Toronto’s Cash for Gold Kingpin | Local Legends
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- Опубликовано: 10 апр 2023
- If you grew up in Ontario, you know Russell Oliver. He’s the Cashman. And, from his many outlandish, crass commercials, you know he wants to buy your gold and jewelry. But is Toronto’s cash-for-gold icon… okay? Getting older, he wants to change his ways, but can he?
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Развлечения
Everyone who grew up in Greater Toronto Area or even southern Ontario knows who he is. A local legend really
In the greater Mississauga area there is a Pawnbroker Oliver who runs cheesy commercials that play out on the Gypsie station CP 24.
Yeah, we know about him.
Yes a legend ok . Crooks ! just like Zelesky clowns !
He is Honest now . But still a Crook and and a Clown Narcissist !
True, from 6ix 😂
OH YEAH!!! Can't tell you how many times i have seen that dancing girl one in the 2000's
I worked on his car once and he tipped generously. He even bought the whole shop pizza. Good guy in my book
I was watching Breakfast Television one day and there was a kid on the show doing a fundraiser on the street and they were filming it. He came on, not sure if it was just a coincidence, but anyway he gave the kid a large cash donation on the spot, maybe $100 or more I don't remember. I thought that was generous.
Probably finessed someone to sell their “old gold” (whatever that is 😂) to him so he could make 90% profit and buy you guys pizza.
@@hwyterrorist there’s a sucker born everyday
Really ?? He is Zelensky and George Soros Crime body ! He is not in Prison yet ? He scammed so many people ! His Brother owns a Big Jewish bakery in NY . Diamond dealer too .
Yo momma was a good guy in my books!!!!
I don't think people from outside of southern Ontario will understand how we feel when we see this video. It's like we know this guy all our life and it is the first time we really, really know this guy.
Well put
I'm from BC, and yet I still got this mans commercials all the time. This just unlocked a deeply recessed bank of memories.
@@ThatHoserCanadian Really? That's amazing!
@@hkmarhk Yep, I especially, and very vividly remember the "I'm the Cashman" video with all the chicks dancing with him as he sings.
The stack man
"How long have you smoked for?"
"I just started" 😂
Toronto legend!
Lmfao, I would have never guessed that there would be a documentary on vice about Oliver
Vice bizarrely alternate between serious news & current affairs to lowbrow trivia like this.
Me and my dad saw his car the other day, the one with his face on it and face palmed so hard. I don't think my dad dislikes another person like him lmfao
Same here haha I did a double take 😂
@@andrewq159 just because you didn't experience the impact doesn't mean it didn't happen.
@@davemakesnoises Impact?! He's a local eccentric.
I can sense Oliver's mistrust and upset on some of the decisions his son is making. However, it is very respectable how he is allowing his son to really take it in the direction he wants. That takes a lot of effort.
When he talked about slowly removing himself from the picture (can’t remember exactly how he worded it and ain’t got time to find the time stamp)… you could tell, he doesn’t fully agree but it’s not his baby anymore. Really admirable, but a little sad
I mean, think of all the major companies that would have sunk if they had not shifted their focus. Lamborghini started out making farm equipment - tractors.
What did Oliver's son do? Tell me 😮, I'll go to Yorkville and sell him some stolen Gold chains. Then I'll report the shysters.
The son should let it stick with what it is or start a new company. You can't change a pawn shop into high end goods. The original advertising was too effector that!
Oliver is a real one. His commercials with the girls dancing brings back great memories.
We've hit peak Ontario Canadiana with this one.
Such a carefree and wonderful documentary. No angles were taken and Cash Man was fully channeled in his native form. Loved it!
Nothing like waking up to a Russell Oliver ad after passing out in front of the TV. If he can't wake you up no one can.
Never would've guessed I'd be seeing this in my YT recommended. Cool to see he's just as much of a character in his day to day life as he is on TV, was also nice to hear a man at his age be so open about his experience with depression.. I wish him and his family the best with their business and in life, Russel Oliver you are most definitely a legend and one classy man! OH YEA! 😂💸
This was a great watch. Grew up with his commercials all over TV and radio. Surprised how self aware he is, seems like a funny guy
I love how honest he is. He admits how much he lives for the attention and media. It’s refreshing in a world full of narcissists who want to pretend to be selfless on their social media pages…. This guys loves the camera. Loves the people. And admits to both!
