Hasitha Fernando looks at the classic 80s TV series Knight Rider…
To say, Knight Rider was one of the most popular TV shows of the 80s era is something of an understatement. The show catapulted David Hasselhoff into the stratosphere and made the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am the epitome of cool. Originally broadcast on NBC from September 26, 1982, to April 4, 1986, the series follows the action adventures of the altruistic crime fighter Michael Knight who is ably assisted by a near destructible and self-aware car named KITT. Today we look at some of the interesting behind-the-scenes facts about the iconic show and revel in its nostalgia…
The creator of Knight Rider was a prolific television producer
Knight Rider was created by producer Glen A. Larson for NBC in 1982. During his tenure the guy had produced some of the most popular 80s television shows of all time and these include Battlestar Galactica, Magnum P.I, The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew mysteries and The Fall Guy. But his talents were not simply confined to his ability to produce great television shows. Larson composed the music for some of shows he produced like Knight Rider, and even tried his hand directing as well.
Despite achieving success, however, the producer has also been criticized for creating small screen “knockoffs” and borrowing heavily from established IPs to craft his stories, but that never deterred Larson from doing what he does best.
Knight Rider was inspired by one of Larson’s own TV shows
According to David Hasselhoff’s autobiography “Don’t Hassle the Hoff” NBC President Brandon Tartikoff was dubious regarding the male talent available for the small screen and wanted a show where a supercar did most of the talking and the male lead did not. Remembering an episode of a show that Larson created called B.J and the Bear, which happened to feature an automated supercar, Universal’s Richard Lindheim reached out to Larson to create a show based around that simple premise.
Larson once explained what the show is all about in an interview with the Archive of American Television (AAT) in his own words, “Knight Rider is the Lone Ranger. It’s one man coming into a town, and he has a little more going for him than people think – and that’s a great theme! I didn’t make that concept up. That’s just what it is.”
David Hasselhoff was an on the rise soap actor before he became Michael Knight
Nowadays the name David Hasselhoff needs no special introduction, but back when the actor got his summons as Michael Knight – a detective who suffers a near fatal gunshot wound and is born anew with a surgically altered face and a renewed sense of purpose – he was an up-and-coming actor known for his role of Snapper Foster in the hit CBS soap The Young and The Restless. However, Tartikoff saw his potential as an action star and recruited The Hoff to headline NBC’s latest venture – Knight Rider. And the rest, as they say, is history.
KITT was a customized Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
In the show’s story the Knight Industries Two Thousand or KITT was designed to be a state-of-the-art piece of tech. Therefore, in order to accomplish their goals, they reached out to John Schinella, the chief designer of Pontiac who then made a rough sketch of his idea of what KITT should be on the nearest piece of paper he could get his hands on – a napkin.
Schinella based his design on the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am but initially Pontiac wasn’t totally on board to have one of their cars being featured on a TV show. However, they warmed up to the idea once they realized how their vehicles were going to be utilized. Using Schinella’s design, a 1982 Pontiac Firebird Trans AM was customized at a cost of US $ 100,000 with design consultant Michael Scheffe designing KITT’s intricate dashboard and the car’s nose.
Glen Larson wanted a ‘beating heart’ for the muscle car
Producer Glen Larson was always chock full of great ideas and the iconic beam of red light on the nose of KITT was his idea. Taking inspiration from another one of his own creations, the Cylons of Battlestar Galactica, Larson wanted a similar concept incorporated to KITT, as a way of showing audiences that the vehicle was sentient and had its own “beating heart”.
Different KITTs had different uses in the show
From the get-go stuntman Jack Gill played an instrumental role in the logistical requirements of the show, along with his usual role as stunt driver. The scenes were KITT appeared to be self-navigating it was Gill who sat behind the driver’s seat steering the vehicle according to the needs of the sequence. Since this was a fairly complex process Gill wouldn’t engage in that form of driving for long durations. Production had several modified Trans Ams that would crumple on impact for the stunt scenes and a mock-up of the dashboard was made on a soundstage for the closeups of KITT’s buttons and voice box.
The iconic soundtrack that still continues to endure
The utterly memorable Knight Rider theme was composed by Stu Phillips and series producer Glen Larson. The famous theme borrowed elements from Leo Delibes’ “Procession of Bacchus” from the ballet of Sylvia according to Larson. The decision to go for a synth-heavy approach was largely driven by the network, and five or six synthesizers, drums and a Fender bass was used. The iconic theme has been sampled in a multitude of songs like, “Clock Strikes”, “Turn It Up (Remix)/Fire It Up” and “Mundian to Bach ke”, and this has invigorated interest in the music from time to time in audiences. If you still hear the show’s opening monologue play in your head every time you listen to this theme, you are not alone.
The show wasn’t generously embraced by critics
As one of the most fondly remembered action-adventure TV shows of the 1980s, Knight Rider wasn’t that well received by critics. In fact, many reviews lambasted the simplicity of the concept and how it was executed, and as of this writing the series currently holds only a paltry 35% on Rotten Tomatoes and a dismal 21% on TV Guide. But critical opinions aside, the show certainly struck a chord with audiences worldwide which inevitably led to multiple sequels, spin-offs (each with diminishing returns however) and a legacy that still continues to endure for many a generation.
What are your thoughts and memories of Knight Rider? Let us know on our social channels @FlickeringMyth…
Hasitha Fernando is a part-time medical practitioner and full-time cinephile. Follow him on Twitter via @DoctorCinephile for regular updates on the world of entertainment.
