Sledge Hammer!

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Sledge Hammer!
Genre Comedy (sitcom)
Running time 23 minutes (approximate)
Creator(s) Alan Spencer
Starring David Rasche
Anne-Marie Martin
Harrison Page
Country of origin Flag of United States United States
Original channel ABC
Original run 23 September 1986–12 February 1988
No. of episodes 41

Sledge Hammer! was a satirical police sitcom that ran for two seasons on ABC from 1986 to 1988. The series was created by Alan Spencer and starred David Rasche as Inspector Sledge Hammer, a preposterous caricature of the standard "cop on the edge" character, with a name obviously parodied from Mike Hammer. Despite its brief run, the show has gained a cult following. (Fans of the show are known as "Hammerheads".)

Contents

[edit] Origins

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 comical absurdity. At the age of sixteen, Spencer wrote a screenplay based on this idea. The script and the main character were both dubbed "Sledge Hammer".

Spencer, who at his young age had already written for various standup comedians such as Rodney Dangerfield and television shows such as The Facts of Life and One Day at a Time, was unable to sell the script until the mid-1980s, when the release of the fourth Dirty Harry movie, Sudden Impact, the popularity of NBC's Dirty Harry-inspired action series, Hunter, and the critical (if not commercial) success of the spoof police series Police Squad! created demand for a satirical police television show. When HBO approached Leonard B. Stern, former producer of Get Smart, about developing such a show, Stern recommended Spencer's "Sledge Hammer!" idea.

Spencer quickly reworked his script for a half-hour television format. HBO executives did not like it, however, and suggested changes that Spencer found unacceptable, such as casting Dangerfield or Joe Piscopo in the lead role. Surprisingly, 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, but agreed to cast Spencer's first choice for the lead character, the classically trained and well-respected actor David Rasche. Sledge Hammer! entered ABC's fall lineup in 1986.

Fortuitously, the pilot of Sledge Hammer! was completed just as Peter Gabriel's song "Sledgehammer" became a huge hit. ABC took advantage of this pleasant coincidence by using Gabriel's popular tune in television, radio and film advertisements for the show.

[edit] Premise and characters

Inspector Sledge Hammer of the San Francisco Police Department is a violent, sadistic, and insensitive, yet oddly likeable detective whose best friend is a .44 Magnum. Hammer sleeps and showers with his gun—even talks to it. Hammer believes in firing first and asking questions later. His defining moment is in the pilot episode, when he blows up an entire building with a rocket launcher in order to deal with a sniper on the roof.

While purportedly a stickler for law and order, Hammer is rather lax when it comes to following police regulations. He enjoys roughing up suspected criminals, whom he frequently refers to as "brain-dead mutants", "yogurt-sucking creeps", and the like. He is often suspended from duty, and his police file literally requires a wheelbarrow to transport.

Inspector Sledge Hammer
Enlarge
Inspector Sledge Hammer

Hammer drives a beat-up, bullet-riddled, lime green Dodge St. Regis that sports an "I ♥ VIOLENCE" bumper sticker. Fashionwise, he has a penchant for cheap sports jackets, loud neckties, and dark sunglasses. He is divorced, and frequently makes jokes at the expense of his ex-wife (who makes an appearance in the final episode).

Despite his irresponsibility and utter incompetence, Hammer always ends up getting his man (or woman)—often through sheer luck. Hammer's unintentionally ironic motto is:

Trust me. I know what I'm doing. {Disaster usually follows afterward}

Another expression he often utters is "Don't confuse me"—typically in response to any remark that challenges his ridiculously one-dimensional worldview.

