Red Forman
From Groovypedia, the "That '70s Show" Wiki
Reginald Albert Forman (born 1927), better known as Red Forman, is a fictional character on The FOX Network's That '70s Show. Red Forman is played by veteran movie actor Kurtwood Smith.
[edit] Biography
Red is a gruff veteran with a dry sense of humor who served in WWII, as a US Navy sailor stationed aboard a Destroyer which goes down in the Pacific as he mentions in one episode, and in Korea also as a sailor (source: hints in the show), and likes to hunt and fish. His fictional wife is Kitty Forman (nee Sigurdson) (Debra Jo Rupp). He is a tough, no-nonsense father and tends to favor his daughter Laurie (Lisa Robin Kelly) whom he doesn't realize is a spoiled little brat and shrew over his son Eric (Topher Grace), whom he considers soft and wimpy. He always sees Laurie as 'Daddy's Little Girl' instead of the mean-spirited, promiscuous person she truly is, but becomes wiser to her in the second season after finding out she lied to him about moving in with a friend when she was really living with a young man. He degrades his son by calling him a "dumbass", among other names, and often makes ass-oriented threats, the most common of which is to shove his foot up Eric's ass when he think Eric is being a smart mouth - he frequently uses this threat against many other characters who offend him. He also experiences great difficulty in saying "I love you, son" and "Thank you" to his son, Eric. Most of the time, Red treats Eric's friend Hyde (Danny Masterson), who moved in with the Formans' at the end of the first season, better than he treats his own son Eric. Perhaps because Red thinks Hyde is a better example of what a real young man should be, despite Hyde's anti-authority attitude. In general Red doesn't like Eric's friends hanging out in his home and, specifically, he dislikes Donna's parents, namely Bob.
Exactly why or how he got the nickname Red is unknown, but presumably it was because he had red hair when was young. He says his mother gave it to him. His real name is mentioned in only one episode by Kitty, who calls him "Reginald Albert Forman". Unlike Kitty, who lives for being everyone's favorite mom, Red is universally feared all throughout Point Place, especially by teenagers, and he likes it that way. When an emotionally rattled Jackie hugged him, his reaction was: "When the Hell did this start? The kids all used to run away from me! That's how I liked it!"
Red's mother Bernice (Marion Ross in a guest starring role) appeared in four episodes early on in the series. She was a cantankerous old woman who constantly insulted and criticized Kitty. It turns out that when Red was younger he was dating a very wealthy woman but fell in love with Kitty and married her instead. Grandma Forman never forgave Kitty for this. In the episode rightly titled "Grandma's Dead" that aired on the 12th of July, 1999, Bernice died while Eric was driving her home telling her about how nasty she is to his mother and how it wouldn't kill her to be nice for one day. "Apparently it did cause she died". Red also has a brother, Marty Forman, Whom he doesn't like that much because he constantly wants to talk about his and Red's feelings and because he cries.
Red met Kitty at a USO dance in the 50s. Young and impetuous, he and a navy buddy dropped their pants, showing shorts that read "Hello, Ladies", just as a younger, drunken Kitty was heading out she bumped into Red as he was bent over. Slightly embarrassed, Red immediately corrected his pants and pulled Kitty to her feet, and fell in love with her at first sight. Years later they both had trouble remembering it, with Red insisting he punched out a Marine who was being overly rude to Kitty, but Kitty denied that. Later when they both had a drink, the memory came back, and an incredulous Red said "You bumped into my butt and that's how we met?" They both agreed to tell Eric the punching out a marine story if he ever asked, and to not mention Kitty drinking but instead say she was reading to the blind.
Red's health has been the subject of humor on occasion. In the third and sixth seasons he is briefly put on a diet that requires him to cut out red meat among other foods that he generally likes and, in stereotypical sitcom fashion, he is forced to eat "healthy" food that is good for him but tastes like garbage. On both occasions he defied the diet by eating "real food" behind Kitty's back. When faced with mush, he comments "This isn't food - this is what food eats!" When faced with his diet in the sixth season, after his heart attack at learning Laurie had married Fez (he has a problem with minorities), he throws the list of what he can't have away, explaining to Kitty that if he had known what he would be asked to give up, "I would have walked right into that big bright light and never looked back!"
Red is a conservative Republican, though he made a joke at Nixon's expense in the first season and expressed some disdain for Gerald Ford, he would become annoyed with an anti-Nixon joke Eric made in the fifth season, which Eric tried to cover by replying "Nixon was framed and Kennedy was a commie."
