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The Greatest American Hero (1981–1983) 7.0
A teacher is asked to be a superhero using a special alien suit with powers he can barely understand or control. Creator:Stephen J. Cannell |
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Title: The Greatest American Hero (1981–1983)
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Cast
| Complete series cast summary: | |||
| William Katt | ... |
Ralph Hinkley
(44 episodes, 1981-1986)
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| Robert Culp | ... |
Bill Maxwell
(44 episodes, 1981-1986)
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| Connie Sellecca | ... |
Pam Davidson
(41 episodes, 1981-1986)
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Don Cervantes | ... |
Paco Rodriguez
(23 episodes, 1981-1983)
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| Faye Grant | ... |
Rhonda Blake
(22 episodes, 1981-1982)
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| Michael Paré | ... |
Tony Villicana
(21 episodes, 1981-1983)
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| Jesse D. Goins | ... |
Cyler Johnson
(19 episodes, 1981-1983)
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Edit
Plot Summary
|
Add Synopsis
Storyline
A pair of strangers, liberal high-school teacher Ralph Hinkley and right-wing FBI agent Bill Maxwell, have a close encounter in the Southern California desert one night with "little green men", who give our heroes a red superhero suit. The suit works only for Ralph, and the two, accompanied by Ralph's cute lawyer girlfriend Pam, reluctantly team up to battle criminals. Problems ensue when Ralph loses the suit's instruction book, so he had to master the suit's powers on his own. Written by Marty McKee <mmckee@wkio.com>
Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
18 March 1981 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
El gran héroe americano See more »Company Credits
Show detailed
company contact information
on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
| (43 episodes)Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1
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Bill Maxwell: Good, put it to me in a letter, I'll try to get back to you by the end of the month
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Written by Mike Post & Stephen Geyer
Performed by Joey Scarbury
(theme song)
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
ABC officially canceled the series before the last four produced episodes were aired. The "lost episodes" were sold along with the rest of the series as part of its package for syndication, and later DVD collections. See more »Quotes
Ralph Hinkley: Bill, I've got an ideaBill Maxwell: Good, put it to me in a letter, I'll try to get back to you by the end of the month
See more »
Crazy Credits
During the opening credits of the pilot "Greatest American Heroine", the three-note NBC theme is heard as the letters "i-n-e" appear one at a time on screen. (An in-joke as NBC was the network the series was being pitched to at the time) See more »Soundtracks
"Believe It or Not"Written by Mike Post & Stephen Geyer
Performed by Joey Scarbury
(theme song)
See more »
`The Greatest American Hero' is a textbook case of a television show being a victim of `the powers that be.' I was in grade school during the time of its run, but I remember most of the behind the scenes drama. Though its initial debut was well received, it wasn't long before the show met an ill-fated course. First, it was an unfortunate victim of the 1981 Reagan assassination attempt, resulting in the horrific `Hinkley/Hanley' overdub. This event, followed by constant time changes, late season debuts, pre-empts, and the never-ending lawsuit with Warner Brothers and DC comics over its supposed `Superman-like' premise, kept it from reaching its full potential with viewers. Then, like those aliens in the desert, the show disappeared without a trace.
There are several theories as to why this show never reached its full potential. I personally think Warner Brothers and DC Comics made ABC executives nervous, hence the delays and time changes. While I can certainly understand their motives (the Superman movies were popular at the time) I considered each character to be a separate entity. I never thought William Katt was an exact clone of Christopher (or George, for that matter) Reeve's famous role. Superman (I thought) was a strong, supernatural hero from another planet who masqueraded as a human being. The Greatest American Hero was just an ordinary guy who stumbled upon good fortune and tried to utilize it in the best way he could to help mankind. It could have been anyone that night instead of Ralph Hinkley, for all we know (the lyrics of the theme song attempted to explain this). Katt simply provided a handsome, lovable example of the `imperfect hero.'
My mother and sister absolutely loved this show. I was the youngest, so I watched it mostly because they did! `The Greatest American Hero' did grow on me, though…so I, too, have fond memories. I was in love with the theme song, however, from the debut! Even if you didn't like the show, you have to admit that the theme song, `Believe It Or Not,' sung by Joey Scarbury, is one of the greatest of all time. The earlier comments were correct. `Believe It Or Not' is awesome.
Absolutely awesome!