Episode module created Tuesday 22nd July 2008
Last update Sunday 5th October 2008
Written by FRANK LUPO & STEPHEN J. CANNELL
Directed by ROD HOLCOMB
Guest Stars WILLIAM LUCKING (Colonel Lynch)
PHILIP STERLING (Grant Eldridge)
SERGIO CALDERON (Malavida Valdez)
RON PALILLO (Zachary (Zack))
MELODY ANDERSON (Avon)
And WILLIAM WINDOM as Al Massey
Co-Starring ENRIQUE LUCERO (Colonel Flores), FELIX GONZALES (Miguel Perez)
WILLIAM MARQUEZ (Ground Control Officer Sanchez), JORGE ZEPEDA (Manny Cortez)
PETER BROCCO (Father David Magill), MARIANNE MUELLERLEILE (Hospital reception nurse)
J. PATRICK MC NAMARA (Director Jerry)
Featuring JAMES BEACH as Aide (Captain Mark Stewart)
KELAND LOVE as Floyd
BRANDON WILLIAMS as Kid
ARNOLD TURNER as Assistant Director
HUMEBRTO ELIZONDO as Carlos
MIGUEL ANGEL FUENTES as Quintana
Uncredited (UNKNOWN) as Nurse
Written by FRANK LUPO & STEPHEN J. CANNELL
Directed by ROD HOLCOMB
1st season, © 1982
Production # :1100 (2-part version: #1198 and #1199) 120 minutes Mono
AIRDATES
First broadcast :
U.S. : Sunday 23rd January 1983 (NBC)
U.K. : Friday 22nd July 1983 (ITV)
Click to jump to:
Plot Summery (Act I) (Act II) (Act III)
(Act IV) (Act V) (Act VI) (Act VII) (Epilogue)
Costume (including Murdock's t-shirt)
Good & Bad Points and Memorable Moments
Final Word and Hannibal's Cigar Rating
BRIEF PLOT OVERVIEW:
The A-Team were a highly trained crack commando unit in Vietnam, who were forced to become mercenaries after being wrongly accused of robbing the Bank Of Hanoi without orders during the chaotic close of the war. Now, they live in the underworld of Los Angeles, occasionally surfacing and re-grouping to tackle cases that take their interest, if the circumstances - and the money - are right…
In this feature-length Pilot episode, newspaper journalist Amy Allen attempts to track down the elusive soldiers of fortune to rescue her missing colleague, who, unbeknown to her, has been captured by bandits while on assignment in Mexico. But proceedings are hampered by Colonel Lynch, who is determined to see the team back behind bars…
PLOT SUMMERY:
Act I:
The quiet, poor town of San Rio Blanco, Mexico: A band of armed bandits led by the notorious Malavida Valdez roll into town in jeeps, searching for a man named Al Massey. Valdez and his men terrorise a local peasant, threatening his daughter, but the petrified man insists he knows nothing of the hunted man’s whereabouts.
In a nearby hut, the man being who is hunted for, Al Massey, a dishevelled man in his late 50s, is preparing a beaten up old truck in a bid to make an escape. With him is a local he has befriended, Manny Cortez, who wants to come too. But at the last moment, Massey pushes Manny from the truck, before ramming it through the hut doors and away in an attempt to escape the men who are after him. Valdez and his men give chase in their jeeps. Massey manages to stay ahead of them at first, and even manages to cause a couple of the jeeps to crash, but the outcome is inevitable, and before long Massey is forced off the road and surrounded. Valdez asks him how many people know he is there; Massey insists no-one does, that he’s there on vacation.
Meanwhile, at the Los Angeles Courier Express, reporter Amy Allen is trying to persuade her boss, editor Grant Eldridge, the precise opposite – that Massey is not on vacation. She insists that something has happened to Massey, but Eldridge is at his wits end with the drunken Eldridge. When Eldridge tells her she needs a break and suspends her for two weeks.
Zachary, another college and friend of Amy’s, comes to see if she's okay, and tells her that the previous night, in an effort to find out Massey’s whereabouts, he got into Massey’s apartment and found a folder under his matters marked ‘San Rio Blanco’; but, all it contained was a name, ‘Manny Cortez’, and a phone number.
Amy has also been trying to follow up leads on an elusive group of soldiers of fortune known as “The A-Team”. Zack warns her that someone else on the paper tried to follow the same story up the previous year and couldn’t even prove that they exist. But Amy is very persistent, and so, later, in the archives, Zack gives her the background that he’s managed to dig up on The A-Team through the paper's records.
At the close of the Vietnam War, supposedly under orders, The A-Team robbed the Bank of Hanoi, walking away with one hundred million yen. But nobody knew anything about the mission; their commander, Colonel Morrison was killed and the headquarters burnt to the ground, so no record of the mission was ever found. So right before they went to trial, they escaped.
He goes on to brief her on Colonel Lynch, who ran the prison at Fort Bragg from which they escaped, and is still looking for them. The team itself consists of unorthodox leader Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith; Bosco “Bad Attitude” Baracus – a mechanical genius with a terrible Army conduct record; and con-man Templeton Peck, known as “The Faceman”. Amy wonders where they are now…
Elsewhere, a strange giant lizard-like creature emerges from a lake. The creature, called ‘The Aquamaniac’, is actually nothing more than a huge rubber costume, and the lake is on the edge of a film set. Inside the bizarre looking costume is none other than The A-Team’s leader, John “Hannibal” Smith.
Things are suddenly interrupted as a yellow Rambler convertible races onto the scene, with B.A. and Face – the two other members of The A-Team - in. Face rushes over warns Hannibal that Colonel Lynch is on their trail again. At that very moment, Colonel Lynch and his men arrive on the scene. Hannibal – still in the bulky monster suit – bundles into the back of the convertible, and they race off, with Lynch and his men in hot pursuit.
A high-speed pursuit around the film studios ensues, with the chase passing through a number of various film sets. B.A.’s smart driving moves manage to cause Lynch’s two backup cars to crash out of the pursuit.
The pursuit leads onto the Moses set, complete with an automated mechanism used to make the waters of the Red Sea appear to separate. Once the Rambler is safely across, Hannibal gets out of the convertible and starts temping and taunting Colonel Lynch, still on the other bank, to cross, gradually stepping away from the mechanism switch. Lynch waits for him to take “one more step”, but it is not enough. As he orders his driver to race forwards, Hannibal rushes back to the switch and pulls it, completely submerging Lynch’s car. Moments later, Lynch and his driver emerge, completely soaked.
As they race away, Face and B.A. are annoyed by they jeopardy Hannibal has just put them in, but to the devil-may-care Colonel, it’s all part of the jazz, and he just laughs. Lynch, meanwhile, is still wading through water...
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Act II:
As the team drive through town, Hannibal (still in the Aquamaniac suit) stops at a pay-phone and calls H. M. Murdock to warn him that Lynch is onto them again and may pay him a visit. At the psychiatric ward of the Veteran Administrations hospital where “Howling Mad” Murdock now resides, he has a visitor - Amy. He tells Hannibal that she’s there asking about the team, and Hannibal says that if she seems legit, to send her to “The Kozy Kat Klub” at 2 a.m..
Amy is trying to find out what Murdock knows about the A-Team, but the debatably insane pilot just spouts insane gibberish and starts to shave his head. Just as Amy is leaving, Murdock suddenly stops her and gives her the details of where to meet the team as instructed by Hannibal.
Just as Amy has left, Colonel Lynch arrives at the hospital to question Murdock. He is certain that Murdock – The A-Team’s pilot in ‘Nam - isn’t anywhere near as crazy as he makes out, and is still operating with The A-Team to this day. The nurse showing them to Murdock’s room insists that Murdock’s conditions are genuine, and to beware if he starts talking about ammonia, the trigger word for “his aggressive cycle”.
Inside Murdock’s room, Lynch insists that Murdock is faking, and pushes him hard about his involvement with The A-Team, but Murdock just responds with spouts of nonsense. Suddenly, Murdock’s thoughts turn to Ammonia, and seems to start to get angry. Lynch beats a hasty retreat from the room! Back outside, Lynch is now convinced Murdock really has snapped. He has got one lead left – Amy Allen, after she called the Veterans Administration trying to get a line on Hannibal. He orders his aide to steak her out.
