| Airwolf | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Donald P. Bellisario |
| Starring | |
| Theme music composer | Sylvester Levay |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin |
|
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes |
|
| Production | |
| Running time | 48 minutes (CBS episodes) 45 minutes (USA Network episodes) |
| Production companies | |
| Original release | |
| Network | |
| Release | January 22, 1984 (1984-01-22) – August 7, 1987 (1987-08-07) |
Airwolf is an Americanactionmilitary drama television series. It centers on a high-technologyattack helicopter, code-namedAirwolf, and its crew. They undertake various exotic missions, many involvingespionage, with aCold War theme. It was created byDonald P. Bellisario and ran four seasons, from January 22, 1984 until August 7, 1987.
The main cast for the first three seasons isJan-Michael Vincent,Ernest Borgnine,Alex Cord,Deborah Pratt (who left after season two when her husband Bellisario left the series), andJean Bruce Scott (who became a regular in seasons two and three). The program originally aired onCBS and was cancelled after the third season.USA Network picked up the show for a fourth season that was completely recast, with Jan-Michael Vincent having only a minor role in the first episode. The fourth season was filmed in Canada, with the aerial scenes relying heavily on stock footage or repeated footage from the first three seasons.
The distinctive musical score was composed and conducted mainly bySylvester Levay.
The fictionalAirwolf is an advanced prototypesupersonic helicopter withstealth capabilities and a formidable arsenal.Airwolf was designed by Charles Henry Moffet (David Hemmings)—a genius with a psychopathic taste for torturing and killing women—and built by the Firm, a division of theCentral Intelligence Agency (a play on the term "the Company", a nickname for the CIA). Moffet and his crew stealAirwolf during a live-fire weapons test. During the theft, Moffet opens fire on the Firm's bunker, killing a United States Senator and seriously injuring Firm deputy director Michael Coldsmith-Briggs III (codenamed Archangel). Moffet takesAirwolf toLibya, for acts of aggression such as sinking an Americandestroyer, as a service forMuammar Gaddafi, in exchange for giving Moffet sanctuary on Libyan soil.[1]
Archangel recruits the reclusive Stringfellow Hawke (Vincent), a formertest pilot during the development ofAirwolf, to recover the gunship. Archangel leaves his assistant Gabrielle Ademaur (Belinda Bauer)—who becomes Hawke's love interest—at Hawke's cabin to brief him for his mission. One week later, after an undercover operative in Libya is killed in the line of duty, Gabrielle is sent in undercover and Hawke is sent in sooner than originally planned. With the assistance of pilot and father figure Dominic Santini (Borgnine), Hawke finds and recoversAirwolf, but Gabrielle is tortured and killed by Moffet. Hawke obliterates Moffet with a hail of missiles fromAirwolf before returning to the US. Instead of returning the gunship, Hawke and Santini booby-trapAirwolf and hide it in "the Lair", a large natural cave in the remote "Valley of the Gods" (actually filmed in visually similarMonument Valley). Hawke refuses to returnAirwolf until the Firm can find and recover his brother, St. John (Christopher Connelly), who has beenmissing in action since theVietnam War. To obtain access toAirwolf, Archangel offers Hawke protection from other government agencies who might try to recoverAirwolf; in return, Hawke and Santini must fly missions of national importance for the Firm.[1]
The Firm, during the first three seasons, serve as both ally and enemy for Hawke and Santini; when an opportunity to seizeAirwolf arises, Firm operatives often take it. The first season of the series is dark, arc-driven, and quite reflective of the contemporary Cold War, with the Firm personnel distinctly dressed in white, implicitly boasting that "wearingwhite hats" distinguished them as good instead of evil. Hawke remains unconvinced, and Santini is skeptical. Early episodes detail the efforts of theUS government to recoverAirwolf from Hawke, who is officially charged with having stolen it. Because CBS wanted to make the series more family-oriented, the program was transformed during season two into a more light-hearted show, with Hawke and Santini portrayed as cooperative partners with the Firm. This persisted into the fourth season with the newly introduced "Company" and the new crew ofAirwolf.