At one point, shortly after finding out that Eric and Donna were engaged, Red went fishing to calm down, and comes back with the surprising news that he is proud of Eric for his initiative in moving away and becoming engaged. A surprised Kitty and a overjoyed Eric listen while Red agrees to pay for both the wedding and Eric's college fund. He also shakes Eric's hand, proudly telling his son that he is now a man. After his heart attack, which prompts Eric to stay home, as well as Eric leaving Donna at the alter, Red's attitude towards Eric does a complete reversal, and Red goes back to calling his son "Dumbass", presumably due to his disapointment in Eric's failure to live up to his expectations yet again.
At the beginning of the series, Red worked at a local auto parts plant. After the plant's closure, he worked as a salesman in his neighbor Bob Pinciotti's store. After the store went under, he worked as a manager for the fictional Price Mart chain. After recovering from his season 6 heart attack, Red decided to open up his own muffler shop in season 7, called "Forman and Son" (which is ironic since Eric does not work there). This store doesn't last really long because of the competition of a much bigger muffler store.
[edit] Military History
Red Forman joined the Navy at 14. He was present during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1942. He fought in the Pacific front in battles such as Guadalcanal,Okinawa, Iwo Jima. He has mentioned fighting in the Western front as well. Mainly, though, he talks about fighting in the Korean war. He has hinted he saw action in Vietnam.
[edit] Quotes
"Dumbass."
"I'm gonna stick my foot in your ass."
"You morons just hang vacancy signs on your asses, and my foot's looking for a room."
"You know I ought to vandalize your ass with my foot."
"Sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs put their foot in your ass."
"How'd you like to own a little bit of my foot in your ass."
"How bout I drive my foot into this thing called your ass."
"You know we could call in a specialist to find my foot in your ass."
"My foot is about to drill a hole in your ass."
"And you are about to read a book that my foot wrote, it's called On the Road to in Your Ass."
"You're lucky this table is standing between me and my foot and your ass."
"May I suggest the footing of your ass."
"When I get home, I'm gonna kick him in the ass."
"My foot is shaking it wants to kick his ass so bad."
"I wish I had 2,000 feet, so I could put 500 of them into each of your asses!"
"Dumbasses."
"Bed check dumbass."
"X is going to equal me kicking your ass."
"The reason that bad things happen to you, is because you're a dumbass."
"If you shoot that gun in this car, I will pull over, and kick your ass for an hour."
"If this is one of your dumbass friends, you better start running."
"What'd he do? I swear I'll kick his ass!"
"How would you like your keen eye, to watch my sure foot kick your smart ass."
"I'm kicking Bob's ass."
"I'm about to be sleep kicking your ass!"
"I know what you need. Right after school, we'll get you to mow the lawn! It'll clear your head."
"Happy birthday. You know, the lawn isn't going to cut itself."
"Yeah well, the lawn thanks you for staying home."
"Sure! And then I'll light my foot off in your ass."
"Stand up straight. You're a dumbass. You call this a report card?" Hands above the covers.
"Thats funny Eric! I coud've sworn I told you to mow the lawn, but what I must've said was "go sit on your ass!"
"Just answer the question dumbass! I mean uh (starts laughing) good work son."
"Dumbass! If you ever do this again I will kick your ass so hard, your nose will bleed!"
"Son of a bitch!"
"Oh my god! Theres a hundred morons in my basement."
"Kitty when we got married, we took an oath to take care of each other in sickness and in health. But nobody told us what to do if the wife became a dope fiend!"
"Earl you're fired. (Earl asks why) What did you do? I tell what you did! You (Talks in demonic giberrish)"
"So, I guess this how an immature, engaged, high school, dumbass, with no job, no money, and no car, mows the lawn!"
"Get back here you pervert!"
"What do want for Christmas? (kid says he wants a slinky) A slinky? Ah you'll get sick of a slinky in a day! I'm putting you down for flashcards! Math... that what you're getting for Christmas!"
(Kid says she wants a flying car) "I did to when I was your age kid. But then the future came and took my dreams away. Just like its going to take yours!"
"Get out of my chair Bob, or you'll get a candy cane up your chimney!"
"Yes... upset! All of you... dumbasses! If you don't there'll be.... foots in asses!"
"I can name 5 toes that are going to be in your ass!"
(Kid says she wants a pony) "Ponies die! What you need is a good pair of boots!"
"And that is what really happened... in Vietnam. (Kid says he doesn't understand) Neither do I kid! Neither do I."
"As of now, fun time is over!"
"That kid's on dope." "So long, Dumbass!"
