1
00:00:06,139 --> 00:00:07,474
You always love superheroes.

2
00:00:07,474 --> 00:00:09,275
You always love
villains and heroes.

3
00:00:09,275 --> 00:00:11,644
You put on that costume,
black, tight.

4
00:00:11,644 --> 00:00:14,447
You lose 20 pounds right away,
you look great.

5
00:00:14,447 --> 00:00:16,016
Meow.

6
00:00:16,016 --> 00:00:17,050
We used to say,

7
00:00:17,050 --> 00:00:18,284
"We put on our tights

8
00:00:18,284 --> 00:00:19,452
to put on the world."

9
00:00:19,452 --> 00:00:22,055
[ "Batman Theme" playing ]

10
00:00:26,259 --> 00:00:28,395
He liked the walls to pop out.

11
00:00:28,395 --> 00:00:30,230
He'd come in,
and they would pop.

12
00:00:31,831 --> 00:00:34,167
The generation
of women my age

13
00:00:34,167 --> 00:00:37,270
that had mothers
that were saying,

14
00:00:37,270 --> 00:00:41,007
"You can do whatever
you set your mind to."

15
00:00:41,007 --> 00:00:43,343
That tells you something
about our culture

16
00:00:43,343 --> 00:00:45,678
and what people really enjoy,

17
00:00:45,678 --> 00:00:47,914
what people are more fixated on,

18
00:00:47,914 --> 00:00:49,449
what grabs them.

19
00:01:01,061 --> 00:01:03,063
SEACREST: They put
on a costume

20
00:01:03,063 --> 00:01:04,397
to entertain a nation.

21
00:01:04,397 --> 00:01:07,033
WEST: It was easy
to play Batman.

22
00:01:07,033 --> 00:01:09,669
The moment I pulled
on that cowl,

23
00:01:09,669 --> 00:01:11,504
it was like, in my head,
it was like,

24
00:01:11,504 --> 00:01:13,506
"Hey, you want to go out
and play Batman?

25
00:01:13,506 --> 00:01:14,741
Let's go, come on!"

26
00:01:14,741 --> 00:01:17,644
It's a clue, all right.
But what does it mean?

27
00:01:17,644 --> 00:01:19,846
To the Batcave.
We'll analyze it.

28
00:01:19,846 --> 00:01:21,848
I used to call them
my "python pants"

29
00:01:21,848 --> 00:01:24,117
because they nearly
strangled you to death.

30
00:01:24,117 --> 00:01:27,087
And, I mean, man was not built
for tights, let me tell you.

31
00:01:27,087 --> 00:01:28,088
Under this garb,

32
00:01:28,088 --> 00:01:30,123
we're perfectly
ordinary Americans.

33
00:01:30,123 --> 00:01:33,259
Sometimes if a costume
is right...

34
00:01:33,259 --> 00:01:34,894
[ Sighs ]

35
00:01:34,894 --> 00:01:36,096
you don't have to act.

36
00:01:36,096 --> 00:01:38,865
<i>Au revoir,</i> Batman.

37
00:01:38,865 --> 00:01:42,035
Running around in spandex
and a cape, you know.

38
00:01:42,035 --> 00:01:45,138
That's going to be my hero.

39
00:01:45,138 --> 00:01:46,339
Who are you?!

40
00:01:46,339 --> 00:01:48,675
I'm looking for the case file
you're working on.

41
00:01:48,675 --> 00:01:50,009
[ Bullet ricocheting ]

42
00:01:52,879 --> 00:01:56,149
I wore less on the beach.

43
00:01:56,149 --> 00:01:58,451
It was more than a bikini.

44
00:01:58,451 --> 00:02:01,721
It was the American flag
in a one-piece suit.

45
00:02:06,226 --> 00:02:08,361
SEACREST: They played
the characters

46
00:02:08,361 --> 00:02:10,230
that sparked
our imaginations.

47
00:02:10,230 --> 00:02:11,731
I got beat up a lot as a kid.

48
00:02:11,731 --> 00:02:13,600
So I wanted to be like
the Hulk --

49
00:02:13,600 --> 00:02:15,468
I wanted to be so strong,
so invincible.

50
00:02:15,468 --> 00:02:17,303
[ Grunts ]

51
00:02:22,008 --> 00:02:24,344
The creator of
"Wonder Woman"

52
00:02:24,344 --> 00:02:27,580
really felt that girls
needed a hero, too --

53
00:02:27,580 --> 00:02:29,082
and developed Wonder Woman.

54
00:02:29,082 --> 00:02:31,751
Women are the wave
of the future.

55
00:02:31,751 --> 00:02:33,319
And sisterhood is...

56
00:02:33,319 --> 00:02:35,088
stronger than anything.

57
00:02:36,122 --> 00:02:37,757
SEACREST: They had fun

58
00:02:37,757 --> 00:02:39,592
and brought us along
for the ride.

59
00:02:39,592 --> 00:02:42,829
I thought, "Yeah,
that's the kind of comedy

60
00:02:42,829 --> 00:02:45,565
I'd like to try,
something absurd."

61
00:02:45,565 --> 00:02:47,200
Oh, I loved doing "Batman."

62
00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:49,002
It was huge fun.

63
00:02:49,002 --> 00:02:52,238
"Holy strawberries, Batman!
Are we in a jam!"

64
00:02:52,238 --> 00:02:55,842
See, that one, I thought, was
a little on the corny side.

65
00:02:55,842 --> 00:02:57,076
Holy popcorn!

66
00:02:57,076 --> 00:02:59,846
Man-eating lilacs.
Holy purple cannibals!

67
00:02:59,846 --> 00:03:04,717
But they started giving Jimmy
a chance to be funny

68
00:03:04,717 --> 00:03:07,353
and do comedy
and do comic bits.

69
00:03:10,023 --> 00:03:11,958
Well, I'll be
a side-winding gopher!

70
00:03:11,958 --> 00:03:13,259
Whatever that is.

71
00:03:13,259 --> 00:03:15,261
You feel like a winner,
because no matter what,

72
00:03:15,261 --> 00:03:16,329
the Hulk always succeeds.

73
00:03:16,329 --> 00:03:17,597
He never fails.

74
00:03:17,597 --> 00:03:20,900
In our dreams, we can
be anything we want to be.

75
00:03:20,900 --> 00:03:23,503
SEACREST: Together,
they gave new life

76
00:03:23,503 --> 00:03:25,205
to an established genre...

77
00:03:25,205 --> 00:03:28,875
entertaining millions
of every age.

78
00:03:28,875 --> 00:03:31,211
They are
the "Pioneers of Television."

79
00:03:39,852 --> 00:03:43,489
It may the most famous scene
in the Batman franchise.

80
00:03:43,489 --> 00:03:47,794
Adam West, as Batman,
tries to get rid of a bomb

81
00:03:47,794 --> 00:03:49,963
that's about to explode.

82
00:03:49,963 --> 00:03:53,166
That long sequence
with the bomb on the pier

83
00:03:53,166 --> 00:03:54,634
in Santa Barbara --

84
00:03:54,634 --> 00:03:57,604
in which I couldn't get
rid of the bomb.

85
00:03:57,604 --> 00:03:59,973
Batman discovers
this bomb, okay.

86
00:03:59,973 --> 00:04:02,842
Of course, you know,
it's going to go off,

87
00:04:02,842 --> 00:04:03,876
so he's gotta get rid of it.

88
00:04:07,914 --> 00:04:09,882
He runs over to this pier,
and on one side,

89
00:04:09,882 --> 00:04:12,118
he starts to throw it,
and there's a mother duck

90
00:04:12,118 --> 00:04:14,120
with her little ducklings
down in the water.

91
00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:15,188
He can't throw it there.

92
00:04:19,959 --> 00:04:21,294
He runs in another direction,

93
00:04:21,294 --> 00:04:23,162
here's the Salvation Army Band
playing.

94
00:04:23,162 --> 00:04:25,798
[ Band playing
"Bringing in the Sheaves" ]

95
00:04:27,700 --> 00:04:30,903
So the last line,
he's totally winded

96
00:04:30,903 --> 00:04:32,138
and frustrated,

97
00:04:32,138 --> 00:04:33,640
and he says, what --

98
00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:35,541
looking down at the water,

99
00:04:35,541 --> 00:04:38,111
"Some days, you just can't
get rid of a bomb!"

100
00:04:39,545 --> 00:04:41,914
Some days, you just can't
get rid of a bomb.

101
00:04:42,849 --> 00:04:44,484
SEACREST: The scene epitomized

102
00:04:44,484 --> 00:04:46,886
what made the "Batman"
TV series succeed...

103
00:04:46,886 --> 00:04:48,121
[ Explosion ]

104
00:04:48,121 --> 00:04:51,190
the perfect combination
of action and comedy.

105
00:04:51,190 --> 00:04:57,330
To make it funny and ludicrous,
absurd in a sense,

106
00:04:57,330 --> 00:05:00,233
but always kind
of believable.

107
00:05:00,233 --> 00:05:03,670
SEACREST: "Batman" didn't
start out as a comedy.

108
00:05:03,670 --> 00:05:06,739
The original comic books
were darker, more serious.

109
00:05:06,739 --> 00:05:08,875
When the show
came to television,

110
00:05:08,875 --> 00:05:11,210
the producers wanted
a lighter touch,

111
00:05:11,210 --> 00:05:13,413
but they couldn't find an actor
who could pull it off

112
00:05:13,413 --> 00:05:16,983
until they saw this commercial
for Nestle Quik.

113
00:05:16,983 --> 00:05:19,185
MAN: Oh, Captain Q!

114
00:05:19,185 --> 00:05:20,953
Join me in a glass of
delicious chocolate Quik,

115
00:05:20,953 --> 00:05:22,088
won't you?

116
00:05:22,088 --> 00:05:23,289
Thank you, Doctor.

117
00:05:23,289 --> 00:05:24,824
I could use some energy.

118
00:05:27,193 --> 00:05:28,928
Incidentally,
one of those torpedoes

119
00:05:28,928 --> 00:05:30,363
you fired at me
was circling,

120
00:05:30,363 --> 00:05:31,731
and...

121
00:05:31,731 --> 00:05:32,732
[ Explosion ]

122
00:05:32,732 --> 00:05:34,000
You're sunk.

123
00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,569
Toodle-oo, Captain Q!

124
00:05:36,569 --> 00:05:40,306
Some people will do anything
to get rich Quik.

125
00:05:42,108 --> 00:05:43,443
Toodle-oo.

126
00:05:43,443 --> 00:05:45,178
They saw them,

127
00:05:45,178 --> 00:05:48,614
and they said, "Kid, I think
you can play Batman,"

128
00:05:48,614 --> 00:05:49,849
and they called me in.

129
00:05:51,451 --> 00:05:54,420
SEACREST: The next step was
casting Robin.

130
00:05:54,420 --> 00:05:58,391
Despite looking at more than
a thousand actors for the role,

131
00:05:58,391 --> 00:05:59,826
no one seemed right.

132
00:05:59,826 --> 00:06:02,762
Then Burt Ward wandered in

133
00:06:02,762 --> 00:06:05,531
for his very first acting
audition ever.

134
00:06:05,531 --> 00:06:07,166
Go for broke, you know.

135
00:06:07,166 --> 00:06:10,370
And that's what I did, all the
way, right for the character.

136
00:06:10,370 --> 00:06:12,305
And they loved it.

137
00:06:12,305 --> 00:06:14,107
[ Sighs ]

138
00:06:14,107 --> 00:06:15,408
Listen, Bruce,
I've got an idea.

139
00:06:15,408 --> 00:06:16,809
Yes?

140
00:06:16,809 --> 00:06:18,311
Remember what
the Riddler said

141
00:06:18,311 --> 00:06:19,912
when he slipped you
that summons?

142
00:06:19,912 --> 00:06:22,448
"What is it that
no one wants to have

143
00:06:22,448 --> 00:06:24,150
yet no one wants to lose?"

144
00:06:24,150 --> 00:06:25,918
And you answered,
"A lawsuit."

145
00:06:25,918 --> 00:06:28,654
SEACREST: From the first day
of production,

146
00:06:28,654 --> 00:06:30,289
almost nothing went right.

147
00:06:30,289 --> 00:06:33,226
Explosions misfired
with regularity...

148
00:06:33,226 --> 00:06:35,461
sending Burt Ward
to the hospital

149
00:06:35,461 --> 00:06:36,829
four times in a week.

