The Green Hornet (1966)

Fresh and Exciting

Don't listen to the negative reviews

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Perhaps the best super hero series ever made. The criminals were realistic and not over the top. Sometimes there was a true mystery involved that kept the viewer guessing until the end. The music was classy, the guest stars could be quite good, and the writing was solid. I'm guessing the ratings were poor because adults thought it was more of a kids show, and kids found the shows plots too adult. Then you add Bruce Lee to the mix. On the verge of becoming the number one star in the world in just a few years, he did an excellent job of being the first to bring martial arts to American viewers. The show should have really been one hour to flesh out the plots more, but thankfully 3 stories in the series were 2 parters. One really has a hard time finding any fault at all with this series, and perhaps because it didn't fit into the camp craze of the time, it lasted only 1 season. However the number of episodes made would equal 2 seasons of any of todays shows. It's a pity the new movie didn't follow the guidelines set by this series, if it had, it could have been dynamite. Black Mask is a more appropriate homage to this series then the GH movie was. Here is hoping for a DVD release of the series with unseen footage and all the goodies.

After the success of BATMAN on ABC,William Dozier's Greenway Productions/20th Century-Fox crew looked around for something to develop into another hit. Instead of the pages of Batman & Detective Comics,they looked to Old Time Radio.There were a lot of series in the early days of TV that were developed from Radio Programs. Some were successful, but for the most part, did not have staying power in the video medium. Ah, but this LONE RANGER guy went on for about a dozen years and remained strong in re-runs. What would there be that was sort of like The Masked Rider of the West and maybe had some characteristics of Batman?A little nostalgia for the Radio Days and research of the old series would have any potential revealed a like candidate. Sitting right there on the LONE RANGER Family Tree was a property that would have the potential to bring in another success.THE GREEN HORNET was the product of the same Radio creative team as was The Lone Ranger.* In fact, he was said to be a relative. Inasmuch as his setting was the contemporary times and not the "Western United States" of "those thrilling days of yesteryear." **He was said to be a great-great-grand nephew to L.R., or something like that. The Lone Ranger, John Reid, was the only surviving member of the group of Texas Rangers massacred by the notorious Butch Cavandish Gang. Left for dead along with the others, including his own brother. Tonto, his future Indian companion, recognized John Reid as having been boy hood friends. (John's ring was the object recognized) The young John Reid had done some heroic feat for the young Tonto, who dubbed him "Kimo Savee", translated into 'faithful friend'. Tonto stood by, helping Reid to recovery and burying the dead. (No need to go any further with this story, we all know it!)The Green Hornet was in reality Britt Reid, the youthful, crusading Publisher of The Daily Sentinnel, a great metropolitan newspaper in a great, un-named big American City. The Hornet had as an assistant, his Valet/Chaueffer, Kato, who was Japanese *** and was both responsible for creating The Green Hornet,s arsenal of weaponry****, but also caring for his super fast auto, The Black Beauty.The little extra twist in The Green Hornet legend is that he maintained a pose of being a wanted criminal.His real identity and role as a Costumened Crime Fighter known only to The District Attorney and to Britt Reid's Personal Secretary, Miss Lenore Case or usually called just "Casey".The casting of the regulars for the series was very good and would have been deemed so, even in the old movie serial days.Youthful, good looking and athletic Van Williams, a former Warner Brothers contractee,was cast as Britt Reid/The Green Hornet. Stunning Beauty, Wendy Wagner was Lenore Case, with Lloyd Gough as retired Irish Cop turned 'reporter', Mike Axford. Walter Brooke portrayed District Attorney Frank P. Scanlon. But the true genius of casting (or just plain old luck) was having the young, martial arts exponent, Bruce Lee as Kato. New to films and inexperienced in front of a camera, Bruce Lee, nonetheless, brought a lively, exciting interpretation to the role of the second banana hero. His action scenes were outstanding as he demonstrated his Karate as weapon against the baddies during at least one confrontation each episode. The fabulous looking physical maneuvers he executed so well were no big deal for a man of his training. He could have phoned in the role.It was a little different for the spoken word as Mr. Lee was given few lines at first, though his speech became more eloquent as the series progressed. He had worked at it and he learned to modify the Chinese accent that he came by so honestly.****Like THE LONE RANGER's co opting the finale of Rossinni's WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE, so THE GREEN HORNET Radio Show took Rimsky-Korsakov's FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE BEE as its theme.***** Mr. Dozier left it to the talents of Famous New Orleans Trumpeter extraordinaries, Al Hirt to come up with and play an original theme which had a certain resemblance to the classical piece.All the parts were in place and THE GREEN HORNET debuted on ABC on Friday evenings. It developed a certain loyal, though not a very large one. THE GREEN HORNET was not renewed, and faded away by the Fall Season of 1967.It has since then taken on a legendary reputation and a large cult following, made up of many fans born long after the call by Mr. William Dosier (who doubled as show's announcer, quite handily,too!) This at least in part due to the career and premature death of Bruce Lee. * It was Creative team of George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, the creator and the principal story writer for THE LONE RANGER at WXYZ Radio in Detroit who brought us THE GREEN HORNET.** The relationship was made known on the Radio Shows, but not mentioned in the TV Era, probably because the rights to the characters have passed to different parties.*** It has been said that Kato was said to be Japanese, but became Korean on December 7, 1941. In the Universal Pictures Serial The GREEN HORNET (1940); Kato said that he was Korean.**** We wondered around our House just who got the least dialog: Bruce Lee as Kato, Peter Lupus as Willie (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE) or Steve London as Agent Jack Rossman (THE UNTOUCHABLES)?***** The use of Classical Music as both Theme and Incidental Music was a wide spread practice in Old Time Radio. It's been said that the definition of an intellectual is one who can listen to The William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger!