Later that night, Amy waits outside ‘The Kozy Kat Klub’ – a strip joint in a seedy part of town - as instructed. It is poring with torrential rain, and nobody appears except an old stumbling wino. Amy gives him some money to get buy some food. The man thanks her before disappearing off into the wet night.
In a nearby parked car, the wino removes his disguise – it is actually Hannibal. He is impressed by the $20 Amy gave out of generosity. He says to himself that if she can pass Mister Lee’s test, she’s hired The A-Team…
<note: on U.S. syndicated two-part versions, there is another commercial break here>
Early the next morning, Amy is awoken from sleeping in her car by a strange Chinese man, who starts yelling that she can’t park there. Inside Mister Lee's laundry, the curious character suddenly mentions that he knows Amy is searching for The A-Team. Amy says she can raise about $150k, but Mr. Lee says that it isn’t enough . Amy insists that Al Massey's life is worth everything she owns. Mr. Lee tells her to get the money and a picture of Massey; if she doesn’t hear from him in two days, it’s no deal. With that, Mister Lee disappears out to the back of the laundry, and Amy leaves. As Amy drives away, the curious Chinaman removes his disguise – it is actually Hannibal in another get up.
Later, at a local retirement home, Face goes to visit Father Magill, one of the fathers at the orphanage where he grew up. A caller on a radio phone-in playing in the background, “Carl from Covina”, is actually Hannibal. From the name “Carl from Covina” and the cryptic hidden clues that Hannibal gives, Face checks in a small card box and, finding the card matching “Carl from Covina” and deducts that their mission will lead them to Mexico.
Elsewhere, B.A. is in a rundown backstreet, surrounded by a group of children who idolise their giant friend. B.A. too hears Hannibal on the radio giving his coded message, and deducts that the Colonel wants picking up at three o’clock, and says goodbye to his young friends.
Face arrives at the V.A. Hospital in Army uniform in the guise of a Colonel Blackmore, to check Murdock for supposed psychiatric re-evaluation. Face has the whole story planned out and quickly convinces the nurse to hand Murdock over. Once outside with Murdock, the pair get into an extravagant looking convertible Cadillac that Face has scammed for the weekend.
In the parking lot under the Courier Express, Amy is packing her things after being suspended, when suddenly Hannibal and B.A. race up in another Rambler convertible (this time a red one). Hannibal gets out and asks her if she’s got the money; she says she has – she’ll give it to him later. After introducing her to the sullen B.A., they race off. Hiding out in another parked car in the lot is one of Lynch’s aides. He radios in to Lynch, who tells him to stay on them…
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Act III:
Face and Murdock arrive in the extravagant Cadillac outside a jet sales office at the airport, where sales girl Avon comes out to greet them. Face flips into the guise of “Joe Bob Jameson”, the son of a wealthy Texan, and soon convinces Avon to let them "borrow" a Gulf Stream jet for the weekend to try out.
Driving on the way to the airport, B.A. insists that he’s not flying, and especially not with Murdock. Much to Amy’s amazement, Hannibal, sitting in the back, numbs B.A.’s shoulder before injecting him with a sleeping drug – all as B.A.’s still driving along! Rounding a corner, B.A. grinds the convertible to a halt and insists the road they’re on leads directly to the airport. Hannibal says they’re nowhere near the airport. Unfortunately, at that moment, a low plane flies over head! B.A.'s anger grows and he takes a swing at Hannibal, but at that moment the injected drug takes effect, and within seconds he’s out cold.
All this time, Lynch’s aide is still following. He radios to report they’re on their way to the airport.
At the airport, Murdock and Face are waiting in the Gulf Stream jet. The convertible - now with Hannibal at the wheel and B.A. slumped out cold in the back - races onto the scene. As they bundle the bulky B.A. out of the car, Colonel Lynch appears at the edge of the airport. They bundle B.A. onto the plane and head for take off just as Lynch reaches them, leaving Lynch able to do nothing but stand and watch as the jet soars off into the sky.
In the air, Face and Murdock plan their route to Mexico; checking the times of domestic flights to Mexico, they pick one to follow.
In the back of the jet, Amy is curious why they’re tying B.A. up with seat straps. Hannibal and Face explain it’s so he doesn’t kill him when he comes to, and that they have to drug him because he hates pilot Murdock.
Hannibal goes to check through the money Amy’s brought, but finds that she’s come up short.Hannibal wants to turn around and call it off. Amy tries to make excuses, saying she couldn’t get the money fast enough and Mr. Lee said he’d call and give her advance warning - still not realising that Mr. Lee was actually Hannibal! Face suggests they could start the movie company scam again, and get the stuff they need from the film commission, but Hannibal is still reluctant . Amy insists her word is good, and misquotes Mr. Lee, and Hannibal corrects her. Amy is astounded when she realises that Mr. Lee was none other than Hannibal.
<note: the two-part U.S. syndicated version finishes Part One here>
The flight continues until they arrive over the coast of Mexico. B.A. is beginning to groan in his slumber as he slowly begins to come around.
In the cockpit, Murdock is still tailing the plane he chose to follow the route, when Hannibal enters the cockpit to warn him that B.A. is near waking.
Murdock immediately dives the jet down sharply and cuts in front of the plane they’ve been tailing, sending the air controllers in the airport watch tower ballistic and yelling at him in Mexican.
As it touches down, ground control cars race towards the jet. On-board, the rest of the team hurriedly rush get everything off before B.A. wakes up.
On the runway, exiting the plane, they are greeted by Ground Control Officer Sanchez. He is ready to impound the plane for illegal landing, but the team make it look like B.A. is a heart-attack victim, and that they must get to the nearest hospital. They pile themselves and the “dying” B.A. into officer Sanchez’s car, and speed off, leaving Sanchez standing bemused.
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End of Part I
Part II
Act IV (Part II, Act I):
<note: the two-part U.S. syndicated version picks up with Part Two here>
Driving along in Sanchez’s ‘borrowed’ car, with Murdock at the wheel, B.A. wakes up. Face tells him that they've been driving all night and he's been asleep for 26 hours. When B.A. spots Murdock at the wheel, he orders the car pull over, and they all pile out.
Hannibal calms B.A. down, tells Face to film them some digs start conning the film commission for the things they need. Meanwhile, he’ll take B.A. and Amy to try and get a line on Manny Cortez.
Arriving at the bustling Princess hotel, Face, accompanied by Murdock, claims to be a representative of 20th Century Fox, in Mexico to make a star-studded new movie.
Meanwhile, Hannibal, B.A. and Amy arrive outside a bar in town, the place that matches the telephone number in Al Massey’s notes. Leaving B.A. outside, Hannibal goes in to “tip the joint over” to see what he can find out, and Amy insists she goes with him.
Inside, they are met with hostility from the suspicious locals. As soon as Hannibal mentions that he’s looking for Manny Cortez, the men all suddenly leap to attention, and the doors barred solidly shut. Hannibal calls out for B.A., who bursts in through the locked doors. The head of the hostile locals calls for Quintana, a giant man who emerges from a back room.
A brawl ensues, and bodies are soon flying everywhere. But against so many men, especially the mighty Quintana, Hannibal and B.A. are eventually defeated. Hannibal looks up in time to see Quintana knocking him out.
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Act V (Part II, Act II):
In a room out back of the bar, Hannibal and B.A. drift back into consciousness, to find that themselves and Amy tied up on chairs. A man goes through Amy’s bag to find out who she is. When he asks her why she’s trying to find Manny Cortez, she explains that she’s looking for her friend and colleague Al Massey. The man reveals that he is none other than the man they are seeking – he is Manny Cortez. He tells them that Massey was captured by bandit Valdez. He himself is in danger from Valdez, which is why he must be so careful.
Face has managed to scam the hotel owner’s private villa, and the team regroup there.
