More about The Green Hornet....

["Eddie Stakes" <eddiestakes@xxxx>]

Hi everyone. Someone asked me if there is a album inside. Yes there is a
album inside, actually I chunked this particular one on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2246210318&ssPageName=ADME:B:LC:US:1
The other night with other things. The album is a originl radio broadcast,
which was a George Garabedian Production. The album is by Mark 56 Records,
from 1973 the same year AMC introduced the Hornet hatchback. Side one is
"BOOTLEG PAINTING SCHEME" and side 2 is "THE HORNET DOES IT" whatever it,
uh, did. I don't have a album player anynmore (although I have hundreds of
Pink Floyd, Judas Priest, Scorpions, Foreigner, Styx, Foghat, Triumph,
Moxie, Ronnie Montrose, Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush, April Wine, Bee Gees,
Beatles, Rush, and other fine selections I liked and still do from the late
60s and 70s/early 80s, just nothing to play them on!).

The script on back of the "Mystery Adventure" album reads as follow for
anyone who might be interested in neat stuff like this:
CAST:
Britt Reid (the Green Hornet)
Kato-Reid's faithful valet
Lenore Case (Casey) Reid's Secretary
Michael Axford-reporter
Newsboy
Announcer

Creators: Fran Striker, George W. Trendle
Producer: Writer-director: James Jewell
Director: Charles Livingstone
Writer: Fran Striker

Theme: "flight of the bumblebee" by Rimsky Korsakov
Opening:
Announcer: THE GREEN HORNET!!
Sound (Hornet buzz up full)
Announcer: He hunts the biggest of all game! Public enemies who try to
destroy our America!
Music: (these up full and under)
Announcer: With his faithful valet, Kato, Britt Reid, daring young
publisher, matches wits with the under world, risking his life that
criminals and racketeers, within the law, may feel its weight byt the sting
of The Green Hornet!
Sound: ("Black Beauty" car pulls out...up full)
Announcer: Ride with Britt Reid in the thrilling adventure "The Hornet Does
It." The green Hornet strikes again!
Music: (up and under)
Announcer: Stepping through a secret panel in the rear of his closet in his
bedroom, Britt Reid and Kato went along a narrow passageway built within the
walls of the apartment itself. This passageway led to a an adjoining
building, which fronted on a dark sidestreet.......
Sound: (footsteps to car...door open...car door slam...)
Announcer: Britt Reid pressed a button....
Sound: (car start)
Announcer: The great car roared to life....
Sound: (car idle up...sound of wall section opening..)
Announcer: A section of the wall in front raised automatically, then closed,
as the Black Beauty sped into the darkness.
Sound: (car pull out-full..two gear changes...cross fade music...)
Closing:
Music: Them up full and under....
Newsboy: Special Extra! Murders in jail! City saved from deadly ray gun!
Read all about it! Green Hornet still at large! Special Extra! Paper!!
Music: them up full

Ok, there you have it. On the back of the album is two photos showing the
Green Hornet and uh, the Green AMC Hornet real close to that big hole in the
wall seen behind Kato on the front cover, there is some smoke, not sure if
the AMC smacked the wall due to a AMC factory recall on brakes, or Brett &
Kato were trying to break into the Kenosha engine building plant to destroy
evildoers who were attempting to use a Wankel four cylinder rotary engine in
the new Pacer that was in development by AMC evildoers:
http://www.amcpacer.com/cgi-bin/archives.cgi?s=327&num=3

A few things I noticed on the back album cover. One, Kato is referred to
Reid's Faithful Valet, but it was usually Kato bailing out the Green
Hornet's butt as Britt could not see too well with that Al Queda cover on
his face so evildoers usually got really close before the Hornet would
notice. Not sure why he wanted to protect his identity while poor Kato
wasn't given anything to hide his identity, duh.

"public enemies who try to destroy our America" Hmm..
We sure could use both of them now.

