What is unfortunate about the character is that he only ends up being involved with the show for a handful of segments on season 1. I have long wondered about what the character could have been like if he had continued to make appearances, even random ones, throughout later seasons. There is definitely a lot to the character that they could have developed. Just considering the impact of season 2's expansion to include other characters as part of the main segments and their day to day involvement in the lodge, surely he would have been a welcome addition to the antics that we were able to see.
So I guess that's all there really is about Jimmy McVeigh.
Or is there?
While doing some research for the recent edition of the podcast where we look at Season 1, Episode 10's The Lost Toupee, I came across an interesting note on Will Millar's IMDB account. Not surprising, he does not have a lot of acting credits to his name (He was likely very busy touring and working on music and art endeavors). He is basically known for his appearances on another legendary Canadian classic, The Beachcombers. Here he played himself in an episode which is centered around the Irish Rovers in 1975. The second appearance is as we know him in The Red Green Show.
However.....Contrary to popular belief, this was not his final acting appearance. That would come 14 years later on a low budget horror film titled Sleepover Nightmare. Made in 2005, the movie was shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. Not a stretch for a connection with Will Millar as he has lived with his wife on Vancouver Island for some time. I have not found an approximate date, however after leaving the Irish Rovers to pursue a solo career as well as an art career in the mid 1990's, it is likely this was the point where they moved to Vancouver Island. As of now, I have no other connections to Will Millar with the cast and crew, but expect that he participated because of a personal tie and the prospect of doing something fun (which shooting a movie can be). I also have not been able to find the movie online or a proper synopsis outside of this largely sarcastic one from horror review site Dread Central.
In this movie, he plays "Jimmy" who is supposed to be a caretaker or gardener. If you have seen the movie, please let me know what his appearance looks like!
Find it odd? Check out this screen show of WIll Millar's IMBD page.
It's possible Jimmy McVeigh disappeared from view after Season one. But its also possible that his wife finally left him for good because of that boat (she allegedly does leave in one of the final segments of Season 1) and somehow along the way he retired to live a simple life of gardening....and saving teens from psychotic slasher wannabes.
If that is the case, then this could be the most important new detail of the Red Green Show that has come about in years - Sleepover Nightmare, could in fact be a part of the RGS universe! And since the movie is likely set in the present (which would be 2005 at the time), it would be even more shocking to know that as 2005 was the final season of RGS, it isn't even a case of existing in the future as the events in the movie would be occurring at the same time as the show (similar to how fans of Star Wars feel about some of the movie installments or how the Fast and Furious movie order is actually out of whack when compared to release order).
So there you go, Jimmy McVeigh is still around in 2005. Who knew?
So what do you think RGS fans - is this a continuation of the Jimmy McVeigh story (and Sleepover Nightmare part of the RGS universe) or is it just a fun coincidence?