io9: bill bixby

Great Moments in Martian-Earthling Relations: Tim O’Hara Meets Uncle Martin

Lynn Peril — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:25:40 PDT

Let’s get it out at the start: My Favorite Martian was no Lost in Space. The latter had Robot, after all, and Dr. Smith, not to mention cool mod spacesuits. Despite its title, MFM had little-to-no outer-space trappings (at least as I remember it) and the lamest laugh track this side of Gilligan’s Island. If, however, you spent much of your childhood watching whatever was on the tube on Grandma’s house, you might be interested in the money shot from the My Favorite Martian pilot episode in 1963: The moment when reporter Tim O’Hara sees something strange in the sky, and meets the foil-jumpsuit-clad alien he later comes to know as Uncle Martin. Yuks ensued for the next three seasons.

Tease The Hulk And Live To Tell The Tale

Kevin Kelly — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 16:30:23 PDT

The first teaser trailer for the Incredible Hulk movie comes out Wednesday night, and here's a 15-second sneak peek. It's brief, but it does show a brief bit of HULK SMASH! goodness, and Norton comes within a hair's breadth of saying "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry." Check back late on Wednesday for the actual trailer. [Slashfilm]

Hulk Smash Bad Phone Service!

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 15:00:23 PST

One of the joys of watching 1970s episodes of The Incredible Hulk TV show (now out on DVD) is the way hero Banner sometimes goes Hulky over things like . . . annoying operators on pay phones. Anyone who has ever tried to rescue a woman being attacked, or deal with Sprint, can relate to this great moment where Banner tries to rescue his lady trucker friend and is helped along into Hulk-hood by an operator straight out of a Lily Tomlin skit.

Must See: The Incredible Hulk

charliejane — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:56:41 PDT

Must-see TV shows are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale.

Title: The Incredible Hulk
Date: 1978-1982

Vitals: An experiment gone wrong gives David Banner the ability to transform into a roaring green bodybuilder whenever something pisses him off. Unlike in the comics, he doesn't fight supervillains or alien menaces. Instead he runs from place to place, pursued by a meddling reporter and only occasionally becoming the Hulk.

Famous names: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Jack Colvin, Kenneth Johnson

Crunchy goodness: 3

Bang for your buck: Ferrigno, as the Hulk, wore a $650 wig made out of pure yak hair. Also, one reason for the show's cancellation was that it had the highest special-effects budget in television — higher even than Buck Rogers. Network execs wanted to cut costs, letting Banner turn into the Hulk only once per episode instead of twice.

Spinoffs/Sequels/Copycats: Three TV shows, featuring other Marvel characters such as Thor, Daredevil and the Kingpin. Bixby planned to direct another TV movie, featuring Spider-man and co-starring Nicholas Hammond, who played Spider-man in his short-lived TV show. But it never happened.

Stunt casting: Mariette Hartley won an Emmy for playing a terminally ill scientist who falls in love with Banner in the two-part episode "Married."

The Incredible Hulk TV Series Page: Episode Guide, FAQ, Multimedia & More