The network ABC began their masks of justice for all with Clayton Moore leading the fight for law and order as the masked rider of the Old West known as “The Lone Ranger.“ That led to the legend of Guy Williams as the midnight rider named “Zorro” in 1957, followed by Adam West making a “POW!” as Gotham City’s Caped Crusader known as “Batman” in January 1966.
On Friday, September 9, 1966, that hunt for justice continued with “The Green Hornet” starring Van Williams and martial arts legend Bruce Lee as the titular vigilante superhero and his faithful kung-fu aide Kato.
Created by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker in 1936, the Green Hornet is the alter-ego of crusading newspaper publisher Britt Reid, the grand-nephew of the Lone Ranger, whom Striker also created back in 1933. To the underworld and the police, the Green Hornet is the city’s most wanted. However, neither side realized is that the Hornet is protecting – and breaking – the law by putting the sting on criminal and corrupt forces. The Black Beauty is the Hornet’s rolling arsenal with Kato not only behind the wheel, but he also serves as the Hornet’s most lethal weapon in the war against bootleggers, racketeers, corrupt cops and politicians, greedy businessmen, and so forth.
Though it lasted one season, “The Green Hornet” continues to make a buzz with a devoted cult fan following thanks to reruns in syndication and Bruce Lee, who went on to punched and kicked his way onto the big screen with films such as “Enter The Dragon” and “Way of the Dragon” before his death in 1973 at the age of 32.
“The Green Hornet” will continue to sting fans with a handful of episodes on Decades TV (www.decades.com) in celebrating its 50th anniversary on Friday. The show will begin the early morning buzz of Heroes and Icons (www.heroesandiconstv.com)’ block of “Comic Book Heroes” with back-to-back episodes every Saturday at 5am.