"The Green Hornet" (1966) TV series 1966-1967

Creator:

George W. Trendle

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

9 September 1966 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime

Plot:

A newspaper publisher and his Asian valet/martial arts expert battle crime as the feared Green Hornet and Kato.

Plot Keywords:

Kato | Green Hornet | Secret Identity | Mask | Kung Fu

Cast

Van Williams	...	Britt Reid / ... (26 episodes, 1966-1967)
Bruce Lee	...	Kato (26 episodes, 1966-1967)
Wende Wagner	...	Lenore 'Casey' Case (26 episodes, 1966-1967)
Lloyd Gough	...	Mike Axford (26 episodes, 1966-1967)
Walter Brooke	...	District Attorney Frank P. Scanlon (26 episodes, 1966-1967)
William Dozier	...	Narrator (26 episodes, 1966-1967)

Also Known As:

The Kato Show (Hong Kong: English title) (informal title)

Runtime:

30 min (26 episodes) | 99 min (movie version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:PG | USA:TV-PG | Argentina:Atp

Filming Locations:

20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

The Green Hornet's car, Black Beauty, is a customized Chrysler Imperial built by car customizer Dean Jeffries.

Quotes:

Narrator: Another challenge for the Green Hornet, his aide Kato, and their rolling arsenal, the Black Beauty. On Police records a wanted criminal, Green Hornet is really Britt Reid, owner-publisher of the Daily Sentinel, his dual identity known only to his secretary and to the district attorney. And now, to protect the rights and lives of decent citizens, rides THE GREEN HORNET."

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Art of Action: Martial Arts in Motion Picture (2002) (TV)

Surprisingly high production value

Just because the main characters (Notice the plural) are wearing masks doesn't mean that the program is camp. This is the show that introduced the martial arts legend Bruce Lee to the world, and he probably was the first actor that made people think "Gee I didn't know human beings can move like that". I mean seeing Lee for the first time had that much shock value to the audience, and the attraction of the show had much to do with what's Lee going to do this week ? But I'd like to point out the superb acting that was done by Van Williams too. He looked so good as the main character, and he had a chameleon like method acting capability that made his acting fit the scene's mood perfectly every time. If he was British, I wouldn't be surprised if he was recruited to play James Bond after Sean Connery. Keeping in mind that this was a 30 minute show made in the '60s, this series still scores high in its production value. I would say that it's right up there with other '60s popular action show such as Mission Impossible. The only regret is that this show didn't last longer than a season. Audiences wanted more but for some odd reason, it was canned. They should have made at least two more seasons followed by a movie. I would say that it was a monumental blunder on the network's part to not see what a dynamite show they had in hand. Bruce Lee and Van Williams' talent should have been exploited to its max with this show and who knows what other shows they might have stared in.