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Post by HoudiniDerek on Aug 3, 2008 21:13:28 GMT -5
I have to say that at least Katt is making the effort after all these years. He sees how great it was and that the fans like it and he is willing to spend time and money to make it work. I think that shows great maturity on his part regardless of what the overall reason for it might turn out to be.
As for staying true to the characters, I see no reason to believe Katt would not. He was on the show and knew them and he will have help and someone sitting on the sidelines who knows the characters too. Plus, with retelling some of the earlier stories, he will slip back into that mindset and it should be kosher all around.
If it is not, we as fans do not have to buy or support. However, something official like this from the original cast and crew should impress TRUE fans.
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Post by MelMac on Aug 3, 2008 22:26:04 GMT -5
After reading these comments, I must - as a MODERATOR ONLY, and unless overruled by the admin, lock this thread. I want to make this clear, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I have read excellent debate on this issue. This thread lock is not addressed to those who have debated on the issue in question - and rest assured ALL comments have been read. However, as a moderator, I feel there have been comments made on this thread that I feel attack William Katt himself. In my POV, this is considered flaming, and I do have authority to lock a thread in this case. When "TGAH 2008" (the spinoff fanseries that I presume as of this post is in hiatus) appeared, MyTatuo - who is the senior mod here - said that there would be no attacking of Caesar Collazo personally. If so, the person would be up for banning from this board. The link is: www.tgah.proboards43.com/index.cgi?board=movie&action=display&thread=603&page=18His posting is the following (bold, color my emphasis): I am going to approve Mr Collazo for membership now. Hopefully he is joining to give us the official word on the project, and not simply to call us "negative" or "morons". That said, I WARN EVERY MEMBER here NOT to name-call in return. I will BAN ANYONE who flames another, even if it is a long-time member bad-mouthing Collazo. Anyone has the chance to explain without having to actual defend themselves from attacks. [/color] (I gave "B" the benefit of the doubt until the multiple login and Alun Clewe info came out.)[/size][/quote] As William Katt is officially a member of an official "GAH" project, I see no reason to not extend the same courtesy to him - regardless if he reads/posts on this board or not. Note - This courtesy also applies to Stephen Cannell, Robert Culp, Connie Sellecca, Dennis Madalone or any cast or crew from the show. Greenguy - the admin of this board and whom has final say, has been notified about this thread and the comments in question. He will have final say in what happens - to allow these comments to pass and remain or further action, which yes, might include removal of these comments, suspension, or yes, banning from the board as per the Collazo issue. Further - if a new thread is created to address this issue, it WILL be locked and the link will be given to Greenguy as well. Thank you for your help in this matter. -- MelMac
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Post by greenguy on Aug 4, 2008 14:19:20 GMT -5
After reading everything here, the thread is unlocked. I can see why Mel felt it was turning into a flamefest due to ralphsisters comments, however while I personally wouldn't have voiced my concerns the same way, I'm sure Katt being an actor for so many years is thick skinned enough to deal with comments such as those if he read them.
I thought EVERYONE did a fine job in responding to every point made by ralphsister. in that case I won't rehash here, since it would just repeat what others already stated. I would like to add that Katt himself tried to mount a reunion movie in the late 90's, this coming from Connie Sellecca in an interview that appeared in The Houston Chronicle. A fellow fan, sent me via snail mail a copy of the article itself. Here's TGAH related portion of the piece from Jan. of 1997.
SELLECCA AND KATT DISCUSS REUNION FILM By David Martindale
Would you believe The Greatest American Hero might take flight again? Connie Sellecca, who costarred with William Katt for three seasons on the early 80's spoof of super hero shows, says it's a possiblity. Katt contacted her last month about reprising their former roles. "He called about putting together a reunion of The Greatest American Hero, a two-hour movie, and I said,'Count me in....as long as I get to wear the suit.'" Leave it to Sellecca-who always had a flair for fashion, who even has her own clothing line with Montgomery Ward-to bring up the "super suit." You may recall that The Greatest American Hero was about high school teacher Ralph Hinkley (Katt) who had a close encounter with space aliens. The aliens gave him a costume (red tights with a black cape and silver belt) that endowed him with super powers and a user's manual that he promptly lost. Only Ralph's girlfriend Pam (Sellecca) and an FBI agent (Robert Culp) knew his secret. It is a little surprising that Katt is the one pushing the reunion, given that he hated wearing his super-hero costume. "No, he didn't like wearing the suit," Sellecca recalls. "But I think he didn't realize the potential at the time. It was a wonderful, wonderful show. I think one of the reasons the show ended as early as it did was he was very uncomfortable wearing the suit. I said,'I'll wear it' But they never took me up on it." Sellecca says she only has fond memories of doing the series. What's more, the show might have played a small part in her marrying John Tesh in 1992. "It's interesting: My husband had seen every episode of The Greatest American Hero when I met him, and he had not seen one episode of Hotel."