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The series ran for 55 episodes onCBS in the United States in 1984 through 1986, and an additional 24 episodes, with a new cast and production company, aired on theUSA Network in 1987, for a total of 79episodes. A reedited version (produced in Germany) of the first episode was also released on home video in the UK and several other countries; it received a theatrical release in Indonesia.[2] The show was broadcast in several international markets. Parts of the series were filmed inMonument Valley, Utah.[3]
Creator Donald P. Bellisario first toyed with the idea of the adventures of an ace combat pilot in a third-season episode ofMagnum, P.I. titled "Two Birds of a Feather" (1983), starringWilliam Lucking, which, in turn, was inspired by several episodes of Bellisario'sTales of the Gold Monkey — "Legends Are Forever" and "Honor Thy Brother" (1982) — in which Lucking had played a similar character. TheMagnum episode was intended as abackdoor pilot, but a series was not commissioned. Bellisario heavily reworked the idea, and the final result wasAirwolf.[4]
Airwolf premiered on CBS January 22, 1984 as thelead-out fromSuper Bowl XVIII.[5] It was a late-season replacement with a pilot episode completed but not yet aired. A decision was made to order an initial eight episodes.Airwolf ranked in the top 60 of TV shows towards the bottom while sitcom shows such asThe Golden Girls,The Cosby Show,Cheers andFamily Ties all remained at the top of ratings. Despite this, the ratings were good enough to extend the season with a 'back nine' order to bring season one up to twelve episodes in total, with the pilot making up two of those episodes. Much footage shot for the pilot episode was re-used by editors throughout the show which helped reduce production costs for aerial footage and special effects (a process which would become integral to the production of season four).
The two pilot episodes were later edited into a theatrical-style movie for home video release titledAirwolf: The Movie, and included a number of differences such as later-style music from the show, shorter scenes and dialogue changes for an older audience. It has since been released on DVD and Blu-ray as a stand-alone title separate to the TV series.
Season two was commissioned for thirteen episodes initially with a later 'back nine' order for the remaining nine episodes to complete the season.
To improveratings, the studio wanted to add a regular female character and jettison the dark and moody tales of international espionage. This was accomplished at the start of the second season with the addition of Caitlin O'Shannessy (Jean Bruce Scott) and new stories that were domestic and more action oriented.[4] These changes proved unsuccessful, however, and while production costs remained high, creator Bellisario left both the studio and the series after Season 2. Bellisario's then-wife, Deborah Pratt, also left at that time (she was nearly three months pregnant with their daughter,Troian, as Season 2 drew to a close). Series star Jan-Michael Vincent's problems with alcoholism also contributed to the show's problems.[6] Bernard Kowalski stepped in as executive producer for the third season, but the ratings remained low and the series was cancelled by CBS.
Season three was produced in the same manner as season two (13 episodes, then an additional 9), however the show's loss of original production staff, ratings decline, escalating problems behind the scenes and significant increases in production costs led to CBS selling off the show to the new USA Cable Network.
The USA Network funded a fourth season in 1987, to be produced in Canada byAtlantis and The Arthur Company (owned byArthur L. Annecharico) in association withMCA. This was intended to increase the number of episodes to make the show eligible forbroadcast syndication so that a return could be generated against the series' overall production costs. The original cast was written out of the fourth season: Jan-Michael Vincent appears in a first transitional episode; a body double for Ernest Borgnine seen only from the back represented Santini, who was killed off in an explosion; Archangel was said to have suddenly been assigned overseas. "The Firm" was replaced by "the Company"; no mention was made of Caitlin. Stringfellow's brother St. John Hawke, (now played byBarry Van Dyke), was suddenly revealed to be alive, having been working for many years as a deep undercover agent for American intelligence, contradicting characterizations in the previous three seasons. St. John replaced Stringfellow as the central character. Production moved toVancouver,British Columbia, Canada on a reduced budget that was less than one-third of the original CBS budget. The production crew no longer had access to the originalAirwolf helicopter, and all in-flight shots were recycled from earlier seasons; the original full-size studio mockup was re-dressed and used for all interior shots. ActressMichele Scarabelli, who played Jo Santini, said in aStarlog magazine interview that all 24 scripts were in place before the cast arrived, leaving the actors little room to develop their characters.
