The Green Hornet is a fictional character, a masked crime fighter. Originally created by Fran Striker for an American old-time radio program in the 1930s, the character has appeared in other media as well, including film serials in the 1940s, a network television program in the 1960s, and multiple comic book series from the 1940s to the 1990s. Though various incarnations sometimes change details, in most incarnations the Green Hornet is Britt (or "Brit") Reid, a newspaper publisher by day who by night goes out in his masked "Green Hornet" identity to fight crime as a vigilante, accompanied by his similarly masked Asian manservant Kato and driving a car, equipped with advanced technology, called "Black Beauty". The Green Hornet is often portrayed as a fair-to-above average hand-to-hand combatant and is often armed with a gun that sprays knock-out gas (an electric stun weapon called the "hornet's sting" was added to his arsenal in the TV series). Alice, a fictional character based on a real character from the work of Lewis Carroll. ... Fran Striker (born Francis Hamilton Striker) (1903 – September 4, 1962) was an American writer for radio and comics, best known for creating The Lone Ranger. ... Before television, radio was the dominant home entertainment medium. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the World Depression. ... DVD front cover for The Adventures of Captain Marvel, one of the most celebrated serials for both Republic Pictures and of the sound era in general. ... The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949. ... A television program (US), television programme (UK) or simply television show is a segment of programming in television broadcasting. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from 1960 to 1969. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... For the band, see 1990s (band). ... For other uses, see Vigilante (disambiguation). ... The Green Hornet with Kato below the title character. ...

Originally, the show was to be called The Hornet, but the name was changed to The Green Hornet so that it could be more easily trademarked. The color was chosen because green hornets were reputed to be the angriest.

One relatively minor aspect of the character which tends to be given limited exposure in the actual productions is his blood relationship to The Lone Ranger, another character created by Striker. The Lone Ranger's nephew was Dan Reid. In the Green Hornet radio shows, the Hornet's father was likewise named Dan Reid, making the hero the Ranger's grand-nephew. The Lone Ranger. ...

The Western property was sold to another company in the 1950s, a legal complication that resulted in the identity of the Masked Rider of the Plains being obscured when it has been dealt with at all in Green Hornet depictions (though a comic book from NOW Comics later displayed the Hornet's living room as being decorated with a painting of a man dressed very similarly to the Lone Ranger; the radio series had expressly indicated the presence of such a portrait there). This article does not cite any references or sources. ... NOW Comics was founded by Tony C. Caputo in 1985 as a sole-proprietorship before becoming part of Caputo Publishing, Inc. ...

Radio series

The character premiered in The Green Hornet, an American radio program that ran on WXYZ (a local Detroit station), the Mutual Broadcasting System and the network known through its succession of various owners as NBC Blue, the Blue Network and the ABC Network from January 31, 1936 to December 5, 1952. The juvenile adventure series initially starred Al Hodge in the title role, followed by Donovan Faust (1943), Robert Hall (1943-51) and Jack McCarthy (1951-52). The radio show used Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" as its theme music, blended with a hornet buzz created on a theremin, and "The Infernal Dance of King Koshchei" from Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird, usually used after this announced part: Radio broadcasts have been a popular entertainment since the 1910s, though popularity has declined a little in some countries since television became widespread. ... WXYZ is the ABC affiliate in Detroit, Michigan. ... Detroit redirects here. ... The Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS) was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. ... This article is about the television network. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American radio and television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... This article is about the American broadcast network. ... is the 31st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... The year 1936 in radio involved some significant events. ... is the 339th day of the year (340th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The year 1952 in radio involved some significant events. ... (For Big Al Hodge, the Cornish rock musician, see Al Hodge. ... // May 2 - Fireside chat: On the Coal Crisis July 28 - Fireside chat: On Progress of War and Plans for Peace September 8 - Fireside chat: Opening Third War Loan Drive December 24 - Fireside chat: On Tehran and Cairo Conferences January 10 - The Better Half, a quiz show, debuts on Mutual. ... The year 1951 in radio involved some significant events. ... Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov (Russian: , Nikolaj Andreevič Rimskij-Korsakov), also Nikolay, Nicolai, and Rimsky-Korsakoff, (March 6 (N.S. March 18), 1844 – June 8 (N.S. June 21) 1908) was a Russian composer, one of five Russian composers known as The Five, and was later a... Flight of the Bumblebee is a famous orchestral interlude written by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov for his opera The Tale of Tsar Saltan, composed in 1899-1900. ... Léon Theremin playing an early theremin The theremin (originally pronounced but often anglicized as [1]), or thereminvox, is one of the earliest fully electronic musical instruments. ... Igor Stravinsky. ... The Firebird (French: LOiseau de feu; Russian: Жар-птица, Žar-ptica) is a 1910 ballet by Igor Stravinsky. ...

