Made by the same production team as the successful "Batman" TV series and at around the same time, "The Green Hornet" is similar but different. Okay, so after getting past a similarly child-simple theme tune (though someone must have confused their insects as here we get "The Flight Of The Bumble Bee") we have another masked law-man, with his younger, also masked sidekick, driving around in a customised automobile fighting organised crime, employing gadgets and gizmos along the way, who by daytime is a respected pillar of society. But where "Batman" went for comedy through campness, the Hornet, while definitely still identifiable as a comic-book creation, plays it noticeably straighter, no pun intended.So there are no costumed villains, no "Biff-Bang-Pow" fight scenes or kooky comedy ("Holy Fortune Cookie!") and instead we get twenty five minutes of entertaining, escapist adventure. The big latter-day selling point of interest to film fans of the 70's is the young Bruce Lee appearing as Kato (although I think a change of name from Clouseau's Oriental valet might have been a good idea), the Hornet's martial-arts-expert chauffeur and junior partner. Lee doesn't get to say, or even do much but his kung-fu kicks, flicks and tricks are great fun. Van Williams makes for a good jaw-jutting lead, a campaigning newspaper editor by day and a frock-coated crime-fighter by night.The production values are excellent, although no doubt the superior scene locations, interior sets and even choice of cars were swapped around from time to time with "Batman", so similar do they look at times. Unfortunately the Green Hornet's sting somewhat surprisingly didn't connect with its audience, instead it was his rival in the ill-fitting costume over in Gotham City who cleaned up and got the big viewer numbers and a second series. Even a cross-over episode involving both heroes couldn't save old Greenie. That said, due, I think because they were so well made and also avoided infantile audience-pandering, I think this series holds up very well, some nearly fifty years on.

I have read the other reviews and frankly they scare me. I understand how you can like something because it is nostalgic, or even, in the extreme case, like something bad because it defines a moment in your life (google "stockholm syndrome") but this parade of glowing reviews for this forgettable show sorta scares me. Here is the skinny: 1. The 60s was a crazy time. Things that made sense then would not make sense now. 2. The over-arching theme was re-invention. This is common throughout history. The flip-side of reinvention was the doctrine of Exceptionalism. Essentially, because we are here now, because we are the majority now, because we reinvented this now, it (ergo) must be great. Even if it was not. 3. The phenomenon in #2 is often referred to as "camp." Camp explains the stylized violence and goofy music and cardboard villains in shows like this one, and also Batman. 4. Those that actually watched these shows (eg - Batman) did not do so because they were actually exceptional, but rather because they were all that was available at the time. There was actually a term for this in the 60s, it was called "LOP" or "least objectionable program." One might theorize for example that if you had offered a viewer in the 60s an actual choice between the Hornet/Batman campy stuff and, say, ARROW, from this decade, they would choose the latter and eschew the former. BUT THERE WAS NO CHOICE. That is the key. 5. Those that attempted to watch this show -- the verb chosen suggests an effort and the fact it was cancelled suggests the effort mainly failed -- did so almost entirely because of Bruce Lee, who seemed to, among other things, levitate at will, and be able to knock out an overhead ceiling light with a single kick, much to the astonishment of the camera crew trying to film it. And many of his scenes had to refilmed several times to catch the action. (Lee would ultimately try out for Kung Fu and be passed over for a non-Asian actor with no martial arts training, and be bitter about this for years.)

With the BATMAN TV show a runaway success in the 1960s, it was bound to spawn imitators. The only superhero show to follow, however, was "The Green Hornet," based on an old radio show and movie. Hollywood pretty boy Van Williams, who strongly resembled '60s heartthrob Fabian, played the masked supersleuth who chases down baddies in a souped-up Chrysler and with his sidekick, Kato, played by a very young Bruce Lee. The show was pretty awful, except for Kato's fight scenes, which is understandable for anyone who remembers Bruce Lee. In fact, as kids, we watched the show just to see Lee. Now the character is being made into a feature-length movie for 2010 release. Let's hope it improves on this short-lived TV series. If you catch any episodes of the old show, be patient and watch for Lee as he springs into King-fu mode.

