Street Hawk (1985– )A desk bound cop secretly fights crime as the test pilot for a prototype combat motorcycle. |
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Street Hawk (1985– )A desk bound cop secretly fights crime as the test pilot for a prototype combat motorcycle. |
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| Complete series cast summary: | |||
| Rex Smith | ... |
Jesse Mach
(13 episodes, 1985)
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Richard Venture | ... |
Lt. Cmdr. Leo Altobelli
(13 episodes, 1985)
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| Joe Regalbuto | ... |
Norman Tuttle
(13 episodes, 1985)
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Jeannie Wilson | ... |
Rachel Adams
(12 episodes, 1985)
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When Jessie Mach is crippled after an assault by an old enemy, his position as motorcycle cop seems finished. That was before a computer technician named Tuttle recruits him for a special government project. He is to be the test pilot for the Street Hawk, an advanced motorcycle that carried tremendous firepower and capable of speeds of over 300 MPH while in a city with little risk of collisions with Tuttle staying at the command center seeing everything Jessie through the camera in the helmet. This deal includes special surgery to repair his legs while keeping him the facade that he is still handicapped. Unfortunately for Tuttle, Jessie insists to get involved in stopping crime rather than the simple tests Tuttle wants. So now the city has the additional protection of the mysterious superhero known as Streethawk. Written by Kenneth Chisholm <kchishol@execulink.com>
Yeah well, KNIGHT RIDER made it because a 4 wheel crime-buster was always going to win out over a two-wheeled vigilantemobile! Street Hawk's "Harley with attitude" might have had a 200 mph speed capability and a $3 million price tag (bit suss, that one!) but when all was said and done, Rex Smith was no Steve McQueen! More like crime-fighter Disney style.
Best of the offerings, the actual Pilot telemovie entitled STREET HAWK. It ran for 75 minutes and was released in many countries as a one-off video. (I have a copy!) Besides some skimpy background to Street Hawk's existence - The rookie cop, consigned to Public Relations, mega-bike wages war against the local "Mr Big" (Christopher Lloyd in a most un-Disney role). Not only does Jess Mach (Smith) take out Lloyd's cronies, he performs an aerial ballet that sees Lloyd and his 4 Wheel drive nose dive DUEL style off a desert cliff!
Music by Tangerine Dream was certainly a plus, although suspiciously ripped off from the NZ scifi actioner BATTLETRUCK, which coincidentally features a hero riding a superbike!