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IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:18 am
by NN11
I FOUND THIS INTERISTING ARTICLE IN IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083437/trivia

According to Brandon Tartikoff, the head of programming at NBC during the 1980s, the inspiration for the series came about when NBC executives started complaining about the problems of casting handsome leading men in TV series, because many of them couldn't act. Tartikoff and his assistant came up with a concept for a TV show called, "The Man of Six Words". Each show would begin with the leading man getting out of a woman's bed and saying, "Thank you." Occasionally, throughout the show, the leading man would say, "Okay," when receiving orders from his boss. Then he would chase down some villains and say "Freeze!" Finally, when the people he had saved from death would thank him, he would say, "You're welcome." For the rest of the show, the car would do all the talking. Although Tartikoff had meant the pitch to be a joke, the NBC executives liked the idea of a TV show about a man with a talking car, and approved it for development.

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 2:25 am
by KITT_Vs._KARR
:dance: :whistle:

Never mind...

:roll:

:kitt: Vs. :karr:

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 3:59 am
by Knight007
really amazing looking back at these points and reading them. specially the joke part where it resulted to have KR.
but this makes me wounder, how did NBC get KR08??? did it start with another joke? I mean who really walked into NBC's offices one morning and said "remember the hit from 1980's KR? how about doint it again?" Image :kitt:

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 7:34 am
by knightendo77
NN11 wrote:I FOUND THIS INTERISTING ARTICLE IN IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083437/trivia

According to Brandon Tartikoff, the head of programming at NBC during the 1980s, the inspiration for the series came about when NBC executives started complaining about the problems of casting handsome leading men in TV series, because many of them couldn't act. Tartikoff and his assistant came up with a concept for a TV show called, "The Man of Six Words". Each show would begin with the leading man getting out of a woman's bed and saying, "Thank you." Occasionally, throughout the show, the leading man would say, "Okay," when receiving orders from his boss. Then he would chase down some villains and say "Freeze!" Finally, when the people he had saved from death would thank him, he would say, "You're welcome." For the rest of the show, the car would do all the talking. Although Tartikoff had meant the pitch to be a joke, the NBC executives liked the idea of a TV show about a man with a talking car, and approved it for development.
Nice one NN11! For a couple of weeks last year I reappeared here after a long absence (due to moving between various houses and jobs etc for about a year or so) as "Knight_Neural_Centre" (which I realised was a terrible name when I was able to come back full-time this year lol and reverted to my old screename :)) and posted a reply which also contained this but I had no proof of it, only the recollection of reading it somewhere on a Knight Rider site. It's nice to finally have someone else post about it, along with a link, especially after the reaction I got!! Lol! It's here: viewtopic.php?f=1042&t=11965&p=143155#p143140

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 10:21 am
by NN11
welcome back knightendo77,my previous user name was kenick and i changed it to nn11

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 11:57 am
by necrophilissimo
The irony here is that despite the original consept, the role of 'man of six words' was played by one of the best TV actors of the era :)

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Wed Mar 25, 2009 5:20 pm
by ozikool
NN11 wrote:I FOUND THIS INTERISTING ARTICLE IN IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083437/trivia

According to Brandon Tartikoff, the head of programming at NBC during the 1980s, the inspiration for the series came about when NBC executives started complaining about the problems of casting handsome leading men in TV series, because many of them couldn't act. Tartikoff and his assistant came up with a concept for a TV show called, "The Man of Six Words". Each show would begin with the leading man getting out of a woman's bed and saying, "Thank you." Occasionally, throughout the show, the leading man would say, "Okay," when receiving orders from his boss. Then he would chase down some villains and say "Freeze!" Finally, when the people he had saved from death would thank him, he would say, "You're welcome." For the rest of the show, the car would do all the talking. Although Tartikoff had meant the pitch to be a joke, the NBC executives liked the idea of a TV show about a man with a talking car, and approved it for development.
Yes it did start as a joke but lucky it came true

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 6:02 am
by Knight007
ozikool wrote:
NN11 wrote:I FOUND THIS INTERISTING ARTICLE IN IMDB
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083437/trivia

According to Brandon Tartikoff, the head of programming at NBC during the 1980s, the inspiration for the series came about when NBC executives started complaining about the problems of casting handsome leading men in TV series, because many of them couldn't act. Tartikoff and his assistant came up with a concept for a TV show called, "The Man of Six Words". Each show would begin with the leading man getting out of a woman's bed and saying, "Thank you." Occasionally, throughout the show, the leading man would say, "Okay," when receiving orders from his boss. Then he would chase down some villains and say "Freeze!" Finally, when the people he had saved from death would thank him, he would say, "You're welcome." For the rest of the show, the car would do all the talking. Although Tartikoff had meant the pitch to be a joke, the NBC executives liked the idea of a TV show about a man with a talking car, and approved it for development.
Yes it did start as a joke but lucky it came true
And what a joke it turned out to be!!!! other than KR, do you know any other show that made a come back on TV and still a live with people the way KR does?? Image :kitt:

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 7:47 am
by knightendo77
Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who spring to mind ;) And the BBC are currently enjoying success with a new Survivors... and Day of the Triffids is coming later this year starring Eddie Izzard - can't wait! :D

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:36 am
by ozikool
Its amazing what jokes can do.

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Thu Mar 26, 2009 5:08 pm
by Sue
He he cool trivia.
Teenage mutant ninja turtles was all a joke too.

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Fri Mar 27, 2009 3:59 pm
by ozikool
Sue wrote:He he cool trivia.
Teenage mutant ninja turtles was all a joke too.
Haha It is just amazing,Jokes

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 4:07 am
by Knight007
Sue wrote:He he cool trivia.
Teenage mutant ninja turtles was all a joke too.
this is new :lol: how you mean?? Image :kitt:

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Mon Mar 30, 2009 4:59 am
by Rockatteer
So how does this story fit with the idea that Glenn Larson created Knight Rider?

Re: IT ALL STARTED FROM A JOKE

Posted: Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:39 pm
by Sue
Rockatteer wrote:So how does this story fit with the idea that Glenn Larson created Knight Rider?
Oh I know that cause its only one page two of Nick's book and I've managed to read that far. (Sorry Joe if it was in yours too, I got Nicks for free and I'm cheap :mrgreen: )
*clears throat*
I had found out they had gone to everyone on the lot first, so I was the last one on their list. We actually ran the screen tests in my projection room at Fox and I was flattered that they thought I was the only guy that could do something fresh with something involving a car since they turned down eight producers before they chose me, including Chris Crawl and Don Bellisario.