150
00:06:36,829 --> 00:06:39,098
These guys that are setting
dynamite charges,

151
00:06:39,098 --> 00:06:41,467
you do not want to smell
liquor on their breath

152
00:06:41,467 --> 00:06:43,302
at 8:00 in the morning --
bad sign!

153
00:06:43,302 --> 00:06:44,904
The signal!

154
00:06:47,907 --> 00:06:49,742
I climb up, and as I get
to the top --

155
00:06:49,742 --> 00:06:51,077
just to get into position...

156
00:06:53,746 --> 00:06:56,716
the car unexpectedly
blows up.

157
00:06:58,251 --> 00:07:00,019
Just excruciating pain.

158
00:07:00,019 --> 00:07:03,656
They said, "Look, Burt,
we will get you right over

159
00:07:03,656 --> 00:07:06,859
to the emergency hospital
as soon as we finish the shot."

160
00:07:06,859 --> 00:07:09,295
I said, "What do you mean,
I'm not going now?"

161
00:07:09,295 --> 00:07:11,697
"No, no, you've got to go back
and shoot the shot.

162
00:07:11,697 --> 00:07:14,333
We got the whole crew, we got
80 guys in the crew here."

163
00:07:14,333 --> 00:07:15,935
Well, it was kind of chaos

164
00:07:15,935 --> 00:07:18,070
the first week or so
of shooting

165
00:07:18,070 --> 00:07:22,742
in that Burt kept getting
in the way

166
00:07:22,742 --> 00:07:25,344
of bombs
and speeding cars.

167
00:07:25,344 --> 00:07:29,115
SEACREST: The chemistry
between Adam West and Burt Ward

168
00:07:29,115 --> 00:07:30,783
worked from the very
beginning...

169
00:07:30,783 --> 00:07:34,654
although the two did have
a friendly sense of competition.

170
00:07:34,654 --> 00:07:37,623
If you noticed when
he said his lines,

171
00:07:37,623 --> 00:07:42,528
Adam spoke very slowly.

172
00:07:42,528 --> 00:07:44,330
Robin's right.

173
00:07:44,330 --> 00:07:48,634
He has a strange artistic
compulsion to --

174
00:07:48,634 --> 00:07:50,136
Artistic.

175
00:07:50,136 --> 00:07:51,737
That's it.

176
00:07:51,737 --> 00:07:53,339
The meaning of
the first clue --

177
00:07:53,339 --> 00:07:55,308
The Peel Art Gallery.

178
00:07:55,308 --> 00:07:56,809
Why did he do that?

179
00:07:56,809 --> 00:07:59,545
Well, he understood that
if he spoke slowly --

180
00:07:59,545 --> 00:08:02,415
and they had to be on him
for the entire line --

181
00:08:02,415 --> 00:08:05,218
it would take longer for him
to say his lines.

182
00:08:05,218 --> 00:08:08,254
The camera would be, therefore,
on him longer,

183
00:08:08,254 --> 00:08:12,558
and less on the other actors --
He was very smart about that.

184
00:08:12,558 --> 00:08:13,759
The real crime?

185
00:08:13,759 --> 00:08:15,761
Precisely, Inspector Bash.

186
00:08:15,761 --> 00:08:19,298
The Riddler contrives
his plots like artichokes --

187
00:08:19,298 --> 00:08:22,902
you have to strip off
spiny leaves to reach the heart.

188
00:08:22,902 --> 00:08:25,137
We're talking, and then
all of a sudden,

189
00:08:25,137 --> 00:08:28,040
he opens up his cape and walks
right up to the camera

190
00:08:28,040 --> 00:08:29,542
and stands there
blocking me out.

191
00:08:29,542 --> 00:08:31,043
And the director said,
"Wait a minute,

192
00:08:31,043 --> 00:08:32,345
Burt's in the shot, Adam!"

193
00:08:32,345 --> 00:08:34,146
He said, "I had to do it."

194
00:08:34,146 --> 00:08:36,315
I said, "Why did you have to
do that, Adam?"

195
00:08:36,315 --> 00:08:38,150
He says, "Because I felt
the moment.

196
00:08:38,150 --> 00:08:39,385
I felt it was necessary."

197
00:08:39,385 --> 00:08:42,388
I did occasionally kid Burt,

198
00:08:42,388 --> 00:08:45,591
tease him a bit by holding
up a cape

199
00:08:45,591 --> 00:08:49,328
in front of his face
and in front of a take,

200
00:08:49,328 --> 00:08:54,333
but only if he
misunderstood something...

201
00:08:54,333 --> 00:08:59,639
if he was doing something
he shouldn't do as my sidekick.

202
00:08:59,639 --> 00:09:02,308
"Okay, take two,"
and it would come down.

203
00:09:02,308 --> 00:09:05,111
SEACREST: In the first few weeks
of production,

204
00:09:05,111 --> 00:09:07,813
Adam West faced a more
serious challenge

205
00:09:07,813 --> 00:09:09,682
from producer Bill Dozier

206
00:09:09,682 --> 00:09:12,585
over how to play
the Batman character.

207
00:09:12,585 --> 00:09:18,558
They wanted it very straight
and "Lone Ranger" kind of thing

208
00:09:18,558 --> 00:09:21,427
and nothing behind the mask.

209
00:09:21,427 --> 00:09:23,162
I couldn't do that.

210
00:09:23,162 --> 00:09:27,500
I felt that Batman is a very
interesting character,

211
00:09:27,500 --> 00:09:30,436
but even comedically --
as the bright knight

212
00:09:30,436 --> 00:09:32,138
and not the dark knight --

213
00:09:32,138 --> 00:09:33,973
you had to have fun with it.

214
00:09:33,973 --> 00:09:37,476
SEACREST: Adam West
won the argument,

215
00:09:37,476 --> 00:09:39,145
and his Batman character

216
00:09:39,145 --> 00:09:42,748
became one of the biggest
breakout hits of the decade.

217
00:09:42,748 --> 00:09:45,518
In the '60s, the three "Bs" --

218
00:09:45,518 --> 00:09:49,522
Bond, Beatles, and Batman.

219
00:09:49,522 --> 00:09:53,192
And I thought, "My God,
I'm a part of that trio?!"

220
00:09:53,192 --> 00:09:56,195
SEACREST: But behind the scenes,
producer Bill Dozier

221
00:09:56,195 --> 00:09:58,998
was actively working to keep
control of his stars

222
00:09:58,998 --> 00:10:01,167
on his show.

223
00:10:01,167 --> 00:10:03,502
WEST: When I was on the cover
of <i>Life</i> magazine,

224
00:10:03,502 --> 00:10:04,670
he called me into the office.

225
00:10:04,670 --> 00:10:06,205
He threw the magazine

226
00:10:06,205 --> 00:10:08,608
down on his desk
in front of me.

227
00:10:08,608 --> 00:10:11,744
I just stood there and looked
at him with a little grin.

228
00:10:11,744 --> 00:10:14,380
And he said,
"Oh, wait a minute,

229
00:10:14,380 --> 00:10:16,248
don't forget,

230
00:10:16,248 --> 00:10:19,552
there have been
12 Tarzans, Adam."

231
00:10:19,552 --> 00:10:22,054
"Oh, okay.

232
00:10:22,054 --> 00:10:24,390
We'll see."

233
00:10:25,825 --> 00:10:28,661
SEACREST: Batman's influence
on American television

234
00:10:28,661 --> 00:10:31,530
was larger than almost
any other show of the period.

235
00:10:31,530 --> 00:10:34,300
Gleebs! It's Batman!

236
00:10:35,368 --> 00:10:37,870
SEACREST: It was the first
series to tap into

237
00:10:37,870 --> 00:10:39,905
the colorful pop art movement,

238
00:10:39,905 --> 00:10:41,540
personified by artists
like Andy Warhol.

239
00:10:41,540 --> 00:10:42,808
WEST: Look what
was happening

240
00:10:42,808 --> 00:10:45,578
in society, look at
the world of art,

241
00:10:45,578 --> 00:10:49,315
and all of those kind
of wondrous, splashy,

242
00:10:49,315 --> 00:10:54,020
primary, comic-book colors
that people were painting in.

243
00:10:54,020 --> 00:10:56,989
Anything I can do for you, sir?
Check your cape?

244
00:10:56,989 --> 00:10:59,759
SEACREST: The distinctive look,
the tongue-in-cheek humor...

245
00:10:59,759 --> 00:11:02,261
Just looking, thanks.
I'll stand at the bar.

246
00:11:02,261 --> 00:11:04,463
I shouldn't wish to
attract attention.

247
00:11:04,463 --> 00:11:06,065
SEACREST:
and the huge ratings

248
00:11:06,065 --> 00:11:11,437
meant "Batman" wasn't
just popular, it was hip.

249
00:11:11,437 --> 00:11:13,939
Everyone wanted to be
a guest star on the show

250
00:11:13,939 --> 00:11:15,408
as the villain of the week.

251
00:11:15,408 --> 00:11:18,044
You shake a pretty
mean cape, Batman.

252
00:11:21,547 --> 00:11:23,616
Oh, I loved doing "Batman."

253
00:11:23,616 --> 00:11:24,950
It was huge fun.

254
00:11:24,950 --> 00:11:28,821
No man can resist the stunning
note of my voice --

255
00:11:28,821 --> 00:11:30,923
two octaves above high "C."

256
00:11:30,923 --> 00:11:33,526
I want you to call
Batman, hmm?

257
00:11:33,526 --> 00:11:37,630
And have him meet you
in some neutral place.

258
00:11:37,630 --> 00:11:39,031
[ Gasps ]

259
00:11:39,031 --> 00:11:40,533
If you desire.

260
00:11:40,533 --> 00:11:43,936
Doing that whistle
or that voice...

261
00:11:43,936 --> 00:11:47,440
[ Piercing tone plays ]

262
00:11:49,075 --> 00:11:52,078
that she does and everybody
turns to stone --

263
00:11:52,078 --> 00:11:54,246
yeah, it was a riot.

264
00:11:54,246 --> 00:11:58,150
SEACREST: Fan favorites
included Cesar Romero's Joker,

265
00:11:58,150 --> 00:11:59,985
Burgess Meredith's Penguin,

266
00:11:59,985 --> 00:12:03,222
and Frank Gorshin's Riddler.

267
00:12:03,222 --> 00:12:05,624
He was always
on the manic, dangerous edge,

268
00:12:05,624 --> 00:12:08,427
which I loved,
and I could relate to that.

269
00:12:08,427 --> 00:12:11,497
And they all seemed to just
thrive on this opportunity

270
00:12:11,497 --> 00:12:14,066
to not be limited
in what they were doing.

271
00:12:14,066 --> 00:12:16,836
In other words, they could make
their characters

272
00:12:16,836 --> 00:12:18,070
bigger than life.

273
00:12:18,070 --> 00:12:23,309
The whole world almost
literally in our grasp,

274
00:12:23,309 --> 00:12:27,012
and Batman and Robin
still alive to block us.

275
00:12:27,012 --> 00:12:29,148
[ Laughing ]

276
00:12:29,148 --> 00:12:31,450
Everything pip-pip with
the prisoner, comrades.

277
00:12:31,450 --> 00:12:32,518
He hasn't a clue.

278
00:12:32,518 --> 00:12:34,820
No, but I bet
the Dynamic Duo has.

279
00:12:34,820 --> 00:12:37,857
What?
A clue in how we made the ship disappear.

280
00:12:40,426 --> 00:12:43,195
SEACREST: Batman's most
vexing nemesis was Catwoman --

281
00:12:43,195 --> 00:12:44,797
played by Eartha Kitt,

282
00:12:44,797 --> 00:12:47,032
Lee Meriwether,

283
00:12:47,032 --> 00:12:50,336
and, most famously,
Julie Newmar.

284
00:12:50,336 --> 00:12:52,471
I mean, you put on
that costume --

285
00:12:52,471 --> 00:12:55,908
black, tight, you lose 20 pounds
right away, you look great.

286
00:12:55,908 --> 00:12:58,611
You've got high heels,
you've got great dialogue,

287
00:12:58,611 --> 00:13:00,112
you have fun.

288
00:13:00,112 --> 00:13:04,183
It would be one of the choice
roles for women of all time.

289
00:13:04,183 --> 00:13:05,951
[ Screams ]

290
00:13:08,020 --> 00:13:09,555
BATMAN: It's all over,
Catwoman.

291
00:13:09,555 --> 00:13:13,459
I'll do everything I can
to rehabilitate you.