Soon, Manny shows them on a map the route Valdez always arrives in San Rio Blanco by, and from that they pin-point the rough area where his marijuana growing fields are. Face makes a list of things they’ll need; armour plating, a 10 wheeled truck, poison, and a crop duster; and plans to scam it out of Miguel, the film commissioner.
A while later, on the beach, Face – continuing in the guise of the movie agent - sets about scamming the film commissioner, Miguel, for the things they’ll need.
Soon, Face arrives in a beaten up old bus – somewhat of a far cry from the 10 wheel truck B.A. asked for. Face insists it was all he could get on such short notice.
Hannibal lays out the next stage of his plan, and soon, B.A. is driving Hannibal, Amy and Manny Cortez on the battered old bus to San Rio Blanco,
The bus arrives in San Rio Blanco, and Manny, who grew up in the village, rounds the local people up. He tries to persuade them in joining them in standing up to Valdez and his bandits; but the locals are unwilling. It is B.A. who tells them to stand up for themselves and convinces them to stand up to Valdez.
As they walk away, Amy tells Hannibal that what he told her earlier was right – B.A. really does grow on you…
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Act VI (Part II, Act III):
B.A. sets to work on the bus. Amy and Manny hand out arms to the locals, and Hannibal prepares his own defence.
Meanwhile, Murdock is flying himself and Face up over the countryside in a bi-plane that Face has managed to scam out of Miguel. They arrive over Valdez’s marijuana fields, and proceed to spray them with poison. They empty a load of leaflets Face got printed, letting them know that this is on behalf of San Rio Blanco.
The plane lands on a dusty dirt road, met by Hannibal, B.A. and Amy. B.A. prepares to mount a machine gun on the front of the bi-plane. Face is concerned that they’ll shoot of the prop with it, but B.A. has a timing chain, so the bullets will fire in time between the blades of the prop.
Almost identical to the last time they rolled into town, Valdez and his men once again arrive in their jeeps. Valdez wants to see who is responsible for poisoning his marijuana fields. However, this time they are greeting by Hannibal in the bell tower, who quickly outguns them. Valdez thinks Hannibal is alone and says he can take him out easily, but Hannibal radios to Murdock and Face in the bi-plane, who appear and shower the bandits with another hail of gun-fire. Valdez attempts to make a deal with Hannibal, but the only deal Hannibal offers is for Valdez to give him Al Massey and get out of town.
Hannibal slides down a rope leading from the bell tower into the very hut where Massey had been surrounded by the bandits. The hut doors burst open and the bus emerges, completely covered with thick heavy armouring, and with a “borrowed” cannon mounted on the top, driven by B.A..
With the armored bus and the bi-plane, the team have now got Valdez and his men on the run, and chase them out of town. Hannibal fires the cannon and blasts several of the jeeps off the road. But up in the bi-plane, the timing chain is slipping, and bullets are starting to hit the prop. Back on the ground, Valdez's jeep ends up in a muddy swamp,
In the air, Face and Murdock spot a heavily armed trope heading towards the area. Face radios to warn Hannibal, who recognises them as guerrillas. The old bus slowly tries to escape the scene, with the guerrillas close behind.
In the bi-plane, the timing chain finally slips too far, and the machine gun’s blasts shoot the prop right away. Murdock manages to make an emergency landing. Soon, the guerrillas have caught up with the slow armoured bus, and force it into a ditch. Without the bi-plane for support, the bus and it's passengers is captured. Hannibal peers out to be greeted by Valdez...
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Act VII (Part II, Act IV):
The captured party are taken under heavy guard to the guerrillas’ camp, where they are locked up in sturdy wooden cages. As Hannibal, B.A., Manny and Amy are forced into their cage, Amy recognises a figure slumped on the other side and rushes across – it is Al Massey. He looks beaten and ill but is still alive. The rest of the team and locked into the outdoor cell, but Valdez takes Hannibal to talk with Colonel Flores, the leader of the guerrilla outfit.
Flores tries to question Hannibal about what he knows of their operation, but Hannibal, as he had done with Valdez previously, replies only with wise-cracks and insults. Hannibal lets them know that he’s worked out all about their operation – Valdez’s been forcing the little villages to grow marijuana for him and selling it to American importers, cash from which Flores has been using to fund his guerrilla operation. Flores demands to know how many people know about the operation, but all Hannibal does is warn him that they’re in the papers and the National Army’s on the way.
Meanwhile, Face, with Murdock, is back trying to con Miguel one again – now, for the Army! When Miguel he can’t help, Face says he is real disappointed with the film commission and says there’ll be no film there, and goes to leave!
Back at the camp, Hannibal is planning escape. Taking one of the captured villager’s hats, and using a clipping of Amy’s hair and fingernail glue to make a beard, he disguises himself. When the guard comes around, Hannibal lies mumbling deliriously on the ground. When the guard comes in to see what the matter is, he swings a metal tray tucked underneath him at the unprepared guard, knocking him out.
They sneak out of the cage. As Hannibal hides the unconscious guard, B.A. commandeers a truck, while Amy and Manny carry the weak Al. Hannibal grabs a crate of grenades and just makes it to the truck and as their escape is spotted. A guard goes to chase after them but Hannibal lobs a grenade, exploding right behind the guard and sending him sprawling.
Valdez yells for the guerrillas to give chase, and they clamber into their jeeps and take off in pursuit of the escaping truck. Even with one of the jeeps armed with a rocket launcher, B.A. manages to dodge the blasts and Hannibal manages to keep them at bay, seeing them off by lobbing well aimed grenades from the back of the truck which sends the jeeps flying into wrecks.
But it seems they might not have the upper hand for long, as B.A. tells Hannibal that the truck is running out of gas!
Hannibal manages to fend the immediate pursuing jeeps off with more well-aimed grenades, until he sees a helicopter appear overhead- with Face and Murdock inside!
They follow the chopper to it’s landing in a nearby clearing. As the pursuing guerrilla’s jeeps race closer, the four members of The A-Team quickly regroup. Hannibal asks Face where the Army is, but Face tells Hannibal him all he’s managed to con out of Miguel is the helicopter and some guns. But it’s not just the four of them. Hannibal looks around… Face stopped off back at San Rio Blanco, and the rest of the villagers insisted on coming to help, and now they’re surrounding the whole clearing, concealed in the heavy foliage.
As Amy, Manny and Al huddle with the other previously captured villagers behind the truck for cover, each member of the team takes strategic firing positions. As the guerrilla’s jeeps race into the clearing, they expertly open fire, causing the jeeps to grind to a halt. The villagers leap out from their positions in the bushes and surround the guerrillas, over-powering them. Caught firmly in the ambush, the guerrillas have little chance to escape.
In all the commotion, Valdez and Flores take off in a lone jeep. Hannibal spots them and takes off with Murdock in the helicopter after them.
As Murdock expertly pilots the chopper, staying firmly on the jeep’s trail, Hannibal hangs off the side of the helicopter, dodging Flores’s gun-shots. When the helicopter is dead over-head of the jeep, he leaps out down onto it. With one punch he knocks Flores out, both of consciousness and the jeep. The jeep skids to a halt, and Hannibal soon takes care takes care of Valdez too.
The helicopter arrives back at the clearing, with Valdez and Flores as his prisoners. As the villagers grab them to deliver to the authorities, both Amy and one of the villagers both ask how they can thank the team. “Anybody got a cold beer?” Hannibal quips – to which Face promptly produces one out of nowhere and hands it to him. Hannibal laughs…
<note: in it’s original form, Act VII plays on into the epilogue. Some syndicated versions have another commercial break here>
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Epilogue:
Later, on the road leading back to the airport, B.A. screeches the car to a halt, realising where they are heading. Once again, he starts insisting that he won’t get on an aeroplane.
As the car skids to a halt, Amy’s mini-tape recorder becomes uncovered. Suspicious, Hannibal checks to see what’s on it, only to hear the end of a report she’s recorded on the team. Amy says, hopefully, that she’s decided to do a story on them; they’re heroes but are wanted by the Government – one hell of a story. But Hannibal is not impressed..
