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Glen Larson at a Knights of the West Coast car show, 2008

Not only does 2012 mark the 30th anniversary of Knight Rider, but also the 75th birthday of Glen A. Larson. By creating Knight Rider in the 1980s, he captured the imagination of the world, and empowered them to believe that one man can make a difference.

We would like to take a moment for fans like ourselves whom he inspired, to say "Happy Birthday!" and we look forward to what the ride has ahead.

Watch Glen A. Larson receive honors at Knight Rider Festival.

Starlog magazine ran this profile of him in 1997:

[Glen Larson's] greatest success was Knight Rider, which put Hasselhoff behind the wheel of K.I.T.T., a Pontiac Trans Am with a mind of its own...

Knight Rider appealed to Larson because it fulfilled a part of him that enjoys science fiction, particularly when it becomes science fact. "K.I.T.T. was the first car in America that had L.E.D. readouts on the dashboard," he notes proudly. "And it could also steer and brake itself. Now we're looking at automobiles that have radar-activated brakes and steering. So it's fun to contemplate where we can go. Many of the things we developed for K.I.T.T. were done by young designers who did work for Mattel and others. We didn't go to the usual Hollywood shops to design an interior. It's fun to stretch the envelope a bit, and we're doing that with NightMan, taking him beyond what has been done. It may not be on the shelf right now, but these are things humans could develop."

NBC revised Knight Rider several years ago in the TV movie pilot Knight Rider 2000, but Larson (who wasn't involved) was disappointed by the results. "They missed the point," he observes. "I don't think they understood the series or what made it work in the first place. They went off in the wrong direction. The audience was there, but the movie didn't appeal to them." The property is being reprised anew this fall as Team Knight Rider, and Larson hopes they do a better job this time.

Douglas Snauffer - Starlog, October 1997

Robert Foster, Executive Producer on the original Knight Rider series, passed away from brain cancer last month. He was 72. Responsible for running the show for three and a half seasons, his direction was on of a small group that helped to define the memory that everyone thinks of "Knight Rider" today. He helped create such memorable characters as Goliath, and KARR, and writing many fan favorite episodes such as Hearts of Stone, Short Notice, Soul Survivor, Diamonds Aren't a Girl's Best Friend, Knight of the Drones and one of my favorites Knight of the Juggernaut (trailer below).

Donations are welcome in leu of flowers to Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Northern Utah

Hollywood Reporter: TV Writer, Producer Robert Foster Dies at 72
Variety: TV producer Robert Foster dies at 73

When Knight Rider news falls through the cracks, our weekly(ish) KITT Bytes sweeps them up:

• Michael Scheffe the designer of KITT, appears this week on the Back to the Future: 25th Anniversary Trilogy [Blu-ray] release, talking about his involvement in part 2 of the trilogy. You can watch a clip on YouTube
• The premier date for "The Hasselhoff's", David and family reality show on A&E, was announced. It will premier December 5th at 10pm. [press release at davidNet]
• Finally, check out this video from MJKnight, as he files his video report from KnightCon

The Golden State Pops Orchestra paid tribute to Stu Phillips last night in the beautiful, 1930s art-deco Warner Music Hall. I didn't think I was going to be able to make it to the concert, but I was able to at the last minute and was glad I did.

I admit I was a little disappointed when I first saw the program; Stu had told me that they would be performing Knight Rider during the concert, but it wasn't listed on the schedule. These things happen, but I was still looking forward to the other performances. First, conductor Steven Alan Fox led the orchestra performing the end credits to Star Trek First Contact (not one of Stu's pieces). They also performed a classical piece Stu composed, to show that Stu wasn't just a "Hollywood" composer.

Stu came on stage and led the orchestra performing movements from Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, and an independent film he scored, "The Name of the Game is…Kill." Before each piece, Stu would give a brief overview of the storylines and characters. He was very funny about it all, and had a tongue-in-cheek attitude about how shows were a bit different in the 70s. The BSG theme in particular was absolutely amazing performed live.

Ever wanted to hear the Knight Rider theme performed live by a symphony orchestra? This weekend you have your chance as the legendary Stu Phillips will be the focus of a concert in San Pedro California, celebrating his work on Battlestar Galactica and Knight Rider. Mr. Phillips will be even conducting the 2nd half of the performance!

More details after the jump!

All the Knight Rider fans across the globe wish to extend our sincerest warm wishes to Glen A. Larson as he turns 72 years old today. Mr. Larson not only is the creator of Knight Rider but many other countless shows such "The Fall Guy", "Battlestar: Galactica" and "Buck Rogers In the 25th Century", "Nightman" and more.

Mr. Larson is currently working to bring a motion picture version of Knight Rider to the big screen which is believed to be in the final portion of the screenwriting stage. He is scheduled to appear at the Knight Festival in Las Vegas this March.