292
00:13:13,459 --> 00:13:15,027
Marry me.

293
00:13:15,027 --> 00:13:16,695
Everything except that.

294
00:13:16,695 --> 00:13:20,099
A wife, no matter how
beauteous or affectionate,

295
00:13:20,099 --> 00:13:22,234
would severely impair
my crime-fighting.

296
00:13:22,234 --> 00:13:24,503
But I can help you
in your work.

297
00:13:24,503 --> 00:13:27,206
As a former criminal,
I'd be invaluable.

298
00:13:27,206 --> 00:13:28,741
What about Robin?

299
00:13:28,741 --> 00:13:31,310
Robin?

300
00:13:31,310 --> 00:13:33,445
Oh, I've got it --
we'll kill him.

301
00:13:34,180 --> 00:13:37,716
She was...

302
00:13:37,716 --> 00:13:38,818
naughty, yes,

303
00:13:38,818 --> 00:13:40,019
delicious, yes.

304
00:13:40,019 --> 00:13:42,988
She was a tease,

305
00:13:42,988 --> 00:13:46,392
but she wasn't basically...

306
00:13:46,392 --> 00:13:48,527
psychopath evil.

307
00:13:48,527 --> 00:13:52,064
You might think so,
but she wasn't really.

308
00:13:52,064 --> 00:13:55,367
And she promised to date me
when she gets out of jail.

309
00:13:55,367 --> 00:13:58,003
Yeah, for good behavior.

310
00:13:58,003 --> 00:13:59,939
That would be good.

311
00:13:59,939 --> 00:14:03,776
Well, I got better
as it went along

312
00:14:03,776 --> 00:14:07,713
because playing
an animal character,

313
00:14:07,713 --> 00:14:11,550
you've got to feel that way,
look that way,

314
00:14:11,550 --> 00:14:13,986
sound that way,
behave that way.

315
00:14:13,986 --> 00:14:15,621
So it takes some learning.

316
00:14:15,621 --> 00:14:17,523
It's...

317
00:14:17,523 --> 00:14:19,959
I did get better by
the third show

318
00:14:19,959 --> 00:14:21,260
and the fourth show.

319
00:14:21,260 --> 00:14:23,462
I was much more cat-like,
mm-hmm.

320
00:14:26,298 --> 00:14:28,300
[ Humming "Three Blind Mice" ]

321
00:14:30,903 --> 00:14:32,938
You feline devil!

322
00:14:32,938 --> 00:14:34,740
What have you done
with Robin?!

323
00:14:34,740 --> 00:14:38,744
Aw, is that any way to greet
an old friend, Batman?

324
00:14:38,744 --> 00:14:41,480
Not even a
"Hello, how are you"?

325
00:14:41,480 --> 00:14:43,215
[ Hisses ]

326
00:14:43,215 --> 00:14:44,350
Meow.

327
00:14:44,350 --> 00:14:47,753
When you know where
the jokes are,

328
00:14:47,753 --> 00:14:49,722
you know, you got to...

329
00:14:49,722 --> 00:14:53,893
you gotta sort of warm them up
and make them bigger

330
00:14:53,893 --> 00:14:56,996
and kind of --
and then...

331
00:14:56,996 --> 00:14:59,465
and then say the lines.

332
00:14:59,465 --> 00:15:01,567
Mmm.

333
00:15:01,567 --> 00:15:04,670
SEACREST: Julie Newmar's
distinctive interpretation

334
00:15:04,670 --> 00:15:07,439
of Catwoman made her famous
almost overnight.

335
00:15:07,439 --> 00:15:10,643
Of course, the skin-tight
costume didn't hurt either.

336
00:15:10,643 --> 00:15:13,512
NEWMAR: I moved the belt from
the waistline down to the hips

337
00:15:13,512 --> 00:15:16,348
because it was bright gold,

338
00:15:16,348 --> 00:15:21,220
and that way it would
accentuate the hips more.

339
00:15:21,220 --> 00:15:23,255
May I?

340
00:15:26,759 --> 00:15:28,827
Meow!

341
00:15:32,164 --> 00:15:35,267
<i>Au revoir,</i> Batman.

342
00:15:35,267 --> 00:15:39,138
NEWMAR: Sometimes
if a costume is right,

343
00:15:39,138 --> 00:15:41,974
you don't have to act.

344
00:15:41,974 --> 00:15:44,677
SEACREST: The outfit may have
helped Julie Newmar

345
00:15:44,677 --> 00:15:45,911
get into character...

346
00:15:45,911 --> 00:15:47,980
but the Batman and Robin
costumes

347
00:15:47,980 --> 00:15:50,182
had the opposite effect
on Adam West

348
00:15:50,182 --> 00:15:53,385
and Burt Ward
from the very first day.

349
00:15:53,385 --> 00:15:55,287
I'm there, and these two guys
were saying,

350
00:15:55,287 --> 00:15:56,755
"Here,
take off your clothes."

351
00:15:56,755 --> 00:15:58,490
"Well, why I'm taking
off my clothes?"

352
00:15:58,490 --> 00:16:00,559
"Well, we have this
to put on you."

353
00:16:00,559 --> 00:16:02,428
"Oh, well, I can't
put it on by myself?"

354
00:16:02,428 --> 00:16:04,697
"Well, you're going to
need help to get into this."

355
00:16:04,697 --> 00:16:07,866
The most uncomfortable thing
I think I've ever

356
00:16:07,866 --> 00:16:11,203
been in in my entire life --
most uncomfortable.

357
00:16:11,203 --> 00:16:13,605
It's like every step I took,
it pulled the hair on my leg.

358
00:16:13,605 --> 00:16:16,575
I mean, just really
not a great costume.

359
00:16:16,575 --> 00:16:20,512
WEST: Being near-sighted
and being behind

360
00:16:20,512 --> 00:16:22,081
those holes in the cowl,

361
00:16:22,081 --> 00:16:23,983
it made it doubly hard to see.

362
00:16:23,983 --> 00:16:28,554
It's an obstacle, and yet
it's very helpful.

363
00:16:28,554 --> 00:16:31,657
For example, if I couldn't
move my head easily

364
00:16:31,657 --> 00:16:34,793
in that cowl and the way
the cape was attached,

365
00:16:34,793 --> 00:16:36,462
then I'd use that.

366
00:16:36,462 --> 00:16:39,665
Remember how Cary Grant
moved, kind of...

367
00:16:41,367 --> 00:16:42,401
In other words,

368
00:16:42,401 --> 00:16:44,603
I couldn't turn my
head like this.

369
00:16:44,603 --> 00:16:46,472
So I used that.

370
00:16:49,408 --> 00:16:51,977
SEACREST: Every actor playing
a superhero

371
00:16:51,977 --> 00:16:53,379
faces a moment of truth

372
00:16:53,379 --> 00:16:55,948
the first time they put
on the costume --

373
00:16:55,948 --> 00:16:59,184
will the people on-set react
with a chuckle,

374
00:16:59,184 --> 00:17:00,753
or will they believe?

375
00:17:00,753 --> 00:17:04,156
WEST: I was a little timorous
about that, a little...

376
00:17:04,156 --> 00:17:07,693
taken aback with what might
occur in that costume

377
00:17:07,693 --> 00:17:10,929
when I walked on
the set for the first time.

378
00:17:10,929 --> 00:17:14,633
And I decided I'd walk
through pools of light

379
00:17:14,633 --> 00:17:16,935
to get to that spot --

380
00:17:16,935 --> 00:17:21,774
in the costume --
as much like Batman as I could.

381
00:17:21,774 --> 00:17:24,476
And you know what
the hell happened?

382
00:17:24,476 --> 00:17:26,612
I got over there,

383
00:17:26,612 --> 00:17:29,515
and there wasn't a sound.

384
00:17:29,515 --> 00:17:32,985
Everyone believed
that I was Batman.

385
00:17:32,985 --> 00:17:35,220
[ Cheering ]

386
00:17:35,220 --> 00:17:37,956
SEACREST: The series became
so popular so fast

387
00:17:37,956 --> 00:17:40,859
that Adam West could fill
stadiums just by showing up.

388
00:17:40,859 --> 00:17:45,030
But by the time
the second season premiered,

389
00:17:45,030 --> 00:17:47,766
problems were already
brewing behind the scenes.

390
00:17:47,766 --> 00:17:49,068
Story lines became repetitive,

391
00:17:49,068 --> 00:17:51,670
jokes turned stale.

392
00:17:51,670 --> 00:17:53,205
By the third season,

393
00:17:53,205 --> 00:17:54,840
production budgets
were slashed

394
00:17:54,840 --> 00:17:56,575
and ratings declined
even further.

395
00:17:57,876 --> 00:18:02,081
The producers' solution
was to add a new character --

396
00:18:02,081 --> 00:18:04,116
Batgirl, played
by Yvonne Craig.

397
00:18:05,584 --> 00:18:07,519
ANNOUNCER: Holy femininity!

398
00:18:07,519 --> 00:18:09,121
Batgirl!

399
00:18:09,121 --> 00:18:10,155
Batgirl?

400
00:18:10,155 --> 00:18:11,156
Batgirl.

401
00:18:11,156 --> 00:18:12,624
Batgirl.

402
00:18:14,493 --> 00:18:16,628
SEACREST: Batgirl couldn't save
the "Batman" series.

403
00:18:18,997 --> 00:18:21,834
But the character marked
an important milestone

404
00:18:21,834 --> 00:18:23,635
as TV's first female superhero.

405
00:18:23,635 --> 00:18:27,372
A spinoff series of
"Batgirl" was considered...

406
00:18:27,372 --> 00:18:30,309
but by then, the bat-phenomenon
had played out.

407
00:18:30,309 --> 00:18:32,111
It wasn't until
seven years later

408
00:18:32,111 --> 00:18:35,514
that a female superhero
finally took center stage

409
00:18:35,514 --> 00:18:37,149
with a show of her own.

410
00:18:37,149 --> 00:18:38,784
MAN: Wonder Woman says

411
00:18:38,784 --> 00:18:40,452
she is not afraid.

412
00:18:44,056 --> 00:18:45,691
Fire at will.

413
00:18:47,526 --> 00:18:50,229
[ Drum roll ]

414
00:18:59,071 --> 00:19:01,673
[ Fanfare plays ]

415
00:19:01,673 --> 00:19:05,144
Did you see that,
ladies and gentlemen?!

416
00:19:05,144 --> 00:19:07,579
SEACREST: Launched
in the mid-1970s

417
00:19:07,579 --> 00:19:10,282
at the height
of the women's movement,

418
00:19:10,282 --> 00:19:13,185
"Wonder Woman" had a message
of empowerment.

419
00:19:13,185 --> 00:19:15,320
We'll send more agents!

420
00:19:15,320 --> 00:19:17,756
No, the Nazis don't care
about their women.

421
00:19:17,756 --> 00:19:19,725
They let you fend
for yourself,

422
00:19:19,725 --> 00:19:22,361
and any civilization
that does not recognize

423
00:19:22,361 --> 00:19:25,230
the female is doomed
to destruction.

424
00:19:25,230 --> 00:19:28,200
Women are the wave
of the future,

425
00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:29,968
and sisterhood is...

426
00:19:29,968 --> 00:19:31,637
stronger than anything.

427
00:19:31,637 --> 00:19:33,405
SEACREST:
But the more overt

428
00:19:33,405 --> 00:19:35,240
feminine messages
didn't last long.

429
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:38,677
The reason why in subsequent
episodes

430
00:19:38,677 --> 00:19:43,448
you didn't hear those kinds
of things much anymore

431
00:19:43,448 --> 00:19:45,851
was because of the network.

432
00:19:45,851 --> 00:19:48,120
The network said,
"We've got to get...

433
00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:50,589
you know, this fem--
you're going to turn off

434
00:19:50,589 --> 00:19:52,858
a lot of people
with this feminist talk,"

435
00:19:52,858 --> 00:19:55,594
because, you know, feminism
was so dangerous.

436
00:19:57,196 --> 00:19:59,298
SEACREST: Even with
the toned-down scripts,

437
00:19:59,298 --> 00:20:01,333
Lynda Carter pressed
to ensure the series

438
00:20:01,333 --> 00:20:02,968
portrayed positive role models.

439
00:20:02,968 --> 00:20:06,305
Wonder Woman was intelligent,
resourceful,

440
00:20:06,305 --> 00:20:07,739
and in control...

