"And despite Stan Lee putting his foot down when (Kenneth) Johnson suggested they change the Hulk's skin colour to red, the veteran TV producer was successful in removing almost every other link to the comics. Every supporting character was ditched in favor of a revolving door of weekly guest stars, while the origins of the Hulk were changed from exposure to the gamma radiation of a nuclear explosion to a more realistic laboratory accident. Furthermore, Bruce Banner's first name was changed to David, although the reasons for this remain contentious to this day. Johnson has previously claimed that he disliked the alliterative nature of comic book names such as Peter Parker and Matt Murdoch, while Stan Lee believes the changes were to avoid the homosexual connotations of the name Bruce. In keeping with the low-budget nature of the decade's TV shows, the sci-fi elements in The Incredible Hulk were kept to a minimum, with only Dr. Banner's transformation into the Hulk showing any signs of the show's pulp origins. Even the Hulk himself was realized in a low-tech manner with former body builder Lou Ferrigno painted green and shoved in front of the camera to run around in slow motion for several minutes. ….The show was a huge hit at the time but by today's standards offers little more than a kitsch looking glass into TV production methods of the 1970s."
-SciFiNow #5-
-SciFiNow #5-
I'd like to think The Incredible Hulk was a little more than that last assessment. We certainly give the series a focus here at Musings Of A Sci-Fi Fanatic. It deserves more than being relegated to the dustbin of TV production history. Come on now, don't make me angry.
When it came to bringing to life the Hulk on television, Kenneth Johnson's The Incredible Hulk wasn't actually the first program to do so.
The esteemed award for first television broadcast of The Incredible Hulk would have to go to a series called Marvel Superheroes [1966-1968]. The animated broadcast of the comic book hero was low budget and essentially amounted to nothing more than frames of comic book action brought to life in stills for television. Nevertheless, it was a start and Grantray-Lawrence Animation Production in association with Marvel Comics gets a major A for effort.
The thirty minute serial ran in syndication five days a week. Other Marvel characters appeared including Captain America, Thor, Iron Man and The Sub-Mariner to name a few. The Hulk himself figured prominently in roughly ten entries.
After that initial introduction to old, green-skinned an introduction to the mature world of Kenneth Johnson's The Incredible Hulk [1977-1982] arrived in the form of its second television life.
Writer Steve Fritz [with John Jackson Miller] had a few amusing thoughts about the Johnson series in a Comic Buyer's Guide special devoted exclusively to the Hulk that this writer/collector managed to pick up luckily enough back in 2003. The Fritz article was called Hits, Smashes, And Stumbles: The Screen History Of The Grumpy Green Giant. Like most comic book fans, Fritz approaches the Johnson series with affection but with the eyes of Hulk as a comic book superhero. It's clear Fritz sees the Johnson series through a very specific comic-oriented lens. It's always intriguing to see that vantage point.
Fritz reminds us that The Incredible Hulk first aired as a television film. We also know Death In The Family was actually a second television film that aired before the show received the go ahead for a full-fledged series.
Fritz recalls, "The liberties the series took were pretty egregious." His gripe isn't completely invalid. The Incredible Hulk, from Dr. Banner's origins to his enemies was significantly different from its comic book counterpart.
"By the time the creators were done, it was surprising that The Hulk was still green." Well, that was a concession Kenneth Johnson was willing to live with, but it ended there by and large.
Fritz points out, "The Green Goliath's alter ego was no longer named Bruce; he was Dr. David Banner." Actually, he was Dr. David Bruce Banner, but we get the point. "They also toned The Hulk's strength down incredibly. He could smash through walls but couldn't be expected to level a mountain." Of course, it would seem levelling a mountain might be a tad outside the scope of the comic book world for live television with a limited special effects budget and the lack of CGI circa 1977.
Of course, leaping extraordinary distances seems like a great idea too. But then we know what came of it for Ang Lee's lackluster CGI performance in 2003.
Fritz was further displeased that Hulk's primary nemesis was in the form of a "dubious" reporter in Jack Colvin. There was no Rick Jones to save. There was no Betsy Ross and no pursuing military Hulk buster group. No Rhino. No Abomination.
Still, Fritz does relent pointing out the incredible casting of Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno. Following the live action series, and not including the live action films that concluded Bill Bixby's phenomenal run as Banner, Hulk was brought to life once again with The Incredible Hulk [1982-1984] animated series, a series Fritz hailed as a return to the comic book origins as designed by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. All of the things that disappointed comic book fans had returned for the cartoon, but that's the beauty of animation and the audience it was intended for was far different than the one Kenneth Johnson had conceived his series for.
Another animated series followed in The Incredible Hulk (1996). Ang Lee's The Hulk (2003) would follow on the big screen along with Louis Leterrier's take on the great hero in The Incredible Hulk (2008) which even sampled music themes and clips from the classic 1970s Johnson series.
Additionally, there have been several direct to DVD/ Blu-Ray films in the form of Hulk Vs. (2010) and Planet Hulk (2010). And then of course came those Avengers films.
But for those of us who enjoyed the approach taken at times in the comic with a heavy emphasis on Banner and his psychological torment, the Bixby series gave us years of incredible magic however distinct and set apart it was from the comic book that inspired it. Johnson, Bixby and Ferrigno made it special in their own right. And those two actors were largely responsible for the chemistry and magic that was happening on the series. Indeed it was the writers and this wonderful casting that brought us the best live action version of The Incredible Hulk to date.
The Incredible Hulk, Season One, Episode 10, Life And Death continues to see the series find its footing in its short twelve (12) episode first season run.
The series builds upon the focus of a man in conflict nicely. One scene in particular shines as David Banner (David Bernard in this episode) discusses his wife and that continues to build upon the layers of his life and his character which is ultimately the focus of the show.
The story centers on baby experimentation in a creepy bit of scripting that seems entirely fitting given the abortion and pro-life debate that is constantly at odds even today.
There are some fine moments here in Life And Death but a goodly portion of the entry sees Banner stumble about drugged with a couple of Hulk transformations.
The highlights really surround what minimal drama is in play here when Bixby is on that screen. It's in those moments we see the character work shine for the series of a man struggling with inner demons. The lonely man hitches concluding the entry as Banner moves on to the next town and his next anthology story.
Interestingly Life And Death, delivers a pro-life message without preaching, but rather through a bizarre story on baby experimentation, and delivered through our man Bixby. When it comes to the life of a human being, why is this such a problematic message to get behind? This story delivers a healthy message.
Writer: Jeffrey Hayden (The Courtship Of Eddie's Father, Knight Rider).
Director: James D. Parriot (The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Defying Gravity).
Hulk Transformation Reason #1: Attempted murder of Banner with morphine sulfite in hospital room triggers the Hulk.
Hulk Transformation Reason #2: Banner tumbles down the stairs and the extreme pain triggers the Hulk.
True believers, this writer is happy to report that this will be the final entry of The Incredible Hulk as drawn from the North American DVD release. So, yes, more to come. The good news is all images henceforth will be delivered by way of the UK import of the Blu-Ray. All future entries will be brought to you in high definition. At least I'm hoping the quality will be a vast improvement over this DVD release.
Excelsior!
Director Carl Franklin (left; One False Move, Out Of Time, The Fantastic Journey).
