Airwolf (1984-87). For He's a Jolly Good Stringfellow.

[@richardmattocks]

Airwolf happened at a special moment in the 80’s. We had Airwolf, Knight Rider, Street Hawk, The A-Team, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rodgers, Automan, Manimal, Dukes of Hazzard etc. so many awesome shows. It was a great time to be a kid (which I was and I loved them all!)

[@exidy-yt]

Well said. Damn well said.

[@ahhamartin]

Agreed but I'd add Mike Hammer just because I was 13 and, cleavage, cleavage everywhere.

[@richardmattocks]

@@ahhamartin absolutely! 😁

[@alfiedahari9877]

And don't forget Bluethunder,the rival of Airwolf...

[@squirehaggard4749]

Very well said, though I’d also throw in Magnum. (And The Equalizer and Simon & Simon for good measure- just personal preference.)

[@l.a.gothro3999]

My late mum, b.1926-d.2016, loved shows like this!

[@callsigncthulhu8579]

Greatest tv theme ever and I think the Bell 222 is one of the most beautiful helicopters ever built.

[@rickbase833]

"Emergency backup Magnum........" Gold.

[@M2Mil7er]

This channel is a treasure trove of Gen X memories and info. Thanks, Stam.

[@FnRenner]

When I was growing up my favorite uncle LOVED this show. Every time we would visit him he'd sit me down and we'd watch Airwolf while he explained how helicopters and the "real Air Force" operated. After his stroke he didn't talk very well or very much and wasn't mobile to any real extent but he'd still get fired up when I'd come over and pop in one of his MANY, MANY video tapes of recorded TV shows. I love and miss him. I appreciate and am thankful you made this video. Thank you.

[@faktablad]

The sheer magnitude of 80s in the shot at 17:58 cannot be underestimated

[@Varangian_af_Scaniae]

It's better than the brown of the 70s. But it's not a color scheme I want to come back😆

[@nutherefurlong]

Open flames were not allowed on set for all the hairspray

[@duncancurtis5108]

Stock footage included the climax of Airport 77.

[@bensneb360]

Ernest Borgnine is like America’s sweet grandpa, how can you see him and not immediately love him

[@callsigncthulhu8579]

I love him as Cabbie in Escape from New York.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

A far cry from the sadistic heavies he usually played in the 1950's.

[@teedup8995]

It's nice he mentioned his 1970s show "Future Cop" where his partner is a robot.

[@cwam1701e]

He is actually the star of the TV movie "A Grandpa for Christmas" which was how our daughter came to know of him, and a very sweet grandpa he was too!

[@robwalsh9843]

He could also be one hell of a villain. He played a creepy satanic leader in The Devil's Rain opposite William Shatner and Tom Skerritt.

[@ahhamartin]

In today's CGI we forget that, occasional models aside, these stunts were real. The scene in the desert with the corsair you can see (from the shadow) it almost scraps the ground. Same on other shows like A-Team where you can see the chopper rotors clip the trees(!) and of course the Magnum scene where the copter actually scraps the ground. Many of these stunt pilots were Vietnam vets. Those days are long, long gone.

[@kaitlyn__L]

I noticed how close to the ground they were flying too. Intense stuff.

[@PatricioGarcia1973]

They said they were the best pilots because they could fly very close to the ground at speed, since they were used to it from their missions

[@tec5x5]

go back and watch the ep Little Britches (Caitlin first ep) and notice how low Airwolf gets to the ground

[@jonathanfactor6688]

Great show Great memories thanks

[@chainsawsubtlety9828]

In the 80s, when all TV shows had awesome theme songs, Airwolf had the best one.

[@johnantonywalton-tz6xe]

Jean Bruce Scott is still an 80's crush. ❤

[@squirehaggard4749]

Same here, and she appeared in my 2 favorite 80s shows- Magnum PI and Newhart.

[@daverage4729]

Yeah, she had a girl next door vibe but sexy with it.

[@johnkeith2450]

Major crush!!!

[@1lamja146]

I think I was among a number of kids that met her after she stopped acting and her husband became a university lecturer for the acting profession.

[@Strange_Armour]

It is in humanity's best interest if we all agree that "season 4" never happened.

