Harry and the Hendersons (TV series)
Harry and the Hendersons | |
---|---|
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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 Dawan Scott Brian Steele |
Opening theme | "Your Feets Too Big" performed by Leon Redbone |
Composer | Todd Hayen |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 72 |
Production | |
Executive producer | Lin Oliver |
Producers | Jill Lopez Danton Sheree Guitar |
Cinematography | Robert Caramico |
Editor | Andy Zall |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 22–24 minutes |
Production company | Amblin Television |
Distributor | MCA TV (1991–1998) The Program Exchange (1998–2016) NBCUniversal Television Distribution (2016–present) |
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] It aired in syndication from January 13, 1991, to June 18, 1993, with 72 half-hour episodes produced. It 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.
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)
Episodes[]
Season 1: 1991[]
No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "The Arrival" | Frank Bonner | Story by : Lin Oliver & Alan Moskowitz Teleplay by : Alan Moskowitz | January 13, 1991 |
2 | 2 | "The Day After" | Alan Cooke | John Boni | January 20, 1991 |
3 | 3 | "Cool" | Frank Bonner | Lin Oliver & Alan Moskowitz | January 27, 1991 |
4 | 4 | "Harry Goes Home: Part 1" | TBA | TBA | February 3, 1991 |
5 | 5 | "Whose Forest Is It Anyway?: Part 2" | TBA | TBA | February 10, 1991 |
6 | 6 | "The Father-Son Game" | Frank Bonner | R. J. Colleary | February 17, 1991 |
7 | 7 | "Banging the Big One" | Frank Bonner | Daryl Nickens & Mike Scott | February 24, 1991 |
8 | 8 | "Harry the Hero" | TBA | TBA | March 3, 1991 |
9 | 9 | "Roots, the Curb" | TBA | TBA | March 10, 1991 |
10 | 10 | "The Mentor" | TBA | TBA | March 17, 1991 |
11 | 11 | "The Bodyguard" | TBA | TBA | March 24, 1991 |
12 | 12 | "Harry and the Homeless Man" | TBA | TBA | April 7, 1991 |
13 | 13 | "Harry Goes Ape" | Frank Bonner | Michael Poryes | April 21, 1991 |
14 | 14 | "Pet Psychic" | Frank Bonner | Julie Moskowitz & Gary Stephens | April 28, 1991 |
15 | 15 | "The Bigfoot That Ate Seattle" | Don Amendolia | Alan Moskowitz | May 5, 1991 |
16 | 16 | "Harry and the Masked Wrestler" | Richard Kline | John Boni | May 12, 1991 |
17 | 17 | "When Harry Met Sammy" | TBA | TBA | May 19, 1991 |
18 | 18 | "Harry and the Cheerleaders" | TBA | TBA | May 26, 1991 |
Season 2: 1991–92[]
No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
19 | 1 | "Retrospective" | TBA | TBA | September 29, 1991 |
20 | 2 | "The Terror of the Trees" | TBA | TBA | October 6, 1991 |
21 | 3 | "Sarah Sings the Blues" | TBA | TBA | October 13, 1991 |
22 | 4 | "Mom" | TBA | TBA | October 20, 1991 |
23 | 5 | "The Ransom of Bigfoot" | TBA | TBA | October 27, 1991 |
24 | 6 | "Halloween" | TBA | TBA | November 3, 1991 |
25 | 7 | "Brett Hits Home" | TBA | TBA | November 10, 1991 |
26 | 8 | "George's White Light" | TBA | TBA | November 17, 1991 |
27 | 9 | "Working Stiffs" | TBA | TBA | November 24, 1991 |
28 | 10 | "Love Mask" | TBA | TBA | January 12, 1992 |
29 | 11 | "The Blue Parrot" | TBA | TBA | January 19, 1992 |
30 | 12 | "Winning" | TBA | TBA | January 26, 1992 |
31 | 13 | "'Til Theft Do Us Part" | TBA | TBA | February 2, 1992 |
32 | 14 | "The Genius" | TBA | TBA | February 9, 1992 |
33 | 15 | "Wild Things" | TBA | TBA | February 16, 1992 |
34 | 16 | "Fatherhood" | TBA | TBA | February 23, 1992 |
35 | 17 | "Sarah Spills the Bigfoot Beans" | Dwayne Hickman | Robin J. Stein | March 1, 1992 |
36 | 18 | "Moonlighting" | TBA | TBA | March 22, 1992 |
37 | 19 | "The Green Eyed Bigfoot" | TBA | TBA | March 29, 1992 |
38 | 20 | "The Itchologist" | TBA | TBA | April 5, 1992 |
39 | 21 | "Selling Out" | TBA | TBA | April 26, 1992 |
40 | 22 | "The Girl Who Cried Bigfoot" | TBA | TBA | May 3, 1992 |
41 | 23 | "The Busybody" | TBA | TBA | May 10, 1992 |
42 | 24 | "I Got Your Birthday Right Here" | TBA | TBA | May 17, 1992 |
Season 3: 1992–93[]
No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
43 | 1 | "Yo Richie!" | TBA | TBA | September 18, 1992 |
44 | 2 | "The Candidate" | TBA | TBA | September 25, 1992 |
45 | 3 | "The Bride and the Gloom" | TBA | TBA | October 2, 1992 |