The rest of the short article goes on to talk about her latest (at the time) TV movie. No more was written about TGAH.
Many of us here are fans of not only the series, but of the actors themselves. All of us are not going to get along. As Maxwell said in the pilot, "we couldn't agree on how to make kool-aid" but let's hope in the end we all agree that we'd like to see something new about our favorite series be a success.
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Post by MelMac on Aug 4, 2008 15:15:15 GMT -5
I appreciate Greenguy's comments and decision on this matter - but I wish to add my two cents as to my part. What I did was a precaution as well to prevent this from becoming a possible full out flamefest (reading the debate on ralphssister's comments this could've happened), and wanted greenguy to have the right to decide this with all the cards in play. I again want to make clear as I did in the Comic Con thread, my decision to lock the thread - even temporarily - was not because I am a fan of Katt's. I would've locked this thread temporarily (and more than likely still been overruled) if I felt there were comments that attacked Culp, Connie, SJC, Dennis Madalone or others in this project. Rest assured that if I feel anyone's attacked, I will lock it and again let Greenguy or MyTatuo make the final say. I will always let people know the reason I'm locking a thread on this board - even temporarily - so people don't feel I am being biased or heavy-handed. I do this most moves as well when needed. However, if you wish to inquire further about my reasoning to lock a thread at anytime, you are welcome to PM me and address it. That said, I also respect greenguy's decisions on these cases, whether he agrees with me or not and vice versa. This case, he read my discussion on the subject and after making his final choice, gave me precedent to show why he was keeping it unlocked. He has let my decisions stand (i.e. Succatash's gun thread remaining locked as well as threads debating that issue) as well as reversed them. I hope that this explains things as to why I chose to lock the thread (even if I did get long-winded). We have had true flamefests here on board, but had no one be able to intervene and greenguy, MyTatuo or Maxwell-FBI were not available to lock the thread. I will also continue to lock threads when there is an issue/concern with the comments made. This is why he chose me to be a moderator of this board - to help out as well, and I thank you for your patience for this temporary lock.
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Post by ralphssister on Aug 9, 2008 22:51:27 GMT -5
Hi All, Hey, thanks for not killing me here, in fact, I appreciate the feedback and the lively debate. The only point I wish to further make is that I am a fan, very much so, and don't confuse the questioning of motivation with the lack of fandom. Two separate issues. William Katt is an actor and a person who needs to make a living, he is not motivated by love of character. This is a business, period. I can see now why there will be money in this venture...for that can't fault either Katt or Cannell. I do not believe Katt "got anything" except that he missed a major market opportunity by not continuing in his acting role as the character of Ralph Hinkley. My point only was, Robert Culp, who was a known entity and accomplished actor managed to resume the franchise, albeit a failure, 25 years ago in 1983. He put his money where his mouth was, literally. To MelMac: locking this thread was not cool. If William Katt was offended, then......LET HIM RESPOND. In fact, let him respond. Unlike Collazzo, a fan, who is active on the board, receptive to fans, and interactive.....I don't see any evidence that any person directly affiliated with TGAH has any activity on this board. That is ashame, because, after reading some of the analysis of episodes and questions asked, I think there are some highly intelligent people contributing here. People who would make any venture a success, and not only from a monetary standpoint. Why is there no commentary, news, or insight from any of them (Katt, Culp, Sellecca, SJC)? If they were so concerned about character and the fans, wouldn't they respond? Collazzo has repeatedly provided justification or plot insight to his work....he has answered critics and took the "bashing" - folks that is part of the job, part of the life of a writer or creator, part of life generally - how you respond to the criticism is the key. That concludes my commentary on this subject. What I would love to see is a fanfiction tribute to Ralph Hinkley/TGAH for the 30th anniversary...a collection of stories from the people who care and are not profit motivated that are a testament to the greatest superhero ever developed. DC did something similiar for Superman's anniversary. Now that, I would pay for!