As Hannibal discreetly prepares the drug to send B.A. to sleep again, Amy doesn’t let up trying to persuade him. She says that B.A. explained to her about “the jazz”, and she thinks she’s caught the fever! She tries to bribe them, saying they let her in, or she writes the book and blows their cover. Hannibal, still not convinced, says they’ll talk about it on the airplane.
As Hannibal goes to drug B.A., the giant Sergeant catches him. As he growls, angry at the Colonel, Hannibal discreetly passes the syringe back to Amy, who takes the initiative and drugs him instead, causing him to fall forwards, unconscious on to the car’s horn. Hannibal tells Face to pull his head off the horn and drive instead.
At the airport, Colonel Lynch is waiting for the team with Sanchez.
The team arrive (having no need to run from Lynch as they’re on Mexican soil), and thank Sanchez for the loan of the car. Lynch insists that they’re coming with him back the U.S., but one well aimed punch from Hannibal soon takes care of him, knocking him out cold. They bundle their luggage out of the trunk, and Lynch into it’s place, closing the lid on him.
Face, carrying the slumped B.A. over his shoulder, tells the once again bemused Sanchez that sadly their pilot died, and they’re taking him back to the U.S. for a full Military burial.
As the jet takes off, Hannibal asks Amy her full name; she tells him that it’s Amy Amanda Allen. Hannibal notices her initials are Triple A – to which Amy comments that it sounds like someone who belongs on a unit called “The A-Team”! Hannibal doesn’t answer, but lights up a fresh cigar and breaks into a broad smile, almost as if to signal that he’s convinced.
In the cockpit, Murdock cheerfully howls, and flies the jet right over upside down.
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COMMENTS, REVIEW & NOTES :
Well, this is the one that started it all.
Unsurprisingly for a pilot, a great deal of the time – practically the whole of the first half – is taken up with introducing the team and showcasing their individual talents. And it does it well, although the pacing is noticeably different from a standard episode.
Part two, while still laying in character foundations (particularly the scene with B.A. and Amy where she tries to find out why he is so gruff, and learns about “the jazz”), is more a demonstration of the sort of things the typical episode is likely to hold – with punch-ups and makes, explosions and jeeps rolling around everywhere,
Things are very much a template for the typical future episodes, particularly the early ones, with the team much of the time working in two groups, of Hannibal and B.A., and Face and Murdock. This was somewhat typical of the very early episode’s structuring - things are very much based very much around Hannibal and B.A., and their interaction with Amy, which indeed is how the series was originally sold.
Asides from giving introduction and some background on the characters, part one is the most background on how someone would go about trying to hire The A-Team and how Hannibal would disguise himself to check out if the potential client(s) are legit and need-worthy enough. The whole routine is explored in much greater depth than what would become standard – the most we see in the typical episode is Hannibal’s final disguise, where he finally reveals who he is and utters the immortal words “You’ve just hired The A-Team.” Also to note is that in most episodes, Hannibal removes his disguise to say the client has hired The A-Team, but here he waits until later (though that method was probably used in later episodes purely to speed up the pace of the story).
Throughout her time on the series, we never did learn whether Amy did eventually pay the team their full fee or not.
The scene where Lynch goes to question Murdock at the V.A. hospital in some respects can be taken as quite confusing – The A-Team have already been on the run for 10 years; has Lynch never though to question Murdock before??
The scene is quite good and enjoyable, especially as it’s the first time we’re seeing Murdock’s madness in full swing; it would have maybe been even better written as the series developed more.
The bar fight scene is rather unusual in that Hannibal and B.A. loose the brawl! Seeing as most of the things were are seeing are templates for the series, this is very unusual, especially for the usually un-defeatable B.A. It’s unusualness is heightened even more in that this happens in the very first adventure, as, while we see the team (Hannibal more than B.A.) get knocked about a bit in few later episodes, it’s quite unusual for them to loose a fight quite so badly.
The pilot in many places almost runs like a series of sketches – breakneck skit, one skit after another – car chase around film set; Hannibal as crazy Chinaman; Murdock madness in the air and so on. The only other show I can compare to in that aspect is ‘The Simpsons’.
All in all, a good pilot and a worthy start to the series. It’s great to see how things started out and how they would be developed, and for a bit more than usual background on the characters.
Oh, and of course, to see “the other Face” and ponder what he - and the series - would have been like if he had stayed in the role.
THE TWO FACES OF THE FACEMAN:
It doesn't take an expert to spot that here in the Pilot episode, Face is played by a different actor to the regular Face seen in the rest of the series. But why was this so?
Series creators Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo had wanted Dirk Benedict to play the part from the beginning, but the powers that be above them (TV station executives, etc.) had other ideas and wanted a different actor to play the part. So, originally, the part went to Tim Dunigan, seen here.
The “powers that be” also had different ideas on how the character should be played, which is evident in the completed film, as the character seems to be played from different angles in different scenes in this episode. The most notable difference to the usual character of Face is in the scene where he visits the elderly father at the hospital, and talks of wishing he could settle down and have a family but is unable to whilst being a wanted man. This would seem rather out of character for the “regular” Face.
Anyway, after this Pilot was completed, The Powers That Be finally realised that maybe Dunigan wasn’t quite right for the part after all. The official reason given was that Dunigan was too young for the part, though the fact that he was so tall – towering over the mighty Mister T – also worked against him). The part was recast, and Dirk Benedict finally won the role for the series.
Dirk Benedict is the definitive Faceman, and the series wouldn't have been half that it became without him, but I personally think that Tim Dunigan gets more of a hard time than he deserves. Admittedly, he is nowhere as good as Benedict in the part and probably never could have been, but to bare in mind is just how much the character and how it should be played was being pulled around at the beginning. Some fans seem to almost blame Dunigan for being so bad; personally, if anyone’s to be blamed, it’s the higher powers who fought Benedict being cast, not Dunigan himself, who to be fair, seems to try and make the best of a bad situation.
Watching Dunigan is just one of those great TV “What if”s (kind of like watching Captain Pike in the original pilot for ‘Star Trek’). It’s great to sit and consider what might have been.
SING ALONG NOW:
The original script of the Pilot describes several points where a specially written & recorded song was to have been played. It would have been suitably Mexican in style, and told of how a strange team came to battle bandits. The song was never recorded.
QUOTES
Coming Soon!!
CONTINUITY:
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Amy’s boss Eldridge is seen again later in the first season in ‘Holiday In The Hills’; the only other time in the entire series that her boss is seen. BUT he is mentioned in the comic-strip story “…Buried Alive” in the first A-Team annual! Presumably some early series literature made mention of him, resulting in his name being used in that story. |
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We see Hannibal trying to win another monster playing role in ‘Pros And Cons’ after “…the whole Aquamaniac disaster”, referring to the events here. |
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The Aquamaniac is seen again in the second season episodes ‘Steel’ and ‘The Battle Of Bel-Air’ (though Hannibal isn’t actually inside the costume in the latter) and at the start of the third season episode ‘Breakout!’, though the footage of the Aquamaniac rising from the lake is actually footage re-used from this episode. Several other similar creatures are also seen through-out the series (such as ‘Leo The Lizard’ in the third season’s ‘Double Heat’ and the one-eyed monster in the fourth season’s ‘Where Is The Monster When You Need Him?’. (Note: the suit that Hannibal is stuck in side at the start of the fifth season episode ‘Dishpan Man’, seen again in Face’s dream in ‘Firing Line’, strongly resembles the Aquamaniac, but, upon closer examination is actually not the same one as seen here, and is referred to as “The Id From The Ice-flow”). |
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Colonel Lynch’s Aide in this episode (played by James Beach), here, reprises his role in episode ‘Holiday In The Hills’. |
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Several later episodes (most notable being "When You Comin' Back, Range Rider?") refer to Amy talking the team into not working for their full fee. |
BACKGROUND:
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When Zack is briefing Amy on the team’s credentials, he mentions that Face is an orphan; and later in the scene where Face visits his ailing mentor at the hospital, we find out a lot more back-ground information. It seems that the orphanage took Face in when he was 5 years old, a point touched upon numerous times throughout the series, and somewhat rounded off in the fifth season’s ‘Family Reunion’. Face learnt his “con man” ways as a result of being an orphan and being forced to look after and provide for himself. |
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We get one of the only bits of background on Murdock’s family past in this episode, when Amy mentions that his mother died when he was 5. |
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We also hear from Colonel Lynch that Murdock “…flew everything from jets to choppers; he was in the Thunderbirds before the war. One of the best combat pilots in ‘Nam”. |
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Hannibal tells Amy a story of how he is by nature a rancher, but of course, it's all made up! |
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We are given an indication of the length of time Face might put in on certain scams, when he says that he’s been working on the jet deal for three months. |
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“The jazz”, a running point through the series (particularly in the first two seasons) is here described by B.A. as “…like walking into a casino in Vegas, laying down all your money on the crap table, and winning on the first roll. You can’t walk away, you just can’t; You know you can beat ‘em, ‘cos you just done it.” |
FIRSTS:
This is the first ever adventure. Is there really any point listing everything?