46 | 4 | "Born Again" | Bruce Davison | Lin Oliver & Alan Moskowitz | October 30, 1992 |
47 | 5 | "The Old Bigfoot" | TBA | TBA | November 6, 1992 |
48 | 6 | "The Outing" | TBA | TBA | November 13, 1992 |
49 | 7 | "Harry Henderson, National Treasure" | TBA | TBA | November 20, 1992 |
50 | 8 | "Retrospective Two" | TBA | TBA | January 2, 1993 |
51 | 9 | "Blood Is Thicker Than Karma" | TBA | TBA | January 22, 1993 |
52 | 10 | "Pitch, Pitch, Pitch" | TBA | TBA | January 29, 1993 |
53 | 11 | "Harry the Mascot" | TBA | TBA | February 5, 1993 |
54 | 12 | "The Big Kiss Off" | TBA | TBA | February 12, 1993 |
55 | 13 | "The Frenchman" | TBA | TBA | February 19, 1993 |
56 | 14 | "Laid Up" | TBA | TBA | February 26, 1993 |
57 | 15 | "Harrywood Babylon" | TBA | TBA | March 5, 1993 |
58 | 16 | "Witness: Part 1" | TBA | TBA | March 12, 1993 |
59 | 17 | "Harry the Hostage: Part 2" | TBA | TBA | March 19, 1993 |
60 | 18 | "Exterminator" | TBA | TBA | March 26, 1993 |
61 | 19 | "Beauty and the Beast" | TBA | TBA | April 2, 1993 |
62 | 20 | "Big Feet, Small Minds" | TBA | TBA | April 9, 1993 |
63 | 21 | "Surf's Down" | TBA | TBA | April 16, 1993 |
64 | 22 | "Follow Your Art" | TBA | TBA | April 23, 1993 |
65 | 23 | "Them Bones" | Lee Lochhead | R. J. Colleary | April 30, 1993 |
66 | 24 | "The Three Facts of Brett" | TBA | TBA | May 7, 1993 |
67 | 25 | "Ernie Confidential" | TBA | TBA | May 14, 1993 |
68 | 26 | "Uncle Mack Comes Back" | TBA | TBA | May 21, 1993 |
69 | 27 | "Skin Deep" | Lee Lochhead | Sheree Guitar | May 28, 1993 |
70 | 28 | "Retrospective Three" | Howard Murray | Story by : Lin Oliver & R. J. Colleary Teleplay by : Lin Oliver | June 4, 1993 |
71 | 29 | "The Long Goodbyes: Part 1" | TBA | TBA | June 11, 1993 |
72 | 30 | "The Long Goodbyes: Part 2" | Lee Lochhead | TBA | June 18, 1993 |
Production[]
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.
Broadcast stations[]
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.
- ^ "Retro: Albany/Schenectady/Troy, Sunday, September 27, 1992". Radio Discussions. January 9, 2017.
- ^ "RETRO: Anchorage, Alaska (June 27, 1992)". Radio Discussions. January 12, 2008.
- ^ "Retro: North Carolina, 9/14/91". Radio Discussions. August 25, 2005.
- ^ "Retro: Baltimore and Washington, DC...Saturday 9/14/91". Radio Discussions. February 20, 2006.
- ^ "RETRO: WESTERN ILLINOIS, SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 1993". Radio Discussions. April 18, 2010.
- ^ "Retro: Boston, MA: Saturday: October 16, 1993". Radio Discussions. April 6, 2019.
- ^ Harry & The Hendersons Promo - Fox 29 on YouTube
- ^ "Retro: Point Pleasant, WV, Sunday, November 8, 1992". Radio Discussions. July 8, 2017.
- ^ "Retro: Arkansas, 9/11/93". Radio Discussions. February 11, 2016.
- ^ "Retro: Tampa Bay, Sunday, August 23, 1992". Radio Discussions. May 29, 2019.
- ^ "Retro: Oxnard/Los Angeles, Saturday, July 31, 1993". Radio Discussions. September 9, 2017.
- ^ "Retro: Southeastern New England, Saturday, June 19, 1993". Radio Discussions. March 18, 2017.
- ^ Commercial Harry and the Hendersons OKC FOX 25 Teaser on YouTube
- ^ "Retro: Tampa/Orlando, Saturday, August 22, 1992". Radio Discussions. August 26, 2017.
- ^ "Who aired what where: Lesser-known syndicated shows". Radio Discussions. January 2, 2019.
- ^ "Retro: Kingman, AZ, Sunday, May 3, 1992". Radio Discussions. October 22, 2017.
- ^ "Retro: Spokane, Washington — Sunday, December 22, 1991". Radio Discussions. February 27, 2019.
- ^ "Retro: St. Louis/Paducah/Evansville - Saturday, May 23, 1992". Radio Discussions. June 28, 2013.
- ^ "Retro: New London, CT, Saturday, June 8, 1991". Radio Discussions. May 7, 2017.
External links[]
- 1991 American television series debuts
- 1993 American television series endings
- 1990s American sitcoms
- American fantasy television series
- Television about Bigfoot
- First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
- English-language television shows
- Fantasy comedy television series
- Live action television shows based on films
- Television series about families
- Television series by Universal Television
- Television shows set in Washington (state)
- Cryptozoological television series
- Television series by Amblin Entertainment