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Post by MelMac on Aug 10, 2008 23:11:08 GMT -5
To MelMac: locking this thread was not cool. If William Katt was offended, then......LET HIM RESPOND. In fact, let him respond. Unlike Collazzo, a fan, who is active on the board, receptive to fans, and interactive.....I don't see any evidence that any person directly affiliated with TGAH has any activity on this board. Ralphssister, as I have mentioned prior, I am a moderator of this board, and reading all the responses and PM's on the subject, decided to lock this thread because I felt it necessary to avoid a flamefest. And again, I'd done it if it were ANY actor and let Greenguy, who is admin and has final say, decide. That is my duty as a moderator - and I will continue to lock threads, whether temporarily or not, if I deem it necessary. While I was overruled, I understand greenguy's reasoning. He refered to an incident some time earlier on this board where we had members here call Culp a "pr*ck" and said a board for an actor could be called something else that is suited for the smut board - and the comments stayed. And, now that I have precedence - both ways, I can use that for future decisions in matters such as this. What is not cool, IMHO, is to question or comment here about a staff member's decision to intervene with issues on the board, which has happened twice now on this case. Again, if anyone has a question or comment about a thread being locked, please feel free to send a PM to one of the staff. My case, I do read all private messages sent to me - regardless of tone, and will answer questions to the best of my ability and within my duties as a mod. Though as I said I will always mention why I lock a thread, I also understand that I am not always clear, so this is another avenue to get a complete answer. Also, based on comments here, more people agreed with my decision than not. ************************ Now, as far as the original cast coming aboard here to comment, if they so choose to join this board, they are more than welcome to. There's never been a stipulation that says they can't, only that if a member impersonates any of the cast, they'd be permanently banned from the board. From experience however, I can also say that all of them are very busy doing what they need to do to assure this project comes to fruition when they say it will. I respect that and understand if they can't spend time on this board to comment. Besides, they're contributing in their own way via blogs and stories around the Internet, which we link here - quite often. As far as Collazo, I will not again rehash my reasons as to why, but while I respect your opinion, I strongly disagree with it.
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Post by MelMac on Aug 10, 2008 23:48:06 GMT -5
Please visit the "Greatest American Hero Fan Fiction" Web site at www.jadewarlock.proboards50.com. You'll see many stories written by fans of "GAH" that are from the heart and are not profit driven.
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Post by the suit on Aug 11, 2008 8:54:22 GMT -5
i have just recently heard about the gah movie from my friend mike and i'm all for it! when's it due for release and will owen wilson be in the uit-say? btw: regarding ms b's pic w/ william katt: (center, above) he needs to lose the mustache, it does not become him!!!! the suit p.s. i'm getting married!
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Post by MelMac on Aug 11, 2008 9:01:14 GMT -5
i have just recently heard about the gah movie from my friend mike and i'm all for it! when's it due for release and will owen wilson be in the uit-say? btw: regarding ms b's pic w/ william katt: (center, above) he needs to lose the mustache, it does not become him!!!! the suit p.s. i'm getting married! Congrats on the marriage, and good to hear from you again the suit. As far as the movie, we do not know when it'll be out or who is going to be in the production. The only hard and firm comment we've heard about the project is that the comic book would be out beginning in November. There are a few threads in this folder that are also for speculation on the movie: costume, plot, actors, etc. I agree with Katt and the mustache, but for all we know he had to grow it for something he was acting in. Felt this way too with his longish hair in the DVD interviews - I think that was done around the time "Gamers" was made. Then again - I just wish he'd stay clean shaven unless it's for a project he's in. Mustaches and beards to age people - did him a little in "Butch and Sundance: The Early Days" as well.