"Stepping through a secret panel in the rear of the closet in his bedroom, Britt Reid and Kato went along a narrow passageway built within the walls of the apartment itself. This passage led to an adjoining building which fronted on a dark side street. Though supposedly abandoned, this building served as the hiding place for the sleek, super-powered "Black Beauty", streamlined car of The Green Hornet. [Sound of Reid and Kato getting into car] Britt Reid pressed a button. [Sound of car starting] The great car roared into life. [Sound of revving engine] A section of the wall in front raised automatically, then closed as the gleaming "Black Beauty" sped into the darkness." [Sound of engine roaring and car driving away]

Other famous classical works used as incidental music for the series included Hector Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's Pathetique Symphony, Ludwig van Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony and the Overture to Richard Wagner's The Flying Dutchman. Painting of Berlioz by Gustave Courbet, 1850. ... Symphonie fantastique (Fantastic Symphony) Opus 14, is a symphony written by French composer Hector Berlioz in 1830. ... “Tchaikovsky” redirects here. ... Excerpt from the fourth movement of Tchaikovskys Pathetique Symphony. ... “Beethoven” redirects here. ... Ludwig van Beethovens Symphony No. ... Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner (22 May 1813 – 13 February 1883) was a German composer, conductor, music theorist, and essayist, primarily known for his operas (or music dramas as they were later called). ... Der fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman) is an opera, with music and libretto by Richard Wagner. ...

The series detailed the adventures of Britt Reid, debonair newspaper publisher by day, crime-fighting masked hero at night. The vigilante nature of his operation quickly resulted in his being declared an outlaw himself, and Britt Reid decided to play to it. The Green Hornet became thought of as one of his city's biggest criminals, allowing him to walk into suspected racketeers' offices and ply them for information, or even demand a cut of their profits. He would be accompanied by his similarly masked but unnamed chauffeur/bodyguard/enforcer, who was also Reid's valet, Kato, initially described as a Japanese, and eventually as a Filipino. A widespread urban legend has been the claim that the show's writers switched from one nationality to the other immediately after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, but the first disappeared well before direct U. S. involvement in the war, and the latter was not initially given until much later, with nothing more specific than "Oriental" being said in the interim. (When the characters were used in the first of a pair of movie serials, the politically perceptive producers of 1939 had Kato's nationality given as Korean.) A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... Bodyguards of Viktor Yushchenko (far left) after leaving Gdansk city hall. ... The Green Hornet with Kato below the title character. ... This article is about the harbor in Hawaii. ... DVD front cover for The Adventures of Captain Marvel, one of the most celebrated serials for both Republic Pictures and of the sound era in general. ...

Britt Reid is a blood relative of The Lone Ranger. The character of Dan Reid, who appeared on the Lone Ranger program as the Masked Man's nephew, was also featured on the Green Hornet as Britt Reid's father, making the Green Hornet the grand-nephew of the Lone Ranger. Confirming this was the radio show episode "Too Hot To Handle": After his secret identity was uncovered in a previous episode, "Exposed" (broadcast October 28, 1947), by Linda Travers, a novice reporter secretly hired by Britt's father to check up on him, Britt told his father Dan that he was the masked Green Hornet. After his initial shock and anger, Dan Reid referred to a "pioneer ancestor" of Britt's that he himself had rode alongside with in Texas, a man who rode a horse and acted as a vigilante, and expressed his pride in and love for his son. As he explained this, the Lone Ranger theme briefly played in the background.^[1] The Lone Ranger. ...

Jim Jewell directed the series until 1938. Jewell's sister, Lee Allman (Lenore Jewell Allman) wanted to play a part in a radio series at WXYZ so Jim had her written into The Green Hornet. She was the only actress to play Lenore Case, Britt Reid's secretary, during the entire run of the series. "Casey" was aware of her boss's double life, but only in the later years of the run. Similarly, another confidant, Police Commissioner James Higgins, did not come into existence until near the end of the series; he was introduced in the previously mentioned episode "Too Hot to Handle" as an old friend of Dan Reid's who was being blackmailed and who was rescued by the Green Hornet. Shortly thereafter, either Dan Reid or Britt himself confided the Hornet's secret identity to Higgins. James Jewell (1906 - 1975) was an American radio actor, producer and director at radio station WXYZ, Detroit, Michigan. ... Year 1938 (MCMXXXVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Other major characters in the radio series were Mike Axford, a bombastic former police detective who originally had been hired by Britt Reid's father as a bodyguard for Britt but who drifted into becoming a reporter for The Daily Sentinel by virtue of his contacts at Police Headquarters (especially his best friend Sergeant Burke, known usually as "Sarge") and who was the most dedicated pursuer of the Green Hornet (while expressing his admiration for the Hornet's ability to both smash criminals and elude the authorities); Gunnigan, the irascible city editor of The Daily Sentinel; Ed Lowery, one of The Sentinel's best reporters who also admired the Hornet; and "Clicker" Binny, a female photographer for The Sentinel who usually teamed up with Lowery on news assignments and filled in as Britt Reid's secretary on those occasions when Lenore Case was away. When "Clicker"'s character was written out of the series (in the episode "The Corpse That Wasn't There", broadcast on February 28, 1943, a letter from "Clicker" states that she has become a Second Officer in the WACS stationed in North Africa), her place was filled in 1942 by Gale Manning, whose southern drawl and "dumb southern belle" manner (which didn't fool Britt Reid but which totally irritated both Lowery and Axford, especially when she managed to get information or stories that neither man could) hid a top-notch reporter. After her character left the series, sometimes Lenore Case herself joined either Lowery or Axford on assignments. WAC Air Controller by Dan V. Smith, 1943. ...

