Harry and the Hendersons (TV series)

Harry and the Hendersons
Genre Sitcom
Written by Sam Denoff
Bob Fraser
Sheree Guitar
Harriet B. Helberg
Sandy Helberg
Alan Moskowitz
Daryl G. Nickens
Lin Oliver
Mike Scott
Directed by Don Amendolia
Scott Baio
Lee Bernhardi
Frank Bonner
Alan Cooke
Bruce Davison
Tony Dow
Richard Kline
Nick Havinga
Dwayne Hickman
Lee Lochhead
Howard Murray
Donna Pescow
James Widdoes
Starring Bruce Davison
Molly Cheek
Carol-Ann Plante
Zachary Bostrom
Kevin Peter Hall (1991)
Dawan Scott (1991-1992)
Brian Steele (1992-1993)
Opening theme "Your Feets Too Big" performed by Leon Redbone
Composer(s) Todd Hayen
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 3
No. of episodes 72
Production
Executive producer(s) Lin Oliver
Producer(s) Jill Lopez Danton
Sheree Guitar
Cinematography Robert Caramico
Editor(s) Andy Zall
Camera setup Single-camera
Running time 2224 minutes
Production company(s) Amblin Television
Universal Television
Distributor NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Release
Original network first-run syndication
Original release January 13, 1991 (1991-01-13) – June 18, 1993 (1993-06-18)
Chronology
Related shows Harry and the Hendersons

Harry and the Hendersons is an American sitcom based on the film of the same name, produced by Amblin Television for Universal Television.[1] The series aired in syndication from January 13, 1991 to June 18, 1993, with 72 half-hour episodes produced. The series is about a family who adopts a Bigfoot called Harry.[2][3]

Synopsis

Bruce Davison and Molly Cheek played the parents (in the film, they were played by John Lithgow and Melinda Dillon respectively) with Carol-Ann Plante and Zachary Bostrom as the children (in the film, they were played by Margaret Langrick and Joshua Rudoy respectively). Kevin Peter Hall played the role of Harry in both the film and TV series, until his death late in the production of the first season. He was replaced first by Dawan Scott and then by Brian Steele in the third season (Steele had filled in for Scott in the Harry costume for numerous scenes during season two, before taking over the role full-time). Harry's vocal effects were provided by Patrick Pinney where the vocal effects were previously provided by Fred Newman in the film.

In the series, George and Nancy were an upwardly mobile two-career couple, with the former working for a sporting goods company. George eventually launched his own magazine, The Better Life, late in the second season. Initially helping the Hendersons with Harry's care, and Sasquatch research, was Walter Potter, a biologist working for the Department of Animal Control. Also seen early on were the Glicks, neighbors of the Hendersons; Samantha was a pretty, young single mother and reporter, and Tiffany was her precocious little girl, a classmate of Ernie's who had an obvious crush on him. Samantha, Tiffany, and Walter were all written out after the first season, but the aspect of having a girl next door who chased after Ernie was retained through a new character, Darcy Payne, for the 1991-92 season. Darcy was more annoying than her predecessor, and spent all her waking hours trying to make the Hendersons' young son hers. However, she did catch on to the fact that the family was hiding a bigfoot, and had several close encounters with Harry; fortunately, Darcy disappeared from the show before she could have exposed the secret about him. Nancy's younger brother Brett, a photographer, moved in with the Hendersons in the second season, and was also sworn to secrecy about Harry. When George began The Better Life in the spring of 1992, Brett was hired as the publication's chief photographer and a financial beneficiary.

The following year brought many changes, as in the season premiere Harry's existence was accidentally exposed. Just as the Hendersons feared he would be captured by the government and possibly killed, he was rather embraced by the public and received overnight regional fame. For a while, Harry had to adjust to a high-profile life full of exhibition and additional scientific studies, but at the same time the entire family got used to resting more comfortably now that they did not have to hide the big creature from view anymore. Hilton, a friend of Ernie's and the son of a local police chief, joined the cast in the third season.

The TV series credits contains an artistic representation of key scenes from the film.

Episode list

Season one: 1991

  1. The Arrival of Nothing
  2. The Day After Yesterday
  3. Cool Hand Luke
  4. Harry Goes Home (Part 1)
  5. Whose Forest Is It Anyway??? (Part 2)
  6. The Father-Daughter Syndrome
  7. Banging the Big One
  8. Harry the Heroshima
  9. Curb the Roots
  10. The Mentor
  11. The Bodyguard Goes To Market
  12. Harry and the Homeless Man
  13. Harry Goes Ape Sh*t
  14. Pet Psychic Hotel
  15. The Bigfoot That Ate Starbucks
  16. Harry and the Masked Wrestler and the Legend of the Stone Table
  17. When Harry Met Sammy Davis Junior
  18. Harry and the Cheerleaders do Dallas

Season two: 1991-92

  1. Retrospective
  2. The Terror of The Trees
  3. Sarah Sings the Blues
  4. Mom
  5. The Ransom of Bigfoot
  6. Halloween
  7. Brett Hits Home
  8. George's White Light Cream Cake
  9. Working Stiffs
  10. Love Mask
  11. The Blue Parrotting
  12. Winning
  13. 'Til Theft Do Us Part
  14. The Genius
  15. Wild Things
  16. Fatherhood
  17. Sarah Spills the Bigfoot Beans
  18. The Green Pea Eating Bigfoot
  19. The Itchologist
  20. Selling Out
  21. The Girl Who Cried
  22. The Busybody
  23. I Got Your Birthday Right Here

Season three: 1992-93

  1. Yo Richie!
  2. The Bigfootchurian Candidate
  3. The Bridel and the Glue
  4. Born Again
  5. The Old Bigfoot
  6. The Outing
  7. Harry Henderson, National Park
  8. Retrospective Five Hundred
  9. Blood is Thicker Than an Arm
  10. Pitch, Pitch, Pitch
  11. Harry the Mascot
  12. The Big Kiss Off
  13. The Frenchman
  14. Laid Up
  15. Harrywood Babylon
  16. Witness (!)
  17. Harry the Hostage
  18. Exterminator
  19. Beauty and the Beast
  20. Big Feet, Big.....
  21. Surf's Downtown
  22. Follow Your Part
  23. Them Bones Need Scralling
  24. The Three Facts of Brett
  25. Ernie Confidential
  26. Uncle Mack Comes Back From The Grave
  27. Skin Deep is the Only Way To Go
  28. Retrospective Twelve
  29. The Long Goodbyes (Part 1)
  30. The Long Goodbyes (Part 2)

Cast

Production notes

Among the series' directors were series star Bruce Davison, Scott Baio, Frank Bonner, Tony Dow, Richard Kline, Dwayne Hickman, and Donna Pescow.

The series' theme song was "Your Feet's Too Big", performed by Leon Redbone.

References

  1. "Harry` Spinoff Is `Alf` For The `90s". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  2. "Harry and the Hendersons". Entertainment Weekly. 1991-03-01. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
  3. Letofsky, Irv (1991-01-12). "TV REVIEW : Insipid Remake of 'Hendersons'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
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