Hasitha Fernando looks back at the 80s classic TV series The A-Team…
The A-Team is one of those television shows that defined the 1980s era of small screen entertainment. Who can forget Colonel Hannibal Smith’s iconic catchphrase “I love when a plan comes together!” or that unmistakable red striped 1983 GMC Vandura cargo van? This is the story of how television’s favorite motley crew of mercenaries got together to deliver a pop culture phenomenon for the ages.
The creation of The A-Team was influenced by multiple movies & TV shows
Brandon Tartikoff was a television executive, who headed NBC’s entertainment division from 1981 to 1991, and turned around the network’s low primetime reputation with several hit TV shows that included the likes of Law & Order, Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, ALF, The Cosby Show, Seinfeld, Wings, Miami Vice, Knight Rider, Saved by the Bell and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. When it came to the development of The A-Team it was Tartikoff who pitched the idea to the would-be showrunners Stephen J. Cannell and Frank Lupo, as a fast-tracked TV show meant to boost the network’s dwindling ratings.
Tartikoff wanted the show to be a combination of high-octane genre films such as The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen and Mad Max as well as be influenced by popular TV shows like Mission: Impossible and Hill Street Blues. The writer-producer team of Cannell and Lupo weren’t strangers to the world television, especially Cannell who had previously developed several hit TV shows which include the likes of Chase, The Rockford Files and City of Angels. And so, with Tartikoff’s basic premise in hand, Cannell and Lupo started working on a pilot and within two weeks they accomplished just that along with a framework for the development of the series.
Hannibal’s cigars were from George Peppard’s personal stock
George Peppard was a highly versatile American actor who achieved widespread recognition in the 1960s as a Hollywood leading man and became a major television icon in both the 1970s and 1980s. Peppard rose into prominence starring opposite Audrey Hepburn in the classic 1961 romantic comedy Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Other notable hits of his from that era were How the West Was Won (1962) and The Carpetbaggers (1964). By the late 1970s Peppard’s had reached its nadir and the actor made a smooth transition to the small screen and quickly gained popularity on such shows as Banachek and Dynasty. By that point, the veteran actor had developed a reputation for being “difficult to work with” and coupled with his prolonged alcoholism getting roles proved to be a challenge for him.
It was in this time period that Peppard was approached to play the role of Lieutenant-Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith, the cigar chomping de facto leader of The A-Team. Veteran performer James Coburn was briefly considered for the part, before Peppard was cast. Prior to being hired the studio sternly warned Peppard that if he was fired from the show, it would be the end of his career. Needless to say, Peppard was one of the few people who predicted the show would be a hit even prior to its debut and it turned out to be a very accurate observation. The cigars we see Hannibal chomp on throughout the show were in fact the real deal and came from his personal collection.
The role of B.A. Baracus was written specifically for Mr. T
Born Laurence Tureaud but known professionally as Mr. T, the man himself started his life as a gym instructor before joining the army and serving in the Military Police Corp. After being discharged and brief stint in NFL, he worked as a bouncer at the Dingbats Discotheque nightclub in Rush Street. It was during his time as a bouncer that Tureaud fashioned his Mr. T persona replete with gold neck chains and assorted jewelry. As his reputation as a bouncer grew, Mr. T transitioned into a bodyguard career where his list of clients included the likes of Steve McQueen, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier. In 1980 Sylvester Stallone spotted Mr. T taking part in NBC’s “America’s Toughest Bouncer” competition and immediately wanted him to be part of Rocky III, to play its primary antagonist James “Clubber” Lang. Impressed by Mr. T work in Rocky III, Brandon Tartifkoff wanted the actor to be part of their new venture and had the role of Sergeant Bosco “B.A.” Baracus specifically written for him.
NBC execs wanted “Howling Mad” Murdoch removed from the show originally
Dwight Schultz’s breakout role was that of Captain “Howling Mad” Murdoch in The A-Team. However, NBC execs originally wanted the character to be removed from the show because they felt that he was too over-the-top. But test audiences loved Murdoch and gave him the highest ratings during screenings of the show. Ultimately NBC had no choice but to relent and keep on the character. Although Murdoch is portrayed as an insane and an extremely quirky individual, he has been shown to have an almost genius-level intellect with fluency in multiple languages and possessing a photographic memory. In the show Murdock wears a distinctive leather bomber jacket emblazoned with a painted tiger. This tiger insignia references the Flying Tigers (the 1st American Volunteer Group) who flew combat missions for China against the Japanese during WW2.