Two major foes for The Green Hornet were the mysterious "Mr. X", a criminal mastermind who became part of a storyline in 1941 pitting the Hornet against him in an ongoign battle, and Oliver Perry, a famous but unscrupulous private detective who repeatedly returned to try and unmask The Green Hornet. Perry suspected Britt Reid of being the Hornet, but was never able to prove it and episodes featuring him always ended with the Hornet either outwitting him or humiliating him to the point where he was forced to leave town, if not both.

In the original introduction of the radio show, the announcer (famed newsman Mike Wallace held the position at some point during the run) proclaimed that the Green Hornet "hunts the biggest of all game ... public enemies that even the G-Men cannot reach," referring to FBI agents. FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover objected to the line's implication that some crime fighting was beyond the abilities of the FBI, and it was changed to "public enemies who try to destroy our America."^[2] Mike Wallace (born Myron Leon Wallace on May 9, 1918) is a former American game show host, television personality, and journalist. ... F.B.I. and FBI redirect here. ... John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972) was the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. ...

The Green Hornet was initially played by Al Hodge, who later went on to play television's Captain Video. The role of Kato was handled through most of the run by Roland Parker. (For Big Al Hodge, the Cornish rock musician, see Al Hodge. ... The Video Ranger and Captain Video in space suits at the controls of the X-9 Captain Video and His Video Rangers was an American science fiction television series. ...

In other media

Film serials

The Green Hornet was adapted into two movie serials. Disliking the treatment Republic gave The Lone Ranger in two serials, George W. Trendle took his Number 2 property to Universal Pictures, and he was much happier with the results. The first serial, titled simply The Green Hornet and released in 1940, starred Gordon Jones in the title role, albeit dubbed by original radio Hornet Al Hodge whenever the hero's mask was in place, while The Green Hornet Strikes Again of 1941 starred Warren Hull. Keye Luke, the famous #1 son of the Charlie Chan films, played Kato in both; also starring in both serials were Anne Nagel as "Lenore Case" and Wade Boteler as "Mike Axford". Even though America wasn't in the war yet, Kato's nationality is changed to Korean. Ford Beebe directed both serials, partnered by Ray Taylor on The Green Hornet and John Rawlins on The Green Hornet Strikes Again, with George H. Plympton and Basil Dickey providing the screenplays for both serials. DVD front cover for The Adventures of Captain Marvel, one of the most celebrated serials for both Republic Pictures and of the sound era in general. ... Republic Pictures Corporation (aka Republic Entertainment) is an independent film, television, and video distribution company that was originally a movie production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, best known for its specialization in quality B pictures, westerns and movie serials. ... The Lone Ranger. ... George Washington Trendle born July 4, 1884 in Norwalk, Ohio, was a Detroit, Michigan lawyer and businessman, best known as the producer of the Lone Ranger radio and television programs. ... This article is about the American media conglomerate. ... The Green Hornet (1940) is a Universal movie serial based on the The Green Hornet radio series by George W. Trendle. ... The year 1940 in film involved some significant events. ... (For Big Al Hodge, the Cornish rock musician, see Al Hodge. ... The Green Hornet Strikes Again (1941) is a Universal movie serial based on the The Green Hornet radio series by George W. Trendle. ... The year 1941 in film involved some significant events. ... John Warren Hull (January 7, 1903 – September 14, 1974) was one of the most popular serial actors in the 1930s. ... Keye Luke ( Cantonese: Lo Sek Lam Pinyin: Lù Xílín) (June 18, 1904–January 12, 1991) was a Chinese actor. ... 1938 titlecard Number One Son with the seat of his pants on fire in Charlie Chan at Monte Carlo Charlie Chan is a fictional Chinese-American detective created by Earl Derr Biggers, reportedly in part under inspiration from the career of Chang Apana. ... Anne Nagel (b. ... Ford Beebe (born 26 November 1888 in Grand Rapids, Michigan – died 26 November 1978 in Lake Elsinore, California) was a screenwriter and director of several movies. ...

