Customer Reviews

The Incredible Hulk: The Original Television Series Premiere

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This is the pilot for the popular 70's classic show based on the Marvel comic books. It tells about Dr. David Banner ( Bill Bixby) who studys the hidden strengths that all humans have then he experiments on himself with gamma radiation but overdoses it. When he got angry after his experiment, he transforms into a raging green beast who's really gentle but misunderstood by society called " The Hulk" ( Lou Ferrigno).
This is an excellent pilot that tells the origin of everyone's favorite green giant, Bill Bixby is truly incredible as David Banner and Lou Ferrigino is great as Hulk with the make-up, wig and silver eyes. The DVD is great, it offers commentary by series writer, director and producer Kenneth Johnson, an introduction by Lou Ferrigno, a look in the making of the 2003 Hulk movie and a bonus episode " The Incredible Hulk Married" with commentary by Kenneth Johnson.
If you are a fan of the series, own this to know the origin of the Hulk.

The pilot film of the Incredible Hulk tv series may very well be the most heartwrenching film ever put to film. To have "Married" (another heartbreaking moment realized by series developer Kenneth Johnson) on the dvd is just icing on the cake. If you love the Hulk, pick this up. It doesnt dissapoint.

When I saw the pilot episode I really hated it. I don't remeber why I hated it but now I love it!!!!! It's about a man named David Banner(Bill Bixby) who's wife died in a car acident. Angry that he was not able to save his wife, he finds out that the same thing has been happing to other people, only they saved the person in the person car. David finds out that it is the gamma energy that is helping the other people save the person in the car. David put gamma energy into his body, but so much that it made this creature called the Hulk( Lou Freggino). Great start to a great series. Better than the movie. This DVD has another episode called "Marride" which is very good and has lots of Hulk sceans. Well worth your money.

In 1977,CBS introduced all of us to a great show based on the marvel comics superhero created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962.We meet Dr.David Banner,a research scientist and physician,trying to tap into mans source of strength,Banner is trying to cope with the death of his wife Laura,played by Lara Parker of Dark Shadows fame,through this unfortunate accident,Dr Banner and a fellow scientist,Elaina Marks,played beautifully by the lovely Susan Sullivan interview people when in times of emotional stress display unusual strength,but Dr.Banner discovering that Gamma Rays are responsible for making them strong and because he could not save his wife because of low gamma activity decides to experiment on himself absorbing a massive amount of gamma radiation he fails in the experiment on himself and feels no effects at first,but when he becomes angry or frustrated,he transforms into a hulking monster with super strength,7 feet tall,green and powerful.Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk was magnificent and I think the best one in the world who played the role and also a bodybuilding champion.The late Bill Bixby in the role of Dr.David Banner will be truly missed,he was a wonderful actor and played the role of Banner with compassion and inginuity.The episode Married is a truly great episode of the series.Banner is trying to seek help for his condition with a physchiatist and doctor named Caroline Fields played marvelously by Mariette Hartley,who unfortunatly has an illness of her own.the both of them marry and Dr.Fields life comes to an untimely end.This dvd is a must have for every fan of the series,and has a great introduction by Lou Ferrigno who plays the hulk,I will always be a fan of this marvelous show which ran on cbs from 1978-82.

I have been here from the very begining of the series. I can't say that I have enjoyed every episode, but the ones I love are most memerable, and this DVD includes the episodes that make this series a classic in TV. history. Bill Bixby was very serious about this production as was Lou as it shows in their performance. This DVD is great in picture quality, although is grainy in some spots but still above and beyond VHS and even the original broadcast. Both episodes(original pilot,Married) are very crisp and clean, with only a few flaws. The sound is mono but still clean, and has HiFi definition above and beyond what you heard back in the 70's or even on the SciFi network. Well worth the price so grab it!!!!!