"stepping through a secret panel in the rear of his closet in his bedroom,
Britt Reid and Kato" Oh now wait a minute guys. I never knew that. Ya'll go
to to Massactuchetchetes (sic!) and get a license for that stuff. :~P

And: "went along a narrow passageway within the walls of the apartment
itself" Yes, Britt, even though a publisher, was not Bruce Wayne, nor did he
have the luxury of a Batcave that covered 5 counties and Bat computers. No,
he had to split rent with Kato. Not the Kato guy from the OJ trial who was a
a leech either. I guess newspaper publishers in 73 paid about as well as
cops, teachers, dog handlers, no wait, dog handlers was not a profession
then. But being a publisher paid well enough to go to the Dollar Store and
pick a few doo rags to cut holes in to cover your head to fight crime. You
could also afford a trenchcoat which would get you sent home now under many
stupid zero tolerance policies. Not sure about Britt's hat, but it looks
like a nice Armani. Sadly however Britt could not leave Kato waiting in
front of the TGI Friday's in the Hornet as people would ask him to valet
their Lincoln's. Hey, he was a valet, no? Hey, put the change in the tip
jar please.

"risking his life that criminals and racketeers" For some reason, Martha
Stewart, Kobe Bryant, and Enron come to mind. Britt would not make it past
the first wave of security at Houston's Harris County courthouse, I can
testify to that after being drug thru the legal system thae past two months
facing a Class A Misdemeanor and up to two years in jail and a $4000 fine to
boot. I could have used him as a attorney however. Luckily my case was
dismissed, more later....

"Britt Reid pressed a button and the great car roared to life"
More proof this was not the Hornet but that modified Imperial thing he
drove. If it was the AMC Hornet, there would have been a LOT more noises in
the album, maybe making it a four album set, as Britt would have to had Kato
open the hood, then put the screwdriver to the solenoid to bypass the
horrible Seat Belt Interlock System, close the hood, get inside, connect the
seat belts, and depending on Kato's weight on the passenger side seat, then
just maybe the car would start. Remember, many times the AMC's would NOT
start as a lady had her purse on the seat, or bag of groceries, big problem
with that crappy system. Ok, that was 74, but who knows.

"a section of the wall in front raised automatically" Uh, Britt, Kato just
kicked a hole in the wall. You only USE TO have a garage door opener. Kato
has never seen a wall open by itself. Enter the Dragon.
Wall Open Now Hornet. Kato Drive. Where Brake. How stop American car.

"city saved from deadly ray gun" If I was Britt, and I ain't it would depend
on the city. If it was say DC, or LA, then I say let's see just what your
badazz ray gun can do punks. Point it over here at my apartment to give Kato
his OWN bedroom. Hey, and since Kato kung fu'ed that other wall, how about
ray gunning next to that big hole there and making me a double garage for
the Imperial and this newfangled 73 Hornet Hatchback.

"Special extra! Paper!" Yes, as usual it was all about selling newspapers.
Hopefully with that one special edition Britt could afford to buy Kato his
own bed, and a decent pair of goggles, and something nice to wear so people
would not be handing their keys to the Hummer and Rolls to him when he is
waiting for Britt in front of the darned Radisson or Omni Hotels.

Was there a actual Green Hornet? Yes, but not offered in the US, only
Canada, and it was not a hatchback, it was a sedan offered in 1972. Here is
some information from noted AMC author and historian James C. Mays:
Rarely did the model lineup a home differ from that offered in the US after
Auto Pact took effect. However there was surprises through the years. J. C.
Rakes, Director of Marketing, announced in a November '71 press release that
a special, built in Canada, for Canadians only 1972 Hornet was on it's way
to the nation's 249 AMC Dealer showrooms.

The compact Hornet had replaced the venerable Rambler American as a 1970
model. The Hornet's shape was instantly classic with it's long rakish hood,
deeply raked windshield and very pleasing lines. In the spring of '71 the
clever Sportabout wagon joined the Hornet family along with the SC/360
sports sedan.