This comment section is a true testament to how much positivity and influence this man has had on the GTA community. A marketing master
i was only a foreign student in U of Toronto for 4 years in the mid 2000s, and i know who he is.... What a legend!
Funny story about Russel Oliver. My brothers company upgraded the CCTV monitor in his store many years ago and I got the old plasma from his office. For years I watched TV with his store burned into the screens background. Fun to show friends when they came over .
Always good to see people get help with depression.
This guy is an open book... He never took himself too seriously either. Kind of refreshing there are people like this guy still around.
Open crook.
@@reillyyugehands481 how did he Rio you off ?
“No no no no, I blew it all on drugs and girls and gambling, oh we used to play throughout night. Oh man it was a beautiful time” What a legend 😂
His honesty was great. As a fellow drug-lover, I could relate to his excitement about receiving anesthetics at the hospital after being shot.
I always see his commercials when I have a doctor's appointment because the TVs are always set to CP24. I generally roll my eyes, but there's something sort of weirdly endearing about Russell Oliver. Also, years ago there was a piece in The New Yorker magazine about the biggest pawn shop magnates in Toronto. The article said that Russell Oliver was definitely the most honest and fair of the lot. I don't know why that guy sitting at the table ("Tacky Man") had to be such a jerk. For better or for worse, Russell Oliver IS a legend.
He's wealthy but not as wealthy as Russell Oliver so that constitutes a narcissistic injury. Maybe he's just an anti-semite.
The guy at the table was being a dick 😂
Did you notice how lady-like they had their legs crossed while sitting there?
This video was not what I expected at all. I live in Vancouver which is about as far from Toronto as you can get in Canada. I had heard of this character from friends who lived in Ontario.
What an interesting story. He comes across as a much more genuine and sympathetic character than I ever would have guessed.
Bravo for the open discussion about depression and how he’s managing it. This was a good one, Vice.
I'm glad Russell was able to live out his dreams before he woke up to the real nightmare . He's funny as hell too,I'm thinking about selling my old gold to him instead of anyone else just for the experience, seriously!
Growing up as a kid in Hamilton I would see Oliver's commercials all the time! At an early age I probably didn't even understand fully what his whole business was, but he still had the most entertaining commercials. It was interesting to get a glimpse of his earlier years, and nostalgic to see some of those commercials again. Glad to see he's still doing relatively well and taking good care of himself. Oh yeahh!
His business essentially amounts to giving cash to drug addicts in return for stolen items. Real classy biz.
@@Toy1er I've never actually thought of it this way. However even if that is true, it sounds more like a law enforcement issue.
Yeah no seriously grew up in Shwa and he was what I thought adults were supposed to be 😂😂
@@Toy1erOntario is an open drug market anyways dude
Love his honesty. A lot of people won't admit they want attention
I admire his self-awareness & down to earth honesty. Very endearing
" Look rich , stay rich all that nonsense " LOL
Always seen this guy on tv since a child , seems like a genuinely cool ass laidback guy . I think he also likes drugs a lot 😂
Tbf drugs kind of rule.
The honesty of this man is so refreshing. Much respect.
Fantastic segment! Cashman is a Toronto ICON 💰
A mere local eccentric.
@Soviet 0nion Saying he's not suitable for a documentary isn't hating. His age has nothing to do with it.
@Soviet 0nion I watched less than a minute of it. Like the vast majority of people, I hadn't previously heard of him.
I live in Ottawa amd I've seen his commercials many times growing up in the 90's and early 2000's
@@andrewq159 If you lived in Canada you would most likely have seen his advertisements
Honestly love this, Oliver the classman truly represents what Toronto is all about. He is part of the culture here.
His voice and demeanor surely is what inspired Danny DeVito's "Trash Man" hahaha
Omg...totally. I just love learning references like 15 years after an air date❤
Oh!!
I wanna know when we are going to meet the real life Dr. Mantis Toboggan, MD.
