uvathm If you remember the 1970s you will perhaps realize that film and television were not the best at distributing comic book adaptations until the year of 1978. This was partially due to the lack of visual effects which would encompass the characters in a realistic setting if they ever to arrive on the big screen."The Incredible Hulk" was one of the first comic adaptations to ever be distributed on the television screen. What could have been laughable television show about a giant green monster strutting around smashing things, instantly became a classic hit when it was deemed a serious and realistic drama for the time.The show follows the compassionate and likable character Dr. David Banner who had been attempting to discover the secrets of human strength after his wife died in a car explosion. Banner is obsessed with finding these answers of hidden strength and ultimately renders himself to unpredictable experiment. He exposes himself to gamma radiation which unfortunately results in a horrifying metamorphosis. Whenever Banner becomes angry or outraged he transforms into massive green monster which we all know and love as the incredible hulk.After the hulk is discovered and pursued by an investigative reporter named Jack McGee, Banner goes on the run hoping to stay hidden until he can find a way to cure himself from his dreadful manifestation I first discovered "The Incredible Hulk" In my teens when I was greatly entertained by comic books. When I first viewed the show I realized that it was different but different in a good way. Yes, the scenes with the hulk are slightly outdated but the story is where you really get involved. The show only features the hulk for about fifteen minutes at most sometimes even less.People I'm acquainted with often complain that the hulk itself does not gain enough screen time. Simply this is because this show is not entirely about the hulk. Its a serious and persuasive drama that tells the story of man who has a condition that he desperately wants to rid himself of. The show may not be entirely faithful to its comic book counterpart but I believe the decision to alter the story line was well apprehended.The hulk in this setting is more realistic and strays away from the comic book cheesiness. I honestly have to admit that this is one of the best live action comic adaptations to date. This show is well remembered and was apart of many people's childhoods. I greatly enjoy this series and I hope you will to.

hnt_dnl With comic book movies and TV shows being all the rage now in the 21st century, it's always good to re-visit the roots and influences of modern superhero presentations. In terms of film, it's easier to remember that 'Superman' in the late 70s kind of fore-fathered the modern superhero film experience (and in some ways I still think of that as the greatest of all time). But I wonder how many people realize the influence and importance of this groundbreaking series I'm reviewing "The Incredible Hulk (1978-1982), which actually premiered in the same year as the first Superman film? Amazing that both the film that set the stage for big screen superheros and the show that set it for the small screen came out at the same time and are to this day getting their due on their respective influences of the modern superhero genre."The Incredible Hulk" tells the story of genetic scientist Dr. David 'Bruce' Banner, (brilliantly played by the legendary Bill Bixby in an iconic TV performance). Bixby imbibed David Banner with a humanity that I think very few actors could pull off in such a genre, as most superhero actors, especially the TV versions end up coming across as vapid, one-dimensional fashion models playing hero. Look at all the failed superhero shows that came out in the 80s, each of which lasted at most 1 full season! While The Hulk went for 3 seasons, which was pretty good for a comic book TV show that came out at a time when the genre really didn't exist on television.What the producers and writers smartly did with The Hulk is to humanize it by casting a great, genuine actor in the lead role and also to style it in the form of an anthology series, a la the 1960s series "The Fugitive". Indeed, the Hulk actually played like a combination of "The Fugitive" and "Frankenstein", with Banner being a doctor who obsessed over the loss of his wife in a fatal car accident that he didn't have the strength to save her in, so in trying to make himself more physically strong, he inadvertently exposes himself to gamma radiation, thereby creating this creature inside him that only comes out when Banner is in situations that causes him to express rage and anger. Then, after a horrible accident at his laboratory that results in the death of his associate Dr. Elaine Marks (TV vet Susan Sullivan in typically reliable performance), Banner is forced to go on the run as the creature is believed to have killed both he and Dr. Marks since the creature was seen carrying the doctor's dead body from the exploding facility by snooping investigative reporter Jack McGee (passionately played by Jack Colvin). The comparisons to the Fugitive are apparent, with Banner and Richard Kimble both being doctors falsely accused of crimes of women they loved or cared about (except Banner is believed to be dead and the Hulk believed to be the killer), both go on the run until their innocence can be proved and both being chased by an obsessive figure (with The Hulk it's McGee, with Kimble it's Lt. Gerard) who will stop at nothing to capture their prey. And both are anthology series with their heroes each episode in a different place doing a different odd job and getting into new scrapes having to get themselves out of them while leaving an impression with the people they meet and affecting their lives in some way. And by the end of the episode, Banner is on the run again just like Kimble. But while The Hulk followed 'The Fugitive's' general trajectory, it still managed to feel like it's own entity and having the creature was the wild card that set The Hulk apart. The creature was played by famed bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno (in an immensely persuasive performance). Ferrigno, without any dialogue as the gargantuan green creature, was able to convey both fear and sympathy from the viewer as The Hulk, being the other half of David Banner, was actually a hero, not a menace, saving David's life numerous times when he got into trouble.The horror aspect was a huge bonus for this show, as especially in the first season, the creature was very scary and intimidating. The first transformation scene in the Pilot is one of the scariest transformations in all of TV or movie history, set on a stormy night with slow-building tension and accompanied by the show's memorable theme music that would eventually be used to introduce every episode of the series after the Pilot. Then each show was bookended with the scarier version of the score at the beginning and a more toned down version at the end to relay the sadness of Banner's plight.In addition to being the first of it's kind for TV, I still think this version of the Hulk has trumped every presentation since, including Ang Lee's pretentious Hulk film and Edward Norton's generic Incredible Hulk movie, as well as the Hulk in the bloated Avengers movies. The TV Hulk is still the standard-setter and best representation of the iconic character, all thanks to Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno!

AaronCapenBanner I remember watching this series growing up, and feeling so bad for poor David Banner, who was played to perfection by the late Bill Bixby; without him, this series would not have worked, and would likely be forgotten. He was able to convey the melancholy plight of this man remarkably well, and was aided immeasurably by Joe Harnell's haunting and poignant piano theme "The Lonely Man", which suited his performance perfectly. The sight of David walking away alone on another road, duffel bag over his shoulder, as he hitchhikes or walks into the next episode is so powerful it can make the viewer cry, yet Bixby portrayed David with dignity and respect to balance out the pathos.It should be mentioned that Hulk actor Lou Ferrigno was highly effective in his performance and huge body made him perfect casting. Creator Kenneth Johnson was inspired to present this premise seriously, and ground the plots and action in reality. The contribution of these men should not be overlooked! A great pity this series was canceled without proper closure, but it is available on DVD, so can be viewed and appreciated by all.

Ibuk When I was growing up The Incredible Hulk was without a doubt my favourite Superhero due to the 70's TV show. I didn't manage to catch it when it first aired seeing as I was born a couple of years later but I managed to catch the reruns. My favourite parts of the show was obviously when Dr Banner would turn into the Hulk and start smashing things. The story followed Dr David Banner who whilst experimenting on himself accidentally exposes himself to too much gamma radiation and as a result of that the green beast is born. From then onwards whenever someone made him angry he would turn into the Hulk, hence the phrase "Don't make me angry you won't like me when I am angry". Hot on the heels of the Hulk is Jack Mcgee who believes the Hulk killed David Banner. At the end of each episode we would see David boarding a bus and next week he would have another adventure.The show gave birth to three made for TV movies and two movies. In fact Ang Lee's version of the Hulk annoyed me so much that I refused to see Ed Norton's version. For one thing in Ang Lee's version for some reason David Banner is called Bruce Banner. It is a real shame that the series doesn't get aired on TV these days because I for one would definitely watch it.