Talk:The Green Hornet

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Contents

[edit] When Jack McCarthy Played The Green Hornet on the radio show

I changed the dates of when Jack McCarthy played the part of the Green Hornet to read: 1947 to 1952. In 1952 the show went off the air. I base those dates on two things: (1) Jack McCarthy was my father and I was a kid and remember the dates during those years; (2) Jack McCarthy's good friend, Dick Osgood, wrote a book "WXYIE Wonderland" (1981) in which all the dates are spelled out. I added Osgood's book as a reference. Jtmc (talk) 19:15, 19 April 2008 (UTC)Tom McCarthy April 19, 2008

[edit] Titles?

I Was wondering if anyone had all the titles? In order of broadcast if possible. Also start And finish dates (years). Anyone interested the Action channel is showing GH episodes on Fri & Sat louie318@webtv.net

There's a link to Jerry Haendiges' radio logs at the bottom of the article. He's got as many as anybody, even though he thinks that a title he's seen on A script copy is more official than a title read on the air by the announcer/narrator, which by definition is not just on a script, but on the final version. Ted Watson 20:39, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] City?

Does anyone know from what city the Green Hornet operated? Is it ever revealed? Harvestdancer 19:07, 29 Apr 2005 (UTC)

I found a website that says it is Washington D.C., but I would like to be sure before I add that. Harvestdancer 16:33, 4 May 2005 (UTC)
I had always believed it was Chicago, but I can't find any evidence to support or refute that. Could it be a fictional city that is never explicitly named? [EDIT] On the official Phillip Jose Farmer/Wold Newton website [1], it is conjectured that the city is "possibly Detroit", but no evidence is given (probably taken from the fact that the Lone Ranger and Green Hornet radio series originated there). I've searched about a dozen websites and two books and none mention the name of any city, let alone a conjecture as to what it might have been. I did find that Warren Ellis places his Green Hornet/Shadow/Spider amalgam (Bret Leather, the Shadowy Spider) in Chicago, but like the Wold Newton "info", that's pretty much irrelevant. Canonblack 00:24, 31 January 2006 (UTC) [edit Canonblack 03:28, 31 January 2006 (UTC)]
There is one radio episode called "Washington Story" where a case takes Reid/Hornet to Washington, D.C., which means he lived someplace else. Ted Watson 20:39, 13 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] DVD

Are there any plans to release the show on DVD?

They are already on DVD.-Vmrgrsergr 21:42, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Bootlegs only, not official, licensed, or with "bells and whistles" of any kind. Ted Watson 21:17, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Robert Hall in lead, when?

I would like to talk with whomever is responsible for posting that Robert Hall's starring run as the Green Hornet ended in 1951. All other sources state that he turned the part over to Jack McCarthy sometime in 1946, but there is indeed evidence working against this, namely that the voice doesn't seem to change until much later in the run, judging from the audio recordings that I have. This is why I have not changed it to match ALL the other reports. The situation, however, is even more complicated. Jerry Haendiges' radio logs--there's a link at the bottom of the article--indicates no episodes were aired between September 1950 and September 1952, eliminating anybody's run ending in 1951. Contrary to this, however, is the following: He restricts the show being sponsored by Orange Crush to the late '52 final run, while early 1949 episodes were, like the majority of the run, "sustained," i.e., unsponsored. This is a problem relevant to the claim of hiatus because one of my audio cassettes bears the eps "The Face in the Television" and "Pretender to the Throne," which Jerry dates February 1949 and December 1952, respectively, but they both carry Orange Crush ads and the same actor in the lead, one who is NOT heard in what '47 and '48 episodes I have (The earlier performer might well be Hall, staying on here longer than anyone else thinks, as you indicate he did if not for as long as you did, and this other fellow McCarthy; if he's not Bob in '47 and '48, then there is an unidentified fifth lead actor, either between Hall and McCarthy or after McCarthy, PERIOD!). Furthermore, as the title of the allegedly earlier of those two episodes might suggest, TV is depicted as a casual fact of life, which is much more plausible in late '52 (and that is also consistent with the aforementioned OC sponsorship) than early '49, as Jerry has it. When I asked him if it was possible OC sponsored reruns as well as that Fall '52 new run (I specifically suggested within that two-year gap, but it has since occurred to me that after production shut down for good in December '52 is also a distinct possibility, especially given Dell's one-shot comic book with a September 1953 cover date), Jerry declined to acknowledge the question, although he DID reply to other points (such as the two-year hiatus, which nobody else suggests and which he assured me actually happened) raised in my email to him. I wrote back again, on Feb. 6, repeating this inquiry (and mind you, ALL of this was as diplomatic and polite as possible), but as of this date, no response (I just went and looked over my last email to him and it seems to me that he might have read only the opening, inconsequential paragraph thanking him for his prompt response, etc., and not noticed the comments inserted within the previous text; I'll try again). Note also, taking at face value the 1949 date for "Face...," with its lead actor who is definitely NOT Hall, contradicts the statement that he left in 1951 as posted on the article, so we definitely have something to discuss. I have been unable to identify you from the history listings, so, please respond to this. My intent here is for us to try and figure out the truth behind what certainly seem to be contradictions in the various reports of this show's history. Ted Watson 21:49, 25 February 2007 (UTC) Ted Watson 19:08, 17 March 2007 (UTC)

