The Incredible Hulk is an American television series based on the Marvel Comics character the Hulk. The series aired on the CBS television network and starred Bill Bixby as Dr. David Banner, Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk, and Jack Colvin as Jack McGee.
In the series, Dr. David Banner, a widowed physician and scientist who is presumed dead, travels across the United States under assumed names and finds himself in positions where he helps others in need despite his terrible secret: Following an accidental overdose of gamma radiation that altered his cells, in times of extreme anger or stress, he transforms into a huge, savage, incredibly strong green-skinned humanoid, who has been named the Hulk. In his travels, Banner earns money by working temporary jobs while searching for a way to either control or cure his condition. All the while, he is obsessively pursued by a tabloid newspaper reporter, Jack McGee, who is convinced that the Hulk is a deadly menace whose exposure would enhance his career.
The series' two hour television pilot movie, which established the Hulk's origins, aired on November 4, 1977. The series' 80 episodes were originally broadcast by CBS over five seasons from 1978 to 1982. It was developed and produced by Kenneth Johnson, who also wrote and directed some episodes.
In 1988, the filming rights were purchased from MCA/Universal by New World Television for a series of TV movies to conclude the series' storyline. The broadcast rights were, in turn, transferred to rival NBC. New World (which at one point owned Marvel) produced three television films: The Incredible Hulk Returns (directed by Nicholas J. Corea), The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, and The Death of the Incredible Hulk (both directed by Bill Bixby). Since its debut, The Incredible Hulk has garnered a worldwide fan base.
Premise David Banner, M.D., is a physician and scientist employed at California's Culver Institute, who is traumatized by the car accident that killed his beloved wife, Laura. Banner and his research partner, Dr. Elaina Marks, study people who summoned superhuman strength during moments of extreme stress. Obsessed with discovering why he was unable to exhibit such super strength under similar conditions, Banner hypothesizes that high levels of gamma radiation from sunspots contributed to the subjects' increase in strength.
Impatient to test his theory, Banner conducts an unsupervised experiment in the laboratory, bombarding himself with gamma radiation. However, the radiology equipment has recently been recalibrated, so Banner unknowingly gives himself a massive overdose. He initially thinks that the experiment has failed, but later, when he injures himself under a heavy rain while changing a flat tire, Banner's anger triggers his transformation into a , green skinned, superhumanly strong creature who is driven by rage, and has only a primitive intelligence. The creature reverts to Banner when he calms down, and, since Banner is unable to remember what occurs while in his transformed state, he goes to Marks for help. They succeed in deliberately triggering the transformation again, this time under laboratory conditions—and investigate the nature of the metamorphosis, and the possibility of a cure. Tabloid reporter Jack McGee, who was initially investigating Banner and Marks' superhuman strength research, now suspects them of being connected to the reports of a green skinned monster roaming the area. While snooping around their laboratory, McGee unknowingly triggers a fire. Banner rushes back into the laboratory to save Marks, only for the creature to emerge from the fire with her in his arms, dying. Mistakenly believing that Banner was killed in the fire along with Marks and that the creature was responsible for their deaths, McGee publishes a story naming the "Incredible Hulk" as their killer and urges law enforcement to capture him.
Banner travels from place to place, assuming different identities and odd jobs to support himself and enable his search for a cure. He also finds himself feeling obliged to help the people he meets out of whatever troubles have befallen them. Inevitably, doing so puts him in perilous situations that trigger his transformations into the Hulk, which in turn attracts the attention of McGee, who is obsessively pursuing the mysterious creature across the country, both to prevent further violence and to bring legitimacy to his story.
Despite the rampages, the Hulk usually does good for the people Banner encounters in his travels. Each episode ends with Banner back on the road, fearful that the Hulk's appearances will bring unwanted scrutiny from the authorities and the ever-persistent McGee.
The opening narration summarizes the experiment that turned Banner into the Hulk, McGee's pursuit of the Hulk, and Banner's quest to control the Hulk while eluding authorities. A different version of the opening narration was used for the second pilot movie, The Return of the Incredible Hulk (later re-titled Death in the Family). This version is mostly the same but adds an explanation of why the Hulk is wanted for murder and why Banner is believed dead.
Episodes
Cast
Main cast Bill Bixby as Dr. David Bruce Banner Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk, a gigantic, green humanoid creature that David turns into when angered or stressed. Ted Cassidy as the voice of the Hulk / Opening Narration (seasons 1–2: uncredited) Charles Napier as the voice of the Hulk (seasons 2–5: after Cassidy's death in 1979: uncredited) Jack Colvin as Jack McGee, a reporter tracking Hulk's trail.
