The A-Team was one of a wide variety of successful television shows from prolific television producer Stephen J. Cannell. Cannell is known for having a particular skill at capitalizing on momentary cultural trends, such as the machine guns, cartoonish violence, and joyful militarism of this series, which are now recognizable as trademarks of popular entertainment in the 1980s. Cannell had been producing shows for ABC in the early 1980s, but was fired by the network for not producing a hit for them. His next project would be The A-Team. The show became emblematic of this kind of "fit-for-TV warfare" due to its depiction of high-octane combat scenes, with lethal weapons, wherein the participants are never killed or seriously injured.
A typical episode starts with the A-Team being hired by a down-trodden or terrorized client. The 'official' way of doing this was for the client to contact one of Hannibal's many comic aliases that were used to ensure that their clients were not working for the military. Just as frequently the A-Team would be on the road and stumble across someone who needed their help. Often the A-Team would return the fee to their most needy clients or find some other way to pay their expenses.
Stock sequences involved the A-Team being captured and then escaping, an explosion or crash causing a vehicle driven by the antagonists to barrel onto its roof, the US military turning up, having to break Murdock out of hospital, or B.A. refusing to get on a plane. The team would almost always engage in a fist fight with the episode's antagonists during the first half of the program. The A-Team would win rather easily, but would allow their enemies to escape, despite being able to subdue them and accomplish their mission there and then. Also, in nearly every episode the bad guys would capture or lay siege to the A-Team, who would, without fail, find themselves trapped in a barn/garage/warehouse etc. containing acetylene torches, sets of mechanical tools, an internal combustion engine of some sort and other materials which they would use to build a contraption to finally escape and subdue their enemy.
The black and grey GMC van used by the A-Team, with its characteristic red stripe, black and red tire rims, and rooftop spoiler, has become an enduring pop culture icon. One of the original six vans used for the show is displayed in the Cars of the Stars Motor Museum in Keswick, northern England. Another sits on the Universal Studios back lot with flat tires and faded paint and is available for tourists to photograph.
As a result of falling ratings during the fourth season, during the show's final season in 1986 - 1987, the format was changed in a bid to win back viewers. After years on the run from the authorities, the A-Team are finally apprehended by the military. They are given a choice between returning to prison and being executed, or being assigned to a government agency run by General Hunt Stockwell and performing secret missions. They choose to work with Stockwell.
Each episode of the first season began with this voiceover introduction:
Ten years ago, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire... The A-Team.
Seasons 2-4 substituted "In 1972" for "Ten years ago". The intro was dropped for the final season.
According to Cannell, the show was canceled because it was becoming too expensive to produce.
[edit]
The "crime they didn't commit"
During the Vietnam War, the A-Team's commanding officer, Colonel Morrison, gave them orders to rob the Bank of Hanoi to help bring the war to an end. They succeeded in their mission, but on returning to their base four days after the end of the war, they found their C.O. murdered by the Viet Cong and his headquarters burnt to the ground. Therefore no proof existed that the A-Team were acting under orders, and they were sent to prison by a military court.
[edit]
Cast
[edit]
Main characters
George Peppard as Lt. Col. John "Hannibal" Smith — The leader of the A-Team, Hannibal was distinguished by his cigar-smoking, black leather gloves, disguises, and catch phrase, "I love it when a plan comes together". He was a master tactician (although his plans rarely turned out as they were supposed to) and a master of disguise. Thriving on adventure and the adrenaline rush of life-threatening situations (or being "on the jazz", as B.A. called it), he also worked as an actor, playing monsters in low-budget horror movies.
