; she figured out
a way how she could

make the gravy in 2 minutes.

She went down to the states
and met Colonel Sanders.

And I was surprised that the
Colonel met me at the plane.

Is that right?

Yeah which was nice.

So when Colonel Sanders
tasted your gravy did he

have any recommendations
or was there anything.

Yes he did, more
black pepper.

Black pepper?

They no longer use Kay's
gravy at the KFC today so

I thought she might
want to try it.

You know what?

I will have to say no.

Why? -Why?

Because this is not fair.

I am going to say it
isn't as good as mine.

That's fair, that's
absolutely fair.

No it isn't.

Such a sweet woman, she
kept talking about how

lovely the Colonel was,
what a nice man he was.

I kept thinking no you need
to sue him for more money

(Laughter)

and if you can't sue
him at least sue Buddy,

get a few bucks
out of him.

(Laughter)

If anybody should take a
lesson out of it you know

when you see an
opportunity, go after it.

♪

Kay had inspired me.

My Coleman opportunity
had been staring me in the

face and now it was time
for me to face it

- face to face.

Nice one boys, nice one.

I was starting to muster a
little country courage or

at least dress the part.

What do you think
Kyle, you wear that?

Them fringes might
get in your way though.

Truth is I know how I look
and I still feel kind of cool.

Okay and it gives
you confidence.

As long as you look good
that's all that counts,

that's my attitude.

Cowboys say you get the
animal you deserve and

I guess I deserve a -
whatever in god's name

this thing is.

This is shiver and shake.

Shiver and shake?

I got to say Joe I was
worried about a broken rib

and now I'm just worried
about carpet burn.

We're going to give ya
the quick version

of steer wrestling 101.

Yeah.

I soon found that deciding to
live dangerously was one thing;

learning how was
something else altogether.

This is different cause
you guys hold the reins

like this but all the
horse riding that

I've done I hold onto the waist
of the person in front of me.

.

It's pretty humbling when
you can't even tackle a

steer who's made out of
carpet and has ping pong

balls for eyes.

(Laughter)

But I guess I didn't
embrace the independence

of the wild west
until I talked to Joe.

You know we're luckier than
a lot of people you know

we have a whole wilderness
out in our back door.

Yeah we're still pretty free
here to do a lot of things;

you can jump on
a quad, a horse,

a bike whatever and
just head out.

How long have you
had the ranch here?

The property here has been
in our family since 1912.

My grandfather moved up
here, he come originally

from Newfoundland, I don't
know what the heck..

He wasn't the first
Newfoundlander

to come to Alberta.

No no maybe the second.

And then it hit me if
Joe's cowboys roots are

from the rock, I should
be able to do this or at

least look good trying.

Get in the hold, get in the
hole, yeah, yeah Jonny!

Woohoo!

Argh! Argh!

I started to get the hang
of it, the only advice

I can pass on is never try
to wrestle a steer with

keys still in your pocket.

(Laughter)

The only upside is if I
ever lose my house key,

I can get a spare cut
from the impression

in my right arse cheek.

(Laughter)

Wooo!

Felt pretty good but then
Joe reminded me

I wasn't quite a cowboy yet.

There they go.

There they go, one with
your name on it.

Oh my god.

Coleman, Alberta.

You guys know you're the
only town whose mascot

is a dead canary?

(Laughter)

There's this cool boom or
bust, make or break,

life or death wild west
attitude that people have.

I wasn't sure how I
was going to fit in.

Tell my mom I died
doing something stupid.

(laughs)

Tell us when you're ready.

Ready.

Go Jonny.

Go.

.

More or less, more or less
We had to tag team him

but you know got
the job done.

And then I realized if
it ain't tough,

it ain't Coleman.

That's a bit of fun yeah.

Can get into it.

That's a bit of a rush.

Yeah it is eh, ha, yeah.

Yeah thanks Joe.

My final night in Coleman
half the town's out for a

big annual event, they
call it miner's curling.

Sweep it Jonny, sweep it.

I got turned around.

Line's good.

Coming in hot.

In miner's curling they
actually turn the lights off

and fire up the
miner's headlamps.

I got to turn my high
beams on, hang on.

Only somebody from Coleman
would look at the sport of

curling and be like well
yeah but we can't just curl.

Alright Jonny we're going
to need a little

juice out this side.

We should simulate
a disaster right.

fireworks, there's got
to be fireworks.

Come on!

That's right, fireworks
in the friggin' arena and

then just like in a real
mine disaster,

they haul ass outa there for
roll call, it's crazy.

We're missing
Jonny Harris sir.

Of course nobody
told me that part.

Coleman I have learned a
lot from you and now maybe

you guys can just sit back
and take a little piece

of advice from me, okay?

Curling is hard
enough with lights on.

(Laughter)

I thought it was my shot?

(Laughter & Applause)

You can't carve out a life
in the rocky mountains

unless you're ready
to embrace the hard.

There are big risks for
the bigger rewards and

what's written on
everyone's faces here,

it's worth it.

Before I came over to the
hall today for the first

time since I got here I
got a call from my mom,

she said Jonathan
how's Coleman?

I said mom it's great,
I wrestled a steer,

got scared by a fake bear,
went in a mine and was

shown around town by a
cougar who may or may not

have been wearing
underwear.

But I'm still alive and
that counts for something

in Coleman, Alberta.

Thanks so much everybody.

♪

Jonny can come work on
my miner crew any day.

To go out and meet all
them people and put it all

out and make a comedy out
of it, it was really good,

my hat's off,
hell of a job.

You betcha.

Really enjoyable, come
back and see us again.

I loved it.

I thought it was great.

If he talks about my
underwear again I'm going

to come to Toronto and
kick him in the ass.

I'm not much of a laugher
but I was laughing

through the whole thing.

♪