Season 1 (CBS, 1984) – two-hour pilot and ten additional episodes.
Seasons 2–3 (CBS, 1984–1986) – two seasons of 22 episodes each.
Season 4 (USA Network, mid-1987) – 24 episodes, bringing the total hours to 80.
| Airwolf (fictional info) | |
|---|---|
 Full-size replica ofAirwolf at the Tennessee Museum of Aviation inSevierville, Tennessee | |
| General information | |
| Type | Disguised military helicopter |
| Manufacturer | "The Firm" |
| Designer | Dr. Charles Henry Moffet |
| Primary user | Stringfellow Hawke |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1983[citation needed] |
| Developed from | Bell 222 |
The flight-capableAirwolf helicopter was a cosmetically modifiedBell 222, serial number 47085 and tail number N3176S, sometimes unofficially called a Bell 222A.[7] During filming of the series, the helicopter was owned by Jetcopters, Inc. ofVan Nuys, California.[8]Andrew Probert designed the Airwolf uniform insignia patch worn by the flight crew members, a snarling bat-winged wolf's head wearing a sheepskin.
After the show was canceled, the modifications were removed from the aircraft and are now owned by a private collector.
The helicopter was repainted and eventually sold to the German helicopter charter company, Hubschrauber-Sonder-Dienst (aka HSD Luftrettung and Blue Helicopter Alliance), and given the registration number D-HHSD.[9] While operating as anair ambulance, the helicopter crashed into a mountain in fog on June 6, 1992, killing all three occupants.[10][11]
A new, full-size replica of theAirwolf helicopter was created by Steven W. Stull for display in the short-lived Helicopter Headquarters museum inPigeon Forge, Tennessee that opened in August 2006, using a non-flying Bell 222 with molds taken directly from the originals used in the show.[12][13] The museum was unsuccessful, and offered the replica for sale through eBay.[14] The replica was housed between 2007 and 2015 in theTennessee Museum of Aviation inSevierville, Tennessee.[15] It was then sold to a private collector in California, having been further modified at West Coast Customs during September 2015.[16] The replica was then placed on top ofa mansion in Bel Air, California.[17][18]
Airwolf was painted "Phantom Gray Metallic" (DuPont Imron 5031X)[19] on top, and a custom pearl-gray (almost white) on the bottom, in acountershaded pattern. The craft was also fitted with various prop modifications, such as "turbojet" engines and intakes, an in-air refueling nozzle and blister cowling on the nose, retractable machine guns at the wingtips, and a retractablerocket launcher, known as the "ADF Pod" (ADF standing for All Directional Firing, as the pod could rotate 180 degrees to fire at targets at the sides—90 degrees to the left, forward, or 90 degrees to the right)[citation needed] on its belly.
The look of the modifications was designed byAndrew Probert,[20] and they were first applied to the non-flying mock-up (built from the body of the very first Bell 222, serial number 47001).[21] From this mock-up molds were made so that parts could be made toFAA specifications before they were added to the flying helicopter. After the maiden flight with the modifications, primary pilot David Jones told the producer that "It flies better now than before!"[22]
The machine guns mounted on the side of the landing gear sponsons were mock-ups that used spark plugs and fuel to simulate gun firing. Other modifications were implied withFoley and sets; the interior sets were of a fantastical high-tech nature, and there were implied "stealth" noise-reducing capabilities with creative use ofsound effects. On the show, the deployment of the weapons systems were usually shown via close-ups of the action; in reality, these close-ups were produced on props off-site, while the non-moving prop components were attached to the aircraft by a technician in the field or at the JetCopters hangar.
