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The Fall Guy



 
 
The Fall Guy was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 television program
Television program

A television program , television programme , or television show is something that people watch on television. It may be a one-off broadcast or, more usually, part of a periodically recurring television series....
 produced for ABC and originally broadcast from 1981
1981 in television

The year 1981 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1981.For the United States TV schedule, see: 1981-82 American network television schedule....
 to 1986
1986 in television

The year 1986 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1986.For the American network television schedule, please see 1986-87 American network television schedule....
. It stars Lee Majors
Lee Majors

Lee Majors is an American actor, primarily known for several high profile roles on television in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.Majors is known for his roles as Barbara Stanwyck's husband's illegitimate son, Heath Barkley, on The Big Valley , as Arthur Hill's law partner/friend, Jess Brandon, on Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law , as Colone...
, Heather Thomas
Heather Thomas

Heather Thomas is an American actress, screenwriter and a political activist, best known for her co-starring role of Jody Banks on the TV series The Fall Guy....
, and Douglas Barr
Douglas Barr

Douglas Barr is an American actor, writer and director. He has starred in movies and on television.Douglas' first TV series was in the 1980s TV series When the Whistle Blows....
.

Majors plays Colt Seavers, a Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, situated west-northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym of cinema of the United States....
 stunt man
Stunt double

A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous Sequence , in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts ....
 who moonlights as a bounty hunter
Bounty hunter

A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a money . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include, bail enforcement agent, fugitive recovery agent, and bail fugitive investigator....
. He uses his physical skills and knowledge of stunt effects (especially stunts involving cars or his large GMC pickup truck
Pickup truck

A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area which is almost always separated from the cab to allow for chassis flex when carrying or pulling heavy loads....
) to capture fugitives and criminals. He is accompanied by his cousin and stuntman-in-training Howie Munson, and occasionally by fellow stunt performer Jody Banks (played by Heather Thomas).

Typically, an episode starts with Seavers' crew performing a stunt for a film or TV series.






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Encyclopedia


The Fall Guy was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 television program
Television program

A television program , television programme , or television show is something that people watch on television. It may be a one-off broadcast or, more usually, part of a periodically recurring television series....
 produced for ABC and originally broadcast from 1981
1981 in television

The year 1981 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1981.For the United States TV schedule, see: 1981-82 American network television schedule....
 to 1986
1986 in television

The year 1986 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1986.For the American network television schedule, please see 1986-87 American network television schedule....
. It stars Lee Majors
Lee Majors

Lee Majors is an American actor, primarily known for several high profile roles on television in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.Majors is known for his roles as Barbara Stanwyck's husband's illegitimate son, Heath Barkley, on The Big Valley , as Arthur Hill's law partner/friend, Jess Brandon, on Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law , as Colone...
, Heather Thomas
Heather Thomas

Heather Thomas is an American actress, screenwriter and a political activist, best known for her co-starring role of Jody Banks on the TV series The Fall Guy....
, and Douglas Barr
Douglas Barr

Douglas Barr is an American actor, writer and director. He has starred in movies and on television.Douglas' first TV series was in the 1980s TV series When the Whistle Blows....
.

Plot

Lee Majors plays Colt Seavers, a Hollywood
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California

Hollywood is a district in Los Angeles, California, situated west-northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word "Hollywood" is often used as a metonym of cinema of the United States....
 stunt man
Stunt double

A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous Sequence , in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts ....
 who moonlights as a bounty hunter
Bounty hunter

A bounty hunter captures fugitives for a money . Other names, mainly used in the United States, include, bail enforcement agent, fugitive recovery agent, and bail fugitive investigator....
. He uses his physical skills and knowledge of stunt effects (especially stunts involving cars or his large GMC pickup truck
Pickup truck

A pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area which is almost always separated from the cab to allow for chassis flex when carrying or pulling heavy loads....
) to capture fugitives and criminals. He is accompanied by his cousin and stuntman-in-training Howie Munson, and occasionally by fellow stunt performer Jody Banks (played by Heather Thomas).

Typically, an episode starts with Seavers' crew performing a stunt for a film or TV series. They are then assigned to finding, for example, a man who has skipped bail
Bail

Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court in order to persuade it to release a suspect from County jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail ....
. His case turns out to be more complicated than it first seemed. In the course of dealing with the villains, Seavers performs a stunt similar to the one shown at the beginning of the show.

The series is known for its frequent cameos by Hollywood celebrities and the occasional in-joke referring to Majors' previous series, The Six Million Dollar Man
The Six Million Dollar Man

The Six Million Dollar Man is an United States television series about a fictional cyborg working for the OSI . The show was based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin, and during pre-production, that was the proposed title of the series....
.

Theme song

The show's theme song
Theme music

The phrase theme music usually refers to that of a radio programming, television program, or movie. It is a Musical composition that is often written specifically for that show, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits....
, "The Unknown Stuntman
The Unknown Stuntman

"The Unknown Stuntman" was a popular single sung by Lee Majors and written by Glen A. Larson, Gail Jensen, and David Sommerville. It was the theme song for the television series, The Fall Guy....
", was written by Glen A. Larson, Gail Jensen, and David Sommerville, and performed by Lee Majors. The lyrics include a reference to Majors' then-estranged wife, Farrah Fawcett
Farrah Fawcett

Ferrah Leni Fawcett is an United States actress. She became a noted pop culture figure and sex symbol of the 1970s and into the 1980s, shaping the landscape of fashion and pop culture....
. The song became a minor hit for Majors and is now considered a minor classic in countries such as Germany
Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands....
 , where the show was greeted with high popularity during its initial run.