[@TheEclecticGoat]

I seriously didn't know that there WAS a season 4 until I watched this!

[@daverage4729]

You're better off. Lol!!@@TheEclecticGoat

[@Only.gmail_]

​@@daverage4729 Hahaha Anyway , this is a great British video, where the man is talking about airwolf show. Really good

[@davedropd1]

10,000% agreed....need to also add bo & Luke were never gone....& MJ never played for the wizards... It's weird 2 top 80's shows had characters in full white suits...

[@GurtonMuller]

I agree the seasons with dom and string were amazing they are the true pilots of airwolf❤

[@whaguitars]

Thanks Airwolf was my favorite TV show growing up great video!

[@mtechcom4863]

The main theme is so iconic!

[@charlesblaicher7589]

Never saw an episode, yet here I am watching Stam Fine. 😂

[@glennledrew8347]

Same here! 😊

[@kevd1036]

Loved that series. Such a sad and disappointing end for JMV. Entertaining video, thanks 😊

[@cologne2792]

Been a fan of the show for 40 years and watched it on endless repeat. I can't see anyone, ever, creating a better review than this one. Friday is always a Fine day.

[@roo72]

Thanks

[@StamFine]

Cheers!

[@jamesabernethy7896]

I won’t see this until I get home from work. Stam Fine and Airwolf is an amazing combination. I’m a child of the 80’s and we were blessed with some of the best tv that has ever been made. As far as live action goes, Airwolf was my 80’s. We also had A-team, Knightrider, Magnum PI, I saw Street hawk in the comments (which I admit I never saw) Although something like MASH is a very different show, I and other are still legendary TV. Thank you for so many reviews that are full of both humour and love.

[@michealcormier2555]

My favorite piece of music from that series was Stringfellow's piece he played on the lake in the pilot. It's very beautiful to listen to.

[@KungfuKhronicles]

Still one of may favorite shows of all time growin up as a kid. It was Airwolf, Streethawk, and Knightrider!

[@ocelotsly5521]

33:38 Corker of a shot, Stam. Thanks for the shout-out to Salvage 1, the first time I realised television was capable of betraying me.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

LOVED this show and my best buddy in school back the watched it too. He even had a little toy Airwolf that he sometimes took to school. I only briefly watched the show on the air in the early 90s and it took me up until 2002/2003 or so to see the series more aware and especially with the Pilot. The german dubs for it was pretty good and Jan Michael Vincent and Ernest Borgnine had amazing voice actors. Jan-Michael was voiced by Wolfgang Condrus who would become the regular german voice for Ed Harris. Ernest Borgnine was voiced by Wolfgang Völz who regulary was the german voice for Mel Brooks and also voiced Dana Elcar in "MacGyver". And Völz really did fit Ernest Borgnine's sweet big Jolly Teddybear charme. :) In fact Airwolf was more or less my first contact with Ernest Borgnine as a kid and ALWAYS loved seeing this wonderful man in other movies and shows. Especially the late 80s TV production "Treasure Island in Space", together with Anthony Quinn and Klaus Löwitsch. Alex Cord got his german voice by Joachim Kerzel, who in the late 80s became Jack Nicholson's german standard voice actor. And i ALWAYS had a huge crush on Jean Bruce Scott. Her super cute smile, gorgeous natural red hair and freckles and her natural appeal really gave her always such a lovely presence in every scene that made her always feel very genuine, warm and you really cared for her. Deborah Pratt was also absolutely stunning too. Even if she didn't have all too many appearances, i ALWAYS loved her sassiness and you could tell she took no shit from no one and her character was both enigmatic and you know she was secretly VERY tough but didn't have to show it all that much.

[@olympicnut]

One of my favorite TV series.

[@joshpinchuk7061]

I never saw the fourth season because I didn't have cable. A lot of good funny bits in this review, thanks!

[@daverage4729]

Ernest Borgnines laugh throughout this was just infectious and perfectly timed. Also, I love that story about the guy listening to and conducting the score for Airwolf in your office Stam! 😆😆😆 I loved this show growing up (and still have the theme as a ringtone) and while many shows make me smile, String, Dom and the gang along with the 'Lady' will always have a very special place in my heart.