Check out our earlier interview from this year at the Knight Rider Event at Saugus Raceway.

Here is part two of our interview with Stu Phillips, series composer and creator for the Knight Rider theme. We talked with him about his long time partnership with Glen Larson and if he has any plans to work with him in the future. We also got a peek at his original music timing sheets and learned about the process of scoring a television show. Check out our video below!

Be sure to check out Stu's website at stuwho.com for more information on Mr. Phillips.

His Knight Rider CD is available instantly on iTunes:

Knight Rider (Original TV Soundtrack)
$24.99

A huge amount of thanks goes to Mr. Phillips for generating his valuable time to this interview. He has always been very cordial and supportive to all fans, and that's really appreciated from a man of his talent. We look forward to speaking with him again at the Knight Rider Festival in Las Vegas this March.

Be sure to check out Part 1!

When channel flipping or surfing the net, you'll know instantly that you have stumbled onto something Knight Rider when you hear those first distinctive beats. The quickening tempo and bass lines recall many iconic scenes, and your heart starts to race. The theme is known by more than just your average fan, and it was as critical to the success of Knight Rider as a Turbo Boost itself.

We were fortunate enough to be able to sit down with Knight Rider composer Stu Phillips for a chat about Knight Rider. He with Glen Larson created the now iconic theme as well as scored 13 of the original 84 episodes. Check out part one of our video below with some pictures underneath.

Be sure to check out Stu's website at stuwho.com for more information on Mr. Phillips.

His Knight Rider CD is available instantly on iTunes:

Knight Rider (Original TV Soundtrack)
$24.99

After our interview, Barris takes us back into his archives for a tour. We get a special treat when he pulls out box after box of rare behind the scenes photos.

George Barris Interview Part 1
George Barris Interview Part2

In part two George talks with us about the history of talking cars and reveals some of the secret techniques he used to bring them to life.
He also tells us how he has been keeping classic KITT alive both in the backdoor pilot and at the upcoming Knight Rider Festival in Las Vegas.

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George Barris Interview Part 1

Stay tuned for part 3!

Last week we were very fortunate to spend some time with car customizer George Barris. In this video Barris tells us how he first came to be involved with Knight Rider. We also learn of the many challenges his team faced when building the different stunt and hero KITT cars. Together they had to design special modifications for the car so that KITT could pull off one amazing feat after another and still come out seemingly unscathed.

Come back tomorrow for part 2!

this KITT may or may not be appearing in Staten Island next week

If you happen to be in the NYC area in the next week - we have a couple of events for you!

First up, this weekend is the Autoseum Car Show, which helps to sponsor the construction of a car museum at the Cradle of Aviation Museum in East Garden City on Long Island. Running Saturday and Sunday, the show is open from 10am till 5pm on both days and costs $7 per person (kids under 12 free). Additionally - they are offering a special talegate event after hours on friday for $50, which includes dinner and a meet-and-greet with Barris

The vehicles include the original Batmobile from the "Batman" TV show; General Lee from "The Dukes of Hazzard"; K.I.T.T. from "Knight Rider"; the Monkeemobile from "The Monkees"; the Ford Grand Torino from "Starsky and Hutch"; and the "Drag-U-La" from "The Munsters." Original cars from the movies include the Ecto-1 from "Ghostbusters," James Bond's Aston-Martin DB5 from "Goldfinger"; the Triple X cars from "XXX" starring Vin Diesel and "XXX: State of the Union" with Ice Cube and Samuel Jackson; and the van from "Scooby Doo."

Then on August 26th and 27th on Staten Island, Soundsation (2311 Forest Ave., at the corner of South Avenue) will be displaying a replica of KITT, as well as having George Barris himself appear. Originally, an infamous version of the Super Pursuit Mode KITT was scheduled to be on display, but due to some travel issues, this may not happen and a terrific KITT replica will be there instead.

The Event is free - however they are looking for donations as part of a fund raiser for a little 5 year old girl named Sarah Boschi, who is suffering from a couple of genetic diseases.

KITT was known for his knack for helping Michael out of a jam. It's hoped that KITT fans will step up to help Sarah.

After all, as Michael's benefactor, Wilton Knight, famously told him, "one man can make a difference."

[Newsday on Aviation show]

[SILive on Staten Island apperance]

Sam Nicholson is CEO and founder of Stargate Digital the company responsible for the over 300 special effects shots in NBC's new Knight Rider movie.

Here is Part 2 of our interview with David Andron. David has been responsible for writing and creating the new Knight Rider on NBC

Read part two of our interview to find out what he had to say about the project, the process and the future if it goes (when) to series.

Welcome back to Part 2 of our interview with David Bartis the Executive Producer of he new Knight Rider movie airing on February 17th.

You can read part one here and learn about the backstory of this Knight Rider project - or continue on to hear more from our interview.