Television

Inspired by the success of the Batman series, ABC brought The Green Hornet to television in 1966-67, an adaptation which introduced martial arts master Bruce Lee to American audiences and starred Van Williams as the Green Hornet. Unlike Batman, the TV version of The Green Hornet was played straight, but in spite of the considerable interest in Lee, it was cancelled after only one season. However, the rise of Lee as a major cult movie star ensured continued interest in the property to the point where proposed Green Hornet productions typically have the casting of some major martial arts film star as Kato as the first order of business. Lee's popularity in Hong Kong, where he was raised, was such that the show was marketed there as The Kato Show. This article is about the 1960s television series. ... The year 1966 in television involved some significant events. ... The year 1967 in television involved some significant events. ... Hawaiian State Grappling Championships. ... Bruce Lee (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng; Cantonese Yale: Léih Síulùhng; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Chinese-American martial artist, philosopher, instructor, and martial arts actor widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century and a... Van (Van Zandt) Williams is an American actor (born February 22, 1934, in Fort Worth, Texas) best known for his brief yet world famous television role as Britt Reid aka Green Hornet with the late Bruce Lee as his sidekick Kato, in the 1966-1967 ABC The Green Hornet television... Martial arts film is a film genre that originated in the Pacific Rim. ...

As with the later years of the radio version, secretary Lenore "Casey" Case is again aware of Reid's secret, and the Hornet also has a confidante within the law enforcement community, but now he is District Attorney Frank P. Scanlon. This character was changed from the original's police commissioner because the same company's Batman TV series was already using a man in that post as the official contact of its hero. William Dozier, executive producer of both programs, wanted no more comparisons between the two than were unavoidable. Michael Axford, the bodyguard turned reporter of the radio series, is now simply the police reporter for The Daily Sentinel, with no history of having been on the force. William Dozier (13 February 1908 – 23 April 1991) was a television producer and actor, most famous as the producer and narrator of the Batman television series. ...

The music of "Flight of the Bumblebee" was so strongly identified with The Green Hornet that it was retained as the theme, orchestrated by Billy May (who also composed the new background scores) and conducted by Lionel Newman, with trumpet solo by Al Hirt. Years later, this music was featured during a key scene in the 2003 film, Kill Bill, Vol. 1, which paid tribute to Kato by featuring dozens of swordfighters wearing Kato masks during the film's key fight sequence. William E. May, better known as Billy May (10 November 1916 – 22 January 2004) was an American composer, arranger and musician. ... Born in New Haven, Conn. ... Al Hirt (November 7, 1922 – April 27, 1999) was a popular U.S. trumpeter and bandleader. ... Kill Bill is the fourth film by writer-director Quentin Tarantino. ...

The TV series displayed the Hornet's car, Black Beauty, a 1966 Chrysler Crown Imperial sedan customized by Dean Jeffries.^[3] The Beauty's regular headlight cluster supposedly could be flipped over to reveal what studio publicity described as "infra-green" headlights, but this could not be done on the actual vehicle, and the green filters were always seen deployed. It was revealed in the related comic book spun off from the show that the green headlights used polarized light which in combination with the appropriately polarized vision filter (translucent green sun visor-like panels) could provide almost as much illumination as conventional headlights while being extremely dim -- almost invisibly dark -- to someone without the filter (in some early episodes in two-shots with both Van Williams and Bruce Lee inside the Black Beauty as seen through the windshield, Lee's face was tinted green, implying the use of the "polarized" filter, while Williams was seen in normal flesh tone, although this is not the case in close-ups of Lee alone; since specification of what this lighting was supposed to indicate never made it into any finished episode, the effect was soon discontinued). However, most night shots were actually filmed during the daytime by the day for night technique, giving the illusion of night-time as the actual car headlights were not polarized but just had green lenses, which would render the headlights useless for real night-driving. As the series progressed, the process was executed less effectively, reaching the point where the viewer would need context to understand that some scenes were supposed to be taking place at night, as can be observed in screening the episodes in either original network airing or syndication (production) order. Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... In electrodynamics, polarization (also spelled polarisation) is the property of electromagnetic waves, such as light, that describes the direction of their transverse electric field. ... Day-for-night is a term used for describing when film crews shoot scenes scripted for night but shot during the day. ...

The Black Beauty could fire explosive charges from tubes at its bumpers, which were said to be rockets with explosive warheads, had a concealed-when-not-in-use, drop-down knock-out gas nozzle in the center of the front grille, and could launch a small flying video/audio surveillance device through the trunk lid. Jeffries built two vehicles for the series. One is now in the Petersen Automotive collection in California, and the other is in a private collection in South Carolina. George Barris subsequently made a copy, which has led to some sources incorrectly crediting him with creating the car in the first place. George Barris is one of the best-known designers of custom cars in the world. ...

