The dashing red suit and flowing cape. Super powers -- flight, strength, X-ray vision. And even a pretty brunette for our hero to swoop in and rescue from the latest nefarious plot.
Despite the similarities, the title character of the 1980s television show "The Greatest American Hero" was no Superman.
Far from it.
As portrayed by William Katt -- who will be in Cape Girardeau this weekend as part of Cape Comic Con -- this hero was bumbling, fumbling and full of flaws. Even his name, Ralph Hinkley, instilled little confidence.
"It was the fact that he was the everyman," Katt said Monday in a telephone interview from Los Angeles. "It was the call to greatness for an average joe. I think that resonated. ... I played that part as a real guy caught in an absurd situation."
Absurd indeed. The science fiction/comedy series chronicled Ralph's adventures after aliens give him a superpowered red suit. The show co-starred Robert Culp ("I Spy") as FBI agent Bill Maxwell and Connie Sellecca ("Hotel") as lawyer Pam Davidson. But Hinkley was a reluctant hero. By day a teacher, the curly-haired Ralph hated wearing the suit and struggled to use his powers effectively, often with comic results.
The show struggled in the ratings and was canceled after just 43 episodes. But, a few years later, it soared in syndication, even setting sales records at the time when a 13-disc box set was released. Katt considers the show a big part of his career, along with his role in Brian De Palma's 1976 horror classic "Carrie," where he played the ill-fated prom date for an abused teenage girl with ultimately deadly telekinetic powers.
But Katt has done other things: He's performed on stage, authored his own comic book and previously pursued a career as a musician. He's been in other films, too, such as "Butch and Sundance: The Early Days" and "Mirrors 2." He's done more television, including episodes of "House" and "Heroes" and voice work for cartoons like "Justice League." He also famously auditioned for the role of Luke Skywalker but lost out to you-know-who.
But Katt knows and is comfortable with the fact that he will always be associated most with his role on "The Greatest American Hero." He's watched pop culture references to the show with delight, whether it was a sketch on "Robot Chicken" or an episode of "Seinfeld."
One of his favorites involves an episode of "Family Guy," where Peter Griffin rides roller skates down a hill while being towed to a car. In that scene, Peter is dressed as the Greatest American Hero and sings the theme song before being launched off a ramp into Lake Quahog.
But the most pleasure Katt gets is from his interaction with the fans.
"Kids and their parents could watch it together," Katt said. "Everybody got something out of it. It was one of those family shows. Now I get to go around and meet the fans and try to be a goodwill ambassador. It just struck a chord that worked."
Cape Comic Con founder Ken Murphy said he expects more than 1,200 people to turn out over the three-day event that starts today at the Osage Centre. He thinks Katt will be a big part of the attraction, along with William Tucci, the comics illustrator best known for his creator-owned title and character "Shi."
"These conventions are all heavily driven by actors and actresses in shows like 'The Greatest American Hero,'" Murphy said. "People love these actors who they're nostalgic for. And the actors like to come out and meet their fans from back in the day."
Katt will be on hand all three days, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans, Murphy said. Katt has fans interested in many facets of his career, whether it's the comic books he's worked on or the shows and films he's been a part of.
"These shows give you a warm feeling when you think back to 1980 when you were 13," Murphy said. "Whether you liked him as 'The Greatest American Hero' or if you think 'Carrie' was the scariest movie you've ever seen, he has a lot of drawing power."
And the toe-tapping hit theme song to the show, "Believe It Or Not," will be prominently featured this weekend, Murphy said. The song, which rose to No. 2 on Billboard's Top 40 in 1981, will be played when Katt takes the stage, signs autographs or takes photos with fans.
"That theme song was a big part of that show," Murphy said. "So of course you're going to hear it if you come to Cape Comic Con. How could we not play that song for this guy?"
For Katt's part, he continues to appear at conventions because he loves meeting the fans and reminiscing about the show. He also stays connected to the fans through social media as well, such as a "Greatest American Hero" fan page on Facebook. The page displays fan art, remembrances and photos, some of fans wearing snug-fitting replicas of the red suit.
The somewhat geeky recognition has never gotten tiresome for Katt and he's never wanted to tell his fans what William Shatner once famously told "Star Trek" fans: "Get a life."
"I never wanted to tell them that, and I bet Bill Shatner doesn't feel that same way now," Katt said. "The fans are enjoyable and passionate. They are so loyal and wonderfully supportive."
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