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 | 22–24 minutes |
Production company(s) |
Amblin Television Universal Television |
Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
Release | |
Original network | first-run syndication |
Original release | January 13, 1991 – June 18, 1993 |
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
- The Arrival of Nothing
- The Day After Yesterday
- Cool Hand Luke
- Harry Goes Home (Part 1)
- Whose Forest Is It Anyway??? (Part 2)
- The Father-Daughter Syndrome
- Banging the Big One
- Harry the Heroshima
- Curb the Roots
- The Mentor
- The Bodyguard Goes To Market
- Harry and the Homeless Man
- Harry Goes Ape Sh*t
- Pet Psychic Hotel
- The Bigfoot That Ate Starbucks
- Harry and the Masked Wrestler and the Legend of the Stone Table
- When Harry Met Sammy Davis Junior
- Harry and the Cheerleaders do Dallas
Season two: 1991-92
- Retrospective
- The Terror of The Trees
- Sarah Sings the Blues
- Mom
- The Ransom of Bigfoot
- Halloween
- Brett Hits Home
- George's White Light Cream Cake
- Working Stiffs
- Love Mask
- The Blue Parrotting
- Winning
- 'Til Theft Do Us Part
- The Genius
- Wild Things
- Fatherhood
- Sarah Spills the Bigfoot Beans
- The Green Pea Eating Bigfoot
- The Itchologist
- Selling Out
- The Girl Who Cried
- The Busybody
- I Got Your Birthday Right Here
Season three: 1992-93
- Yo Richie!
- The Bigfootchurian Candidate
- The Bridel and the Glue
- Born Again
- The Old Bigfoot
- The Outing
- Harry Henderson, National Park
- Retrospective Five Hundred
- Blood is Thicker Than an Arm
- Pitch, Pitch, Pitch
- Harry the Mascot
- The Big Kiss Off
- The Frenchman
- Laid Up
- Harrywood Babylon
- Witness (!)
- Harry the Hostage
- Exterminator
- Beauty and the Beast
- Big Feet, Big.....
- Surf's Downtown
- Follow Your Part
- Them Bones Need Scralling
- The Three Facts of Brett
- Ernie Confidential
- Uncle Mack Comes Back From The Grave
- Skin Deep is the Only Way To Go
- Retrospective Twelve
- The Long Goodbyes (Part 1)
- The Long Goodbyes (Part 2)
Cast
- Kevin Peter Hall - Harry (1991)
- Dawan Scott - Harry (1991-1992)
- Brian Steele - Harry (1992-1993)
- N. Brock Winkless IV - Harry (face performer, 1991-1993)
- Patrick Pinney - Harry (vocal effects, 1991-1993)
- Bruce Davison - George Henderson
- Molly Cheek - Nancy Henderson
- Carol-Ann Plante - Sarah Henderson
- Zachary Bostrom - Ernie Henderson
- Gigi Rice - Samantha Glick (1991)
- Cassie Cole - Tiffany Glick (1991)
- David Coburn - Walter Potter (1991)
- Noah Blake - Brett Douglas (1991-1993)
- Courtney Peldon - Darcy Payne (1991-1992)
- Mark Dakota Robinson - Hilton Woods, Jr. (1992-1993)
- Jared Henderson - Himself (1992)
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
- ↑ "Harry` Spinoff Is `Alf` For The `90s". Sun Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
- ↑ "Harry and the Hendersons". Entertainment Weekly. 1991-03-01. Retrieved 2010-10-12.
- ↑ Letofsky, Irv (1991-01-12). "TV REVIEW : Insipid Remake of 'Hendersons'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-01-01.