The TV series also employed an audio device from the radio show. In its era, the engines of cheaper cars made a lot of noise; the expensive Pierce-Arrow was reputed to be extremely quiet. So, when the Green Hornet said, "rig for silent running," the hornet-like buzz on the radio show was turned off and the listener was left to imagine that the car really was silent. On TV, the car sounded like a modern car, but the noise was removed from the soundtrack after this command. 1919 Pierce-Arrow advertisement The Pierce-Arrow was a Buffalo, New York (United States) based manufacturing company from 1901 to 1938. ...

(An article in TV Guide published during the show's network run made reference to disparaging comments made within the industry about ABC being "the two-car network" because of the Black Beauty and the Batmobile.) TV Guide is the name of two North American weekly magazines about television programming, one in the United States and one in Canada. ...

Comic books

Green Hornet comic books began in December 1940. These, initially titled Green Hornet Comics, were originally published by Helnit, with the writing attributed to Fran Striker. This series ended after six issues. Several months later, Harvey Comics launched their own version, beginning with issue #7. This series ended in 1949, having run to 47 issues. (The title was changed to Green Hornet Fights Crime as of issue #34 and Green Hornet, Racket Buster with issue #44). Harvey additionally used the character in the public-service one-shot, War Victory Comics in 1942^[4], and gave him one adventure in each of two issues of All-New Comics, #13, where he was also featured on the cover, and #14, in 1946^[5]. Dell Comics published a one-shot with the character, officially entitled Four Color #496, in 1953, inexplicably several months after the radio series ceased production^[6]. Both stories therein share titles with late-era radio episodes and might well be adaptations. In 1967 Gold Key Comics produced a series based on the TV show, which reflected that program's short life with a brief three-issue run. A comic book is a magazine or book containing the art form of comics. ... See also: 1939 in comics, other events of 1940, 1941 in comics, 1940s in comics and the list of years in comics Publications: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December Publications This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... Fran Striker (born Francis Hamilton Striker) (1903 – September 4, 1962) was an American writer for radio and comics, best known for creating The Lone Ranger. ... Casper the Friendly Ghost in Theres Good Boos To-Night (1948). ... See also: 1948 in comics, other events of 1949, 1950 in comics, 1940s in comics and the list of years in comics Publications: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... See also: 1941 in comics, other events of 1942, 1943 in comics, 1940s in comics and the list of years in comics Publications: January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December This literature-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. ... // See also: 1945 in comics, other events of 1946, 1947 in comics, 1940s in comics and the list of years in comics September 26: first issue of Le Journal de Tintin, featuring debut of the series Blake et Mortimer by Edgar P. Jacobs, and the Tintin story Le temple du... Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publications, which got its start in pulp magazines. ... One of the earlier issues of Four Color, featuring Walt Disneys Donald Duck. ... Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing cteated for comic books distributed to newstands. ...

Beginning in 1989, NOW Comics produced a line of Green Hornet comics, initially written by Ron Fortier and illustrated by Jeff Butler. Inspired by the aforementioned Lone Ranger connection of radio days, they attempted to reconcile the different versions of the character into a multi-generational epic. There was even a portrait of the Ranger in the Reid family's mansion, though due to the legal separation of the two properties, his mask covered his entire face, and he could not be called by name. In this interpretation, the Britt of the radio series had fought crime as the Hornet in the 1930s and 1940s before retiring. The television character was revealed to be the namesake nephew of the original Britt Reid, who took up his uncle's mantle. In the comic, his nephew named Paul Reid takes on the role of the Hornet and is assisted by a new, female Kato. The addition of the female character, Mishi Kato, caused problems between the publishers and the property's owners, who withdrew approval of that character and mandated the return of "the Bruce Lee version." In the last two issues, a fourth Kato, nephew to both of these, took over as Paul's fellow masked vigilante. ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ... NOW Comics was founded by Tony C. Caputo in 1985 as a sole-proprietorship before becoming part of Caputo Publishing, Inc. ... The Green Hornet with Kato below the title character. ...

