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How I helped “The Greatest American Hero” By Richard
Coyle
I was working as a professional propmaker in Hollywood
during the 80s. I did work at two prop supplying/rental shops, the first named
“Modern Props” and the second being “The Hand Prop Room.”
A number of my props appeared in the TV Show, “The
Greatest American Hero” rented from both of these shops.
Most of them
showed up in the second season.
Initially I had made a few props over at “Modern Props”
as possible Star Trek props. I had done these at pure spec (that is, generic
concept props that might be requested if they actually present to be ordered, so
we “Dreamed” up a few so they would be on the shelf, just in case..) work,
such as a combat helmet and a medical scanner.
Then I went
to work at “The Hand Prop Room.”
My boss in the
prop fabrication shop was Mr. John Ramsey; he had worked on the first year on
”he Greatest American Hero” making the pilot/first season’s “Instruction
Book” and the costume carrying case. This was such a success he was now being
called upon to do an upgraded Instruction Book for the new season.
And I was
given the job. After all, I was their new science fiction and electronics prop
maker.
There were two
books used within the show. The first one (John’s) was simple, as it was
planned and scripted that is was to be lost right in the beginning.
But now the new one was wanted to be more functional
on-screen.
For the New
Working Book we brainstormed:
We were asked to light up the view screen, so I suggested
using multi-screens by edge lighting each with each having its own alien writing
and having multi switches and latching relays.
As I had the original book to guide me I set to work
copying it as much as possible. One major change was I had to line up the two
rows of triangle pushbuttons (the first one had staggered spacing) this was
needed for the switches and next we enlarged the view screen.
The
electronics were to have a micro switch under each pushbutton plate and to also
have latching relays; that is a relay that once activated will stay on until you
cut power. Thus the lights powered by this relay are turned on by a short push
of the button would then stay on until we wanted them to go off.
There was one
button that would break the power flow to these relays for the cut off function.
We did three
screens and had the three buttons on the top row control them; each button
would, when pushed, light up and hold the screen light on until turned off.
And each screen was laid out so that IF viewed straight on,
they would interlace, this was planned as an “In-camera Effect”
I copied all
the insignia and then had to find a way to do an alien language. Now note, this
was back in the 80’s; there were no PC computers yet, so I had to find an
engraver to draw and cut these plates. We ended up doing our own symbols and
having Hebrew done upside down and backwards.
This was one way to make an alien looking language in no
time, harvesting the lettering used in present day languages and altering them
creatively.
Following two
weeks of work, we sent it in, and it is rejected. They did not like the screws
that held the faceplate on. I made and glued a new faceplate on. We also added
some tape to help highlight the view screen, but it was removed before filming.
A taste of things to come?
When they
aired the show I discovered that almost all my effort was wasted, as they did
not understand how the screens worked AND that I could have gotten them made in
English and that they could be replaced easily.
In the show
they did not use my wonderful lighting screens, they did not use my three alien
lighted screens with the canceling button. They took the single blank page and
put an alien language on it and then, when Ralph looked at it, it changed to
English, all done with special effects.
And then he
“lost” it again: so there was little to no hope that it would be used in
future shows and we might get a chance to use the lighted screens someday, and
sadly the show ended before he ever did find the book.
So that is the saga of the Second Season Working
Instruction Book!
This how the
prop worked: the top row of pushbuttons lighted one plate with alien writing on
it as each button was pushed. And/or you could light one page with, say, any of
top row buttons and then turn it off with the cancel button on the lower left
row. So you could light one at a time or all three at a time.
The other two
lower row buttons were to turn on the tabs on the edge of the book and to turn
them off again.
And, here is
more from my little end of the film world, including more pictures of other
props and things that made their way into this show and the stories behind them.
So here are the stories of my other props that actually ended up on this show:
In the second
season premiere:
Ralph gets shot, and Bill rushes out to meet the aliens in
a Hot Dog vender’s truck, a converted VW Bus. With a Hot Dog out front and
rear.
For this scene I was asked IF I could take a then state of
the art Police Radar Unit and make it read 113 MPH on command. (After all you
really could not get a VW Micro Bus up to 113 MPH…nor would anyone want to
try…)
I removed the
cover and saw that it used a then standard TTL DIP style ICs and these were
standard 7490s and 7447 LED drivers. I know that these were switched by taking
certain pins low (or to ground) so I got out my IC book and took a couple of
these chips out of my working stock, bent the pins up outside the sockets and
hardwired them to the ground pin on each IC, the three Counter ICs were then
hardwired to display 1 and 1 and 3.
I then unplugged the original three ICs and put them away
for safe keeping and plugged in my modified ICs and, Voila, powered up and it
read 113 MPH. All was done in about one hour.
When they came back and asked if I could do it, I said,
“How’s this?” and turned it on for them.
They were
floored!
Funny, (and some what frustrating) I had created a new
instruction book from nothing, and many other props all taking hours and weeks
to do, and THIS was going to become my reputation making moment, I was called
“MR. Wizard” from that day on at The Hand Prop Room. (Guess making props was
one thing, changing and making a real thing do what we wanted was another)
So that Speed
Radar that spots the Hot Dog VW bus going 113 was my handiwork.
And once we
get to the alien’s ship where Ralph was being mended we get to see another
prop of mine, the hand held controller that the alien uses to control the
healing chamber and release Ralph.
Extra little
bit about the controller, it was originally made for Dr. McCoy for Star Trek, as
his new medical scanner, but it did not get used. Until here with a added on box
covering the lower part.
And it does
show up again in “The Last Starfighter” as Centauri’s communicator.
But back to
Greatest American Hero:
Next was the
small pocket communicator Ralph and Bill uses; I added the green detail part, a
green transistor heat sink.
And then
there is the Camera Helmet that Ralph is tricked into using to photograph our
missile bases over the North Pole.
This was from
Modern Props and was meant as a future combat Helmet, one with built in radio,
day and night vision camera and view screen with telescopic viewing, and range
finding and with gold covered visor for laser and atomic blast flare shielding
but no, it is just a camera helmet.
Wait, it also
got a bit on “Airwolf” as a thought controller helmet to a super jet fighter
that almost defeats “Airwolf”.
And also from Modern Props was the Pulse Rifle used in the
show with the Ninjas, great showing with a bunch of shots of it firing, and
those lights in the gun barrel are my working bright incandescent lamps.
One of the reasons I enjoyed a career in Hollywood, I could
really make with the “winky blinkies.” Bright light effects and leds.
That’s all, folks.
Richard Coyle
