We are in a time now where superhero fans have an embarrassment of riches when it comes to TV and movies. Sure, we can argue about the quality of the productions and the fidelity to the characters we read about, but there is no denying that there is plenty to choose from. Back in the day, this simply was not the case, so I was very happy for the rare TV series that featured super-heroics. They may seem hokey by today's standards, but shows like The Incredible Hulk and The Greatest American Hero were appointment television for me in my youth.
What a coincidence! Today also happens to be the birthday of actor William Katt who famously played the titular "Greatest American Hero."
ReplyDeleteHa, that's cool - wish I could say that I planned it that way!
ReplyDeleteAs a 42yr old, I have fond memories growing up watching Bill Bixby's The Incredible Hulk, in the late 1970s. Although I was only in the 3rd and 4th grades, I felt the show held great pathos, and Bixby's lonely/intellectual outsider Bruce Banner, walking the highways of Middle America, new episode-new town, new people, new adventures, had a tremendous influence on me. I still remember the (very depressing) two-hour episode where he actually gets married, and his wife tries to "deal" with the Hulk persona. Alas, as I vaguely remember, I think it ended in tragedy as usual. Does anyone else remember this 2-hour (CBS) Special?
ReplyDeleteThat two hour episode was the second season premiere and Mariette Hartley won an Emmy for it. Remember the kid playing on the beach? That was Meeno Peluce, who went on to be the kid in "Voyagers".
ReplyDeleteI was a devoted watcher of TGAH, though it seemed to me that they ran out of ideas too quickly. In a lot of the later episodes Ralph's reasons for putting were pretty contrived.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I vaguely remember an episode where the villain was hauling Andre the Giant around in the back of a semi for some reason.
ATG was supposed to be a genetically misengineered neo-Nazi ubermensch.
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