Lee Majors was no stranger to television. In the 1960s he had starred in the western series The Big Valley before achieving superstardom in The Six Million Dollar Man (1974-78).
In The Fall Guy, he played movie stuntman Colt Seavers, who moonlighted as a bounty hunter, aided by his cousin and protégé Howie Munson (Douglas Barr) and the sexy stuntwoman Jody Banks, played by the sexy actress Heather Thomas.
Colt and crew received their assignments from a series of bail-bondswomen: the first was Samantha “Big” Jack (Jo Ann Pflug), later to be followed by Terri Michaels (Markie Post) and finally Pearl Sperling (Nedra Volz) in the show’s final season.
Each week’s episode began in fine James Bond fashion, with Colt performing a death-defying stunt on a movie set. This would be followed by a visit to the bail-bondswoman for an assignment.
She always painted the week’s assignment as an easy score, but it never quite worked out that way for poor Colt.
Inevitably, the quest for an easy bounty would lead Colt and his team into a predicament that required him to put his stuntman skills to use.
Usually, the stunt he used to escape danger used elements of the stunt he performed at the beginning of the episode, keeping a karmic balance to Colt’s wild double life.
The Fall Guy never disappointed in the ‘colourful villain’ arena, pitting Colt and his team against a diverse group of foes that included everything from rampaging bikers to evil UFO’s, along with the familiar thieves and smugglers.
Even more colourful than these villains was the guest star who made an appearance in each episode, including such famous faces as Milton Berle, Buddy Hackett, Robert Wagner, Cyd Charisse, Elvira and Richard Burton. There was also an occasional music-themed episode that would include acts like Sha Na Na or The Temptations.
Entire episodes were built around the guest list (‘Losers Weepers’ featured a platoon of TV comedians and ‘Happy Trails’ showcased old TV cowboy stars).
One episode, ‘Trauma’, was used to introduce a new ABC series called Trauma Center starring James Naughton and Dorian Harewood. This crossover didn’t work and Trauma Center was cancelled mid-season.
The Fall Guy ended up enjoying a five-season run that carried it into the spring of 1986. Since then, the show has continued to entertain fans new and old through syndication.
The show was the brainchild of the ever-prolific Glen A. Larson, the television producer behind such colourful fare asB.J. And The Bear,Battlestar Galacticaand Knight Rider. Like those classics, The Fall Guy blended a comic-book-style premise with plenty of action and humour.
Colt Seavers Lee Majors
Jody Banks
Heather Thomas Howie Munson
Douglas Barr
Samantha ‘Big Jack’ Jack
Jo Ann Pflug
Terri Shannon/Michaels
Markie Post
Pearl Sperling
Nedra Volz
Edmund Trench
Robert Donner