Dirk Benedict as Lt. Templeton "Faceman" Peck, (often referred to simply as "Face") — Suave, smooth-talking, and hugely successful with women, "Face" (so called for his clean-cut good looks) served as the team's con man and scrounger, able to get his hands on just about anything they needed. Effectively second in command behind Hannibal (although technically Murdock had a higher rank), he was the one who arranged for supplies, equipment, and sensitive information using numerous scams and hustles. Not much for hand-to-hand combat, he was forever complaining about the inevitable fighting that would ensue. Face also handled the team's money. As revealed in several episodes, Peck is an orphan. In Season two there is an episode that also tells some more of his backstory: he fell in love in college only to have the woman become a nun. Ironically, in the episode "The Bells of St. Mary", it's revealed that Peck played football in a parochial school run by a nun. Tim Dunigan played this role in the pilot episode. In some Spanish speaking countries, his nickname is "Fas", coming from Fascinador (fascinater) or (more probably) "Faz" meaning "face". In Spain, however, his nickname was simply "Fenix" ("Phoenix"), trading the good-looks motivation for "coolness" and easy subtitution in dubbing. In Italy he was called "Sberla" ("Slap").
Mr. T as Sgt. Bosco Albert "B.A." Baracus — A rough-and-tough fighter, his character is basically that of the public persona of Mr. T himself. He was known for his trademark Mohawk hairstyle and his gold jewelry. He was highly-skilled mechanic and had an amazing talent for making impressive machinery out of just about any ordinary parts that they had available to them. When asked what the "B.A." stood for, the standard reply was "Bad Attitude" (it is said he used to enjoy beating up senior officers in Vietnam). B.A.'s childhood nickname was "Scooter", which he detested. In some Spanish speaking countries, he was known as "Mario Baracus"; in Spain, as "M.A.", for "Mala Actitud", the exact translation of the original; in Italy his monicker was rendered as P.E. for 'Pessimo Elemento' (roughly assimilable to 'Bad News'), and in France he was referred to as Barracuda. Despite his reputed attitude, he is a nice guy at heart. A teetotaler, Baracus never touches alcohol, preferring milk instead. He was most upset by Murdock and frequently addressed him with the phrase "You crazy, fool!". He suffers an intense fear of flying, especially when the plane in question is flown by Murdock. This difficulty was often overcome by other members of the team drugging him or knocking him out, causing him to remain unconscious so he could be transported without objection.
Dwight Schultz as Capt. H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock — The best chopper pilot of the Vietnam War, Murdock is either mentally unstable or exceptionally good at pretending to be. Although he was their pilot on the Hanoi bank raid, he was technically not part of the A-Team and so never tried by the military. Though interned at a psychiatric hospital, he routinely escaped to accompany the A-Team. The symptoms of his "insanity" varied from episode to episode, but included self-identification with fictional characters, hallucinations, belief in the "intelligence" of inanimate objects, and others; he frequently referred to his invisible dog, "Billy". He was discharged permanently in the fifth season. Interestingly, unlike B.A., the initials H.M. were never explained in terms of what Murdock's actual first and middle name were, and the nickname "Howlin' Mad" were simply attributed to them (although the "H" is said to stand for "Hector" and the "M" is never explained in the series. It is also rumoured that his name comes from World War II General Holland M. Smith, aka "Howlin' Mad", a nickname given by his troops). It was revealed in the first season that Murdock and B.A. are the same blood type, AB-, and B.A. received a transfusion from Murdock, who was sprung from hospital for just that, in the episode "Black Day at Bad Rock" and was again referenced in the second season finale "Curtain Call" (in reality, someone with AB- blood can receive any Rh- blood type). In one episode in the third season, B.A. said that Murdock went insane after his plane crashed. Murdock often has extensive knowledge of various subjects and keeps up on current events, showing a genius level aptitude. He speaks several languages including Spanish, Vietnamese and Mandarin Chinese. "What can I say? One day I had a gonzo headache and before it went away I could read and speak Chinese. And it was a bad afternoon, too, lemme tell you." 2nd Season 'The Maltese Cow.' He also seems capable of a photographic memory. Murdock is a talented actor and is capable of mimicking the voices of famous individuals. He often accompanies Face in his scams, and was able to impersonate a foreign genius easily.
