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''The Incredible Hulk'' is an American Television Series based on the Marvel Comic Book Character Of The Same Name . The show ran on CBS from 1978 to 1982 , and starred Bill Bixby as Dr. David Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. The concept was developed for television by Kenneth Johnson , who also developed the Alien Nation TV Series . DEVELOPMENT In early 1977, Frank Price , head of Universal Television , offered producer and writer Kenneth Johnson a deal to develop a TV show based on any of several characters they had licensed from the Marvel Comics library. Johnson turned down the offer at first, but then, while reading the Victor Hugo novel, Les Miserables , he became inspired and began working to develop the Hulk comic into a TV show. Johnson first changed the name of Dr. Bruce Banner to Dr. David Banner. This change was made, according to Johnson, because he did not want the series to be perceived as a comic book series, so he wanted to change what he felt was a staple of comic books, and Stan Lee 's comics in particular, that major characters frequently had alliterative names. However, according to Stan Lee, Universal changed the name because the name "Bruce Banner" sounds like a "gay character" name, and "David Banner" sounded better for the character. (However, "Bruce" was used as his middle name, as that was the case in the comics, except in the comics his first name is "Robert," not "David.") Moreover, he dropped the major supporting characters from the comic. And, rather than being exposed to Gamma Rays from an atomic explosion, this version of the character was involved in a more mundane laboratory accident for the sake of realism. Another significant modification to the character was changing him from a nuclear physicist to a medical doctor/researcher. Finally, despite its Marvel Superheroes roots, fantasy and science fiction elements were kept to a bare minimum in the series. The majority of episodes had absolutely none except for the Hulk himself. CASTING For the role of Dr. David Banner, The producers originally considered Larry Hagman , of I Dream Of Jeannie fame to play Banner. However, Hagman got a stint to portray J.R. Ewing on Dallas . Johnson cast veteran television actor Bill Bixby . At first, Bixby hadn't wanted to do the series; after reading the script, he quickly signed on. Next, character actor Jack Colvin was cast as Jack McGee. Modeled after the character of Javert in ''Les Miserables'', McGee was a tabloid reporter who relentlessly pursued the Hulk. The most daunting task, however, was finding someone to play the Hulk. Arnold Schwarzenegger auditioned, but was turned down due to his inadequate height. Actor Richard Kiel was hired for the role and production commenced on the Pilot movie. However, during filming, Kenneth Johnson's own son pointed out that Kiel's tall but non-muscular physique (due to his excess bodyfat) did not resemble the build of the comic book Hulk. The Hulk had to be believable, strong, and scary. Soon, Kiel was dropped and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno replaced him, though a very brief shot of Kiel as the character remained in the pilot. PREMISE The origins of the Hulk in the TV series differ greatly from the original comic book. David Banner is a physician/scientist who has been traumatized by the loss of his wife in a fatal car accident and his guilt over his inability to save her from the burning wreckage. He begins to conduct research into strange phenomena in which human beings temporarily display superhuman levels of strength, trying to understand why others faced with a traumatic experience similar to his own were able to save themselves or their loved ones while he was not. He concludes that high levels of Gamma Radiation from Sunspot s are the cause. To prove the theory, he bombards his body with gamma radiation to see if he can endow himself with temporary superhuman strength. Unbeknownst to Banner, the equipment had been upgraded, causing him to administer a far higher dose than he'd intended (2,000,000 units instead of 300,000). He initially thinks that the experiment has failed, but later that evening during a rainstorm, he experiences a flat Tire and injures himself while trying to change it. The resulting pain and anger trigger his first transformation (which begins with Banner's eyes turning a whitish-green color) into the Hulk. The Hulk proceeds to destroy Banner's car, then wanders all night through the woods before coming across a young girl fishing, reminiscent of the 1931 '' Frankenstein '' film where the monster kills the girl. The Hulk tries to help her as she runs away and is shot by her father, who he throws thirty yards into the lake. He eventually transforms back to Banner with no memory after the tire-changing incident. While Banner and Dr. Elaina Marks, his research partner and the only other person who knows what has really happened to him, try to reverse the process, the interferences of a nosy reporter named Jack McGee ( Jack Colvin ) result directly in the destruction of the research laboratory. Dr. Marks dies from injuries received in the explosion, after the Hulk, seen by McGee, carries her away from the burning building. Banner, now presumed dead, is forced to go on the run while trying to find a "cure" for his condition. In a manner vaguely similar to the popular series '' The Fugitive ,'' this forms the basis of the TV series, as Banner endlessly drifts from place to place assuming different identities. At the same time he uses the powers of the Hulk to deal with the problems of the people that he encounters much like the character of Caine in the television series '' Kung Fu '' uses his advanced martial arts skills. All the while, McGee continues pursuing the story of the mysterious monster whom he believes killed Banner and his associate. As a result, he often personally investigates sightings of the monster, forcing Banner to move on before the reporter can learn too much. A pivotal episode in this regard is "Mystery Man: Part 2" (second season). Here, an injured McGee is trying to escape a forest fire, aided by a man known only as "John Doe," whose face is covered by a gauze mask (actually Banner, who has lost his memory and burned his face in an auto accident, surviving only by "Hulking out"). During their ordeal, McGee reveals to "John" that he wants the Hulk to win a Pulitzer Prize so he can escape the pap produced by the National Register newspaper and go back to writing serious journalism. He later sees the mystery man transform into the Hulk in front of him and realizes that this is how the Hulk gets from one distant place to another without being seen in between. Throughout the entire series run, McGee never learns that Banner is the "John Doe" he