The
Greatest American Hero was my favorite superhero for a while when I
was a kid. Maybe it was the insanely catchy theme song, maybe it was the
idea that somebody who looked more like Beck than a caped-crusader had
been bestowed with super powers, maybe it was ever-pissed-off FBI agent
Bill Maxwell's comedic relief. Whatever the case may have been, there was
something special about that show and while it only lasted for 3 seasons,
I still say it's one of the greatest superhero series ever to appear on
television. If you've never seen it, just pick up the DVD set, watch a few
episodes and I'm sure you'll agree with me.
For those of
you who don't know the story behind the show; Ralph Hinkley is a
teacher who has been given a superhero suit by some aliens who want him to
use it to battle crime on Earth. Problem is, he loses the instructions to
the suit and then has to figure out how to make it work on his own. This
leads to all sorts of slapstick mid-flight crashes and wacky superhero
jokes - stuff you'd just never see on TV these days because people are
afraid to write ridiculous shows like that anymore. And if they're not
afraid to write 'em, the networks are definitely afraid to put 'em on the
air. And even if they were willing to put a show like that on the air, I
guarantee you that they would never let the hero be named Ralph
Hinkley. My point is, they just don't make 'em like this anymore.
While the
show only ran from 1981 - 1983, it still has a strong cult following to
this day and fans were overjoyed when all three seasons were finally
released on DVD not too long ago. But what does all of this have to do
with Halloween? Well, the one thing we fans never had was his bold black,
white & red superhero suit. This Halloween, however, that's no longer the
truth.
For
Halloween last year, I went as the
Flaming Carrot and was really proud of that costume because a lot
of work was put into it. Unfortunately, I've been far too busy these past
few months to take the time to make another custom costume of my own. It
happens, and that's why there's a market for store-bought costumes... for
people who don't have enough time to make 'em on their own.
I've always
felt that if you're gonna go with a store-bought one, you should either be
something completely ridiculous or be something you've always wanted to
dress up as.
This year, I get to be
both.
I got the
costume from my pals over at 80sTees and it's
damned near perfect. The Greatest American Hero emblem looks great, the
costume stitching is dead-on, it comes with the vital whafro wig,
and there are no instructions included with it whatsoever. After wearing
it for only a few minutes, I was flying headfirst into walls in no time!
But the
costume got me to thinking... what has the Greatest American Hero been up
to since the series ended after 1983? Clearly, he's not as well known as
Batman or Superman... or even Captain America I'm sad to say; but is the
guy still around? Well, after a lot of digging, I found some actual
footage of him! Believe it or not, it's true! Here, for the first time in
over 20 years is The Greatest American Hero back in action!
Click below to see how the
Greatest American Hero has been living
his life ever since his show was canceled.
So just
remember, if you or your loved ones are in need of help during a crisis,
there's a hero out there just waiting for your call. He's great, he's
American, and he's a hero.
Questions or comments about this article?
Email -RoG-