441
00:20:07,739 --> 00:20:10,576
often rescuing the show's
male lead

442
00:20:10,576 --> 00:20:12,678
played by Lyle Waggoner.

443
00:20:17,082 --> 00:20:18,183
Wonder Woman!

444
00:20:18,183 --> 00:20:19,651
Steve, are you
all right?

445
00:20:21,220 --> 00:20:23,455
Wonder Woman,
am I glad to see you!

446
00:20:23,455 --> 00:20:25,490
Thanks!

447
00:20:25,490 --> 00:20:27,125
[ Explosion ]

448
00:20:27,125 --> 00:20:29,161
I think he got a little
sick of it,

449
00:20:29,161 --> 00:20:30,395
to tell you the truth.

450
00:20:30,395 --> 00:20:31,496
[ Laughs ]

451
00:20:36,201 --> 00:20:38,070
I'll have you free
in a few seconds.

452
00:20:38,070 --> 00:20:39,404
I don't blame him!

453
00:20:39,404 --> 00:20:42,441
You know we've been
in that role for years.

454
00:20:42,441 --> 00:20:44,076
Are you all right?

455
00:20:44,076 --> 00:20:45,510
Yeah, I'm fine.

456
00:20:45,510 --> 00:20:47,079
My pride's hurt
a little bit.

457
00:20:47,079 --> 00:20:49,414
And once again, I'm in
your debt, Wonder Woman.

458
00:20:49,414 --> 00:20:51,783
SEACREST: When guest star
Bubba Smith

459
00:20:51,783 --> 00:20:53,185
bristled at the notion

460
00:20:53,185 --> 00:20:56,121
of his character losing a fight
to Wonder Woman,

461
00:20:56,121 --> 00:20:59,191
Lynda Carter found a subtle way
to make her point.

462
00:20:59,191 --> 00:21:01,727
We devised this little plan,

463
00:21:01,727 --> 00:21:04,930
and they taught me how to --
it's really leverage.

464
00:21:04,930 --> 00:21:07,232
We were just going to try to
set it up,

465
00:21:07,232 --> 00:21:09,301
but the camera
was really rolling.

466
00:21:09,301 --> 00:21:11,236
And so the stunt coordinator
goes...

467
00:21:11,236 --> 00:21:13,639
I said, "Okay, I bet you
don't think I could this,

468
00:21:13,639 --> 00:21:15,707
but let's just try it,
let me just see.

469
00:21:15,707 --> 00:21:17,509
We won't film it."
I went -- boomp.

470
00:21:18,977 --> 00:21:20,612
And...

471
00:21:20,612 --> 00:21:22,614
And I -- so Bubba Smith --

472
00:21:22,614 --> 00:21:24,416
I tossed Bubba Smith --

473
00:21:24,416 --> 00:21:27,119
the football player.

474
00:21:27,119 --> 00:21:30,322
He was a big guy.

475
00:21:30,322 --> 00:21:31,857
Not too happy.

476
00:21:33,358 --> 00:21:36,328
SEACREST: The "Wonder Woman"
TV series was based on

477
00:21:36,328 --> 00:21:38,897
a comic created by
William Moulton Marston,

478
00:21:38,897 --> 00:21:41,133
a man who was already
well known

479
00:21:41,133 --> 00:21:44,436
as the inventor of
the first lie detector test.

480
00:21:44,436 --> 00:21:47,172
A version of Moulton's
invention made its way

481
00:21:47,172 --> 00:21:49,975
into the "Wonder Woman"
comic book and TV show

482
00:21:49,975 --> 00:21:51,643
as the Lasso of Truth

483
00:21:51,643 --> 00:21:54,112
that compelled villains
to speak honestly.

484
00:21:55,347 --> 00:21:56,415
[ Whip cracks ]

485
00:21:58,317 --> 00:21:59,918
What is this?!

486
00:21:59,918 --> 00:22:02,554
Only a little dinky rope,
but I can't move!

487
00:22:02,554 --> 00:22:05,057
No one can resist
the Golden Lasso.

488
00:22:05,057 --> 00:22:07,225
It binds all who
it encircles

489
00:22:07,225 --> 00:22:11,630
and compels them
to tell the truth.

490
00:22:13,598 --> 00:22:17,135
SEACREST: When Moulton's
comic first came to television

491
00:22:17,135 --> 00:22:18,470
in a 1974 TV movie,

492
00:22:18,470 --> 00:22:21,106
Cathy Lee Crosby played
Wonder Woman.

493
00:22:21,106 --> 00:22:24,609
But her blond hair, small frame,
and track-suit uniform

494
00:22:24,609 --> 00:22:27,846
strayed far from the original
comic book character.

495
00:22:29,748 --> 00:22:31,049
For the TV series,

496
00:22:31,049 --> 00:22:33,285
the producers wanted
the embodiment of

497
00:22:33,285 --> 00:22:34,720
the "Wonder Woman" comic,

498
00:22:34,720 --> 00:22:37,122
but finding an actress who could
pull it off

499
00:22:37,122 --> 00:22:38,357
was proving difficult,

500
00:22:38,357 --> 00:22:41,026
until they came upon
Lynda Carter.

501
00:22:41,026 --> 00:22:43,595
Her earnest attitude
and statuesque looks

502
00:22:43,595 --> 00:22:45,931
made her uniquely suited
to the role.

503
00:22:45,931 --> 00:22:48,600
CARTER: I will never have
another character

504
00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:51,269
that is that memorable.

505
00:22:51,269 --> 00:22:53,572
Very few actors ever have
a character

506
00:22:53,572 --> 00:22:56,575
that is that, you know,
seared into people's minds.

507
00:22:56,575 --> 00:23:03,181
And I have to say that
doing a comic book character

508
00:23:03,181 --> 00:23:05,784
is almost impossible.

509
00:23:05,784 --> 00:23:08,820
And there is a kind
of a secret to it.

510
00:23:08,820 --> 00:23:12,591
People want to believe
and you have to make it real.

511
00:23:12,591 --> 00:23:16,094
SEACREST: From the beginning,
Lynda Carter faced challenges.

512
00:23:16,094 --> 00:23:17,496
First came the costume,

513
00:23:17,496 --> 00:23:19,831
which some thought
was too revealing.

514
00:23:20,866 --> 00:23:22,768
I wore less on the beach.

515
00:23:22,768 --> 00:23:26,805
It was the American flag
in a one-piece suit.

516
00:23:26,805 --> 00:23:29,908
People thought that I pulled
in my waist, I actually didn't.

517
00:23:29,908 --> 00:23:33,478
Because my waist
is really small --

518
00:23:33,478 --> 00:23:35,881
or it was back then.

519
00:23:35,881 --> 00:23:38,784
And the truth is I had them
take it out

520
00:23:38,784 --> 00:23:42,687
because I didn't want it to
look too, like, hour-glassy.

521
00:23:42,687 --> 00:23:45,524
I know, it's a ridiculous
problem to have.

522
00:23:45,524 --> 00:23:46,858
I thought it looked too small.

523
00:23:48,794 --> 00:23:51,263
SEACREST: Acting was
also a challenge,

524
00:23:51,263 --> 00:23:54,232
because Lynda Carter
was so inexperienced

525
00:23:54,232 --> 00:23:56,034
when she landed the role.

526
00:23:56,034 --> 00:23:58,236
There are a couple
of real stinkers

527
00:23:58,236 --> 00:24:00,539
in "Wonder Woman"
where I had some --

528
00:24:00,539 --> 00:24:02,574
they'd gotten me some
acting coach

529
00:24:02,574 --> 00:24:05,644
who thought I should really be
playing up Wonder Woman.

530
00:24:05,644 --> 00:24:09,181
So I did that, and it was...

531
00:24:09,181 --> 00:24:10,615
They're really awful.

532
00:24:10,615 --> 00:24:12,684
What makes
you so strong?

533
00:24:12,684 --> 00:24:16,121
On Paradise Island,
there are only women.

534
00:24:16,121 --> 00:24:19,024
Because of this pure
environment,

535
00:24:19,024 --> 00:24:20,926
we are able to
develop our minds

536
00:24:20,926 --> 00:24:22,260
and our physical skills,

537
00:24:22,260 --> 00:24:25,464
unhampered by masculine
destructiveness.

538
00:24:25,464 --> 00:24:26,498
Stop!

539
00:24:26,498 --> 00:24:28,300
Such information
is utter rubbish!

540
00:24:30,101 --> 00:24:32,904
SEACREST: Because superhero
shows rely so heavily

541
00:24:32,904 --> 00:24:34,573
on a single central character,

542
00:24:34,573 --> 00:24:36,408
production can be taxing
on the lead actor...

543
00:24:36,408 --> 00:24:39,611
especially a newcomer
like Lynda Carter.

544
00:24:39,611 --> 00:24:42,180
That's why the guest stars
were so important.

545
00:24:42,180 --> 00:24:43,849
I've never worked in
anything

546
00:24:43,849 --> 00:24:45,884
where I didn't give everything
I have.

547
00:24:45,884 --> 00:24:51,389
I named this island Paradise
for an excellent reason --

548
00:24:51,389 --> 00:24:53,558
there are no men on it.

549
00:24:53,558 --> 00:24:55,727
Thus, it is free of
their wars,

550
00:24:55,727 --> 00:24:58,330
their greed,
their hostilities...

551
00:24:58,330 --> 00:25:05,370
their barbaric
masculine behavior.

552
00:25:05,370 --> 00:25:07,239
LEACHMAN: But that to me
was funny

553
00:25:07,239 --> 00:25:08,773
even though nobody knew it.

554
00:25:08,773 --> 00:25:10,008
[ Chuckles ]

555
00:25:10,008 --> 00:25:12,444
I remember being in love
with Lynda Carter.

556
00:25:12,444 --> 00:25:15,413
You stay and talk, I'll get
the car and bring it around.

557
00:25:15,413 --> 00:25:19,317
Butter him up, try to make him
tell you his technique.

558
00:25:19,317 --> 00:25:20,652
Uh, Harold?

559
00:25:23,154 --> 00:25:24,656
I drove.

560
00:25:24,656 --> 00:25:28,026
I had bashed my head
on the hatchback of my car,

561
00:25:28,026 --> 00:25:30,428
really bad --
I had cut it open,

562
00:25:30,428 --> 00:25:33,031
like, right here,
like a third eye.

563
00:25:33,031 --> 00:25:34,733
Because you can see,
the make-up man

564
00:25:34,733 --> 00:25:37,302
tried to fix it, but it's like
I have a head wound

565
00:25:37,302 --> 00:25:38,637
in the whole show.

566
00:25:38,637 --> 00:25:42,274
And they should have just
fired me, but they didn't.

567
00:25:42,274 --> 00:25:44,175
I wonder what kind
of surgery

568
00:25:44,175 --> 00:25:46,111
Marcus Welby would
call this?

569
00:25:46,111 --> 00:25:47,479
I should have worn a hat
or something.

570
00:25:47,479 --> 00:25:49,781
I'd love to see it because
I remember looking at it

571
00:25:49,781 --> 00:25:51,049
in the mirror when we shot it.

572
00:25:51,049 --> 00:25:52,951
I went, "This is not even
remotely gone."

573
00:25:52,951 --> 00:25:55,387
The make-up man, "No, let me
put a little more yellow

574
00:25:55,387 --> 00:25:57,522
to take the red out,
put some more powder on."

575
00:25:57,522 --> 00:25:59,090
No, there's a wound
on my head.

576
00:25:59,090 --> 00:26:01,493
I loved being with
Lynda Carter working on the show

577
00:26:01,493 --> 00:26:03,562
and meeting Ted Shackelford.

578
00:26:03,562 --> 00:26:06,631
I set the coordinates for
the demonstration run-through

579
00:26:06,631 --> 00:26:08,233
for Washington, D.C.,
1978.

580
00:26:08,233 --> 00:26:09,768
Are there any objections?

581
00:26:09,768 --> 00:26:11,703
No, you're the historian.

582
00:26:11,703 --> 00:26:15,173
It was kind of a rubber outfit.
He looked ridiculous, I thought.

583
00:26:15,173 --> 00:26:17,676
They allowed individuals
to accumulate

584
00:26:17,676 --> 00:26:19,411
a massive fortune back then.

585
00:26:19,411 --> 00:26:21,146
It will be fascinating
to watch

586
00:26:21,146 --> 00:26:23,548
a capitalistic society
at work. Uh-huh.