After the success of BATMAN on ABC,William Dozier's Greenway Productions/20th Century-Fox crew looked around for something to develop into another hit. Instead of the pages of Batman & Detective Comics,they looked to Old Time Radio.There were a lot of series in the early days of TV that were developed from Radio Programs. Some were successful, but for the most part, did not have staying power in the video medium. Ah, but this LONE RANGER guy went on for about a dozen years and remained strong in re-runs. What would there be that was sort of like The Masked Rider of the West and maybe had some characteristics of Batman?A little nostalgia for the Radio Days and research of the old series would have any potential revealed a like candidate. Sitting right there on the LONE RANGER Family Tree was a property that would have the potential to bring in another success.THE GREEN HORNET was the product of the same Radio creative team as was The Lone Ranger.* In fact, he was said to be a relative. Inasmuch as his setting was the contemporary times and not the "Western United States" of "those thrilling days of yesteryear." **He was said to be a great-great-grand nephew to L.R., or something like that. The Lone Ranger, John Reid, was the only surviving member of the group of Texas Rangers massacred by the notorious Butch Cavandish Gang. Left for dead along with the others, including his own brother. Tonto, his future Indian companion, recognized John Reid as having been boy hood friends. (John's ring was the object recognized) The young John Reid had done some heroic feat for the young Tonto, who dubbed him "Kimo Savee", translated into 'faithful friend'. Tonto stood by, helping Reid to recovery and burying the dead. (No need to go any further with this story, we all know it!)The Green Hornet was in reality Britt Reid, the youthful, crusading Publisher of The Daily Sentinnel, a great metropolitan newspaper in a great, un-named big American City. The Hornet had as an assistant, his Valet/Chaueffer, Kato, who was Japanese *** and was both responsible for creating The Green Hornet,s arsenal of weaponry****, but also caring for his super fast auto, The Black Beauty.The little extra twist in The Green Hornet legend is that he maintained a pose of being a wanted criminal.His real identity and role as a Costumened Crime Fighter known only to The District Attorney and to Britt Reid's Personal Secretary, Miss Lenore Case or usually called just "Casey".The casting of the regulars for the series was very good and would have been deemed so, even in the old movie serial days.Youthful, good looking and athletic Van Williams, a former Warner Brothers contractee,was cast as Britt Reid/The Green Hornet. Stunning Beauty, Wendy Wagner was Lenore Case, with Lloyd Gough as retired Irish Cop turned 'reporter', Mike Axford. Walter Brooke portrayed District Attorney Frank P. Scanlon. But the true genius of casting (or just plain old luck) was having the young, martial arts exponent, Bruce Lee as Kato. New to films and inexperienced in front of a camera, Bruce Lee, nonetheless, brought a lively, exciting interpretation to the role of the second banana hero. His action scenes were outstanding as he demonstrated his Karate as weapon against the baddies during at least one confrontation each episode. The fabulous looking physical maneuvers he executed so well were no big deal for a man of his training. He could have phoned in the role.It was a little different for the spoken word as Mr. Lee was given few lines at first, though his speech became more eloquent as the series progressed. He had worked at it and he learned to modify the Chinese accent that he came by so honestly.****Like THE LONE RANGER's co opting the finale of Rossinni's WILLIAM TELL OVERTURE, so THE GREEN HORNET Radio Show took Rimsky-Korsakov's FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLE BEE as its theme.***** Mr. Dozier left it to the talents of Famous New Orleans Trumpeter extraordinaries, Al Hirt to come up with and play an original theme which had a certain resemblance to the classical piece.All the parts were in place and THE GREEN HORNET debuted on ABC on Friday evenings. It developed a certain loyal, though not a very large one. THE GREEN HORNET was not renewed, and faded away by the Fall Season of 1967.It has since then taken on a legendary reputation and a large cult following, made up of many fans born long after the call by Mr. William Dosier (who doubled as show's announcer, quite handily,too!) This at least in part due to the career and premature death of Bruce Lee. * It was Creative team of George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, the creator and the principal story writer for THE LONE RANGER at WXYZ Radio in Detroit who brought us THE GREEN HORNET.** The relationship was made known on the Radio Shows, but not mentioned in the TV Era, probably because the rights to the characters have passed to different parties.*** It has been said that Kato was said to be Japanese, but became Korean on December 7, 1941. In the Universal Pictures Serial The GREEN HORNET (1940); Kato said that he was Korean.**** We wondered around our House just who got the least dialog: Bruce Lee as Kato, Peter Lupus as Willie (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE) or Steve London as Agent Jack Rossman (THE UNTOUCHABLES)?***** The use of Classical Music as both Theme and Incidental Music was a wide spread practice in Old Time Radio. It's been said that the definition of an intellectual is one who can listen to The William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger!