YouTube Wednesday: THE GREEN HORNET "Eat, Drink and Be Dead"

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In a plotline probably based on one of the original radio show's scripts, the Hornet and Kato take on liquor bootleggers operating out of a local dairy, using it's pasturizing equipment to ferment booze on a massive scale! (Why, by 1966, bars would even need illegally-produced liquor is not explained.)
In an interesting modern twist, the criminals use a helicopter to bomb any who oppose or betray them. Effective, and leaves no ballistics!
When The Daily Sentinel begins a series exposing the racket, the gangsters grab reporter Mike Axford, threatening to kill him if the articles are printed.
To save Mike, The Hornet cuts himself in on the racket, agreeing to turn Sentinel publisher Reid over to them in exchange for a cut of profits.
Once inside, Reid sabotages the operation, rescues Mike, and defeats the helicopter bombing-baddies.
Side notes:
The Green Hornet series did quite a bit of location shooting during it's run. Last week it was a marina. In this episode, a huge local dairy.
The Green Hornet likes to make use of darkness to make dramatic entrances. He does it twice in this episode!
Another on-screen costume change as Britt Reid changes in the back seat of Black Beauty, this time donning his Hornet garb.
Lots of play for The Black Beauty as more of it's gimmicks are introed, including built-in loudspeakers (with tape player so The Hornet and Britt Reid can seem to be in two places at once), smoke projectors (probably the gas projector seen in "Crime Wave" using harmless smoke instead of knockout gas), and the (rare for the time) mobile telephone. Plus, both the flying Hornet Scanner and the car's rocket weapons get a healthy workout.
This is the only episode where the villain's lair is blown up, James Bond style! (And, no, they didn't blow up the actual dairy!)
While the 60s tv series is not yet available on official dvd, it is available on YouTube.
Here's the SIXTH broadcast episode "Eat, Drink and Be Dead" in three segments.
Enjoy.

YouTube Wednesday: THE GREEN HORNET "The Frog is a Deadly Weapon"

Continuing our weekly feature "YouTube Wednesday"...

 The Green Hornet faces off against The Shadow!
Well, sorta...
The villain of this episode, gangster Glen Connors, is played by Victor Jory, who portrayed The Shadow in the 1940 movie serial based on both the pulp and radio show!
Connors is impersonating millionaire recluse Charles Delaclare, and slowly draining his assets. (BTW, Delaclare is dead, not held hostage, as is usually the case in this sort of plot.)
Britt Reid wants to expose Connors/Delaclare, not only because Connors evaded the law by faking his own death and replacing Delaclare, but Connors was part of a conspiracy that framed Reid's father years ago!
Side notes:
The frame-up of Reid's father is never pursued beyond this episode. Was dear old Dad the 1940s Green Hornet? We'll never know...
The concept of the villain replacing a reclusive millionaire is later used in the film version of Diamonds are Forever. (The millionaire is kept alive in that film.)
The idea of fighting a flock of frogmen (say that five times fast) was probably inspired by the box-office success of the then-current James Bond flick Thunderball!
Lenore Case, played by the lovely Wende Wagner finally gets screen time in this episode as she does some investigating for Reid, but gets caught by Connors' henchmen. As clever as she is beautiful, she keeps herself alive by bluffing the criminals until The Hornet can rescue her!
For the first time we see The Hornet change from his costume to civilian garb in the back seat of the Black Beauty. He does this a couple of times during the show's run to appear as both Reid and The Hornet to criminals within a short time-frame.
While the 60s tv series is not yet available on official dvd, it is available on YouTube.
Here's the FIFTH broadcast episode "The Frog is a Deadly Weapon" in three segments.
Enjoy.

YouTube Wednesday: THE GREEN HORNET "Crime Wave"

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It's a 1960s version of cybercrime as The Green Hornet faces a computer that can predict his crimes in "Crime Wave",  the fourth broadcast episode! (A neat trick since The Hornet is just pretending to be a criminal!)

There's double-crossing, a couple of elaborately-planned robberies, and the first all-out fight scene in the series as The Hornet and Kato take on several foes at once!

We also get to see The Black Beauty's built-in gas-guns in operation for the first time!
Side notes:

Despite being computer whizzes, the criminals in this episode can't construct a pistol-sized gas gun like The Hornet carries and have to lug a huge canister of knockout gas around with them!
There's a costume party scene where a number of costumes contain elements (helmets, tunics, sidearms) from various Irwin Allen shows (Lost in Space, Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)

Enjoy!

YouTube Wednesday: THE GREEN HORNET "Programmed for Death"

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Frank Miller tries to kill The Green Hornet!
No, not THE Frank Miller, writer-artist of 300, Daredevil, Dark Knight Returns, and other comic classics!
This guy was a criminally-oriented gemologist who tries to freeze the Hornet in today's episode "Programmed for Death", the third show aired on ABC in 1966, but the first episode filmed.
There's a number of differences between what you'll see here and in our previous two YouTube Wednesday posts.
It's slower-paced since it had to introduce the various elements of the show to an audience unfamiliar with the character. (The last Green Hornet radio show was 14 years earlier, and an entire generation had grown up with no idea as to who he was!)
The heroes have different masks (see photo) that actually work better to hide their identities, but obstructed peripheral vision. After this episode, molds were taken of their faces and new, form-fitting masks were created and used for the remainder of the show's run.
You'll note that Kato does all the hand-to-hand fighting in this episode.

While the 60s tv series is not yet available on official dvd, it is available on YouTube.
Here's the THIRD broadcast episode "Programmed for Death" in three segments.
Enjoy!

YouTube Wednesday: THE GREEN HORNET "Give 'Em Enough Rope"

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Followers of this blog are well aware of how much of a fan I am of The Green Hornet (and Kato, natch) in his various incarnations.
While the 60s tv series is not yet available on official dvd, it is available on YouTube.
Here's the second broadcast episode "Give 'Em Enough Rope" in three segments.
Enjoy!

YouTube Wednesday: THE GREEN HORNET "The Silent Gun"

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Followers of this blog are well aware of how much of a fan I am of The Green Hornet (and Kato, natch) in his various incarnations.
While the 60s tv series is not yet available on official dvd, it is available on YouTube.
Here's the first broadcast episode "The Silent Gun" (but NOT the pilot, "Programmed for Death", which was the third episode aired) in three segments.
Enjoy!



This particular poster, Michelle66 has done a great job "restoring" the eps, even including an "In Color" opening title card on each episode (though not the actual animated one that was used.)
I'll be posting the eps she's made available in aired order on a weekly basis.
Next week: "Give 'Em Enoough Rope"