To make it easier, things more specific to this story (if that makes sense!):
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Murdock mentions his invisible dog Billy for the first time (in the scene where Lynch goes to see him at the V.A. hospital); Billy was mentioned in several first and second season episodes (most notably in ‘A Small And Deadly War’ and ‘West Coast Turnaround’). |
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We see Face in Army uniform for the first time, when he goes to get Murdock from the hospital. We don’t see the rest of the team (including “usual Face” Dirk Benedict) in Army uniform until the final first season episode, ‘A Nice Place To Visit’. |
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We hear Hannibal’s infamous catchphrase “I love it when a plan comes together” for the first time; In fact, we hear it twice, the only occasion of the entire series where we hear it said twice within the same story (though when broken into two parts, it is said once in each part). |
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Murdock refers to B.A. as a “angry mudsucker”, a saying which he would use on the big Baracian one (prefixed by "big mean") throughout the series. |
ONLY:
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This is the only episode to not (originally) have any form of regular opening credits. Most later broadcasts, when the episode is shown in two parts, have the first season opening credits (later version, with 'The A-Team' "written in bullets"), with Tim Dunigan in place of Dirk Benedict. There are two versions of this, one with Dunigan's name in Stencil font to match the rest of the opening credits, and a (presumably earlier) version with a completely mis-matched, Times New Roman style font. |
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This is the only story until the fifth season revamp that does not include a pre-episode teaser. Various syndicated versions have their own re-cap at the start of the second episode, either before or after the opening credits. Some other stations, such as overseas broadcasts, may use their own constructed re-cap. |
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It’s the only time that Mr. T is billed simply with his name, not ‘And Mr. T as B.A. Baracus’. Also, it is the only time Melinda Culea is credited directly after George Peppard, due to the the rule of the cast, after Peppard, being listed alphabetically (a rule kept until the fifth season, where Eddie Velez was credited before Mr. T). When Face was recast, Benedict got second credit. |
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This is the first and only time we actually get to see Hannibal disguised as Chinese laundry owner Mister Lee. The character was much referred to through the series (mostly in the first couple of seasons), but this was the only occasion we actually got to see him (though of course, the is a shot of him on the first season opening credits). |
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Although we see Amy’s boss Eldridge again in ‘Holiday In The Hills’, this is the only time we see or even have mention of either Zachary or Al Massey, Amy’s fellow colleagues. |
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It’s also the only time we see or hear of Father Magill. Seeing as he was so elderly and frail in this episode, it maybe can be assumed that he died soon after events in this episode. |
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This is the only time we hear Hannibal say his famous catchphrase “I love it when a plan comes together” twice within the same episode (though when shown in 2-part format, one is said in the first half and the other in the second. |
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...Oh, and this is the only time that Tim Dunigan plays Face. In case you didn't work it out by now!! |
UNUSUAL:
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So uncommon that maybe it should really be listed under ‘Only’s: a couple of times in this episode, Murdock is referred to as simply ‘Howling Mad’ (such as at one point, Hannibal says to Face “…you go with Howling Mad…”). ‘Howling Mad’ was of course Murdock’s nick-name, but this is the only episode of the series in which he is ever referred to just by that name. |
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As mentioned previously, it’s rather uncommon to see Hannibal and the mighty B.A. loose a fight, especially so badly. |
FAMILIAR SHOTS:
A great chunk of the most common and most well known publicity stills originate from this episode. To tackle them in order as seen (and there’s a LOT of them here):
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The shot(s) of Hannibal standing in the Aquamaniac costume by the “water seperating” controls, smoking his cigar and beckoning (to Colonel Lynch), were used on the first and second season opening credits. |
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Shot of Hannibal dressed up as Mister Lee, removing his disguise; used on the first season opening credits. |
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The classic shot where B.A., behind the wheel of the convertible, turns to look behind him (at Hannibal, who denies they’re on the way to the airport); one of the series’ most famous and commonly used publicity shots, it was used on the opening credits seasons 1-4. |
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A shot of Murdock smiling (/singing) as the jet takes off, was a sometimes used publicity still. |
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Murdock at the controls of the jet, shaking his head and smiling, is used on the first season opening credits. |
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A shot of Hannibal on board the jet, holding his cigar and looking quite serious (talking to Amy), was an often used publicity still. |
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A shot of Amy on the bus (sitting behind Hannibal) was used on the first season opening credits and a sometimes used publicity still. |
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A shot of Hannibal on the bus (before it is armoured), looking behind him smiling, was a commonly used publicity still. |
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The shot of B.A. holding a spanner and smiling, in the scene where Amy goes to talk to him as his is fixing the bus, was used on the first season opening credits. |
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A shot of the bi-plane twirling over in the air was used on the first season opening credits. |
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A shot of Murdock in the bi-plane, laughing, (seen directly after the above listed shot) was used on the first season opening credits – however, it was used back-to-front to as it is seen here for some reason! It was also an occasionally used publicity still. |
TITLE AND INSPIRATIONS:
· The syndicated title of this episode, ‘Mexican Slayride’, seems to be a play on the title of the 1948 Abbott and Costello film ‘Mexican Hayride’.The story itself can be closely compared to the classic 1960 Western ‘The Magnificent Seven’, in which a small Mexican village terrorised by bandits send three farmers to the US to find gunmen to help them, and end up with seven, each of whom agrees to come for a different reason. The film was an Americanisation of the 1954 Japanese film ‘Shichinin No Samurai’ (‘Seven Samurai’) – very much the same as ‘The Magnificent Seven’ except set in Japan, not Mexico. Numerous other Western cowboy films – many of which ‘Magnificent Seven’ influenced or wannabes, can also be compared with this episode in various ways.
GUEST CAST BACKGROUND:
Playing Amy’s boss, editor Grant Eldridge, is Philip Sterling. Born 9th October 1922, Sterling was a jazz pianist before he turned to acting, and served as the first president of the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. Sterling appears as Eldridge again later in the first season in 'Holiday In The Hills'. Most commonly seen playing numerous different roles in ‘Barney Miller’ and recurring Judge Cramer in ‘L.A. Law’, Sterling passed away on 30th November 1998. He can also be seen as...:
County Supervisor Tom Nardoni in 'The Rockford Files' fourth season episode 'The House on Willis Avenue (1978)
Contoy in the fourth season 'Diff'rent Strokes' episode 'The Team' (1981)
"Birddog" Hansen in the third season 'Simon & Simon' episode 'The Disappearance of Harry the Hat' (1984)
Harry Clayborn in the average fifth season 'Magnum, p.i.' episode 'The Legacy of Garwood Huddle' (1984)
Sergio Calderon, who plays bandit Malavida Valdez, is a Mexican born actor, and has had numerous parts in both English and Mexican language films and TV series. . Born 21stJuly 1945, in Coatlan del Rio, Morelos, Caldron appears again in the series as river pirate “El Cajon” (“The Coffin”) in the feature-length / two-part third season adventure ‘The Bend In The River’. Appearing in a number of films, he has also concentrated on Mexican productions.
