The Green
Hornet was a good guy who pretended to be a bad guy in order to infiltrate
organized crime and set up "sting" operations. From 1936 to 1953, he had kids
fantasizing about a sleek, super-powered futuristic automobile that buzzed like
a giant hornet.
On the very same anvil he used to create The Lone Ranger, George W. Trendle
hammered out a tale of a mysterious nocturnal figure who battled big city
criminals in the 30s. With his faithful Filipino valet, Kato, Britt Reid,
grandnephew of The Lone Ranger, matched wits with the underworld, risking
his life to bring down bad guys working within the law.
The Green Hornet a movie serial? No thank you, said Trendle. Not
after Republic Pictures stripped The Lone Ranger of his mask and mystique
in "The Lone Ranger Rides Again." Universal Pictures played ball with Trendle
and a 13-chapter serial went into production with Fran Striker, Trendle's
chief writer, aboard as script supervisor. With radio actors featured
in the serial and its sequel, "The Green Hornet Strikes Again," it was clear
that Trendle was the man calling all the shots this time around.
Bill Dozier produced the 60s television series for ABC and brought in Trendle
as a consultant. Trendle, however, sounded more like an overprotective
dad. He didn't like the modern look of the series. He didn't
like the gizmos and gadgets Bruce Lee used. He didn't like Van Williams'
mask. Most of all, he didn't like being just a consultant. "Dozier
wanted another Batman," he told friends. "We argued about this until
the 26 episodes were finished and never found any middle ground. But
this is what happens when you give up control of a show you created---people
start changing things." Contrary to popular belief, the series did
well in the ratings. It was a good show that ABC wanted to renew.
Dozier, however, wanted to see it expanded to an hour. When talks
between the two camps broke off, the series was cancelled.