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Sledge Hammer!
Sledge Hammer! is an American satirical police sitcom produced by New World Television that ran for two seasons on ABC from September 23, 1986, to February 12, 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and stars David Rasche as Inspector Sledge Hammer, a caricature of the standard "cop on the edge" character.
Some notable figures who made guest appearances on Sledge Hammer!:
Actor and director Jackie Cooper directed a few episodes including "Witless", "All Shook Up" and the first-season finale, "The Spa Who Loved Me".
Inspired by Clint Eastwood's no-nonsense approach to law enforcement in the Dirty Harry films, teenager Alan Spencer dreamed up the idea of a police officer whose approach was even more over-the-top, to the point of absurdity. At the age of 16, Spencer wrote a screenplay based on this idea. The script and the main character were both named Sledge Hammer.
Despite his youth, Spencer had already written for Rodney Dangerfield and such television shows as The Facts of Life and One Day at a Time. He sold his script upon the release of the fourth Dirty Harry movie, Sudden Impact. The popularity at the time of NBC's Dirty Harry-inspired action series Hunter suggested to HBO the potential of a similar but satirical police television show. When the company approached Leonard B. Stern, former producer of Get Smart, about developing such a show, Stern recommended Spencer's "Sledge Hammer!" idea. Stern knew of Spencer due to Spencer having helped Don Adams by personally writing a few gags for the comedian on the set of The Nude Bomb and was returning the favor.
Spencer quickly reworked his script for a half-hour television format. HBO executives wanted to produce the pilot and suggested casting ideas that Spencer found unacceptable, such as known comedians Rodney Dangerfield or Joe Piscopo in the lead role as opposed to a lesser known actor who would become the character. Last-place ABC was willing to take a chance on the unorthodox script. ABC insisted that the violence be toned down for network television and that a laugh track be included (although some versions – including the DVD release of the show – do not have this track or had it removed; Spencer found it offensive that the audience be told when to laugh and was furious over the decision), but agreed to cast Spencer's first choice for the lead character, the classically trained actor David Rasche. Sledge Hammer! entered ABC's fall lineup in 1986.
The pilot of Sledge Hammer! was completed just as Peter Gabriel's song "Sledgehammer" became a huge hit. ABC took advantage of this coincidence by using the song in television, radio, and film advertisements for the show. Spencer said Gabriel had been willing to license his song to the series and even rewrite the lyrics, but New World Television wouldn't meet the artist's terms. Nevertheless, Spencer was happy with what would be Danny Elfman's first TV theme.
The pilot places the series in San Francisco, California, featuring shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco City Hall, and a building that is labelled San Francisco Police Department. However, Spencer stated that "we never said it was San Francisco because the city wanted nothing to do with this character." The police station building exterior is located in Los Angeles.
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Sledge Hammer!
Sledge Hammer! is an American satirical police sitcom produced by New World Television that ran for two seasons on ABC from September 23, 1986, to February 12, 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and stars David Rasche as Inspector Sledge Hammer, a caricature of the standard "cop on the edge" character.
Some notable figures who made guest appearances on Sledge Hammer!:
Actor and director Jackie Cooper directed a few episodes including "Witless", "All Shook Up" and the first-season finale, "The Spa Who Loved Me".
Inspired by Clint Eastwood's no-nonsense approach to law enforcement in the Dirty Harry films, teenager Alan Spencer dreamed up the idea of a police officer whose approach was even more over-the-top, to the point of absurdity. At the age of 16, Spencer wrote a screenplay based on this idea. The script and the main character were both named Sledge Hammer.
Despite his youth, Spencer had already written for Rodney Dangerfield and such television shows as The Facts of Life and One Day at a Time. He sold his script upon the release of the fourth Dirty Harry movie, Sudden Impact. The popularity at the time of NBC's Dirty Harry-inspired action series Hunter suggested to HBO the potential of a similar but satirical police television show. When the company approached Leonard B. Stern, former producer of Get Smart, about developing such a show, Stern recommended Spencer's "Sledge Hammer!" idea. Stern knew of Spencer due to Spencer having helped Don Adams by personally writing a few gags for the comedian on the set of The Nude Bomb and was returning the favor.
Spencer quickly reworked his script for a half-hour television format. HBO executives wanted to produce the pilot and suggested casting ideas that Spencer found unacceptable, such as known comedians Rodney Dangerfield or Joe Piscopo in the lead role as opposed to a lesser known actor who would become the character. Last-place ABC was willing to take a chance on the unorthodox script. ABC insisted that the violence be toned down for network television and that a laugh track be included (although some versions – including the DVD release of the show – do not have this track or had it removed; Spencer found it offensive that the audience be told when to laugh and was furious over the decision), but agreed to cast Spencer's first choice for the lead character, the classically trained actor David Rasche. Sledge Hammer! entered ABC's fall lineup in 1986.
The pilot of Sledge Hammer! was completed just as Peter Gabriel's song "Sledgehammer" became a huge hit. ABC took advantage of this coincidence by using the song in television, radio, and film advertisements for the show. Spencer said Gabriel had been willing to license his song to the series and even rewrite the lyrics, but New World Television wouldn't meet the artist's terms. Nevertheless, Spencer was happy with what would be Danny Elfman's first TV theme.
The pilot places the series in San Francisco, California, featuring shots of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco City Hall, and a building that is labelled San Francisco Police Department. However, Spencer stated that "we never said it was San Francisco because the city wanted nothing to do with this character." The police station building exterior is located in Los Angeles.