The Fall Guy. A REAL MANS show!

Pigman II

Before this current age of tv shows featuring metrosexuals with poncy 200euro haircuts, males getting in touch with their feminine side, fathers who say things like "we're pregnant" and generally tv featuring men who could best be described as pussy-whipped freaks of nature there was tv shows that young boys could watch in order to get a look a real role models. One show more so than others could boast this claim. So let me take you back to a time when men on TV were real men. The year was 1981 and the show was THE FALL GUY.

The adventures of Stuntman (and Part-time bounty-hunter) Colt Seavers and his nephew Howie and niece Jody entertained us on many dreary pre-interweb nights between the years of 1981 to 1986 and still live fondly in our memories.

Despite this being a great premise in itself for a tv show THE FALL GUY featured the two things that have fascinated men for generations (not necessarily in this order) namely:
1) Sexy Bikini-clad women
2) Hazardous action and high-speed chases involving heavy-duty off-road machinery.

Whilst I tuned in each week to see Colts cool 4 wheel GMC pick-up truck bounding up and down, even at such a tender age I knew I liked how Heather Thomas looked bounding up and down in that opening sequence (even if at that age I didn't know why I liked what I liked!).

And if all that wasn't enough it also had the greatest theme tune and most action packed credits sequence ever in a TV show. The "Unknown Stuntman" sung by multi-faceted legend Lee Majors himself. http://youtube.com/watch?v=4NGqwxz1S-k . Forget your Chuck Norris's and David Hasselhoffs, Majors was the clear talent of 1980's prime-time TV.

http://community-2.webtv.net/mikecathycody/THEFALLGUYALLPICS/

byte

Ah, remember watching that show years ago.

Been a long time since I saw it, the YT link bringing some memories back!

I used to watch this for the opening credits alone.

county

Deleted User wrote:

I used to watch this for the opening credits alone.

just for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NGqwxz1S-k

Dudess

Oh yeah, I remember that opening sequence so well! And I liked the song. But the show itself didn't hold much appeal - me being a girl between the age of 3 and 8 and all that. I was more of a Dallas, Falcon Crest kinda kid - I looked for glamour, not grit.

Kintarō Hattori

Ahhh that was a great show and I'm plissed that they don't repeat it on TV. I too loved the theme tune, so much so it's my ringtone!

Dudess

Pigman II wrote:

Before this current age of tv shows featuring metrosexuals with poncy 200euro haircuts, males getting in touch with their feminine side, fathers who say things like "we're pregnant" and generally tv featuring men who could best be described as pussy-whipped freaks of nature

So, so true. The current TV crop who model themselves on Becks, Justin etc (e.g. Eric Pollard's son in Emmerdale, the guy who shagged Tanya Turner on the plane in Footballers' Wives) - what a pack of women! Whatever happened to MEN'S men? Call me politically incorrect but I like 'em right manleh: James Caan as Sonny Corleone in The Godfather, Clint Eastwood as... anything - now that's what I'm talkin' about! *drools*
Lee Majors actually looked like a hybrid of Hasselhoff and Michael Landon, the dude who was the dad in Little House on the Prairie and the angel in Highway to Heaven. Sadly no longer with us (R.I.P)

BrianD3

Ah yes, one of my favourite programmes when I was a kid. CHiPs was another one.

I seem to remember the The Fall Guy was shown on Saturday afternoons?

Great song and opening title sequence alright, even years later I clearly remembered the car crashing into the train. A piece of trivia about the show is that the footage of the car hitting the train was taken from the 1974 film Dirty Mary, Crazy Larry. When I first saw this film (years after The Fall Guy finished) I thought the crash looked familiar

Dudess

That ponce who does the Aero ad (was Samantha's toyboy in Sex and the City) :rolleyes:

Yes, we need more MAN's programmes!

Cormic

I loved The Fall Guy. It was on at 7pm and for many years as soon as it came on my parents sent me to bed. Once I finally saw it I really enjoyed it. I ranks up there with the Dukes of Hazzard as one of my favourite programs.

daveg

county wrote:

just for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4NGqwxz1S-k

Superb. Best opening/theme tune ever. Loved that show. Watched it recently and you know what?.....

It's total shite watching it now.

bullets

Sweet I loved the fall guy,
Used to sing along to the fall guy theme tune when it was on
Loved the way the chorus went Hay Hay when colt went diving into actual
Hay in the credits.

Anyone know anyplace to get Episodes ???
Jody was hot in her day. And Lee Majors was at some stage
dateing Farah Fosset hence the lyrics

There was a secret compartment in Colts Truck where a person
could hide.

Only epsidode I did not like was the Santa Clause may be real episode
where they help a Santa Clause during Christmas when the sun is shining
and Colts/Jody's wish was to have a white christmas and it all of a sudden
snows.

~B

Ruu_Old

Great intro.

stovelid

Simon and Simon also had a classic tune.

Other avowedly manly TV shows:

Dukes of Hazard
Rockford Files
Sledge Hammer
The Sweeney
Magnum PI

Lpfsox

bullets wrote:

Anyone know anyplace to get Episodes ???

being released on R1 DVD next month, along with CHiPs - http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Guy-Complete-Season-1/dp/B000O77SNG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4029631-6301669?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1179226222&sr=8-1

bullets wrote:

And Lee Majors was at some stage
dateing Farah Fosset hence the lyrics

weren't they married?

bullets wrote:

There was a secret compartment in Colts Truck where a person
could hide.

and if I remember correctly, he had a hottub in his kitchen too

Beelzebub

Lpfsox wrote:

being released on R1 DVD next month, along with CHiPs - http://www.amazon.com/Fall-Guy-Complete-Season-1/dp/B000O77SNG/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4029631-6301669?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1179226222&sr=8-1


weren't they married?



and if I remember correctly, he had a hottub in his kitchen too

"weren't they married?"

(yes - hence, Farrah Fawcett Majors.)

Beelzebub

Tenuous link, but Gemini Man was good too, lasted but one series though.

Dudess

stovelid wrote:

Simon and Simon

Oh wow! I'd forgotten all about that! The guy with the moustache and the fair-haired guy, wasn't it?

stovelid wrote:

Sledge Hammer

Jebus H Crackers, you're killing me! "Trust me... I know what I'm doing." Yep, the lads in my class were obsessed with that one.

mike65

Dreadful old crapolla, Christ, Glen A Larson and Stephen J Cannell sure did inflict some rubbish on us all back in the 70 and 80s. Cannell gets slightly less of a slap having created Rockford Files.

Mike.

Dudess

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzIgBi7JcZA

Such manliness...

stovelid

Dudess wrote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzIgBi7JcZA

Such manliness...

Even better than I remembered

Dudess

Oh, totally class!

And this. Quite an unusual intro for an eighties show really. Way too subtle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF6HIiWCh7k

_Kaiser_

Dudess wrote:

Oh, totally class!

And this. Quite an unusual intro for an eighties show really. Way too subtle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dF6HIiWCh7k

Great show. Have the DVD's

Dudess

Yeah, I remember it being on but I didn't watch it. Just presumed it was another cop show. However, I've been doing some research on it of late. Didn't realise it was a spoof, in the same vein as Police Squad. It seems absolutely hilarious! Great clips on YouTube. Some Simpsons writers worked on it.