There were two main Green Hornet series from NOW, as well as various annuals, miniseries, and spin-offs. The first began in 1989 and had reached 14 issues when the company suspended operations for several months. The second volume began in 1991 and lasted 40 issues, ending in 1995 because the publishers went out of business. Like Tonto before him, Kato (specifically, the Bruce Lee-based one) got his spin-off solo adventures: a 4 issue miniseries in 1991, and a two issue follow-up in 1992, both written by Mike Baron. He also wrote a third, first announced as a two-issue mini, then as a graphic novel, but it was never released due to the company's collapse. Tales of the Green Hornet, consisting of nine issues spread out over three volumes (two, four, and three issues, respectively), presented stories of the two previous Hornets, with Volume One having a plotline, starring Green Hornet II, provided by Van Williams, the actor who played that character's basis on TV. The follow-ups, beginning with the most detailed version of the Green Hornet's origin in any professional medium, were written by James Van Hise. ‹ The template below (Expand) is being considered for deletion. ... 1991 1990 in comics 1992 in comics Notable events of 1991 in comics. ... 1995 1994 in comics 1996 in comics Notable events of 1995 in comics. ... Tonto may mean: Tonto (Lone Ranger character), the fictional sidekick to the Lone Ranger. ... 1992 1991 in comics 1993 in comics Notable events of 1992 in comics. ... Mike Baron is the creator of comic books Badger and (along with Steve Rude) Nexus. ... Van (Van Zandt) Williams is an American actor (born February 22, 1934, in Fort Worth, Texas) best known for his brief yet world famous television role as Britt Reid aka Green Hornet with the late Bruce Lee as his sidekick Kato, in the 1966-1967 ABC The Green Hornet television...

Discounting depictions of the cars utilized by the 1940s and 1960s Hornets, there were two different versions of the Black Beauty used in the NOW comic series. The first was loosely based on the Pontiac Banshee.^[7] Painted black and green, as a sports/exotic car, it was a big change from the two Black Beauty limousines used by previous Green Hornets. With the realization that such a distinctive vehicle was inappropriate to the nature of the Hornet operation, the Black Beauty was again changed to a 4 door sedan, this time based on the 91-96 Oldsmobile 98 Touring Sedan. The Pontiac Banshee is a concept car designed by General Motors and unveiled in 1988. ... The Oldsmobile 98 (formerly Series 90 Custom Cruiser) was a full-size automobile sold by the Oldsmobile division of General Motors in the United States. ...

Prose fiction

Western Publishing subsidiary Whitman Books released four works of text fiction based on the character, targeting younger readers. There were three entries in the children's line of profusely illustrated Big Little Books, The Green Hornet Strikes!, The Green Hornet Returns, and The Green Hornet Cracks Down, in 1940, 1941 and 1942, respectively, all attributed to Fran Striker. In 1966, their line for older juveniles included Green Hornet: Case of the Disappearing Doctor, by Brandon Keith, a tie-in to the television series. At about the same time, Dell Publishing released a mass-market paperback, The Green Hornet in The Infernal Light by Ed Friend, not only derived from the small-screen production as well, but, "allegedly based on one of the TV episodes".^[8] It has been suggested that Western Publishing Company be merged into this article or section. ... Big Little Books began in 1932, published by the Whitman Publishing Company in Racine, Wisconsin. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see 1941 (disambiguation). ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link will display the full 1942 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Fran Striker (born Francis Hamilton Striker) (1903 – September 4, 1962) was an American writer for radio and comics, best known for creating The Lone Ranger. ... Year 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. ... Dell Publishing was an American publisher of books, magazines, and comic books. ...

Feature films

One feature-length movie was edited from the last six chapters of the first serial and bore the same title. Two others were cut from the television series, to cash in on the subsequent popularity of Bruce Lee. The first, carrying the program's name, was seen in US theaters and in the mid 1990s briefly released on the Video Treasures label in VHS. The other, Fury of the Dragon has been available in America only via the bootleg recording market. Finally, there was an unauthorized feature made in Hong Kong in 1994 ^[9]. Titled Qing feng xia, it starred Kar Lok Chin as a masked hero called Green Hornet (in English subtitles), but dressed like Kato, as seen in the 1960s television version. In fact, one scene had this man being reminded of those who had come before him, and he was shown a standee of Bruce Lee in his Kato costume and mask as one predecessor. Video Treasures was a home video distributor of the 1980s, specialising in B-movies and classic films. ... For other uses, see Bootleg. ... Bruce Lee (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng; Cantonese Yale: Léih Síulùhng; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Chinese-American martial artist, philosopher, instructor, and martial arts actor widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century and a...

