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Post by greenguy on Apr 17, 2009 16:40:50 GMT -5
Thanks Mortimer, but I do have one question here: An Exec at NBC agreed and the next day worked feverishly to try and get the show back on the air (this was 1986). Well, the exec was smart enough to know the show's magic laid with the original cast and there was one person who refused the offer to return (and yes he regrets it to this day). I believe this may have lead to Heroine and it seems the exec was right - the magic was with the original cast. From what I have heard - at least lately, Katt turned it down because he was in "Perry Mason," and didn't want to leave that. Given the popularity of the original run, I could understand that (even though him not being fond of the suit was also a case too ). Plus, Connie was in "Hotel," and ABC wouldn't let her cross over networks. But you're right - that trio worked, and it said a lot when Cannell worked around Connie's pregnancy to keep her in the show instead of recast her like some would. Well the first Mason tv movie aired in Dec. of 85, the next in May of 86, then Nov. of 86, and so on. We have no idea how he was signed to appear in those tv movies, its possible even though both aired on NBC he wouldn't be allowed to perform in both (not to mention the fact that as Ralph he would be in nearly every scene) and had to make a choice to continue with the Mason tv movies or drop out of those to pick up Ralph Hinkley again. I can only recall a actor/network crossover once, with Richard Anderson playing Oscar Goldman on both The Six Million Dollar Man airing on ABC, and on The Bionic Woman broadcast on NBC. That was pretty rare, and I would guess ABC would not have wanted Sellecca moonlighting as a different character on another network. I agree there was magic with the original three.
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Post by MelMac on Apr 17, 2009 16:52:10 GMT -5
Given that he's great in "Perry Mason" as well, and costume issues aside, I could imagine it was a hard choice. This goes double with the guaranteed two years offered for "GAH." That said, even with Connie's issues being a factor (reading "Hotel" and watching the show Christine was pretty important), that two years might not have happened. You hear of shows signed on for a full season yet get pulled all the time, or going to be on for three years but two.
This is one reason I wish we got the full script for "GAHeroine" - we'd seen what quality of story we'd gotten if the show was restarted in 1986. It might've actually been a good thing the show wasn't picked up - even if the trio were back together, if the scripts were actually weak. It's almost like "Doctor Who" - some said it should've stayed off the air in 1985 instead of coming back with "Trial of the Timelord," which was a mixed bag IMHO. It also lead to a pretty long death of the show, and it took a while for it to come back to what we're seeing today.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Apr 17, 2009 22:37:30 GMT -5
Bob Saget did double duty on NBC and CBS just a few years ago. ;D [/off topic]
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Post by MelMac on Apr 17, 2009 22:42:37 GMT -5
Bob Saget did double duty on NBC and CBS just a few years ago. ;D [/off topic] True... but IMHO if Connie was able to return as well, it might've swayed Katt to return. I mean he did for the handover to begin with, and those scenes with the trio are the best of "GAHeroine." (Durn ABC...)
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Post by MortimerWest on Apr 18, 2009 16:11:46 GMT -5
Given that he's great in "Perry Mason" as well, and costume issues aside, I could imagine it was a hard choice. This goes double with the guaranteed two years offered for "GAH." That said, even with Connie's issues being a factor (reading "Hotel" and watching the show Christine was pretty important), that two years might not have happened. You hear of shows signed on for a full season yet get pulled all the time, or going to be on for three years but two. This is one reason I wish we got the full script for "GAHeroine" - we'd seen what quality of story we'd gotten if the show was restarted in 1986. It might've actually been a good thing the show wasn't picked up - even if the trio were back together, if the scripts were actually weak. It's almost like "Doctor Who" - some said it should've stayed off the air in 1985 instead of coming back with "Trial of the Timelord," which was a mixed bag IMHO. It also lead to a pretty long death of the show, and it took a while for it to come back to what we're seeing today. I love the new Doctor Who -- well.... the Moffet episodes at least.
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Post by Ms Boku on Apr 18, 2009 18:41:01 GMT -5
Given that he's great in "Perry Mason" as well, and costume issues aside, I could imagine it was a hard choice. This goes double with the guaranteed two years offered for "GAH." That said, even with Connie's issues being a factor (reading "Hotel" and watching the show Christine was pretty important), that two years might not have happened. You hear of shows signed on for a full season yet get pulled all the time, or going to be on for three years but two. This is one reason I wish we got the full script for "GAHeroine" - we'd seen what quality of story we'd gotten if the show was restarted in 1986. It might've actually been a good thing the show wasn't picked up - even if the trio were back together, if the scripts were actually weak. It's almost like "Doctor Who" - some said it should've stayed off the air in 1985 instead of coming back with "Trial of the Timelord," which was a mixed bag IMHO. It also lead to a pretty long death of the show, and it took a while for it to come back to what we're seeing today. I love the new Doctor Who -- well.... the Moffet episodes at least. Yup. the Easter special was great!
