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Post by Deleted on Jul 8, 2022 17:22:41 GMT -5
As we all know, the first episode of the 60s Batman series is called “Hi Diddle Riddle”. As a kid, I was a bit dismayed that there had been no Bat-Fight by the time the episode finished. Not even a punch. Plenty of colourful stuff, plenty of villainous planning, plenty of investigation, but no fighting. I do remember being just a tad disappointed, although the story was compelling enough. (The cliffhanger was also a bit of a “cheat” as it looked like the Riddler was about to do some dangerous operation on Robin, but by the second episode, it was revealed that he was only making a plaster cast based on Robin’s face)
Looking back, it seems peculiar that the pilot episode didn’t give us one fight. I wonder if there were many people disappointed at the time, given all would no doubt have expected some punch-ups. Many of its peers (live-action and animated) certainly gave us a lot of action.
The Incredible Hulk is another show worth mentioning. There is no denying the effectiveness of everything in the pilot, including the impressive feats of strength. But, a clash with that male camper aside, the Hulk-outs involved tyre/car problems, breaking out of a pressure chamber - and rescuing a woman from a fire. All good, and I have ZERO complaints, but I do wonder if there might have been viewers who were disappointed in the fact we didn’t get to see any villainy.
Back to Batman, though: it’s unthinkable to imagine a superhero show starting today and featuring virtually no action, although I’m gonna guess, if my memory serves me right, that some of Marvel’s Netflix shows didn’t necessarily feature action in their first episodes.
Again, it’s no real complaint. Certainly, as an adult, I see these shows through richer eyes (I hope), where punch-ups aren’t the be-all and end-all. I just remember being aware of it as a kid (I won’t say disappointed, I mean the performances and story in the Hulk pilot are phenomenal).
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 8, 2022 21:43:49 GMT -5
Well, the purpose of the pilot is to test the material and see how the audience reacts. It is often saddled with setting the premise for the potential series; so, it has to introduce the character, the setting, and give a feel for the kinds of stories they will tell, while also be entertaining, in its own right.
Batman is a bit different than most, as it was broadcast on two consecutive nights, to resolve the cliffhangers. So, it is forgivable that the first part doesn't have a ton of combat, as it has to introduce batman/Bruce and Robin/Dick, as well as the supporting cast and The Riddler. it has to show us the Batcave and the Batmobile and set up the plot of the adventure. They went with a bit more mystery, to get things going, as they needed more exposition to set up the world. Part 2 has the action.
The Hulk was hampered by budget, which is part of why their approach was to focus more on David Banner and his latest job and locale. They took the template of the Fugitive, of moving from town to town and job to job, and then dealing with some situation. This template was used all across the 70s and into the early 80s, especially with sci-fi series (Planet of the Apes, Logan's Run, Genesis II pilots, The Phoenix, etc..) So, the emphasis is on the drama and conflict, before we get the Hulk, for the climax. It worked beautifully and, for a long time, was Marvel's only real commercial success, in the live action world.
The original Six Million Dollar Man telemovie was a bit sparse on action, though it sprinkled in bits and pieces. The opening crash scenes capture you attention and get you going, then you see them rebuild Steve. Once he gets used to his new limbs, we see them at their height of power, plus one stunt, while on a picnic, though it was used to show a sense of alienation, when a bystander sees his wiring poking through artificial skin and reacts like he is a monster. The bulk of the action is at the end, with his rescue mission. Now, they originally envisioned it as a series of telemovies, which is how they progressed, for two more installments, before they went to an hour series.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2022 6:18:55 GMT -5
I remember being quite disappointed in those Six Million Dollar Man TV pilots, especially the lack of Richard Anderson in the pilot (I can’t recall off-hand whether he was in the other 2 pilots).
I thought the pilot for The Amazing Spider-Man was pretty good (never understood the hate that show got). We got some good Spidey action, some excellent stunt work, and rather earnest performances. Sure, there were no supervillains, but a preacher/guru-like crook who was using mind control on people was a pretty good angle.
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Post by codystarbuck on Jul 9, 2022 19:57:49 GMT -5
I remember being quite disappointed in those Six Million Dollar Man TV pilots, especially the lack of Richard Anderson in the pilot (I can’t recall off-hand whether he was in the other 2 pilots). I thought the pilot for The Amazing Spider-Man was pretty good (never understood the hate that show got). We got some good Spidey action, some excellent stunt work, and rather earnest performances. Sure, there were no supervillains, but a preacher/guru-like crook who was using mind control on people was a pretty good angle. Richard Anderson appeared in the second and third films and the tv series. Darren McGavin was Oscar Goldman, in the original, and Martin Balsam was Rudy Wells. Allan Oppenheimer (voice of Skelator, in He-Man) took over in the second film (Wine, Women and War) and is also in the third (Solid Gold Kidnap). I like the original; it has a bit more sinister of an edge. The original novel, Cyborg, by Martin Caidin, is quite a bit different. Steve's eye is a camera and his finger, on the bionic hand, fires a projectile. He also had "optional extras" to facilitate missions, like webbed feet for water operations. It also got into things like his stamina being increased, since his lungs were producing the same oxygen, but it was feeding less of his body. Spider-Man was okay; but hardly spectacular and the stunts were rather bland, for a concept like that. It really needed better antagonists. It had a few good episodes; but, not many. Now, if you could have gotten a hybrid of the Japanese Spider-Man action and the CBS series serious presentation (and a US budget) you might have had something. Wonder Woman had an interesting path to series, too. The Cathy Lee Crosby telemovie was intended as a pilot, but it wasn't well received, though it did good ratings. Retooling it with Lynda Carter worked very well. ABC then commissioned two one-hour specials, similar to the Six Million Dollar Man, but with less of a financial outlay and broadcast time. They then waited to see how they did (and they did well), then came bac with a series 6 months later, lumping the two specials into the first season episode list. I always preferred that season over the two NBC seasons, where they moved the setting to the present. The Nazis made great villains and they used more elements from the comics. It had a bit of camp, but wasn't full on Batman. The 70s episodes lacked the charm of the 40s episodes, to me (though Lyle Waggoner did not have 40s hair). |
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