On this very date in 1981, the most awesomest TV show in the history of the world premiered on ABC: The Greatest American Hero!
I was so excited to watch the first two-hour pilot episode that I may have even peed in my pants (a.k.a. the kid equivalent of an orgasm). The premise was brilliant: average high school teacher receives a red suit with super powers from mysterious aliens, but he loses the instruction book leading to all sorts of misadventures as he tries to figure out how the suit works while helping an eccentric, dog biscuit-eating FBI agent solve cases. Here’s the show’s opening credits featuring the most brilliant TV theme song ever to exist in the known universe courtesy of Joey Scarbury:
For the past few years, Disney’s been developing a big-screen reboot of the show with original producer Stephen J. Cannell (check out the latest here) and I’ve been “strongly encouraging” my fellow Offender Justin to pursue and land this project at any cost as it may very well be his dream directing gig. He just doesn’t know it yet. Who’s with me on this? Wouldn’t you like to see this:
(Thanks once again to Offender David for working his photoshopping magic)
Ha, nice photoshop but who’s the new Connie Sellecca? Also, the symbol on the suit looks like the Chinese character for “middle” as in Middle Kingdom, so it’s more than appropriate that it’s Roger’s face emerging from the neckhole.
Mmmm, Connie Sellecca.
Dude! I don’t remember too many of the details anymore, but this was one of my fave shows when I was growing up. I was so sad when they killed it, and any time I missed an episode. It’s now available on DVD (cool boxset version WITH A CAPE AND THE “INSTRUCTION MANUAL”!!! ;-D )…and I think it may even be on Hulu.com.
Yeah….and the theme song was my fave for the longest time too.
+1 Connie Selleca…. -100 when she dumped Buck Rogers/Gil Gerard and went with John Tesh.
Thanks for the memories.
@Maclu, that’s Jordana Brewster who’s been in 2 Justin-directed features so far–ANNAPOLIS and FAST & FURIOUS.
my father yelled at me and sent me to bed early once while I was watching GAH. why? b/c I didn’t know the symbol on his costume was the chinese word for “middle”.
that being said, the costume should be yellow. but then again, it would look like i’m naked with a flesh cape…
I’m all for the Greatest Asian American Hero. And I concur with the Connie Selleca love.
Ah, I should have guessed. I saw F&F too. Can I fall back on the “they all look the same to me” excuse?
I had a wave of Greatest American Hero nostalgia when I watched a DVD of Pippin, and there was William Katt as Pippin. I hope A-Team hits it big and helps greenlight this nostalgia-fueled one.
I loved this show as a kid. And Connie Selleca was hot too. Up there with Erin Grey. But, I especially loved ISIS, which I blogged about, because she could fly, talk to birds and aroused my 5 year old penis.
Dude, a 5 year old penis is not the image we should start the week off with.