It was remarkably tough, comparatively sophisticated and genuinely action-packed.Comparisons will always be made between "The Green Hornet" and its TV stable mate "Batman". So what were some of the similarities?To start with, both were made by 20th Century Fox. In keeping with the time-honored super hero tradition, the "real-life" identities of the respective title characters were successful, well-connected and highly respected members of the community. When in character as their alter egos, both drove amazing custom-built cars that were veritable killing machines on wheels, armed with a vast array of deadly, concealed weapons. Both had capable, intelligent and gutsy sidekicks who could more than hold their own when the chips were down and the fists were flying.But there were some major differences as well.Where "Batman" was decidedly over the top and essentially in the business of extracting squeals of the delight from the younger set, "The Green Hornet" was deadly serious when it came to crime fighting. In the former show, the resident bad guys were exotic fantasy figures who wore crazy and colorful costumes and had cute names like "The Joker" and "The Penguin". Indeed, the Art department at 20th really pulled out all the stops on "Batman" to cash in on the newly-arrived novelty of color TV.In "The Green Hornet", the villains of the piece were traditional bad guys and girls.Star Van Williams handled the dual role of Britt Reid, Editor of "The Daily Sentinel" newspaper and the Green Hornet with panache. Creating a stern-faced 007 type of character, Williams proved to be no slouch when it came to manufacturing his own brand of ice-cube intensity in the style of James Bond.Bruce Lee, as Kato, the Hornet's faithful Chinese partner in crime busting, was there primarily to handle the ultra rough stuff. And, indeed, when he made with the high kicks and karate chops he created some for good television.Generally well-written, sharply directed and competently acted by all those in the cast who really mattered,"The Green Hornet" flashed across our TV screens only fleetingly but it made a lasting and favorable impression on a lot of us.What it lacked was true fantasy and humor - the two key ingredients that made "Batman" a classic."The Green Hornet" was good - very good in fact. But it didn't have those special qualities that guarantee immortality.

I just watched the Green Hornet for the first time since MeTv just ran a marathon of all episodes. It was great. I thought it would be as campy and cheesy as Batman (although I grew up on that and still like it), but it wasn't. Yeah, some of the effects were low grade, and the scenes of the Black Beauty driving around town were always the exact same clips, but I still liked it a lot. Bruce Lee is awesome, and Van Williams had to be one of the most handsome guys on TV at the time (or even now). I really can't understand why this show didn't make it. I know that Batman is much more popular, but as far as "cool" ratings go, this show has it beat. Cooler lead character, cooler sidekick (no comparison), cooler car, and cooler music. I got them all on DVR and will probably go through them again this weekend.