One of the employees at one of his locations very nearly ripped me off badly. I was in between jobs and had a lot of jewerly and gold I was gifted or had passed down etc, anyways I remember I had this one very beautiful gold necklace and a couple other items I was willing to part with. I knew itd get good money for them as I had them appraised years prior. I went in expecting to get at least $1000 (although i knew they were worth more but i needed rent badly), they told me the best they could do was 100. WTF. They pushed the ide that most of it was bad quality and said some was fake and that they were they best in town. I knew it wasnt fake so I just laughed and left....THANK GOD I went to another place on the Danforth because they told me it was very good european quality made in the 30's and i ended up with nearly 2000, twice what I expected. The difference between the two was shocking, I wonder how many desperate people they conned who really needed cash. Never ever ever using them ever again. dodged a bullet.
cash man wasn’t the hero we wanted. He was the hero we always needed
pawned your jewellery to buy crack?
Seen his commercials all the time as a kid and I'm glad he's doing well, especially after the pandemic. Really nice to see he's a really down to earth guy when you hear him in person.
So many great memories from decades of old school style commercials. Thanks Russell :)
This is very nostalgic even for me. One of the few commercials I looked at and enjoyed. Thank you, Russell Oliver, Oh Yeah!
In case the transition from CASHMAN to CLASSMAN doesn't work out, Kramer from Seinfeld can be yet another inspiration: ASSMAN
So excited to see a short doc on him! I have always seen him on TV but never knew much about him
This was awesome! Thanks Vice for bringing back these memories!
Sometimes the "I'll give you money for your gold" song pops into my head. Probably haven't seen the commercial for 20 years. Genius advertising. Also the 98.1 CHFI theme song from the late 90's still gets stuck in my head.
CHFI 98.1......Torontooooooo
This guy needs a platform what a legend
Bro called him tack man to his face lol wild
Love this guy! Grew up in London Ontario and always saw him haha
Seems so genuine
I've been watching this legend on tv popping up on commercials or interviews since I live near Toronto. He is hilarious but a very shrewd business man.
Ohhhh yeahhhhh
Lol my son is three and whenever the commercial comes on he yells “the cash man” 😂
As someone who has grown up seeing Oliver's commercials, after watching this I like him even more. Can't knock his hustle lol
Been living in Ontario for 30 years, he's had the greatest commercials as far as I can remember lmao, this was such a pleasant surprise to see him on VICE.
I adore this man! We need more Mr. Oliver!
A nice man. When I was a student working in a call centre and he had called in requesting assistance on a warranty her had. As I was filling out his name, I paused because I recognized it (and his accent/voice), and he immediately said, "Yes, it is me!" As I told him how much I loved his commercials, he gave me a very enthusiastic "Ooooh yeah!" Made my day.
This man is an absolute treasure thanks for sharing him with us Canada
haha, the one with him in the blazer - when Russell zooms his face and says 'OH YA', it scares the hell out of my 2yr old. Now he cries whenever he sees the ad 🤣
This was surprisingly wholesome and uplifting, old in age young in the heart 😎😎
Amazing, really can’t hate on the fact that his giddy unapologetic personality worked on so many, solid gold baby! 😂
I remember his commercials growing up in toronto when i was a kid he was everywhere
Love this interview, growing up in the 90's near Toronto i definitely know the Cashman
I love this guy so much . His commercials gave me so many smiles
He definitely seems less greasy now than in the 90s/2000s. I think Harold takes the crown for king of grease salesman. Kudos to his son for taking the direction they are, times are changing and his son knows it.
I lived in Toronto for 11 years and while I don't watch TV, I watch the news at the office lunch break and Oliver is so much Toronto.
I remember seeing his commercials on air many times then he happened to opened one of his shops on brock road in Pickering, Ontario. The cash man is a legend!
When my daughter was 2 yrs old and that dancing girls Cashman song would come on the tv she'd drop whatever she was playing with and come running to dance her little butt off to that song, then calmly go back to her toys once it was done. Such nostalgia 😊
Seems like his legacy will continue to live on for a lifetime. He's made such a drastic impact over time.
Be serious - he's no more than a local eccentric.
@@andrewq159 This guy is well known in Canada to anyone over 30
@@apoc519 Less than half a percent of the world's population live in Canada.