The DVD features the very first pilot episode (1.5 hours) and the first episode from the second season (also 1.5 hours). The first episode is surprisingly boring after all these years - and too may gaps between hulkism. The second episode is not as boring as the first, but comes close. I was a huge fan of this series in the 70's and know that there are much more exciting episodes than this. I assume the reason they chose these episodes because they were longer in length. I would have preferred three exciting one hour episodes than these ones.
DVD SUMMARY:
Are you thinking of buying it? That's up to you, but I would recommend renting this first. There are also very few extra features on the disc. The positives are the higher than average film transfer (very clear), and the sound is ok (although not surround but for 1977 what can you expect?)

This DVD has a little of everything: 2 good episodes of the HULK TV series, interview with the original director and footage of the CGI HULK movie. I have always enjoyed this TV show especially when Bixby would say "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry" and when he HULKed out into Lou Ferrigno. In my opinion, the show stands the test of time. Even the INCREDIBLE HULK comics have gone back to the premise of this series --- a fugitive on the run from city to city in search of friends and a cure. Stan Lee & Jack Kirby created a unique character who is still popular 40 years later!!! Nuff said......

This DVD includes the original pilot movie "The Incredible Hulk" that started the series. On the other side of the DVD is the episode "Married", which was actually the first and second episode of the Second Season. The Incredible Hulk began on CBS on November 4, 1977. Bill Bixby plays Dr. Banner. It has been almost a year since his wife died in a car accident they both were in. He continually has dreams of not being able to save his wife's life. He just wasn't strong enough to roll the car over. That is Lara Parker (Dark Shadows) that plays Dr. Banner's wife. Now he studies how people are able to become so strong when normally they are not as strong. A black woman describes how she was able to save her son in a burning car by having the "extra strength" (perhaps adrenaline) to lift the car to save her son. Eventually, Dr. Banner decides to try an experiment on himself to change his DNA with Gamma Ray exposure. Well, nothing happens. But he felt stronger. He tries to lift a people mover. Nothing. It's raining outside. He becomes more frustrated, his thoughts anger him then the car blows a tire. More anger. The lightning intensifies. He hurts his hand using the jack. He's in pain. Suddenly his DNA changes. His body grows greater, his muscles grow rapidly. His clothes rip. His skin becomes green. He becomes the HUlk (played by Lou Ferrigno). When the Hulk's surge of power finally calms down or when he does an act of kindness, he becomes tired and turns back into his Dr. Banner self. This tv-series was so good at building monentum and emotion, especially at the end of each episode, that the tv-series kept getting better with each episode. Bill Bixby was perfect for the role as Dr. Banner. It's a shame he is not around to enjoy this 25th Anniversary. He died too soon. Such a serious and mature actor. On DVD, Introduction by Lou Ferrigno. Audio Commentary with Director/Writer Ken Johnson and sneak preview of "The Hulk" (2003).

This show is so cool I love it and now that it is on the scifi chanell I can tape them all. The only other thing I have to is that this is my favorite show and I am happy that a couple episodes are on dvd.

I just viewed this DVD, especially for the Commentaries by director/producer Kenneth Johnson. First of all, let me say that the prints for both movies were in superb condition, with colors even more vivid than I remember them from their original broadcasts. The two-sided disk features the original 2-hour premiere episode and "Married," the most famous episode other than the pilot. "Married" is so well known because actress Mariette Hartley won a Best Actress Emmy for her performance in this episode. Such a prestigous Emmy for a science-fiction/fantasy/superhero show was unheard of at the time, especially for someone who was just a guest star in a single episode. I understand "Married" was released overseas as a feature film with the title "Bride of the Incredible Hulk," which actually was a better title and I wish they's used that for the television release.