Hammer's partner is the beautiful Detective Dori Doreau (played by Anne-Marie Martin), who is competent, kind, sensitive, intelligent, and sophisticated—everything Sledge is not. Doreau is often shocked and offended by Hammer's crass behavior and obnoxious attitude, but she appears to see some redeeming qualities beneath his gruff exterior. (Indeed, it becomes apparent with time that she has some romantic feelings for Sledge.) Hammer's blatant male chauvinism is a running gag in his dialogues with Doreau:

Doreau: What, you think all women should be barefoot and pregnant?
Hammer: No, I encourage women to wear shoes.

Doreau's cautious and compassioniate approach to law enforcement is a crucial counterpoint to Hammer's reckless and nihilistic quest for justice. Yet Doreau is a tough, agile cop who can handle a gun and deliver a well-timed karate kick when necessary. She frequently saves Hammer from the extraordinary predicaments he invariably gets himself into.

Hammer and Doreau are supervised by the chronically uptight, Pepto-Bismol-guzzling Captain Trunk, played by Harrison Page. Trunk spends most of his time yelling at Hammer for his incompetence or complaining about his migraine headaches brought on by Hammer's antics. If Trunk has any respect or fondness for Hammer, he hides it extremely well. In one episode ("Miss of the Spider Woman") Hammer is about to die from snake venom poisoning but is saved at the last minute when Trunk shows up with the antidote. "How can I repay you?" Hammer asks. "Don't take it," Trunk replies.

[edit] Sledge humor

Most of the humor in Sledge Hammer! is based on Sledge’s callous, simplistic, narrow-minded worldview and its unfortunate consequences for those around him. Hammer is like a human tornado, devastating everyone and everything in his path. Fiercely patriotic and xenophobic, he is a warmonger and a registered Republican. He blames gun control, feminism, and rock music for many of the world‘s ills. Indeed, Sledge would be the epitome of the angry white male if it weren’t for his overwhelming goofiness and (ultimate) likeability. One example of such humor:

Sledge Hammer: Well, Miss, I was in this store when two thugs entered and threatened the owner with shotguns. At that time I drew my magnum and killed them both. Then I bought some eggs, some milk, and some of those little cocktail weenies.

News reporter: Inspector Hammer, was what you did in the store absolutely necessary?

Sledge Hammer: Oh yes, I had almost no groceries at all.

Physical comedy is another important element of the show. Through his Jack Tripper-like clumsiness, Sledge is constantly injuring Captain Trunk with, for example, a stray billiard ball to the head, a coffin lid dropped on the fingers, or a misguided attempt at fixing Trunk's sore neck with a little amateur chiropractic. Trunk yells in pain and calls Sledge "sick, sadistic, bloodthirsty, barbaric" and Hammer, sincerely flattered, immediately chimes in "Is that why you called me in here? To shower me with compliments?" Another running gag is Sledge’s reckless driving; he is continually rear-ending and backing into things with his beat-up green jalopy.

Sledge Hammer! also features a good deal of self-referential and topical, pop culture-based humor. For example, in the final episode of the first season, Captain Trunk tells a busted criminal "Your show's been cancelled!" Sledge replies, "You talking to me?"—an obvious reference to the show‘s shaky prospects for a second season. In another episode, Hammer tells a suspect "Every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you. That's police talk!", alluding to the 1983 hit song by The Police.

There are numerous references — nearly all of them disparaging — to other popular television shows of the time, such as ALF, The Cosby Show, Matlock, Webster, Moonlighting, Designing Women, Dallas, and Murder, She Wrote. (Particular scorn is reserved for Mr. Belvedere.) The show lampoons popular films of the '80s such as RoboCop, Witness, Flashdance, and Crocodile Dundee, but also alludes to classics such as Casablanca, Cool Hand Luke, Dog Day Afternoon, and A Clockwork Orange.

[edit] Intro and theme music

The introduction to the show features long, near-sensual closeup shots of Sledge's .44 Magnum as it rests on a luxurious satin pillow. The show's ominous and memorable theme music, composed by Danny Elfman, plays in the background. Sledge then picks up his gun, spins it expertly like an Old West gunslinger, and utters his catch phrase ("Trust me, I know what I'm doing") just before firing into the screen, shattering it. The original version had Sledge firing directly at the viewer, but ABC executives feared this could be too shocking, possibly even causing heart attacks (and leaving the network liable). Thus, Sledge fires into the screen at a slight angle.