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Apr 18, 2009 18:46:54 GMT -5
I don't know. For all we know, Katt not coming back is why Connie decided not to try harder. She might have been able to network hop.
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Post by MortimerWest on Apr 18, 2009 22:28:53 GMT -5
Katt retold me the story more than once and every time he reaches the part where they offered him a large sum of money and a two year run - he always says "Someone should have slapped me!" He turned them down flat without so much as a thought. At the time he wanted the show as far behind him as possible.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Apr 18, 2009 22:38:04 GMT -5
Maybe all of his fans should make up for lost time and slap him silly with interest. ;D
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Post by MelMac on Apr 19, 2009 16:59:58 GMT -5
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Post by Videofox on Apr 19, 2009 22:32:17 GMT -5
When I met with Cannell over the movie - we talked about episodes he had in mind that were never done and one was the idea of other countries having their own suit wearers (I believe Culp wanted to bring Bill Cosby in for an episode with Cosby playing a different type of Maxwell character partnered with a suit owner). This episode was to point out that if Ralph were to try to fly into... I don't know - Russia, there would be a Russian with a suit to stop him. I had heard that Culp came up with an idea of meeting The Greatest Russian Hero but didn't know that SJC seriously considered it. Now that we know that, how do all of you think that would have impacted the GAH world, knowing that there were (almost) other suit wearers around the planet? Sure, it's a big planet, but would only countries that are superpowers--no pun intended--get their own hero? And of course, there is each country's definition of hero to take into consideration. (Look at the Elseworlds graphic novel "Superman: Red Son" for a glimpse into the mindset of a Soviet superhero, after Kal-El's ship lands in Russia instead of the United States.) There would no doubt be times that the suit wearers would team up to take on a global threat, but the rest of the time, would they be enemies? What if a certain country's idea of a hero is one who believes that the best for his people means the elimination of rival governments? Or the ones who believe that their religion is the one and only correct one and all infidels should be slaughtered? In their minds, aren't they heroes? Hopefully the greenguys would take all that into account when choosing suit wearers, but it's interesting to consider which country might be chosen and why. We can have humanitarians in other countries, but what if being a hero means going against your own government? Would The Greatest Russian Hero and The Greatest Chinese Hero be rebels, or patriots?
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Post by mmderdekea on Apr 20, 2009 8:48:21 GMT -5
Well, in my own personal mindset of TGAH, only Bill and Ralph have been given the suit on Earth. First, I like the idea of those two being special in that way, kind of solo defenders of our planet, given the fact they are both just regular old people. Plus, it makes sense to me for the GG to kind of test of what typical Earthlings will do with the suit in a free society before a suit/partner franchise is spread around to other countries, if they even choose to have several or many suit/partner teams flying around on a planet. The more teams which exist will make it absolutely harder to keep them secret and then what would happen when the suits and technologically superior aliens are discovered?
Also, I don't in particular WANT the GGs budding into the entire world--we humans should be allowed to muddle through out planet's problems on our own. A well chosen suit wearer and partner should be enough input from the GG (in my opinion)--and at least in TGAH, it worked just fine.
I can't see the GG giving really Communist countries a suit and partner--perhaps after 1989 or so, but not before. While America has it problems, always has and probably always will, the Communist countries before the Fall of the Berlin Wall would not, I believe, have appeared to the GG to be responsible countries for the suit wearer/partner, nor would the social environment for the suit/partner have enabled them to fully function without wreaking havoc on the country. As you said, Videofox, the suit/partner, if fighting for freedom, justice, and the "American way", and so forth would be going against their countries governmental set-up, and if supporting communism, oppression of the population and invasion of other countries, would be going against, one would naturally assume, the ideals and desires of the GG.