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Post by the suit on Aug 11, 2008 9:08:33 GMT -5
thanks! i'll try to keep in touch from time to time and here's hoping that owen get's the magic jammies! and if anybody hears from thatgirl, tell her i sent out her beatles cartoons last monday. the suit
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Post by Ms Boku on Aug 11, 2008 9:18:20 GMT -5
Hi All, Hey, thanks for not killing me here, in fact, I appreciate the feedback and the lively debate. The only point I wish to further make is that I am a fan, very much so, and don't confuse the questioning of motivation with the lack of fandom. Two separate issues. William Katt is an actor and a person who needs to make a living, he is not motivated by love of character. This is a business, period. I can see now why there will be money in this venture...for that can't fault either Katt or Cannell. I do not believe Katt "got anything" except that he missed a major market opportunity by not continuing in his acting role as the character of Ralph Hinkley. My point only was, Robert Culp, who was a known entity and accomplished actor managed to resume the franchise, albeit a failure, 25 years ago in 1983. He put his money where his mouth was, literally. To MelMac: locking this thread was not cool. If William Katt was offended, then......LET HIM RESPOND. In fact, let him respond. Unlike Collazzo, a fan, who is active on the board, receptive to fans, and interactive.....I don't see any evidence that any person directly affiliated with TGAH has any activity on this board. That is ashame, because, after reading some of the analysis of episodes and questions asked, I think there are some highly intelligent people contributing here. People who would make any venture a success, and not only from a monetary standpoint. Why is there no commentary, news, or insight from any of them (Katt, Culp, Sellecca, SJC)? If they were so concerned about character and the fans, wouldn't they respond? Collazzo has repeatedly provided justification or plot insight to his work....he has answered critics and took the "bashing" - folks that is part of the job, part of the life of a writer or creator, part of life generally - how you respond to the criticism is the key. That concludes my commentary on this subject. What I would love to see is a fanfiction tribute to Ralph Hinkley/TGAH for the 30th anniversary...a collection of stories from the people who care and are not profit motivated that are a testament to the greatest superhero ever developed. DC did something similiar for Superman's anniversary. Now that, I would pay for! OK I am going out on a limb here because you seem to think Katt's motivations are just fro money. He, for one is not a greedy self centered person. He is not. Yes, business is a part of it as it always is with every single person n this planet. BUT He is doing this because he knows WE want to see it. They ALL said they felt it ended prematurely and there were more stories to tell. Gee that tells me there is love for the show and character. He wants to tell them and we want him to! As far as why he didn't come back to the series. (and he was promised 3 years) As I have started before and as HE himself said. He didn't comeback because he had a commitment to Perry Mason. THAT is the reason why as said per his mouth! Heroine Failed because it SUCKED! I'm sorry but in all reality with out the original cast that chemistry was lost! It lost it's charm and appeal. But for whatever reason someone chose to air it. very gracious and very genuine to his fans and people around him all the time. As far as collazo seeing as he was so gung ho and keeping us in the loop about the series and doing a count down which he failed but still managed to do for the next day, I find it quite strange that he has not posted anything more than a 5 min vid and telling us nothing of why or when any vids will get posted. Even though I hated Heroine I still wanted to see his project. I have made vids to You Tube and it doesn't take that long to upload. Katt and the others keep us informed of their projects. As far as Melmac locking the thread I felt it was the right thing do because it would have turned out to be something we don't want to promote here. A flame fest. She did what she needed to do. I stand by that. I am sorry if I am out of line here and while I know everyone is entitled to their opinions, it seems to me that you are in attack mode for some reason. again I apologize if I am out of line.
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Post by MelMac on Aug 11, 2008 9:33:59 GMT -5
thanks! i'll try to keep in touch from time to time and here's hoping that owen get's the magic jammies! and if anybody hears from thatgirl, tell her i sent out her beatles cartoons last monday. the suit Sure, will do there. ThatGirl is on and off right now (haven't heard from her in a while), but I bet she'll be tickled to hear about this. Not sure about Owen getting the jammies, though I think if he can balance out his humor he has a fair shot at being at least considered for the role. That said, he's still probably recovering from his suicide attempt a few months ago (breakdown), and I feel that it's best for him to get better first, then consider acting again. I've enjoyed his work in several things (both "Knights" movies), and want him to get well so he can do even better.
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Post by greenguy on Aug 11, 2008 9:38:14 GMT -5
Hi All, My point only was, Robert Culp, who was a known entity and accomplished actor managed to resume the franchise, albeit a failure, 25 years ago in 1983. He put his money where his mouth was, literally. Actually, the original series was cancelled in early 1983, and the failed GAHeroine pilot did not come about until 1986. While Culp may have played a role in the series getting another shot, it was reported many times before the pilot was shot that NBC's Brandon Tartikoff was the one originally interested in bringing the show back. I have not heard that reported recently, 20+ years have past, and many people many not remember that portion. One cannot deny Culp's involvement, part of the script for TGAHeroine was based on a script Culp himself was working on for the original show, in which Ralph and Bill travel to save the whales. So to me, it seemes like it was a group effort in trying to revive the show in another form.