pursues, though he actually comes face to face with Banner in the episode "Broken Image" but Banner manages to convince him he is a hood named Michael Cassidy who is Banner's double. The series wraps up with a standard 50 minute episode ("A Minor Problem"). Colvin does not appear in this last episode or many episodes in the later seasons. One big difference between the Hulk on TV and in comics is that the TV version was not bullet proof. However since bullets penetrate by exerting hundreds of pounds of force per square inch, the Hulk who can bend steel in his bare hands should have skin hard enough to be able to withstand such impacts. The TV Hulk does have a speeded up metabolism which allows him to heal from such injuries very quickly (certainly before the episode is over). OPENING NARRATION The opening narration to the show was done by Ted Cassidy . Each week it went like this: ''Dr. David Banner: physician; scientist. Searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of gamma radiation alters his body chemistry. And now when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs. The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter.'' (Bixby: "Mr. McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."--a clip from the first pilot) ''The creature is wanted for a murder he didn't commit. David Banner is believed to be dead, and he must let the world think that he is dead, until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.'' The original narration for the second pilot episode, ''Death in the Family'', was fundamentally the same, but had some differences in the specifics, and was as follows: ''Dr. David Banner: physician; scientist. Searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of gamma radiation interacts with his unique body chemistry. And now when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs. The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter.'' (Bixby: "Mr. McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.") ''An accidental explosion took the life of a fellow scientist and supposedly David Banner as well. The reporter thinks the creature was responsible.'' (McGee: "I gave a description to all the law enforcement agencies. They got a warrant for murder on him.") ''A murder which David Banner can never prove he or the creature didn't commit. So he must let the world go on thinking that he, too, is dead, until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.'' MUSIC One of the distinctive elements of this series that set it apart was the Musical Score used. In particular, the most famous music is a wistful Piano piece called "The Lonely Man". It is typically used at the Closing Credits that typically show Banner on the road hitchhiking to the next town, burdened as ever with the destructive curse. This kind of quiet motif is unique in superhero television series, which usually end with fast-tempoed and brassy theme music. Joseph Harnell was the music composer of the series. "The Lonely Man" is also a running motif on the Opie And Anthony show on XM Satellite Radio . The hosts play the music when a guest tells a story that is either sad in nature, unfunny, or has gone wrong. CANCELLATION In 1981, with a major entertainment union strike on the horizon, the production team continued filming episodes for the show's 5th season directly upon completion of the fourth. However, with seven of these "in the can," CBS cancelled the show due to a slight change in the ratings and budget. Rumors were going around at the time that Bill Bixby's contract was up, and that he wanted to move on. Bixby had wanted to see his character being cured from being the Hulk. Also, both executive producer Kenneth Johnson and producer Nicholas Corea had gone to Harvey Shepard , who was president of CBS entertainment at the time, to ask for clearance to shoot nine unfilmed scripts for the series to give the show a mid-season run. They were turned down, and the pilot and the first four seasons were released into general syndication. By that time the union had gone on strike as expected, and that autumn CBS aired five of the seven "5th season" episodes made, running the last two and repeating three of the others the following summer. That fall, all seven were added to the rerun package. The nine unfilmed scripts included, "Los Indios," Parts 1-2 (Season 3), "Double Exposure," (Season 3), "The Trial of Jack McGee," (Season 5), "David Banner, RIP," (Season 5), "The Steel Mill," (Season 5), "The Survivors," (Season 5), "Killer on Board," (Season 5), and "Eyes of the Beholder," (Season 5). Also, Johnson and Corea had wanted to do a two-hour series finale in which Banner is caught and is found out to be alive, goes on trial for the death of Elaina Marks, resolves things with McGee, and gets cured from his hulk-outs. MADE FOR TV MOVIES Two episodes of the series appeared first as Stand-alone Movies , but were later re-edited into one-hour length (two-parters) for Syndication . They were produced as pilots before the series officially began in 1978 .
Six years after the cancellation of the television series in 1982 , three Television Movie s were produced with Bixby and Ferrigno reprising their roles. All of these aired on NBC .
Despite the apparent death of the Hulk in the 1990 film, more Incredible Hulk television movies were planned (including a proposed ''Rebirth of the Incredible Hulk'' to help launch a pilot for She-Hulk and Iron Man . In the mid-80s, there was also talk about doing a television movie with the cast from the 1977-1979 live action ''Spider-Man'' television series. However, all such projects were canceled when Bill Bixby died of cancer in November 1993. DVD RELEASES : Main Article: The Incredible Hulk DVD Releases All three of the NBC TV movies ('' The Incredible Hulk Returns '', '' The Trial Of The Incredible Hulk '' and '' The Death Of The Incredible Hulk '') have been available on DVD since 2003 , the first two were released by Anchor Bay Entertainment while ''The Death of the Incredible Hulk'' was released by 20th Century Fox home video. A double-sided DVD entitled ''The Incredible Hulk - Original Television Premiere'', which contained the original pilot and the "Married" episodes, was released by Universal Studios DVD in 2003 to promote Ang Lee 's '' Hulk '' motion picture. A six-disc set entitled ''The Incredible Hulk - The Television Series Ultimate Collection'' was released by Universal DVD later in 2003. This set includes several notable episodes including "Death in the Family," "The First," and "Prometheus". On July 18 , 2006 , Universal released ''The Incredible Hulk'' - Season One on DVD. This set contains the original pilot movies, the entire first season, and a "preview" episode ("Stop the Presses") from Season Two. On , 2007 TRIVIA
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