Sometimes, no matter how young you are, something sticks with you and stays with you as you get older. The Greatest American Hero is one of those things for me. The Greatest American Hero was a television show that first aired in 1981 and starred William Katt, Robert Culp and Connie Sellecca. Unfortunately, the show was canceled in 1983, after only 3 seasons. Having such a short run and with me being so young (I was at the ripe ol’ age of 6 when it ended), I don’t know why I remember it like I do. The things that I remember the most from the show were the red “super suit” and the theme song, Believe it or Not, which was sung by Joey Scarbury.

Here’s a synopsis of the show:

Los Angeles high school teacher Ralph Hinkley encountered an alien spacecraft while on a desert field trip and was presented with a red costume with unique superpowers. The suit looked like a pair of tight
fitting red pajamas with a black cape and bestowed fantastic powers (flight, incredible speed, telekinesis, clairvoyance, invisibility, invulnerability from bullets and super strength) to this blond, mild-mannered high school teacher. The aliens had chosen Hinkley because he matched their profile of someone having the qualities of “moral character, idealism and integrity.” Unfortunately, before Ralph got the hang of the suit’s abilities, he lost the instruction book that came with it. He spent the rest of the series clumsily fighting evil as he tried to unlock the many mysteries of this extraterrestrial costume. Assisting our superhero in the pursuit of the bad guys was Ralph’s attorney girlfriend Pam Davidson who along with FBI agent Bill Maxwell were the only other humans who knew the secret. Bill called Ralph’s suit “The Red Jammies.”

The reason I’m posting about this is because the first two seasons have been released on DVD, with the final season coming out later this year. I know what’s gonna be high on my wish list!

There are rumors The Greatest American Hero is being made into a movie, too.