[edit]
Supporting characters
Melinda Culea as Amy Amanda "Triple A" Allen — Amy was an intrepid news reporter who joined the team in its pilot episode. She was written out of the show in the middle of the second season, as a result of a conflict between Culea and the production team. It's also said that the fact that George Peppard didn't like her didn't help matters. It was said she found out about her firing when she was given a script and found out she had no lines. She played a vital role in the early episodes, but was written out when Culea wanted to become an increasingly dominant figure in action scenes. Her character was reportedly 'on foreign correspondent duty' in Jakarta.
Marla Heasley as Tawnia Baker — Tawnia (misspelled as 'Tanya' in the episode The Battle Of Bel-Air) was a short-lived replacement for Amy during late 1983 - early 1984. She was also a reporter and helped the A-team out a couple of times; although she never fully incorporated herself into the team as Amy had done. She left early in the third season because she got married (with a little help from the A-Team).
William Lucking as Colonel Lynch — Commander of Fort Bragg, which housed the stockade from which the team escaped. The Colonel pursued them throughout the first season. (He was mentioned to still be in pursuit of the team at the start of the second season, though was never actually seen). He also made a surprise return to make one last effort at catching the team in the third season episode 'Showdown!'.
Lance LeGault as Colonel Roderick Decker — the second Colonel who tried to catch the team, more ruthless than Lynch, but also always gets outsmarted.
Charles Napier as Colonel Briggs — The third Colonel who tried to catch the team but only appeared in one early Season 3 episode('Fire') before Colonel Decker returned. Lance LeGault may well have been busy working on Magnum, P.I., in which he had a reoccurring role as Colonel Buck Greene, and was unavailable for the episode. The fact that Briggs looks and acts very similar to Decker would suggest that he was used simply as a stand in.
Jack Ging as General Harlan "Bull" Fullbright - Another General who also tried to catch the team, except that when he was traveling with the team to Vietnam in the Season 4 finale, the character himself was killed (see Onscreen Violence listing below).
Robert Vaughn as General Hunt Stockwell — The A-Team's boss during the final season. He blackmailed the team into working top-secret government missions in return for their eventual pardon.
Eddie Velez as Frankie "Dishpan" Santana — Puerto Rican special effects expert who helps the A-Team during the final season. He was blackmailed into joining the team by Gen. Stockwell after he and Murdock helped the team escape the firing squad.
Famous guest stars included Boy George, Michael Ironside, Dean Stockwell, Yaphet Kotto, Dennis Haysbert, Hulk Hogan, Xander Berkeley, Andrew Robinson, Markie Post, Marc Alaimo, Lance Henriksen, Tia Carrere, Kurtwood Smith, Ed Lauter, Sam J. Jones, June Chadwick, Brion James, Tracy Reed, William Perry, Rick James, Isaac Hayes, Sid Haig, Pat Sajak, Red West, Dennis Franz, David McCallum and Claudia Christian.
[edit]
On-screen violence
The violence presented in the A-Team is highly sanitized. People do not bleed or bruise when hit (though they might develop a limp or require a sling.) The A-Team does not kill people. The results of violence were only ever presented when it was required for the script. For instance, when Murdock needed to have a black eye to legitimize the effects of a staged plane crash Peck punched him in the face to facilitate this.
In almost every car crash there was a short take showing the occupants of the vehicle climbing out of the mangled/burning wreck (even in helicopter crashes), although by late in the fourth season, some of these takes were dropped. In takes where there was no footage of the survivors scrambling to safety, a voiceover was sometimes employed. For instance, in the episode "The Rabbit Who Ate Las Vegas", a Mafia car flips over and lands on its roof during a chase. The car lands in such a way that any occupants would have been instantly crushed, but a rather obvious loop-in is used of the driver asking "Hey, Cliff, are you okay?" and the passenger replying "Yeah, I'm okay" in a rather unflustered manner. This is similar to another 1980s television show, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, in which lasers were used instead of bullets and all personnel escaped from downed planes or destroyed boats.