Zachary, Amy’s friend and colleague at the LA Courier Express, is played by Ron Palillo. Born Ron Paolillo on 2nd April 1949 in Cheshire, Connecticut, Palillo is most commonly seen from playing Arnold Horshack on ‘Welcome Back, Knotter’, and besides being a keen thespian, he also is a top color and black-and-white pen-and-ink artist. His works have been shown and sold in New York, Hawaii, and California. He has taken his talent to the world of children's literature, where he has done illustrations for two books, ‘A Gift For The Contessa’ and ‘The Red Wings Of Christmas’. He has taught acting at the University of Connecticut in 1999, and continues to be a keen actor, appearing in a number of operas and productions. He can also been seen as...:
Nick in the sixth season "CHiPs" episode 'Journey to a Spacecraft' (1983)
Melody Anderson plays Avon, the sales girl whom Face cons the jet out of. Anderson is most likely to be recognised as Dale Arden in the 1980 big screen adaption of ‘Flash Gordon’, starring Sam J. Jones in the title role, (Jones himself is seen A-Team-wise in the second season’s ‘Semi-Friendly Persuasion’). She also played the recurring Detective Brooke MacKenzie in the short-lived 'Manimal' (1983).
She can also be seen as...:
Kate Nichols as 'T.J. Hooker''s second season episode 'Terror at the Academy' (1982)
Waitress Mary Walker in the enjoyable feature-length / two-part 'Fall Guy' story 'Colt Breaks Out' (1982)
Emily in the sixth season "CHiPs" episode 'Day of the Robot' (1983)
William Windom plays Amy’s missing colleague, Al Massey. Born 28th September 1923 in New York, Windom is a distinguished performer with TV and film appearances stretching back as far as 1950. He can also be seen as...:
Commodore Matt Decker in the second season 'Star Trek' episode 'The Doomsday Machine' (1967)
Sergeant Jack Keeler in 'The Incredible Hulk''s fourth season episode 'East Winds' (1981)
Judge Alexander Farnsworth in the short-lived 'Automan''s episode 'Staying Alive While Running A High Flashdance Fever (1983)
Lou Stappleford in the third season 'Airwolf' episode 'Eagles' (1985)
Wayne Altfield in the fourth season episode 'Knight Racer' (1985)
Captain James T. Lyle in the sixth season 'Magnum, p.i.' episode 'All Thieves on Deck' (1986)
Enrique Lucero,
who plays guerrilla leader
Colonel Florez,
was born in Chihuahua, Mexico, on 9th October 1920. He
appeared in over seventy films, the majority of which were in Mexican.
This is his only U.S. television-based appearance of note. Lucero
passed away in Mexico City on 9th May 1989.
Felix Gonzales is another
Mexican film actor. This story is one of his few television credits.
William Marquez
can also been seen:
· As Fernandez in the first season ‘Airwolf’ episode ‘Mad Over Miami’ (1984)
· As Sosa in the fourth season ‘Knight Rider’ episode ‘Knight Flight to Freedom’ (1986)
Jorge Zepeda
(Manny Cortez)
has had parts in a number of big screen and TV movies.
Peter Brocco was born on January 16th 1903, in Reading, Pennsylvania,and appeared in over a hundred big screen films stretching back to the 1930s, and guest parts in numerous classic American television series. Brocco died in Los Angeles on 20th December 1992. He can also be seen as...:
Claymare in the first season 'Star Trek' episode 'Errand of Mercy' (1967)
Mr. Swezey in 'The Monkees' second season episode 'Monkee Mayor' (1967)
Mr. Egan in the early, first season 'Happy Days' episode 'Hardware Jungle' (1974)
As Hodges in 'The Rockford Files'' two-part second season story 'Gearjammers'; as well as playing Meyer Ziegler in the fifth season episode 'White on White and Nearly Perfect' (1978); and uncredited as Roscoe in the sixth season opener 'Paradise Cove' (1979)
Marianne Muellerleile, born 26th November 1948, Missouri, is best known as playing Norma Bates on US daytime soap ‘Passions’.
She can also be seen as..
Olga in the second season 'Magnum, p.i.' episode 'From Moscow to Maui' (1981)
Big Mabel in the second season 'Sledge Hammer!' episode ' The Secret of My Excess' (1988)
J. Patrick Mc Namara, who plays the Director of the Aquamaniac film, can also been seen as:
The Seaworld Administrator in the early second season 'Simon & Simon' episode 'Mike & Pat' (1982)
Captain Taggert in the second season 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' episode 'Unnatural Selection' (1989)
Bill's father, Mr. Preston, in the cult movie 'Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure' (1989), and it's sequel 'Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'(1991)
James Beach plays Colonel Lynch’s Aide, Captain Stewart. Born James Ennis Beach on 2third January 1942 in Missouri, he returns to play the same character later in the first season in ‘Holiday In The Hills’. Beach passed away on 1st June 1985. He can also be seen as...:
Mr. Sweeney in the first season "CHiPs" episode 'Highway Robbery' (1977)
A Driver in 'The Fall Guy''s second season episode 'Strange Bedfellows' (1983)
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Keland Love (Floyd) had a couple of bit parts on TV shows in the 1980s. |
Brandon Williams, one of B.A.'s young friends, played the role and a recurring role in a couple of episodes 'The Greatest
American Hero' (1981) before leaving the acting business.
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Arnold Turner (Assistant Director), usually credited as Arnold F. Turner, is an experiences bit part actor, active from the early 1970s through to the late 1990s, including a lot of voice work. He appears again in 'The A-Team' in the second season episode ‘It’s A Desert Out There’. He can also been seen as...: |
A Cop in the first season 'Simon & Simon' episode 'The Hottest Ticket in Town' (1982)
A Postman in 'T.J. Hooker''s early, first season episode 'The Streets (1982)
In the fourth season 'The Fall Guy' episode 'Rockabye Baby' (1985)
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Humberto Elizondo is another Mexican-based actor, of which this appearance is one of his few English-language appearances. |
Miguel Angel Fuentes, who plays the giant Quintana in the bar fight scene, is another bit part actor, and who also has many Mexican language credits.
The actress that plays the Nurse who shows Colonel Lynch and Captain Steward to Murdock's room at the V.A. Hospital (not to be confused with the Orderly who Face later deals with), is uncredited.
MUSIC:
This is the only time that the version of the theme tune used on the closing credits was ever heard anywhere in the series’ run. (Although snippets of it were used in some early NBC commercials for the series).
It is immediately recognisable as The A-Team theme tune, though is noticeably a different version to anyone familiar with later versions; it has an almost slightly 1970s feel to it, especially during the guitar section.
In a way, it is a shame this was the only time this version was ever used. It would have made a nice alternative to the ‘standard version’ closing theme used on so many episodes.
The only bit of the regular theme tune we don’t hear in the closing credits or anywhere in the episode is the memorable ‘drum bit’ (technical term!) before the main theme kicks in.
The Bandits have their very own theme, which was recorded and appeared as Track 5 ('Bandits!') and Track 14 ('More Bandits') for the soundtrack album.
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The music as the Aquamaniac rises from the lake, is recycled when filming another monster movie in the fourth season episode 'Where Is The Monster When You Need Him?'. |
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Some of the music as Colonel Lynch and his men chase B.A., Face and Hannibal around the film set is re-used later in the season in 'Holiday In The Hills'. |
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The music heard over the final shot of Act I (Lynch wading in water) is used again at the end of Act II, when Lynch tells his aide over the radio that he’s on his way. |
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The ‘make music’ when the team are armouring the bus, is re-used – slightly abridged – later in the season in ‘One More Time’. |
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The music heard as Valdez and his bandits come to a defeated halt as the armoured bus pulls up behind them, is re-used towards the end of the story, as the team head back to the airport |
BLOOPERS, CONTINUITY ERRORS, AND RE-USED MATERIAL:
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The shots of he bell
ringing in the bell tower are re-used in the fifth season episode '
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When Valdez is looking for Al Massey, he has a white shirt on. But when they are chasing Massey's truck, in
shots of Valdez in the jeep, he suddenly has a different coloured shirt on (these shots seem to have been filmed from later in the story, where The A-Team are chasing the bandits out of
town).