587
00:26:23,548 --> 00:26:27,385
Lots of technical jargon,
and we're working in, you know,

588
00:26:27,385 --> 00:26:30,021
things that Blondie here doesn't
have a clue what those are.

589
00:26:30,021 --> 00:26:32,324
Ted had to operate
all the knobs and the buttons

590
00:26:32,324 --> 00:26:33,992
and the things,
and we're trying to

591
00:26:33,992 --> 00:26:35,727
spit out dialogue
like this and that.

592
00:26:35,727 --> 00:26:38,063
This day is going
to make history.

593
00:26:38,063 --> 00:26:39,698
I can hardly wait
to see their faces.

594
00:26:39,698 --> 00:26:41,433
And it's all
because of you.

595
00:26:41,433 --> 00:26:43,435
After all, thanks
to your genius,

596
00:26:43,435 --> 00:26:45,737
the time portal
practically runs itself.

597
00:26:47,639 --> 00:26:50,575
SEACREST: Because female action
stars were so rare

598
00:26:50,575 --> 00:26:52,143
in the 1970s,

599
00:26:52,143 --> 00:26:54,813
when Lynda Carter
needed a stunt double,

600
00:26:54,813 --> 00:26:57,782
the producers dressed up
a man in her costume.

601
00:26:57,782 --> 00:27:00,952
We couldn't have a hairy guy
doubling me, you know.

602
00:27:00,952 --> 00:27:02,320
There was just --

603
00:27:02,320 --> 00:27:03,755
[ Laughs ]

604
00:27:03,755 --> 00:27:05,657
There was one guy...

605
00:27:05,657 --> 00:27:09,561
They had a Russian chair,
I think it's called --

606
00:27:09,561 --> 00:27:11,696
and it's a big swing.

607
00:27:11,696 --> 00:27:13,365
And it's got...

608
00:27:13,365 --> 00:27:15,400
and it launches a person
into the air.

609
00:27:19,704 --> 00:27:22,507
He had, like, a hairy chest
and everything,

610
00:27:22,507 --> 00:27:23,908
and a wig on.

611
00:27:23,908 --> 00:27:25,744
"Oh, it's gonna be from
the back, you'll never see it."

612
00:27:25,744 --> 00:27:27,746
I said, "I can't have...

613
00:27:28,279 --> 00:27:29,981
I can't have" --

614
00:27:29,981 --> 00:27:33,852
It's like he's got this, like,
a guy's square shape, you know.

615
00:27:33,852 --> 00:27:35,286
It's like...

616
00:27:40,759 --> 00:27:43,461
SEACREST: In one scene,
Wonder Woman was supposed to

617
00:27:43,461 --> 00:27:44,896
hang on to a helicopter,

618
00:27:44,896 --> 00:27:47,966
but the shot would have clearly
revealed the stunt double.

619
00:27:47,966 --> 00:27:51,036
Lynda Carter decided
to do the stunt herself.

620
00:27:51,036 --> 00:27:53,171
I said, "Okay, okay,
just roll it.

621
00:27:53,171 --> 00:27:54,506
Just roll it!"

622
00:27:57,275 --> 00:28:00,645
And I got up on the thing,
and I got on the struts,

623
00:28:00,645 --> 00:28:02,814
but I didn't use
the little...

624
00:28:02,814 --> 00:28:05,383
I didn't use
the little safety thing.

625
00:28:05,383 --> 00:28:07,419
I didn't know you're
supposed to.

626
00:28:07,419 --> 00:28:09,788
And I -- "Just take it up,
just go, go, go,

627
00:28:09,788 --> 00:28:12,791
before the sun -- the sun's
going down, sun's going down!

628
00:28:12,791 --> 00:28:14,025
Go, go, go, go!"

629
00:28:14,025 --> 00:28:16,661
So they went...
and the helicopter went up.

630
00:28:23,768 --> 00:28:25,537
Puts me back down.

631
00:28:25,537 --> 00:28:27,405
I said, "Good, we got the shot."

632
00:28:27,405 --> 00:28:30,809
SEACREST: One slip would
have been deadly.

633
00:28:30,809 --> 00:28:34,379
Studio executives, infuriated
that their star

634
00:28:34,379 --> 00:28:36,648
might have been injured,
made sure Lynda Carter

635
00:28:36,648 --> 00:28:37,682
got a stunt double --

636
00:28:37,682 --> 00:28:39,784
a female stunt double.

637
00:28:44,856 --> 00:28:47,726
SEACREST: "Wonder Woman"
lasted just three seasons,

638
00:28:47,726 --> 00:28:49,928
but it was an important
launching pad

639
00:28:49,928 --> 00:28:51,329
for women in television.

640
00:28:51,329 --> 00:28:55,734
It was among the first TV dramas
with a female lead

641
00:28:55,734 --> 00:28:57,736
and gave invaluable
experience

642
00:28:57,736 --> 00:29:00,538
to a wide range of
female writers, producers,

643
00:29:00,538 --> 00:29:01,940
and production people.

644
00:29:01,940 --> 00:29:05,744
And the series launched
one other career --

645
00:29:05,744 --> 00:29:08,012
Wonder Girl,
played by Debra Winger.

646
00:29:24,229 --> 00:29:27,799
There were plans for
a "Wonder Girl" spinoff series,

647
00:29:27,799 --> 00:29:30,135
but Debra Winger
wasn't interested.

648
00:29:30,135 --> 00:29:33,805
And by 1979,
the "Wonder Woman" franchise

649
00:29:33,805 --> 00:29:35,440
had left the air.

650
00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:39,043
By then, another superhero
was hitting its stride.

651
00:29:40,445 --> 00:29:41,613
As a little boy,

652
00:29:41,613 --> 00:29:44,249
Lou Ferrigno put on
a bulky hearing aid

653
00:29:44,249 --> 00:29:45,283
every morning.

654
00:29:45,283 --> 00:29:48,186
The other kids teased him
mercilessly,

655
00:29:48,186 --> 00:29:52,223
leading to schoolyard fights
that Lou lost.

656
00:29:52,223 --> 00:29:55,093
For comfort, little Lou
read comic books,

657
00:29:55,093 --> 00:29:57,495
especially
"The Incredible Hulk,"

658
00:29:57,495 --> 00:30:00,832
because the Hulk had the power
to stand up to bullies.

659
00:30:00,832 --> 00:30:02,467
FERRIGNO: Anytime I felt

660
00:30:02,467 --> 00:30:04,803
devastated,
emotionally insecure,

661
00:30:04,803 --> 00:30:06,971
I would just read
the comic.

662
00:30:06,971 --> 00:30:10,241
It would give me a lot of
inspiration and hope.

663
00:30:10,241 --> 00:30:13,645
SEACREST: But Lou Ferrigno
didn't stop there.

664
00:30:13,645 --> 00:30:16,281
He resolved to give himself
super strength --

665
00:30:16,281 --> 00:30:18,383
like his comic book hero.

666
00:30:18,383 --> 00:30:21,719
I got beat up a lot as a kid,
so I wanted to be like the Hulk.

667
00:30:21,719 --> 00:30:23,922
I wanted to be so strong,
so invincible,

668
00:30:23,922 --> 00:30:26,791
that I could command the same
power like the Hulk does.

669
00:30:26,791 --> 00:30:28,760
So that's how
the connection began.

670
00:30:30,695 --> 00:30:32,864
SEACREST: By the time he was 22,

671
00:30:32,864 --> 00:30:36,067
Ferrigno had won
the Mr. Universe title twice.

672
00:30:37,769 --> 00:30:40,972
When "The Incredible Hulk"
TV series went into production,

673
00:30:40,972 --> 00:30:43,908
the producers needed a muscular
type for the title role.

674
00:30:43,908 --> 00:30:46,044
They turned to
Arnold Schwarzenegger,

675
00:30:46,044 --> 00:30:48,279
but the famed bodybuilder
wasn't tall enough,

676
00:30:48,279 --> 00:30:50,081
and so the
the producers signed...

677
00:30:50,081 --> 00:30:51,883
Richard Kiel.

678
00:30:51,883 --> 00:30:54,018
FERRIGNO: Originally,
Richard Kiel

679
00:30:54,018 --> 00:30:55,286
was playing the Hulk,

680
00:30:55,286 --> 00:30:56,721
but he was too big,

681
00:30:56,721 --> 00:30:59,591
he didn't have the muscles,
and he didn't have the look.

682
00:30:59,591 --> 00:31:02,260
So one day, a director came
on the set with his son.

683
00:31:02,260 --> 00:31:04,629
And the boy said,
"Dad, this is not the Hulk.

684
00:31:04,629 --> 00:31:07,599
The Hulk's gotta look like the
character in the comic book."

685
00:31:07,599 --> 00:31:10,802
SEACREST: Even though shooting
was well underway,

686
00:31:10,802 --> 00:31:14,472
the producers now realized Kiel
wasn't right for the role.

687
00:31:14,472 --> 00:31:16,207
So the part was re-cast --

688
00:31:16,207 --> 00:31:19,611
with the only person in
Hollywood who had the height

689
00:31:19,611 --> 00:31:22,347
and build to play
the Incredible Hulk --

690
00:31:22,347 --> 00:31:23,848
Lou Ferrigno.

691
00:31:23,848 --> 00:31:26,217
FERRIGNO: I had to show all the
emotion, become the character,

692
00:31:26,217 --> 00:31:28,286
which I had no experience
as an actor,

693
00:31:28,286 --> 00:31:31,189
but I knew the character
of the Hulk.

694
00:31:31,189 --> 00:31:34,826
SEACREST: Within hours
of landing the role,

695
00:31:34,826 --> 00:31:37,061
Lou Ferrigno was
in the green makeup,

696
00:31:37,061 --> 00:31:40,398
working 16 hour days
to re-film the pilot.

697
00:31:40,398 --> 00:31:41,933
It wasn't easy.

698
00:31:41,933 --> 00:31:43,434
At 4:00 one morning

699
00:31:43,434 --> 00:31:46,838
in the rain, a scene called for
the Hulk to flip a car,

700
00:31:46,838 --> 00:31:49,607
but the steel cable that was
supposed to

701
00:31:49,607 --> 00:31:51,209
lift the vehicle broke.

702
00:31:51,209 --> 00:31:53,544
Tired and overworked,
Ferrigno wasn't about

703
00:31:53,544 --> 00:31:55,380
to wait for the scene
to be reset.

704
00:31:55,380 --> 00:31:57,849
FERRIGNO: They had a car,
and the cable snapped,

705
00:31:57,849 --> 00:31:59,684
but I strong enough
to hold the car midway

706
00:31:59,684 --> 00:32:01,152
and just flip it over
the cliff.

707
00:32:11,596 --> 00:32:13,865
Tell you the truth,
4:00 in the morning,

708
00:32:13,865 --> 00:32:16,801
those eyes, the wig, the teeth,
I'm freezing to death.

709
00:32:16,801 --> 00:32:18,903
Do you think I'm not going
to turn that car over?

710
00:32:18,903 --> 00:32:20,705
I mean, I think I really
became the Hulk.

711
00:32:28,179 --> 00:32:31,416
16 hours of filming and this
was like 4:00 in the morning.

712
00:32:31,416 --> 00:32:33,651
I was about to explode,
I was so pissed.

713
00:32:33,651 --> 00:32:35,853
And that's why it worked
for the scene.

714
00:32:35,853 --> 00:32:38,990
[ Growling ]

715
00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:44,862
SEACREST: For Ferrigno,
the biggest challenge

716
00:32:44,862 --> 00:32:47,065
of playing the Hulk was
putting on the required

717
00:32:47,065 --> 00:32:49,267
six layers of green makeup,

718
00:32:49,267 --> 00:32:51,269
an uncomfortable process that

719
00:32:51,269 --> 00:32:52,937
took nearly four hours.

720
00:32:52,937 --> 00:32:57,141
Removing the makeup was also
a painstaking daily ordeal.

721
00:32:57,141 --> 00:32:58,609
Once, in frustration,

722
00:32:58,609 --> 00:33:00,378
Ferrigno stormed out

723
00:33:00,378 --> 00:33:03,781
and drove home in
full makeup and costume.

724
00:33:03,781 --> 00:33:08,486
I'm on the freeway --
the 405 freeway -- driving.

725
00:33:08,486 --> 00:33:10,888
I see another car
on the side of me.

726
00:33:10,888 --> 00:33:12,757
The guy is looking at me,
so, you know, of course

727
00:33:12,757 --> 00:33:14,225
I looked at him,
looked to the right.