[@rubberneckinc.8937]

Thank you Stam. I really needed a laugh & as always you provided. Stringfellow? What a f***ing name. Sometimes though it seemed like maybe the writers did some drinking with Jan-Michael Vincent.

[@Wolf-ln1ml]

It used to be a perfectly valid name though - namely during times when names were usually descriptions of someone's occupation (Smith, Miller, Baker, ...) Stringfellow was simply the guy who made bowstrings. But yeah, today, it's... not exactly kind of parents to name their child like this 😂

[@1lamja146]

@@Wolf-ln1mlroper was a better name. I never even knew the other notorious people with similar names. JMV was a great name, even if it was made up.

[@-ChannelZero-]

I just watched a few of these 80s specials back to back. You have a great style and the editing and composition is brilliant.

[@6581punk]

A spot on analysis of one of my most favourite shows. Levay did music for Cobra and Flashdance too. With Flashdance having the insane combo of both Giorgio Moroder and Levay.

[@lonjohnson5161]

I was a regular viewer in the first couple of seasons. I remember my hopes for the show were higher than what I got on most occasions.

[@SteveSmith-wk9dx]

What are the odds that a man named Stringfellow Hawke would become both a cellist and a pilot?

[@beatrixwickson8477]

Nominative determinism strikes again!

[@AndrewGivens]

A bit like that old guy round our way who used to sell pickled shellfish from his Ford Transit, but would always collide with a bollard and tear a hole in the side panel wherever he parked up. What was his name again...?

[@TheEntilza]

Leroy Jethro Gibbs vs Stringfellow Hawke in a staring contest. I can't imagine who would win.

[@ahhamartin]

Love the early NCIS episode where Dinozzo has to make up an alias on the spot and blurts out "Stringfellow".

[@simoncurry5336]

Thanks again. Your reviews are great regardless of the subject. You mentioned "Salvage One" in this review. Is it on your to do list?

[@StamFine]

why lie? yes.

[@TheRelaxingRide]

at this point I think you’ve covered my entire childhood except “The Boy From Space” from the BBC which screened at primary schools all over the UK around 1980

[@SigmundJaehn]

Peep-peep.

[@Torgo1001]

Television viewers in the 1980s seemingly couldn't get enough of shows that prominently featured helicopters. There was Airwolf, of course. However, there was also the series Blue Thunder, about an advanced police copter. In addition, the television series Riptide had The Screaming Mimi and the original Magnum P.I. had T.C.'s Island Hoppers chopper.

[@darrenrunning5415]

There was also the cartoon series M.A.S.K. which had a motorcycle that turned into a helicopter.

[@greyareaRK1]

I loved that show - what litle I saw of it. It had one of those awful schedules that could only be the result of some executive trying to kill it. It happened a lot to Science Fiction shows. As for the helicopters, we (Ontario, or rather a newly privatized company called Orange) bought a bunch of them as remote EMT vehicles. There were a numbert of scandals (there are always are) with the company, and the helicopters were criticized for being too expensive and underpowered. As I understood it, they had to stop taking off from the tops of hospitals because the helicopters plunged down a bit as they cleared the edge of the building. They still look cool though. Eh, wolf - I like it. It felt like Ernest Borgnine was in every movie and tv show for at least 30 years running.

[@simonkaufmann3903]

😅

[@jcmartin961]

PS. I met post-Alienation star Michele Scarabelli when I was working in her brother’s small-scale fresh pasta factory in Montreal, 1988ish. She was very pleasant to me, even though I was wearing a hair-net.

[@williamblakehall5566]

I always called the final season Eh-wolf. Up until then, AIrwolf was perhaps the greatest "adventure for adventure's sake" show I ever saw. (And thank you for ever so briefly noting Tia Carrere.)

[@Deuce-eq4mv]

This brings back good memories haven't seen this show over 20 plus years I think I'll look it up and rewatch it

[@exidy-yt]

Airwolf's first season was something special, despite coming, as noted by Richard Mattocks at a time of a glut of amazing action/SF shows. The cold war stories didn't resonate too much with me as a kid at the time (and non-American to boot) but the fairly authentic action, blowing up MiGs, choppers and nuclear ICBMs with Hellfires and ground bases with mad cannon strafes sure did! Loved the show at first, but as I got older and it became more formulaic I lost interest, but that theme song will live forever.