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Some shots of Valdez's jeeps were recycled for the next broadcast episode, 'Children Of Jamestown'. |
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Amy's colleague Zack seems to be some kind of time traveller - the pictures of Lynch, Hannibal, B.A. and Face that he shows Amy are all from scenes later in the story. Lynch is from where he visits Murdock at the V.A. hospital; Hannibal is from where he is captured by the bandits; B.A. is from after he wakes up and gets out of the car in Mexico; and Face is from where he breaks Murdock out of the hospital!
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Shots of the
Aquamaniac emerging from the lake were recycled at the start of the third season episode '
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On the chase around the film set, the
double for Face can be seen in several shots to be wearing
sunglasses. But Face in the close up shots is not - he
removed them when he was talking to Hannibal.
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On the original film prints of this story, when the first of Colonel Lynch's two backup cars careers through the bush and falls into the lake, there is a black line on the bottom two thirds or so of the screen, where there seemed to be some problem where the shot was filmed. On later videotape prints, the picture is zoomed in to eliminate the black line. |
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If you are very sharp eyed, you can spot a slight jump in the film - after the tour bus has gone through the 'separated' waters, there is a slight jump as we see the Aquamaniac following behind in the convertible. |
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When Hannibal submerges Lynch's car on the Moses film set, there is a shot of the water flowing backwards! After the first shot of the car being submerged ,there is a shot of Hannibal smiling, then look carefully - the water is rising back out of the river and going back into the spouts on the side. |
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At the end of the scene where Amy visits Murdock at the hospital, Murdock's final line is "...and wait until you're contacted". But this line was obviously added in post-production, as it is clear that he does not say it on-screen. |
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Nitpick: Colonel Lynch goes to visit Murdock at the V.A. Hospital, certain that he is not really insane and is still working with The A-Team. The team have been wanted for ten years, why has Lynch taken so long to visit? |
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When Colonel Lynch is visiting Murdock at the hospital, some of his dialogue, such as "...You were The A-Team's pilot in 'Nam..." is clearly ADR'd. |
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Many videotape prints of this story have a slight audio problem at one point - on the jet, when Hannibal and Face strap B.A. in as he starts to wake up, the audio dips for a few seconds over Face's dialogue, making it hard to hear what he is saying. |
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When "Mr. Lee" (Hannibal) wakes Amy up in her car, her arm jumps from rubbing her neck to being down by her side in one shot. |
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The stock shots of the front of the L.A. Courier Express are seen again in the first season episodes 'Holiday In The Hills' and 'One More Time'. The shots also turn up in several other shows, such as the first season 'Riptide' episode 'Diamonds Are For Never'. |
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Watch the passenger door on the convertible Rambler as Hannibal, Amy and unconscious B.A. arrive at the airport – on the far-off shot (looking through at them from under the jet, as Face runs over to Hannibal) we see Amy close the door; but on the next shot, close up of Face talking to Hannibal, the door is back open and we see it closing again. We hear the sound of it closing the second time but not the first. |
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A “blink or you’ll miss it” slight continuity error - in the scene on the jet, after Amy’s misquotes “Women and people of high birth are very trustworthy”, she is looking sideways, up at Hannibal; but in the very next shot from further back, she is looking forwards. |
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Shots of the Lear jet, include several shots unused here, appear in the third season episode 'Sheriffs Of Rivertown'. |
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The shots of the air controllers in the tower is stock
footage that can be seen in episodes of many other shows,
including 'The Rockford Files' and 'Knight Rider', and the first season 'Riptide' episode 'Diamonds Are For Never'. It is
used again in 'The A-Team' at the end of the first season's '
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The shot
looking out of the cabin behind what’s supposed to be
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In the bar
fight sequence, George Peppard's stunt double can be spotted several times.
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In the scenes where
B.A. is seem wearing his dungarees, they are undone on his right shoulder (left when looking at him). But when himself, Hannibal and Amy are held tied-up outback of the bar, they are
suddenly undone on the opposite shoulder. In the next scene, when they are freed, both shoulders are done up.
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The shot of
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When Hannibal is firing down from the bell tower at Valdez and his bandits, the shots of Murdock and Face swooping down in the bi-plane seems to be exactly the same shot from earlier when they came in to land. |
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In the section of the armed bus chasing the bandits out of town, on the shot which is looking up at the vehicles from the road (near Valdez crying “Caramba”), watch as after the bus passes, the dust suddenly disappears as the bi-plane flies over. The film was obviously abridged here by a few seconds. |
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In the shot of the armored bus firing it's cannon, causing the jeep to flip over (the shot used at the start of the opening credits on seasons 1-4), there is obviously a ramp hidden behind some foliage to turn the jeep over. |
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Shots of the guerrilla vehicles and the guerrillas marching are re-used in the fifth season episode ‘The Theory Of Revolution’. |
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In the scene, while Hannibal, B.A. and Amy are captured, where Face tries to con Miguel the film commissioner one last time, his final line "...We are out of here" clearly does not match his mouth. |
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When Hannibal, B.A. and co. are escaping from the guerrillas, when Hannibal throws a grenade at one of the jeeps causing it to flip over (the shot used at the end of the opening credits on season 1-4) there is again clearly a ramp hidden behind the foliage. |
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The shots where Hannibal looks around at the villagers that Face has rounded up to help were recycled in the next
broadcast episode, '
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In the scene when the team are on their way back to the airport, when B.A. is drugged and falls forwards asleep onto the steering wheel, judging by the position his head hits the wheel there’s no way the horn could sound. |
OTHER NOTES:
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It is hard to read most of what is on the files on Lynch, Smith, Baracus and Peck that Zack shows Amy, but we can see that Templeton Peck's middle name is Arthur, and a name, presumably of B.A.'s mother, is Adele. |
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The card for "Carl from Covina" that Face take from the box when he is listening to Hannibal on the radio phone-in reads: |
CARL FROM COVINA
LIGHT JET - 3,000 MILE RANGE
REGION: MEXICO
LANGUAGE: SPANISH
NO SHOTS
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The registration number of the jet that Face scams is: N8000J |
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The name of the drug that Hannibal uses to put B.A. to sleep is called Novocain |
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Face adjusts B.A.’s watch to Fri 26 from the previous day. Assuming this episode is set in 1982 (and that it wasn't just a random date), that could mean that this adventure is set in either February, March or November, as a Friday fell on the 26th of those months that year. (November probably seems the most likely) |
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The movie that Face pretends to be scouting for is called ‘Boots And Bikinis’, supposedly starring Farrah Fawcett, Bo Derek and Loni Anderson. (Also, probably coincidence, the title is similar to the third season episode ‘Bullets And Bikinis’. |
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The stack of papers that Face drops over Valdez's marijuana fields read: |
CORTESIA
DEL PUEBLO
DE
SAN RIO BLACO
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Throughout her time on the series, we never did learn whether Amy ever did pay the team their full fee or not. |
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The scene where Hannibal, Amy and the unconscious B.A. arrive at the airport and escape from Lynch was used, abridged, as a flash-back (and with Tim Dunigan edited out, obviously) in the feature-length second season episode "When You Comin' Back, Range Rider?". See that episode's review capsule for more details on the curious details that went with it. |
MURDOCK'S FIXATION:
· Ammonia! There's also a number of mentions of his invisible dog, Billy.