UPDATE: I took another look at the revision history listings, and did identify the editor responsible. He tells me his source was a book by John Dunning. Now if I can find a copy. A new listen to the 1952 episode, Pretenders to the Throne reveals that it contains a specific acknowledgement by announcer Fred Foy that its star is Jack McCarthy, BTW. Ted Watson (talk) 22:30, 27 November 2007 (UTC)

COMMENT I changed the dates of when Jack McCarthy played the part of the Green Hornet to read: 1947 to 1952. In 1952 the show went off the air. I base those dates on two things: (1) Jack McCarthy was my father and I was a kid and remember the dates during those years; (2) Jack McCarthy's good friend, Dick Osgood, wrote a book "WXYIE Wonderland" (1981) in which all the dates are spelled out. I added Osgood's book as a reference. Tom McCarthy April 19, 2008

[edit] Rutland "Green Hornet"

In 1946, Vermont's Rutland railroad received 4 steam locomotives painted green and yellow. The were nicknamed Green Hornets after the comic book character. Information from Model Rairoader, April 1989, pp117-118. Author Bruce P. Curry in Paint shop column conducted by Andy Sperandeo. 72.197.240.96 02:19, 19 March 2007 (UTC)scmstr631

[edit] Separate article for TV version?

Despite the opening line, "The Green Hornet was an American radio program..." this article is (now) clearly about the character/property as a whole. The TV series was an unsuccessful (one season, in an era when mid-season cancellations were rare) spin-off and, despite the subsequent fame of co-star Bruce Lee, doesn't deserve its own article as much as the NOW comic book run. The section is as lengthy as it is simply due to the complex logistics of the production. I am a big fan of this character and have a video set of the series, but nevertheless vote against the proposal. Ted Watson 19:54, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

  • No Article Division necessary, but the lead should be changed to make the article about the character rather than the radio program. -- Davidkevin 19:18, 20 April 2007 (UTC)
Now that we have separate articles for each of the Hornet serials, I have begun to rethink my position on this proposal. It's becoming increasingly difficult to deny the validity of the TV version having its own article with minimal discussion here, but would this lead to the complex NOW Comics incarnation, itself a line--or range if you prefer--of comic books, also deserving its own article? Or even the original radio series itself (yes, this started out as an article on the radio show, but it isn't anymore)? Ted Watson (talk) 21:44, 26 December 2007 (UTC)
... Why do we have articles on the two serials? I'm trying to think of how many potential readers would be interested in the (skimpy) information that we have on these two serials who are not interested in the Green Hornet. That audience doesn't seem very large, and yet without such an audience, there's no reason to have that serial information anywhere except the main article. To compare, if we ask who would be interested in an article on the TV version but not interested in the Green Hornet, the answer is "Bruce Lee fans", which it seems would be a rather significant audience. (By similar logic, BTW, I would dispute that the TV version "doesn't deserve its own article as much as the NOW comic book run" -- yes, the publication history of the comic books is complex, and so apparently is its handling of the continuity of the property, but who is it significant to other than Green Hornet fans?) -- 209.6.177.176 (talk) 15:59, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

How about this, then--"The Green Hornet (TV series)" that redirects to this article? Ted Watson (talk) 19:38, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

I don't think there would be any harm in such a redirect. -- 209.6.177.176 (talk) 16:39, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
I've made that redirect, fine-tuned to go directly to the TV section. Ted Watson (talk) 22:42, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Brown Hornet parody

Did Bill Cosby play the Green Hornet? 72.191.99.166 03:57, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Cosby did a syndicated radio parody of the Green Hornet, The Brown Hornet, who lived in a 5th-floor walkup, drove the White Beauty (a 1957 two-door Plymouth), and had an aide named Leroy. -- Davidkevin 19:15, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Patton's Nickname

I put {{Fact}} tags on this section because I've heard both versions of its origin, but have no written reference to either. Does anyone else have access to a written reference which can be cited? -- Davidkevin 20:33, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Removal of photo: Why?

