# GREEN HORNET help!



## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

I'm going forward with long-standing plans to try a model diorama: The Green Hornet's garage! As a kid the most memorable things about the TV show were (in order): Bruce Lee, Billy May and Al Hirt's score to the Theme song, and the garage.

Every night, Kato goes into the garage, twists a wrench on a bench wall, and then the floor under Britt Reid's car rotates to reveal the Black Beauty! 

I've just tracked down a (very) expensive 1/24 BLACK BEAUTY and am looking for the make of Britt Reid's "day" car. I'm tracking down a copy of the TV show, but if anyone knows what it was, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Thanks!

Deane


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## Gothmog (Apr 30, 2007)

1966 Chrysler Crown Imperial was used for the Black Beauty, and a stock one was used for the everyday car, 2 BB where made by Dean Jeffries, and later George Barris made one, and sometimes has been mistakenly taken for the original builder. One is in the Peterson Automotive museum, and the other is in a private collection, the Barris verson is still owen by Barris but it was never in the series. Hope this helps a bit, and dont forget the tire clamps, I thought the garage was the neatest part of the show too, and of course can't for get the billboard sign of the couple kissing opening and closing to let the cars in and out, just plain neat.


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## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

So they're BOTH '66 Crown Imperials? THANK YOU!!!! 

This is gonna be great...


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## DinoMike (Jan 1, 1970)

And if I recall correctly, some of the Aurora crew created the model used in the car-switch shots.


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## Zorro (Jun 22, 1999)

The American Life Network runs _The Green Hornet_ twice on Friday nights. Every episode seems to feature that same "garage" sequence. 

http://www.goodtv.com/programs.php?programid=GH


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## fernieo (Mar 22, 2000)

Here are a Few Screen caps to get you started:


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## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

Zorro said:


> The American Life Network runs _The Green Hornet_ twice on Friday nights. Every episode seems to feature that same "garage" sequence.
> 
> http://www.goodtv.com/programs.php?programid=GH



Oh, I wish we had that channel! You're right- I just need one good episode to get the reference footage for the details of the garage and the paint colour for the "day car".

My plan is to connect the floor with a motor so that the cars can rotate. Making the Green Hornet and Kato figures will be fun.

Deane


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## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

Thank you Fernieo! Those are great!


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## falcondesigns (Oct 30, 2002)

The switch over cars were 1/6 scale IIRC not the Aurora models.I have a photo somewhere a tech is working on the minture set.It looks like a Gerry Anderson set.Found it.Alexander


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## A.P. (Mar 24, 2008)

Britt Reid's day car was was a 1966 Chrysler 300 convertible. 








There is a vintage 1:25 scale model produced but it is a rare (and usually expensive) find!
click for the Green Hornet section of thecaveboard.com
Good luck in your build!


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## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

WOW! What a great link! Thanks for such an informative lead- I have a convertible to find!

Deane


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## terryr (Feb 11, 2001)

That big model is shiny. Wasn't the full size flat black?

As a kid I thought that was so cool, but now I realize all the fluids would leak out. And not very sneaky to have a construction crew build this thing in your garage. "why exactly do you want to hide this black limo under the floor Mr Reed? And have a back door in a brick wall"


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## chevy263 (Oct 6, 2003)

I cant wait to see this in progress Im a certified car model nut and the green hornet was a great kit !!


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## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

I'm looking for a 1966 Chrysler 300 convertible for the day car, probably at NNL East in April.

I think I will have enough references to start working on the Black Beauty soon. I'll post a build diary here!

Deane


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## f1steph (Jan 9, 2003)

I built this car a couple years ago. Mine is the PL one. Remember this episode when Batman & Robin had a Mexican fight with The Green Hornet and Kato (all because Bruce Lee didn't want to loose the fight!!)? Anyhow, here's a picture I use sometimes on my desktop. It would make a nice diorama..... Notice the BB, mat roof and a very glossy paint job. 

http://www.cloudster.com/RealHardware/Batmobile66/bat31.jpg

I've never saw an entire episode of The Green Hornet. It looked kinda cheezy. Maybe I could give another try....


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## Krel (Jun 7, 2000)

Gothmog said:


> 1966 Chrysler Crown Imperial was used for the Black Beauty, and a stock one was used for the everyday car, 2 BB where made by Dean Jeffries, and later George Barris made one, and sometimes has been mistakenly taken for the original builder. One is in the Peterson Automotive museum, and the other is in a private collection, the Barris verson is still owen by Barris but it was never in the series. Hope this helps a bit, and dont forget the tire clamps, I thought the garage was the neatest part of the show too, and of course can't for get the billboard sign of the couple kissing opening and closing to let the cars in and out, just plain neat.


According to the Green Hornet Book, which I can't find. There were two Black Beauties with engines, and one or two without engines for static shots. I don't understand having cars without engines that you have to push around, but they made them.

The story on the Black Beauty finish is that it was originally supplied with a hand applied black lacquer finish, Van Williams said that it was the most beautiful finish that he had ever seen. It made the Black Beauty look like a Mobster's car. For the first night scene, they rolled the Black Beauty out...and it reflected every light for miles around! It was impossible to film. So they sprayed a flat black paint over the original finish so it wouldn't reflect light. This was a problem that "Miami Vice" had with their cars. That is why the second Ferrari was repainted white.

