Tuesday 23 April 2019

Street Hawk

Developed by Bruce Lansbury, younger brother of actress Angela Lansbury, Street Hawk is a "concept" show in which a top secret weaponized motorcycle is introduced into a present-day urban environment.

Police officer Jesse Mach, played by Rex Smith, is injured during a raid on a drug-smuggling facility, and his partner is killed.  To help him take down the ones responsible, government agent Norman Tuttle (Joe Regalbuto) recruits Jesse to test a new computerized ultra-fast motorcycle.  While keeping his day job as a police PR officer, Jesse assumes the identity of a vigilante crime fighter known as Street Hawk by night.  He quickly becomes an embarrassment to the police force as his methods ultimately bear more fruit than the normal channels.

The series required a great deal of stunt work, naturally resulting in the motorcycles needing constant repair or replacement.  Several bikes were used; the ones usually seen on the streets were a custom-built 1983 Honda XL500 trailbike or 1984 Honda XR500, while the turbocharged Honda CX500 was used for performance sequences.  At least half a dozen bikes were kept on standby as parts were frequently flying off the hero's bike during filming.

Originally planned to air in the fall of 1984 by ABC, the series was pushed forward to January 1985 as a mid-season debut.  Thirteen episodes were broadcast, after which Target Books in the UK published four adaptations in novel format, and a die-cast replica of the stunt motorcycle was produced.  Unfortunately a second season was never ordered, likely due to the high cost of the equipment needed for the stunts.

The 90-minute pilot episode was released to VHS twice, from Canada and the U.S., with short pieces of footage that were unique to each release.  The complete unedited series was released to DVD in 2010 by Shout! Factory, including a 41 minute documentary on the making of the show.

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