Templeton “Faceman” Peck was played by another actor in the show’s pilot
In pretty much the entire run of The A-Team Templeton “Faceman” Peck was played by Dirk Benedict and the role was also written by Cannell and Lupo with that particular actor in mind. But NBC, once again intervened, insisting that the part be played by another performer. Therefore, in the pilot “Mexican Slayride”, Face was played by Tim Dunigan, who was eventually replaced by Benedict as the former was deemed “too tall and too young”. Even Dunigan felt that he wasn’t the right man for the job because The A-Team was supposed to be a rag-tag group made up of Vietnam War veterans, and Dunigan was just attending his sophomore year of high school when said conflict concluded.
The A-Team Van was one of the most iconic vehicles in television history
To say the A-Team van was more than a transportation mode would be accurate – it was a character in and of itself. The custom made black 1983 GMC Vandura cargo van sporting its distinct red stripes remains one of the most recognizable automobiles in television history. Decked out with a spoiler, sunroof and other customized rims the van’s interior was equipped with a wide array of tools, equipment and all other kinds of gadgets that the team might need for their covert missions. The vehicle made such an impact in pop culture that even the video games, posters and toys also included this iconic vehicle.
The on-set feud between George Peppard and Mr. T was truly something else
It was no secret that George Peppard and Mr. T had a famous on-set feud during the production of The A-Team television show. From the proverbial get-go the pair did not get along as Peppard viewed himself as a “proper movie actor” but it was Mr. T that was getting a bulk of the audience attention. Because of his popularity Mr. T received more fan mail than any of the other cast members in the show and this naturally didn’t sit well with Peppard. Things worsened even further when Peppard learned Mr. T was being paid much more than he was. As a result, by the end of the first season the work relationship between the two had strained severely, so much so that Peppard refused to speak to Mr. T and used Dirk Benedict as a liaison between them, almost always referring to Mr. T as “the man with the gold”. According to Benedict, Robert Vaughn’s addition as Hunt Stockwell in the fifth and final season was done because Vaughn was an old acquaintance of Peppard and could ease the tensions between his friend and Mr. T. Reportedly, both actors were able to make amends and resolve their differences, shortly before Peppard’s death in 1994.
The show’s impact on pop culture was truly massive
The A-Team was an immediate and massive commercial success that exceeded NBC’s wildest expectations, when it debuted in January 23, 1983. Although it received a rather mixed response from critics and the television industry as a whole, viewers found a lot to love about The A-Team. The show’s unique blend of over-the-top, cartoonish violence and lighthearted comedy became a blueprint for 1980s and 1990s television shows as evidenced by the likes of MacGyver, Riptide, Airwolf and Renegade. The fact that characters in the show rarely suffered any serious injuries or deaths despite the high-octane action and wanton violence unfolding around our motley crew of heroes, certainly seemed to appeal to younger audiences. The show certainly made a superstar of Mr. T, with the mohawk sporting, gold chains wearing B.A. Baracus becoming one of the most recognizable television icons of all time. Some of the character’s famous catchphrases such as Colonel Hannibal Smith’s “I love when a plan comes together!” and B.A. Baracus’ “I ain’t gettin’ on no plane”, have also become permanent fixtures of global pop culture.
The A-Team’s popularity meant that it became a merchandising paradise with companies licensing action figures, comic book, board games and crossword puzzles based around the IP. The enduring popularity of the brand even led to the creation of a big-screen reboot starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson in 2010. Sadly this new iteration of the property proved to be a critical and box-office disappointment and thus all potential sequel plans were scuttled. Nevertheless, The A-Team continues to be considered as one of the best TV shows to debut in the 1980s that rewrote the formula of small screen entertainment and became a beloved cornerstone of nostalgia for many of us viewers.
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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.