Why was the photo of Al Hodge as Britt Reid (alias the Green Hornet) removed? Furthermore, when I tried to undo that, even though a note saying that this revision could be undone came up, the preview showed a box with code in it instead. If the photo is not available to be restored, why does the "can be undone" note show? (I am very surprised to see that I forgot to sign this. Very sorry. Ted Watson 20:01, 18 July 2007 (UTC))

[edit] Do not merge or rename

The Green Hornet is a charecter featured in comics books and TV show so it cannot be renamed.-Vmrgrsergr 21:44, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Herobox?

Should we get a herobox in here for the Green Hornet? He's been featured in comics and probably deserves one. Also could someone could find a reasonable picture that's free to use?Komodo 21:41, 12 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Comic book Black Beauty

The Pontiac Banshee seems to have been the model not the Corvette Indy Compare this cover image of the car: http://www.comicvine.com/comic/green-hornet-the/4308/33898/&i=45127 to these images Pontiac Banshee: http://members.tripod.com/~Proformula/banshee.html Corvette Indy: http://www.supercars.net/Pics?v=y&s=c&id=348&p=1986_Chevrolet_CorvetteIndyConcept1.jpg 9toes 18:07, 14 October 2007 (UTC)

You are quite correct, and thank you for waking me up to that incorrect reference. I did not even have to check your images, but simply went through my comic collection until I found the issue where the editor said as much in the letter column. I have now corrected the article, even including a citation to that statement. Again, thank you. Ted Watson 21:26, 16 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Guns?

It's my understanding that in some incarnations of the character, he uses two specialized guns -- one which shoots knock-out gas, one which delivers an electric shock. Which incarnations introduced these weapons, and which later incarnations used them? -- 209.6.177.176 00:37, 12 November 2007 (UTC)

The gas gun goes back to the early radio days, possibly from the outset, but I'm not certain, as little of the first couple of years survives to be heard. The "electric shock" weapon, frequently compared to today's Taser guns controversially used by police, was created for the modern Hornet in the NOW Comics of 1989-1995. It was, however, something of a variation on the telescoping, sonic weapon of the 1960s television series, and shared its name, "The Hornet Sting." Ted Watson 22:18, 14 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] News on Rogen film version

According to http://www.firstshowing.net/2007/11/29/seth-rogen-confirms-hes-writing-the-green-hornet/ Seth Rogen may be not just writing but starring in the film version. The article also has some hints about the screenplay, including that there is a "more comedic" and "less comedic" version. -- 209.6.177.176 (talk) 23:50, 29 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Uhh... pictures?

How can an article like this go without pictures? I'll have to get some up ASAP. Ichormosquito (talk) 11:27, 12 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Deletion of Leo Records GH album

I deleted the passage about the Leo Records TV tie-in dramatic record for several reasons. The only "Leo Records" whose existence I could document--including the linked-in Wiki article--was a UK label specializing in jazz music and founded in 1979, too late for a tie-in to a TV series that ran 1966-67. Most of the cast that had articles were British political figures, also highly unlikely. And searches of "amazon.com" and the internet as a whole failed to turn up a mention of any such album--a soundtrack (music) album, yes, but no original audio adventures (and those two story titles don't suggest any TV episodes, which I would have expected, as well). I therefore find the entire suggestion too implausible to leave an uncited passage to that effect in place. Sorry, friend, as I respect a good deal of work you have done here. Ted Watson (talk) 18:29, 20 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Re: revert of Johnny Dollar "called" versus "calling himself"

In the Comics section, I reverted "called Johnny Dollar" back to my "calling himself Johnny Dollar." This is a code name, like "The Riddler" of Batman fame, rather than a seemingly normal identity that is phony and assumed for legal purposes, such as Dollar's own Jonathan Dunhill. I feel that this needs to be made clearer than "called Johnny Dollar" does. Your feelings? BTW, you've generally been doing very good work on this article and I strongly recommend you register here. Ted Watson (talk) 21:10, 27 March 2008 (UTC)