Contrary to popular belief, however, the show did feature at least seven possible on-screen deaths, although only four are definitive, with one other being from a dream sequence and the remainder left ambiguous:
In Season 1's "The Rabbit Who Ate Las Vegas", gangster Gianni Christian is thrown from a high-rise hotel window into the swimming pool below (although clearly this is open to debate, particularly since Faceman himself was similarly thrown from a highrise window into a swimming pool in Tawnia Baker's introduction epsiode).
In Season 1's "Beast From the Belly of a Boeing", the main villain is sucked out of an aircraft to fall to his death when a bullet causes the plane to depressurize (although he was wearing a parachute[1], and therefore like above is open to debate).
In Season 1's "Pros and Cons", an inmate was shot and killed by a corrupt Warden.
In Season 3's "Skins", a park ranger is ambushed and shot, later to have his sister call the A-Team.
In the Season 4 finale "The Sound of Thunder", General Fullbright is shot and killed. Fullbright's assailant is immediately killed thereafter when the shack he was hiding inside erupted in flames (Hannibal had fired his gun at gas barrels outside the shack).
In Season 5, the A-Team escape their prison cells and have a gun battle with the MPs guarding them. One is clearly seen to be struck and killed—but the scene is revealed to be a dream sequence.
In Season 5 Episode # 91 "The Say U.N.C.L.E. Affair" General Stockwell is shown in a gunfight with an old intelligence comrade (David McCallum) who crashes his truck. It is ambigious as to whether he is killed or escapes.
The majority of the above examples do not directly involve the A-Team members themselves and instead are acts that are conducted by villains.
[edit]
Professional wrestling tie-in
Because this was NBC's most popular show at the time, Vince McMahon worked a deal to co-promote his World Wrestling Federation ("WWF") by allowing Hulk Hogan to make appearances on the show. It also co-promoted Wrestlemania, in which Hogan made an appearance and Mr. T was featured in a wrestling match. This show, along with The Rock n' Wrestling Connection, was a major reason why the WWF was able to go national and later become the dominant professional wrestling entity.
In addition to Hogan, the show also featured professional wrestlers Professor Toru Tanaka, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, The Dynamite Kid, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, "Mean" Gene Okerlund, Davey-Boy Smith, Big John Studd, and Greg "The Hammer" Valentine. Later, wrestler John Cena would parody the show for his music video, "Bad Bad Man".
[edit]
Trivia
Though B.A. is afraid of flying, the dress uniform he wears during his court martial contains a Master Parachutist pin.
Actor James Coburn was considered for the role of Hannibal Smith.
In the opening credits, Face reacts to an actor dressed in a metallic Cylon centurion costume. Dirk Benedict had starred years earlier in the science fiction television series, Battlestar Galactica. His character, Starbuck, fought against Cylons.
A lost episode, "Without Reservations", aired for the first time during re-runs in March 1987. This episode was probably meant to air right before the final episode "The Grey Team", based on the fact that in "Without Reservations" Murdock's T-shirt says "Almost Fini" while in "The Grey Team" it says "Fini".
The automatic weapons the A-team wielded were Mini-14 variants, called AC-556's
In one episode, it is revealed that Face's real name is not Templeton Peck. The complete list of his assumed names is, in chronological order: Richard Bancroft (birth name), Alvin Brennar, Al Brennan, Al Peck, Holmes Morrison, Morrison Holmes, and finally Templeton Arthur Peck.
In "Pros and Cons", Face pretends to be the author of a novel, Dr. Dwight Pepper. The photo on the back of the book (supposedly the actual Dr. Dwight Pepper) is a photo of Stephen J. Cannell, the producer of the series. The name is also taken from Dwight Schultz (Murdock) and George Peppard (Hannibal).
