The Green Hornet (1966)

The Green Hornet. Made by Greenways productions and produced by William Dozier. The Show has fallen under the myth that it wasn't as good as BATMAN. Or that the only thing it had going for it was The Legendary Bruce Lee as Kato. The show wasn't played campy like BATMAN was. and that makes all the difference.The Green Hornet was introduced on radio as the nephew to the Lone Ranger. Daily Sentinel publisher Britt Reid takes a page from his great uncle and puts on a green mask and pretends to be a criminal while smashing the underworld. The Radio show proved to be as popular as the Lone Ranger resulting in two movie serials one starring Gordon Jones as the Green hornet and a second one starring Warren hull as the Hornet.The Gordon Jones THE GREEN HORNET gets as close to anything as to providing a origin for the Green Hornet.When Dozier got the rights for the Green hornet he wanted to play it straight no campiness. And he found Bruce Lee who rose to fame playing the hornet's trusty aide Kato. Van Williams became such a fan of Lee's he tried to get Lee more scenes or even dedicate a episode to Kato which never panned out.Together they created one of the greatest shows of the sixties. It has often been a mystery to me as to why did BATMAN Become such a cultural and iconic show? When The Green hornet was a much better show and much superior to BATMAN .The Stories are thrilling and original the acting is solid and the shows proves it was more then Bruce Lee Van Williams portrayal of Britt Reid AKA the Green Hornet is just as iconic as Adam West's as Batman. The Stories are almost noirish in their telling. Even the worst episodes are fun.The Green Hornet should have gone on for more then one season. but I'm glad we got what we did. simply because it is one of the finest examples of TV magic at its best.

what a show the green hornet was i loved watching him work.the show was a milestone in its time,i just wish it had run more than one season.it just so happens that i have the entire shows run on VHS tape.i have a bit of trivia for hornet fans in the episode called the praying mantis the actor called Mako fought Bruce lee,Kato to a standstill plus he was a mentor/manipulator of Brandon lee,Bruce lees son in the TV movie called Kung Fu the movie.in which he hypnotized Brandon lee in to believing that Kwai Chang Cain was his enemy.And to top it all off Bruce lee wanted to portray Kwai Chang Cain in the TV show Kung Fu.PS i also have the movie called Kung Fu the movie in which Brandon Lee made his film debut.

I was a huge fan of The Green Hornet TV series when it premiered in the fall of 1966.Several years ago I bought the complete set of tapes for the show & watched it with great interest having not seen it since it went off the air in '67.It has many wonderful qualities to it.A fine cast,intriguing hardware,and a serious approach.I am still impressed with The Black Beauty,loaded with an array of clever weapons, as it revolves out of its hiding place.The Hornet Gas Gun is a nifty,non-lethal device that originated with the character when he first came to radio.I always loved The Hornet Sting as it telescoped outward in order to use its sonic waves.And what an imaginative premise it was to have a crimefighting duo "appear" as mastermind criminals in order to infiltrate the bad guys orginizations,and thus break them up from within.Yes, the series does have its drawbacks.The 30-minute format does not allow much character development of the cast or guest stars,as well as the plot.Bruce Lee's superb martial arts skills are underutilized,and he was never happy that Kato was a servant.Some of the scripts are formulaic and the crooks of the week routine.Van Williams who played Britt Reid,a.k.a.the Green Hornet,said that the show was renewed for a second season.But there was a dispute between the ABC network & the producers of the show.One wanted to have the series return as an hour show,the other wanted it to remain in its half-hour format.As an hour series it could have corrected its flaws & become a cult classic.Come to think of it,it already is.

The best thing about The Green Hornet TV Series is that it is really a show for Adults that will entertain children too. The tone of the series and the storylines where so far ahead of their time and gritty back in 1966 and 1967 and as a consequence of this The Green Hornet was often (and unfavourably) cast in the shadow of the far less superior, campy Batman TV Show. The episodes often dealt with the Mafia, Chinese Triads, Drug Abuse et al, but all done in a glossy exciting way remeniscent of the Marvel comics being churned out by Stan Lee and co at the same time. The most remarkable thing is the onscreen chemistry between Van William's Green Hornet/Britt Reid and megastar in waiting Bruce Lee's Kato. Firstly Van Williams as The Green Hornet and his millionaire alter ego Britt Reid, the publisher of the Daily Centenal is as good as the best actors to play Superheroes. He is certainly as good as George Reeves was as Superman, and alot more believable than Adam West's Batman. Williams plays the role with an air of Sean Connery-esque suave, cool and confidence making for a memorable Green Hornet. Bruce Lee is simply a revelation as Kato, possesing an confidence and arrogance in the role really lifting the character of Kato off the comic book page. Together Williams and Lee work excellent. You get the impression that these guys really are the best of buddies and would die for one another. All this is met by fantastic production values culminating in the most impressive representations of superhero movie vehicles, the sublime Black Beauty. There is also the memorable opening credits set to the whirling theme tune by Billy May.On the downside it might just be possible that the series takes itself too seriously. But there is enough here to enjoy. Five minutes of Bruce Lee in action as Kato is worth an admission fee, trust me. The writers, and producer William Dozier came up with a great representation of the Fran Striker and George W Trendle characters : an exciting, action packed series, with the odd blimp not withstanding was far too under-rated and undervalued. Kevin Smith and Jake Gyllenhall, the future of The Green Hornet is now in your hands. Do your best guys.