USA, 1966-1967
1 series, 26 episodes, average 30m each
35mm film, colour, 4:3
mono, English
An American fantasy television series based on the radio series. Two feature films, The Green Hornet (1974) and Fury of the Dragon (1976), were compiled from various episodes for theatrical release in the 1970s.
Premise
Wealthy media mogul Britt Reid teams up with martial artist Kato to fight crime as the masked vigilante Green Hornet.
Credits
Regular Crew
Greenway Productions, 20th Century-Fox Television
Created by: George W. Trendle, Fran Striker
Executive Producer: William Dozier
Produced by: Richard M. Bluel, Stanley Shpetner
Based on the Radio Series by: George W. Trendle
Regular Cast
Van Williams (Britt Reid/Green Hornet)
Bruce Lee (Kato)
Wende Wagner (Lenore “Casey” Case)
Lloyd Gough (Mike Axford)
Walter Brooke (District Attorney Frank P. Scanlon)
William Dozier (the narrator)
Episodes
The Silent Gun (9 September 1966)
Directed by: Leslie H. Martinson
Written by: Ken Pettus
Give ‘Em Enough Rope (16 September 1966)
Directed by: Seymour Robbie
Written by: Gwen Bagni, Paul Dubov
Programmed for Death (23 September 1966)
Directed by: Larry Peerce
Written by: Lewis Reed
Crime Wave (30 September 1966)
Directed by: Larry Peerce
Written by: Sheldon Stark
The Frog Is a Deadly Weapon (7 October 1966)
Directed by: Leslie H. Martinson
Written by: William L. Stuart
Eat, Drink, and Be Dead (14 October 1966)
Directed by: Murray Golden
Written by: Richard Landau
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 1 (21 October 1966)
Directed by: Allen Reisner
Written by: Lorenzo Semple Jr, Ken Pettus
Beautiful Dreamer: Part 2 (28 October 1966)
Directed by: Allen Reisner
Written by: Lorenzo Semple Jr, Ken Pettus
The Ray Is for Killing (11 November 1966)
Directed by: William Beaudine
Written by: Lee Loeb
The Preying Mantis (18 November 1966)
Directed by: Norman Foster
Written by: Charles Hoffman
The Hunters and the Hunted (25 November 1966)
Directed by: William Beaudine
Written by: Jerry Thomas
Deadline for Death (2 December 1966)
Directed by: Seymour Robbie
Written by: Ken Pettus
The Secret of the Sally Bell (9 December 1966)
Directed by: Robert L. Friend
Written by: William L. Stuart
Freeway to Death (16 December 1966)
Directed by: Allen Reisner
Written by: Ken Pettus
May the Best Man Lose (23 December 1966)
Directed by: Allen Reisner
Written by: Judith Barrows, Robert Guy Barrows
The Hornet and the Firefly (30 December 1966)
Directed by: Allen Reisner
Written by: William L. Stuart
Seek, Stalk and Destroy (6 January 1967)
Directed by: George Waggner
Written by: Jerry Thomas
Corpse of the Year: Part 1 (13 January 1967)
Directed by: James Komack
Written by: Ken Pettus
Corpse of the Year: Part 2 (27 January 1967)
Directed by: James Komack
Written by: Ken Pettus
Ace in the Hole (3 February 1967)
Directed by: William Beaudine
Written by: Stan Silverman, Robert Lees
Bad Bet on a 459-Silent (10 February 1967)
Directed by: Seymour Robbie
Written by: Judith Barrows, Robert Guy Barrows
Trouble for Prince Charming (17 February 1967)
Directed by: William Beaudine
Written by: Ken Pettus
Alias The Scarf (24 February 1967)
Directed by: Allen Reisner
Written by: William L. Stuart
Hornet Save Thyself (3 March 1967)
Directed by: Seymour Robbie
Written by: John Tait
Invasion from Outer Space: Part 1 (10 March 1967)
Directed by: Darrell Hallenbeck
Written by: Arthur Weingarten
Invasion from Outer Space: Part 2 (17 March 1967)
Directed by: Darrell Hallenbeck
Written by: Arthur Weingarten
Links
Extracts included in
Action Heroes of Movies & T.V.: A Campy Compilation (1989)
Bruce Lee: In His Own Words (1998)
Bruce Lee: The Legend Lives On (1999)
Films of Fury: The Kung Fu Movie Movie (2011)
Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 1 (1999)
Hollywood Screen Tests: Take 2 (1999)
I Am Bruce Lee (2012)
The Slanted Screen (2006)
Television: The First Fifty Years (1999)
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years (2004)
TV’s Illest Minority Moments Presented by Ego Trip (2004)
The Unbeatable Bruce Lee (2001)
See also
Batman: The Spell of Tut (1966)
Batman: The Impractical Joker (1966)
Batman: A Piece of the Action (1967)
Batman: Batman’s Satisfaction (1967)
Fury of the Dragon (1976)
The Green Hornet (1974)
The Green Hornet (2011)
Revenge of the Pink Panther (1978)
References
Periodicals
- Castle of Frankenstein no.11 p.47
- Cinema Journal vol.49 no.2 (Winter 2010) pp.63-85 – illustrated article (Batman versus The Green Hornet: The merchandisable TV text and the paradox of licensing in the classical network era by Avi Santo)
- Cinema Retro no.1 (January 2005) pp.60-61 – illustrated article (The Green Hornet by Martin Gainsford)
- Classic Images no.379 (January 2007) pp.6-12 – illustrated interview with Van Williams (Green Hornet & Surfside 6 star: Van Williams by Michael Barnum)
- Classic Images no.410 (August 2009) pp.78-83 – illustrated article (Serial days: The Green Hornet serials by Don Creacy)
- Infinity no.39 (2021) pp.24-31 – illustrated article (Green for danger! by Mark Phillips)
- Music from the Movies no.50/51 (2006) p.104 – soundtrack review (Film music review: Re-recordings: Billy May – The Green Hornet by Andrew Keech)
- Supernatural no.1 (January 1969) pp.44-46 – illustrated article (Television fantasy by Stan Nicholls)
- TV Zone no.220 (October 2007) pp.58-59 – illustrated article (Retro: The Continuing History of Television: Swatted! by Jon Abbott)
Books
- The Encyclopedia of Superheroes on Film and Television by John Kenneth Muir pp.307-314