There was some talk about an A-Team reunion, a TV movie where the team would receive a full pardon. After George Peppard died, the idea was dropped.
According to the Internet Movie Database, an A-Team movie has been announced, apparently due to be released in 2006.
Tia Carrere guest starred in one episode at the end of season four, and was intended to join the principal cast of the show in its fifth season. Her character was a Vietnamese war orphan now living in the United States, and she would have provided a continuing tie to the team's inception during the war. There has been some fan speculation that her character would eventually have been revealed to have been Hannibal's illegitimate daughter, but there seems to have been no discussion about this among the producers. However, Tia was under a prior contract to General Hospital at the time, and was unable to join the cast of The A-Team. Her character was abruptly dropped as a result.
An A-Team video game was to be released for the Atari 2600, but was cancelled. [2]
There was a published A-Team video game from Zafiro Software Division for the ZX Spectrum[3] and Amstrad CPC[4].
In the Italian dubbed version, Baracus' initials are "P. E.", for "Pessimo Elemento" ("Awful element"). They were chosen because of dubbing reasons (phonetically, the Italian "e" is pronounced like the English "a", therefore the lip movements are similar) and in order to have something of an equivalent to "Bad Attitude".
In the French dubbed version, B.A. Baracus is called "Barracuda".
In the Spanish dubbed version, B.A. Baracus is named M. A. Barracus, the "M. A." for "Mala Actitud" ("Bad Attitude).
In the Mexican (Latin American) dubbed version B.A. is called "Mario Baracus" and Face is called "Fas", short for "fascinador" (this is a very appealing guy)
In the Japanese dubbed version, B.A. Baracus is called "Kongu" as in "King Kong" and Murdock "Kureijii Monkii", for English "Crazy Monkey".
In the United Kingdom, an A-Team comic strip appeared for several years in the 1980s as part of the children's television magazine and comic Look-In, to tie in with the British run of the series.
[edit]
Cultural effect
As well as having huge ratings and being especially popular amongst children, there was countless merchandise available, including action figures of the characters, as well as their famous van and car. A cola flavored popsicle in the shape of Mr. T was also on the market at the show's height. Marvel Comics even produced a three issue A-Team comic book series.
British comedian Benny Hill did a parody, "The B Team", in his TV show.
In 2002, promos for The NFL on FOX featured commentators Joe Buck as Hannibal, Cris Collinsworth as Face, and Troy Aikman as B.A. Baracus. FOX was trying to drive home the point that Buck, Collinsworth, and Aikman were the new #1 announcing team (or "A-team") for their NFL telecasts.
In an early episode of the animated series Sealab 2021, Captain Murphy hosts a pirate radio show using the name "Howlin' Mad" Murphy.
The Family Guy episode "Brian Goes Back to College" uses the A-Team as a subplot to the show. Peter, Cleveland, Quagmire, and Joe enter a costume contest as the A-Team. With Peter as Hannibal, Cleveland as B. A. Baracus, Quagmire as Face, and Joe as Murdock, the group wins the contest and decide to become the "new" A-Team. The episode contains many other A-Team references such as the credits and the team van, as well as a re-working of the show's theme song.
John Cena performs a music video based on the show of his hit single, "Bad, Bad Man". He plays the role of Hannibal, with Tha Trademarc as Murdock, and Bumpy Knuckles as B.A. Baracus.
Due to the great popularity of the show, in some places of latin america mr. T is better known as "Mario Baracus"
Cult webcomic Sluggy Freelance features a quartet of pirate aliens, "The Gray Team", named after the A-Team members, as major secondary characters in one of its longest-running arcs, Oceans Unmoving. It is still unknown if they chose those names or they were given to them. It is also notable that one alien, named B.A., parodies the real B.A.'s catch phrase after a gunfight, saying "I pitted the fools!"