The concept behindAirwolf was a super-fast and armed helicopter that could "blend in" by appearing to be civilian and non-military in origin, a "wolf in sheep's clothing".Airwolf's insignia patch (also designed by Probert)[23] as worn by the flight-crew was a snarling wolf's head with gossamer wings that appears to be wearing a sheepskin complete with the head of a lamb over the wolf's forehead.Airwolf is sometimes referred to in-show as "The Lady" by Santini and Hawke.
In the show,Airwolf was an armored, stealthy aircraft. It could perform impossible maneuvers and stunts, including traveling at Mach speeds (the theoretical maximum speed of a helicopter is significantly below Mach 0.5, or half the speed of sound), and flying into thestratosphere. Some of these impossible capabilities are explained in the show by such features as auxiliaryjet engines (visible at the roots of the landing gearsponsons), rotor blades that can be disengaged forsupersonic flight and alifting body fuselage.
Sound effects were also associated with many of the aircraft's abilities. WhenAirwolf bolted across the sky in "turbo boost" mode, one would hear it "howl like a wolf" as it made a glass-shattering sound effect. When sitting idle, the aircraft made a mechanical trilling sound, and while hovering the rotor blades made a ghostly wind drone.
The weapons were state-of-the-art, with machine guns that could rip apart tanks and bunkers. The belly missile pod could fire a variety of rockets, including air-to-surfaceMavericks,Hellfires, and heat-seeking air-to-airSidewinders. When fired, these rockets usually glowed like a laser bolt or "photon torpedo" fromStar Trek.Airwolf was also equipped with an advanced computer system which could identify and track aircraft and ground vehicles. It could display 3D wireframe models and schematics of its targets. The communications system could eavesdrop on radio and telephone conversations, tap into and foul up computer systems, jam enemy transmission frequencies and disrupt ground-based electrical systems. The stealth systems were capable of renderingAirwolf invisible to radar, as well as producing multiple radar returns. The weapons system could be tied in with the communications system to lock the missiles onto any monitored electronic system. In the first episode, aBullpup missile was launched fromAirwolf against an American destroyer while the helicopter was being used by its in-story inventor,Doctor Charles Henry Moffet.
In the second episode of Season 3 ("Airwolf II"),Airwolf had atwin,Airwolf II, also known asRedwolf.Redwolf was secretly built by The Firm to replaceAirwolf, but was subsequently stolen and flown by Harlan Jenkins, its egotistical creator and test-pilot rival of Stringfellow Hawke.Redwolf differed fromAirwolf in that its underbelly was painted red (whereAirwolf was painted pearl-grey). It was also equipped with a powerful laser weapon coupled with a quick-firing, single-tube rocket pod (although in reality it had no external modifications to the Bell 222). Season 4 also featured a similar copter toRedwolf, known as theScorpion, though the footage of the dogfighting was recycled from the "Airwolf II" episode.