[@shugotenchi]

Oh my God, the stunt flying.... You're never gonna find a man who's willing to do these things again.

[@AndrewGivens]

Stam, you make such damn fine videos and this one's a belter. I always found Airwolf a bit disappointing, because it didn't really know if it was for kids or grown-ups... but now I really, *really* want to see some old episodes of Airworf.

[@mattstakeontheancients7594]

Never heard of this show until I started reading a book series where the MC is a huge Airwolf fan and makes references throughout the series. Apparently it was big in Australia as the MC is from there.

[@lemonherb1]

Totally agree with your overview. I felt the same way pretty much during the original airing. Gotta love the Canadian Tire money crack! I definitely would not have expected that The local news reported season 4 as "Airwolf II". In fact while it was in production in Vancouver, I would occasionally see crew wearing black crew jackets with Airwolf II embroidered on the back on the bus. The idea that Airwolf was coming back and was being shot in my figurative back yard was exciting. That is up until I saw the show air. I don't remember when I stopped watching it, but I know I never watched the rest of it.

[@pdlagasse]

Speaking of Geraint Wyn Davies, I can’t wait for you to do a Forever Knight review!

[@rogersmith6891]

The anime Full Metal Panic has a track in its second season that is literally just the Airwolf theme. I remember thinking "huh, this sounds familiar" when I first watched it ages ago and then one day I was like "Oh, it's Airwolf. Duh"

[@stevencowie7151]

Fascinating. Don't remember the 4th, though at that point I was doing other things with my time ahem. Duly noted and kudos again!!

[@Wolf-ln1ml]

Little background info: The actual Bell-22 helicopter was sold to Germany after the series ended and used as a rescue helicopter. Until after delivering a young injured girl to a hospital in 1992, it got into a heavy thunderstorm and crashed, with all three pilots killed in the crash.

[@HydraulicDesign]

I thought it crashed in 2006?

[@Wolf-ln1ml]

@@HydraulicDesign Nope, 6th of June 1992, near Bestwig, in the protected area "Auf der Burg" [edit: there was a remake in 2006, no idea what happened to the helicopter they used for that]

[@kaitlyn__L]

The Airwolf vehicle design was also done, IIRC, by Andrew Probert who also did The DeLorean in Back to the Future (as well as a few Star Trek hero ships in the 70s and 80s). He had a real knack for sticking bits onto existing vehicles and still making it look cool and cohesive.

[@armasplaygrounds6355]

Inspired by Knight Rider. The person behind both was Glenn A. Larson

[@LB-yg2br]

Amazing. I never watched the show, I just had the NES game that played tons of. This really helps me understand what the heck was going on in that game

[@ArtVandelayOfficial]

Pretty much my top childhood series

[@jamespfp]

31:00 -- RE: Every villain on Airwolf has access to some kind of military aircraft; Personally, the episode I remember only vaguely but which stands out is the one with the old Japanese guy in the Mitsubishi Zero.

[@pacmancdi]

Best action series of the 80s. I couldn't think of anything else to name my pet rabbit that my ex girlfriend got me a couple years ago so I named it Stringfellow Hawke lol

[@dameonwalker8994]

Thanks, great work as always. My only disappointment? Not a single reference to Chopper Squad...

[@jamespfp]

9:13 -- RE: The Borg of Nine; Funny thing, I recently watched a film from 1960 called "Man On A String" which stars Ernest Borgnine as a Russian-born U.S. citizen who becomes a double agent for the C.I.A. Once you're into the Firm as an Operator, in other words....

[@simongvs]

My favourite moment in the entire series come in an early episode when Marella meets The Lady for the first time. Even though she knows of Airwolf, "Oh my God!" she shouts over the sound of the rotor blades as the 'copter comes in to land. "Yes, that does seem to be most people's reaction." Archangel smiles. 34:31 - Initially, i reasoned that Santini Air were based instead in either Albuquerque, New Mexico, Salt Lake City, Utah or Phoenix, Arizona. Even then, it still would be a drive lasting between over 5-and-a-quarter hours & over 6 hours long. So, in the end i reckon it is really Flagstaff, Arizona, being a 3 hours 40 minutes car journey.🤔

[@EveryoneWhoUsesThisTV]

The Commodore 64 game could be tricky but had an 8-bit version of the theme song, so was all good.... :) Mono sound power!