Toronto Police raided his home for buying stolen jewellery year ago? lol
@@Curling_RackI imagine he's got his finger in several pie's fella👍
I actually love this. What a Legend. I was always laughing at the commercials, but obviously the outlandish ways have done their magic. xD
This episode warmed my heart ❤️
Omg this man and his commercials were everywhere in my childhood
Hhaha Wow I remember seeing these late night on City TV back in the 90's ! Almost forgot about Cash Man. Thanks for the memories, glad to see you're still around! =)
This man defined my early childhood here in Canada. Couldn't watch CP24 without seeing his adds between broadcasts lol
This is the definition of an eccentric. I love this guy
THIS GUY IS A LEGEND. his commercials have played on tv for over 20 years. everyone knows about him. i’ve never actually been to his shop but he’s an icon
A completely romanticized story of Russell Oliver a true character of character. It was hinted often though when Cashman talks about women and drugs -- there was a hec of lot more of that in his life, destructive, possibly criminal events that were not covered in this story. Nevertheless, good on you Vice for bagging a bag man! I'm a Torontonian, and of course I know who he is, met him, and there's nothing really bad about him, other than his avarice and lust.
Soo awesome!! More mini Toronto movies!!!!!!
Watching him finally hit the promo at the end after struggling with it before made my day
This was actually really good. I think everyone always kinda pictured this guy kind of like a real-life cartoon character. Definitely a lot more "everyman" attitude when he's not advertising.
I loved these commercials as a kid
The way he says Cartier is wild lol
OWWW YEAA!!!! first tv commercial I saw when I landed in Canada
7:25 The OG clout demon 😂😂
I always remember the commercials growing up. a classic Toronto icon
Great stuff
lol @ that cornball regard that would give him a handshake at the end
I did security detail for him for a few years. Always treated me with respect and I enjoyed working his door.
I'd watch a whole series about this guy.
better call saul?
Brilliant. A legend and proud to have him here part of our beloved city. Oh Yeah!!!!!!
This guy is one of the examples I can always give for og Toronto area television, a lot more realistic but blunt than American television during these times. Saw him at one of the rib fests and said hi gave him space and as everyone else was being surprisingly respectful someone you could have banter with and it never just felt like useless small talk, local legend for sure and he has a place in my memory that has been there since I can remember honestly. I know how he feels about the higher production commercials he just doesn’t have the same excitement and enthusiasm for it as his own productions.
I definitely sold gold there before. Lol. He's a Toronto legend for sure. I actually forgot about him.
I’m from Canada’s pants (the US) and I’ve never heard of this guy. What a strange but oddly relatable family lol
you wouldn't see his commercials unless from the Toronto area.
Seen this guy so much on the commercials when I was younger.
Well this video was a pleasant surprise! See, I didn't consent to this guy being a part of my childhood whenever I ate breakfast and watched tv before going to school everyday. And as corny as the songs and acting was, I couldn't help but be endeared by it and get the damn song stuck in my head every morning.
I'd like to imagine the equal amounts of "Harold the Jewelry Buyer" commercials running against Cash 4 Gold helped Russel get even more popular. He probably wanted to be more professional, but he was about as charming as the rocks gold comes from compared to Cashman.
Glad to see Russel taking it easy now and trying to shift his priorities from the excitement of his work too. I'd say that robbery alone certainly earned him some rest.
Wow, his commercial came on my TV as I was watching this video 😂
wow this takes me back
I loved this! I want king Oliver merch😂
This guys ads on CP24 was the only ad I remember, legendary dude
Kinda reminds me of "Paul from the diamond centre" in the S.F Bay Area back in the 80's and 90's.. Paul was awesome!
Russell a legend in Toronto I always see his commercials on cp24 still
I appreciate this man’s hustle
He is AWESOME! I grew up in Toronto and always saw him on TV or heard him on the radio :D
This is interesting seeing the Legacy continue.
Ya, impossible to have lived through the 90s in Toronto without knowing about this guy. He bombarded the airways with those annoying commercials. I couldn't stand them but they did the job so, good for him.
"I don't wanna waste 15 seconds crossing the road... what for!?" Absolute legend
At most he's a local eccentric.
@@JJONNYREPP About 99% of people haven't heard of him.
@@JJONNYREPP He doesn't even have a Wikipedia article.
@@JJONNYREPP Wikipedia has notability requirements which he doesn't meet.
@@andrewq159 wow this guy got you pressed
I like this guy, he's idea is so stupid, and brilliant at the same time,I have no words
Man I used to love this guy's commercials lol at.2am
Amazing journalism from Vice, media titans💪🏻
YAAAAAAAAAAS! I have never been more excited to see something so random from my childhood on here