Mona (ready for whomever to disagree with me)
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Apr 20, 2009 9:30:05 GMT -5
I wonder if Cosby's team would have been floundering or if they had the book? ;D
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Post by MelMac on Apr 20, 2009 9:32:46 GMT -5
You know, I can see one possibility happen as far as multiple suit wearers as set in the time of "GAH" - there could be the good ones such as those who gave Ralph and Bill with their suit, and maybe a rogue green guy set who gave the suit to say a team from the Soviet Union or China. The only downside of it would be that there was the risk of having redundant stories - as Ralph would almost always have to win - or at least ultimately win - to fit the mindset of the time USA good guys - Communism bad guys. It's one reason I like the everyday people suit fighting cases - it helped avoid the show becoming what SJC didn't want it to - Ralph saving the world all the time. Otherwise, why give the suit to a schoolteacher in the first place - give it to a military man who specializes in those types of operations?
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Post by MelMac on Apr 20, 2009 10:59:47 GMT -5
I wonder if Cosby's team would have been floundering or if they had the book? ;D I would like to think they'd be at least at first the antithesis of Ralph and Bill - in that they knew all the suit's powers and could use them well while Ralph and Bill at times bumbled. That said, it'd been interesting to see that supposed "superteam" have some huge mistakes and Ralph and Bill help out - both then realizing that you don't have to be perfect to save the day (or something to that effect).
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Post by MortimerWest on Apr 20, 2009 20:51:13 GMT -5
To be honest if you are speaking of "defenders of the planet" there would HAVE to be more than Ralph and Bill who only operate out of Southern California - there's no way they could "defend the planet"/
And how do we know The Greatest Russian Hero wasn't behind the fall of the USSR? Maybe his task was to bring a more democratic state to his country - or at least to end the cold war.
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Post by MelMac on Apr 20, 2009 21:48:12 GMT -5
To be honest if you are speaking of "defenders of the planet" there would HAVE to be more than Ralph and Bill who only operate out of Southern California - there's no way they could "defend the planet"/ And how do we know The Greatest Russian Hero wasn't behind the fall of the USSR? Maybe his task was to bring a more democratic state to his country - or at least to end the cold war. Yeah, or the Greatest East Germany/West Germany Hero helped them tear down the Berlin Wall? (I know they'd probably say one or the other, but what's to say that when he got the suit he didn't lead two different lives on each side? Maybe there could be a total of six - one for each continent, and each has his/her own suit and powers. They might even have powers that would relate to their country, such as the ability to withstand extreme colds for Russia. And, each suit designed to adapt to those continents... ... Of course, the downside would be that DC could've probably sued and possibly WON for "GAH" copying the ideas of The Green Lantern Society - who all have different styles of suits and similar rings. If that were the case, I'd rather it'd just been the adventures of Ralph and Bill versus the world.
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Post by mmderdekea on Apr 20, 2009 21:48:13 GMT -5
I don't know, Mortimer. Bill and Ralph defended the planet on their own several times. There is always the chance that that is all the protecting the world needed. As I said, I prefer thinking it was only Bill and Ralph--I like them to be uniquely chosen by the GG. I don't WANT any other GG suit wearers, so they don't exist in my view of the TGAH Earthly "reality". I know others disagree. With no clear explanation one way or the other from the canon, it's another mindset free for all for everyone to enjoy on their own. That is, as I said before, the only benefit to the show ending too soon!
Mona PS: I am SO glad Cosby did not show up as a suit wearer. I can't imagine that being a good thing.
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Post by Videofox on Apr 20, 2009 23:38:15 GMT -5
To be honest if you are speaking of "defenders of the planet" there would HAVE to be more than Ralph and Bill who only operate out of Southern California - there's no way they could "defend the planet"/ And how do we know The Greatest Russian Hero wasn't behind the fall of the USSR? Maybe his task was to bring a more democratic state to his country - or at least to end the cold war. Now that would make an interesting story... The U.S. and Russia are on the verge of launching their nukes; perhaps a rogue General on each side (like the one in "Operation: Spoilsport") team up to bring about the inevitable confrontation. Knowing they couldn't possibly stop all the missiles, the Greatest Russian Hero smashes into Chernobyl on purpose to force a stand-down. Sure, it would mean sacrificing his country's status in the world, but knows it's the right thing to do for everyone. That could even be happening concurrently with "Operation: Spoilsport" and each hero may not even be aware of the other. While Ralph is stopping Spoilsport (a U.S. contingency), the other hero destroys Chernobyl in hopes of forcing the two superpowers into a real peace. Rats...plot bunnies start hopping again.
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Post by HoudiniDerek on Apr 21, 2009 0:16:58 GMT -5
Not in 1986. It would have been Holly. ;D
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