Why a Serious Green Hornet?

[gothos]

Has anyone here come across statements or paraphrases of quotes from either Dozier or any associate as to why GREEN HORNET was played "straight" rather than "camp" like BATMAN?

[greenhornet66]

You have to go way back to the days when the Green Hornet was on the radio. And then in movie theaters in 1939/40. The Green Hornet was always portrayed by a character that was out to do justice and the story lines were realalistic crimes. There were no odd-ball criminals, and the Batman tv series was designed based on its comicbook stories & villians.
The Green Hornet was just a secret crime fighter, and had a political figure to hide his identity. The Green Hornet was never caught and put into some goofball trap.
Even though Batman has many more years of exposure and distribution of an image, the Green Hornet will always be a mystery .

[STEPhonIT]

Another reason Dozier was, unlike the Batman character, a FAN of The Green Hornet and that series was a pet project of his. He wanted to take that series as serious as possible. Hollywood in those days thought comic books were silly and not taken seriously so Dozier and many thought of it as such. The Green Hornet's roots were from radio so the camp spell can't be cast on it... well, until Seth Rogen got his hands on it.

[logar2]

Everything I've read about the show's creation states that Dozier would indeed have done the show campy had he been given the chance to. But due to a stipulation in his agreement with George Trendle he couldn't. Trendle was adamant about his characters and everything associated with them being depicted in a serious, dramatic manner and made a point to have this stated in his contracts with Dozier. To ensure this he also had it stipulated that he would be appointed as a paid creative consultant to the show with a limited amount of power over storylines, character development and much more. This went on to be a huge bone of contention between Dozier and Trendle during the show's run.

[gothos]

I think Logar-2 may have the best take on the matter. It seems to me that I *may* have heard something about Dozier claiming he was a fan of the original concept, but even IF he said that, he may have been making the best of a deal forced on him by Trendle. Anyone in the entertainment biz knows better than to expose the murky inner dealings of that biz to the public, unless there's something to be gained thereby.

Since Dozier had just done jokey pilots of DICK TRACY and WONDER WOMAN, it's hard to believe that he had any greater regard for the sacrosanctity of Green Hornet. In contrast, Trendle built a good portion of his merchandising empire on two characters who, despite their suggestions of outlawry, were utterly true-blue and above reproach. I can imagine he'd have little use for the hero-mocking approach of Dozier, since for Trendle the Hornet was one source of his bread and butter.

[BATWINGED HORNET]

Part of the TV GH's long lasting appeal is the contrast in tone to Batman. Although similarities existed (senior and junior crimefighters, fantastic vehicle and gadgets, innovative title theme music, etc.), GH was a show with its own internal logic and feel which would have been lost if the camp route had been taken. It was the contrast/similarities mix which made fans of both series long for a crossover, which dozier eventually arranged, but that crossover would have lost any buildup of tension if GH & K were simply carbon copies of Batman & Robin.

[The Green Hornet]

Because that is how "The Green Hornet" was originally created to be by George W.Trendle,Sr.and Fran Striker,Sr.,it was and always will be a serious,action-crime-drama with only humor in it where it is needed.It was NEVER intended to be a spoof-comedy-buddy-movie and is NEVER meant to be period.

[The Green Hornet]

If George W.Trendle,Sr. and Fran Striker,Sr.were still around,the 2011 movie would NOT have happened period.

[High C]

This strange Dozier quote from Joel Eisner's Official Batman Batbook might shed some light:

"How are you going to be serious about a guy who runs a newspaper in the daytime and goes out at night and hunts criminals? How can you be funny with it? It just fell in the middle. It was neither serious nor funny."

Obviously, he didn't have much respect for the source material.

[High C]

This strange Dozier quote from Joel Eisner's Official Batman Batbook might shed some light:

"How are you going to be serious about a guy who runs a newspaper in the daytime and goes out at night and hunts criminals? How can you be funny with it? It just fell in the middle. It was neither serious nor funny."

Obviously, he didn't have much respect for the source material.

[Progress Pigment]

Dozier considered the Hornet series a failure that would eventually just be forgotten, like countless other series with mediocre ratings, and here he was trying to explain the failure away. He had no idea at the time Bruce Lee would become huge & resurrected the show. There was never a 'Hornet Craze' that approached Batman. I was surprised when I first really saw it a few years ago how much fun the show was. But still, it needed something.

[Lounge lizard]

Dozier was at loggerheads with George Trendle for most of the time during the series production.
Again, there is far more information in the Green Hornet book but, just one example, Trendle particularly disliked the descending fireplace that DA Scanlon used when visiting Britt Reid.

From what I've read Dozier would have preferred the villains to have been more colourful but Trendle (who had script approval) consistently overruled him. Eventually, towards the very end of the programmes run, Trendle relented and the terrible 'Invasion From Outer Space' 2 parter was produced.

[Progress Pigment]

Eventually, towards the very end of the programmes run, Trendle relented and the terrible 'Invasion From Outer Space' 2 parter was produced.

I know what you are saying, but those episodes reminded me of 'Lost In Space' or 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea'. Shows that got good ratings. In 1967 that might've been more successful than a straight Hornet series. Dozier may have been right, but the tone of the series would've been very different. Less enjoyable in many ways, and who knows, maybe more enjoyable in others.

[Bama-Bat]

You have to go way back to the days when the Green Hornet was on the radio. And then in movie theaters in 1939/40. The Green Hornet was always portrayed by a character that was out to do justice and the story lines were realalistic crimes. There were no odd-ball criminals, and the Batman tv series was designed based on its comicbook stories & villians.
The Green Hornet was just a secret crime fighter, and had a political figure to hide his identity. The Green Hornet was never caught and put into some goofball trap.
Even though Batman has many more years of exposure and distribution of an image, the Green Hornet will always be a mystery .

I agree! Dozier said he wanted it to be totally different from the series. The same for Wonder Woman.

Too Much Camp isn't always a good thing. I like the Seth movie, but I think it was a little over-done in humor. But what can anyone expect from a Seth movie. It was funny though.

[greenhornet66]

I think the writers of the recent Green Hornet movie were really clueless when they put this movie together. It's bad enough that the Green Hornet character is never given any exposure, or respect to give this crimefighter a chance to catch on with future fans. The movie made a joke out of the Britt Reid character, and the Kato part was a bit too much also.
I was very disappointed in this movie. For those who seen this waste of a movie, you seen a movie that was poorly slapped toghther for profits off the name Green Hornet. This movie did not give a real portrayal of the background of Britt Reid. And now this legendary crimefighter is looked at as a bafoon and a big joke to those who dont know about the Green Hornet.