| Range | 950 miles (1,530 km) (armed crew of 3)[24] Midair refuel capable[24] 1,450 miles (2,330 km) long range (crew of 2)[24] |
|---|---|
| Flight Ceiling | 11,000 feet (3,400 m) unpressurized[24] 89,000 feet (27,000 m) pressurized[24] Third season: |
| Speed | 300 kn (560 km/h; 350 mph) (conventional) Mach 1+ (turbo thrusters)[24] Mach 2 Maximum speed |
| Wing guns | 30 mm cannon (×2)[26] .50 BMGChain guns (×4)[24] Firing up to 40 rounds per sec. |
| Missiles and 'Heavy weapons' | First season: AGM-12 Bullpup missiles AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles AIM-95 Agile missiles AGM-45 Nuclear Shrike missiles AGM-114 Hellfire missiles Paveway bombs Second and Third seasons: (ADF Pod launched) M712 Copperhead shells (×6) FIM-43 Redeye missiles (×12) AGM-114 Hellfire missiles (×6) (Auxiliary bay launched) AIM-4 Falcon missiles (x4) Fourth season: Red Laser |
| Defensive systems | Sunburstanti-missileFlares Chaff (radar countermeasure)anti-missile decoys Bullet-proof armored fuselage[26] Learning flight/combat computer[27] Radar/Radio Jammer[26] 90%Radar absorbent skin[26] IR suppressor (IRCM) |
| Bell 222 | Airwolf | |
|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 (pilot & copilot) | 2–3 (pilot(s) & weapons technician) |
| Passengers | 5–6 | 1–2 (non-crew may use the copilot seat and/or a seat behind the technician's seat) |
| Length | 49.54 ft (15.10 m) | |
| Height | 11.68 ft (3.56 m) | |
| Weight | 4,555 lb (2,066 kg) | unspecified |
| Speed | 149 mph (240 km/h) | 345 mph (555 km/h) conventional, Mach 1+ with turbo thrusters |
| Range | 373 mi (600 km) | 950–1,450 mi (1,530–2,330 km) |
| Ceiling | 12,800 ft (3,900 m) | 11,000 ft (3,400 m) unpressurized 100,000 ft (30,000 m) pressurized |
| Power (×2) | 618 hp (461 kW) | 45,000 lb-ft (turbo thrusters)[28] |
Over the years a number of licensedAirwolf models have been available.
The theme music for the show's opening titles was composed bySylvester Levay,[30] who also scored most of the music in the show's early episodes. Udi Harpaz, Ian Freebairn-Smith and Bernardo Segáll contributed scores to later episodes.[31]
During the original series run, two books were published.[4] Both were written by Ron Renauld and are titledAirwolf andTrouble From Within, respectively.[32] A graphic novel was published in August 2015, titledAirwolf Airstrikes, which recasts Archangel as a woman, and Dominic Santini's son, who is black.[4][33]
A series of tie-in novels was printed by Star, adapted from the scripts of various episodes, and coloring books for children (printed in the UK by World Publishing), and a UK annual, which, though produced in 1985 (to cover 1986), was based around the first season. For several years, the children's TV comic magazineLook-In ran anAirwolf comic strip to tie in with the original UK broadcast of the series.
Universal Studios has released the first 3 seasons ofAirwolf onDVD in regions 1, 2, and 4. Earlier releases consisted of single episodes onVHS (double episodes in the UK and some countries, edited together into "movie" format; later in the UK, a selection of first and second season episodes were released by Playback on both VHS and DVD), including a United Kingdom18 certificate cut of the pilot episode, presented as a standalone film (reshuffling and reworking many scenes, and removing much of the continuity ties with the following series, as well as incorporating footage from the first-season episode "Mad Over Miami", and with profanity that was not present in the aired version).[43]
Season 4 was released in Region 1 on February 1, 2011.[44]
On September 6, 2011,Shout! Factory releasedAirwolf: The Movie on DVD in Region 1 for the first time. This single-disc set features the two-hour pilot tele-film fully restored and uncensored. It also contains special features including a new interview withErnest Borgnine.[45]
On March 8, 2016, it was announced that Mill Creek Entertainment had acquired the rights to the series and would releaseAirwolf - The Complete Series on DVD andBlu-ray for the first time on May 3, 2016.[46] They also re-released the first season on DVD on the same day.
Fabulous Films have released an all-new, High Definition Series 1–3 Blu-ray (Region B) box-set for the UK market during April 2014. The new HD transfers were created by Universal Studios.
Fabulous Films have since released single season Blu-ray (Region B) box sets, plus the equivalent DVD (Region 2) season box sets including, for the first time, a CanadianAirwolf II Season 4 set from the newly restored prints.
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