[@callsigncthulhu8579]

From what I remember of the Amstrad version “tricky” was an understatement 😂

[@6581punk]

The Airwolf game was a big disappointment to me. I saw the other versions and they weren't much better. The real Airwolf game on the C64 for me was a game called Infiltrator where you flew a advanced chopper, landed and then had to infiltrate enemy bases.

[@brotherkellymatthewbarnes8882]

Forever BATTLESTAR AirWolf Knight .

[@amemon43]

The Canadian version of Airwolf should have been retitled " Take Off, eh "

[@squirehaggard4749]

and Stringfellow’s OTHER missing brother, Hoser 😂

[@robertmcclain2679]

Airwolf is the great series ever

[@Halbared]

The early episodes were decent, and the opener twoparter...it's actually really good!

[@LordTalax]

They seemed to fire a lot of glowing missiles in that show.

[@shikarbabulall3897]

I like em all both Airwolf and Knight Rider , love how Airwolf flies but I never had an issue with KITT's mobility either , KITT still moves super cool , the cars sleek and mysterious on 4 or 2 wheels!

[@AlexanderDunn-cj5me]

Stam Fine is damn fine .

[@protogenxl]

Viper please

[@BRIANONEALSINGLETON]

One thing that bugged me was why did they wear regular head set, then in the midst of an engagement they would put on the flight helmet.😂😂

[@cosput]

wow Jason Locke looks like Dean Learner (Richard Ayoade) in Dark Place

[@JohnCollins]

There's no room in the helicopter for all of the missiles it carries. Which is why it always wins.

[@Local.hero.1983]

Season one is great , season 2 is mostly good but slightly diluted and more domesticated.

[@dj45rpm]

Anyone else look at Arkangel and get flashbacks of the Chief in the Beastie Boys’ video for “Sabotage”?

[@jeffnettleton3858]

Pretty well summed up the appeal of the series; it had just enough good writing to make you forget the repetitive scenes and a cast that could carry it off and be likeable. I have to think, though, that Hughes Aircraft was not a fan, as most of those helicopters blown up were theirs (The Hughes Model 369, known as the OH-6 Cayuse, in the US Army, during the Vietnam War). Kind of like Knight Rider destroying a string of Ford sedans.

[@leewright1]

Barry van Dyke turning up in a series was the equivalent of someone shitting in the pool.

[@RichardEKranz]

I'm telling you, that design at the front of the Airwolf helmet is I believe the very front of the model of the Battlestar Galactica 1978.

[@AdamJRichardson]

I'd watch Airworf starring Jan Michael Dorn

[@StruggleoftheOutsider]

the Winds of War was a pretty prestigious high point for JMV

[@johnkeith2450]

Loved me some Jean Bruce Scott

[@SUK2293]

I want to see a proper Vietnam veterinarian series !

[@rezuankhalid5407]

If 80's Archie's Riverdale ever made and they cast Mr. Lodge, that would be Alex Cord because of his mannerism and the looks. 😆

[@paulgregory1364]

We had AIRWOLF (Canada) in the UK at one point was so bad it was insulting.

[@AndrewGivens]

I saw part of one episode on one of the Sky channels a few years back and was like "this is not Airwolf".

[@MarkMcCluney]

Wasn't the 'emergency back-up Magnum' the lad who played Forbin in Colossus?

[@listerofsmeg884]

Always thought the chap in the white suit was so damn cool

[@GarrettCRW]

Airwolf was a show that never had a chance because CBS had the brilliant (read: extremely bad) idea to put the show on Saturday nights at a time when only NBC seemed to be able to air hit shows and ABC was riding out aging shows like The Love Boat and TJ Hooker. It was so bad that my local CBS station (which never pre-empted anything the network aired) actually started airing college hockey around this time on Saturday nights. And instead of move the show to a better night, CBS started ordering dumb changes, which is exactly what they did with the new Twilight Zone and would do a few years later with Tour of Duty (which also aired on Saturday nights). A minor correction about Eh-Wolf, though: Universal didn’t buy the USA Network until a decade after Eh-Wolf’s fourth season, though Universal very much made the season for syndication purposes.

