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Automan
Walter Nebicher (Desi Arnaz, Jr.) and Automan (Chuck Wagner).
Format	Science Fiction, Superhero
Starring	Desi Arnaz, Jr. Chuck Wagner Heather McNair Robert Lansing Gerald S. O'Loughlin
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	13
Production
Producer(s)	Glen A. Larson
Running time	50 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Original run	December 15, 1983 – April 2, 1984
External links
IMDb profile

Automan was a U.S., science fiction, superhero, television series produced by Glen A. Larson. It aired for only 12 episodes (although 13 were made) on ABC between 1983 and 1984. The series was loosely, and unofficially, based on the ground-breaking 1982 film Tron. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Desi Arnaz, Jr. ... Chuck Wagner (born June 20, 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA) is an American actor who has starred on television. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Superhero (disambiguation). ... Desi Arnaz, Jr. ... Chuck Wagner (born June 20, 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA) is an American actor who has starred on television. ... Heather McNair was an actress in Hollywood between 1983 and 1993. ... Robert Lansing (R) as Gary Seven and Teri Garr Robert Lansing (b. ... Gerald Stuart OLoughlin, Jr. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Glen A. Larson (born 1937) is a television writer and producer. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... For other uses, see Superhero (disambiguation). ... A television program is the content of television broadcasting. ... Glen A. Larson (born 1937) is a television writer and producer. ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) operates television and radio networks in the United States and is also shown on basic cable in Canada. ... // February 8 - Minipops premieres on Channel 4 in the UK. Though a ratings success, it is canceled after the first series due to heavy media criticism. ... This is a list of television-related events in 1984. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... Tron is a 1982 science fiction film starring Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn (and his counterpart inside the electronic world, Clu), Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley (and Tron), Cindy Morgan as Lora Baines (and Yori) and Dan Shor as Ram. ...

Synopsis

Automan (the "Automatic Man") followed the adventures of a police officer and computer programmer named Walter Nebicher (Desi Arnaz, Jr.), who had created an artificially intelligent crime fighting program that generated a hologram (Chuck Wagner) able to leave the computer world and enter reality to help solve crimes. Police officers in South Australia A police officer (or policeman/policewoman) is a warranted worker of a police force. ... In computing, a programmer is someone who does computer programming and develops computer software. ... Desi Arnaz, Jr. ... AI redirects here. ... This article is about the photographic technique. ... Chuck Wagner (born June 20, 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA) is an American actor who has starred on television. ... This article is about the machine. ...

While in the real world, Automan posed as a government agent who helped Walter by the name of "Otto J. Mann". This was a secret to all the regular characters, except Walter's close associate, Roxanne (Heather McNair). Heather McNair was an actress in Hollywood between 1983 and 1993. ...

Nebicher could merge with Automan to become one being, sharing both consciousness and skills, while retaining Automan's invulnerability to such things as gunshots and explosions. During the "merges" only Automan's form, a human head atop a glowing body made of circuit patterns and flickering light, could be seen.

Automan had a sidekick named Cursor, a free-floating, glowing, shifting polyhedron-shaped, mote of energy which could three-dimensionally "draw" and generate physical objects as they are needed, generally becoming the object in the process. Cursor could not become another object until dissolving the current object (usually a reversal of the "drawing" effect) and reassuming "his" normal form. Exceptions to this included the fabrication of more conventional outer clothing to hide Automan's unusual body appearance, and a variable dark colored vehicle lined in glowing blue piping. Jokingly referred to as the "Auto Mobile" in one of its earliest appearances, the most common forms taken were a car, a plane, and a helicopter, all of which could defy the laws of physics. A magnet levitating above a high-temperature superconductor demonstrates the Meissner effect. ...

Cursor could make the vehicle appear or, by making contact with it, cause it to change from one form into another, such as shifting from a car into a helicopter, and could then detach in order to perform other tasks. Cursor could create vehicles with a more conventional appearance but could not then separate from them as he did the unusual-looking forms without the object dissolving. It is also notable that Cursor was always the first to appear from a computer, after which he immediately "created" Automan's physical body. Automan and Cursor were generally only able to become corporeal at night, since they needed a large amount of power to run.

Automan was the only TV program to feature the use of a Lamborghini Countach as transport; the Auto Mobile's most common form was such a car. When driving, Automan turned his car at 90 degree angles (a result of Nebicher's programming). Automan was unaffected, but his passengers were generally knocked from one side of the car to the other. The Lamborghini Countach was a supercar produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini from 1974 to 1990. ...

The show also starred Heather McNair, Robert Lansing and Gerald S. O'Loughlin. Heather McNair was an actress in Hollywood between 1983 and 1993. ... Robert Lansing (R) as Gary Seven and Teri Garr Robert Lansing (b. ... Gerald Stuart OLoughlin, Jr. ...

Influences

Automan was inspired by the film Tron, which had come out a year earlier. Although similar in appearance, the special effects used to create the Automan look were completely different from the hand-painted effects used by Tron. Automan cinematographer Charles "Chuck" Barbee reports that what they actually did was use reflective material and portable projectors, though the end result looks simply like some kind of blue/green screen chromakey overlay. Tron is a 1982 science fiction film starring Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn (and his counterpart inside the electronic world, Clu), Bruce Boxleitner as Alan Bradley (and Tron), Cindy Morgan as Lora Baines (and Yori) and Dan Shor as Ram. ...

Cast

• Desi Arnaz, Jr. - Walter Nebicher
• Chuck Wagner - Automan / Otto J. Mann
• Robert Lansing - Lieutenant Jack Curtis
• Gerald S. O'Loughlin - Police Captain E. G. Boyd
• Heather McNair - Roxanne Caldwell

Desi Arnaz, Jr. ... Chuck Wagner (born June 20, 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee, USA) is an American actor who has starred on television. ... Robert Lansing (R) as Gary Seven and Teri Garr Robert Lansing (b. ... Gerald Stuart OLoughlin, Jr. ... Heather McNair was an actress in Hollywood between 1983 and 1993. ...

List of Automan episodes

1. "Automan" (December 15, 1983)
2. "Staying Alive While Running a High Flashdance Fever" (December 22, 1983)
3. "The Great Pretender" (December 29, 1983)
4. "Ships in the Night" (January 5, 1984)
5. "Unreasonable Facsimile" (January 12, 1984)
6. "Flashes and Ashes" (January 19, 1984)
7. "The Biggest Game in Town" (January 26, 1984)
8. "Renegade Run" (March 5, 1984)
9. "Murder MTV" (March 12, 1984)
10. "Murder, Take One" (March 19, 1984)
11. "Zippers" (March 26, 1984)
12. "Death By Design" (April 2, 1984)
13. "Club Ten" (unaired)*

Note: "Club Ten" has aired on The Sci-Fi Channel, and on BBC1 and Bravo in the UK. is the 349th day of the year (350th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 363rd day of the year (364th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 26th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... This article is about the day. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 71st day of the year (72nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 78th day of the year (79th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... March 26 is the 85th day of the year (86th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year. ... SCI FI (originally The Sci-Fi Channel, sometimes rendered SCI FI Channel when part of a longer phrase) is an American cable television channel, launched on September 24, 1992, specializing in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. ...

External links

• Chuck Wagner / Automan Page
• Automan at the Internet Movie Database
• RARE Automan collectibles and memorabilia exhibit
• Cinematographer Chuck Barbee page on how the Automan effects were done.