Incredible Hulk, The

The adventures of Dr. David Banner, a man cursed by his own inner evils.

The Incredible Hulk is based on the Marvel comic book character of the same name, and ran on CBS from 1978 to 1982. The show starred Bill Bixby as Dr. David Bruce Banner and Lou Ferrigno as the Hulk. The concept was developed for television by Kenneth Johnson, who also developed the Alien Nation.

Synopsis
Dr. Banner during his research to discover the cause of the immense strength humans develop during moments of intense emotion, such as rage or fear to the decision to experiment on himself, but an accident in the laboratory caused him to receive an overdose of radiation.

The overdose of gamma rays caused a mutation in his brain and now whenever he gets angry or outraged a startling metamorphosis occurs. Banner turns into "The Hulk" a monstrous creature of incredible strength, a creature driven by mindless rage.

Banner is believed to have been killed by the creature, he now wanders - hiding both from the law and newspapers, as he searches for a cure for his condition.

While trying to find a cure to get rid of the Hulk, David Banner must also stay one step ahead of Jack McGee, a reporter for The National Register who intends to capture the Hulk and exploit it to the world.

The actors
For the role of Dr. David Banner, The producers originally considered Larry Hagman who at the time was famous for his role in I Dream of Jeannie fame. However, Hagman won the part of JR Ewing and the rest is history. Johnson then decided to cast veteran television actor Bill Bixby and stated that this had been the actor he had wanted all along. At first, Bixby hadn't wanted to do the series but after reading the script, he quickly signed on. Next, character actor Jack Colvin was cast as Jack McGee. McGee was a newspaper reporter who pursues the Hulk.

The most difficult casting decision was however, was finding someone to play the Hulk. Arnold Schwarzenegger auditioned, but was turned down due to his inadequate height. The producers settled on the actor Richard Kiel for the part and filming commenced on the Pilot. However, during filming, Johnson's son pointed out that Kiel's tall but non-muscular physique did not resemble the build of the comic book character. The Hulk had to be believable, strong, and scary. Kiel was dropped and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno replaced him.

The title music to the show, written by Joe Harnell was entitled The Lonely Man. He actually got the job due to his involvement on another Cult Tv series The Bionic Woman.

Opening narration

Dr. David Banner: physician; scientist. Searching for a way to tap into the hidden strengths that all humans have. Then an accidental overdose of gamma radiation alters his body chemistry. And now when David Banner grows angry or outraged, a startling metamorphosis occurs. The creature is driven by rage and pursued by an investigative reporter. (Bixby: "Mr. McGee, don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry."--a clip from the first pilot) The creature is wanted for a murder he didn't commit. David Banner is believed to be dead, and he must let the world think that he is dead, until he can find a way to control the raging spirit that dwells within him.