COSTUME:
Several of B.A.’s classic costumes appear here – his sleeveless denim jacket, his dungarees with red top underneath. Face wears his trademark black leather jacket (even with a different actor inside it) and Hannibal’s traditional cream top is worn. We see Face in Army uniform for the first time; the first time we would see the whole team in Army uniform would be at the end of the season, in ‘A Nice Place To Visit’
MURDOCK’S
T-SHIRT:
Napoleon (white letters on blue t-shirt)
POP CULTURE REFERENCES:
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Murdock has video arcade games of Pac Man and Hockey in his room at the VA Hospital. |
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Murdock says to Colonel Lynch “…don’t you think I want to get out of here and watch ‘E.T.’ just like everyone else”. |
SIMILAR:
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The Aquamaniac and a nice tour around the Universal lot are also seen in the second season episode 'Steel'. |
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The team also escape from the MPs via jet in the second season's 'The Only Church In Town', and in the fourth season episodes 'Where Is The Monster When You Need Him?' and 'The Sound Of Thunder'. |
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The A-Team head south of the border into Mexico in a number of later episodes – the second season episodes ‘The Only Church In Town’, ‘Bad Time On The Border’ and ‘In Plane Sight’; in the latter stages of the third season's ‘Knights Of The Road’, and in the fourth season episode ‘The Doctor Is Out’. |
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The feature-length / two-part fourth season story ‘Judgement Day’ was, like this story, partly filmed Mexico, but there it doubled for Italy. |
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B.A. also bursts through a pair of closed bar doors similarly to as he infamously does here, in the opening second season episode ‘Diamonds 'N Dust’. He also does similar gain in the third season’s feature-length ‘The Bend In The River’ – but that time, bursting in with a machine gun that he sprays bullets over the heads of the undesirable dwellers of the bar with. |
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The second season episode 'It's A Desert Out There' and the fourth season's feature-length / two-part 'Judgement Day' also feature an armored bus. The UK Rainbow book & cassette adventure 'Room, Bath And Spider' also features such a vehicle (quite likely inspired by the one seen here in the Pilot; even the illustrations of it look very similar). |
CUTS & BROADCAST NOTES:
T· Firstly, a note on what at first might seem to be cut but in actuality isn't. After the scene on the beach where Face and Amy
con Miguel for stuff they need, there is a short of a cannon being whisked away. This is a very brief shot and cuts into it rather suddenly from the previous scene, so at first this may seem to be a cut
in the story, but in fact it is how the episode plays in full form
· Also, later, while Hannibal, B.A. and Amy are captured, Face, with Murdock is one again trying to con Miguel. After the line “So I guess that’s it, no sixteen million dollar bonanza for this country -
we are out of here!” the scene rather abruptly crashes into the next one. Again, this may seem to play edited, but it’s how the complete episode plays.
· Now onto what has actually been cut: on the 1985 UK re-showing, the scene near the end of the story, at the airport where Lynch is waiting for the team and they dump him in the boot of the car, was
cut out.
I caught the second half of this story (obviously being shown in two halves) on Yorkshire TV while on holiday in 1993; the above previously cut scene was left in this time, but instead, the very final
scene on-board the jet was missing. After Hannibal has dumped the unconscious Lynch in the car’s trunk and Face has carried B.A. onto the jet, there was the next shot of the jet taking of before cutting
in half way through the closing credits (as B.A. bursts the bar doors open). I tuned on a minute or so after it this showing had started (not realising it was on, as it was in those horrid days where
ever ITV region was different – I think home region LWT had ‘Murder, She Wrote’!), so I don’t know what version (if any) of opening credits that showing had. Quite possibly, it had the opening credits
from the start of Part 1 before cutting into Part 2.
It took George Peppard to pass away in 1994 before LWT (London Weekend Television) finally repeated the Pilot, in a last-minute schedule change. It was shown uncut, with a special lead in (I'll try and upload a video clip in due course).
Southern region Meridian repeated the Pilot in 1995, but I was out that day and my original, by-the ancient video didn't record it, so I don't know what was cut or not on that broadcast.
US syndicated cuts coming soon!!
VIDEO & DVD:
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This Pilot episode has been released in the U.S. by Columbia Home Video. |
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It was released on video in the U.K., by Universal Playback, on first May 2000, with ‘Pros And Cons’. Rated PG. Release number 785053. After the opening credits, the (sub)title ‘Mexican Slayride’ is overlayed - this was done by Universal Playback and is not present on the original TV prints; other than that, the episode plays as in it’s original form. |
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It was released in 2004 as part of The Complete First season. This release
had one change - in the original version, as the jet takes off, escaping Colonel Lynch, (a cover of) 'Jumpin' Jack Flash', originally by The Rolling Stones, plays; and Murdock has it so loudly
on his headphones as he sings along, that he can't hear Face calling him. On the DVD version, this was replaced by generic rock music, and awkwardly edited out Murdock's singing. (Although I
fall under Region 2, I had the Region 1 version of the DVD, as it came out earlier; I am unsure if the Region 2 version has the same change). Other than this, the episode plays as the original
broadcast version. |
ADAPTATIONS:
This story was adapted by Charles Heath for the first of the set of ten novelisations based and adapted from the series (Heath wrote the
first six). It was published in the U.K. on the Star / Target label. Star and Target are the same company; Star generally seem to be the label for more mature, adult-orientated publications, where
Target generally deals with more family or children-orientated titles. The book can be found with both the Star and Target logo on. Both are about as common as each other. Other than the different logo,
the books are identical.
To note: unsurprisingly, the cover on the book has a picture of Dirk Benedict as Face (not Tim Dunigan), and on the back, the Benedict is credited as playing the character.
Also, the back cover reads “Adapted from the pilot episode ‘The A-Team’”; the (sub)title ‘Mexican Slayride’ wasn't particularly known as much when this book was published.
The book comprises of 176 pages ISBN 0 426 19684 8. Originally it sold for £1.80 UK, Australia $4.95.
The book can also be found in much rarer hard-back format (with a different cover), probably intended for circulation in Libraries.
In the US, the book was published with a different cover on a different label
.
The back cover reads:
THE A-TEAM – once a finely trained band of soldiers,
now renegades from justice, soldiers of fortune
willing to turn their talents to whatever escapades
fate may cast their way
George Peppard is John ‘Hannibal’ Smith
Mr T is B.A. Baracus
Dirk Benedict is Templeton Peck
Dwight Schultz is ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock
Melinda Culea is Amy Amanda Allen
and together they are –
THE
A-TEAM
Novel by Charles Heath
Based on the television series ‘The A-Team’
Created by Frank Lupo & Stephen J. Cannell
Adapted from the pilot episode ‘The A-Team’
Written by Frank Lupo & Stephen J. Cannell
The front inside cover (abridged very
slightly from the actual story) reads:
THE A-TEAM
Zachary pulled aside Hannibal’s photo, revealing a mugshot of
A mean-faced black man whose head was shaved except for
Sideburns and a tight-curled Mohawk. ‘Bosco Baracus. He had a
Reputation as best field infantry mechanic in Nam. He’s a
Mechanical genius, but he had one of the worst conduct records
In the Army. Seems he had a fondness for slugging officers.
Known as B.A. for short.’
‘B.A.?’ Amy asked, shuddering slightly at the fierce
expression on the black man’s face.
‘Bad Attitude.’
‘I can see that…’
INTERNATIONAL:
· The German title of this episode is ‘Verschollen in Mexiko’, which translates as ‘* in Mexico’
· The French title of this episode ‘Rio Blanco’ (no translation needed!)
· The Italian title of this episode is ‘
Of course, this episode is quite often billed as simply ‘The A-Team’ and / or ‘Pilot’, so each is sometimes billed with each language’s equivalents.
SLAYRIDES:
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An enjoyable Pilot which starts the series off well. |
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All the characters and key elements of the series are showcased. |
SLOWRIDES:
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It's a shame that Dirk Benedict isn't in it. |
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The love-hate relationship between B.A. and Murdock is only really hinted at here. |
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The pacing ,especially in the second half, isn't as spot on as some of the other first season greats. |
MOST MEMORABLE FOR :
Having a different actor playing Face.
BEST MOMENT:
B.A. bursting in through the bar doors.
THE FINAL WORD:
A worthy and enjoyable Pilot adventure to a great TV series. Some other TV series pilots struggle to find the feel of the series, but with The A-Team, things hit the ground running.
HANNIBAL'S CIGAR RATING:
9/10
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DISCLAIMER / LEGAL STUFF
'The A-Team' was created by Frank Lupo & Stephen J. Cannell,
Copyright 1982-86, Universal / Stephen J. Cannell Productions
This site is intended as an unofficial fan tribute, and no breach of
copyright is intended. All featured photos, scanned material, etc., is intended
purely for illustrative and personal use only and not to be used for profit.
Please do not reproduce any material from this site, in whole or in part, without
first asking permission. Any questions, E-MAIL ME