The Fall Guy

Sure, this show had holes in it, it is cheesy, but I loved it. In Junior High I grew up on this, and it influenced me greatly. I can not watch boring sit coms, which maybe have 2 sets, or even cheaper made reality tv shows. Do I really care who gets voted off the island , or can keep their hand on a rock for 2 hours. After years of watching Colt drive through a china shop with his truck, use the trailer part of the truck which is used to move cars as a ramp, use a a rocket pack and hang onto the side of a chopper. All in a hour show! This show raised the bar high. My wife hates Heather Thomas. and says she's there for her anatomy, with her lines "Colt he's got a gun or "Oh Colt." Howie was funny, and added good comedy. The Unknown stunt man theme was great. I loved the time some thugs beat up an identical truck to Colt's and he drives off with the real one and these 2 huge guys leaving the bar say, "hey what did you to my truck." Speaking of trucks I think that truck must have started the SUV craze, with the imprint it left on many 30 and 40 year olds minds. I love the Mad comic spoof on this show. A must watch.

Some time back I was visiting David Sommerville, lead singer for the 50's doo-wop band The Diamonds ('Little Darlin'/'Why Do Fools Fall In Love') who was at the time, living in David (Kung Foo) Carradine's shack (literally) above Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills. Looking around I joked with him that he must have stolen the idea for the outdoor bathtub from the opening credits of 'The Fall Guy' where Lee Majors is seen soaking with a stogy clenched firmly in his teeth. I was informed it was quite the opposite -

David was hired to do the music for a couple of TV specials chronicling the life of stuntmen by his friend and fellow composer; television producer Glen A. Larson. Shortly after, David began writing in anticipation of another installment of the series which never saw the light of day. While vacationing at Glen's place in Hawaii, he'd discovered the unused sheet music buried in his guitar case and as he began playing he caught Glen's attention. Wheels spinning, he changed the original name in the opening verse to Farah; "Well, I'm not the kind to kiss and tell but I've been seen with Farah", and picked up the phone -

As fate would have it, the 'The Six Million Dollar Man' had just been canceled so, with Majors on the other end they sang him the (soon to be theme) song; 'The Unknown Stuntman' and the television series 'The Fall Guy' was born. Now, about that bath tub -

Having been to the quirky Carradine/Sommerville "ranch" with it's tree-house house, outdoor plumbing and combination horse stables/guest quarters, Glen thought it was the perfect setting for the residence for his new lead character; Stuntman/Private Investigator, Colt Seavers..... Only in Hollywood!

The Fall Guy was just one in a whole list of classic 80's fare such as The A-Team, Dukes of Hazzard and Knight Rider. It featured Lee Majors as bounty hunter Colt Seavers and he was joined by his sidekick Howie Munson who was a bit naive at times. They were also joined by the beautiful Heather Thomas who played Jody Banks.

Like many 1980's action shows The Fall Guy was not to be taken seriously. The plots were crazy, the characters were crazier, the stories were rather mad at times and what can I say about the stunts-they were out of this world. Week after week Lee Majors topped his stunts and did things such as jumping from a plane without a parachute and jumping from tall bridges into water below.

Highly enjoyable series-but when will anyone release it onto video?

Simply put, this is one of the best series a boy could grow up watching. Good ol, rowdy fighting, truck driving, red-neck woman watching entertainment. Though it lacked any true story line, the show made up for it in every other aspect. Unlike all of these reality shows that I can't seem to get off my TV. We need a new show that focuses on a regular blue collared no B.S. kind of MAN with morals, big truck, and beautiful blonde assistant.

I would love to see the show available on DVDs. I do however have mixed feelings about a remake of the show. Some things shouldn't be altered. However, if there is one made, I need to get on the ball and buy a truck like the one Colt had,(love to have one anyway) but now the price value more than triples after a movie is made w/ a great vehicle.

Fall guy was a show with mediocre acting, sometimes cheesy plots, and yes, much appeal was the scantily dressed women. But I liked it. And I did not at all like Zena. I think there is a major difference that has not been addressed. Even though most of these episodes of Fall Guy were kinda cheesy, they had a morality factor that is lacking in most shows now. These guys were usually trying to get the bad guy, help the good guy, and survive themselves. I would like to think that was a large part of the appeal. And the fact that who was good and bad was very obvious was also a big part of it. It made the destruction, violence, and hot women all the better. Zena of the 80's?...Thats a little rough. Ok, thats my 2 cents.

DC