[@TheBeird]

So it’s like Fast and Furious but everyone can fly instead of being a high performance driver? And both overstayed their welcome 🤔 The show actually looked impressive for what it was, aside from the last series. Never saw it but that theme tune’s somehow been floating around my brain as an ear worm for my near forty years on this rock

[@tjf7101]

If I was a writer for Airwolf I’m thinking of bringing The Lady to life. It turns out that Moffer had built AI into the helicopter and then hid it. Kind of an extension of Moffet’s Ghost. I would make the AI female too. Really loved this show as a boy. You did a great job with the documentary. Thanks.

[@mikegwillis]

Can really feel the Blood Dragon influence from here ...

[@ryancoulter4797]

Have you done The Equalizer yet?

[@StamFine]

not so far. eventually probably.

[@MirelleJanaWalter-yb7cz]

I am so proud of having a huge collection about Jan-Michael and two photos with autographs of Ernest. 🎉❤🎉

[@shadowdance4666]

Airwolf eventually killed its whole crew somewhere in Scandinavia after being sold

[@rixx46]

I wrote for the season 4 discount AIRWOLF -- we did what we could with very little money. We didn't even have a flying helicopter - we had to use bad models and stock from the original seasons. It was only produced (as cheaply as possible to flesh out the episode numbers for syndication. No one wanted to work with Jan Micheal Vodka again (his studio nickname). Sad fate, poor guy. Borgnine was not interested in continuing.

[@robertmcclain2679]

I love the original casts

[@RichardEKranz]

Too bad Air Wolf didn't have a Blue Thunder crossover. "Next week on an all new episode of Blue Wolf, or Air Thunder!"

[@TheToonMonkey]

Now do 'Knightboat'.

[@Torgo1001]

Although it was (barely) a 1970s show, the show Supertrain was one of the more unlikely vehicle based TV shows ever broadcast. It was also one the most expensive flops ever produced for network TV.

[@TheToonMonkey]

​​@@Torgo1001The eternal question - how could a nuclear powered train based show not strike a cord with the general public?😂 Now 'The Big Bus' on the other hand. Quality!😂

[@ricardocantoral7672]

​@@Torgo1001 Sounds as brilliant as My Mother The Car. 😂

[@HydraulicDesign]

There's always a canal! Or a fjord!

[@DIREWOLFx75]

"it's BS of course" Well, mostly yes. There has however been some ideas over the years where people have come up with ways to POSSIBLY allow helicopters to go at least solidly above mach 1. I've never heard of any method that would allow mach 2, but mach 1.6 or something was the limit for the best idea so far. The first big problem is the rotors going supersonic on one side and NOT on the other, but, well, people can be very creative. For example, the "simplest" solution, when the helicopter starts going fast enough, the rotor stops spinning and instead locks in place like a very small set of X-shaped wings(or folds together into a single wing, or folds together into a single backswept V-shaped ving etc etc), while the main lift instead comes from the fuselage and stub wings. This is also the most common explanation that Airwolf fans have guessed would be the most likely used based on series statements. "Bell 222 with extra bits added" Amusingly, according to the pilots that flew it, the helicopter actually handled and flew noticeably BETTER with the props than without! "not the end" Yes it was. Airwolf doesn't exist beyond 3 season. End of story. There's a hideously bad SOMETHING calling itself the same name but has absolutely none of the series good sides. And one of the good sides was the trio of Caitlin, Dom and String. They worked really well together.

[@alexdosanjos5822]

Homenagem linda pelo os atores 🎉

[@jamesporter1123]

it's sad that Jan Michael Vincent's alcohol addiction cost him a leg in a car crash and then later on his life.

[@duncancurtis5108]

Can you do The Equalizer next? Ed Woodward and Stewart Copelands stirring theme?

[@alien_mysteries]

I also want a short stack now

[@apkk5594]

Airworf is comedy gold.