Gung Ho (TV series)

Gung Ho
Genre Comedy
Created by Edwin Blum
Lowell Ganz
Babaloo Mandel
Developed by Paramount Television/CBS Television Distribution
Directed by Jeff Chambers
Dick Martin
George Sunga
Art Dielhenn
John Bowab
Randy Carter (first assistant director)
Country of origin USA
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 9
Production
Executive producer(s) John Rappaport
Running time 30 minutes (including commercials)
Production company(s) Paramount Network Television
Distributor CBS Television Distribution
Broadcast
Original channel ABC
Original run December 5, 1986 – June 27, 1987
Chronology
Preceded by Gung Ho (film)

Gung Ho is a short-lived TV series, based on the 1986 film of the same name. The series aired on ABC[1] during the 1986-87 season.

Synopsis

Just like in the movie, the TV series follows the exploits of Hunt Stevenson (here, played by Scott Bakula as opposed to Michael Keaton in the movie), a laid-back American employee liaison of a Japanese car company in Hadleyville, Pennsylvania. Much of the humor arose from the abounding clashes between Hunt and the new Japanese plant manager, Kaz Kazuhiro (Gedde Watanabe, who was reprising his role from the movie) while looking for ways to bridge the culture gap between one another.

Cast

Besides Watanabe, many of the Japanese actors from the movie reprised their roles for the series. Clint Howard (brother of Gung Ho movie director Ron Howard) was the only Caucasian actor from the film to also appear in the TV series.

List of episodes

№ Title Airdate Short Plot Summary
1 "Pilot" 1986·Dec·05 Hunt, acting as labor's liaison to management, tries to restore the job of a fellow who brashly expressed his opinion of a new employee rule book.[2]
2 "Line of Credit" 1986·Dec·12 Hunt uses a new company credit card to entertain a date, an action that lands him back on the assembly line.[3]
3 "Talk of the Town" 1986·Dec·26 Hunt invites Kaz (Gedde Watanabe) to a civic meeting, where Kaz's straight talk is a hit with the crowd after Hunt's ramblings strike out.[4]
4 "Sick and Tired" 1987·Jan·02 The flu puts Kaz in bed, leaving Saito in charge, just as a reporter (Earl Boen) arrives to do a story on cooperation between the Americans and the Japanese.[5]
5 "Love Me Tender" 1987·Jan·09 Hunt (Scott Bakula) proclaims himself a one-woman man, but Kaz and Umeki have evidence that his girl friend isn't similarly inclined.[6]
6 "Help Wanted" 1987·Jan·16 Hunt encourages Umeki (Patti Yasutake) to get a job selling TVs and stereos, but Kaz is outraged by the idea of his wife working.[7]
7 "Kaz Over Easy" 1987·Jan·23 When Kaz's workaholic friend from Japan dies of a heart attack, Kaz (Gedde Watanabe) drastically alters his own work habits.[8]
8 "Where the Boys Are" 1987·Jan·30 Umeki can't contact Kaz (Gedde Watanabe) to tell him that the prototype he plans to introduce at the auto show was totaled in transit.[9]
9 "Brother Can You Spare a Dollar?" 1987·Feb·06 A visit from Hunt's brother Eddie (Marc Poppel), a Chicago commodities broker, sparks sibling rivalry.[10]

References

External links