David.


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## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

That's a great anecdote and very helpful for this colourblind builder. Thanks!


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## A.P. (Mar 24, 2008)

That was the Black Beauty's debut photo-op (pre-series) and several things did change before the TV show started. The gloss finish was a problem, and several things have been mentioned as to what might have been done in the day to combat the glare. A dulling spray agent (like hairspray) was used, as well as black water paint to dull down the car. The script of the Green Hornet was a lot of night scenes,however since they shot in daylight, a special night filter was used to make it appear dark.

To watch episodes online go to www.GUBA.com and search "Green Hornet". This show was not the camp that Batman was, it was meant to be serious, but it was only given a half hour per show so the script writing suffered a bit and probably why it did not last as long. Also remember that this was Bruce Lee's introduction to the American audience so that it one reason why this series still has interest to fans. 

About your diarama, yes use the Polar Lights kit of the Black Beauty especially if you want to modify it to look like it did in the garage spin, (no rockets or gas gun exposed, and with the double green lights). To modify an original Aurora kit would ruin it's collecting value!


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## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

Hi there-

I have a resin Black Beauty in 1/25 scale that I will build to look like the photo. I chose that kit for the scale, as I will be more likely to find the (incredibly rare and frickin' expensive) Chrysler 300 convertible "day car" and the tools and other diorama details.

I will definitely check out that TV link! Thanks!

UPDATE***

Hole guacamole! I have finally watched the "car flip", for the first time in what must be AT LEAST 25 YEARS! Thanks!


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## A.P. (Mar 24, 2008)

About the GUBA site, make sure to put "Green Hornet" in quotes when you search, you will get the 21 episodes uploaded listed by themselves. You can also use your "Print Screen" key while watching the episode to capture the image and then "paste" into a paint or photo program and save for reference photos. Trivia note: episode #3 "Programed for Death" while the 3rd to air it was actually the first shot as noted by the early style Green Hornet mask, which was changed shortly afterwords. Kato also wears an early style mask in these early episodes.


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## Deane (Apr 18, 2003)

Thanks to you, the garage will be lit in green light.

Just awesome.


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## terryr (Feb 11, 2001)

They dulled the car so it wouldn't reflect streetlights...then filmed in the day anyway!

Their day for night filming looked horrible. Just a overall dark smear which was hard to see, rather than a film noir light/shadows which would have looked cool.


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## Bwain no more (May 18, 2005)

The 1/6 scale miniatures for the flip sequence were fabricated by Aurora in exchange for the rights to produce the 1/32 scale kit of the Black Beauty.
I know Andy Yanchus was one of the guys who worked on the project, and he
was VERY disappointed with the inaccuracies of the model kit, LOL. He later did the pattern for the BB slot car, which is why it came out so nice. Andy published this story in an issue of his modeling fanzine "The Runner" back in the mid '80s, and Tom Graham mentions it in his Aurora book. I met Andy at the IPMS Nationals around this time, and used to see him at Chiller when he shared tables with Dave Cockrum. PRETTY sure the billboard sequence was done in miniature, but I could be mistaken.
Tom


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## Zorro (Jun 22, 1999)

terryr said:


> Their day for night filming looked horrible. Just a overall dark smear which was hard to see, rather than a film noir light/shadows which would have looked cool.


This is true. I've been recording the series every week and the day-for-night sequences are some of the worst I've ever seen - just full daylight through a filter. And the Daily Sentinal building miniature literally looks like it was made out of a shoebox. I've also noticed from watching recent episodes that William "One Shot" Beaudine was the director of a number of episodes. 

From the IMDb:

His movies, which ranged from full-length motion pictures to shorts, included the notorious Mom and Dad (1945) of 1945, the "Gone With the Wind" of the "Hygeine/Sexploitation" genre, for producer Kroger Babb (one of the "Forty Thieves" of the exploitation circuit), as well as his last two films, the grind-house/drive-in horror classics Billy the Kid versus Dracula (1966) and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter (1966) in 1966 (when he made these two cheapies, he was the oldest active director in Hollywood, at 74). "One Shot" was prolific not only because of his propensity for a minimal amount of takes (which gave him his sobriquet), but also because he started in the early film industry when one- and two-reelers were ground out like sausages, and worked primarily after 1937 in churning out programmers at Poverty Row studios.


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## Krel (Jun 7, 2000)

The Green Hornet wasn't canceled for bad ratings, the producers canceled it after the network refused to up it to a sixty minute show. They found it just too hard to do it as a half hour show.

Not all of the night scenes were shot day-for-night, but most were. Van Williams supposedly had a rough time, as they had him wearing a wool overcoat, and he was losing a lot of weight in water.

The Hornet Sting gave the problems also. It was originally spring operated, but the spring was so powerful, that it usually flew apart when opened. They took the spring out and had Van Williams open it with a flick of his wrist.

David.


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## Captain Han Solo (Apr 5, 2002)

The Black Beauty


Man I would love to see a 1/18 kit/diecast car of this!!!:dude:


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## A.P. (Mar 24, 2008)

Great info on the 1/6th models..thanks. The billboard exit was full scale using the real car.


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