The truck

Colt's truck was an early 1980s GMC 4x4 pickup. It had a 6-inch lift and 35-inch Dick Cepek off-road
Off-roading

Off-roading is a term for driving a specialized vehicle on unpaved roads, such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain....
 tires mounted on a 16-inch chrome wagon style wheel
Wagon style wheel

Wagon wheels are a style of automotive wheel popular in the 1970s and 1980s. They were a two piece wheel made of steel and came in white, black, or chrome plated....
. The truck also had a custom-made chrome roll bar
Roll cage

A roll cage is a specially constructed frame built in or around the cab of a vehicle to protect the occupants from being injured in an accident, particularly in the event of a roll-over....
 mounted with 4 off-road lights, and a custom chrome grille
Grille

A grille is an opening of several slits side by side in a wall or metal sheet or other barrier, usually to let air or water enter and/or leave but keep larger objects including people and animals in or out....
 guard mounted with 2 off-road lights and a Warn winch
Winch

A winch is a mechanical device that is used to pull in or let out or otherwise adjust the "tension" of a rope or wire rope . In its simplest form it consists of a spool and attached hand crank ....
. One unusual characteristic was a secret compartment in the truck's bed, which was used to stash away villains or to hide weapons.

The vehicle was painted brown and tan two-tone; it had an eagle painted on the hood with the phrase "Fall Guy Stuntman Association" underneath. The truck was very often involved in high-speed chases and huge jumps. As a result, it became very popular, especially with children, and numerous toy and model versions were produced.

During the show's run, the stunts took their toll on the trucks, so several different year model trucks are used during the show's initial run. As a result, there are some inconsistencies in the episodes. For instance, in the pilot episode the truck (a 1980 model) has two square headlights and a light tan interior. For the remainder of the series, it almost always had the quad headlight configuration of the 1981 and newer models, with a dark brown interior. The truck always appeared to be a long bed model, but in a couple of episodes a short bed model was used. After destroying several trucks due to the huge jumps, a custom built jump truck was built as a solution. It had a reinforced frame and axle
Axle

An axle is a central shaft for a rotation wheel or gear. In some cases the axle may be fixed in position with a bearing or bushing sitting inside the hole in the wheel or gear to allow the wheel or gear to rotate around the axle....
s, and a mid-mounted engine
Mid-engine design

A mid-engine layout describes the placement of an automobile internal-combustion engine between the rear and front axles. Another term for this is mid-ship....
. This greatly reduced the number of trucks scrapped during the show's production...

At the end of the series, the remaining trucks were either auctioned or given away in a contest. It is unknown how many still exist or their whereabouts, but one of them was sold on eBay
EBay

eBay Inc. is an United States Internet company that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell goods and services worldwide....
 in 2003.

Cast

  • Colt Seavers – Lee Majors
    Lee Majors

    Lee Majors is an American actor, primarily known for several high profile roles on television in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.Majors is known for his roles as Barbara Stanwyck's husband's illegitimate son, Heath Barkley, on The Big Valley , as Arthur Hill's law partner/friend, Jess Brandon, on Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law , as Colone...
  • Howie Munson – Douglas Barr
    Douglas Barr

    Douglas Barr is an American actor, writer and director. He has starred in movies and on television.Douglas' first TV series was in the 1980s TV series When the Whistle Blows....
  • Jody Banks – Heather Thomas
    Heather Thomas

    Heather Thomas is an American actress, screenwriter and a political activist, best known for her co-starring role of Jody Banks on the TV series The Fall Guy....
  • Samantha "Big Jack" Jack – Jo Ann Pflug
    Jo Ann Pflug

    Jo Ann Pflug is a former United States motion picture and television actress, who retired in the 1990s.Pflug's first major role was as U.S. Army nurse Lieutenant Dish in 1970 in film MASH ....
     (1981-82)
  • Terri Shannon / Michaels – Markie Post
    Markie Post

    Marjorie Armstrong "Markie" Post is an actress, best known for her 1985?1992 role as public defender Christine Sullivan on the NBC sitcom Night Court, and as bail bonds contractor Terri in The Fall Guy from 1982 to 1985....
     (1982-85)
  • Pearl Sperling – Nedra Volz
    Nedra Volz

    Nedra Volz was an American actress born in Montrose, Iowa, Iowa.Born Nedra Gordonier, she began her career in the family tent show, and appeared in vaudeville as a toddler ....
     (1985)


DVD release

On June 5, 2007 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and Fox Video....
 released the first season of The Fall Guy on DVD in Region 1. Several weeks later the first season was released in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
.

DVD Name Ep # Region 1 Release Date UK Region 2 Release Date Germany Region 2 Release Date
The Fall Guy: The Complete First Season 23 June 5, 2007 June 25, 2007 January 14, 2008
The Fall Guy: The Complete Second Season 23 N/A February 16, 2009 November 28, 2008


See also



External links