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Post by MelMac on Aug 11, 2008 9:43:37 GMT -5
Hi All, My point only was, Robert Culp, who was a known entity and accomplished actor managed to resume the franchise, albeit a failure, 25 years ago in 1983. He put his money where his mouth was, literally. Actually, the original series was cancelled in early 1983, and the failed GAHeroine pilot did not come about until 1986. While Culp may have played a role in the series getting another shot, it was reported many times before the pilot was shot that NBC's Brandon Tartikoff was the one originally interested in bringing the show back. I have not heard that reported recently, 20+ years have past, and many people many not remember that portion. One cannot deny Culp's involvement, part of the script for TGAHeroine was based on a script Culp himself was working on for the original show, in which Ralph and Bill travel to save the whales. So to me, it seemes like it was a group effort in trying to revive the show in another form. Cool, didn't know the plot was based on a script being worked on for the original series (the save the whales bit). Would've also liked to have seen "The Long Fall..." but at least we're seeing there were several ideas in the works had the show not been shut down before it's time. Wonder if - should these be a success - they'll consider using that script as a possible series of animated shorts after the linking story is done. Do know that the animated shorts can be popular - "Doctor Who's" recent one (name escapes me right now) is a good example.
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Post by greenguy on Aug 11, 2008 10:20:52 GMT -5
Actually, the original series was cancelled in early 1983, and the failed GAHeroine pilot did not come about until 1986. While Culp may have played a role in the series getting another shot, it was reported many times before the pilot was shot that NBC's Brandon Tartikoff was the one originally interested in bringing the show back. I have not heard that reported recently, 20+ years have past, and many people many not remember that portion. One cannot deny Culp's involvement, part of the script for TGAHeroine was based on a script Culp himself was working on for the original show, in which Ralph and Bill travel to save the whales. So to me, it seemes like it was a group effort in trying to revive the show in another form. Cool, didn't know the plot was based on a script being worked on for the original series (the save the whales bit). Would've also liked to have seen "The Long Fall..." but at least we're seeing there were several ideas in the works had the show not been shut down before it's time. I have a interview with Culp from 1982, in which he explains in another script, a two-parter he was working on. Ralph gets disgusted with what they're doing and runs off and wants to save the whales. Maxwell of course wants no part, "I don't like fish. I don't even like to eat fish! I don't care about 'em!" He of course ends up agreeing to go, and the first time he sees the whalers killing the whales he goes berserk, attacking the ship with a .30-.30, and someone shoots photo's and it's an international incident, etc. This portion of his script fits more in line with the original 2 hour script for TGAHeroine than what ended up on screen in the finished pilot. So that's why I think Culp had some contributions behind the scenes in bringing the show back. Not that he couldn't have had more, this is just one example.
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Post by MST3Claye on Aug 11, 2008 11:08:26 GMT -5
I have made vids to You Tube and it doesn't take that long to upload. Does it cost you a single penny or dime to put these vids up on youtube? Wonder if - should these be a success - they'll consider using that script as a possible series of animated shorts after the linking story is done. Do know that the animated shorts can be popular - "Doctor Who's" recent one (name escapes me right now) is a good example. Doctor Who - Infinite Quest, which was very good. It was for the kiddies but still had a good appeal to it.
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Post by Ms Boku on Aug 11, 2008 12:20:45 GMT -5
I have made vids to You Tube and it doesn't take that long to upload. Does it cost you a single penny or dime to put these vids up on youtube? Nope. Its' free.
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Post by MelMac on Aug 11, 2008 13:01:13 GMT -5
Wonder if - should these be a success - they'll consider using that script as a possible series of animated shorts after the linking story is done. Do know that the animated shorts can be popular - "Doctor Who's" recent one (name escapes me right now) is a good example. Doctor Who - Infinite Quest, which was very good. It was for the kiddies but still had a good appeal to it. I thought it was good too - and one reason I want to get the Second Doctor Series "The Invasion." They drew two of the missing filmed episodes of that series this way, and what little I've seen they look fantastic. Unfortunately, the group decided to not continue with it - which I wish they'd do just one more episode: the fourth part to "The Tenth Planet" - the first Doctor's swan song and the first regeneration. (At least someone recorded that on those mini cameras in their day... or we wouldn't at least have the regeneration ). But if those were great, I'd like to see where they go with "GAH" on the animated stories. Could be even better.
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Post by MelMac on Aug 11, 2008 13:59:02 GMT -5
Heroine Failed because it SUCKED! I'm sorry but in all reality with out the original cast that chemistry was lost! It lost it's charm and appeal. But for whatever reason someone chose to air it. very gracious and very genuine to his fans and people around him all the time. Also, "GAHeroine" was a test pilot, never intended to be an actual episode and typically, not aired to the public. For some reason, they chose to include this in the syndication package and added the season three opening and closing credits of "GAH."
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Post by the suit on Aug 11, 2008 16:24:22 GMT -5
hi again, melmac! just curious: if not owen, then who's your pick to wear the uit-say? the suit
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