728
00:33:14,225 --> 00:33:17,862
His eyes just lighten up,
and he said, "Holy shhh!"

729
00:33:17,862 --> 00:33:19,597
He screamed at the top
of his lungs

730
00:33:19,597 --> 00:33:21,799
and the poor guy
just hit another car.

731
00:33:21,799 --> 00:33:25,003
SEACREST: Ferrigno's Hulk
was the alter ego

732
00:33:25,003 --> 00:33:27,271
of mild-mannered David Banner,

733
00:33:27,271 --> 00:33:29,841
played by veteran actor
Bill Bixby.

734
00:33:29,841 --> 00:33:32,443
My arm, it's sore.

735
00:33:32,443 --> 00:33:35,079
I remember...

736
00:33:35,079 --> 00:33:38,316
feeling incredibly strong.

737
00:33:40,318 --> 00:33:42,186
It was me.

738
00:33:44,322 --> 00:33:45,857
And it wasn't me.

739
00:33:45,857 --> 00:33:48,326
I-I...

740
00:33:48,326 --> 00:33:50,495
My eyes were white.

741
00:33:50,495 --> 00:33:52,864
SEACREST: Bixby worked
to ensure the series

742
00:33:52,864 --> 00:33:54,298
stayed true to the comic

743
00:33:54,298 --> 00:33:57,535
and resisted attempts to make
the show more juvenile.

744
00:33:57,535 --> 00:33:59,604
The network, I believe they
were talking about

745
00:33:59,604 --> 00:34:02,140
including like Martians,
spaceships, and everything.

746
00:34:02,140 --> 00:34:04,742
And Bill wanted to keep
the format of the show.

747
00:34:04,742 --> 00:34:07,812
He didn't want the show to look
like a silly sci-fi show.

748
00:34:07,812 --> 00:34:09,847
SEACREST: Thanks to Bixby's
vigilance,

749
00:34:09,847 --> 00:34:12,016
"The Incredible Hulk"
continued to follow

750
00:34:12,016 --> 00:34:13,885
the comic book's
original premise.

751
00:34:13,885 --> 00:34:17,021
Scientist David Banner
was a force for good...

752
00:34:17,021 --> 00:34:19,223
but he didn't have
all the answers,

753
00:34:19,223 --> 00:34:21,426
and he wasn't always
in control.

754
00:34:21,426 --> 00:34:24,128
Stop!

755
00:34:24,128 --> 00:34:25,997
For God's sake,

756
00:34:25,997 --> 00:34:27,865
don't do it!

757
00:34:29,801 --> 00:34:32,570
[ Growling ]

758
00:34:51,322 --> 00:34:55,326
SEACREST: The emotionally driven
Hulk was a sharp contrast

759
00:34:55,326 --> 00:34:57,361
to previous TV superheroes...

760
00:34:57,361 --> 00:34:59,397
[ Fanfare plays ]

761
00:34:59,397 --> 00:35:00,531
especially the one

762
00:35:00,531 --> 00:35:02,700
who was always in control...

763
00:35:02,700 --> 00:35:06,571
saving the day for humanity
starting in 1952.

764
00:35:06,571 --> 00:35:09,207
ANNOUNCER: Faster than
a speeding bullet...

765
00:35:11,409 --> 00:35:13,911
More powerful than
a locomotive...

766
00:35:14,745 --> 00:35:18,516
Able to leap tall buildings
at a single bound.

767
00:35:18,516 --> 00:35:20,651
MAN: Look, up in the sky!
It's a bird!

768
00:35:20,651 --> 00:35:21,786
WOMAN: It's a plane!

769
00:35:21,786 --> 00:35:23,054
It's Superman!

770
00:35:23,054 --> 00:35:24,522
ANNOUNCER: Yes, it's Superman,

771
00:35:24,522 --> 00:35:27,158
strange visitor from
another planet who came to Earth

772
00:35:27,158 --> 00:35:29,994
with powers and abilities
far beyond those of mortal men!

773
00:35:32,029 --> 00:35:34,031
SEACREST: When young
George Reeves appeared

774
00:35:34,031 --> 00:35:35,266
in "Gone with the Wind,"

775
00:35:35,266 --> 00:35:38,669
he thought he was on his way
to A-list stardom.

776
00:35:38,669 --> 00:35:39,971
He was wrong.

777
00:35:39,971 --> 00:35:41,072
War, war, war.

778
00:35:41,072 --> 00:35:43,141
This war talk's spoiling
all the fun

779
00:35:43,141 --> 00:35:44,609
at every party this spring.

780
00:35:44,609 --> 00:35:47,211
I get so bored, I could scream.

781
00:35:47,211 --> 00:35:49,080
Besides, there isn't going
to be any war.

782
00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:50,281
Not going to be any war?!

783
00:35:50,281 --> 00:35:52,316
Honey, of course, there's
going to be a war.

784
00:35:52,316 --> 00:35:54,552
If either of you boys
says "war" just once again,

785
00:35:54,552 --> 00:35:56,387
I'll go in the house
and slam the door.

786
00:35:56,387 --> 00:35:59,056
But, Scarlett, honey --
Don't you want us to have a war?

787
00:35:59,056 --> 00:36:03,194
SEACREST: In 1951,
Reeves was offered the role

788
00:36:03,194 --> 00:36:04,896
of TV's Superman.

789
00:36:04,896 --> 00:36:06,130
He didn't want it,

790
00:36:06,130 --> 00:36:08,499
thinking television
was beneath him.

791
00:36:08,499 --> 00:36:10,535
But without any other prospects,

792
00:36:10,535 --> 00:36:12,236
he reluctantly signed on

793
00:36:12,236 --> 00:36:15,373
playing opposite
Phyllis Coates as Lois Lane

794
00:36:15,373 --> 00:36:18,676
and Jack Larson
as Jimmy Olsen.

795
00:36:18,676 --> 00:36:20,211
Golly, Superman,

796
00:36:20,211 --> 00:36:22,313
I thought I was
a goner for sure.

797
00:36:22,313 --> 00:36:24,815
Sorry to have timed
this so close, Jimmy.

798
00:36:24,815 --> 00:36:27,318
Oh, don't be sorry,
I'm tickled to death.

799
00:36:27,318 --> 00:36:32,456
I thought this must be a bit
tough on George's memories,

800
00:36:32,456 --> 00:36:33,591
being Superman now,

801
00:36:33,591 --> 00:36:36,194
and he'd started off
in "Gone with the Wind."

802
00:36:37,495 --> 00:36:40,164
SEACREST: Reeves took
an immediate dislike

803
00:36:40,164 --> 00:36:43,334
to the costume -- 20 pounds
of wool and fake muscles

804
00:36:43,334 --> 00:36:46,204
that baked in the era
before air conditioning.

805
00:36:46,204 --> 00:36:49,507
There was this sponge pad
in places, I think,

806
00:36:49,507 --> 00:36:52,910
over his chest, over his
shoulders and biceps.

807
00:36:52,910 --> 00:36:55,746
And this made the suit
get very hot.

808
00:36:57,248 --> 00:36:59,617
SEACREST: Even worse
was the system used

809
00:36:59,617 --> 00:37:01,719
to simulate flight,
which involved

810
00:37:01,719 --> 00:37:03,721
hanging Reeves
from piano wires.

811
00:37:03,721 --> 00:37:07,058
Early on, the system failed.

812
00:37:07,058 --> 00:37:12,396
The wires broke, and he fell
on his super butt...

813
00:37:12,396 --> 00:37:15,533
into this thing --
about five feet.

814
00:37:15,533 --> 00:37:19,870
And he was very upset.

815
00:37:19,870 --> 00:37:23,007
And he got up and brushed
himself off like that

816
00:37:23,007 --> 00:37:24,508
and said, "That's it."

817
00:37:24,508 --> 00:37:28,346
He said, "Peter Pan flies on
wires," he says,

818
00:37:28,346 --> 00:37:31,682
"but my Superman doesn't
fly on wires.

819
00:37:31,682 --> 00:37:36,887
That's the last time I'm ever
going to come in on a wire."

820
00:37:38,990 --> 00:37:41,492
SEACREST: Eventually, a better
system was developed

821
00:37:41,492 --> 00:37:43,294
to simulate flight,
and over time,

822
00:37:43,294 --> 00:37:45,062
Reeves began to warm
to the role.

823
00:37:45,062 --> 00:37:47,498
His favorite part of the job --

824
00:37:47,498 --> 00:37:49,000
crashing through walls.

825
00:37:50,868 --> 00:37:52,870
He liked the walls to pop out.

826
00:37:52,870 --> 00:37:54,872
He'd come in there,
and they would pop.

827
00:38:01,579 --> 00:38:03,948
Superman!
Am I glad to see you.

828
00:38:03,948 --> 00:38:05,716
Superman, you could have
come in through the door!

829
00:38:05,716 --> 00:38:07,718
Well, this seemed a little
more spectacular.

830
00:38:07,718 --> 00:38:10,421
SEACREST: The series' other
trademark look was

831
00:38:10,421 --> 00:38:12,056
Superman's flying exit...

832
00:38:12,056 --> 00:38:14,425
accomplished with
a simple diving board.

833
00:38:19,096 --> 00:38:22,333
He would run, take a leap
at the diving board,

834
00:38:22,333 --> 00:38:23,901
and go out the window.

835
00:38:23,901 --> 00:38:25,503
Goodbye, miss.

836
00:38:28,439 --> 00:38:30,274
Golly.

837
00:38:30,274 --> 00:38:32,143
If I could only fly
like Superman

838
00:38:32,143 --> 00:38:34,111
instead of taking those
hot subways.

839
00:38:35,579 --> 00:38:37,882
SEACREST: "The Adventures
of Superman" was a big hit,

840
00:38:37,882 --> 00:38:41,218
thanks largely
to Reeves' likeable persona.

841
00:38:41,218 --> 00:38:44,455
His superhero was never
worried or upset.

842
00:38:44,455 --> 00:38:45,523
Stay back, Superman.

843
00:38:45,523 --> 00:38:47,058
This ain't no
ordinary gun.

844
00:38:47,058 --> 00:38:50,494
SEACREST: Just confident in his
ability to deliver justice.

845
00:38:50,494 --> 00:38:52,163
I don't want to hurt
anybody, Superman,

846
00:38:52,163 --> 00:38:53,798
not even you,
but I will if I have to.

847
00:38:55,533 --> 00:38:57,068
I warned you.

848
00:39:03,140 --> 00:39:04,542
But it's gotta hurt ya.

849
00:39:04,542 --> 00:39:06,744
It's gotta, it can
melt cold steel.

850
00:39:08,713 --> 00:39:10,581
SEACREST: Unlike his character,

851
00:39:10,581 --> 00:39:13,417
George Reeves did begin
to worry a great deal

852
00:39:13,417 --> 00:39:15,619
about being typecast
as Superman.

853
00:39:15,619 --> 00:39:19,190
And his fear was realized
when acting jobs dried up

854
00:39:19,190 --> 00:39:22,259
as the series rolled into
its final season.

855
00:39:22,259 --> 00:39:25,996
Reeves drank heavily
and left his longtime love,

856
00:39:25,996 --> 00:39:28,733
Toni Mannix,
for a younger woman.

857
00:39:28,733 --> 00:39:31,602
He said to me, "Well, I met
another woman."

858
00:39:31,602 --> 00:39:38,876
And he said, "And she makes me
feel like a boy again."

859
00:39:38,876 --> 00:39:42,947
Well, there's
no commenting on that.

860
00:39:42,947 --> 00:39:44,815
The only line is, "You fool!"

861
00:39:48,018 --> 00:39:51,655
SEACREST: Here in his home
on Benedict Canyon

862
00:39:51,655 --> 00:39:53,290
on June 16th, 1959,

863
00:39:53,290 --> 00:39:57,895
George Reeves died of
a gunshot wound.

864
00:39:57,895 --> 00:40:01,966
To this day, no one is quite
sure how it happened.

865
00:40:01,966 --> 00:40:05,636
His death remains one of
Hollywood's greatest mysteries.

866
00:40:05,636 --> 00:40:07,738
It was a front-page story
all over the world.

867
00:40:07,738 --> 00:40:12,443
SEACREST: The coroner ruled
Reeve's death a suicide,

868
00:40:12,443 --> 00:40:15,146
but rumors swirled that
the jilted Toni Mannix

869
00:40:15,146 --> 00:40:16,447
was somehow involved.

