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The Fall Guy

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This article is about the television series. For the film, see The Fall Guy (2024 film). For other uses, see Fall Guy.
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 stars 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), 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.[citation needed]

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.[citation needed]

Intros

The series introductions were composed mainly by scenes from this TV series, and from risky stunt scenes of various films predating 1981. The theme song, "Unknown Stuntman", was sung by Lee Majors and later released as a single.[4]

Episodes

Further information: List of The Fall Guy 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. 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 Name Ep # Release dates
Region 1 Region 2 (UK) Region 2 (Germany)
The Complete First Season 23 June 5, 2007 June 25, 2007 January 14, 2008
The Complete Second Season 23 N/A February 16, 2009 November 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[5] 19.9[5]
4) 1984–1985 #22[6] 17.1[6]
5) 1985–1986 #80[7] 7.8[7]

Legacy

A board game adaptation based on the show was released by the Milton Bradley Company[8] in 1981.

A comic strip adaptation was drawn by Jim Baikie for Look-In magazine.[9]

A video game adaptation was produced by British video game developer Elite Systems in 1984.[10]

In September 2020, Universal Pictures announced the film The Fall Guy, loosely based on the television series, starring Ryan Gosling and directed by David Leitch.[11] It was released on May 3, 2024.[12][13] Additionally, Lee Majors and Heather Thomas appear as police officers in the film's mid-credit scene.[14]

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. ^ "Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt Risk It All in 'The Fall Guy' — An Exclusive First Look". Vanity Fair. 1 November 2023. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  5. ^ a b The Lazy Journalist (August 15, 1991). "The TV Ratings Guide: 1983-84 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide.
  6. ^ a b The Lazy Journalist (August 15, 1991). "The TV Ratings Guide: 1984-85 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide.
  7. ^ a b The Lazy Journalist (August 15, 1991). "The TV Ratings Guide: 1985-86 Ratings History". The TV Ratings Guide.
  8. ^ "The Fall Guy". BoardGameGeek.
  9. ^ "Jim Baikie". lambiek.net.
  10. ^ "Fall Guy". spectrumcomputing.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
  11. ^ Borys Kit (September 23, 2020). "Ryan Gosling, David Leitch Tackling "The Fall Guy"-Style Stuntman Movie for Universal". The Hollywood Reporter.
  12. ^ Bagchi, Soham (May 11, 2023). "'The Fall Guy': Release Date, Cast, Plot, and Everything We Know About the Ryan Gosling Movie". Collider.
  13. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 10, 2024). "Ryan Gosling's 'Fall Guy,' '3 Body Problem' Headed to SXSW". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 10, 2024. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
  14. ^ "Lee Majors to star alongside Ryan Gosling in The Fall Guy movie". Yahoo! Life. February 17, 2023. Archived from the original on June 16, 2023. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
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