Recent developments

A new film version of the character has been in the works for decades. In the 1990s, the magazine Comics Scene reported that George Clooney and Jason Scott Lee were lined up to play the leads. Late in the 90s, music video director Michel Gondry worked with RoboCop screenwriter Edward Neumeier on a possible Green Hornet adaptation.^[10] Subsequently, screenwriter John Fusco created a screenplay for the film around 2002. Comics Scene was a magazine published in three volumes by Starlog Group Inc. ... George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor, director, producer and screenwriter who gained fame as one of the lead doctors in the long-running television drama, ER (1994–99), as Anthony Edwardss best friend and partner, Dr. Douglas Doug Ross, but is best known for... Jason Scott Lee playing Bruce Lee in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story. Jason Scott Lee (李截, pinyin: Lǐ Jié, born November 19, 1966) is an American movie actor. ... Michel Gondry, 2005 Michel Gondry, born May 8, 1963 (1964 according to some sources), is a French Academy Award winning screenwriter, film, commercial, and music video director noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. ... RoboCop is a 1987 science-fiction, action movie and satire of business-driven capitalism, directed by Paul Verhoeven. ... Edward Neumeier is a screenwriter best known for his work on the science fiction movies RoboCop (with Michael Miner) and Starship Troopers. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ...

As of the summer of 2004, Kevin Smith was writing a screenplay for a new rendition of The Green Hornet which was originally scheduled for release in 2005. It was rumored that Jet Li would portray Kato and Jake Gyllenhaal would play the Green Hornet. In 2004 Kevin Smith put the film on the back burner. After a long downtime in which his status with the project was unknown, Smith announced at the 2006 Wondercon that he officially no longer has anything to do with The Green Hornet.^[11]
This article is about the American screenwriter and film director. ... Jet Li (born April 26, 1963) is a Chinese martial artist, actor, Wushu champion, and international film star. ... Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal[1] (born December 19, 1980) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. ...

A ten-minute The Green Hornet fan film was released in 2006. The short film was produced by Aurélien Poitrimoult and is distributed free on the Internet along with a "making of" featurette. A fan film is a film or video inspired by a film, television program, comic book or a similar source, created by fans rather than by the sources copyright holders or creators. ... In cinema, a Making Of is a behind the scenes documentary film look of the production of the show. ... Celluloid media Featurette is a term used in the American film industry to designate a film of approximately 3-4 reels length, or about 20-44 minutes in running time - thus midway between a short subject and a feature film; thus it is a small feature (ette is a common...

An episode from the radio series of The Green Hornet was played for those in attendance at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in September 2006. Terry Salomonson, a radio historian, presented a brief history of the radio program and then shared the recording, which until that day, had been unheard since its initial broadcast back in the 1930s. The Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention is an event held annually in Aberdeen, Maryland. ... This article is about the occupation of studying history. ...

On March 20, 2007, Columbia Pictures confirmed they had bought the film rights to the character with a possible release slated for summer 2009^[12] which Variety reported on July 20, 2007 that Seth Rogen had been hired to write, produce and star as the Green Hornet himself.^[13] On July 21, 2007, it was stated that Rogen would like Stephen Chow to play Kato. However, a spokesman for Stephen Chow regarding the film has said, "We haven't got any information at this time. We don't know who the director is and what the screenplay is like." is the 79th day of the year (80th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... The Columbia Pictures logo from 1993 to the present Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. ... is the 201st day of the year (202nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... Seth Rogen (born April 15, 1982) is a Canadian actor, comedian, and Emmy-nominated writer. ... Stephen Chow (also Stephen Chiau) (traditional Chinese: 周星馳; simplified Chinese : 周星驰; often Romanized as Chow Sing Chi; pinyin : Zhōu XÄ«ngchí; jyutping : zau1 sing1 ci4) (born June 22, 1962) is a director and actor in many blockbuster movies in Hong Kong. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• During World War II, the radio show's title was used as a codename for SIGSALY, secret encryption equipment used in the war. "The Green Hornet" also became a popular nickname for General George S. Patton, possibly because of the speed with which he re-routed the Third Army to relieve the 101st Airborne Division at the Battle of the Bulge^{[citation needed]}, or possibly due to the unique and attention-getting uniform that he proposed for tank crews, which featured a gold-painted football helmet. Supposedly, while Patton was testing it after development (which he funded out of his own pocket), one Army trooper said "Look! It's the Green Hornet!" and the name followed Patton for years^{[citation needed]}.

• Andy Reid, the coach of the Philadelphia Eagles NFL football team was such a big fan of The Green Hornet that he named one of his sons "Brit" to honor his hero. The son currently has a criminal record.[1]

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. ... SIGSALY exhibit at the National Cryptologic Museum In cryptography, SIGSALY (also Green Hornet) was a telephone scrambler used in World War II for the highest-level Allied communications. ... George Patton redirects here. ... Distinctive Unit Insignia // The Third United States Army was first activated as a formation during the First World War on November 7, 1918, at Chaumont, France, when the General Headquarters of the American Expeditionary Forces issued General Order 198 organizing the Third Army and announcing its headquarters staff. ... The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles”—is an airborne division of the United States Army primarily trained for air assault operations. ... For the 1965 film, see Battle of the Bulge (film). ... For the football (soccer) player, see Andy Reid (footballer). ... City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Team colors Midnight Green, Black, White, and Silver Head Coach Andy Reid Owner Jeffrey Lurie General manager Tom Heckert Fight song Fly, Eagles Fly Mascot Swoop League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1933–present) Eastern Division (1933-1949) American Conference (1950-1952) Eastern Conference (1953-1969) Capitol... NFL redirects here. ...