870
00:40:16,447 --> 00:40:19,350
[ Flashbulbs popping ]

871
00:40:19,350 --> 00:40:21,385
In a bizarre twist,

872
00:40:21,385 --> 00:40:24,021
Toni secretly revisited
the crime scene

873
00:40:24,021 --> 00:40:25,556
shortly after the death

874
00:40:25,556 --> 00:40:28,626
and asked Jack Larson
to join her.

875
00:40:28,626 --> 00:40:31,061
LARSON: And we go into
the house.

876
00:40:31,061 --> 00:40:32,763
And we didn't talk much.

877
00:40:32,763 --> 00:40:35,199
We went up these stairs.

878
00:40:35,199 --> 00:40:36,801
In the bathtub

879
00:40:36,801 --> 00:40:39,503
were these bloody sheets.

880
00:40:39,503 --> 00:40:43,407
The police had taken the sheets
off the bed

881
00:40:43,407 --> 00:40:45,443
where George had died.

882
00:40:45,443 --> 00:40:50,781
They were all blood --
you know, deep-brown with blood,

883
00:40:50,781 --> 00:40:55,052
that, and a lot of blood
into the bathtub.

884
00:40:55,052 --> 00:40:57,154
And I started to feel sick.

885
00:40:57,154 --> 00:40:59,457
SEACREST: When Larson
turned around,

886
00:40:59,457 --> 00:41:01,892
he saw Toni Mannix
on the bedroom floor

887
00:41:01,892 --> 00:41:04,562
examining two small
bullet holes.

888
00:41:04,562 --> 00:41:06,931
Why would the site of
a suicide

889
00:41:06,931 --> 00:41:08,833
have multiple bullet holes?

890
00:41:08,833 --> 00:41:11,936
And how would Toni Mannix
know where to find them?

891
00:41:11,936 --> 00:41:14,472
Jack Larson wasn't looking
for answers,

892
00:41:14,472 --> 00:41:16,507
he just wanted to leave.

893
00:41:16,507 --> 00:41:20,478
At that point, I said, "Toni,
I have to leave.

894
00:41:20,478 --> 00:41:22,012
I'm getting ill,

895
00:41:22,012 --> 00:41:23,881
and I have to leave."

896
00:41:23,881 --> 00:41:25,449
And so she said,
"Okay, Junior."

897
00:41:25,449 --> 00:41:27,518
SEACREST: Back in the car,

898
00:41:27,518 --> 00:41:31,222
Toni Mannix gave Jack Larson
her final thoughts

899
00:41:31,222 --> 00:41:33,157
on George Reeves' death.

900
00:41:33,157 --> 00:41:36,460
LARSON: And she leaned back
in her car.

901
00:41:36,460 --> 00:41:39,096
And she always talked
like Jean Harlow.

902
00:41:39,096 --> 00:41:44,835
And she said, "I never would
have believed

903
00:41:44,835 --> 00:41:47,538
that my love affair

904
00:41:47,538 --> 00:41:50,674
would have turned into tragedy."

905
00:41:53,777 --> 00:41:55,513
SEACREST: While the final
moments

906
00:41:55,513 --> 00:41:57,515
of George Reeves' life
remain cloudy...

907
00:41:57,515 --> 00:41:59,283
[ Gunshots ]

908
00:41:59,283 --> 00:42:01,485
his legacy is clear --

909
00:42:01,485 --> 00:42:04,989
George Reeves opened
the door for TV superheroes.

910
00:42:12,930 --> 00:42:14,465
Next!

911
00:42:14,465 --> 00:42:16,400
SEACREST: Two decades after
"Superman"

912
00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:17,535
went out of production,

913
00:42:17,535 --> 00:42:19,937
the genre
got a major reboot

914
00:42:19,937 --> 00:42:23,240
with a very different
kind of superhero,

915
00:42:23,240 --> 00:42:27,244
from TV's most prolific
producer, Stephen J. Cannell.

916
00:42:27,244 --> 00:42:29,179
If I'm going
to do a superhero show.

917
00:42:29,179 --> 00:42:31,882
I'm not just going to have
a guy from a distant planet

918
00:42:31,882 --> 00:42:33,551
who comes to earth in a meteor

919
00:42:33,551 --> 00:42:36,053
and starts solving other
people's problems.

920
00:42:36,053 --> 00:42:38,589
My characters tend
to be underdogs.

921
00:42:38,589 --> 00:42:41,158
I much prefer the flaws
to the strengths.

922
00:42:41,158 --> 00:42:45,062
As a writer, I'd much rather
write about a character

923
00:42:45,062 --> 00:42:47,665
who can't get out of
his own way

924
00:42:47,665 --> 00:42:50,367
and yet manages
to succeed anyway

925
00:42:50,367 --> 00:42:52,770
than one who is
the smartest guy in town.

926
00:42:53,837 --> 00:42:57,741
We have to go and not
wait until it's too --

927
00:42:57,741 --> 00:42:59,276
Oh, hi.

928
00:42:59,276 --> 00:43:00,611
Oh, I'm sorry.

929
00:43:00,611 --> 00:43:02,346
I didn't know
the bathroom was in use.

930
00:43:02,346 --> 00:43:03,781
Oh, yeah, I'm...

931
00:43:03,781 --> 00:43:04,782
We can come back.

932
00:43:04,782 --> 00:43:06,283
No, that's all right.
I'm leaving,

933
00:43:06,283 --> 00:43:09,119
I just needed to get
this cape attached to my...

934
00:43:09,119 --> 00:43:10,788
Look, I know this seems
really nuts,

935
00:43:10,788 --> 00:43:11,855
but I'm not...

936
00:43:11,855 --> 00:43:13,057
See, what I'm doing here is

937
00:43:13,057 --> 00:43:14,592
I'm late for
a court appearance.

938
00:43:14,592 --> 00:43:16,994
Look, it's okay.
It's okay, really.

939
00:43:16,994 --> 00:43:18,429
Look, we're all
through anyway.

940
00:43:18,429 --> 00:43:20,130
No, it's all right!
No, don't touch us!

941
00:43:22,533 --> 00:43:24,768
SEACREST: Stephen J. Cannell
created

942
00:43:24,768 --> 00:43:26,270
"Greatest American Hero,"

943
00:43:26,270 --> 00:43:29,206
the story of a high-school
teacher, Ralph Hinkley,

944
00:43:29,206 --> 00:43:32,309
who gets a suit that
gives him superpowers...

945
00:43:32,309 --> 00:43:35,079
but then he loses
the instruction manual.

946
00:43:35,079 --> 00:43:36,714
Okay...

947
00:43:36,714 --> 00:43:38,148
Okay.

948
00:43:38,148 --> 00:43:39,216
Last night,

949
00:43:39,216 --> 00:43:40,784
I was approached by
a flying saucer

950
00:43:40,784 --> 00:43:42,186
out in the desert.

951
00:43:42,186 --> 00:43:44,955
Anyway... this saucer,

952
00:43:44,955 --> 00:43:47,591
they talked to us over
the car radio.

953
00:43:47,591 --> 00:43:49,994
And Bill's partner --
he's a G-man --

954
00:43:49,994 --> 00:43:51,662
he came out of the saucer,
but he was dead.

955
00:43:51,662 --> 00:43:53,464
And he had this package
under his arm,

956
00:43:53,464 --> 00:43:54,465
and he gave it to me.

957
00:43:54,465 --> 00:43:57,468
And...

958
00:43:57,468 --> 00:43:59,269
There were instructions
on how to use the suit,

959
00:43:59,269 --> 00:44:01,605
but I lost them.

960
00:44:01,605 --> 00:44:04,241
The hook was, he's gonna lose
the instruction book

961
00:44:04,241 --> 00:44:06,844
and he's not going to know how
to use the powers.

962
00:44:06,844 --> 00:44:10,614
So it's going to be, you know,

963
00:44:10,614 --> 00:44:13,684
some of the comedy will come
from the fact that

964
00:44:13,684 --> 00:44:16,587
he has to discover,
along with the audience,

965
00:44:16,587 --> 00:44:17,888
how the suit works.

966
00:44:17,888 --> 00:44:19,923
What could be more perfect

967
00:44:19,923 --> 00:44:22,726
than having
a high-school teacher

968
00:44:22,726 --> 00:44:26,030
thrust into the role
of being a superhero

969
00:44:26,030 --> 00:44:28,799
and yet being put at
the disadvantage

970
00:44:28,799 --> 00:44:31,135
of not knowing
how to work it?

971
00:44:31,135 --> 00:44:32,603
Not knowing how to fly,

972
00:44:32,603 --> 00:44:35,739
not knowing how to work
the magic of the red suit.

973
00:44:35,739 --> 00:44:38,242
You're not doing it right.

974
00:44:38,242 --> 00:44:40,310
You've gotta run, like,
three steps

975
00:44:40,310 --> 00:44:42,846
and jump with your hands out
in front of you.

976
00:44:42,846 --> 00:44:44,114
Oh.

977
00:44:44,114 --> 00:44:45,649
See, I've never done
this before.

978
00:44:45,649 --> 00:44:47,651
My daddy's calling
the police.

979
00:44:47,651 --> 00:44:50,287
Terrific.

980
00:44:50,287 --> 00:44:52,289
Uh, three steps, huh?

981
00:44:55,426 --> 00:44:58,796
[ Screaming ]

982
00:45:05,335 --> 00:45:07,838
SEACREST: When he signed on
to do the show,

983
00:45:07,838 --> 00:45:09,373
actor William Katt imagined

984
00:45:09,373 --> 00:45:11,842
he'd be playing a superhero
like Iron Man.

985
00:45:11,842 --> 00:45:13,310
Then he saw the costume

986
00:45:13,310 --> 00:45:16,146
that producer Stephen J. Cannell
had in mind.

987
00:45:16,146 --> 00:45:18,215
I just thought it would
look better.

988
00:45:18,215 --> 00:45:20,718
But when he said, "You ready
to see the suit?"

989
00:45:20,718 --> 00:45:23,053
I said, "Sure,"
so he shows me the suit --

990
00:45:23,053 --> 00:45:24,922
the designer comes out
and holds it up.

991
00:45:24,922 --> 00:45:28,826
And I was just mortified because

992
00:45:28,826 --> 00:45:32,096
it wasn't as cool as
everything that you see now.

993
00:45:32,096 --> 00:45:34,565
It sagged in all
the wrong places.

994
00:45:34,565 --> 00:45:38,302
So when I put it on,
in the pilot,

995
00:45:38,302 --> 00:45:40,170
when I turn around
and I look in the mirror

996
00:45:40,170 --> 00:45:42,840
and I look at myself,
I'm mortified.

997
00:45:45,375 --> 00:45:48,445
And that's Bill Katt
looking at himself --

998
00:45:48,445 --> 00:45:52,649
the actor Bill Katt saying,
"There goes my career."

999
00:45:52,649 --> 00:45:55,786
And that's what I was feeling
at the time.

1000
00:46:00,691 --> 00:46:03,794
He's running around
in spandex and a cape,

1001
00:46:03,794 --> 00:46:07,197
you know, that's my --
that's gonna be my hero.

1002
00:46:07,197 --> 00:46:09,399
Stephen got the biggest
kick in the world

1003
00:46:09,399 --> 00:46:11,502
out of watching me squirm
in that suit.

1004
00:46:11,502 --> 00:46:13,337
He just thought I was --

1005
00:46:13,337 --> 00:46:15,305
he was tickled constantly.

1006
00:46:15,305 --> 00:46:17,174
He laughed, and he'd go,

1007
00:46:17,174 --> 00:46:19,610
"I'm glad I don't have to
wear that thing."

1008
00:46:21,311 --> 00:46:24,982
SEACREST: A reluctant hero needs
someone to prod him along.

1009
00:46:24,982 --> 00:46:26,483
In "Greatest American Hero,"

1010
00:46:26,483 --> 00:46:28,886
that role was filled
by Robert Culp

1011
00:46:28,886 --> 00:46:30,988
who saw the series
as a retelling

1012
00:46:30,988 --> 00:46:33,590
of the ancient legend
of Arthur and Merlin.

1013
00:46:33,590 --> 00:46:36,860
Merlin was
a pretty tough cookie --

1014
00:46:36,860 --> 00:46:41,098
Merlin is me as Bill Maxwell,

1015
00:46:41,098 --> 00:46:44,434
the super gung-ho jerk.

