The A-team Fans V3.0 ~ Bekijk onderwerp - The A-Team Explosion

Moderator Geregistreerd op: 23-12-2004 Berichten: 368 Woonplaats: Wevelgem

It looks as if The A-Team are flying in more ways than one at present. Not only are they the most consistently high-rated show in the Nielsons, but they are also the "stars" of a veritable avalanche of merchandising, both in their own name and in the name of one of the stars. Mr. T.

How long is it since we had a real merchandising explosion about a TV show? Star Wars generated a whole lot of goodies for toy and stationary manufacturers, but that was a very big budget movie. Few TV series ever generate sufficient enthusiasm to merit their marketing. Star Trek did it, and so did The Man From UNCLE; Starsky & Hutch made the grade, and Space 1999 tried to creep in. Doctor Who made it, but they had a twenty year head-start. Recently? Well, very little. You can pick up the odd Knight Rider sticker, or toy car; maybe a few left-overs from The Dukes Of Hazard - but the A-Team are hot.

For one thing, the show is very popular and Mr. T has his own spin-off Saturday morning cartoon series because of it. I was one of those people who avoided it like the plague when it first came out (I mean, it's so unreal - all those bullets and bombs going off, and no one ever gets a scratch... let along seriously wounded), but was eventually dragged in front of the TV set by my wife and forced to watch it. Much to my disgust, I found that it was kinda likeable. Okay, it's still un-believable, but it's also a lot of fun.

George Peppard seems to have lowered his IQ a long way since his days as Banacek (1972-4); on the other hand, he is evidently having a good time playing John "Hannibal" Smith, leader of the Team. With catch-phrases like "Niiice" and the ultimate "I love it when a plan comes together", he is a brilliant, if somewhat lucky guy, leading three other men who are even wackier than he is. Considering Smith earns his living by playing the Aquamaniac, a Godzilla-like creature for the movies, that sounds rather hard to believe, but it's true.

Take Templeton "The Face" (or "Face Man") Peck - smooth, gushy.and the best con artist to be found. Having seen Dirk Benedict's performance in the abysmal Battlestar Galactica, l am amazed to see how effective he is in the role. He has a roving eye and a marked dislike for telling the truth, but who's perfect?

Mr. T is probably the superstar of the bunch - well, who would argue with him? He looks rather... uhm, odd, to say the least with a Mandinka haircut (not a Mohawk as often seems to be said), feather earrings and a ton or so of gold jeweiry. On the other hand, he's very convincing and very funny. The Incredible Hulk he isn't, but he's certainly tough and efficiënt.

Everyone has their favorites, of course, and mine (and almost everyone else's that I know) is Howlin' Mad Murdock, as played so ably by Dwight Schultz. Murdock is mad, certified and locked up in the barn of the funny farm. He's in the Veteran's hospital where he is a mental patient with as many maladies, delusions and manias as a textbook. His symptoms keep changing from week to week, but there's no doubt that he simply doesn't think much of reality out there, and would rather have the version served up by his head. Murdock is very in-fluenced by the movies that he watches in the mental hospital, and frequently takes on the role of some hero (like Philip Marlowe in "The Maltese Cow", or Captain Cab, or even The Range Rider). On the other hand, he talks to invisible dogs, invents friends and fronts for the Golfball Liberation Army. Like Robin Williams as Mork, Schultz is an incredibly versatile performer and I'm always amazed by the show. I'll admit that the principal reason that I watch the show is to see what craziness Murdock will exhibit next.

In it's second season, with its second female lead (Melinda Culea having been forced out very vocally), the show is proving equally successful in England. And the excitement it has generated has spilled over into other areas. You can buy an AMT model of BA Baracus' van, or a smaller push-along toy of that and a jeep with "The A-Team" stencilled on the side. There's a toy racing game, Colorforms, stickers, shooting games, a lawn set of darts...there are jigsaw puzzles and several sets of dolk. Galoob makes a large Mr. T doll, and a smaller, posable set of the entire team, all armed to the teeth, to play with as you watch the show.

Then there's the bubble gum cards manufactured by Topps, with color pictures for the collector. In 66 cards a somewhat forced story is told to link the series into some semblance of order (despite the fast change of clothes between one card and the next). Though some are just cars and explosions, others feature the Team, and there are a small number of stickers available there, too, though with the same stills as on the cards.

On a slightly higher grade, there is the monthly comic now put out by Marvel. The first issue was penned and pencilled by Marie Severin, the second written by Jim Salicrup and drawn by Jim Mooney (an old favorite of mine) and Joe Giella. The humor is there, but not quite the same sort of story. Still, for a comic adaptation, it's certainly very good.

Finally, and the best merchandising of all, there are the books. Dell Books are of tering a series of them, penned by Charles Heath from the original scripts. The first book, just released, is based on the pilot show, and is well written. The style is easy, the story entertaining, if somewhat mindless, and the characterization perfect. It did reveal to me that BA's first name is Bosco, which undoubtedly explains why he prefers BA. Murdock is, of course, the star, but the others help out a lot, too. We are promised further books on a monthly basis, if these sell well enough to warrant a series.

A second series has also been launched by Wanderer Books - Plot It Yourself. The first is called "Defense Against Terror" and is written by William Rotsler. Though planned as a series of possible adventures, it holds together very well, and is an original story. I particularly like the way he handles Murdock:

Over the cabin's loudspeaker came Murdock's voice: "This is your captain speaking, H.M. Murdock, I'll be your pilot for this trip. We will be travelling at an altitude of fifteen feet, and arrival at Los Angeles International is subject to the astuteness of the Border Patrol. Absolutely no one will be explaining the deplaning procedures in case we go down over water because it will be every man for himself. Please report all flying saucers. Have a nice flight," It didn't help their nerves that he ended his speech with Woody Wood-pecker's bugle call.

It seems fairly safe to say that we'll be given plenty of additional merchandising yet for the show; and collectors of TV memorabilia are likely to find themselves drowning in the stuff. On a personal basis, I have to confess to enjoying the books, and look forward to many more of them. Naturally, there are likely to be many, many more TV adventures... and then there's reruns and syndication - I love it when a show comes together.