The popular 2004 feature film Napoleon Dynamite features the show's theme song during a montage sequence showing Napoleon and Pedro hanging flyers for the school election.
The Robot Chicken episode "Nightmare Generator" contains a parody of The A-Team.
The last episode of Season 3 of Bo' Selecta! also has Avid Marion dressed as Mr. T.
The second episode of the British comedy series Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere features a homage of the A-Team customizing their vehicle, complete with the proper music from the show, and even BA's distinctive walk, parodied by Peter Kay. Throughout the series, a nodding Mr. T doll is seen on the dash of their vehicle.
An advertisement for 118 118 has an A-Team homage featuring young boy with a mohawk haircut saying "Crazy fool" like B.A. Baracus.
The show's famous theme music was used in a United Kingdom commercial for the video game Sonic Heroes.
"JCB Song" by Nizlopi contains a reference to The A-Team, with lyrics in the second verse. The video by Monkeehub to accompany the song also contains a cartoon drawing of the A-Team's van following the JCB.
The A-Team are mentioned often in the movie Ali G Indahouse. It is clear that Ali believes them to be real people and during a break-in, he assigns each of his "crew" names, with himself being B.A. Baracus.
Numerous references to The A-Team are made in the British TV sitcom, Spaced during the first and second series of the show.
The British comedy Little Britain had a sketch featuring Matt Lucas dressed up as B.A. Baracus working out in a gym. When someone tells him he looks like BA from the A-Team, he seemingly has no idea who he resembles. He is later seen driving away in a copy of the A-Team van.
In the South Park episode "Ike's Wee Wee", South Park elementary councelor Mr. Mackey loses his job, travels to India, and ends up being captured by the A-team and taken to rehab.
In the video game Blast Corps, the A-team van is featured as a hidden vehicle. When the player honks the horn one can hear: "Outta my way".
On their 2000 album Deviant, British metal band Pitchshifter included the song "As Seen On TV", featuring spoken vocals from Jello Biafra. The song, an indictment of the perceived acceptability of violence in modern media, contains the line "No-one loses on TV". Singer JS Clayden has said that this line refers to the fact that no one is ever killed by the A-Team despite the group's frequent use of automatic weapons [citation needed].
Hannibal's catchprase "I love it when a plan comes together!" has been used numerous times in various TV shows (ranging from The Daily Show to MythBusters) and movies.
The anime shows Full Metal Panic and FMP:Fumoffu both utilize the A-Team theme in their soundtracks, particularly the previews for the next episode.
There is a rap group called 'The A-Team', with 'Acey the Faceman' and 'A.B. Baracus'. The album also called 'The A-Team' contains many references to the show.
In the United Kingdom, an A-Team comic strip appeared for several years in the 1980s as part of the children's television magazine and comic Look-In, to tie in with the British run of the series.
In an episode of the a The Chipmunks guest starring Mr. T. He helps to train Alvin, Simon and Theodore and they become The C-Team.
[edit]
A-Team reunion
On 18 May 2006, Channel 4 in the UK attempted to reunite the surviving cast members of the A-Team for a show titled Bring Back.... Justin Lee Collins presented the challenge, securing interviews and appearances from Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz, Marla Heasley, Jack Ging, series co-creator Stephen Cannell, and Mr. T. (after much searching). Collins often used very unorthodox methods, such as ambushing the actors in their homes, hotel rooms, or even while out shopping, without any prior warning and, for Mr. T, attempting to gatecrash his way into the Latin Grammy Awards.
Collins eventually managed to bring together Benedict, Schultz, Heasley, Ging and Cannell, along with William Lucking, Lance LeGault, and George Peppard's son, Christian. Mr. T was unfortunately unable to make the meeting, which took place in the Friar's Club (Beverly Hills) in Beverly Hills, but he did manage to appear on the show for a brief talk with Justin Lee Collins.
As a lighthearted joke for the show, a medium attempted to contact the deceased George Peppard via seance.
