100 Greatest Superhero Stories Ever
By Steve Lam
Image Courtesy of ABC
#98. The Greatest American Hero Pilot Movie
Medium
Live-Action Television Film
Release Date
March 18, 1981
Credits
Creator: Stephen J. Cannell
Director: Rod Holcomb
Writer: Stephen J. Cannell
Cast: William Katt as Ralph Hinkley, Robert Culp as Bill Maxwell, Connie Sellecca as Pam Davidson, Fay Grant as Rhonda Blake, Michael Paré as Tony Villicana, Richard Herd as Adam Taft, G.D. Spradlin as Nelson Corey, Ned Wilson as Col. Shackleford, Bob Minor as John Mackie
The Reason It’s Great
The Greatest American Hero basically asked the question “What if Superman didn’t have instructions to his powers and was a regular Joe?” The result: a hilarious combination of endearing good-guy charm and a dude just trying to do the right thing.
Yep, the Man of Steel has his signature strong leap and supersonic flight. The Greatest American Hero has his wobbly launch, spastic mid-flight flailing, and his equally disastrous landing … er … crashing. Well, in his defense, don’t all pilots call a plane’s landing a “controlled crash”? Again, this added to the charm. And when the television movie premiered, the critics and audiences responded in kind with words of praise. Even the theme song “Believe It or Not” was well-received and became a Top 40 hit.
However, the series’ good fortune didn’t last. The protagonists name of “Ralph Hinkley” had to be changed because it matched too closely to “John Hinkley, Jr.”—a man who attempted to assassinate then President Ronald Reagan. Also, Warner Bros. / DC thought the hero matched too close to Superman and sued. Because of these events, the series had an uphill battle of legal fees and keeping things consistent. As a result, The Greatest American Hero was canceled in 1983.
Fret not because a reboot is coming and Phil Lord and Christopher Miller of The Lego Movie (2014) fame will be writing the new film. I’m sure when it comes out, fans who were kids in the ’80s will be lining up for some great nostalgic fun.