[edit] Ratings and second season

Despite critical acclaim and a loyal fanbase, Sledge Hammer! struggled in the ratings. This was due in large part to its being scheduled in the Friday 9 p.m. timeslot, against CBS's Dallas and NBC's Miami Vice, two of the most popular shows on television at the time. In his commentary on the first season DVDs, Alan Spencer remarks that the only series getting lower ratings than Sledge Hammer! was The Tracey Ullman Show. That actually applied to the second season.

In truth, Sledge Hammer! attracted weekly viewership of nineteen million viewers who followed the show religiously through its many time slot shifts. The fact that the series appealed to key target demographics also kept it on the schedule. Hammer! would invariably improve on any time slot the network placed it into.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Because ABC intended to cancel the series, the last episode of the first season ends with Hammer accidentally destroying the city when he attempts to disarm a stolen nuclear warhead. The last scene shows the ruins of city with Trunk's voice screaming "HAMMMMMMMER!" However, this episode got much better than expected ratings, in large part because the network had moved the show to a better time slot. ABC changed its mind and renewed the show for a second season.

The first episode of the second season perfunctorily explained that it and following episodes were set "five years before" the explosion. Bill Bixby (of Incredible Hulk fame) was brought in to direct numerous episodes. Doreau is Sledge's partner in the second season—a glaring (and unexplained) inconsistency, as the two are portrayed as meeting for the first time in the pilot episode, which supposedly takes place years later (though, it is possible that the explosion takes place five years after the first season and the second season picks up where the show left off). This is more than likely a spoof of cop-out endings to season-ending cliffhangers (a notorious example is Dallas's season opener where the previous season was revealed to be a dream). In the final moments of the final episode, Sledge asks Dori to marry him, but then claims he was only kidding. The viewer is left to imagine what happens next.

Spoilers end here.

The second season suffered from another extremely undesirable time slot (this time against The Cosby Show), a reduced budget, and lowered filming standard (down to 16 mm film from the previous season's 35 mm). It was not renewed for a third season.

[edit] On DVD

The first season of Sledge Hammer! was released on DVD in 2004. The laugh track, which the network had insisted on including on the pilot and first 12 episodes, is not present on the DVD. The DVD also includes an unaired version of the pilot that runs several minutes longer and has a different ending and different theme music. An earthquake allegedly hit while Alan Spencer was recording commentary for one of the DVDs; the tape supposedly kept rolling during the event and was included on the DVD, leaving viewers wondering whether the earthquake was real. The second season was released on DVD on April 12, 2005; the commentary on the final episode ended with Spencer, again, being caught in an apparent earthquake.

[edit] Guest appearances

Some notable figures who made guest appearances on Sledge Hammer!:

[edit] Episode list

[edit] Season 1 (1986-1987)

  1. Under The Gun (Pilot) (Sep 23, 1986)
  2. Hammer Gets Nailed (Sep 26, 1986)
  3. Witless (Oct 3, 1986)
  4. They Shoot Hammers, Don't They? (Oct 17, 1986)
  5. Dori Day Afternoon (Oct 24, 1986)
  6. To Sledge, with Love (Oct 31, 1986)
  7. All Shook Up (Nov 6, 1986)
  8. Over My Dead Bodyguard (Nov 13, 1986)
  9. Magnum Farce (Nov 22, 1986)
  10. If I Had a Little Hammer (Nov 29, 1986)
  11. To Live and Die on TV (Dec 13, 1986)
  12. Miss of the Spider Woman (Dec 20, 1986)
  13. The Old Man and the Sledge (Jan 3, 1987)
  14. State of Sledge (Jan 10, 1987)
  15. Haven't Gun, Will Travel (Jan 17, 1987)
  16. The Color of Hammer (Jan 24, 1987)
  17. Brother, Can You Spare a Crime? (Jan 31, 1987)
  18. Desperately Seeking Dori (Feb 7, 1987)
  19. Sledgepoo (Feb 14, 1987)
  20. Comrade Hammer (Feb 21, 1987)
  21. Jagged Sledge (Apr 21, 1987)
  22. The Spa Who Loved Me (Apr 28, 1987)