1016
00:46:44,434 --> 00:46:48,772
But it's still Merlin --
in his negativity --

1017
00:46:48,772 --> 00:46:50,974
telling Arthur what to do,

1018
00:46:50,974 --> 00:46:55,612
and Arthur fighting back with
all of his charm and warmth

1019
00:46:55,612 --> 00:46:59,116
and his down-to-earth
nice guy qualities

1020
00:46:59,116 --> 00:47:01,885
that is the foundation
of the story.

1021
00:47:01,885 --> 00:47:04,288
There's something you
gotta know about me,

1022
00:47:04,288 --> 00:47:06,423
I'm by the book --
always have been,

1023
00:47:06,423 --> 00:47:08,258
always will be --
by the book.

1024
00:47:08,258 --> 00:47:10,327
And it really
bends my frame

1025
00:47:10,327 --> 00:47:12,930
when things get over
into the margins.

1026
00:47:12,930 --> 00:47:16,099
The margins! I'd say we're
clear off the page here.

1027
00:47:16,099 --> 00:47:18,168
Just wait a second...

1028
00:47:18,168 --> 00:47:20,604
SEACREST: Robert Culp was
already an accomplished actor,

1029
00:47:20,604 --> 00:47:21,972
but in "Greatest American Hero,"

1030
00:47:21,972 --> 00:47:23,941
he played a sidekick to
the less-experienced

1031
00:47:23,941 --> 00:47:25,342
William Katt,

1032
00:47:25,342 --> 00:47:28,912
a situation that led
to some conflict at first.

1033
00:47:28,912 --> 00:47:31,915
We truly did not like
each other when we first met.

1034
00:47:31,915 --> 00:47:34,685
I mean, there was some
real friction there,

1035
00:47:34,685 --> 00:47:36,119
and remarkably enough,

1036
00:47:36,119 --> 00:47:39,656
it was just another one of those
things that it worked --

1037
00:47:39,656 --> 00:47:42,559
because the two characters were
not supposed to like each other,

1038
00:47:42,559 --> 00:47:44,161
and we didn't like each other.

1039
00:47:44,161 --> 00:47:45,963
And I don't think you're
my kind of guy,

1040
00:47:45,963 --> 00:47:47,698
nothing personal,
just a fact of life.

1041
00:47:47,698 --> 00:47:49,166
All this is kind of
an apology

1042
00:47:49,166 --> 00:47:50,734
for running out
on you last night.

1043
00:47:50,734 --> 00:47:52,069
That's not my
style either,

1044
00:47:52,069 --> 00:47:53,737
definitely not.

1045
00:47:53,737 --> 00:47:55,906
So...ahem.

1046
00:47:55,906 --> 00:47:57,074
I apologize.

1047
00:47:57,074 --> 00:47:59,176
It's high on my all-time
list of favorites.

1048
00:47:59,176 --> 00:48:00,944
Listen, you gotta go,
I got a class.

1049
00:48:00,944 --> 00:48:07,150
And nobody was doing as unique
a style of comedy as I was,

1050
00:48:07,150 --> 00:48:09,019
and it was like
I wasn't even there.

1051
00:48:09,019 --> 00:48:12,823
Yeah, really got me
a live one here.

1052
00:48:12,823 --> 00:48:13,924
Oh, boy.

1053
00:48:13,924 --> 00:48:15,225
Look, I gotta go.

1054
00:48:15,225 --> 00:48:16,927
Listen, you call me
in a couple of days.

1055
00:48:16,927 --> 00:48:19,029
If I figure out how to
make it work, we can meet then.

1056
00:48:19,029 --> 00:48:22,933
We'll figure it out now,
butterfingers.

1057
00:48:22,933 --> 00:48:24,534
And the next time
I tell you something,

1058
00:48:24,534 --> 00:48:26,336
the only thing I want
to hear out of you is,

1059
00:48:26,336 --> 00:48:28,405
"Yes, sir" or "How soon?"

1060
00:48:28,405 --> 00:48:29,740
That's all, that's it,

1061
00:48:29,740 --> 00:48:31,475
that's the basic drill.

1062
00:48:31,475 --> 00:48:35,479
I think Bob wanted to
have first billing, you know.

1063
00:48:35,479 --> 00:48:39,283
And I think that that was a big
problem initially.

1064
00:48:39,283 --> 00:48:41,618
And I kept saying,
"Bob, it's not

1065
00:48:41,618 --> 00:48:44,922
'The Greatest American Hero
and Friends,' you know,

1066
00:48:44,922 --> 00:48:48,258
it's 'Greatest American Hero.'"

1067
00:48:48,258 --> 00:48:50,727
But he was a really good sport,

1068
00:48:50,727 --> 00:48:54,731
and, you know, we worked
that out fairly quickly.

1069
00:48:57,634 --> 00:49:00,604
SEACREST: In time, Katt and Culp
became close friends

1070
00:49:00,604 --> 00:49:02,773
and, along with co-star
Connie Sellecca,

1071
00:49:02,773 --> 00:49:06,109
they helped build a superhero
show that aimed high.

1072
00:49:06,109 --> 00:49:08,745
But that wasn't what ABC wanted.

1073
00:49:08,745 --> 00:49:11,448
It was more satirical
in nature

1074
00:49:11,448 --> 00:49:14,885
and more of a highbrow
approach to comedy.

1075
00:49:14,885 --> 00:49:16,620
And the powers-that-be

1076
00:49:16,620 --> 00:49:20,524
at the networks, they wanted
to cater more to kids.

1077
00:49:20,524 --> 00:49:23,794
SEACREST: Eventually,
the network got its way

1078
00:49:23,794 --> 00:49:27,631
and Ralph began chasing down
space aliens and sea monsters.

1079
00:49:27,631 --> 00:49:28,665
Come on, Ralph,
what is it?!

1080
00:49:28,665 --> 00:49:29,666
Okay.

1081
00:49:29,666 --> 00:49:31,034
<i>Voila!</i>

1082
00:49:33,103 --> 00:49:34,404
Surprised,
aren't you, Bill?

1083
00:49:34,404 --> 00:49:37,574
Uh...

1084
00:49:37,574 --> 00:49:39,543
Uh, this is it?

1085
00:49:39,543 --> 00:49:40,711
The "it" it?

1086
00:49:40,711 --> 00:49:43,814
The "it" that you were
talking to me about.

1087
00:49:43,814 --> 00:49:45,148
Mm-hmm.

1088
00:49:45,148 --> 00:49:49,252
SEACREST: After "Greatest
American Hero's" network run,

1089
00:49:49,252 --> 00:49:51,221
William Katt faced
the same problem

1090
00:49:51,221 --> 00:49:53,657
that challenged George Reeves
and Adam West --

1091
00:49:53,657 --> 00:49:55,892
typecasting.

1092
00:49:55,892 --> 00:49:57,928
KATT: When I did
"Greatest American Hero,"

1093
00:49:57,928 --> 00:49:59,796
it really put the brakes on

1094
00:49:59,796 --> 00:50:02,332
a lot of work that
I did on stage,

1095
00:50:02,332 --> 00:50:05,402
because now, I was "That guy
in the red suit," you know.

1096
00:50:05,402 --> 00:50:07,971
And it took many, many years
to get over that.

1097
00:50:07,971 --> 00:50:11,942
SEACREST: Nearly every actor
who's played a TV superhero

1098
00:50:11,942 --> 00:50:14,611
has passed through
the same stages.

1099
00:50:14,611 --> 00:50:17,280
First, they're happy
to have the work...

1100
00:50:17,280 --> 00:50:19,049
then, when the series ends,

1101
00:50:19,049 --> 00:50:21,952
they feel the frustration
of being typecast.

1102
00:50:21,952 --> 00:50:24,521
Later, there is
reconciliation,

1103
00:50:24,521 --> 00:50:26,923
when the actor
embraces the superhero

1104
00:50:26,923 --> 00:50:30,193
and comes to realize what
the public already knows --

1105
00:50:30,193 --> 00:50:34,297
superheroes are beloved,
not just for a few years,

1106
00:50:34,297 --> 00:50:37,401
but for generation
after generation.

1107
00:50:37,401 --> 00:50:41,938
I decided myself that we
were pioneers in television.

1108
00:50:41,938 --> 00:50:43,273
You always love superheroes.

1109
00:50:43,273 --> 00:50:45,108
You always love villains
and heroes.

1110
00:50:45,108 --> 00:50:47,210
There was a heart in "Batman"

1111
00:50:47,210 --> 00:50:50,280
that it will always be
on that celluloid,

1112
00:50:50,280 --> 00:50:51,982
and will never be lost.

1113
00:50:51,982 --> 00:50:55,519
What I tried to bring was
something fresh

1114
00:50:55,519 --> 00:51:00,490
and something people had never
seen as a dimension of Batman.

1115
00:51:00,490 --> 00:51:04,227
I love being identified
with Catwoman.

1116
00:51:04,227 --> 00:51:06,096
And one of the main reasons

1117
00:51:06,096 --> 00:51:08,932
is that there will
always be a Catwoman.

1118
00:51:08,932 --> 00:51:11,601
CARTER: They didn't think that
a woman could hold a show.

1119
00:51:11,601 --> 00:51:14,838
"Wonder Woman" represented
a lot of breakthroughs.

1120
00:51:14,838 --> 00:51:16,740
It's just like lightning
in a bottle

1121
00:51:16,740 --> 00:51:18,675
when you get
the right cast together.

1122
00:51:18,675 --> 00:51:20,811
You just -- you can't
explain it.

1123
00:51:20,811 --> 00:51:22,446
It just works.

1124
00:51:22,446 --> 00:51:25,282
It tells you something
about our culture

1125
00:51:25,282 --> 00:51:27,250
and what people really enjoy,

1126
00:51:27,250 --> 00:51:29,886
what people are
more fixated on,

1127
00:51:29,886 --> 00:51:31,054
what grabs them.

1128
00:51:31,054 --> 00:51:33,023
They feel safe when
they watch "The Hulk."

1129
00:51:33,023 --> 00:51:34,391
The Hulk makes them feel safe.

1130
00:51:34,391 --> 00:51:36,226
It's kind of like
a green Santa Claus.

1131
00:51:36,226 --> 00:51:40,597
So what you had was
a generation of women my age

1132
00:51:40,597 --> 00:51:44,301
that had mothers that were
saying, "You can do

1133
00:51:44,301 --> 00:51:47,003
whatever you set
your mind to."

1134
00:51:47,003 --> 00:51:50,340
We used to say, "We put on
our tights to put on the world."

1135
00:51:51,875 --> 00:51:53,977
SEACREST: Together,
they helped create

1136
00:51:53,977 --> 00:51:57,180
our culture's most
enduring characters --

1137
00:51:57,180 --> 00:51:59,916
the superheroes.

1138
00:51:59,916 --> 00:52:04,254
They are
the "Pioneers of Television."

1139
00:54:12,682 --> 00:54:14,651
have a different take.

1140
00:54:14,651 --> 00:54:17,621
They're a different animal.

1141
00:54:17,621 --> 00:54:19,756
Whereas, you know,
we were fun, funny,

1142
00:54:19,756 --> 00:54:21,157
and for the entire family,

1143
00:54:21,157 --> 00:54:23,560
these things are more gothic,

1144
00:54:23,560 --> 00:54:28,398
and I think they try to explore
emotional levels, possibly,

1145
00:54:28,398 --> 00:54:30,400
that we didn't.

1146
00:54:30,400 --> 00:54:35,005
But all I see is --
they're different.

1147
00:54:35,005 --> 00:54:36,940
I did the bright knight.

1148
00:54:36,940 --> 00:54:40,844
They're doing the dark knight.

1149
00:54:40,844 --> 00:54:44,047
<i>For more insider features</i>
<i>about your favorite TV stars,</i>

1150
00:54:44,047 --> 00:54:46,182
<i>stories you won't hear</i>
<i>anywhere else,</i>

1151
00:54:46,182 --> 00:54:48,752
<i>visit pbs.org.</i>

1152
00:54:50,887 --> 00:54:53,223
<i>To order this program</i>
<i>or the full</i>

1153
00:54:53,223 --> 00:54:55,525
<i>"Pioneers of Television"</i>
<i>series,</i>

1154
00:54:55,525 --> 00:54:58,395
<i>visit us online</i>
<i>at shopPBS.org</i>

1155
00:54:58,395 --> 00:54:58,395
<i>or call us at 1-800-PLAY-PBS.</i>