Sales were brisk even though the stylish Hornet had remained virtually
unchanged since it's introduction three seasons earlier. The 108 inch
wheelbase compact appealed to Canadians as thrifty, stylish and roomy. But
there was always room for extra sales and AMC had no equal when it came to
"making new bread with old flour" remembers public relations director Alan
McPhee.
The ever inventive marketing boys at Brampton cooked up the idea. Cashing in
on the popular 50s American crime serial and the short lived TV series
(starring Van Williams and a very young Bruce Lee) headlings announced "The
Green Hornet returns-as a car." Len Bink remembers the car was easy to
produce because the Brampton plant was small enough that managers could keep
an actual pyysical eye on production. The special Green Hornets would have
gotten easily lost in the computerized jungles that overtook larger
factories.

300 of the specially trimmed Hornets were ordered up, so that there would be
at least one for each dealership.
Each sported a distince Green Hornet paint, a green vinyl roof, and
specially ordered Green Hornet decals. The car came equipped with white wall
tires and a full set of wheel covers. Also standard was the new Torque
Command automatic transmission. The Green Hornet package was offered to
Canadians for $2997.00 plus taxes.

The rugger 232 six was the base power plant but the 258 six could be
ordered. Hornets were capable of holding a V8 under the hood and the 304V8
two barrel was available, along with the 360V8 two barrel.

The Green Hornet could be jazzed up with a optional "X"
package which included rally stripes, slot styled wheels, C78X14 tires, a
sport steering wheel, and the "X" emblems. A sliding sunroof was available,
but only in the special green color. Other extra cost items offered to dress
up the car were ventilated rotor front disc brakes, and a adjustable
steering column. The automatic could be swapped for a manual three on the
tree or a fully synchronized four speed shift.

One of the strongest selling features of the Hornet had nothing to do with
it's styling or even the slick green Hornet package. The hottest news from
the automakers in 1972 was the introduction of AMC's Buyer Protection Plan.
The most comprehensive in the industry, the company wrote its guarantee in
simple language. It said in plain English and French that aMC would repair
any fault with the automobile during the first 12 months or 12,000 miles. If
the vehicle broke down during travelling away from home the dealer gave a
loaner car and out of pocket expenses were covered by AMC's Trip
Interruption Plan.

The BPP stimulated sales for the company across the board. Hornet production
was steady at Brampton and 300 of those were the unique Green Hornets.
Although they do not bear special serial numbers, they rank among the most
unusual offerings that AMC offered to the Canadian public in the 70s.

If anyone is interested in a brand new copy of Rambler Canada, I have a box
of them, these are the subjects covered in this neat book:
"Rambler Canada takes a great comprehensive look at behind the scenes of the
company's operations in Canada. 112 pages written by award winning author
and well respected AMC Historian James C. Mays. Topics covered include:
MacMillian Motors, small town Nash dealer; Ken Eccles Parts; Gordon Dowding
from Nash to Rambler; Leighton Stoddart, Atlantic Canada's Service Rep; Earl
K. Brownridge, Manufacturing Hero; Neil D. Gaskin Innovator; Miracle at
Brampton AMC Plant; Coneybeare Motors, Rambler sin Halliburton; Paddy
Silverstone, receptionist par excellence; Jim Vernon Public Relations
1962-1968; Marty Fine Calgary contender; Bob Bannerman super salesman; Diane
Landry, Miss Canada 1966; Ernie Regehr Fun in manufacturing; The Rambler
Shell Oil Rallys; Earl Adams He loved to count; Bud Dron All Canadian; Len
Bink, The man from Jeep; An Ambassador to serve and protect (police); Bill
Pickett, leading the way; Green Hornet For Canadians Only (from the Green
Hornet tv show); The Williams Twins Trans Canada Hell Drivers; Alan McPhee
Public Relations; Lois Booth Administrative assistant; Maurice Fertey,
bringing new direction; Epilouge: We Built A Lot Of AMCs!; Post Script-Where
Are They Now?. LOTS OF ILLUSTRATIONS. A rather nice book and extremely
interesting reading of American Motors Canada operations and those who
worked there! $17.00 Add $4 ship." Here is what it looks like:
http://www.planethoustonamx.com/parts%20&%20Literature/rambler_canada.JPG

Eddie Stakes' Planet Houston AMX