[edit] Season 2 (1987-1988)

  1. A Clockwork Hammer (Sep 17, 1987)
  2. Big Nazi on Campus (Sep 24, 1987)
  3. Play It Again, Sledge (Oct 1, 1987)
  4. Wild About Hammer (Oct 8, 1987)
  5. The Death of a Few Salesmen (Oct 15, 1987)
  6. Vertical (Oct 29, 1987)
  7. Dressed to Call (Nov 5, 1987)
  8. Hammer Hits the Rock (a.k.a. Sledge on the Rock) (Nov 12, 1987)
  9. Hammeroid (Nov 26, 1987)
  10. Last of the Red Hot Vampires (Nov 19, 1987)
  11. Sledge in Toyland (Dec 3, 1987)
  12. Icebreaker (Dec 10, 1987)
  13. They Call Me Mr. Trunk (Dec 17, 1987)
  14. Model Dearest (Jan 7, 1988)
  15. Sledge, Rattle & Roll (Jan 15, 1988)
  16. Suppose They Gave a War & Sledge Came? (Jan 22, 1988)
  17. The Secret of My Excess (Jan 29, 1988)
  18. It Happened What Night? (Feb 5, 1988)
  19. Here's to You, Mrs. Hammer (Feb 12, 1988)

[edit] Trivia

In order to meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article's trivia section requires cleanup.
Content in the trivia section should be integrated into other appropriate areas of the article.

[edit] About Inspector Hammer

  • Born in Passaic, New Jersey to Jack and Armen Hammer
  • Was on his high school track team (he fired the starting pistol)
  • Favorite piece of music is "Taps"
  • Favorite book is War and Peace—"the first half"
  • Vacations in Beirut
  • Favorite charity is "Toy Guns For Tots"
  • Subscribes to Better Homes and Missiles
  • Thinks The Deer Hunter is a comedy
  • Address is 625 Stamford St., Apt. 13
  • Sometimes uses a "loudener" (his own invention, the opposite of a silencer) on his gun
  • Objects to the death penalty on the grounds that it is too lenient ("there's always the possibility of reincarnation")
  • Claims not to be afraid of anything, except world peace
  • Keeps a target silhouette on his closet door
  • His favorite film is not Dirty Harry, because he finds it "too violent"

[edit] Other trivia

  • Marvel Comics released a short-lived comic book based upon the series, only publishing two issues.
  • Anne-Marie Martin (Dori Doreau) was married to author Michael Crichton from 1987 to 2002, during which time she retired from acting and co-wrote the hit film Twister with her husband. [1]
  • Al Jean and Mike Reiss, best known for their work on The Simpsons, wrote for the show.
  • One episode ended with an epilogue that was intentionally miscolored as a parody of the then-popular colorization trend; ABC received so many complaints from viewers thinking it was a transmission error that for a time callers to ABC's switchboard heard a recorded message explaining that it was all a joke.
  • The British rock band Jesus Jones sampled Sledge's famous catch phrase in their song "Trust Me" on their 1991 album Doubt.
  • The phrase "Hammer time!" was used by Sledge in the episode "State of Sledge"—a full three years before MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" was released in January 1990.
  • In the first episode, after Sledge's badge is taken, he notes that the next time he shoots someone he could get arrested. Frank Drebin says the exact same thing in The Naked Gun, released several years later.

[edit] External links

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