Of the two shows, the original premiere pilot is the better of the two, with superb production values, fine acting and photography. And frankly, I thought Susan Sullivan, the female guest star in this one, gave a more convincing and touching performance than Hartley in "Married." However, I will admit that when I first saw "Married" 25 years ago I did cry at Hartley's demise. What mars "Married" is the occasionally cheesy special effects, especially at the end, which is supposed to take place during a hurricane. At one point Lou Ferrigno is "Hulking" a gate open during what's supposed to be a fierce storm; he's obviously being sprayed with water hoses while a shiny, clear blue sky is well evident in the background.

However, the real treat of this DVD is the lively and often humorous commentary by Kenneth Johnson (or as he puts it, "known as Kenny to my friends") the producer/director of both episodes. He provides a wealth of fascinating background material about everything from the background of various actors to the day to day trials and tribulations on the sets. One of the funniest is regards the massive explosion that destroys the laboratory in the Pilot episode. Johnson claims he didn't realize the camera was unplugged until seconds before the explosives were set to go off--and demolish the set completely. He just managed to pulg it in just at the nick of time, and the explosion was afterwardsused in the title sequence every time the series aired.

The most touching element of the commentary (more so on "Married" than with the Pilot) was the information he gave about Bill Bixby's troubled and occasionally tragic life. I had no idea Bixby (or "Bix" as Johnson refers to him) had so many difficulties in his personal life. Like so many other TV watchers of the era, I only thought of him the characters he portrayed on screen, from his days in "My Favorite Martian," to "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" to the "Incredible Hulk." To find out about what he went through off screen up to his death by prostrate cancer in 1993 moved me deeply.

However, what I found most appalling about the commentary was Kenneth Johnson's evident disdain, bordering on contempt, of the original Hulk comic book. From his own words, he never cared for comic books himself. When offered the project he originally found it "ludicrous" and claimed he couldn't identify with "men running around in Spandex costumes." This coming from the man who'd just come off producing produced "The Six Million Dollar Man" and "Bionic Woman," two shows unparalled for silliness and ludicrous situations. (They made comic books look like Shakespeare in comparison.)

However he changed his mind when he considered doing it as a "serious" TV show, his decision supposedly inspired by his reading of great works of literature. But he wanted to give the Hulk a total makeover, changing it to suit his own personal vision. He even wanted to change the Hulk's color from green to red, but Stan Lee and Marvel Comics, owner of the character's copyright, put their foot down on that one.

It's apparent from Johnson's remarks that he and Lee had some real arguments over the series. Lee was listed on the end credits as a "Consultant," but it's obvious all his "consulting" was blantantly ignored by Johnson. One such incident is ironic; at a certain point, Lee advised Johnson to have the Hulk fight a "robot bear." Johnson refused, claiming the audience would never "buy it." This coming from a man who had his own robot monster (Bigfoot) in both the "Six Million Dollar Man" and "Bionic Woman." It's annoying to hear Johnson claim at one point that he "created the character" of David Banner as if the comic book never existed. Also it tickled me to hear him grumble that putting the name "David Bruce Banner" on the gravestone at the conclusion to the Pilot was his "concession" to Stan Lee for changing the name of the lead character from "Bruce Banner" to "David Banner."

Incidentally, Johnson's explanation for that change is very unconvincing. He merely claims it was just a "stronger name" than "Bruce." I can't prove this for a fact, but my own belief is the change was made because "Bruce" was a popular nickname for gay men at the time the show was on. It's interesting that in the new (and boring) movie version of "The Hulk," Bruce Banner's father is named "David," as if the movie makers were somehow trying to tie in the TV version to the movie. If that was thier plan, it failed miserably.

However, I will applaud Johnson for making a serious adaption of a comic book figure, something that was never believed possible at the time. Other TV adaptions of comic books were send-ups, played for laughs, such as "Batman" and "Wonder Woman." It was also the most successful, running for five years and (so Johnson claims) having adults as its highest number of fans. Even after it went off the air, it spawned several successful TV movie sequels that ran through the eighties. Johnson and Universal Studios deserve credit for that, and this DVD is a superb addition to any comic book fan's collection.