Sources

• Commercial audio releases of many radio series episodes (various labels).

• Commercial home video releases of both serials (VCI Home Video, and Video Treasures/Anchor Bay, respectively).

• Home video releases of all television episodes (bootleg market).

• All three Gold Key Comics comic books.

• Eighty-one NOW Comics comic books (some letter columns give information about other areas of Green Hornet development).

and Video Treasures was a home video distributor of the 1980s, specialising in B-movies and classic films. ... For other uses, see Bootleg. ... Gold Key Comics was an imprint of Western Publishing cteated for comic books distributed to newstands. ... NOW Comics was founded by Tony C. Caputo in 1985 as a sole-proprietorship before becoming part of Caputo Publishing, Inc. ...

• Harmon, Jim, The Great Radio Heroes, Doubleday, 1967.

___,___, Radio Mystery and Adventure and Its Appearances in Film, Television and Other Media, McFarland & Company, Inc., 1992.

• Little, John, "Bruce Lee and the Green Hornet: Van Williams remembers 'Kato'", Black Belt, Vol. 33, #4, April 1995, Rainbow Publications.

• Murray, Will, "The Green Hornet," TV Gold, #4, August 1986, Movieland Publishing.

___,___, "Van Williams After the Mask," Starlog, #135, October 1988, Starlog Communications International, Inc.

___,___, "Where Hornets Swarm," Comics Scene, #9, [October] 1989, Starlog Communications International, Inc.

___,___, "The Grey Hornet," Comics Scene, #15, October 1990, Starlog Communications International, Inc.

• Pollard, Maxwell, "is [sic] The Green Hornet's version of Gung-Fu Genuine?," The Best of Bruce Lee, 1974, Rainbow Publications (reprinted from Black Belt, October 1967, Rainbow Publications, volume & issue numbers not given).

___,___, "In Kato's Gung-Fu Action Is Instant," The Best of Bruce Lee, 1974, Rainbow Publications (reprinted from Black Belt, November 1967, Rainbow Publications, volume & issue numbers not given).

• Van Hise, James, The Green Hornet Book, Schuster and Schuster Inc., 1988.

James Judson Harmon, aka Jim Harmon (born 1933), is an American short story author and popular culture historian who has written extensively about the Golden Age of Radio. ... It has been suggested that The Crime Club be merged into this article or section. ... Bruce Lee (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; Pinyin: Lǐ Xiǎolóng; Cantonese Yale: Léih Síulùhng; November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Chinese-American martial artist, philosopher, instructor, and martial arts actor widely regarded as the most influential martial artist of the 20th century and a... Van (Van Zandt) Williams is an American actor (born February 22, 1934, in Fort Worth, Texas) best known for his brief yet world famous television role as Britt Reid aka Green Hornet with the late Bruce Lee as his sidekick Kato, in the 1966-1967 ABC The Green Hornet television... The Green Hornet with Kato below the title character. ... For the radio personality, see Will Murray. ... Starlog is a science-fiction film magazine published by Starlog Group Inc. ... Starlog is a science-fiction film magazine published by Starlog Group Inc. ... Comics Scene was a magazine published in three volumes by Starlog Group Inc. ...

References

James Judson Harmon, aka Jim Harmon (born 1933), is an American short story author and popular culture historian who has written extensively about the Golden Age of Radio. ... It has been suggested that The Crime Club be merged into this article or section. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and conform with our NPOV policy, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and conform with our NPOV policy, this article or section may require cleanup. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards and conform with our NPOV policy, this article or section may require cleanup. ... NOW Comics was founded by Tony C. Caputo in 1985 as a sole-proprietorship before becoming part of Caputo Publishing, Inc. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

Listen to

• Botar's OTR: The Green Hornet: 20 episodes (1941-52)

External links

• Official Site
• Official Black Beauty site
• The Green Hornet (character) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Green Hornet (1940 film serial) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Green Hornet (1990 feature condensation of 1940 serial) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Green Hornet Strikes Again! (1941 film serial) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Green Hornet (1966 TV series) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Green Hornet (1974 feature compilation of TV episodes) at the Internet Movie Database
• Fury of the Dragon (1976 feature compilation of TV episodes) at the Internet Movie Database
• Qing Feng Xia (1994 Hong Kong Green Hornet film) at the Internet Movie Database
• The Green Hornet fan forum
• International Superhero entry
• Grand Comic Book Database: Green Hornet in various incarnations
• Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: The Green Hornet