Recurring cast Walter Brooke as Mark Roberts, McGee's boss at the National Register (seasons 3 & 4)
Production
Development In early 1977, Frank Price, head of Universal Television (known today as NBCUniversal Television), offered producer and writer Kenneth Johnson a deal to develop a television show based on any of several characters they had licensed from the Marvel Comics library. Johnson turned down the offer at first, but then, while reading the Victor Hugo novel Les Misérables, he became inspired and decided to add elements from the novel, Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and the idea of Greek tragic hubris, and then began working to develop the Hulk comic into a TV show.Part One: "The Incredible Hulk" A 40th Anniversary Tribute: A Conversation With The Show's Creator, Kenneth Johnson
Johnson made several changes from the comic book; this was partly to translate it into a live-action show that was more believable and acceptable to a wide audience, and also because he disliked comics and thus felt it best that the show be as different from the source material as possible. In the character's origin story, rather than being exposed to gamma rays during a botched atomic testing explosion, Banner is gamma-irradiated in a more low-key laboratory mishap during a test on himself. Another change was Banner's occupation, from physicist to medical researcher/physician. Although the comic book Hulk's degree of speaking ability has varied over the years, the television Hulk did not speak at all—he merely growled and roared. Hulk co-creator Stan Lee later recounted: "When we started the television show, Ken said to me, 'You know, Stan, I don't think the Hulk should talk'. The minute he said it, I knew he was right. [In the comics], I had the Hulk talking like this: 'Hulk crush! Hulk get him!' I could get away with it in a comic, but that would have sounded so silly if he spoke that way in a television show."
The Hulk's strength is far more limited than in the comic book, which Johnson felt was necessary for the show to be taken seriously by viewers. The Hulk still retained a healing factor, however. For instance, in "The Harder They Fall", Banner is in a serious accident that severs his spinal cord, leaving him paraplegic, but after his next transformation into the Hulk he is able to walk within minutes while in that form, and Banner's spine is completely restored by the end of the episode. In the majority of episodes, the only science-fiction element was the Hulk himself. Johnson also omitted the comic book's supporting characters, instead using original character Jack McGee.
Johnson changed the name of the Hulk's comic book alter ego, Dr. Bruce Banner, to Dr. David Banner for the television series. This change was made, according to Johnson, because he did not want the series to be perceived as a comic book series, so he wanted to change what he felt was a staple of comic books, and Stan Lee's comics in particular, that major characters frequently had alliterative names. According to both Stan Lee and Lou Ferrigno, it was also changed because CBS thought the name Bruce sounded "too gay-ish", a rationale that Ferrigno thought was "the most absurd, ridiculous thing [he had] ever heard".Keck, William. "Lou Ferrigno looks back, and luckily, not in anger". USA Today, June 17, 2008, p. 2D. (archive) On the DVD commentary of the pilot, Johnson says that it was a way to honor his son David. "Bruce" ultimately became the television Banner's middle name, as it had been in the comics. It is visible on Banner's tombstone at the end of the pilot movie, and that footage is shown at the beginning of every episode of the series.
Kenneth Johnson also wanted the Hulk to be colored red rather than green. His reasons were that red, not green, is perceived as the color of rage, and also that red is a "human color", whereas green is not. However, Stan Lee, an executive at Marvel Comics at the time, said that the Hulk's color was not something that could be changed, because of its iconic image.
Stan Lee told Kenneth Plume in a June 26, 2000, interview: "The Hulk was done intelligently. It was done by Ken Johnson, who's a brilliant writer/producer/director, and he made it an intelligent, adult show that kids could enjoy. He took a comic book character and made him somewhat plausible. Women liked it and men liked it and teenagers liked it... It was beautifully done. He changed it quite a bit from the comic book, but every change he made, made sense."
Casting For the role of Dr. David Banner, Kenneth Johnson cast Bill Bixby - his first choice for the role. Jack Colvin was cast as Jack McGee, the cynical tabloid newspaper reporter—modeled after the character of Javert in Les Misérables—who pursues the Hulk. Arnold Schwarzenegger auditioned for the role of the Hulk, but was rejected due to his inadequate height, according to Johnson in his commentary on The Incredible Hulk – Original Television Premiere DVD release. Actor Richard Kiel was hired for the role. During filming, however, Kenneth Johnson's son pointed out that Kiel's underdeveloped physique did not resemble the Hulk's. Soon, Kiel was replaced with professional bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno, although a very brief shot of Kiel (as the Hulk) remains in the pilot. According to an interview with Kiel, who saw properly out of only one eye, he reacted badly to the contact lenses used for the role, and also found the green makeup difficult to remove, so he did not mind losing the part.
The Incredible Hulk was unusual in that the two principal actors, Bixby and Ferrigno, almost never interacted, since they were playing two forms of the same character. According to Bixby, he and Ferrigno also made a point of not discussing their parts with each other or watching each other as they were filmed, since this made it more natural for them to act as though unaware of where they are or what their alter ego has done following a transformation.
The opening narration was provided by actor Ted Cassidy, who also provided the Hulk's voice overs (mainly growls and roars) during the first two seasons. Cassidy died during the production of season two in January 1979. The Hulk's vocalizations for the remainder of the series were provided by actor Charles Napier, who also made two guest-starring appearances in the series.
Guest stars and cameos