The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy opening title
GenreAction/adventure
Created byGlen A. Larson
Starring
Theme music composerGail Jensen
Glen A. Larson
David Somerville
Opening theme"Unknown Stuntman"
performed by Lee Majors
ComposersStu Phillips
Ron Ramin
Frank DeVol
Tom Worrall
Morton Stevens
Dennis McCarthy
Ken Heller (uncredited)
William Broughton (uncredited)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons5
No. of episodes113 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerGlen A. Larson
ProducersRobert Janes
Larry Brody
Paul Mason
Lee Majors
CinematographyBen Colman
Michael Hofstein
Camera setupSingle-camera
Running time45–48 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseNovember 4, 1981 (1981-11-04) –
May 2, 1986 (1986-05-02)

The Fall Guy is an American action-adventure television series produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981, to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas as Hollywood stunt performers who moonlight as bounty hunters.

Plot

Lee Majors plays Colt Seavers, a Hollywood stunt man who moonlights as a bounty hunter. He uses his physical skills and knowledge of stunt effects (especially stunts involving cars or his large GMC pickup truck) to capture fugitives and criminals. He is accompanied by his cousin and stuntman-in-training, Howie Munson (Barr), who studied in Nashville—whom Colt frequently calls "Kid", and occasionally by fellow stuntwoman, Jody Banks (Thomas).

Cast

Production

Seavers's truck was a Rounded-Line 1981 GMC K-2500 Wideside with the Sierra Grande equipment package.[1][2] A Rounded-Line 1980 GMC K-25 Wideside with the High Sierra equipment package was also used.[3] During the show's initial series, the stunts took their toll on the modified production trucks, supplied at low cost to the production by General Motors, so several different years, makes (Chevy/GMC), and models were used during the show's initial run. As a result, some inconsistencies appear in the episodes.

From the second season, General Motors supplied three specially adapted trucks for the stunt sequences, with the engine moved to a mid-chassis position immediately under the cab seat. This meant that these trucks flew further and pitched less in the air, allowing them to be reused for multiple takes and shows.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
123November 4, 1981 (1981-11-04)May 5, 1982 (1982-05-05)
223October 27, 1982 (1982-10-27)May 4, 1983 (1983-05-04)
322September 21, 1983 (1983-09-21)May 2, 1984 (1984-05-02)
423September 19, 1984 (1984-09-19)April 10, 1985 (1985-04-10)
522September 26, 1985 (1985-09-26)May 2, 1986 (1986-05-02)

Home media

On June 5, 2007, 20th Century Fox released the first season of The Fall Guy on DVD in Region 1. As with a number of other TV shows of the era released on DVD, the six-disc set contains extensive music substitutions due to copyright reasons (as well as completely editing out the sequences with actor/singer Paul Williams, in the pilot). Due to poor sales, whether the remaining seasons will be released is unknown.

Season one was released on DVD in Region 2 in Germany and the UK. Season two has also been released in Region 2, in Germany on November 28, 2008, and in the UK on February 16, 2009.

DVD NameEp #Release dates
Region 1Region 2 (UK)Region 2 (Germany)
The Complete First Season23June 5, 2007June 25, 2007January 14, 2008
The Complete Second Season23N/AFebruary 16, 2009November 28, 2008

Reception

These are the Nielsen ratings.

Season Rank Rating
1) 1981–1982 #27 19.0
2) 1982–1983 #14 19.4
3) 1983–1984 #16[4] 19.9[4]
4) 1984–1985 #22[5] 17.1[5]
5) 1985–1986 #80[6] 7.8[6]

Adaptations

A board game adaptation based on the show was released by the Milton Bradley Company[7] in 1981. A comic strip adaptation was drawn by Jim Baikie for Look-In magazine.[8] A video game adaptation was produced by British video game developer Elite Systems in 1984.[9]

Film

In July 2010, the Los Angeles Times reported that a film based on the series was in development. DreamWorks had teamed up with producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald on the project,[10] and Martin Campbell was in talks to direct the film.[11] DreamWorks, through Disney's Touchstone Pictures distribution label, was to release the film in North America, Latin America, Russia, Australia, and Asia, while Mister Smith Entertainment would have handled sales in the remaining territories. In September 2013, Dwayne Johnson was in negotiations to play the title role and McG was in talks to direct.[12]

In September 2020, Universal Pictures planned a different film loosely based on the television series, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by David Leitch.[13] In August 2022, Emily Blunt was cast.[14] The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on May 3, 2024.[15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Fall Guy GMC". 73-87.com. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
  2. ↑ "1982 GMC K-2500 Wideside". www.imcdb.org. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
  3. ↑ "1980 GMC K-25 Wideside". www.imcdb.org. Retrieved 2012-05-04.
  4. 1 2 The Lazy Journalist (August 15, 1991). "The TV Ratings Guide: 1983-84 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide.
  5. 1 2 The Lazy Journalist (August 15, 1991). "The TV Ratings Guide: 1984-85 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide.
  6. 1 2 The Lazy Journalist (August 15, 1991). "The TV Ratings Guide: 1985-86 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide.
  7. ↑ "The Fall Guy".
  8. ↑ "Jim Baikie". lambiek.net.
  9. ↑ "Fall Guy". spectrumcomputing.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  10. ↑ "Hollywood falls for 'The Fall Guy': Lee Majors series is latest reboot candidate | 24 Frames |". Los Angeles Times. July 1, 2010. Retrieved 2020-07-02.
  11. ↑ Mike Fleming Jr (2011-10-31). "Martin Campbell Eyeing 'The Fall Guy'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2011-10-31.
  12. ↑ 2:06PM by Borys Kit; Tatiana Siegel (September 5, 2013). "Toronto: Dwayne Johnson, McG to Tackle 'The Fall Guy'". hollywoodreporter.com.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ↑ Borys Kit (September 23, 2020). "Ryan Gosling, David Leitch Tackling "The Fall Guy"-Style Stuntman Movie for Universal". The Hollywood Reporter.
  14. ↑ Kroll, Justin (August 12, 2022). "Emily Blunt Joins Ryan Gosling in Universal's 'The Fall Guy' Movie, Studio Sets Release Date". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 12, 2022.
  15. ↑ Zee, Michaela (2023-11-15). "'The Fall Guy' Release Date Moved to May, Stakes Out 'Deadpool 3' Slot". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
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