This has also been a great way for me to catch up on older shows that I missed the first time around. Fun shows like I Dream of Jeannie and The Incredible Hulk.
The latter would be my current obsession. Now some of you may be confused and think I'm talking about one of the movies, but I'm not. I'm talking about the old 70's show with Bill Bixby as David Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk.
These guys.
I picked up the first season on a lark at Walhell, and quickly fell in love with Bixby's portrayal of Banner. The next two seasons were picked up the next day, also for ten bucks a piece. Alas, seasons 4 and 5 and the movies will have to come from Amazon. Blasted Walhell, getting me hooked.
Now there are many things to love about this show, and a number of things that are just plain fun. Let's go over my favorites, shall we? I must point out, though, that I'm only on season three, so some things may be different in later seasons.
1) "Don't make me angry, Mr. McGhee. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." McGhee, for those of you not in the know, Mcghee is a reporter on the trail of the hulk. The line is used in the pilot, and then in the opening credits for every episode.
The part you're looking for is at about 00:42.
It's not really The Hulk without this line.
2) The "Oh, crap, not this again. What the fuck happened?" look on David's face every time he turns back into himself. Especially amusing is how as the series progresses he just grabs a new shirt and throws on some shoes once he's come to. I would even go so far as to say that Bixby manages to look even more exasperated and hungover every time. Also convenient is the way Hulk stares off into space or looks at flowers or kittens, then sits down like he's worn himself out, just before he transforms back. I particularly enjoyed the episode where David wakes up in the tiger enclosure at the zoo with a tiger cub in his lap.
3) David conveniently goes out of sight before the transformation, every time. Sure, we might see him, but the punks beating him always manage to have their backs turned or to have tossed him in the next room. You always hear, "Where's David?" after the ruckus, but no one ever puts two and two together. At least it's a better disguise than Clark Kent/Superman has. Glasses, indeed.
4) The fact that the Hulk is played by an actual human being. No CG, no special suits, just a wig, forehead and lots of green paint. Okay, yeah, Hulk's not using cars as boxing gloves, but you have to appreciate the fact that he's an actual man. Of course, the paint does get smeared from time to time, and his feet are usually pink on the bottom, but something about it is just cool.
Lou Ferrigno. Really not that much makeup.
5) The sheer amount of crap Banner takes before hulking out. Seriously. I would hulk out way sooner. Heck, if I were Banner I'd have hulked out today at work, just dealing with the new pricing system. Banner would have taken that, followed by idiotic customers, and being mugged on the way to his car. It wouldn't be until the mugger backed over him with his car that he'd finally snap.
6) The sheer number of near misses Banner has with McGhee. Seriously, you would think that McGhee would notice the guy who's always got his back turned, or the guy who's always ducking into the back room, or slamming the door in his face. We're almost on the Lois Lane scale of obliviousness on McGhee's part.
7) And, of course, who can forget the closing theme? Every episode, David hits the road. He's destroyed half the town, McGhee is hot on his trail, and he just can't stay. So he shoulders his bag and hits the road. Cue the sad music.
This is the end of pretty much every episode. The scenery changes, and his clothes (he goes through shirts and shoes like you wouldn't believe), but not much else.
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